peteski

I have cast many small parts in open 1-piece molds (using Alumilite first, then Smooth-On resins and RTV). I have not yet advanced to 2-part molds. Jumping straight into 2-part mold territory seems a bit daunting on a first try. Good luck! The grille and taillights could likely be cast in a simple mold (but will require some trimming afterwards). As for the bumper, I can also see a possibility of making it into a single part molds if a stub (which would have to be removed afterwards) is built up around the bumper mounts. Well, on a second look, because the bumper ends curve "up", single part mold will likely not work, unless it is sliced open for removing the cast part.

I seem to recall Rob de Bie posting information on this type of casting that seems to be popular in Europe. Unlike in U.S., where pressure casting is usually used for bubble-free results, in Europe some use vacuum casting technique. The large pour stub is used to allow the air bubbles to escape and as an resin reservoir for the resin which replaces the air inside the mold. Plus that design makes it easier for the hardened part to be removed from 1-piece molds. But I do agree that the masters were likely 3D printed.

Just for reference, there is another discussion about this taking place already:

I have no idea if it was distributed in the U.S. I got my IMAI kit on eBay back in 2007, as a partially built kit. The body was assembled and painted. I just took a closer look at the wheels and tires. In my kit all the tires are the same size. The sidewall marking is 920/10.00-15 which makes no sense (except the 15 part). The tread is poorly done (just simple grooves around the perimeter). Back in 2007 I was looking for an alternate Monkeymobille (better than MPC kit), so I picked the IMAI kit. I currently don't have the MPC kit handy, but the IMAI body proportions look a bit off, and the windshield frame seems really wrong. The kit looks like a typical Japanese toy (not a decent scale model). That is why it is still sitting in its box untouched. I would not recommend it (especially since we now have much better MPC kit re-released.

I just checked, and the wheels and tires of the IMAI kit aren't too good. While the tires are rubber (like other typical Japanese kits), their cross-section seems a bit square, and the wheels aren't see-through. They are solid discs.

I have one of those as you call "knockoff" Japanese kits of the Pontiac GTO (Monkeemobille). It is also IMAI kit, but with different boxart than the one on eBay, and has the same "screaming chicken" decals. It has a copyright 1995. Scale 1:24. But I wouldn't call this kit a knockoff of the MPC kit. It is not an exact clone.

The statement in questions was I do have arthritis, and moderate hearing loss (due to 48 years in the construction industry). No dementia yet....that I'm aware of. My mother has Alzheimer's and I'm her sole caregiver. Being her caregiver is quite stressful, and it is heartbreaking to see her in her condition.Yet, I clearly realize that the statement being discussed was an attempt at humor, not malicious. I really think that we (as a society) need to lighten up a bit and don't take everything so seriously. I already have enough larger problems to deal with. At least that's how I see it.

I see. Thanks Greg!

You did, but posted it in a section dedicated to discussions about the Model Car Magazine. The section this thread is in would have been a better choice. The moderators will probably move it here (and even merge into this thread). There is nothing wrong with reviving an old thread is you're adding to the old discussion.

Nice. That is a true scale hinge (as it is the same size as the molded in one. How exactly do you cut the brass tube (soldered to the brass strip) with a hobby knife without crushing it?

Eh, somebody probably just took the plastic engine cover off (because the BWM engine I showed earlier is likely just as complex under that pretty cover).

Airbrushing Alclad II Polished Brass paint over a glossy base coat will likely give you the result you desire. Similar technique to what you use for Alclad II Chrome finish.

Actually, if you pop the hood open on most modern cars with those uber-complicated engines, all you see is some fancy plastic engine covers. No wiring, maybe few simple hoses - mostly just a black plastic cover with a logo on it. Very simple to model.

Yes, that is a clever idea. A word of warning about those non-slip kitchen liners. They seem to leach plasticizer like the infamous vinyl model tires, so they can soften and mar polystyrene. Don't leave your model sitting on it for any extended period of time. Or replace it with some other non-slip sheet (like what Bill mentioned).

Dmiaxion, I also had one of those "What?!" moments when I read the subject line of your thread. You know, you can go back and edit the subject line to better reflect your question. "Gender" and "Fender" rare quite different things. You'll probably get better and on-topic replies to your question.

Splash Paints, Model Car World, and few others specialize in providing airbrush-ready paints for hobbyists, and they can color match to pretty much any automotive paint color. I'm curious as to why you want airbrush-ready paint? Airbrush owners are generally used to thinning any paint to airbrush-ready consistency. Even decanted spray paints often need additional thinning. Not too long ago, all hobby paints required thinning for airbrushing.

Well, you didn't include that tidbit of information. Now that I know that, the QR code became silly.

That doesn't seem all that weird. If the QR code on the billboard is large enough, any smart phone which reads those should be able to read it if iits camera is pointed towards the QR code. It's today's technology.

None of my deliver drivers (UPS, USPS, FedEx, or DHL) come to the door and ring the doorbell. Back in the day they all did, and if you were home, they handed the package to you. Now they only do dthat if signature is required. I don't remember of this started during the COVID pandemic or before, but it has been like that for a while. It's too bad because it was nice to have the package delivered in-person. And especially now, with the new sport of "porch-pirating" it would be good for the drivers to deliver the package directly to the recipient. Just like other things, this is not as nice as it used to be. The other problem is that during inclement weather (rain or snow) the delivery drivers just leave the packages sitting outside. In the past they used to put packages in a plastic bag so they wouldn't get wet. I recently had couple of packages left like that in the rain getting soaked (as I wasn't home). I have to say what every past generation used to say: Back in the past things were much better. I used to roll my eyes every time I heard that, but as I'm getting older I'm noticing the same thing. Sad, but true.

Some eBay sellers only ship once a week (but that is usually stated somewhere in the listing). Plus like Les mentioned, they don't see your payment right away. We have became a "I want it yesterday" society. Remember the days when you received a catalog in the mail, ripped out and filled the order form from the catalog, then snail-mailed your order with a personal check, then waited 4-6 weeks for the item to arrive? And no tracking. Or those C.O.D. orders where you had to wait home for the UPS driver to arrive with your package so you could pay them to get the package? My how things have changed. I guess I became a grumpy old guy.

To me it looks like the metallic paint was not applied evenly over the entire body. Visually the coverage looked solid and even, but some areas have a heavier coat of paint. Then the clear partially dissolved the base layer of metallic green and some of the metallic particles and green dye got into the clear. That is why there are color variations. Or maybe the clear was applied unevenly and where it was applied heavier it partially dissolved the metallic green. If you look at the darker areas around the door line edges, you can see different color (as if the green paint was pulled from those areas). I'm also not sure if primer would have prevented this. The bottom line is that stripping and repainting seems to be the only option.

This is developing into a very interesting project. Nice!

If the body is painted blue than you have to make sure the decals have white undercoat for the colors to look correctly. Unless you have a printer which can print white, your decals will not look good. If this is a recent kit, maybe you can get a copy of the decal from the kit manufacturer?

No specific answer, but any rechargeable batteries in any device (cell phones, tools, etc.) will lose charge-holding capacity with age and the number of charging cycles. If your tool is old then reduced battery capacity is expected. Batteries can also go really bad and hold very little or no charge.

Yes, it makes the link look short, but all the tracking code is still embedded in it (and tracking your usage). I don't like that.