peteski

That is a great tip. So the aluminum does not wrinkle during the doming process? How do you punch them out (or does the doming process already do that)?

The Facebook group is basically an offshoot of the groups.io group. The groups.io one has lots of reference material in the Files section and in the message archive. Facebook is not really suited for that type of archival storage. Don't ever use ink jet paper in Alps printers. It is not about the toner but about the special liquid-ink absorbing layer on the surface of Ink Jet paper. That can jam the head and break the ink ribbon. And yes, head damage is the main reason for those printers failing. You can get the printer to work with current versions of Windows, but you have to set up a virtual machine and run older version of Windows in it. It is a pain to do. I still have a dual-boot Windows98SE/XP PC dedicated to use with my printer. To me that is the most painless solution

There are always several Feeling43 resin kits listed on eBay for over $1000. with no takers. Granted (just like Scalekraft) Feelign43 is gone, and their kits are really well details, but those prices see a bit unrealistic too.

I just saw one of those errors. I waited about 10 seconds, clicked "Try again" - same error. Another 10 seconds or so, clicked 'Try again" and the forum came up. That does not look to be browser related - more host related. EDIT: same error showed up again just as I hit the "Submit reply" button to post this message. But the message went through.

Superb modeling! You have an eye for all the fine details which usually gets missed, like the creases on the exhaust pipe bends, or the oil change sticker on the door, and the striker mechanism to mention just few. I also enjoyed not seeing the seam line on the transmission. You must have put some serious time building these models! Fun time!

Thomas, your model came out great! Also, superb job on the BMF. I have couple of those kits to be built and I just hate the kit's tires. Their tread that looks like it belongs on a truck. The wheels scale out to only around 13" too. But they look pretty darn good in your photos.

That sure is an interesting model, but I'm confused about its designation. My mom owned a T3 VW 1600 TL fastback, and the "TL" designation was specifically used for a fastback. The T3 1600 Variant is the station wagon. I didn't think Variants also had the "TL" designation.

Those are not very good examples of realistic photoetched wipers. The goal is to bend the arm 90 degrees at the location it joins the blade structure. But those do not seem to be designed for that. Even if you can bend it, the base of the arm will still be too thin in the cross section to look realistic. I "rolled my own" wipers when I built my Peterbuilt wrecker, and also my '57 Chevy. These are made from cut off leads from 5mm LEDs. Those are 0.020" square cross section wire. On the arm I built up the thicker lower section using solder iron and solder,then filed it to the tapered shape. Then the blade is formed from pieces of the same wire soldered together. The Chevy has a simplified blade (it is 1:32 scale model). Lastly, I spray painted it silver to blend everything together. It is quite a bit of extra work, but the wipers look realistic to me.

I agree about the light, but I also used a much stronger UV flashlight, and stickiness remained. I was able to get rid of almost all of the stickiness after letting the resin sit in sunlight for some time. This was all just experiments to see how the stuff works. Maybe I have bad batch of Bondic?

Yes, I'm an Alps owner and I believe there are others here. I prefer using Bare-Metal Foil clear decal paper for laser printers. There are others, but BMF is the best for me. Pricey, but I don't print many decals and if you ask BMF, they offer quantity discounts. Since you you are already a member of Alps Groups.io, you can also ask your decal paper question there. There is lots of useful info on that group. Also, if you haven't visited https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/decals.htm give it a read - lots of helpful info. EDIT: there was a recent related discussion on the Alps Group: https://alps.groups.io/g/ALPS/topic/decal_paper/103422747

Yes, it is a shame. I don't have any inside info, but judging by how long MV products were in business I suspect that the owner either retired or passed away. I doubt very much that he was young enough to still be deployed to the military. More and more older cottage industries are shutting down, usually due to the age of the owner and the fact that nobody wants to take over the business.

Those look good Gary, but why you are calling it "Bondic", when it is clearly another brand of UV-cured resin? As I mentioned when I tried actual Bondic, after curing it remained slightly rubbery and its surface was sticky. "Bondic" is just a trade name for a specific resin. Calling your resin "Bondic" does a disservice to modelers looking to replicate your success.

Excellent Alex! If I may suggest something, when you take nighttime photos with the lights on, they will look better if you don't take them in almost total darkness. That way the truck will remain visible. Like in this photo (not my model). Or this:

Seems that MV Products used different resins over time (some of my older lenses are still clear, while others have yellowed). Nice feature of those lenses was the realistic looking reflector. Yes, you can cast clear lenses, but those will no have a reflector. There is a company that makes nice looking headlights which consist of an etched stainless steel fluted base and a convex drop of resin over that. Those look pretty good. Of course I don't recall the name of that company.

Exactly!

Looking good! You started with the toughest one! Probably a good idea to get it over with first.

Looking good Mark. Are those tires the same as what ARII sells in their wheel and tire sets? Those have the proper tread pattern but the sidewall's shape is a bit wonky.

Like Steve, I have not seen this product on sale around where I live in USA. If it is similar to Easy-Off original formula aerosol, and being a gel, it would be less messy way to strip paint and "chrome" from plastic.

Yes, Lye is another name for Soduim-hydroxide. I have successfully used the Castrol Super Clean, Easy-Off original formula oven cleaner, my own mix of lye granules and water, and few other lye-based paint removers (which are no longer made), and they all stripped the aluminum layer and clear coating from model parts. So my experience is different than yours. Important thing for me is to keep the stripping solution warm. Also would not recommend anything called "lacquer thinner" to strip paint or "chrome" from polystyrene model parts. I seem to recall similar discussion about this on another thread. Again, out experiences differ.

You didn't mention what you used to strip the metallic layer, but if you used any of the many lye-based paint stripping solution, that would have removed both,the metallic layer and the clear coat. We recently discussed this subject on the forum. To clarify, I'm talking about Easy-Off oven cleaner (original formula), "Purple Stuff". LA Totally Awesome concentrated cleaner, and similar.

If some of the paint/binder leaked out of the can at the bottom seal there is a good chance that the propellant also escaped, so there is no pressure inside to spray the paint out. That can be easily verified by trying to squeeze the can with your hand. If the can gives in easily, the pressure is gone.

Proxxon tools are decent hobby grade tools. I have some of them (not the lathe) and they are usable. From what I see, the hollow extruded aluminum bed and rails will not be as rigid as the steel one on Sherline, but should be sufficient for most hobby needs (machining relatively soft materials).

Another thing about Sherlines is that they are what I consider "hobbyist's workbench size". They are small and light enough to be easily moved around if needed. I actually have my lathe and mill bolted to wooden bases with rubber feet, so they are quite portable (as my workbench space is at premium). That way I can have either lathe or mill on the workbench when the other one sits on a shelf. Unimat would be in the same category. Other lathes or mills, even small ones can be quite bulky and heavy. Yes, they are also more powerful than Sherline, but for my needs (small usually plastic, aluminum or brass parts), I don't need much power.

Yes, over the last few days the forum seemed to be slower than usual. But no errors for me - just several seconds to bring up a thread or to post a message.

Another happy Sherline user here (for over 30 years). What is great about Sheline (besides that it's made in USA), is its modular construction. I started with a plain lathe, then later added a vertical milling column to easily convert it into small milling machine and back to lathe. Several years later, I sent that vert. milling column to be installed on the XY table they use for their standard milling machine. I also bought a second spindle assy. with the motor to end up with a complete milling machine which cost me less than buying a complete mill from Sherline. Oh, my original lathe came with an AC motor, and when they came out with a new more powerful and smoother DC motor, I was able to upgrade the AC motor to DC. The modular construction can't be beat. You can upgrade as the time goes by. They also have huge array of accessories and adapters.