peteski

Marcus, I was specifically responding to your method which uses colored reflector with clean resin lens. But as you mentioned, the surface of a clear resin lens can be colored with some transparent color paint or ink. Like you mentioned, Sharpies dry to a dull finish. That is why I use transparent paint from Tamiya. It dries to a glossy finish.

I like the mudflaps, but the wooden trailer doors (if that is what they are) also looks "interesting".

That is a good and easy method fro when the lens is thin and flat. But it will not work for many taillights on passenger cars where the lens sticks out away from the body.

Well, did you put those 2 word within quotes? If not, as I mentioned the default behavior is to look for Any of my search term words, so it will show you matches of either single occurrence of those words and of course if both words appear in the same post (together or separately).

This is not unexpected. If you did a similar Google search, it would also result in matches which have both or either word in them. What you typed in was Ferrari OR Daytona. Like someone else mentioned, if you put that 2-word phrase in quotes, that will give you results of that exact quote. This is what the default search criteria are: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/search/ . By default it searches entire forum for match to any of the words. But even if you select "all words", it will show matches where either of the words Ferrari and Daytona are anywhere in the post (not just next to each other).

Here is a long abandoned Texaco gas station in Hooksett, NH. Looks like it has been abandoned many decades ago. I'm surprised it is still standing. Also surprising that there is no graffiti on it. The container was tagged (but it might have been tagged before someone dropped it off there). Maybe the structure is too old and decrepit for taggers.

Yes, as I see it most kit "glass" is way too thick, often creating distortion. That is why when replacing the kit "glass" with another material it is nice to be able to use more to scale (thinner) material.

1.0mm?! That sounds rather thick for a 1:25 model "glass"! Maybe you meant 0.1mm?

In my experience actual polycarbonate bends instead of snapping. Acrylic (Plexiglas) will snap. Sometimes those two can be confused as they are similar visually. If it is only 0.010" thick, polycarbonate it can easily be cut with scissors. Acrylic might crack when cut with scissors.

You can also use clear plastic, then once the taillight is shaped paint it with one of the transparent red hobby paints. Like we have to do when kit's taillights are molded in clear plastic.

It cures by chemical reaction similar to 2-part epoxy resin adhesives or even urethane resins used to make resin models, or even the 2-part polyester putties (like Bondo). If you leave some 2K paint in the airbrush, it will harden sold. Not dry, but harden.

I agree in general, but in this specific instance it doesn't really matter since both black and sliver are very opaque. Ether can fully cover the other. But even then, to me it makes sense to paint the silver first, mask it, then spray the black. Now I'm wondering in what order the 1:1 cars were painted.

You are correct of course. My goal was to point out that in the household bleach it is lye (sodium hydroxide) that reacts with aluminum in the "chromed" plastic parts. The chlorine (in the form of sodium hypochlorite) does the actual bleaching of laundered fabrics. At least that is how I understand this.

Not aware of any companies offering to use Alsa system on your parts. But Alsa does sell small kits of their product for individuals to use.

Ken, Trumpeter "chrome" is *NOT* a typical aluminum coating used in other kits. It is some different metal electroplated (much thicker layer) onto the plastic. But I'm glad that whatever you came up with worked for you. Be very careful with such strong solution of sodium hydroxide. Best to use glass container. BTW, most household bleach contains a blend of both, chlorine (sodium hypochlorite) and lye (sodium hydroxide).

You might get lucky at your local beauty supply shop. Or at a nail polish sections of a pharmacy, supermarket, or even dollar store. Beauty supply story would likely have the largest selection.

Well, just because someone took the mandatory education and know how to handle the vehicle, there is no guarantee that they still won't make a dumb choice and go wild. Some people can't help themselves. They just don't think of consequences. Call me cynical.

The text on that page states We offer a complete headlamp re-silvering service and we can restore all types of headlamps even sealed beam units! But we can only do them if they are metal and not plastic and we can remove the metal part from its surroundings.

I don't believe that specific glass silvering process works with plastic. They did it on plastic?

Oh, I don't blame Dale or hold it against him. But it is sad that this leaves the more advanced modelers with nowhere to get their parts "chromed". The spray on chrome paints out there simply do not match the reflectivity or durability if the vacuum metalizing process.

Photos uploaded to the forum are freely accessible to anybody out there. Anybody can "save image as" to their local computer, then do whatever they want. I guess if you want to protect them, add some sort of watermark. I see some members here do that.

For some reason Trumpeter instead of the typical vacuum metalizing using aluminum (like most model manufacturers), actually used electroplating process to cover the plastic with relatively thick layer of metal. I don't think it is actual chrome but it will be very though to remove. There have been threads here about this in the past. Just have to find one. EDIT: I looked and no luck. Looks like nobody found any simple or easy way to remove it.

Not quite. As you found out, there are different ways to "plate". The chrome electroplating process of things like vintage car bumpers requires a lot of nasty chemicals. Things like headlight buckets are likely vacuum metalized (just like it is done for plastic kit's "chrome" metal parts). The metal is usually aluminum, not chrome and no nasty chemicals are involved. Besides, most new cars usually use some sort of projection headlights which do not have the typical reflector you would see in conventional halogen headlights. But if chrome electroplating is banned, how will people be able to restore vintage cars? I think this planet is getting out of control as far as the environmental craziness goes.

Model? The price seems to indicate that it is 1:1 scale.

I also had one of those acrylic resin temp. crowns break on my several years ago on my back molar. I just cleaned it really well in 99% IPA and glued it back together using CA glue. Then I put it back in and the temporary cement was still on the tooth stump. It held until my permanent crown arrived. Of course I was not chewing on that side.