bobss396

1- I've made up my own MSD boxes, generally for stock cars and just run the wires where I think they'll look realistic. Look at car pictures on the net, eBay auctions, searches on Google, car magazines, online sites like Summit. Firing orders for Chevy V8 engines is 18436752. 2- Again, look at 1:1 car pictures for help. I keep it simple and use Model Car Garage or MAS linkages. I make my own return springs from wire wrap wire wound around a small drill bit. I just strip a piece of wire wrap wire, run the insulation through the firewall most of the time. Don't get too crazy with it, just my opinion. 3- I make my own master cylinders from rectangular styrene stock and a flat piece for the top. I'll run either small wire or small braided line and fittings. Skip the coil with the MSD box. Parts by Parks makes a coil without a hole in it, how annoying! I turn my own with a wire hole in it. 4- For schematics, I would just wing it off real cars. Approximate is just fine and nobody really looks at the bottom of models that closely. Unless the bottom is on display with a mirror. You have to crawl before you can walk, I walk fast enough for me, others run, some sprint. Work on the detail in increments if you like to go slow. But do it squeaky clean or the effort loses some or all merit. Try to balance out the whole car, don't overbuild one part of it and neglect others. Work on the paint jobs, that is the first thing that people notice and comment on, "nice paint!". If you have model clubs or if you go to shows, take a look at what people are building. Pick out a style that you like and talk with the builder. Bob

The only plastic kit I know of is the Monogram one in 1/24th scale. I'm kitbashing one into a pro-street and used the new tool AMT '57 front bumper on it, just looks a lot better in proportion. Otherwise your choice is the expen$ive resin one. Bob

The only plastic kit I know of is the Monogram one in 1/24th scale. I'm kitbashing one into a pro-street and used the new tool AMT '57 front bumper on it, just looks a lot better in proportion. Otherwise your choice is the expen$ive resin one. Bob

I have mixed feelings about resin products. The smaller parts I tend to get along with fine. Kits and bodies I tend to struggle with even though I consider myself an OK modeler. Ismael has good advice to offer. I would also suggest to start out with smaller add-on parts first before tackling a trans kit or a full body. Resin sands with about 1/3 the effort of plastic so go easy on it. It will also withstand lacquer paints, but I always use a primer regardless. Bob

For carb linkage, I try to use a small pin to hold them to the carb, looks more realistic. You can use a short piece of wire if you like. I'll use Tamiya X22 clear or a dot of CA glue to secure it. For carb linkage I'll strip a piece of wire wrap wire most of the time. That conductor measures around .008-.010 in diameter. Craft stores sell spools of small gage wire too, already stripped. Something like 36 gage should be good for you. Bob

Great advice from everyone here. My two cents on the ghosting problem is, the more you disturb the plastic under them, the worse the "memory" will be in the remaining plastic. In other words, just don't hack off trim with a dull xacto blade, use some finesse and take your time with it. I try to take trim off in a long of a piece as possible, not going the full depth in one shot for big pieces. I also use light coats of primer, sand and prime a few times until it goes away. If you are using lacquer paints, use a GOOD primer that will withstand the lacquer and go easy on the color coats as too many solvents may cause "exorcised" ghosts to reappear, sometimes months after the paint job is done. Bob

I heard that a certain 'Mart store has them NOW. I stopped in my local one the other day, alas, no Mercs as of yet. My LHS is not sure when he's getting them. The original release date was for late July. Bob

I had too many weird things happen with Krylon primers. I have a heavy hand with my paints and Krylon primers don't respond well to such abuse. I'll use some of their colors on race car chassis as it will take a beating for handling when test fitting parts. Their Ultra Flat Black is pretty good stuff. Bob

Good post. I've experimented with primer colors before and usually make up a long strip of shirt cardboard with all the primers side by side. It makes it easier to compare them at least for me. I'll even hold it up to a mirror (bathroom vanity has the best lighting). I still don't see why people are gun shy with lacquers. All you need is a good primer under them. The overall advantages are well worth it. It dries a lot faster (less time for bugs and dust to get mixed up into it), is a harder finish, polishes out well. I just had my fill with enamels, I know some guys work miracles with them. Bob

IMHO, if you have to use a lot of any type of bondo, you'd be better off getting it to near-net shape with plastic first and use a minimum of a spot putty. I use Nitrostan glazing putty. This is for 1:1 cars and comes in red oxide, white and gray. It shrinks minimally (which is not a problem with a dehydrator) and sands extremely well. I've used others like Cargroom, 3M and Bondo, but prefer the big tube of Nitrostan, which used to be known as red lead years ago. Now it comes without the lead. Bob

I try to avoid mixing brands myself. It takes some experimentation on scrap parts if I have doubts, but well worth the the effort. I find that most people get themselves into trouble painting when they don't wait for one coat to dry, then they clear coat over it and terrible things happen. I'll use Krylon paints once in a while, not sure about any of the 'Mart paints. Duplicolor and Plastikote touch up paints are a good deal and go on nicely. They have the best spraying cans in my opinion. Bob

I have one question, was the body totally free of mold release for the first round of testing? I would soak another body in Blech White and run it again. I've been using Duplicolor for all my final body prep work and have never had a problem with it. Bob

I keep it absurdly simple. For 1/25 or 1/24 (close enough for me) .040 on a model car = 1 inch on a real car. I also use the metric system, 1 mm is .03937 which is close to .040 as you can get. Bob

Not Hobby Lobby, but our local toy liquidator is blowing out the AMT kits as well. Some have a buy one get the other one 1/2 off as well. Bob

I paint outside all the time too. I just gage the wind and aim the can accordingly. I've airbrushed outside too with success. Even in hot or cold weather, I paint and run back inside ASAP. Having a dehydrator idling on the counter helps a lot. Bob

I have a Dollar Tree by me and will have to scope out the goods. Other Dollar stores have cheap nail polish, sanding sticks, CA glue, etc. Definitely worth a cruise through the place. Bob

I like the raw stages of a build, where you can see the slice & dice work and all the neat things prior to paint. I could build like that forever. Maybe prime a body here and there. I get to the finish paint and assembly state and I too lose interest. I have about 10 stalled projects that are close to being done too, just can't always motivate myself to finish something even for a show. I did get burned out rushing things for contest deadlines, maybe that's what did it to me. Bob

I work around 55-60 hours a week, got 2 teens to deal with plus all the house related fun. Now summer here, the pool and entertaining plus the beach take up my time. I have more than a few stalled/incomplete projects I should be working on. But nooooo... I crack open something new and get absorbed in that. I try to get together with my brother on Monday nights to build, otherwise try to squeeze in an hour here and there. Bob

If you want a beaucoup supply of engines, go to a hobby store where they race slot cars. Get to meet some of the guys and you will find that they buy model kits for the BODIES ONLY and are willing to sell the kit remnants to you for a few bucks. This is where 90% of my kit-bashed engines come from. Bob

Do you want plastic, resin or aluminum. JPS makes great aluminum ones but a bit costly. Resin makers like Perrys Resins makes a good variety of them. Plastic ones you'd have to either buy a kit to harvest them or hope to score some at a model swap meet. Bob

Yeah, agreed that this is a waste of good old Detroit iron. You think they would have consulted the tide charts or where the local water levels were before they planted it?

The Tamiya X22 acrylic clear yellow when applied over white. I call it "cat whiz" in a jar and really only use it for attaching PE parts and clear lenses. Bob

Any takers on the action that the car is full of drowned earth worms and muck?

I've turned parts on my Bridgeport milling machine. I hold the stock in a collet or drill chuck, lock a tool bit in the vise. After some practice, I could face and turn parts accurately. But the cordless drill and Dremel I've seen used before, neat trick, the parts look great. Bob

I try to support my LHS when I can. He has a good amount of kits and supplies plus a full military line. Also he does RC cars, trains, slot cars. The problem is that he always has NEW inventory blocking up the OLD inventory. It was so bad at one point that I wouldn't bring my kids into the place in case something fell on them. Otherwise the place is clean and well stocked.. but try to FIND something. The owner's attitude is a bit on the blase side, he's not one to special order you something unless you really break his chops. He carries an inventory of high-end die cast drag cars and other items that do not move that well. I don't know what his terms with his suppliers are, but he does carry a lot of inventory that is stagnant and invisible. I offered a couple of times to sort out his aftermarket parts and decal supplies, which are in small boxes on the counter. Re-order is done by him jotting down each sale on a legal pad, no computer. I don't see how he makes it, but glad he's around. Bob