Ddms

Duplicolor Chrome looks very close to kit chrome - very smooth and bright. Actually, it's a bit too bright to be realistic. But some people like that look and it's right for some models.

Well, you've probably thrown all those old spray cans away by now - or used some other method to clean them - but here's what works for me. Couldn't be simpler: 1. Scrape all paint off the flat nozzle surface. 2. Soak the nozzle in lacquer thinner overnight. If you can't get it off the can, just prop the can upside down with the nozzle in the thinner. 3. The next day, scrub the nozzle with a toothbrush and solvent. Or detergent. Protect your eyes when you do this. 4. If you have gotten the nozzle off the can: Using canned air with one of those long red tubes attached, stick the long tube into the nozzle entry hole and give it a blow job. If you haven't gotten the nozzle off, just do your best. By this time, the nozzle is most likely clean anyway.

It's outstanding, Chillyb. Nice that you chose understated grey, instead of a flashy Carrera color. My only picky quibble is the lack of black weatherstripping on the ledges that support the trunk and engine covers. I've recently tried painting thin strips of vinyl decal for my Speedster; seems to work great for that sort of thing. I know how hard you worked to make this one right, both cosmetically and mechanically, and it looks GREAT! Congratulations.

Soak them for a few minutes in 91% isopropyl alcohol. It's available at any drugstore, and, unlike evil brews like brake fluid and Easy Off, it's a pleasure to use. And the smell doesn't hang around.

1. Yes. 2. No. It's also safe to use alcohol on clear parts. And since alcohol removes epoxy glue, I've started using epoxy to attach windows. (Thanks for the tip, Mr. Obsessive.)

Might be just the ticket for those flat and semi-gloss paint jobs that are all the rage in Europe right now. Lotus is making a seriously bad Elise that's semi-gloss black with a glossy black stripe. (A kit would be to die for.) But black isn't the only color. Some competition-style Aston-Martins and others are semi-gloss green and other colors. Flat paint jobs are cutting edge stuff in the EU.

Tamiya Fine will give you a realistic new-car polish. If you want to take it to the show-car level, follow-up with Tamiya Finish. It's the only polish I've seen that leaves no visible scratch pattern, regardless of the angle of the light, and even if you view it with an Opti-Visor or other magnifier. (I've heard that Novus is that good also.) Unlike wax and most auto polishes, the Tamiya compounds have no silicone. If you're using a synthetic lacquer like Tamiya TS Series, you can paint right over a polished area with no worries. Of course, like all areas to be painted, it first should be washed with a detergent and thoroughly rinsed. My favorite detergent for this purpose is Purple Power. Diluted with water, it won't harm paint.

I followed that link, too. Interesting that the car in the original photo didn't have an antenna. Why did you put that in there, Harry?

Real or model, Harry did a heckuva Photoshop job on the shadow and reflection. (It's obvious that the shadow is computer generated, but it's still beautifully done.) I give it a very uneasy "real car" vote, mainly because the hood scoop material is so thin.

Just about any V-8 you drop in there is cool, but there's nothing on this planet that's cooler than a full-race flathead with four Stromberg 97 carbs on an Edelbrock manifold, Winfield heads, chrome carb scoops, Vertex mag, blued chrome headers, etc.

Engine and chassis parts always look better if they're washed. That doesn't mean that a 1/24 scale hemi should be tossed into the Maytag with the undies. It means brushing it with a very, very thin black mixture - a "wash" in painters' lingo - to give the parts more depth and realism by darkening the nooks and crannies. Ink or water-based paint is best for this, since water won't harm the finish, no matter what paint you've used - even a water-based acrylic, if it's good and dry. Definitely don't use lacquer thinner; isopropyl alcohol is risky. By "thin," I mean very, very thin. (I know, but it bears repeating.) There's no magic formula for this; it's a matter of trial and error. Start with an almost-clear mixture. If it doesn't give you the effect you want, repeat. Or make your solution darker. Even a pristine show car will look better with washed engine and chassis parts, but go easy. If you want a vintage look, add more black. If you're going for greasy and ratty, mix a darker solution. Some reds and browns will add to the beater effect. I use a small artist's brush. That way I can be selective about how much I apply to any given area. For ink, either I use either Tamiya black acrylic or acrylic ink. For thinner, you can use straight water, but the wash will flow into those crevices better if you add a drop of soapy water. Tamiya thinner also works very well. Whatever detail you add will stand out more and look better if you give it a good wash.

Well, I do.

Well, I would put the shipping issue aside (sometimes people need a little nudge) and give MRC/Aoshima a big "Attaboy!" for doing the right thing. Enjoy your build!

Have a wonderful holiday, everybody, and an even more wonderful one if you still expect a guy in a red suit to drop down the chimney with an bag full of Monograms and AMCs. If it's a traditional, religious Christmas you celebrate, great! If it's not, that's great, too! What I wish or how I wish it is my personal choice. It has nothing to do with politics. Seems like the people who denounce those who make it political are the very ones who make it political.

My favorite 1:1 website, ultimatecarpage.com, is featuring the Lotus 25/ Coventry Climax. I wish had these photos when I was building mine! It's at http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/267/Lotus-25-Climax.html. While you're there, browse around. Wouter Meissen is a terrific photographer. He displays a wonderful photographic archive of vintage and contemporary cars, mostly European. And it's all free, if you're willing to put up with some ads. Ddms

I dunno about all those polishing pads. Maybe he needed to do a lot of sanding because he had such a coarse texture to begin with. Looks like the paint was sprayed too thick or from too far away. I use either U-POL clear coat (similiar to Tamiya TS-13) or Tamiya-spray can lacquer. If the paint is sprayed right in the first place - close up and pretty thin - all that's needed is 2000 grit to flatten the texture. Then the Tamiya Coarse absolutely wipes out the micro scratch pattern left by the 2000 - no fancy polishing pads required. I've compared Scratch-X with the Tamiya compounds, and to my eyes the Tamiya sequence (Coarse, Fine, Finish) produces a clearer, brighter gloss. With Scratch-X, I can always see a haze if the light is just right. Not with the Tamiya compounds, though.

They must have been reading my posts. No loss, IMO, since it was terrible stuff that dried instantly on contact with air. Try Bondo Spot Glazing and Spot Putty. It's easy to shape, sticks well to styrene, sands nicely, and dries in about 20 minutes. You can get it at auto supply stores like Pep Boys. Let us know how it works for you. Am I repeating myself?

You mean... it isn't?

It would surprise me, too, since the Melbourne F1 race was back on March 29. At this rate, they'll still be showing 2009 events as the 2010 season unfolds. During the last few F1 seasons, Speed has carried all the Grands Prix except for one per season on Fox. All hail to Speed for their coverage of the races, which is excellent. The commentators are Bob Barsha, Steve Matchett, David Hobbs and Peter Windsor. Windsor won't be commenting next year; he's now an owner of the new American F1 team, F1USA. Sorry to hear that they're having problems getting certified. Well, we'll hope for the best. Go F1USA! I too have had problems with Speed mis-labeling its programs. I have a DVR, and you never know Speed is really going to broadcast. Last year, I missed an entire F1 weekend because of this. Maybe they'll pay more attention now that there's an American F1 team.

Yes. I've gotten consistently good results spraying Omni, PPG and Dupont single-part urethane base coats over Tamiya surface primer. And it gets better! You can even do the reverse. Tamiya primer can be sprayed on top of automotive urethane. A while back, I somehow managed to drip lacquer thinner on a finished urethane paint job. That made a nasty "hole" in the paint. No matter how carefully I feathered the edges, the hole was still visible after re-painting the area with urethane. So I hit it with Tamiya primer, which was thick enough to fill the depression. I sanded it even, applied urethane over the primer, cleared it to match the rest of the car, and the disaster zone is now completely invisible. Tamiya surface primer is great stuff. It takes any kind of base coat, and you can use it on just about anything, including styrene, metal and resin. By the way, if you don't want to fool with 2K urethane clear coat, you can also spray Tamiya TS-13 clear lacquer on top of automotive urethane. I prefer U-POL, but the Tamiya does the job just fine.

You're leaving it in the Simple Green long enough to remove all the paint, right? In that case, you should have no problem priming and re-spraying over bare plastic. By the way, after you've bathed it for a few days, a brass brush can come in pretty handy for removing the last bits of paint from nooks and crannies. I wouldn't use the brush on clear plastic (most likely PET), but it won't hurt regular (opaque) styrene.

How does JB Weld compare to Devcon 2-Ton Epoxy?

Unlike other tapes that have been mentioned, Tamiya tape is specifically formulated not to leave residue. You masked over paint that wasn't fully cured, and that trapped solvents which damaged the paint surface. So all those removers, solvents and cleaners won't help a bit. There's no need to strip and repaint. Start by wet-sanding with 2000 grit paper, then polish. If you burn through to the primer, give it another color coat. (Hope you're using a synthetic lacquer like Tamiya TS-series. Another coat will adhere nicely to the first.)

I get excellent results using Future straight up, undiluted. That way, it will "gloss over" fine scratch patterns (cloudy or hazy areas) nicely. Since I only use Future on small parts and dashboard instruments, I don't spray it on. I either dip the part in it or use a soft brush to flood the area. It dries very thin, so I usually leave it alone after its bath. But you make the coat even thinner by immediately wicking up excess liquid - just touch a soft tissue to an edge and it will pull up any Future that's accumulated in corners. It's important not to disturb the surface; don't touch the part until it's completely dry. Future can be removed by dipping the part in household ammonia. Rinse, dry, polish some more and try again.

I have a set I bought from Crazy Modeler on eBay. They're a lot thinner than an X-acto saw. Seems to me that sawing with a PE saw is a lot safer than carving with a #11. Just maintain a steady pressure, as with any saw. And they don't have points, so there's no risk of stabbing or nicking yourself. They're meant to be held in a standard X-acto type handle.