peteski

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.

We call them "future Darwin Award winners".

Yeah, that meme is funny on 2 levels.

Yes, on 1:1 scale white-wall tires the white wall is only present on one side of the tire. The other side is a "black-wall". That has been true for all the cars I owned (including my current 1985 Caddy Eldorado).

I don't live in a tropical climate where large or nasty spiders are common. I was never bitten by a spider. Spiders here are not very scary looking. The nastiest ones are the ones that look muscular and move very fast, but I seldom see them indoors, and they don't usually get larger than 3/4". The largest ones are what we call "daddy long-leg". They can be around 2" in size, but they have tiny bodies, and very long spindly legs. They don't spin webs, and as I understand, the aren't even real spiders. If I find one indoors, I just grab it by a leg and take it outside.

Very nice build!

I leave spiders alone in my basement because they catch and eat other bugs that find their way in there. The dead bug shells under the web are a proof that those spiders are doing their job. It is like having a free environmentally-friendly exterminator service. It is also amazing the a spider can trap and eat bugs much larger then they are.

That is cool. Looks like a fairly large item as far as plastic kits go. I had no idea it was produced.

Are those "copper" parts even plated? To me they look painted with (burnt) copper paint. Steering wheel looks like it is "gold" plated (likely standard aluminum metalized plastic with clear yellow top-coat).

I remember those. They were supposed to protect your mom's precious dining room table where you were building your models. Good idea, but a plain brown paper grocery bag cut open and laid flat would do a better job than a thin plastic mat.

Back in the day the ads in the magazine didn't have either a website or email address info in them (much less Facebook or Twitter). Only phone number and address (so you could send a SASE for their catalog). No linking required. Plus many companies in those older ads no longer even exist.

A selection of model photos from the contest has been posted to the club's website. http://classicplastic.org/show-2023.html

While everybody is dismissing the Compact DIsk media in favor of the current online cloud storage, or memory-based media (like SD cards or thumb-drives), to me CD media is still the best for archival storage. I have pressed CDs that are over 35 years old with absolutely no signs of any deterioration, and some 20+ years old "burned" CD-Rs, with no signs of deterioration. I believe the CD media will outlast any of the Flash memory based devices, and who knows what will happens with the cloud based storage when it starts raining data. The N-Scale Magazine archive on CDs is distributed by the N-Scale Magazine itself (sold on their website). I'm sure they have the CDs produced elsewhere, but they do their own distribution. They recently announced that they will be producing the next CD in 2025 (each CD volume contains 5 years of issues). So there are sill publishers out there who provide "hard" archives of their publications.

Why? Because to have smooth bumper ends, the molds would get more complex. But yes, I agree that it is not optimal. Some Japanese kit companies even go as far as to make the gates (attachment points) on hidden areas of the parts, so no touch-ups are needed.