peteski

That is what I was thinking. To me it looked like an Australian version of some American make. But is ended up being an European "relative". It definitely has lots of "American flavor".

That statement is so very true, especially when it comes to viewpoints which aren't to be discussed here.

That's old news. As it was explained in some related threads here, that happened due to material supplies issues related to COVID (like most things in the last 2 years). At this point BMF is back to its original formula, but some hobby shops might still have the subpar stuff. Order directly from BMF.

Alps printers can print satin silver and also chrome-like silver foil. The letters look like one of the standard typefaces (font), so they could likely be easily reproduced.

This is a Romanian version of a Polish fighter plane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PZL_P.11 One of the first kits I built in my childhood (in nearly '70s) was that aircraft. Not this specific kit, but a Polish made kit. Mine had wheeled landing gear. The kit included a small vial of liquid cement but no paint. Some good memories here.

Well done! Makes me want to build that one too. I seem to recall some time ago someone else on this forum has built one of these. I don't recall that one being illuminated.

Even with that "orange label" Tamiya cement you might still end up with a problem of long term slow-evaporating solvent. But worth a try.

Joe, if the paint you are spraying is "hot" enough to penetrate the primer and craze the plastic surface, then of course same thing will happen when you apply it to bare plastic. Spraying multiple lighter coats (where the hot solvent evaporates quicker) will minimize the crazing, but will also not give you very smooth finish. Back in the distant past we used hobby paints on plastic model kits. Those paints (usually enamels) were made using solvents which were mild enough not to attack plastic. But as the hobby marched forward modelers started messing around with automotive touch-up paints which were designed for metal surfaces and used solvents hotter than hobby paints. With those you needed to apply a primer which had mild solvents that did not attack plastic, The primer acts as a barrier, preventing the solvents in the "hot" automotive paints from damaging the plastic body. Companies such as Splash Paints sell basically small quantities of automotive paints to modelers. From what i see on the forums, there is no definitive safe combinations of the model's polystyrene blend, primer, and "hot" paint which is guaranteed not to ruin your paint job. What seems to work for some modelers, does not work for others. The painting technique (how thin the paint is, and how heavy of a coat is applied) is also part of the safe painting equation. There is a lot involved in painting success. If we could only go back to the old days where we used Testors or Pactra paints for our models and didn't have to worry about paint/model compatibility.

Yes the very high current passing through the wire loop top creates strong AC magnetic field which Degausses (demagnitizes) any object passed through or near the tip. This brings up a whole new subject. There are small magnetizer/demagnetizers sold out there but they don't work well for demagnetizing. I got fed up with my tools getting magnetized over time (for whatever reasons) so few years back I got something stronger and more reliable: an old bulk magnetic tape eraser for reel-to-reel tapes. Got it on eBay for short money. It's made by Akai, and it is a big honkin' electromagnet which works from 120V AC. I can just turn it on and pass my entire tool tray over it and all the tools get demagnetized instantly.

I never fully succeed laminating styrene using solvent glue (and my attempts were smaller than yours). The problem with solvent cements is . . . the solvent. For me the laminated parts end up bowing, weeks or months after being glued. I suspect because the solvent never fully evaporates. I used MEK. I also agree that welding the pieces is the best practice to produce strongest joint. None of the non-solvent-based adhesives (CA glue, epoxy) will likely be as strong, especially if the parts are bent after being bonded. I'll be curious how you solve the problem.

Yes the forums search engine is useless. There is a sticky in the FAQ section showing how to use Google to search the forum. I did that and there is plenty of good info available. here they are (yes, participated in all of those so for my recommendations, along with others please read the older threads): http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/140409-plug-wires/ http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/129432-good-source-for-124-spark-plug-wire/ http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/135811-spark-plug-ignition-wire/ http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/173582-best-spark-plug-wire-size/ Bottom line is how accurate you want to get to keep things in-scale. Also, the cheapest solution is unfortunately usually not the best or most accurate. Small gauge insulated wire is expensive to manufacture, thus it costs more than standard 30AWG Kynar insulated wire-wrapping wire. Sometimes to get good results we need to spend some extra dough. It is up to you. As for boycotting Chinese made, most everything is made there nowadays (even if it is sold by U.S. based sellers). Something to think about.

While that usually works, several of my tweezers are "antimagnetic" stainless steel, so the magnet would not hold those.

Yes, the bands are slices of silicone tubing, but not to make them self-clamping. I slip it on to keep the tips closed when I pack them in a small box with other tools I take to model train shows (in case I need to repair some model during the show.

While I have not used those paints I feel like I should mention that "metal flake" implies large metallic flakes in the paint. Those will likely look *WAY* out of scale on a 1:25 model car. That is something that to me destroys the realistic look of a model. Some Testors metallic paints (not even considered "metal flake" paints) have large metallic particles which look really weird on a model. This oversize flakes problem really shows up in photos of a model (not so much when viewed in-person). But of course it doesn't bother some modelers.

What paint stripper works and doesn't work is greatly dependent on the paint's chemistry and also on the strippers temperature (not just on luck or other factors). Some paint strippers work best with certain types of paint. I have not yet found a universal plastic safe paint stripper that would work on *ALL* types of paints (and likely I will never will). That is why I have several types of paint strippers at my disposal.

Smallest brass wire I used for pinning was 0.012" (and #80 holes).

I pin my small items and glue them using CA glue. It works well since the surface inside the hole is bare plastic, and the CA glue will also stay in the hole.

I was just having some fun. Yes, your files and drill bits are safely stored. I don't drink and drive, smoke, or use my smart phone when driving. I have to get my excitement in other ways (like storing tweezers in a portable holder, pointing up. I also sometimes run with scissors. But on a serious note, I do agree that modelers usually get injured by hobby knives.

Thank you Alan, I think . . . I can't deny that what you mentioned is not a real danger, but I guess we all can do things that can hurt or kill us. That tweezers stand resides either deep on my workbench, or over my workbench. I just moved closer to the edge to take the photo. But thanks for the warning. BTW, did you notice how Greg stores his riffler files, drill bits and pin vises?

Ok, I'll play here: I was shocked that you were shocked about the apparently high price of the Flexible Flyer sled. Now we are on the same page. All is well - no hard feelings.

Tony, I don't think you understood my post. It has nothing to do with lack of anonymity or guns. Bill (Ace) understand where I'm coming from. If you don't - just ignore my advice. This is not the time nor place for discussing this. Thank you for your service.

Grzegorz, I love your unique scratch-built models, and the photos of the finished models, but I would also love to see some in-progress photos of your builds. I'm sure everybody would like to see how they are made.

Oh yeah! While this is a thread about irksome things, I can't help but commend on the Brit sitcoms from the '70s and '80s. I have DVD sets of Keeping up Appearances and Are You Being Served. Those shows are so funny and well done. I also enjoyed One Foot In The Grave. Couplings was a bit later, but it was funny too. So was Vicar of Dibley.

I don't know. We pay $40 for small plastic kits. Have you looked at the gas prices, your grocery or utility bills? The brand name $120 5' sled doesn't seem all that unreasonable. It is probably made in China . . .

I also thank you all for your service. While not for the same reason Bill mentioned, I'm not sure if providing the details some of you do is such a good idea on a public forum. There are scammers out there who might be able to use that info for not so kosher purposes. I'm not paranoid, but the Internet is a wast wasteland full of bad people. Just saying . . .