Karmodeler2

This board is SOOOOOOOOOOO cool!!!! you learn so much more here, because of the eclectic nature of us all. Thanks Andy for the History lesson. I am a huge fan of Bugatti, and have books on them, but did not know this and some of the other stuff you mentioned. This place rules!!! David

Hey Pete, Jordan beat me to it, but the ones he mentioned are still influencing designers today. They are, in the design world, king. The coach builders from that era were amazing and I have several books on design and this era and the work is amazing. Just look how well received the What-the-Haye was from Boyd. He took that design and modified it. Look how the 32 Ford has some of the same ques as the cars from this era. The French. They might suck at defense, but they made the most beautiful cars in the world, to me. (not make....made) And you know how many gears are on a French Tank? 5 reverse, and 1 forward.........in case they attack from the rear. David

And because I have British cars, I have to agree with Matthew....anything that runs!!! That's is why, for dependability, I drive a Jap car, and for fun I drive a British one. David

Favorite brand? WIth so many, it's hard to choose one. If money were no object, my favorite is the Bugatti Royale, the Coupe Napoleon. Last time this car changed hands, it was 14.9 million. Next up, anything pre-70's from England. Austin Healey 100S would be the favorite, or the 100M, followed by the Aston Martin DBR1. Then the ones with the little horses on the side, pre-65. and then my daily driver when the sun's out, my 67 Healey 3000 Mark III, phase II BJ8. The red car behind mine is a 100M.

Hey guys, can you help with identifying the engine in this pic? Unfortunately it is the only pic I have. It is a bus, made in Italy by Fiat in the 60's. It has two valve covers which is odd to me. Is there anything, in kit form, that would be a good starting point, or is this going to be a fully scratch-built thing? And the million dollar question.....does any body have any reference photos?......(I know, it's like asking for a current video of dinosaurs) Thanks for you help. David

I love the Edit button, however, on my Macbook Pro, it will not let me post my change. My home PC will let me edit, then I can click the button that says "add changes" or what ever it says, but that does not appear for me when I am done editing on my Mac. I can't figure it out, since I know Gregg is a Mac guy and I figured this site would be Mac friendly. Thanks though. I have tried it. David

Hey Ryan, Sorry for calling you Nick. I was looking at the wrong name. I posted the above paragraph for you, just titled it wrong. see, 35+ years and still making mistakes!!! David

Hey Nick, I think one thing to repeat is something that Steve said. Patience. I don't think that a "near flawless" paint job is possible on the 2nd build, unless you are painting 4 bodies a month just to practice. I have been doing this for 35+ years and I am just getting to the point where I can teach others how to achieve good results with paint. Also, look up Lonewolf15 on here, he is the paint expert and even has a DVD on how to do it. A wealth of info. I admire your goals.....I tend to set mine low enough that if I'm unable to achieve them, I can just step over them. Get some spoons from McDonalds (free) and practice shooting them first. It will help with the process and getting use to how far to hold the plastic from the can, how much you can put on without it running.....basically practice. That's what makes you better. I still make mistakes and try to learn from them. Know that you will too, but it's what you do at the point of "failure" that will either make you a better modeler or make you leave the hobby. I get to the "failure" point, or let's say the "mistake" part, and try to think my way out of it. Sometimes I put a model on the shelf for over 2 or 3 years, and when I do something by accident or it "comes to me" on the current project, I can then take the one off the shelf and finish it. I have solved problems from stalled builds by doing something on a current one that I did not realize was the answer until later. I think experience will be your best teacher. After all, it should be....it's the most expensive. Go and experiment. And I will pass the advice along that I got from Mark Jones: When someone says "You can't do that", ask, "Who says?". I have "broken" some of the hard fast rules of modeling because I dare to challenge the "rule". I look forward to seeing some of you work. David

You make me laugh.....even in a third world country!!!!! Some may consider Kuwait first world, but with raw sewage running in the river behind my 5 star hotel, the aroma is something one must experience to get the full "flavor" of what I would say is a 3rd world at best. David

You probably have seen this, but here is a garbage truck this buy turned into a really NICE motor home. I think this is probably the cleanest garbage truck on the inside. David http://www.americanmotorhome.net/motorhome/unusual_motorhomes/motorhome-or-garbage-truck

Nice looking so far. Looking forward to the clear/cut/buff tutorial!!! And thanks for sparing us the first shot. I never did get that. David

I thought you were going for the "sprayed in bedliner" look, I had no idea that was an accident!!! Yes, what Steve said, you need to atomize it well. I use a full size automotive gun, not a touch up one, that has about a 8-12 inch fan on it so it can coat models in a few passes, but I think it would be too much for your car. I would suggest, that if you go with urethanes, then reduce them more than what the spec sheet calls for so you can get a good flow in areas that are hard to buff. You might want to think about Future floor wax too. It goes on super thin and super shiny. You don't have to thin it and you can buff it if you need to. I would test it on spoons by putting down the same primer (if used), and base on many spoons. Then practice shooting it....it does not have to be thinned, it already is thin. Also check as see when you put one of the spoons in ammonia, or hit it with Windex, if the only thing affected is the Future. This will tell you if you can use either one of those to strip just the clear without having to re-do the whole model if you have some problems in the clear. I use it a lot for making parts shiny, and have used it as a clear coat on a model before with great results, but just be careful, it is thin and runs easily, but I think it will be your best bet....and you can practice with the spoons first. David

Thanks Jim. When you spend 22 years doing something, it better look good when you are done. I get accused of it being a trailer queen, but those that know me see me in it about every day. I figured if you spend that much time under it, you ought to spend that much time in it. My wife says I'm like a 16 year old with a brand new license. I told her that is WAY too mature for where I am in my life right now!!! Thanks for the kind words. Some day I'll tell you the story of how I got it back in 1985 and it has far more sentimental value than money could ever hope to buy. David That Mercedes is one of my favorites. I wish I had been to my baptism in that......that is one sweet ride!! My Uncle has a 61 190D that I drove from Dallas to Greenville SC for him and it had a spare motor and trans IN THE TRUNK!!!! That's how big this car is.....and it drove like a dream. We got more looks and honks and my dad and I had a great time. You had to put in a steering correction to your left about the time an 18 wheeler was coming up on your rear bumper and take it out about the time he was finishing passing your front one. If you did not, the wind would blow you off the road. It was like flying in a crab....I would correct and take it out when they got past me. We had a blast!!! Thanks for sharing the pic!!!

Nice job, Gary. And you have another tool in your bag for your next build. Now you know why some of the more round, art-deco style builds have such nice paint jobs. There are no corners to cut and buff!! and be glad it was not black. I think the color and model were a great choice and a good starting point to hone you skills at polishing. Look forward to seeing the next one! David

Hey Gary, I agree with Steve that you should test it, and spoons have been the best for me too. Steve turned me on to that idea. I have had Tamiya clear just DESTROY the PPG clear and ate it like it was eating a meal. It even did it again (yes, I'm stupid) when I sanded out the cracks, misted it on, and two days later, cracked again. I use either Scalecote paint remover (for trains....it is great and is water soluble and re-useable, or I use Chameleon paint remover. It has the same properties) and it takes all paints off that I have used and does not harm the plastic. If you do a panel repair, do it like the real world and tape the panel off and do it by itself. If it's a pearl or a metallic, then you might have to go from the crown of the fender or belt line, from front to back on the entire side of the model, to hide the way the metallics and pearls lay down. Most the time on the complicated mixes (pearls and/or Metallics) it's best to do a strip and start over. I know it takes longer, but the end result is better. David Here is the car I am talking about. It is Alclad copper, with a super fine copper pearl in the clear coat (which was the PPG first) and then the Tamiya clear (BIG mistake). I know the car is called "Bad Snake" and it fits the theme, but it was not something I was trying to do. If you look at this pic, to the right of the fuel cap and to the left of the lights (the lights on the right side), you can see the crinkling that was caused by the two coats not getting along with each other. There is a big crack just below the bumper on the right (almost directly below the back up light, but the area below the bumper) that is really bad, but the bumper covered most of it. In this pic, if you look over the exhaust pipe, and just before the fender starts to rise, you can see the cracks in the paint. I was trying to photo this car so they did not show, so sorry for the explanation but I have to draw your eyes to it, or you may not see it. I was trying to cover it with PPG as I knew the PPG would not harm the temporary body tattoo on the side (the snake skin) or the cobra that I had ghosted onto the trunk. Then I wanted the Tamiya cause it lays down so thin and buffs really nice. If I had tried it on the spoons first, I think I would have saved a lot of trouble and headache on my part. I am "oaky" with the finished product, but I am not happy with it. I would have liked the finish to be wrinkle free, although people have said it goes will with the theme. It's just something I can't claim as a design because it did not start out that way. Hope this helps. David

I would have DEFINITELY lost money on that one!!! David

Thanks guys for all the help. Mark, I am out on the road and don't have mine with me either....it might have a chassis plate with it....I can't remember...I know I have the ES. Sjordan2...that's a good point..I will check with the truck guys. Zoom Zoom....I don't have to build it stock and probably won't try and make it so. And Andy, I have the Tiger and I will look for the 510. Thanks for the advice. David

Gary, I want to DITTO what Steve said above. Great info and a wealth of experience we all could benefit from. I always use Dawn, and you can use whatever you have, added to my water where I soak my paper for at least an hour before using. I even add Dawn directly to the model sometimes, when I get up to the 8000 range. When done, I rinse the papers thoroughly and put on a towel to dry before putting them back in the bags. This will prevent mold and mildew on your paper. It depends on the product I am using as to how far I got with the paper. I recently found that by starting with 3000 grit paper ( a Meguiars product) I was able to sand (cut) every thing down to a flat, almost semi gloss or matte finish. I know at this point I have a level playing field so to speak, because I have no low or high spots on the finish. If you can see small shiny areas surrounded by a flat finish, then you are not where you need to be with a "level" playing field. Once I was there, I used the Tamiya blue cap polish (called "fine") and then the white cap (called "Finish") and then their green liquid wax. I did not have to do anything past 3000 grit and the finish was awesome. This was Tamiya base, Tamiya clear. Here are the shots of it. I know it may not appear to be smooth, but Steve will attest to the depth of shine since he has seen it in person and says the pics don't do it justice. (Thanks Steve). That is the camera lens in the second photo, below the truck line, and the sun being reflected with the trees further up on the trunk. Now these two were shot with a PPG clear, and I had to go all the way up to 12,000 then the 3 Tamiya products listed above. I find the urethanes to be a little softer in polishing and are easier to scratch where the Tamiya paints (the modified lacquers) are much harder and don't require the full cut and buff that the PPG and others seem to require. As far as switching waxes, I would say stick with what works best for you, which means trial and error. This hobby has a lot of paths to get to the same destination. Experiment with some and see what works best and leaves the best finish for you. Also, us another light source, from somewhere across the room, so you can periodically check the shine. This will show you the "depth" and whether you have removed all the scratches. This is how your model will be at the shows (if you compete) because the lights are rarely directly on top of your model. They are usually in the ceiling of the room, which in some cases, like ATL, are in a gym, far away. If you paint looks good directly under a light, chances are it's not good when the light source is 30 feet a way. And some people are shocked when they put their models down and it does not look as good there as it did at home. That is why it's good to have another light source. Hope this helps, David

Bring him here. Summon him to the King. We are hungry and ready to eat. Fresh meat is good. And J, along with my cohorts, will devour him like the morsel that he is. I welcome the insane here. It makes this place that much more enjoyable. David

do you have any models that are painted blue?

I am glad no one was hurt, but the pain emotionally can be overwhelming. The restoration guys at the Nethercutt collection said that fire was the one thing that can destroy a car to the point where they could not rebuild it. Every other disaster they could handle. As you may know, their work is impeccable. David

Here is my 1:1. A friend took these for me....it was my first show after the restoration. The 100 in the background belongs to a friend of mine. That's the car I want!!! I restored it and it took 22 years. (yes, even longer than some of my kits!!!). Had it for 25 years. It's my other woman and I spend a lot of time with her and my wife. They seem to get along okay. I drive it on days the sun is up and not raining. Got caught once and it's a bear to clean. The reflection is my house to show the depth of the paint. It took me 9 hours to buff the hood and 8 for the trunk....so you can imagine the rest of the car!! now some others chime in!!! David

It looks really nice. It definitely is one more (tedious) step in the building process, and one that probably takes more time that the rest of the build. But the end results are worth it. Another tip for you is when you are cutting and buffing (mainly buffing), put a lamp across the room to check how your reflection is. This will give you more depth (really, it will give you more work to do, but in the end it's worth it) and seldom are model contest held at venues where the light sources in the room are directly on top of the model. Move your light source away to get a better reflection of how you are doing with the cut and buff stage (pun intended). Still use the one at your desk, but as a reference, use one further away.. Nice job and I'm glad the blemish sanded out. I figured it would since it has for me several times in the past. David

I got a resin kit from Finland and it's a Volvo P1800 wagon. I am uncertain as to a donor kit that would work. Do any of you have an suggestions? I know you will probably ask me the wheel base and I'm in Ireland with my job and won't be back until the 14th, so I don't have the model with me. I do know that it is 1/24, but that probably won't help you that much. Thanks for any input. David

Thanks for putting it in the best terms I have heard so far!!! Well Said!!!!! Could not agree with you more. David