OldNYJim

The model that one particular vendor mentioned can run custom mixed ink, so you actually wouldn't get any dot pattern of mixing of colors assuming you get the right color ink from the get-go and tell the machine to run that color. Just the same as buying the right color paint to paint something! The Roland Color Library system would almost certainly match any color that one had a Pantone code for though I haven't really noticed the print on these solvent ink Rolands to be any thicker than any other method of printing - although your mileage may vary depending on the inks used, ink build settings etc.

Oh really? That's a bummer - I expected it to probably be delayed somewhat what with all the 'rona stuff but I hadn't read anything to suggest it was unlikely to be re-released. What did you hear?

No sign of the 30 Ford...or is this list just what the German arm of Revell is releasing?

ALPs printers are maybe 16" wide (at least, the one I had) and use dry ink applied from a cartridge - almost like those correction tape dispensers you can get at Staples. They also run off a serial port and can be difficult to get to run on modern operating systems. Not impossible, but you need to know how to get them to work. As such, a smart decal printer will be using something more modern where you can get supplies off the shelf and run on any recent-ish laptop or desktop machine. That Roland printer is a commercial grade machine that sits about 5' wide and 4' high and costs anywhere up to $15k when new. It uses solvent ink, which is actually closer to paint in terms of how it works than regular ink...it definitely can print white, and do a nice job of it. Ditto silver, ditto gold. Ditto, actually, any color you can get a Pantone code for or a color match for - the machine will figure out the colors for you if they're in the document you supply the printer, but you can also have custom ink mixed to match about any color imaginable and have it use that instead. I have used both, and the Roland machine will definitely be able to provide what you need, assuming you can arrange for the art to be in the correct format. A bitmap, Microsoft Paint file or anything other than a vector will NOT work for this machine, because of the way the Roland software prints.

I use those a lot - and if you have one of the rotating Tamiya paint stands, they fit in the slots on there perfectly to hold the parts

Ohh, this’ll be a cool one! Watching! ?

They may? ?

Yeah, the aluminum brace! They still have a version of that on the current model too, I believe. Guess it stops too much flex and twist in the frame and body. Haha! It is pretty close! ? Thanks Dann! A little more progress today, after letting the enamel gloss harden up - polishing day! Got the clear fairly smooth and glossy from the get-go, but not to the standard I was happy with: After polishing cloths but before polishing compounds - time for some Novus! And some elbow-grease later... As usual when I’m polishing, I’ll let it sit overnight and give it some more attention tomorrow with fresh eyes (and daylight) - but it’s looking ok I think! More soon! IMG_2809.MP4

Hobby Lobby seems to have stock of the Revell 29s again, so picked up a couple of those and some paint I’d been wanting to try

It is available in the UK: https://www.modelcarsmag.com/subscribe/

Who won?

Tried out Spazstix chrome for the first time - didn’t get it quite as chrome-y as I can usually get Alclad, but it does lay down nice!

I love it! Super clean, and the colors are great! Looks good with the chopped bed too!

Having someone make a vector of your art is absolutely the way to go - I don’t think the original decal manufacturer was at fault here. Supplying an Illustrator file to the printer might be useful too, so they can easily isolate the layers and colors for production purposes

In the second (I think?) film Doc throws a banana skin into the Mr Fusion...but I kind of remember that it only powered the time circuits anyway? What DID power the hover conversion that made the car fly? Intriguing...

Wonder how far the Delorean could fly before needing a Mr Fusion refill?

Just got mine today - super excited to dig into it! Just from a quick glance I’m already impressed at the amount of content in there - reminds me of the good old days of model mags! Will definitely be subscribing!

Good Mail day today! 80 lengths of Styrene bar, some Spazstix to try (hope my Alclad ‘skills’ transfer!) and the new MCM, which looks GREAT from the quick look I’ve had at it

You can order USPS boxes for free from their website to ship in (assuming Pirateship lets you use USPS packaging)

Thanks for the nice comments and ideas everyone! Regarding that tire strap, I’m thinking of making one of these that seem to be popular the last couple of years: More on that when I’ve made a jig to make one (and probably made 20 or so failed attempts ? Back on the slightly easier stuff - I didn’t like the kit headers, so I found some in my parts box and fabricated some little hot rod trumpets ?: Those should work! I wanted to make some door panels that kinda still looked 34-Ford-esque but a little fresh and interesting so I laid out a design using the distinctive round-edged triangle cut-out that the real ones have, but duplicated and rotated to make something a little different - need to do some more on these tomorrow once the laminated pieces set-up fully. I’ve got an idea on an interior colorscheme where there will be a ‘fabric’ insert inside those little triangles. More on that later... And finally for today, picked out a dash - I forget which 1:1 this would be from, but it’s from one of the Revell 32 kits - just getting ready to do some detailing on this, drill out the switches and make some new ones: More soon!

No sir - I’m going to make a little feature of it! That was tonight’s after-dinner project in fact... I wanted to run a spare wheel and tire in the slot there, but I didn’t like the stock bracket that holds them in place. I liked the idea of having some sort of strap to hold it in place though, with a little photo-etched buckle or something and some little metal hold-downs to secure the strap somehow So, drilled a bunch of tiny holes so I could make a little slot in the fender, like so: Made a little filler piece to fill the hole that the mounting bracket would have used, and tomorrow I’ll smooth it all out and get it nice and level. I found this cool textured card in Michael’s - it had an in-scale pattern to it that could simulate some sort of fabric so I’ll use a strip of that to secure the wheel and tire to the fender - should look cool hopefully!

Which 2, Luc?

Thank you sir! And thank you too! And thank you as well! Those embossed shapes are actually moulded into the bed already, which makes my job a little easier: Haha! That’s AWESOME! I’ve been messing with getting this thing up on it’s wheels and getting the stance how I wanted it, so I can start going back through and adding some detail before I start shooting some paint. I wanted the nose down a little (a lot), but I didn’t want to mess with the frame or swap out the kit axle. I’d usually just zee the frame, so this is an exercise in creatively using what’s in the box and working around it, a little. Stock axle: Remove spring: Re-attach spring behind axle: This gave me about a 4” scale drop, to where the tires are tight to the inner fenders but it could realistically function...plus it stretches the wheelbase a tiny bit, which I don’t mind: And a check on it’s wheels: It’ll actually sit marginally higher than this at the front but only a tiny bit - the tires are tucked in from stock a little so they could actually steer and not bonk the fenders, and I’d have some clearance for the suspension to work if it were real. You can’t really tell in that mock-up, but the rear axle needed to be narrowed some from stock so those rear wheels and tires would also work in a realistic manner if this was a 1:1 - it’s most noticeable with the fenders off: Next job is going to be getting that engine all cleaned up and prepped, and making sure the kit exhaust setup still works ok now I’ve messed with a bunch of stuff - but I already had to add some 1mm shims to the top of the block to get that upper piece to fit remotely nicely: Looking forward to finishing off ‘loose’ mock-up of all the important parts so I can start going through and doing some of the fun detail stuff! More soon!

Your use of textures is an underappreciated skill on your builds Mark - those latest parts look great!

That's better return on investment than my bank offers! I'm gonna hit Hobby Lobby on the way home to do some more careful investing!