peteski

I would think that gas-powered blowers are noisier (and stinkier) than electric ones. Get your your leaf rake!

Is it possible that the "dust" was actually some small debris in the paint?

Maybe so, but to me it is not worth it. Plus, I have enough kits and supplies squirreled away that it could last me 2 lifetimes (while I'm on a downhill slope age-wise already) . I'm good - thanks! The candy store is my stash.

To go a bit further, modelers came up with the rules that enamels are safe over lacquer (but not reverse), lacquer is safe over lacquer, and water-based acrylics are safe over everything. But in real life, that often doesn't work. There are just too many variables in play. Things like what solvents are used, what type of resin is used as paint's binder, and similar things. Even if someone compiled a huge list of what brands/types of paints are compatible with what, not only that list would be quite large, manufacturers sometimes change chemical formulas for their paints, so the list would not be accurate. Plus as you mentioned drying time can also affect the paint's behavior. In your case, are you sure that the bottom coat is really a lacquer (the description on the label can be inaccurate)? Or it could be that the solvent in the top coat is hotter (or chemically incompatible) with the bottom (lacquer) coat, causing it to expand and wrinkle. Like I mentioned, thank goodness for spoon testing.

Stating the obvious, it looks like the paints are incompatible. Mixing paint brands and types is is always risky. But luckily for you, you did the spoon test before committing to a model.

Thank you for that very useful info. I feel enlightened. And as you see, they do have an email address after all.

Very cool and unusual model. I have some diecast gas pump models in 1:43 scale, not as well detailed of course. I recall the R&D Unique name but I had no idea the made those pump kits.

As usual, superb job François! The wheel assembly jig is very clever. I also like to mention that in English the joining technique you used on the brass parts of the accelerator pedal is called soldering (soudure), not welding (soudage). Welding actually melts the metal bring joined. Soldering uses a lower temperature metal (solder) to join the parts together. That is a distinct difference. Looks like in French those 2 words are very similar.

Nice! I don't know exactly what it is about this car but I also love it. It just looks good! One of my all time favorite designs. The orange color is so '70s. My favorite are either white or light metallic blue.

That sounds like a fun project. Back in the '80s I owned a '76 Camaro.. I put Centerlines on it.

For larger scale, the 1/12 scale Otaki (and reboxed as Testors) kit is pretty nice. I built one long time ago. There is currently a "in progress" thread about it by Dann Tier.

Well, unless I make some modifications to the body, or use putty, there is no need for primer when using hobby paints. Hobby paints do not cause ghosting in the areas where i sanded the mold lines or smoothed out the surface. I do however prime the body when using hotter paints (like nail polish). I'm quite happy with my models, and the awards I won at contests over the years seem to confirm that my models are usually better than average. It is not just a misguided belief Dave - I do build models. Some of them can be viewed on http://classicplastic.org/pete-w.html You do you, and I'll do me - I'm just offering my modeling experience here. I also don't polish my paint jobs, or use heavy clear coats. This all might be unconventional to you, but it works just fine.

What a nice find!

Oh, I see. I was just curios about your reasoning. Sounds like BMF is exactly what you are looking for: Uber-thin foil which is stretchy to conform to uneven surfaces, and is adhesive backed. Lots of us have been successfully using it for very long time.

Still, it is short short sighted of the companies to exclude non-FB folks. And I have feeling that there are more FB-averse people than you think, (and that percentage will probably go up). An email address is free to set up and maintain.

No, but these warnings tell me that the paint is fragile. Sure, if you put the model in a sealed case, it is ok, but some of us (me) want the "chrome" to be more robust. Not saying that you shouldn't use it - I wouldn't use it. I don't use Molotow chrome on any surfaces I know will be handled. Are you saying that this paint is just as "chromey" as Molotow chrome (or Revell Chrome , or Alclad II Chrome) and more wear resistant? In the photos you posted, it just looks more like aluminum (not like mirror-like chrome surface).

Too bad that small manufacturers use FB as the exclusive means of contact. Some of us do not wish to join FB. It is very shortsighted of those manufacturers.

Non-water based paints (the solvent-based "stinky" plastic-compatible paints like Testors) have solvents "hot" enough to "bite" into styrene without a primer, but not hot enough to cause crazing. When using those paints no primer is required (and I don't use it). All it does is to increase the total thickness of the paint, which is not a desired thing. But the plastic surface must be clean. I suspect that in the 13-year-old Bob's case, the plastic was not perfectly clean, which caused the paint not to bond to the plastic very well.

The cigarette wrapper foil on paper backing is sort of quilted and the extra thickness of the paper is what makes it a good representation of 1:1 insulation. Plus it is embossed and sometimes it has tiny holes in it. Separating it from the paper would ruin its appearance as insulation. Why would you like to separate it from the backing paper Tom? If you need smooth foil then (as you said) get it from gum wrappers, or get some foil that is designed for hobbyists (like Bare Metal Foil). Use the cigarette stuff to represent insulation.

No Gary - it is some basic "computer talk". When you use the Internet (by default on some sort of computer device), it makes sense to understand at least tiny bit of the technology that allows you to do all this cool stuff, like taking digital photos and participating in online forums. Just like fixing a car - you need to at least understand the basics like what a distributor or carburetor is and how the engine actually works before you can try fixing it.

If the battery has enough juice to run the electric motor to activate the brake, and enough juice to run the computer that monitors the E-brake button, then sends signal to the motor to turn it on, then the brake will apply. Not sure if if it will lock up the wheels since the computer will probably not let you apply them when you are driving, because it is "unsafe" to do. Besides, it is not called an "emergency brake", but a "parking brake". Should *ONLY* be used while parked. Fun stuff! We seem to be overcomplicaitng things just for the sake of "advancing the technology". But hey, now you can check the status of that brake anywhere in the world, on your smart phone car app. More fun stuff! Perfect example of some feature that worked well for many decades, and turning it into technological nightmare, with many more complex parts which could break (and cost much more to repair). Don't get me going on all the new and exciting technology we had rammed down our throats by car manufacturers. Do we need it? No! Does it cost more? Yes! Is it easily repaired? No! Do we even have competent mechanics to try the repair? No! Don't get me wrong - I don't want to go back to automotive technology from the fist half of the 20th Century either. Some of the new technology is actually useful, but not very much.

Many new cars have (fly-by-wire) push button gear selectors (in the center console). I much rather have a mechanical linkage to be able to put the tranny in neutral if some electronic gadget misbehaves (like the throttle). I also dislike push button start for the same reason. If the computer doesn't think the car's state is not "safe" to turn off the engine I'm sure it will not turn it off even if you press the button. With all fly-by-wire electronic controls you lost all control of the car (and also gain many possible ways it can malfunction, causing an accident). Yea, I know, I know, everything is fault tolerant and fail-safe, but it doesn't make me fill any safer. would rather still have mechanical ignition switch and mechanical shift lever. I better hold onto my current car because my next new car will be my nightmare on wheels. And yes, I'm obviously a control-freak (for very good reason - to stay safe).

Interesting, but the "Not abrasion proof and not weather resistant" statement on the label is an instant turn-off for me. We have many chrome paint options that have similar properties.

While what you mentioned is accurate, the time to set also depends on the CV viscosity. The extra thin CA will set instantly, but in my experience the more viscous the CA is, the longer it will take to set. Regular, or gap-filling CA should give you some time to align the parts.

Just to let you know, the rim's outside diameter (what is visible on a model) for any automobile wheel is almost exactly 1.5" larger than the stated rim (or tire) diameter. So on a model a 13" rim would be 14.5" / 24 = 0.604" diameter. You can do the metric conversion.