peteski

Most plastic bags are polyethylene. Just put the stuff you want to glue over a plastic bag. I do that all the times.

I think Harry is just having some fun with us. Or if not, I think the above explanations clearly explained the differences and relations of speed and revolutions per minute on a circular track. If you look at an oval track for runners, the starting (or finish) positions are staggered as not to give unfair advantage to the runners on the inside of the track (that way all the runners cover the same exact distance).

LOL! So much for Auto ID #195...

Slow (or high temperature) reducers (thinners) for automotive paints have slower evaporation rate than medium- or low-temperature reducers. The slower evaporating solvents are usually less aggressive (so probably safer for rubber o-rings). I have a Badger model 200 airbrush and it uses Teflon gaskets for the areas which have contact with paint. Teflon is solvent resistant.

I have been using their paints for model RR subjects and they are excellent. But I do thin them further for airbrushing. I'll eventually be looking at their new automotive model paints too. I have never tried their masking system (I use the old tried-n-true Tamiya masking tape, other masking tapes, liquid masking agents, and Parafilm. I wonder if the masking paper is similar to Frisket film used by artists.

We all have our techniques - it doesn't mean that what others do is or isn't correct. I just describe what works for me. If we start going by what wins contests then I have taken first place awards at contests with models painted with no primer. Snake 45. Pigments are solid (like in a powder form). Pigmented plastic is opaque. But many yellow or red plastics are semi-translucent and I suspect that they use dyes (not pigments) to tint those plastic. .As far as dyes leaching out of plastic, that is not a myth. It has happened to me and to other modelers I know (or read about in the forums). As I see it, the solvents in paint cause the dye leaching. But those solvents are also mildly destructive to the plastic itself. If you tried to remove all the dye for the plastic using that solvent, the plastic itself would be destroyed. That is my best explanation.

Tree-killer!

Thanks everybody! I was asked about making the cars actually move. One possibility would have been to use some sort of vibrating floor to make the cars randomly dance around; like the old football game table. Another possibility was to use magnets on the cars and on a set of moving gears under the floor. But where they are located (and with the roof over the track) the cars aren't very easily visible to spectators. So it wasn't really worth the effort. Plus this is a portable setup, so there would be a good chance that the cars would fail out during moves and transport. We ended up modeling the time when people are getting on for the next ride.

If painting using hobby paints I try to avoid primer as much as possible (to minimize paint thickness). If using hotter paints, primer is needed to act as a barrier to prevent the hot solvent in the paint from crazing the styrene body. Of course if the plastic body is bright red and I want to paint it white, I will use primer, or even additional barrier coats, even when using hobby paints (to prevent the red plastic dye from bleeding into the white paint).

For many years a friend of mine and I were collaborating on his model of a carnival in N-scale (that is a model train scale of 1:160). He built the models and I animated and illuminated them. The scene resides on a pair of NTRAK modules which we display at the local model train shows. Here is an older video showing the original midway. Couple of years ago my friend wanted to expand the midway by adding another couple of feet to the module set. One of the rides was going to be bumper cars. Since there are no commercially available models of N-scale bumper cars I offered to make them for him. I decided to make a master and cast them out of resin. The carnival is set in late 1960s or early 1970s. I first gathered some photos of bumper cars. I then got some rough dimensions. These are the prototype on which I loosely based my model. I started with a piece of acrylic (Plexiglas) which I cut to the scale length and width of the car. The scribed mark denotes how high the car needs to be. Then I planned on how to get to the shape I needed. Next, using a saw, files, and dental grinding bits in a Dremel tool, I removed all the material which was not the bumper car's body. I then scribed the front grille and a trim line around the body. Finally, I polished the body using an 4-grit fingernail polishing stick. The steps which I didn't photograph (I should have) were milling machine operations: Using a 0.025" mill bit I made a hole for the electric pickup pole in the rear and holes for 0.025" styrene rod I would use for the headlight pods. Then I glued in the styrene rod and trimmed it to represent the headlight pods. I then separated the car body from the rest of the acrylic piece. Then, using a piece of 0.032" acrylic sheet, I made the "rubber bumper" base for the car. Base glued to the car body (using a methylene chloride based liquid cement). I then glued the master pattern to a flat acrylic base. Using masking tape, I created a dam to hold the RTV rubber and ... ...poured the liquid rubber into the cavity. Once the rubber hardens, I remove the tape and pull the rubber mold off the master. It is a simple 1-piece open mold. I just poured the resin until the cavity was full. Here is the first molding popped out of the mold. I also went a little nuts: I photoetched the steering wheels. Then I soldered them to a steering column made from a 0.010" brass rod. Steering wheels ready to be painted black. A finished bumper car. The body and the bumper areas were airbrushed with Scalecoat II paint and the seat and grille/headlights were brush painted (under a microscope). Here is a couple on a Nickel .... And a whole gaggle of finished models. Before you ask, yes, I had to cut off the feet of the figures before I plopped them in the cars. I'll try a 2-tone paint job on the next batch I'll make. I am totally nuts for making them this detailed, since they will be placed inside a covered arena, viewed from about 2 feet. But I just couldn't help myself... Here are the bumper cars placed on the track. And a night shot. Here is an overall view of the new part of the midway. This is an early photo, before the people figures and final detailing was done. This is a newer video showing the entire midway.

I just mentioned this on another thread: used cars are now called certified pre-owned vehicles! That also means the price is higher. I also work for a large corporation and sometimes have to communicate with Indians (dot, not feather). I often have to "do the needful" and "revert back" "urgently". That drives me u[p the wall! And now for some more fun reading I'll bring you few gems from The Oatmeal grammar comics (I highly recommend visiting that site for some amusing grammar instructions)

Only when discussing them with old farts like us! Ask any 20- or 30-somethign and they will give you a blank stare. They are now called "frozen entreé". Just like used cars are now "certified pre-owned vehicles". Going back to TV dinners, they came on aluminum trays. You had to peel off the aluminum foil cover over the brownie or the apple pie. Couldn't heat them up in a Radarange...

While I have seen some amazing-looking models with unpainted (polished) bodies, you have to make sure that the plastic is not slightly translucent. If it is, even polished, it will look plasticky. In my experience bright red or yellow plastic is often translucent. Easy test: look at a light source (like a table lamp) through the body. you'll be able to easily see whether the plastic is opaque or translucent.

The seat looks really good. I would also follow Cato's advice about the bottom part of the seat. Black with chrome band. The Pocher Mercedes 300K I built many years ago had the floor factory-flocked with a very similar "carpet". I thought that was a great time saver!

Well done - nice attention to details - beautiful model!

Using electroless plating you can dump 100 bolts in the plating solution and do them all at the same time. Tinning using a soldering iron woudl have to be done one-at-a-time. Also, plating results in a nice even satin finish. Not so when using soldering iron. But yes, it is an alternative.

That is some really great modeling Brandon! One thing that looks a bit odd to me is all the brass bolts. real car would not have those in brass color (unless someone painted or plated them). They to me would look more realistic if they were silver. When I use brass hardware in this type of application I always tin plate them. That gives them a dull silver finish which to me better. You can pickup the plating kit from http://www.caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/tin-plating-kits/electroless-tin-plating-kits.html or also from electronic supply companies. Sometimes it also comes in powder form (to be dissolved by the user) which is easier to ship. Another alternative would be to blacken the brass bolts using one of the chemicals from https://www.jaxchemical.com/products.html I can't wait to see that car in white!

Good thread! What has been buggin' me lately is that some people use the word "ask" instead of "question". So, instead of saying "What was the question?" they say "What was the ask?" Like, WTF! But seriously, that bothers me.

You mean FRED?

and peteski! I grew up with these cars around me.

Nope. It is pure Toyota (made in Japan). All the parts have Toyota markings on it and the xB was sold as Toyota bB in Japan. I read that it shares its drivetrain with Toyota Echo. I agree 100%. The first generation xB was cuter and better than the second generation (2008 and up) xB. I usually get mid-30 MPGs in my 2006.

Decal solvents or setting solutions are usually needed when the decal is applied over uneven surfaces or over complex curves. That way instead of wrinkling up or having air bubbles under it, the solution will soften the decal film so it sucks down close to the surface of the model.

You're Welcome Bo. That website has this info about Sweden: Some members of IPMS Stockholm have been using a product from S.C. Johnson Sweden, called Pledge Klar Polish. It can be bought in ICA and COOP Supermarkets. Dan the Droid Building Viking reported this information for our use - thanks Dan.

What scale? They aren't "fuzzy"? Will they look like shiny smooth metal when painted?

I guess my 2005 xB (aka. "da Box", "the Fridge", "the Toaster", or even "pregnant roller-skate") will be a collectible someday? I have to make sure to save the emblems!