Chariots of Fire

You don't say whether the chassis and body are diecast but if they are, try a tiny bit of WD-40 to each screw. If the chassis and body are plastic I'd just try backing the screws out carefully.

Not sure if Chart Pak is still in business but they had all sorts of colors in widths down to 1/64. Check also for model aircraft striping tape. I got a package of variable stripe widths in green and gold. Went around pretty sharp corners with no problem. I used it on this model of a Seagrave aerial.

Does the kit call for one or two sheets of material to cover the front or are there a bunch of strips that would be laid side by side?

Now that you have sanded through the color and primer you will have a rough time trying to correct the paint. Your only choice now is to strip the body and repaint. That spot will be very difficult, if not impossible, to blend in.

Either your sanding material has grit on it that is cutting into the paint as you sand or the paint is simply too soft to polish out. If you have done a good prep job prior to sanding I would try not sanding the finish but just using a polishing kit or compound and then a polish but only after the paint has had plenty of time to gas out and get hard.

Thanks, Peter. See you Sunday at CP.

Lei: Your headlights look super on that Ford van. Testor's adhesive? Don't know what that is.

Well, never go after a part you just dropped while holding a running dremel with a carbide disk in it. Did a number on my leg. Needed 4 stiches to close it up! Calmly shut the dremel off and set it down first!?

Ah! Wrong kind of tow hooks!! My bad!? I like the PE ones. Just might have to get some.

Yeah! That is a great piece of work. Hope you continue to do some fire stuff. It's a topic that is as wide as it is long. Check out sewing elastic next time you have to do hose. It comes in 1/8" and 1/4" widths and is much finer than shoelaces. It can be stained to resemble the older style cotton jacket hose of the 70's and 80's and before. Check out 3M yellow tape also for large diameter supply hoses. The 3/4" size, if folded in thirds, looks pretty authentic. Glad you did the interior on this model. So disappointed that Trumpeter did not include detailed interior panels for the doors. Would rather have had them instead of stainless steel hose bed dividers! Your attention to detail on the frame and pump panels is great! Thanks for sharing.

The old Monogram AC Mack has great towhooks. But they can be made of brass rod and strip stock. Here's a look at some that I did for my Diamond T wrecker. The rod is first heated to soften it for bending. After it is bent you can file or grind away the end to a soft point and flatten the bottom to fit on a strip of either brass or plastic. Give each one a slight twist so that the points of the hook are outward. Add some bolt heads to the top surface and there you are.

The black foil is absolutely no good. Has absolutely no elasticity like regular BMF. The aircraft guys sometimes use a paper glue like stuff that they paint on glass to paint canopy frames. You might look into that or make a mask of masking tape to cover the windshield. Look into a translucent type paint also for the tinting.

Ah. Well. what you did looks pretty good. 5th wheels are pretty messy once put to use.

Yes, that and the oil and grease mixture. I have no clue so was just asking.

Hey, Steven: That's a real oddball. Not one that has been made for models that I know of. Looks like it would have to be a kitbash project.

Question: Will it eventually attack the plastic?

Got a question. Does the center seat fold to allow entry to the back seat?

YUP! Done the tap thing a number of times. It does work! ? Also cleaning the edge of the bottle after it is open helps to keep the dried paint to a minimum.

Michaels had some nice craft paints. Small cans but decent cover. It looks like you might be painting too far away from your subject to get the rough surface that you are showing. Been having good results with some of the Tamiya colors in spray cans.

Go to Fire Mountain Gems. Click on the heading for beads. Then scroll down on the left for size and shape. You should find some #15 under Miyuki.

You have to look carefully but there are separate hex shaped pieces and they come in a variety of colors. Can't be filed as they are ceramic. They crush very easily with a pair of pliers. The small ones are about 1mm across and 1mm high. Very consistent in size and shape. The larger ones are much the same but more like 1.5mm in dimension.

Got the numbers mixed up. The 15 size is smaller, about 1mm across. 11's are larger.

Try Fire Mountain Gems. They have all kinds of beads and stuff. They have #15 and #11 hex beads. Latter are good for bolts. Former size is great for spark plugs.

The tanker project is now complete. Finished up supplying the tools, pump and hose to the back and are ready to start delivering gas to General Patton's tanks.