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I was reading a back issue from late 2005 and there was a brief piece about photo-etched scriber blades. I've tried lots of scribers, and this one sounded very intriguing, because it offered a very thin blade that didn't greatly expand the width of panel lines. I looked all over the net and the only thing I was able to find was a company called U-Star, and a hobby shop in Australia that carried their stuff. I just have a lot of hesitation when ordering stuff from the other side of the world and am wondering if anyone here knows where this kind of thing can be found in the USA? (BTW, the US company in the article is out of business - their domain name - scaleracecars.com - is up for sale)...

I just checked my bottle of Polished Aluminum and it will accept the small Iwata Big Mouth adapter - just cut the dip tube to appropriate length. I generally don't use this setup because I rarely need that much material to be available at one session; so, a gravity airbrush is what I use.

Thank you Joseph & Gary!

Thanks Graeme!

That is a very valid point, especially considering this would be the second license on any new kit - the first being of course from the car manufacturer. I can only imagine how much WB would want for a Roadrunner license?! However, if it could be done at a $2-$3 higher price, I would gladly pay it!

Thanks Mike! Now all I have to do is find one I can afford!

Excellent - thank you very much for the added clarifications!

Jimmy, I think that this answers one of my questions - about pre-thinned being thinned for spraygun users - airbrush users might still have to reduce because of the smaller tips... right? Also, when it comes to reducing HoK, is the amount really that critical? I look at percentages and start backing away because I'm afraid I won't get the reduction right and will ruin a batch of paint! If eyeballing it would be sufficient - as in you can see the paint is too thick and won't come out of the airbrush - so add some redcuer until it will come out - I would be a lot less worried about screwing up a batch...

You're joking, right? $10.49 is almost 4 ounces - $3.10 per ounce! That's not an outrageous price, in my books.

Yeah, I saw those wheels too, and had already decided they had to go. However, I'm not "into" imports. So, they would go into my extras stash... unless you want them?!

That's great! I was thinking it could be based on the older toolings, and I've found the 90s toolings to be very acceptable even by today's standards! Thanks!

Well, if candies get too many coats and start looking dull with less depth and less reflectivitiy, doesn't that make them look darker? Put a gray filter in front of the moon - won't it look darker? Isn't this just a matter of specifics over generalities?

I would really like to know what I can expect out of this kit...

You haven't said which one you're thinking of using - I have used the acrylic, and did not get very impressive results. If you need to use an acrylic, use Tamiya's clear red instead. You will get the best results by airbrushing, but remember that the more transparent paint you apply, the darker it will get. That's a particularly tough part of doing candies, because if you use your regular left-to-right spray pattern, you will have areas where the paint will be lighter than others, and you'll try to compensate by spraying that area; of course, that only makes the surrounding area that much darker, and it goes on and on, until you finally have complete coverage but the color is so dark, it no longer looks like red (or whatever)!

Wow - that's quite an investment in paint! But I'm very glad to know you're using the pre-thinned HoK so successfully; it makes me feel like I could do so, too! BTW, is the Chroma-Clear a 2-part clear?

Sunvisors - separate parts on certain models - don't most modelers save their sunvisors just for this type of occasion - I never bother to install separate sunvisors in hardtops, as they won't be seen. I'm sure I must have at least one set in my extras stash...

I think it's possible they do that to make it easier to remove your selected piece of foil. I usually hold it at the end that has no adhesive, and cut it off - usually well before the end.

You could try the brush-on "foil adhesives", which can be found online at Amazon, or at your local crafts store. There are some spray adhesives, but unless they're specifically aimed at foil, they will probably go on too heavily.

I have had success with Testors Wet-Look and and Tamiya TS13. The latter is probably a bit easier to apply because of a very nice nozzle Tamiya installs, but it's also a bit more expensive. As far as applying them goes, I start on a side, at the bottom of the car and give 2-3 passes up, to completely cover the side; then, I do the other side the same way. The top is done in a left-right motion - rather quickly to avoid building up the clear too much. After this first coat, I go back and (especially in the case of thick metallics like Lime Ice), make sure I get full coverage and that the entire car is really nice and shiny. I will shoot at a spot that needs more clear - just very short bursts so as not to build up too much and cause sags or runs.

There was one minor re-issue, but it seemed to vanish very shortly after its release. It may have been a limited release (as in number of copies made), but its lack of staying power could have been an indication that interest in the model had fizzled... About a year ago, I started looking for the original release because I knew I would want to build this one again, and could not find the re-issue. I wound up going to Westbury Motorsports, and paid close to $30 for the kit. You can still get one here for $34.99... http://www.westburymotorsports.com/scgi-bin/show.cgi?id=3978&section=Revell

Yes, that's what I noticed when I built the 70 Monogram - it just looks huge compared to my 1:25 Camaros. Of course I do see how Revell won't bother retooling - as another response said - as long as it's selling, why should they retool?

I've airbrushed Alclad primers, and I've come to the conclusion that spraying from a rattle can is a lot less of a hassle, and all the primers with micro-fillers are kind of hard to clean up after - not impossible - just not worth the effort. In regard to basecoats, are you going to be spraying a clear candy over it? If not, you would simply hide the basecoat, and then you could have skipped it. Also, make sure that the stuff you're looking at (Alclad website), is actually a lacquer. They have a line of hot colors that are enamels - not lacquers. For this reason, I stayed away from Alclad when I started experimenting in candies (I used Spaz Stix lacquers instead).

I sure think so... especially the adhesive! I started having trouble with the foil losing its grip after a strong burnishing. I tried another sheet from a company that had just received a new order, and it's better but not by much. It's got me so bummed - I absolutely hate having to spend hours on end foiling the trim, and a lot of times it doesn't look much better than what I'm doing now (which is really fast) - I've pretty much given up on the stuff - just too hard to apply - too hard to get a really smooth ultra-bright finish - takes too long.

This is apparently a very popular line of paints in Europe - now, it's available in the USA... http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/insobacupa.html They come pre-mixed and ready to spray... A 3.38oz bottle is $10.49 at Chicago Airbrush Supply... that's about $3.10 per ounce. My only problem with their offering is that it only includes the Sparkle line - none of the pearls - and Sparkle uses larger metal flakes that could make them difficult to airbrush with.

I have to apologize for my comment that the AMT re-release of the 68 Road Runner was "unbuildable"... I found my old Amazon review and I actually gave it 3 stars out of 5. So, you're right - it was hardly unbuildable. Since then, I have built one of the older AMT releases, and rated it a personal "excellent". So, I must have been thinking of the 69 GTX that wound up in the trash. Again, very sorry for the memory errors. I still would like to see R/M come out with a 70 Road Runner in 1:25th.