Rick L

Can you draw out the curve on sheet styrene and cut the strips with a radius gauge and straight edge? Or build a template to butt up the strips with heat? MEK is pretty hot and will definitely loosen the plastic but you have to be careful not to use too much or will disintegrate.

My honey drinks water like a camel and I save the bottle caps for small brush jobs to mix paint in.

You have mentioned in previous posts that you sometime use enamels such as Rust-Oleum. They can be flammable. I can’t vouch for the others but the electronics of the Pace motor is not exposed to the exhaust and works well for me.

Try putting that spray can into a hot water bath before painting. It may lay down a little smoother.

Rodders Journal is great inspiration to my model building. It’s expensive but a truly good read that is worth saving for back reference.

I totally agree with Tom on this one only I like to listen to my oldies collection on Deezer while I build and never, never ever bring beer because letting a perfectly good beer get warm is a sacrilege.

? ditto on the Fix-All.

I have to ask, when applying the clear coats did you finish with a wet coat or were they all light coats?

Very nice. Thanks for sharing.

I’d like to give a nod to Teds modeling. https://www.tedsmodelingmarketplace.com/1-25-1-24-scales/?sort=newest&page=16 I ordered two carburetors from Ted’s yesterday and after a computer glitch mistakenly ordered four. Ted emailed me to ask if I double ordered. My first thought was this guy is OK because he could have just sent the four carbs and said I ordered four. I figure if this guy is going out of his way to be sure I’m happy over a $5.00 item then he deserves a shout out. Thanks Ted.

It’s a tough call. I try to stay away from detailing something that isn’t to scale. For example making battery connectors or dip stick loops are cool but hard to duplicate in 1:25 scale and look a little too animated if not in scale. I have all the respect for anyone who makes the attempt because after all it’s your model and your time but it’s just not my thing.

? Cuticle cutters can be had for short money.

It all depends on the machine and resolution it prints. The higher the resolution used, the smoother the surface will be. Although both can produce good results, (SLA) stereo lithography printers will print out a smoother surface than (FDM) fused deposition modeling.

Welcome Craig, Earl Scheib would be proud!

You might have been gone for awhile but you haven’t lost it.

Ok, I received some metalized Mylar tape from Uline today and the results are mixed. Being only .0025 thick I thought it would be worth exploring. I did a quick application to my guinea pig car and found that it had a better, more uniform, chrome appearance than BMF. The adhesive is more aggressive than BMF but not as aggressive as painters tape. Being Mylar though it tends to come up on tight corners like the chrome strip but will hold its shape on soft curves like the fender. Mylar is also resistant to the solvents we use in model building. The tape comes in 1/2” ,1”, and 2” X 72 yard rolls. The 1” cost me $15 and I think it’s a keeper. I’m looking forward to the Hasagawa film review.

You’re not building for us, you’re building for yourself. Consider what is important to you. There are plenty of tutorials covering whatever you decide. Work on those things and then decide if you need to expand. Have fun with it.

The filter IS designed to filter minuscule amounts of paint as long as you pour the paint in a stream and not just dump it in. If you chose not to filter your metallics that’s your prerogative.

If the van is styrene, you can use a lacquer based primer that will etch into the plastic without sanding. If you are proficient at painting with cans, put a steady stream of primer on. It may take a little practice. You want it wet but not too wet obviously so as not to flood out the details. Any dust spots can be swiped off with a fine Scotch-brite pad. Then you can use any based type paint you want over that. if the van is not styrene, any one of the cleaning techniques should work fine.

Totally agree. You don’t need to get your fingers painted removing and replacing the filter on the end. Gerson and DeVilbis manufacture good ones.

I remember an old Saturday night live episode with Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner and Chevy Chase for “Shimmer”... a great floor polish and dessert topping. That was back when SNL was actually funny.

If you need to know the scale, look up the specs for the car in question, such as length and divide by the length of the model.

Dulpicolor clear.

That is cool stuff. I’ve recently ordered a 2.5 mil metalized film tape from Uline and will report back with the results.

This is AS29