Ben Brown

The good folks at the Large Scale Planes forum might be able to point you in the right direction. Ben

Micro Set is what you want. Micro Sol will just melt them more onto your model. I’ve had some luck gently removing decals with Set, but it takes time, patience, and luck. I keep the decal wet and very gently use a brush as a sort of chisel, slowly working the tips of the bristles under the decal. Work your way around the perimeter of the decal until you find a corner that starts to lift and go from there. Eventually, you can get the decal floated off of the model. This doesn’t always work; sometimes the decal is too brittle or stuck down too well. Ben

I keep hoping Aoshima will release a 2nd gen BRZ so I can build my car. Their very nice 1st gen comes with both left and right hand drive. Ben

I’ve been using contact containers for several years. They’re also great for dropping a dab of glue so you can apply a tiny amount with a needle. I’ve also found that glue and most paints won’t stick to the plastic. One it dries, you can pop it out with a fingernail. Ben

No worries. If I ordered the wrong thing it would be my fault. I’m taking a “let’s see how this works” attitude with this build so it’s all good. Ben

I may end up wishing I had ordered some deep dish ones! 😄 If the shallow ones don’t work on my current project I’ll order some deep dish ones from you. I’ve got several other kits the shallow ones will work with. Ben

The Rays wheels and Potenza tires arrived today. They are really nice! Order with confidence! Ben

HobbySearch is my first stop when ordering from Japan. Never had a problem with them. Ben

Add another to my list: Porsche 924 Carrera GT. Profil24 has a Le Mans version but I’d love to have a street version. Ben

Anyone know where I can find the Porsche logo decal (black or silver) that goes above the rear bumper on a 924/944? I'm building the Hasegawa 944 Turbo and the decals are so old they're unusable. The style of the letters is difference from the standard Porsche style and I can't even find a vector image of it so I can print my own. Thanks! Ben

Another vote for Splash Paints! Just note that the solvents in the paint are pretty hot (just like Gravity Colors and Zero Paints), so you need a good primer. Their own primer, Tamiya’s, and Gravity Colors Spain’s primers all work great with these paints. I’ve been using Tamiya’s LP clear gloss lately. Ben

I mask with a combination of Tamiya and Washi tape and then paint the trim and window frames with Tamiya X-18 Semi gloss black. That way, if I do accidentally get any paint creep under the mask, I can easily remove it with some Windex, a small paint brush, and a toothpick without damaging the underlying lacquer paint or clear plastic. Ben

That’s looking great! I love the Volt cars and saw this one race at the VIR. What decals did you use? I used Indycals and had to double up several of them because the bright paint showed through them. Ben

I keep the instructions, any useful extra parts and decals, and then throw out the box with the sprues and any parts I can’t use. Which is why the Aoshima Aventador I just finished is missing the exhaust tips. 😖 Ben

Their LP line of lacquer paint is excellent. A lot the bottle colors are the same as the TS rattle cans. Ben

Nice! Hopefully they’ll follow it up with other GT3 kits. We still need a Huracan, NSX, Aston Martin, and 488. Ben

I’d love for someone to release a replacement rear engine bonnet for the Revell 911 with a duck tail or factory whale tail spoiler. The one Scale Production sells is an “outlaw” aftermarket version and isn’t meant for the Revell kit. Ben

I’m a big fan of SpotModel, Burbank’s, and Hobby Search. I’ve done a lot of business with them. Ben

Bought this 2023 Subaru BRZ as a replacement for my ‘04 Mazdaspeed Miata last week. I’m loving it! It reminds me a lot of a first generation RX-7 or 944, but with modern updates and a weird engine. Now to remove the mods from the Miata so I can sell it. Ben

No name, because I can’t remember it. Probably Ronco or K-Tel. 😄 It was in the “As seen on tv” section of Walgreens a couple of years ago. I never saw it there again, just the usual assortment of cheap nose hair trimmers, HD night driving glasses, and “tactical” flashlights. It’s probably safe to say the JB Weld stuff from Home Depot is better. Ben

I’ve found it has a fairly short shelf life, so yeah, one or two models, depending on how fast you build. It works great for car and airplane clear parts. The no-name stuff from the “As seen on TV” aisle I used a couple of years ago made a good seam filler, too. It was easily sandable. I haven’t tried this with the JB Weld, yet. Ben

I built the Fujimi kit a few years ago and mostly enjoyed it. It’s not too bad, given it’s age, but it’s certainly not a Tamiya kit. Heller made a 917K that’s supposed to be pretty difficult to build. The Fujimi body was fiddly to fit to the chassis and I ended up having to clamp it while the glue dried. I seem to remember the spare tire causing some interference with the body. I also never got the side windows to fit quite right. Ben

Indycals has released some decals for the Porsche 963 from the 2023 Spa race: LINK. I assume they’re for the Wicked kit. Ben

Hopefully, the GT3R will be along soon, now that the RSR seems to be finally on the way. Ben

Drooling over the Nunu 911 RSR and BMW with the ugly face! And still no Huracan GT3! 😐 Ben