peteski

Nice to keep seeing progress. Looks like you took care of that little setback very well, and improved the model at the same time. Are you planning on building all those individuals seats, or you going to take the set you made and resin cast the remaining ones?

Doesn't it?

Nice! Looks like metal because it is metal!

#6 *IS* specifically polystyrene. If done at all (I still have some doubts) most sorting for recycling is done by machines, and they only deal with larger solid pieces (like containers). The recycling symbol embossed on an item does usually indicate that the item is good for recycling.

Funny thing is that while the 1:25 kit seems to always include oversize logo decals, the Corgi toy has a correctly sized Monkees logo.

I see more interesting differences in the usage of English language between UK and USA. Seems that you use "roof" to describe ceiling. To me "roof" is the top outside surface of a house, exposed to the elements. It's fun to compare the variations of the common language.

The "stuff' in silver paints, regardless of whether it's fine powder or larger flakes, is metal. That is what it looks silver.

Kits are usually made from Polystyrene (recycling ID #7), some is ABS plastic (which is a type of Polystyrene but is not itemized in recycling charts). If your town takes #7 plastic I suppose you could put the kit plastic in recycling, but I have feeling that it will be discarded by the automatic sorters due to its shape. Sorting machines are geared to handle things like containers, which have more solid shapes.

I recall few years ago someone here showed how they use silver and gold leaf foils for simulating car trim. The stuff sign makers and custom painters use. As I recall, the metallic leaf material doesn't have any adhesive. Do a Google search of the forum for "silver leaf" or "gold leaf". and you will likely find that thread.

Funny, I actually enjoy spending money on good quality tools which work really well, and which will last me for a very long time. I would say that I like spending money on those tools even better than spending money on buying kits.

Wow - those look amazing! The way the spokes are interlace (like on the real car) cannot be accomplished with photoetch, or even with wire laced wheels). I've been watching your posts Bill and I am amazed how 3D printing has totally changed the focus of your hobbies. You live up to your screen name! Randy from Model Builder's Warehouse made and sold 3D printed wire wheels, but I guess he ran into some problems because after I bought them couple of times, he stopped offering them. Too bad because, those were pretty good too. I agree with Lee that it would be great to get some of the Duesy (or other similar vintage) cars wire wheels 3D printed.

I'm sure the turned metallic gold looks really good, but it seems that even Speedway still made them too large (as they extend pass the door to the rear quarters). Again, not that you could do anything about that.

Very nice build! The nice tires are in fact included in this kit. We have been recently discussing this reissue in I'm used to seeing the top and interior in light tan, but with up to possibly 9 versions of the Monkeemobile, there might have been some with white top and interior. What bugs me (through not fault of yours) is that the logo on the door is too large. In all the photos I ever seen (and variations of the logo) it is always small enough to fully fit on the door. You mentioned custom decals. Who makes/sell those?

So nobody knows for certain yet? I also suspect a repop. I wonder if they tooled up some new parts (like at least wheels and those terrible tires)? Dan, thanks for the transkit info. Looks interesting. I want to build mine factory stock, but the better wheels, headlight buckets, door mirrors, and seats look interesting. I never heard of White Chocolate 124, and their website is very sparse on information. Have you dealt with them?

Looks like it is newly released by Italeri. Does anybody know if this is new tooling or a repop of the old ESCI 190E?

Wow, the outdoor photo fooled me that it was of a real truck (that you based your model on). Very nice!

Not sure why Alumilite products would be junk. Maybe you got a hold of stale resin? I used to use Alumilite (simple small 1-piece open mold castings) but I moved on to Smooth On. Back when I was using Alumilite (probably around 20 years ago), they had a very small selection of products, while Smooth On had much wider range of resins and RTV. But I never had a problem with Alumilite products (again, unless they were stale).

Oh well, I figured I would suggest utilizing the brain power of the forum. No big deal. To be honest, if it is to be a transparent blue stretched sprue, I don't understand why it would make a difference whether the material is solid transparent blue, or clear with just the surface being transparent blue. One possibility I can imagine is if you wanted to use that plastic "rod" as a fiber optic, to pass light through it. But then if it was solid blue, it would be too dark to easily pass light over distance of more than several millimeters. For example if you look down at the edge of typical door glass in any car which comes with factory "tinted" glass with very slight green tint, you will see that from the edge the glass looks very dark green.

Maybe if you would tell us more about what your goal is, someone will have an alternate suggestion.

Why not just stretch clear sprue, then brush or airbrush paint it with one of the transparent blue hobby paints (like Tamiya)? The end result will be a transparent blue rod.

John, That's a blast from the past! Flo-paque paints were from Floquil Corp. from Amsterdam, NY, same company that made model railroad paints (later absorbed by RPM, which also acquired Testors). These older paints are likely "hot" and might craze bare plastic, or at least soften it. I would be careful using them on styrene. But yes, lacquer thinner should work as a thinner. The original thinner was Floquil Diosol, but that has been long discontinued. These are likely flat paints.

That's not bad but I prefer some more lively stuff with some really fast beat which makes me start tapping my foot like this tune from the old Andy Griffith Show: I also enjoy instrumental '40s music like from Jimmy Dorsey or Glen Miller (and others). Then there are quite a few Jazz numbers I enjoy listening to. I also like numbers like this one: Then I also like rock tunes done on classical instrument,or by orchestras. This one always makes me smile: And of course Led Zep.

I don't know if it's been mentioned already but from time I enjoy listing to some (instrumental) Blue Grass music with plenty of banjo and nice bass line. I also like to listen to Jean Michel Jarre. Most is instrumental (electronic music). Another single example is "Green Onions" by Booker T. And basically many of the instrumental tunes from bands which usually have songs with vocals, like "Godzilla" song by B.O.C. "Frankenstein" by Edgar Winter group.

I guess I'm not hip anymore. I'm not a big movie watcher to begin with. I can even say, a very infrequent movie watcher. I've seen The Blues Brothers last time probably over 30 years ago, and I didn't find it as memorable as something like some Mel Brooks movies.