ctruss53

You realize that by coming in here to say done. You are time stamping a post to match when you clicked submit. Thus removing the annonnonnymitttty.

Fair. But OP is complaining about political ads. What part of this forum would trigger that?

This is super cool. I love that combo. But I think I like it most because you didn't put an SR20DET in it like most people would have.

The limited disposable income is a hard pill to swallow here. Many sites only ask for $5 per year. But since some are trying to circle this back around to the original topic. Lets circle back to that. Ads. Ads are generated by your internet search history and browsing activity. The admins do not select the ads you see. So if you search and use the internet for topics that would not be kosher here, you are going to see ads that don't belong here.

WOW! Great work. Very realistic.

I would gladly pay a small annual fee to use a service, ad free. I contibute annually to Wikipedia for just this reason. However I see a big problem with asking people to pay to use a forum dedicated to scale modeling..... The problem is a large portion of scale modelers seem to lack the understanding that things cost money. And that because of inflation things cost more and more every passing year. This is most noticable in all the pissing and moaning I see about how "expensive" model kits are these days. I have heard more times than I care to count, the stories about how models only used to cost a dollar. Good luck getting all those people to pay anything to use this forum. When you are ready and willing to accept annual donations, let me know. I'll gladly contribute.

Oh well. I went back and unhid that one post.

I have him on ignore. haha

I have that link saved. It isn't what I am looking for. I need tee's and banjo fittings too. Someone has to make them, but I can't find them.

I have been searching and searching. I don't know why they are so hard to find. Who makes 1/24 scale fittings? I need banjo fittings, fuel line fittings, tee fittings, compression fitting, all the fittings. I have found some basic hex fittings here and there, but not the right pieces. HELP!

PS-49??? PS paints are for lexan R/C car bodies. I wouldn't use those on plastic models. BUT, it appears to have turned out ok.

No, I don't sand during the process unless it it REALLY bad. If you lay down a few light color coats and you have some orange peel, apply a slightly heavire final color coat. Applying more paint can reduce orange peel. I apply clear even if the color coat has orange some orange peel. I apply clear in a few light coats and then 1 or 2 wet coats. The wet coats again can reduce orange peel. Then I do all my wet sanding and polishing after the clear is cured.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an expert. I could be doing this wrong. But I don't do any sanding until all the paint and clear coat are applied and cured. The only exception to this is if the base coat is REALLY rough for whatever reason.

Good point. However. I have had great luck with spraying metallics on dry. I did a lowrider and laying the metallic silver bascoat down dry seemed to help the flakes in the paint "stand up" better. It kind of made it look more sparkly when I laid down the clear coat. I guess this brings us back to your other point. PRACTICE. EXPERIMENT. TEST. On spoons or throw away car bodies.

Yes. This is true. But it is nearly impossible to avoid orange peel. No matter how perfoect your paint job is or what technique you use, there is always the need to polish out the paint for ultimate smoothness and shine. So since there is always going to be orange peel. And since you are always going to have to polish out the paint. I prefer to build up the color in light coats. This way I have the most control over the results. And I can consistently get nice even paint application.

I said you can't complain. There are free tools to avoid ads. If you choose to not use those tools, like the original poster, then you can't complain about seeing ads. You (they) are choosing to see them.

I think the clearcoat is because the paint is being misted on very lightly. Since the effect is so transparent and the paint is applied so lightly, it could appear "dusty" even on the inside of the glass. A clearcoat would eliminate this.

I tried decanting once. I just taped a regular drinking straw to the spray can nozzle. Cut a notch in the straw to it has a "flap" that rests on top of the nozzle and then pile on the masking tape to seal it as best as you can. Then spray. I only did it once because I don't feel it is worth the effort. I just buy bottles and thin as needed.

This is a great idea. I should be getting my order tomorrow. I ordered set that has 4 different sizes.

Ah, the old ebay trick of dropping the price on the product but putting that money you are losing, plus some, into the shipping.

Money generated from ads on a forum doesn't amount to much anyways. Go ahead and "support" the forum by keeping the ads. But that is your choice. You can choose to see ads AND complain about the ads.

Ummm, the forum belongs to a business that sells things. They can make money there.

I am upset that you spent time modifying a Prius. But I can't be mad. You did a great job on it.

I really dislike it when people chime in and tell spray paint people to "just get an airbrush." I have an airbrush and I actually look for ways to avoid using it. Exterior paint is my least favorite part of model car building because it is probably one of the most important parts, and it is so easy to screw it up. Now when it comes to spray paint and getting consistantly good results, the first key step is to buy quality products that are designed for scale modes. This means pay a little extra and buy quality spray can primer from Tamiya or Mr Hobby. Sure, the less expensive larger spray cans at the big box stores from Krylon or Rustoleum will work. And they are probably great primers. The problem is the spray cans they come in are designed for larger projects. The nozzles don't atomize the product as well as we need it for our scale models, and the volume of paint that comes out is too high. You will have much more control over the results if you buy high quality products designed for the application. Same with paint. Spend the extra money on quality spray can paint. Again, Tamiya and Mr Hobby are at the top of the list here as well. And same goes for the paint. If you try to save money on Kryol or Rustoleum, you are buying product in cans that are not designed for our scale applications. I stress the importance of this and emphsize that this is step one for consistant high quality spray paint work because if you do not buy high quality hobby grade primers and paints, and you settle for products from Krylon and Rustoleum, you are automatically handicapping your results. As for the actual process, you have the right idea. I am not an expert, but this is how I do it. My technique gives me consistently great results. Can you do it other ways, sure. But this works for me every time. Your first couple coats should be very light for two reasons. First those light coats will dry a little faster, and this is important because you are going to cover them up. And then the other reason is if you apply light coats it is much easier to see what you are doing and this allows you to look for where you need more paint and see where to avoid because paint builds up easier. If you are going to use a clearcoat I would apply all your base color coats very lightly. Build up the color slowly and make sure it is even. And if you apply light coats, 5-7 minutes between coats is plenty of time. Apply very light coats until the color appears to be even all over the whole body. It could take 4, 5, or even 6 coats. But that should be ok if the coats are misted on. Once you get the process down, you can probably get the color applied evenly in 3-4 mist coats. If you build up your base color coat with mist coats, it will not have a gloss finish. Even if you use gloss paint, it will end up semi-gloss at best. Once the color coat is laid down, let it cure for 24 or so. If you are in a hurry, 12 hours might be ok, but I try to wait a whole day at least. Keep in mind there is no such thing as waiting too long. But you can mess it up by applying clear too early. If the base color coat is visibly textured, wet sand it with 2000 or 3000 grit sand paper. If it is a metallic paint, leave it alone, don't sand it. Then the clearcoat. If you are spray painting the clearcoat I cannot recommend a better clear than Mr Super Clear UV Cut from Mr Hobby. This stuff is so good that I use it on ever model I build and I have an airbrush. I literally have the ability to use any clearcoat out there, but I put my airbrush down and use this spray can clear. It is that good. Apply the clear in very light mist coats at first, like you did with the paint. Apply like 2-4 very light coats, with 5-7 minutes between coats. The finish will start looking more glossy, but you will see orange peel because you are applying the clear in light coats. Then after that last light coat of clear has cured for 5-7 minutes, apply a medium wet coat. Then let that sit for about 10 minutes. Then your final coat of clear should be sprayed on as wet as you can get it without runs.. You will really see the gloss in this last wet coat. And it will lay down pretty smooth, but there will still be a little orange peel because of the texture in the coats below. Now that the clear is on there, let it cure for at least 48 hours. Again, the longer you can let it cure the better. I try to let it sit for a week. And I have let some projects sit for a month. You can't let it cure too long. But the longer you let it sit the better. Then polish it out. EDIT: I should also add that I also take the mist coat approach because it greatly reduces any issues there might be with "hot" paints. Applying mist coats and allowing time to cure reduces any sort of "disagreements" between types and brands. AND Ace makes a good point. When I say mist coat, that doesn't mean hold the can further away from the model and allow the paint to fall onto the kit like a dust. I still hold the can close. To mist I mean move that can fast. Make sure you are not applying a heavy coat.

I didn't read all the replies, so this might have been covered. 1. Ads on any website you go to are driven by your internet use and search history. So you will see ads related to what you do or search for ont the internet. The people that manage this forum have zero control over what ads you see. 2. Please join us in the 21st century and use an ad blocker. They are free. If you use Google Chrome for your internet browser do a search for an ad blocker chrome extension, install it, and enjoy nearly ad free internet use.