robdebie

An immediate update: I saw this movie picture, where you can see through the wheel, and there's no massive drum brake behind it. Did I just answer my own question? ? But I'm still interested in what you guys think! Rob

A couple of months ago, I made a 3D model of the front wheel of the 'Duel' movie Peterbilt 281. I also obtained AMT Parts Pack PP028 that contains 11.00-22 tires. After a break, I'm working on this project again. A club member will print the wheels for me. That made me think about how to mount them on the front axle. The AMT Peterbilt 359 has front hubs (parts 31) that looks like disc brakes (which they aren't of course), that mount small-diameter cilindrical stub axles (parts 32), that mount on the front axle (part 78). Here's a composite picture of the old instruction sheet: My question is: are there no drum brakes on the front axle? I checked the spec sheet, but the word 'service' in the 'brakes' entry confuses me badly. Anyone here knows the answer? Thanks in advance! Rob

I've used both, and I was always impressed how much harder, stiffer and stronger epoxy is. But epoxy 'eats' the molds much quicker, and casting time is generally much longer. Therefore it remains the less practical option. I used epoxy mostly for parts that required the extra strength (like the bracket below) or transparancy. For the latter I bought a special epoxy, with a pot life of 10 hours, and a cure time of 4 days. Talk about impractical! But the parts came out very nice. The second photo shows the original kit part plus the epoxy casting. Rob

Peteski, Bill, Rich, Pierre, thank you all for the additional tips. I hear about Testors Dullcote a lot, but I don't think I've ever seen on my side of the Atlantic. Glass bead blasting is something I haven't done yet, too few uses fro me I guess. Tamiya weathering paints should be available here, but to be honest, I can't see the forest for the trees, there is *so* much weathering material available, I don't know where to start.. Over to my tires, painted with an Aeromaster mix. The wheels are from the old AMT 1949 Ford, hubcaps too, sanded smooth. I painted the wheels and the body with Model Master FS 12197 International Orange. I'm working against the clock, and this had to do for the Blues Brothers movie car. Rob

You're correct, it's fairly old paint. Last year I got lucky at an IPMS-NL car boot sale. I spotted a box with paint bottles, and noted a 'Polly-S' label. I blurted out 'My modeling friend likes that paint a lot!' and before I knew it, I was given the whole box for free. Apparently the seller had inherited the box, and it had been eating up shelf space for too long. Half the paint turned out to be Polly-S, that I passed on to my friend. The other half was Aeromaster, I think the full RLM range. That was a nice (second) surprise! I rarely use acrylics, but I knew from the past that this is excellent paint. And all bottles were still OK, despite the age. Lucky me ? Rob

Trevor and Bill, thanks for the help! I can report back that the Aeromaster acrylic paint worked well, no stickyness. I used a 1:1 mix of RLM-66 Schwarzgrau and RLM-22 Schwarz, that give me a nice rubber color I think. Maybe it's strange to use WW2 Luftwaffe colors, but I don't have many acrylic paints. Rob

I'm building an MPC (not AMT as I wrote initially) Pinto Wagon, from the Blues Brothers movie, and want to tone down the glossy vinyl tires. Yesterday I airbrushed Revell enamel over them, but the paint is still sticky. I'm stripping the paint as I type these words. I want to try an Aeromaster water-based acrylic paint next, will that work? Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance! Rob

Could you also take some measurements of the hood? For those that want to convert the R685 hood of the AMT kit? Thanks in advance! Rob

Not having seen that video, could it be that the figures were printed from laser-sintered nylon? It's a white nylon powder that is 'welded' together using a laser. I've used that once, and it really soaks up CA, because it's porous. If you don't fill it, the paint will do the same thing, and the painting cycle becomes endless. Rob

I bought this set in 2020, and it contains everything except the air supply: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O7HTYU/ref=pe_3044161_185740101_TE_item Rob

Lacquer thinner, if you don't have it. That's all you need. I tried for 30 years to obtain this quality, and never achieved it. It almost hurt when this method did! And with all enamel paint brands that I have. Here are two photos that made of my experiments. You do need to experiment a bit to find the nozzle settings. For the second, wet pass, you really need to open that nozzle, maybe 1.5 to 2 turns. That felt unnatural to me, coming from a Badger 150. But only then it works. Rob

First: I recommend watching this video, showing the 'Donn Yost' method, where all paint is applied in one session. I bought a Paasche H, tried it on all brands of enamel that I have, and it works really well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCKZ_fo4eW0&ab_channel=AndyX Second: I learned from a book on industrial painting that you need to overcoat before a certain time, or overcoat after a certain time. In the time between, the paint could swell and ripple due to the solvents from the new layer of paint. Now I don't know these times for your paint, but it is good to know this. Or use the 'Donn Yost' method and do it all in one go. Rob

I do a few custom decal projects every year, here's more information about it: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/customdecals.htm I'm afraid that the cost of a single set will exceed the Ebay purchase cost. Creating the artwork is laborious, and accounts for the majority of the costs. If you would order multiple sheets, and sell them, it could work financially. Rob

I have a 5500 but it broke after 10 sheets.. And I have an extensive page about Alps decals: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/decals.htm Rob

There's also the The F1M Forums, running for 25-30 years I guess. Rob

Milo, the stripping medium heavily depends on the type of paint: enamel (alkyd), acrylic or lacquer. So check that spray can to see what paint you're dealing with. My best suggestion is to use an ultrasonic cleaner if you have one. I wrote an article about it: https://robdebie.home.xs4all.nl/models/ultrasonic.htm Other already mentioned that red plastic can cause problems. The root cause is that the red dye in the plastic is disolved in the solvents of the paint, and will turn your paint color reddish. Judging from your photos, this did not happen with your model, which makes me think the spray can contained water-based acrylic paint. Rob

I recently found these two Airfix kits, both very rare. They are extremely detailed for 1/32 models, very, very nice. I will probably pass them on to another modeler, or collector, since they don't really fit my interests. Rob

Thanks for posting this, interesting reading! Rob

I have one tip for cleaning the p/e parts without 'touching' them. Vinegar can be used to etch the surface a little, which should give much better paint adhesion. What works even better, and in just seconds. is hot vinegar. Simply microwave it until it boils, then dip the p/e in it for a few seconds. Rob

I've laughed about that line forever ? But I'm not the only one it seems ? Another that always makes me laugh is the second the two occupants of the Pinto slightly raise from their seats, when the car starts to drop. Rob

I forgot to ask: what do you make of the license plate? First I read '051272', but a production photo shows that 'OS....' or 'QS....' is more likely. Rob

Thanks for trying! I'll also leave it off if I cannot figure it out. Maybe someone with a Blu-Ray disc could see it better? Regarding the swastikas: model shows are full of Luftwaffe models with swastikas, so what would be the problem with one (four actually) on a Pinto? Are neo-nazis worse than original-nazis? ? No, I don't see a problem.. Rob

I'm thinking of building the Pinto Wagon from the movie 'Blues Brothers'. It has a sticker on the right side of the rear bumper, that I enlarged in the upper right corner. Anyone dare to take a guess??? Rob

I'm building that kit. I much prefer it over the Fujimi 917, since its shape is far more accurate. The whole front end (bulkhead forward) of the Fujimi kit is ~4 mm too wide. The Heller kit got that right, showing how small and narrow the cockpit was. My model is in the primer stage. However, the Heller kit is not so easy to build. It's got very fine detail parts, that are difficult to assemble, it's all very fiddly. Take the rear chassis frame, to which I added the white parts. With the engine installed, the engine cover won't close. I think the engine sits too high, because of a 'cross' in the bottom side of the chassis frame, that shouldn't be there. The engine itself is a bit simple, just what you can expect from an early seventies model. Rob

That's interesting, thanks! Now I have to choose between tires with sidewall detail that is generally not visible in photos, or to go for tires without sidewall detail that may looked a bit naked.. Choices, choices... Rob