peteski

CA glue simply absorbs moisture over time and thickens up. For example the extra-thin (very fast setting) glue will thicken up over time. It still works but it neither penetrates by the capillary action nor it sets as fast as it did when it was water-thin. I still use it for when I need slower setting time or gap-filling ability. I try to prolong its life by minimizing the time bottle remains open (so less moisture gets in the bottle). I make a miniature disposable bowl from aluminum foil (about 3/8" in diameter) and I fill it with as much glue as I think I'll need for the building session. Then I close the bottle tight. I then apply the glue using several different applicators I made from sawing needles.

I go up to the attic (in the summer) and I spread all the kit's parts and open boxes on the floor. Leave it there for a week or two and the stench is gone! Before you ask about melted parts, the attic temperature doesn't get much over 100 deg. F. That is below the temperature in my food dehydrator when I dry painted car bodies.

Why are you surprised? It is doing exactly what it was designed to do. Another thing to consider when stripping paint is the temperature. Warm stripping solution will be more agressive and work faster than cold one. My workshop in the winter is cool (in the low 60s) and I have a laboratory hot plate I place the container with the stripping solution on. I set it for around 80 degrees F and that works really well. No need to do that in the summer but it would speed the strippign slightly too.

BMF (Bare Metal Foil - it is a brand name) has adhesive on it. No need for any glue. If you go on the cheap, you can take some thin aluminum foil and brush paint some Microscale Foil Adhesive on it. After it dries it acts just like the real BMF. But BMF is much thinner than aluminum foil and it is als much more pliable so it is easier to use and it conforms to complex surfaces much better.

That looks like a British Ford van. Nothing I have ever seen in USA. Sorry that I can't be more helpful.

Spare Time Shop and Hobby Emporium are pretty much all we have in the Greater Boston area for a full range plastic kit hobby shops. Hobby Emporium is a very nice ans spacious store where Spare Time Shop is more cramped. But they are both chock-full of kits. Both have a large range of automotive kit subjects. Hobby Bunker is geared more towards just military and fantasy modelers. Also, both of those stores will give you a discount if you have a proof of belonging to a model club. That nicely offsets the Massachusetts sales tax. Just like everywhere else, there were many more shops 20-30 years ago, but they faded away. I miss Eric Fuchs, few Hobbytowns, and the Modeler's Junction just to mention few. Then there was the Triple-A hobby shop full of rare finds (if the owner let you browse the 4-deep shelves of models).

I just heard about this "unusual" finish on the body from a fellow club member at the last club meeting. So I went on searching for what is being said about this online. I am very amused by all the excuses. I have not not bought that kit yet but I will probably pass on it (and any other models with similar finish). Why? I try to keep the paint layer as thin as possible. Whenever I can I skip the primer. I see way too many models out there where the polished out is so thick it actually hides some of the more subtle body curves! Because of my painting technique I never have to (or want to) polish out the paint job. It is smooth and glossy enough to make me happy and results in many award-winning models.. I take it back, I had to polish out couple of body panels on few models but I never done a complete body polish. My point is that with a textured surface of the plastic and very thin layer of paint the texture will most likely be visible under the paint. so much for my glossy paint jobs without polishing. I also like to foil unpainted moldings on the body. Will the texture show through BMF? If yes then this is another point against this new textured body. I had a good chuckle how we are spoiled by the highly polished snap-kits from Revell. Seriously?! I don't need highly polished surface, just the same surface seen on model kit bodies since the infancy of plastic model kits. All the model car kits produced in the past had a decent smooth bodies. Not mirror-like finish but still smooth enough for my painting technique to give good results. I hope that Moebius goes back to the "standard" type of body finish on their future models. All the other kit companies still produce bodies in polished molds. Tamiya, Fujimi, Hasegawa, Aoshima, Revell, Round 3, just to name a few.

I think there is some confusion early in this thread which this image seems to clarify. I built both the 1:12 Corvette and the Lambo LP400S in the 80s. They were both the Otaki releases. Neither showed any allowance for motorizing. I think the above image explains that. If you notice the text on the top, it states "1:12 . . . . . MODEL KIT FOR DISPLAY" and in the bottom right corner there are coupe of 1:20 scale kits which are described as motorized. This seems to confirm that the larger 1:12 scale models were always designed to be static models.

Interestign thread. I especially liked the welded steel frame suggestion. I am on the metal/brass side. The 1:8 Pocher Mercedes 340 AK I built has a stamped steel frame with some plastic overlay on the outside of side rails. Very solid. It is not a full plastic frame - plastic parts are for decoration, not structural support. I also have an unbuilt Pocher Alfa-Romeo and while I haven't peeked inside the box for few years, I'm pretty sure that its frame is just like the Mercedes one (all the structural parts are stamped steel). Pocher kits generally have very heavy thick plastic bodies and it looks like the steel frame is needed for support. If I was scratchbuilding a 1:8 scale model I would make the frame out of metal. As for plastic frames, they do sag and droop. Even in smaller scales. I build the RoG Peterbilt Stepp's Wrecker (in 1:25 scale). It has beefy C-shaped plastic frame rails and yet it sags in the middle (between the sleeper and wrecler body), under its own weight. If and when I decide to build another one of these kits, I'll be sure to stiffen the frame with some brass inserts. In this photo the sag is not very apparent but if viewed square from the side it is readily apparent.

Thanks Mark - looks like we already connected through Charlie from ProTech. Email sent.

Thanks for the info guys! Nothing specific, but at least I have some more leads. The decal set I want to do is for the early car (1974). This one: This one is also the subject of Mark Killingsworth's model on the Pro Tech site (it is an excellent model - thanks for the pointer). If I do come up with the decals, can print few extra sets for interested members. I won't print too many as the orange ink for Alps printers is very hard to get, but couple of sets should not be a problem.

I'm creating a new (more accurate) decal artwork for the AMT model. It is such a nice looking car. I have found several photos on the Web but I'm surprised just how few of them are out there. This is for the initial paint scheme of this car (not the later fancier one). It is difficult to judge certain colors (even in color photos). BTW, I'm not very familiar with funny cars in general. Here are some things I'm looking for: Is the AL SEGRINI lettering white, gray or silver? Is the outline around Black Magic white, gray or silver? Someone told me it was chrome-colored. Is the shaded fill in the Black Magic lettering metallic or just plain paint? What is the color of the fill in Black Magic lettering? Is it going from black to blue? What does the front of the rear spoiler look like? Orange and black? Any sponsor stickers on it? The lettering on the C-pillar in the AMT decal shows AA F/C when the 1:1 car shows AA/FC (did AMT mess that one up)? Again, the 106 on the C-pillar, is it white, gray or silver? The colored stripe on the body side (one which crosses the rear wheel opening): It seems to be red. But what color is the outline? Is it orange or yellow? The large ATI logo on the side, is that white, gray or silver? What colors is the magic lamp on the hood? What colors is the lettering on the front spoiler? Similar to the Black Magic lettering on the sides? I guess in order to answer some of these questions (like color silver vs. white vs. gray) the car had to be seen in-person. Thanks, Peteski

Thanks guys!

Thanks Harry!

Hello everybody! What attracted me to this forum is Harry P's excellent thread about his build of the Christie Fire engine. I've been building models for many decades. I build whatever I find attractive: planes, trains, automobiles, trucks, bikes, etc. In any scale - mostly 1:6 through 1:220. I'm a member of the Classic Plastic Model Club (in the Boston area). I'm also the club's photographer. Some of my models are featured on the club's website: http://classicplastic.org/pete.html I haven't built many models lately. My latest one is Monogram Ultimates 289 Cobra. I hope to see some of you at our model show this Sunday. For a flyer and entry form see http://classicplastic.org/events.html

Excellent model and writeup Harry! If you still have that model, I would like to ask you for a favor. Could you give me its dimensions? Extreme height, width and length. I have that kit and someday I'll build it. But I now have a chance to have a custom display case made for it. I want to make sure I have accurate dimensions, so the model will fit inside it. Thanks! Peteski