peteski

If the metallic layer can be easily rubbed of when buffing sounds to me like the Alclad is going on too dry (not too heavy), and is not sticking to the gloss undercoat. Like it is dusted on, not going on wet. I haven't airbrushed Alclad chrome for some time, but I seem to recall that when I airbrushed it, when it hits the undercoat surface (directly under the airbrush nozzle) it looks like dull silver, but as I move on, the dull silver turns shiny and mirror-like as it dries.

To me the cost of the paint is really irrelevant. If the instructions on the label do nto state that the paint works (is safe) on plastic, then some caution should be exercised (like testing the paint on a scrap of plastic or inconspicuous area of the item being painted). Even the most expensive paint can be hot enough to damage plastic. And if plastic compatibility is not stated, if the pant contains acetone and xylene, those are big red flags for it not being plastic friendly. And of course clear plastic also seems to be most sensitive to hot paint solvents.

Despite the wide misuse by the modelers of the phrase "acrylic paint" to mean water-based plastic-safe paints, Acrylic resin is used as a binder in many types of paints, including the "hot" organic-solvent based paints. I wish modelers would stop using "acrylic" to mean water-based paint.

I have seen some "chrome" (vacuum metalized) parts come coated with a layer of clear lacquer. Those are much more resistant to damage. But that is rarely done.

As I see it, Steve hit hit the nail on the head. Kit "chrome" is an atom-thick layer of aluminum. Any acidic or base liquid can easily eat away that thin layer of aluminum. It does look like something got sprayed accidentally on those models, and it affected the chrome. This might have happened some time ago.

I was following this thread hoping that Norm still cast those filters. That's a bummer, but I imagine they were never really a big seller (not many modelers build model motorcycles). Back about 15 years ago there was a 1:12 kit of Harley Custom Springer made by Imai/Imex. It includes that air filter. I built that kit back then. Here is what it looks like. It's a long shot, but if you find that kit you will have that cleaner, although it will likely be pricey.

Hi Herb, welcome to the forum! Nice to see someone else here directly involved in the now-vintage model kit production. It's been a while since I've build any of those older kits. Were those decals the ones which had rather thick clear film, and were a bit of a pain to work with? Currently Cartograf in Italy seems to be the top quality decal manufacturer, utilized by multiple model companies. Their decals have very sharp images, colors are in register, and they use very thin clear film. They are a pleasure to work with, although some modelers find them too fragile. But I guess that is the price to pay for decals which look painted-on with the clear film pretty much invisible.

You are in Germany, so the oven cleaner where you are might not be the same as what is available in USA. Actually, even in USA, there are oven cleaners which work, and others which do not work. The active ingredient that strips the paint is Sodium Hydroxide (also called Lye in English). Check if your oven cleaner contains Lye. If it does, it might not be as concentrated as in the American version. As for IPA, the stronger concentration, the better. 70% is useless, 91% works better, but 99% is the best. In USA, I can buy 99% Isopropanol (pure IPA) in quart size cans at a local hardware store. It is usually displayed in the paint thinners isle. If the store does not stock it, they can special order it for me. Of course the price has really gone up since COVID. Glycerin? Borate Esters? Did you maybe mean "glycol"? DOT3 brake fluid we use to strip paints consists of mainly Diethylene Glycol and Butoxytriglycol. See http://championbrands.com/MSDS/DOT3BrakeMSDS.pdf . As you mentioned it can affect certain formulations of polystyrene or ABS models cars are made of. Actually the "official" plastic safe model paint strippers like PollyScale/Testors ELO uses similar family of chemicals (Isobutyl Alcohol, Diethylene Glycol Monobutyl Ether). But even ELO has affected some polystyrene I stripped in it. Each stripping job is unique. and one has to be careful using "plastic safe" paint strippers.

I did few small tests some months ago, when I first received my sheet, and I don't recall having problems trimming it on the model. Maybe I'm not remembering it. I do agree that it looks just like chrome, where the BMF has slightly duller look, and a slightly warm tone.

Nice!

Wow!

That is some serious H2O hauling. Cool!

Mike, I thought that by "tags" you mean the tags you assign on this forum when creating the first post of a new thread. But your question is not very clear. Are those the tags you mean, or some other tags? And why is Google part of the problem?

I had to reread Patric's post couple of times to get the gist of it. Not Patric's fault - my brain was focusing on Molotow (since the thread is about Molotow). Patrick is stating that there are now other brands of chrome pens available at HL, and asking whether anybody has tried any of them (not Molotow).

I agree that Hasegawa products are high quality. I also did not say that it shrinks. It merely tries to go return to its relaxed state if it was burnished into depressions on the model's surface. That process does take several days, and it doesn't fully flatten, but I can take a toothpick and press the foil back into the concave area. It is likely because it is a stretchy plastic film which wants to go back to its relaxed state (because it was not stretched enough to permanently deform it). When metal foils are used for the same task, the metal permanently stretches into the concave areas. The Hasegawa adhesive seems quite strong and I don't think it will dry out.

Could be I guess. I just quote the info directly from the horse's mouth.

Ah ok, I'm used to seeing small-block Chevy engines. got it.

I found the skill level definition on https://www.revell.de/en/faqs/ It confirms that the rating is strictly based on parts count. FAQ 13: What is the meaning of the Skill Level indications for the model kits? The indication of the Skill Level (1-5) can be found on every Revell model kit. These levels categorise the model kits into different difficulty levels. They can serve as important guide for your purchase decision and help to avoid that a modeller buys a model kit which is “too easy“ or “too complex“. The Skill Levels represent the following product characteristics: [1] includes snap kits for beginners which do not need to be glued or painted. [2] comprehends simple model kits to be glued and painted with up to 30 parts for beginners. [3] is the category for challenging models with up to 100 parts to be glued and painted. [4] is suited for experienced modellers, with up to 150 parts to be glued and painted. [5] refers to models requiring the highest handicraft skill level, with more than 150 individual parts to be glued and painted.

Not sure if I follow. If you remove the intake manifold on a 1:1 V8 engine, you will expose the lifter valley. No?

If by cutting you mean trimming the film after it is applied to the model, I don't see cutting as a problem.Very sharp hobby knife or scalpel work well (just like with BMF). But if the film has to be made to conform (stretched) to adhere to depressions it will eventually want to return to its unstretched state. That is a problem.

I read somewhere that the Revell's difficulty rating is directly related to the kit's parts count, not the actual difficulty of assembly or the poor fit of the parts. EDID: Seems that I've just seen it in Helmut's other thread.

I never had problems with BMF decal paper (and Alps printed decals). I don't overcoat the decal before application since Alps wax ink is waterproof. You should not need the overcoat either, as laser printer toner is also waterproof. Only decals printed with ink jet on ink jet paper have to be overcoated as ink jet inks are water soluble. Also are you sure you are using laser compatible decal paper (not ink jet compatible)?

Ok, what a wonderful advice. Thank you *SO* much. ? The problem is that I enjoy participating in this section - just kill all the death notices.

Sure, 32AWG and smaller. That is what Detail Master wires are. The problem is that those companies are geared to deal with industries, not with individual sales. So someone like Detail Master or ProTech figured out what companies make the wire then buy the wire in bulk, and repackage it in small lengths for hobbyists. If you could find out the wire manufacturer's info and bought the wire in bulk (like 1000' at a time) then you would have the wire for much cheaper cost per foot than what the Detail Master charges. But then what would you do with a 1000' of single color wire? Cut it up, package it and sell it to the hobbyists? That takes time and money. We should be glad that there are Detail Masters and ProTechs selling the fine wire in small quantities (for a reasonable price). In the past I needed a larger quantity of the ProTech ignition wire to use for a model RR project (actually using the wire in its intended purpose to conduct electricity), and he was willing to sell me the wire in longer lengths than what he normally sells for a slightly discounted price.

On eBay? If yes, then the asking prices have nothing to do with "real" prices. To get more realistic numbers you would have to look for the competed auction prices.