ColonelKrypton

I figured it was about time I posted one of my builds. This is my latest. During the Great War the US War department realized that they needed to standardize their materials. One such effort was to create a standardized truck. The requirements where put to various manufactures and in quick order they responded with their design for the Standardized Class B Truck which became nicknamed the Liberty truck. Powered by a 428 cu in four cylinder engine producing about 52HP, a wheelbase of 160 inches, capacity of 3 to 5 short tons, and a production run from various manufactures of 10,000 to 14,000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_truck It is finished for the moment. I still fussing over how much weathering to add and what type and amount of cargo it will carry. For the time being it will take it's place on my display shelf as I live with for a bit and wait for it to tell me what it wants to finish off. cheers, Graham

Creative and engaging. An enjoyable read with some interesting plot twists. To be critical for a moment and offer some constructive criticism, some work on punctuation will help with the flow of the story cheers, Graham

Overall, very nicely done. cheers, Graham

Indeed, very cool. cheers, Graham

Very nice. I like the "weathering" - not too much and nicely balanced. cheers, Graham

Good question. I did some Google search's looking for interior picture of the Titan submersible and found these: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65960217 https://people.com/oceangate-titan-submersible-everything-to-know-7551180 It may be that the image found earlier in this topic might have been a "copy-paste" from the video in the first link. The video is supposed to be taken inside the Titan and it clearly shows at least two monitor brackets fixed to the walls - one on either side. It is not clear from any picture or data that I have seen whether this inner wall is part of the outer pressure hull or a secondary structure within the pressure. Without knowing you are only guessing. cheers, Graham

I tried that and can do the same. cheers,

Something for the more adventurous are UV cure resins. UV cure resins are widely used in the beauty industry for making pretty finger nails. Also used by miniaturists https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2021/apr/25/meet-the-miniaturist-whose-tiny-homes-are-a-delight to make tiny detail bits in molds and by those who make fishing lures ( and many other uses ). I have on occasion been using a product sold under the name of Solarez https://solarez.com/ They have resins which cure hard and in thin and thick viscosities as well as flexible types. You will find many varieties on Amazon aimed at the finger nail crowds. They are typically clear but can be tinted. The challenge is that in order to cure, the resin needs to be exposed to UV light. An application of the resin on the surface of a piece can be cured through but an application on an inner surface cannot be exposed to UV light will not cure on it's own. I have tried to use as a glue to fix pieces together but always run into that problem of not curing all the way through because of lack of UV exposure. Once cured, the hard resins cut and sand easily and I have found bond nicely to styrene. I have used to fill gaps and have also used to make clear head light lenses. A drop on piece of parchment paper exposed to UV light will often cure to a nice head light lens shape or a drop in a simple shallow round hole might also work depending on your wants. Not for everyone, not for every task, but some may find them useful. cheers, Graham

In replying to another thread I had noted that the web site to which I had posted indicated that it was "Not secure" i.e. NOT HTTPS even though it was the website of good legitimate US company, in this case it was https://www.westsystem.com/product-categories/filler/ BUT curiously now it does appear to be "secure" i.e. HTTPS. That aside, just now my web browser ( Chrome ) is indicating that modelcarsmag.com is "Not secure" i.e NOT HTTPS. Is this normal for modelcarsmag.com? Is there some issue with some SSL certificate server that is intermittently effecting some web sites? Just one of those curious things you notice when you actually pay attention cheers, Graham

I have always Green Stuff World epoxy putty to be a bit flexible and soft when cured. The Tamiya epoxy putties cure to a much harder finish. Some have found that they prefer to mix Green Stuff epoxy putty with Tamiya epoxy putty and get the best of both - something that cures hard but not quite as hard as Tamiya alone nor as flexible as Green Stuff alone. I have tried it but am not fully sold on it at the moment. One of the issues I have with any of these epoxy putties ( and even catalyzed Bondo ) is that for thick applications on largish areas of styrene or areas subject to flexing, is that these putties to do not really bond that well to the styrene even when well prepared by sanding to leave a rough surface with some tooth for putties to bond to. Give the styrene a bit of flex and the putties will pop right off. I have found however, and am still experimenting, that if you first cover the area where you are applying the epoxy putting with a bit of CA ( I use a medium CA ) before applying the putty that the putty will bond much better to the styrene ( actually, the putty is bonding to the CA and CA is bonding to the styrene ). May not be the right choice for all applications but has worked for me when just applying the epoxy putty to bare styrene has not. cheers, Graham

I would not recommend any of the 5 minute/ 10 minute/ 20 minute / 30 minute ( whatever ) quick cure epoxies. These all tend to be relatively flexible and softer when cured compared to other epoxies. There are exceptions, for example JB Weld original and JB Weld quick cure both cure to a hard finish that can be cut, filed, sanded (etc) and come to think of it, I must stop at the local store later today and pick up some to try on current project as catalyzed Bondo just isn't doing it for me at the moment. cheers, Graham

West Systems has a large selection of fillers, each with it's own characteristics and application: https://www.westsystem.com/product-categories/filler/ ** note: the westsystem web page is NOT HTTPS compliant and your browser may complain an extensive user guide here: https://www.westsystem.com/app/uploads/2022/10/User-Manual-2015.pdf I have used West System epoxies and fillers for many years and it is a very good product. As an alternative to the large and expensive sizes of West System products you might consider Zap Z-Poxy surfacing resin https://robart.com/products/4-oz-118ml-z-poxy-finishing-resin available in much smaller sizes 4oz and 8oz Micro balloons can be found at hobby stores which cater the RC airplane and boat crowd, for example: https://www.horizonhobby.com/product/microballoons-filler--250cc/DLMBD15.html Micro balloons can be either teeny tiny wee glass balloons usually white in colour or phenolic ( plastic ) usually a redish brown but there may also be other plastic types that I have not encountered. The tiny balloons are very light weight and very small. Be careful, use at least a dust mask of some sort and mix carefully least you fill the air with particulate matter you do not want to breath in or be dusting off all work surfaces for a long time. I have found the Z-poxy surfacing resin to be a better choice for mixing with a filler ( i.e. micro balloons ). It seems to cure to a harder consistency and is easier to sand. cheers, Graham

CA and acrylic nail powder. Paul Budzik, a dentist, promoted the use of CA with dental acrylic powder Acrylic dental powder is not easily available but common acrylic nail powder is easily sourced from sources like eBay or Amazon. I use medium CA and mix to a "whipped cream" texture. Works for me. cheers, Graham

Maybe not the first model car kit that I built but the first one I remember was the Aurora 1/32 scale Ram Rod from the early 60's https://www.scalemates.com/kits/aurora-509-ram-rod--1141790 cheers, Graham

very nice kit bashed Charger. cheers, Graham

Excellent advise. Anything else is a false economy and brings to mind the old idiom "penny wise and pound foolish". cheers, Graham

Very nice. Overall a clean, well done build with very nice colour choices. I am getting to like the Moebius kits. It is clear that they are making the effort to produce good quality kits. So far I have not been disappointed with their kits. Many of the old AMT/MPC/Revell re-re-re-releases are starting to leave me a bit wanting; sometimes they are our only choices however. cheers, Graham

MCM - Model Car Muse, indeed it does as does MCM - Model Car Magazine. cheers, Graham

That is a very nice workspace and one I am sure you will enjoy immensely once you get a project on the bench. I have a workspace in the basement with a large size workbench, a large table, and small counter top. It is a shared workspace for other pursuits like metal and wood working. I do like it overall but what is missing is couple of windows to let in some natural light and provide a view. I that respect, I am bit jealous of your new workspace cheers, Graham

A couple more interesting YouTube channels. Both are builders making motorcycles, simple tools, simple materials ( PVC pipe ), and a lot of creative skill. https://www.youtube.com/@RVLTutorial/videos This one in particular this one showing the making of a motorcycle engine, simple tools, simple shapes layered and built up to make a much more complex shape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcje7DFo_PQ and yet another: https://www.youtube.com/@RONALPROJECT/videos cheers, Graham

Some more links to help you on your scratchbuilding journey: https://www.youtube.com/@RVLTutorial/videos This one in particular this one showing the making of a motorcycle engine, simple tools, simple shapes layered and built up to make a much more complex shape https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcje7DFo_PQ cheers, Graham

That is a name I have not heard of for a while. I had one of his books "Building and Detailing Scale Model Cars" at one time but is sadly long gone. He authored several others. cheers, Graham

Welcome Francois. I too had a look at the pictures for your Bentley and Alfa Romeo builds - fabulous, magnificent, and inspiring. Every picture is full of detail and closer I looked the more I saw. cheers, Graham ( half way between Montreal and Ottawa )

Thank you everyone for your replies. After measuring up a number of different brands of 1/25 tires I have found that even if marked as say an 8.5-15 that the model tire dimensions scaled up to full size are not always correct; sometimes noticeably so. Lots of possibilities but it seems the elusive 10" slicks are still out there waiting to be uncovered. Perhaps I will have to kitbash some tires to get something that I want. cheers, Graham

I posted this link in another topic but thought it appropriate to repeat it here. A quick search showed that the Motor Museum in Miniature has been mentioned here on the Model Cars Mag forum before: https://www.themotormuseuminminiature.co.uk/ But I didn't find any reference to one of the sites Articles and Projects page https://www.themotormuseuminminiature.co.uk/articles-and-projects.php and more specifically about scratchbuilding: https://www.themotormuseuminminiature.co.uk/scratch-building.php As I search around I find interesting web pages and YouTube videos but I have only scratched the surface. Please add your own links I you have found something that might be of interest on the subject of scratch building. cheers, Graham