NOBLNG

There is a car show every Sunday at Pony Corral restaurant here. There are some real nice vehicles! Just a few of the couple hundred or more there.

If I recall, the instructions say that a pressure pot is not needed…but I have always used one. Go to the Smooth On website. They have a lot of good info and videos there.

I have only used Smooth On products. I have used the OOMOO 25 and 30 tin cure silicones. And the Smooth Cast 310 and 322 resins. I like these because they are mixed by volume not weight. The silicones make a much nicer bubble free mold if they are vacuum de-gassed. This is especially important if you use a pressure pot for the resin casting. Neither vacuum or pressure should really be necessary for doing those tires though. This hood has a bunch of goosebumps on it because I made the mold under normal atmospheric pressure, but cast the resin in a pressure pot.

That is really looking sweet!?

I made a mold box from legos. First I filled the hollow tire with modelling clay. I set the tire master in the box and packed modeling clay around it and inside it to about 2/3 of the way up. I added an orientation dimple, a center locating dowel, a “wall” made from rectangular Evergreen and three vents made of Sprue. Then I poured the top half of the mold level to the top of the legos. After curing I clipped off the sprue vents flush to the silicone, flipped it over and removed all the clay except the stuff inside the tire. I removed the dowel and evergreen wall. I added more legos to raise the height of the mold box. I sprayed it good with mold release and poured the bottom half. The wall allows enough extra resin to be poured in to fill the top portion of the mold so that no air pockets remain when the top half is squished on.

It looks nice Keith?….and yes it can be a frustrating kit at certain points.

That looks pretty good to me James!? It’s a shame about all the warpage, but it looks like you got it pretty much under control. Too bad they couldn’t have supplied some optional off road tires.

THAT is getting a bit ridiculous! I hate paying that much even for a Tamiya kit.? I sure hope that is the greed of a local shop and NOT what is required to turn a profit! I probably have more kits than I will ever build so I am not personally worried, but if that is the prices being charged for new kits….they are doomed! 3d printing will take over as the new source for all subject materials.

Why not put that person behind a cash register??

Thanks for the link Bill. That is still more than I’m willing to pay. If I was really into scratch building race cars I would buy them, but I have a few small round files that will suffice for the little bit I do.?

No. That one is back on the shelf for now. I don’t think I will wind up channeling it.? Edit: Yes, I will be channeling it when I get back to it. For some reason I was thinking of sectioning.? I was thinking of doing that originally, but I won’t be doing it now.

Yes, cellulose is lacquer based. I am curious too. ? Many have used lacquer thinner to thin enamel paints for spraying….so why couldn’t the two paints be mixed? There may be chemical incompatibility’s that would make it not work? Everything I’ve googled is about putting one on top of the other. I guess a person would have to experiment.?

It’s coming along nicely. I like that red.?

Looks great! I like the stance.?

HaHa…I never even noticed till I re-read my post that the wing window glass sticks way past the frame.? Oh well, that’s what I get for rushing!?

I bought a ‘94 4dr XJ when it was a couple years old. I kept it stock and it was one of my all time favourite vehicles. My neighbour across the back lane had a Four Runner. We went for a ride after a blizzard and he was amazed how much snow I could plow through.?

Thanks…..Something like this?

I kind of built this like I would have when I was a kid. Two heavy wet coats with Testors DeJa Blue from a spray bomb, and after foil, I followed it with Mr Hobby UV cut clear. The only thing I airbrushed is the Tamiya clear orange over the Tamiya TS-68 wooden deck tan. I was trying for a leather look and should have used a darker brown as a base.? The Tamiya flat clear I used to cut down the gloss kind of washed out the orange clear.? I also used the BMF that is supposed to be no good. It went on pretty well I think.?

All Right! Since I wanted to assure myself that this kit I bought, was in fact an OK kit…..I built it just now.? I have to say that for the most part, I agree with John’s (the OP) assessment. The body is VERY NICE, in my opinion, but the rest of the kit is sub-par. Here is my experience with it: The small block engine fits nicely. I never tried the big block option, but I can’t see it fitting nicely.? Everything else was going well until I got to the tail lights. They don’t fit period! The center to center spacing is off, and even when cut apart, they will NOT fit in the holes! Paint thickness is not the reason.? So I turned down some 3/16” Evergreen to fit the holes in the body , and then drilled them to accept the kit lenses. The instructions show the firewall attached to the body, but there are ZERO locating points for it. I glued it to the floor pan eventually. I wouldn’t call it “junk”……just a very basic kit, lacking in detail. It really is not worthy of a re-issue unless they redid everything except the body. If I paid retail price for this in a hobby shop…I’d be REAL disappointed! Now, that said, it could be kit-bashed with something else, or re-worked to make something real nice, but as it is, it makes a nice curbside shelf model. It does have some nice extra parts, and a great kit for experimenting on!? I stripped the chrome off the FI unit and painted it flat aluminum. I foiled the script before paint. The Testors DeJa Blue is a lacquer, so I didn’t even bother with primer. I used the custom wheels from the kit, and accented them with Tamiya clear blue. Home made bezels with the kit supplied tail lights. These kit pieces simply did not fit!? NO locating points for the firewall at all. I added an armrest on the center console.

Welcome back!

The only place I do self serve is at the gas pumps and at the banking machine. I refuse to do it in stores. Self-check machines are just an excuse for them to get rid of employees and maximize profits. If it’s real busy, I’ll come back later or just wait.

Yes, many folks have used lacquer thinner (cellulose) to thin enamel paints. Ratios vary but 1:1 seems to work for the little Testors bottles.

Here is a brand new cheap one. The cutting edge will not even touch the material being drilled, since it is ground at a reverse angle.?

Kewl! Here’s another one.?

I have always liked cash better than plastic. Since this pandemic, I’ve been using the card a lot more, but if I have a choice, I won’t deal with any place that refuses cash. I’m not paranoid, but I don’t care to have my spending history tracked either. A totally cashless society would allow the government or big tech to know everything you buy….unless you barter.? Maybe it’s a good thing that this City is considering allowing residents to keep chickens??