Kevinch

Thanks for all of the input folks - I appreciate each & every one!!

Thanks for the advice Dusty - much appreciated.

Thanks to you both - really appreciate you took the time to post & advise.

Thanks Mike....appreciate the input. Do you use acrylic enamel or lacquer (or both)? I see you are from middle Tennessee. I have in-laws around the Pikeville - Dayton area. Beautiful state.

Getting ready to start some painting on a scale car model with a Badger 105 given to me as a gift. I've never used an airbrush before, & I am totally confused over paint types in general, let alone what would be the wisest choice for a first time AB user. I will be painting in my basement. I have one of those portable spray booths & it will be ducted out a window. I do not have a paint dryer but am considering one. So what would be a good choice for me? Should it be an acrylic? Enamel or lacquer? What brand? What about primer? I know it's a big question, any advice is appreciated.

Thanks for the input - but the only closet I could put it in without hearing it would be in a neighbor's house! It's simply too loud to use in the home.

For Christmas, I received my first ever air brush - a Badger Air Brush Model 105 Patriot. Now I need to make it operable by hooking up a compressor, & I could use some help. Money is NOT the #1 consideration; I don't want to spend more than I have to but I don't need the cheapest unit available either. This compressor will in all likelihood only ever be used with an airbrush. I have a Harbor Freight 1.5HP, 6 Gallon, 150 PSI unit in the garage for inflating tires & other light duty but it makes enough noise to wake up the dead. Most of my painting will be done in my basement & the HF unit won't be used in the house. So noise level is very important, I need something relatively quiet. I also want a unit with a storage tank. Other than that, I don't really know what to look for. I know I want a good performing compressor though. I'll be painting mostly 1:24 or 1:25 scale models. Also: what do I need to hook up between the compressor & the AB? I know I need a hose, but what type? Can someone tell me what size fitting attaches to my AB? Are quick disconnects available & recommended? I know these are probably annoying newbie questions - any help is truly appreciated! Thanks, Kevin

Thanks for that Khils!

Hello folks. I want to build a '63 Impala SS kit as a gift for my brother-in-law. He is currently restoring his (white exterior, aqua interior). I know I won't be able to get it exact, but I'd like to get it as close as reasonable given my skill level & costs. Example: his car has factory air & none of the scale dashboards have the the molded in air ducts. All the kits seem to come with a 409, his is a small block but I've an unbuilt AMT Camaro kit with a small block that I plan to swap in. His car is an automatic, all the kits seem to be 4-speeds but in 1963 the shifters were very similar so that shouldn't be an issue. One thing is though: his car has a full length floor console & from what I can see none of the kits do. Does anyone know of a 1:24 or 1:25 kit that might have a similar console, or something that could be modded? I don't think I have the skill to build one from scratch. Any help or suggestions for this "revisiting" model builder from his early teens is appreciated.

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Local - I like it, thanks for the tip!

Thank you for the links Mike.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Thanks David - I will buy what I can from the local HL & even "not-so"-local hobby stores - but I really do want to stick with Tamiya across the board where possible as I know I won't have any compatibility issues. Next choice is Testors, but only for detail items where I can't find a Tamiya color. I have MCW bookmarked; I have a couple of builds planned as "tribute" builds - one a '68 Charger R/T that my dad had for a while (I have that kit); another a '63 Impala SS that my brother-in-law is currently working on to bring back to a primo as stock daily driver (I have yet to buy that kit). I'll want both of those to be sprayed in factory correct colors & will do so after I buy an air brush & do a build or 2 with it.

Hello again, with another "returning to the hobby question". Since coming back from a long, long absence I had no supplies for scale model building - all the way down to glue & brushes. I'm working on AMT's 1:25 1968 Shelby GT500 kit - the one with the green car on the box. I'm not really concerned with 100% realism to the original car; things like painting with the actual colors available aren't really important to me. But I do, within reason, want to do a quality build - something that will look good on a shelf - & this is my "1st attempt" build. So I've purchased a couple of hobby knifes & a bunch of blades, 2 sets of side cutters, a half dozen various tweezers, some cheap clamps, etc. I don't have a local mom & pop hobby shop, the ones that are within 10 miles or so don't really emphasize scale modeling. I do have a Hobby Lobby close to home, that is where I buy most of my stuff. It's a slow process, the money isn't really a problem if I go shopping every 2 weeks or so but I don't want to break the bank in one shot. This brings me to paint. After reading a bunch of posts, I've decided to go with all Tamiya paints for primer, color, & clear - with a possible dab of Testors here & there if I can't find quite the right color in Tamiya's line. I know it's not the most economical solution, but I see vey few complaints on the performance on the product. I don't have an air brush yet, the paint will be rattle cans & brush bottles. I fully intend to buy what I can locally - but if I can't get what I want, what are the good on-line sources to use? "Good" means to me reliable, fast shipping after receipt of order, reasonable shipping costs, etc. - not necessarily the cheapest price. I've started a list & it looks like I'm going to need about a dozen different paints & primers to do what I want to do. I'll want to buy the paint all at one time if I can. Thanks.....

Mark - never mind. I found it & how to use it. I'll blame age & a long, long day.....🥱

Thanks Mark. If I might ask: what is "Purple Power", & where can I find it? Do you just soak the parts & walk away until the chrome & lacquer are gone?

I'm sure this has been asked before but I have looked through pages of search engine results without success. I'm working on an AMT; a bunch of parts are chrome that should be painted. I'm a returning modeler after an absence of more years I want to admit to. Will chrome plastic accept paint with a good bond & good results , or should it be stripped first? And if it should be stripped, what works well to do that?

Thanks folks - I've actually used most all of the suggestions here - except for 1 yet to come. I have the bucket to the point where I get a narrow, straight gap on each side of the bucket that is about equal on each side. I'm going to purchase some thin styrene strips - maybe .015" thick - & shim up each side of the bucket or body - whichever seems to work best - as suggested until the gaps are closed. The help is much appreciated.

Hello all - new member's first post here. I'm returning to scale model building after many years as a mature adult after leaving the hobby in my mid-teens. I picked up the AMT #634M/12 1968 Shelby GT-500 kit to be reintroduced to the hobby. This is the kit with the green Shelby on the box. While test fitting the body/interior bucket/chassis I came upon a fit issue. This kit has a fully molded interior bucket - floor, front & rear, & side panels are all molded as a single unit. When I test fit the bucket into the body (it has 2 holes in the rear that slide over pins in the body behind the rear window), there is a large gap between the top edge of the bucket on the driver's side & the edge of the door where it should mate up. There exists a little play where I can close it up slightly, but not enough the close it completely. Anyone have any ideas on how I might be able to close it up? It looks to be about 1/16" wide. Appreciate any comments - other than scrap the kit.... 😎