peteski

Yes, unfortunately paint compatibility from different manufactures is not guaranteed. Sorry to hear that you learned the hard way. Even if both are lacquers, they likely use different binder (resin) and different mixture of chemicals in the solvent (thinner). If not using the same brand and type of paint for all the colors, it always makes sense to test the combination on some unimportant object (plastic spoon, soda bottle, or spare model body). None of this was a problem back when we all painted our models using hobby (enamel) paints from Testors or Pactra. But now modelers have dozens of different paints to experiment with.

Not sure if it is available ready-made, but with most modelers owning a computer and a color printer, one could use even the most basic graphic program to draw a color grid to some specific dimensions, then print it out. Or find a photo of a real trunk liner, shrink it to desired size in that same program, and print it out.

I thought the paints were made in gloss, semi-gloss, satin, and flat. I would think that semi-gloss would be more appropriate for a pedestrian vehicle than satin. Semi-gloss is shiny, but not mirror-smooth like gloss.

That's deep Mike! Because those are black/white photos. When I removed the only other color (blue) from that picture, the red also disappeared, as it became a black/white picture. Like I mentioned, I think the blue has something to do with us seeing red. Maybe the brain only fills the missing color when there is another color in the picture? I don't know.

I believe that it is the worst of BMF foils. They came up with it after Detail Master came up with their "chrome" foil as competition (touting that it is better than BMF chrome). That stuff actually *IS* aluminum foil, stiff and not the pliable foil that the original Chrome BMF is. But it is shiner than BMF original chrome. I tried the Detail Master and the BMF Ultra Chrome years ago and ditched them both. The original chrome BMF still rules my world. If the Ultra Chrome is the only BMF product you used, then you don't know what you're missing.

I wonder how color blind individuals see the original image. Most color blindness is not total (as in grayscale), but usually red/green blindness, so it would be curious how they see the original image (and how they see the color of a real can of Coke).

I suspect that like Bill mentioned, even if you don't drink or even like Coca Cola, your brain has seen enough images of Coke cans during your life, your brain knows it is supposed to be red. I also think the blue is there for a reason. I made the image grayscale (which converted blue to light gray) and the coke can does not look red. Brain is far from infallible and ripe for being fooled or . . . brainwashed.

That's very creative Joe!

That is *A LOT* of rivets!! Nice!

Interesting builds, especially since they are scratched, and also interesting painting (or staining?) technique where you leave the wood grain visible.

If you hang around the forum for some time you will see various levels of photo quality and their composition. Just like you will see various levels of model build quality. Post whatever you think is worthy of showing to the forum's members. One thing I would suggest is not to upload huge size photos. Smaller is better for viewing on the forum. Like nobody really needs a 24 mega-pixel photo. I know that the Model Car Magazine staff scours the forum for some interesting models or techniques to use them in the printed magazine, so I the photos should not be very low-res. I resample my photos down to about 1200 pixels across. Not really good for publishing in the magazine, but I really don't care.

While the headlight pods are vaguely similar, the bumper and grille are totally different.

The "Chrome" on parts trees is actually vacuum-deposited layer of aluminum, only few atoms thick. Aluminum is a fragile metal, susceptible to being attacked by chemicals (even the sweat on human hands can live permanent fingerprints). What you see is likely that some caustic liquid accidentally sprayed on those parts etched the aluminum away exposing the bare plastic color. Nothing can be done to fix that other than having the parts refinished (or replaced).

See https://jaxchemical.com/shop/ Stainless Steel Activator and blackener. Looks like you can buy in in 2 oz. quantity, so it shouldn't break the bank. I use Jax Chemical blackeners and they work well (I have never used the stainless steel ones though).

Yes, there are companies doing chemical metal milling (photoetching), but to be economical you have to design your own artwork, and order more than a single quantity of the etching. Funny, that company is within about 50 miles from where I am.

I have bought some wheels made by DiOlex few years ago on eBay. Good stuff! As for eBay, it is too bad that they restrict what listings one can see. In those cases I bring up the version of eBay where the seller is (like ebay.de or ebay.uk), login there with my regular eBay credentials, then look for the items I want. Once I find the item, but the description is in another language, I just go to the URL field in the browser and manually change the domain for example from .de to .com. That will show the same listing in my native eBay and translate some of the listing to English.

Yes, it seems funny now, but wait few more years (or maybe even not that long), and we will all be really screwed. What's real and what's AI generated fantasy will be indistinguishable. No such thing as photographic, video. or audio proof anymore. We sure live in some interesting times. Remember, the AI we are seeing now is still in its infancy.

Foil cast them.

While some etched metal letters are available, I highly doubt that you'll find anything close to the style (font) of the letters used on that Grand Prix, and I know you are very fastidious builder.

0.1mm? That would be 0.004"! That is about twice the thickness of typing paper. That seems way too small. Those in 1:25 would be only 0.1" tall. What size are the 1:1 letters?

Best pairs for airbrushing (for the beginner)? Any "stinky" paint that is not water-based. I would say start with hobby paints to avoid disappointments when some hot solvent attacks the plastic car body. I've been airbrushing (not prolifically, but enough to get quite familiar with my Badger 200 siphon feed airbrush) for over 30 years, and I still only airbrush the "stinky" paints. Thinning, spraying (without anything clogging) then cleanup, it is *SO* much easier when using "stinky" paints. When you jump right into water-based acrylic enamels, you could end up quitting airbrush because of the hassles and frustrations. Start off using the easy to deal with paints.

In my post I wasn't suggesting to grind up shells or fish scales of the model's finish. I was suggesting a less complicated method of using one of the many Pearl Ex powders mixed into clear coat to achieve that shimmering color-changing property of the original Futura paint. I also have that kit, and when I get to it, I will look into trying to make its color as difficult to photograph as the original.

Make miniature wheel chocks for your model. While that might actually be a valid option, you should be able to buy some acrylic square rod, then use double-sided tape to attach it to the glass shelf. Or you could cut the square rod into short pieces and make a pair of small wheel chocks for a single wheel of each model. That way they will stay in place instead of rolling to the edge of the shelf. Do a google search for 1/4" square acrylic rod. Or maybe even 1/8" rod would work for you (especially for those chocks). And it is clear transparent, so it will work well on a glass shelf. I just did a quick search and there are plenty of sources available.

I don't trust tack cloths! I wash my models with dishwashing detergent (ike Joy - with no hand softeners added), blow the water off with clean compressed air (use oil separator and moisture trap), then let it sit covered to dry thoroughly).