peteski

Hey, at least this one runs on its own (unless the heat discoloration on the exhaust pipes is faked).

Well, but the toothed belt just "kisses" the lower blower's pulley (instead of making better contact around the pulley's perimeter). The belt would likely slip over that pulley. I would think that tensioner or another idler pulley would be needed for this setup to work I love that triple blower setup. The belt is just wrapped around the blower pulleys (not powered at all). And I'm no blower expert (although I suppose I could be called blowhard).

I suspect Gary is looking for a stateside retailer. Otherwise Hobby Link Japan and Hobby Search are excellent Japanese retailer to deal with.

Sure, maybe for dozen to maybe even few hundred buyers. As I see it, we here are not good representation of what the general modeling public will buy. If the make run of a kit they need to sell thousands for the kit company to make it worth their while.

Nice hobby room!

While theoretically it shroud not make a difference (Postal service is Postal Service, worldwide), I think it should be mentioned that you live outside of USA, so it is international mail for you. Still - I feel your paint - I can see how it can be frustrating.

Well I already bought it, back in 2019. It is a space saver (not a full size wheel and tire). The well is made just for that size wheel (not for full size wheel). It also included the hardware necessary to tie it down, and a jack.

I suspect this would be a problem when sanding the hardened product. I believe Bondo contains silica as a thickener, so the sanding dust will also contain silica.

You might be onto something. My 2019 Kia Soul has a well under the rear storage area for a spare tire, but as delivered, it was filled with a styrofoam nest which housed a fix-a-flat-spray and small air compressor. But complete spare wheel was also available from Kia, so I bought it at extra cost. It is a space-saver type of wheel, but it is better than a can of fix-a-flat.

Actually yours is almost as dusty as mine I should post some photos of mine in my thread. It was built about 45 years ago. I'm also curious: you are posting dozens of different models you've built (some large). If you don't mind me asking, where do you have the room to display them all? You must have a large house.

Very nice! I built that one as a teenager. I still have sitting (very dusty) in my basement. One small thing that sort of bugs my eyes about yours is the flags facing the wrong way. The wind is blowing into the sails from the stern, so the flags should really be pointing forward. But this is a very common mistake, both in models and even in paintings.

That is a very sad news. I have one of his Ferrari kits, but haven't tackled it yet.

That's pretty close. It is a short piece of 0.002" NiChrome wire. The hole was drilled with #85 bit which is way too large for the wire, but that was the smallest one I had.

"Regular" decal paper is thin too. UNless you are talkign about the old Revell decals which were almost as thick as stickers. Yes, applying multiple coats of Microscale Clear Decal film will give the decals some more tickness. There are decal companies out there, but unless you can provide them with vector-based print ready artwork (have them do the artwork) could get expensive. Before you ask, no, decal printing companies don't just make copies onto a decal paper. Most decals need a white undercoat to make the images opaque.

That is not quite the whole story. Yes, if you wait couple of days for the CA to *FULLY* cure, it is basically acrylic (similar to Plexiglas), so yes, it is harder than average polystyrene. But if you work it (sand, etc.) within couple of hours after curing, it is actually softer than the polystyrene you applied it to. Adding fillers (talcum or microbaloons) also changes its hardness.

As I understand, Bondo is a polyester resin based body filler. It will adhere to polystyrene well. As for the small, I actually like that odor (in small and low-concentration quantities).

The website is available both as standard http and secure https. I'm currently using http, but if I change the address to https, it still works. To be honest, I really don't see the point of encrypted (secure) access to sites like this, where no really private or financial info is being passed between the website and your browser. Seems that everybody now demands https, even to wipe you behind (if you catch my drift).

Yes, a wide range putties have been covered here repeatedly. Compiling info means doing research of already exacting knowledge/topics, then compiling the info into a single document. Just saying . . . You will also run into examples where something what works well for one modeler, but does not work for another modeler. One thing I would warn about is about using "sprue-goo". It will likely come back and bite you after some time passes.

The "melting" tires are made of PVC (vinyl), not rubber. Rubber is more stable. It will dry out and get crumbly (like 1:1 tires), but will not get sticky. Most Japanese kits use rubber tires. But like it has been mentioned numerous times on this and other forums, some poor formulations of PVC used for tires start leaching out of the material, and affect other plastics, resin, or painted/varnished surfaces. Just like the material it leached out of, it starts making other plastic materials soft. Paint or varnishes are types of resin too. Metal or glass aren't plastics (polymers), so they are not affected. Plasticizer is a chemical that makes plastics soft. Normally virgin PVC is a hard plastic (your sewer pipes are likely standard hard PVC). To make vinyl soft (for many uses, including soft tires for model kits). I would actually prefer if kit manufacturers made model kit tures out of hard plastic. Painted appropriate color, it is more realistic looking that the standard PVC tires. Plus it is easier to apply marking decals (like lettering or white walls) to hard plastic.

Perfect! Thanks Dusty! The kit chrome does have a bit different look, but the sprayed on chrome looks pretty darn good (especially in the last photo, using natural (Sun) lighting

So do I, but it does illustrate the problem with masking tape rather well. I'm sure that when John built the model he didn't plan for the tape to lift.

I would also stay away from masking tape. It is not designed for long term use, and even with paint over it, after some time the adhesive will either dry out, causing the tape to lift at the edges, or the opposite, the adhesive will turn gooey and running, and will make a mess. I've experienced both types of failure, not on vinyl roof, but when I used the tape for long duration applications. Which variation of adhesive failure might be dependent on the brand of the tape, or maybe even on the surface to which it s applied. Remember, masking type is designed to be temporary!

There is something that looks off to me. While the samples here all look mirror-like reflective, they all look dark. Sort of like black chrome. This could be because the surroundings that are reflected in the "chromed" surface are dark. Dusty, is there any chance you could take a photo of your "chrome" sample along with on any original kit's chromed part (like a bumper)? That would show whether the painted "chrome" is in fact darker than standard vacuum-metalized kit part.

Most of the time we also pay cash (including the tip). Sometimes we get a surprised look from the wait staff. "You're paying cash?!" Even though there are more and more hints about it, hopefully we will not become a cashless society during my lifetime. Cash is *KING*.

Duh! Gene, I don't know why I glossed over the fact that you clearly stated the scale in the thread's subject line. I'll let myself out - thank you! I do have to agree that the level of detail and overall fidelity is something I would expect in larger scale model (like 1:18). That's pretty darn good! ANd the