Roadrunner

I'm also looking forward to ordering some. Odd perhaps, but I'm already planning a dozen schemes for cars that I don't even own,... yet.

I'll be ordering some, as soon as I'm able. They sell several colors that I'm interested in.

I'd like to run into some of the high temp engine paints on sale, I need it (white) to paint the reflectors in my clamp lights.

Not surprised,... impressed. My overall experiences so far though, oven cleaner, ELO, brake fluid and 90% alcohol, still leave something to be desired. Most will readily and easily attack and remove the Testors lacquer, but few of them seem to touch the dupli-color primer, leaving me with a patchwork quilt of paints and primers to deal with.

3-D printer, I think.

I had no idea. Nice job. I could certainly learn from you.

OK, I just went through all 142 images, and my absolute favorite was the station wagon with flames. Normally I'm not a big fan of flames, but it was done really well, and just looked real clean and classy.

Well, that's interesting. Thanks, Art.

That's what threw me; a quick Google image search showed some with and some without that rectangular area on the roof, but the ones that do have it, seem to be raised from the surrounding surface, while the kit part appears to be flush. I was toying with the idea of starting this one today, but quickly realized I'll need several more parts to do what I want to the kit, so I tossed it back on the shelf for now. Thanks for the quick answer, I certainly appreciate it. I think Nick covered it, but thanks anyway.

I couldn't agree more. Most of the clear enamels that I've ever seen, are usually slightly amber. That's not to say they're all like that, but that's what I've seen anyway. And your Willys looks excellent, very nice color and finish. What specific color was used as the base?

My AMT '33 Willys gasser, has what I can only describe as an escape hatch in the roof. My question is this: would an escape hatch be required according to NHRA Gasser rules, or was this just a feature unique to this specific car (Ohio George '33 Willys), or is it even a hatch at all?

I really like that boat. I could live without the car, but that boat is very cool!

Agreed. My initial question was based upon the fact that I just Saturday bought a can of clear coat, only to then question if it was the same or similar to ultra, and if wet look was then different from these first two. The fact that the conversation morphed into other areas, is perfectly OK with me, as I seem to have some "issues" in general with painting my cars after all these years. Though I've yet to use the wet look, I certainly intend to, though I now believe most of my problems are a direct consequence of clear coats being too thin, followed up with wet sanding/polishing mistakes. I'm hoping this thread may not only serve the function of answering my myriad questions, but may also help others in the process.

Probably more like tens of thousands, and I too am one of them. I have several (but not all) of the Monogram inserts, as well as his "How to Build Dioramas" book. My copy of "How to Build Dioramas" book, was one of the first, if not the first, modeling how-to book that I ever purchased, and I still have it. For quite a few years, it was my modeling bible, and in many ways, still is, and will probably continue to be for many more years.

Looks good to me, Lee. I have the 1:24 Monogram kit about 25% complete, perhaps I'll be able to get back to it soon.

The realization that several items I had thought were here, were actually in a storage locker that I lost a couple weeks ago. Now, as cash allows and needs arise, I'll have to purchase those items again. Loss, in its various forms, is something I'm getting mighty tired of.

I've read about using that here on this site. I'll be grabbing a can,... as soon as I can. I'll also be getting some carnauba wax. I thought I had some, but I certainly can't seem to find it now. I'll probably (or maybe), also grab a set of the Tamiya polishes. Thanks for the input.

The biggest for me, is the never ending wheel of death I get when I try to post from PB, using URL. Other than that, I'm cool with the site.

Yep, me too. Also, the hotter the plastic, the easier the draw to smaller diameters. For thicker sections, I heat a wider area, then draw as is starts to get really soft, but not yet melted. The candle also allows two hands free to handle the sprue. If you're going styrene, I'd highly recommend Plastruct over Evergreen, as the Evergreen (below a certain diameter) is not actually round in cross section, but egg shaped. Plastruct also has it as small as .010 diameter, and it's perfectly round.

Yea, I'm afraid it's coming down to that, at least after I stop making all these stupid mistakes. I'll stick with it though, as I have several schemes that I think will look very nice.

Yep, I just checked the SDS sheet for #2, and it seems to be the culprit with the silicone, not #1 or 3 though. Food for thought here, fellas, so thanks for the inputs. I'm running some spoon tests of my own right now.

Thanks, Frank. Yes, I have been polishing, using toothpaste and the 3,2,1 Novus system. I've read somewhere that the Novus has silicone in it, though I'm not sure why that would be, but if that is the case, perhaps I'm not removing every trace of it. Each and every disaster I've had so far, has occurred after polishing the clear coat(s), when subsequently adding more paint and/or clear.

Yep, I'm going to have to. It's getting way too expensive otherwise.

Today saw the trashing of yet another paint job, this time my 1:20 AMX. I might as well buy a 55 gallon drum of stripper,... I'll need it the way I'm going.

Interesting question. Mostly, after clear coats, then polishing, I need to touch-up the paint (or clear). and start over again. All too frequently, I end up with paint looking like it's being sprayed on top of wax, despite washing the model thoroughly with soapy water, followed by a prolonged rinse. The photo below is what has become an all too common sight after touch-ups. This one too will now have to be stripped, if I am to ever achieve the sort of finish that I think I should be capable of. It's actually what appears to be an exaggerated fisheye sort of problem, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out what the heck I'm doing wrong. As far as I am aware, the model is squeaky clean, but still this problem persists.