Bernard Kron

I am looking for a high quality decal printing service that will accept bitmap images as-is, which is to say will accept them with the understanding that detail and edge quality is entirely my responsibility. If you have a good working knowledge of the difference between vector graphic images and bitmap images you will know what I'm referring to. As some of you may know, decals are an important part of my modeling style and decal design and application strategies are things about which I've developed a fairly advanced expertise. I am fully capable of preparing high resolution, high quality printer-ready bitmap art in most standardized bitmap file formats including psp, bmp and tif, as well as jpg. I have made several attempts to develop a working relationship with a vendor or fellow modeling enthusiast who has the capability to print white ink (and metallics eventually, although white is the key issue for the moment). This requires a specialized printer, and from my experiences so far, a fair amount of pre-preparation before printing. I attempted to work with one highly regarded vendor but in the end he wouldn't accept my bitmap art and finally, frankly, blew me off and simply didn't follow up after I sent him my files. From what I can tell he preferred the control over quality that drawing his final art himself in vector graphic form gave him. I also suspect that he had pre-prep issues with his Alps printer that he had solved only when making his own final art. In any case I'll never know because he ceased answering my e-mails... In two other cases I've worked with highly skilled modelers who print their own decals using Alps printers and offered to accept my art and print decals for me. In one instance it turned out they only knew how to drive their Alps from very specific vector graphic file formats, proper copies of which I couldn't supply them. In the second case, which is a current work in progress, the file format and pre-prep issues have all been solved but the white ink decals are just too transparent and "weak" to be effective over dark paint. Even applying a white decal underlayment isn't adequate. Does anyone have experience working from bitmap art (i.e. photo-manipulation programs like Photoshop) that has resulted in successful decal output, specifically including white ink over dark body colors? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Bernard

Phil Dauphinee (Phildaupho) just posted a nice Deuce 3-window coupe which is a replica of one of The Rodder's Journal's earliest baremetal features. It was done using Testors Steel non-buffing metalizer. I didn't want to hijack Phil's thread but it reminded me that over the past couple of years I've developed a baremetal steel technique which I think gives quite convincing results. So I thought I would share it here. I start by painting the model in a standard medium colored silver such as Tamiya TS83 Metallic Silver or in my case my current favorite generic silver, Duplicolor DAL 1679 Metallic Silver (the cheap stuff that comes in the tall can - fear not, it lays down beautifully). Finish your paint job to whatever level of quality you feel is appropriate and then rub a metalizer powder like Kosutte Gin Sang over it. The smoother and more highly polished your basic paint job is, the more uniform and less variegated will be the finish. In the case of die stamped bodies like the bare metal TRJ example this finish is quite uniform. But the nice thing about the metalizer powder is that it will bring out any "grinder" or "file marks" you care to include. The result is quite realistic, I think. Here are two examples, the first over styrene plastic and the second over resin: This is a bellypan. It has the scratches and wear marks you would expect from the bottom of a car. Other than the scratches and dings which were applied after the paint job was completed using medium fine grit sandpapers, the actual finish was quite smooth. The metalizer powder application is fairly light which accounts for the bright steel look. For the light surface rust I first considered where that rust would appear (along edges or in crevices which would trap moisture), then added rust colored weathering powders to those areas. Overall dirt was added with a dark soot weathering powder. This second one is what a smooth, scratch free paint job looks like. The discoloration of bare steel is established by applying a heavier dose of metalizer powder. Using a lighter application of the metalizer powder would result in a less greenish or tarnished look. No additional weathering powders were used. This is straight Kosutte Ginsang. I hope you find this approach useful. B.

Nicely done quickie, Phil. I'm rapidly becoming a fan of doing these short projects between major thrashes - they keep the juices flowing and unclutter some corners of my brain when I need to get out a simple idea simply done. I look forward to the fully finished example. I'm sure it will be a fine addition to your sterling Deuce collection! Your model reminded me that over the last couple of years I've developed a baremetal steel technique that yields a very convincing finish and can be easily controlled to moffer varying degrees of tarnish, polish, rust, etc. I've posted a brief post about it which can be found here:

I just wanted to say that I've had further communication with M & S since my last update and they continue to be first-rate in their follow through. They have my model due in their warehouse very shortly and, thanks to some help from forum members in contacting them, their follow up gives me every confidence that my order is in good hands.

Bienvenue Jean-Pierre! There is a particular style among French modelers, a precision and rigor in excution which is really quite unique. Your beautiful models are perfect examples of what I mean. I look forward tpo seeing more form you in the future.

I just heard from Mark. They're out of stock but receiving more kits this week. They'll ship upon receipt of them and give me the shipping info when they do. Thanks to everyone for the contact info and for sharing your experiences with me. The modeling world is indeed one big family of shared enthusiasm, including the vendors who earn our trust.

Hi Dale, Everyone has nothing but good things to say about M & S so I'm optimistic this will get straightened out. In just the short time since I initiated this thread I was able to get additional contact information and I've reached out to M & S using it. Once it's resolved I'll be sure to give everyone a heads up. Thanks for your vote of confidence in M & S. Bernard

Thanks Steve and Jonathan. I'll use the information you provided to Dick Tracy things and get it straightened out. And no I didn't get the p/e set, but I suspect I should have. They had them there and it seems to be the kind of kit that demands the Full Monty...

Thanks Steve. Unfortunately I'm not a Facebook user, but I can view Facebook pages so I'll check it out to see if there's information there I don't have. Frankly I'm surprised I've gotten no reply after a week of trying via their website. They say the kit is " In stock and ready to ship ", so I would hope they would fill orders more promptly than that, let alone a fully paid order like mine. I just want to get this straightened out...

Does anyone have experience with M & S Hobbies of Avondale, Arizona ? Specifically, they were vendors at the recent NNL West offering all manner of wonderful Japanese sports and racing car kits at very reasonable prices. I finally succumbed to a 1/24 Aoshima Pagani Huayra but by the time I went back they had sold out of them. They suggested to me that they could simply ship me one if I paid for it then. They wouldn't charge for the shipping. So I gave them my Visa and looked forward to what is a beautifully detailed, if complex, kit. That was on February 3rd. Since then no word from them and no kit. So last week I sent them a message via the "contact us" web form on their website. After 4 days I still hadn't heard from them so on Sunday I sent them another message, but still no answer. Does anyone have additional contact information, ideally a direct E-Mail address, so I can get this straightened out. Is this sort of thing normal for them? Thanx in advance for any help. B.

Thanks Dave!

Thanks Carl!

Here’s a brief but important update. I have gotten the main decals designed. I printed them out on plain paper and, using water soluble paste, mocked them up on the model. The impact of the white with red striping is quite strong against the blue. I had to fiddle with the size of the rondels to get them in proportion to the stripes and coves, but it took surprisingly little adjustment to get everything in place. I even like the look of the scallops on the fender tops. The coves were scanned from the kit decal sheet and the scallops were heavily reshaped versions of the kit scallops. All the work was done in Photoshop at 600 dpi. I will now have the actual decals printed for me using an Alps printer, rather than printing the shapes directly to white decal paper. This will allow the decals to be printed using white ink on clear decal stock which will assure me of straight, crisp edges, rather than attempting to accurately cut the edges with scissors. I’m planning on a progression of three decal variations to reflect the 3 model variations. The first is the one you see in the mockup pictures. This is the “show car” version with the rondels left empty without numbers. The decals will be applied and then sealed under clear coat. Next up will be the road racing variant which will have numbers and class designation in the rondels. Lastly will be the Bonneville version which is still up in the air. I may add sponsorship and contingency decals and perhaps a third number which will be “added” to the left of the first two numbers since most salt flats numbering goes to 3 digits. I’ll think this through and probably add the Bonneville Option to my decal order. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks. That's Testors One Coat Star Spangled Blue. Despite the name, I never use just One Coat of that paint. I find you have to lay it on too thick so I apply it conventionally, with a dust coat followed by color coats. The final color varies enormously depending on the color and type of undercoats you apply, as well as the number of layers and type of clear coat. In this case the undercoats were Duplicolor Hot Rod Grey Primer Filler for the basic body work, followed by Duplicolor Primer Sealer in an attempt to block the red plastic bleed through. I had originally intended to do the car in white, but with the Primer Sealer I still got a pink bleed through. So I then applied two coats of Duplicolor Silver Acrylic Lacquer which has proven an effective block for me in the past. Still no luck with the white - I had used the interior bucket as my test so there was no risk to the body. At that point I decided on the blue color you see. It's three coats of Star Spangled Blue with color sanding on the first two coats. This was followed by 4 coats of Duplicolor Clear Acrylic Lacquer with the final coat wet sanded with 2000 grit followed by a light polishing with Tamiya Polishing creams. Since this post I've designed and prototyped the decals. I'll post a mockup later today.

Thanks guys! The basic paint is now done. So too, is the interior, done in Testors Acryl Insignia Red to avoid the bleed through problem. The cockpit edge will get foiled towards the end of the project, as will other interior details. The contrasting white trim, consisting of a pair of racing stripes down the center, white coves, and perhaps scallops along the front center tops, along with rondels for numbers, will be done with decals. With the aggressively “showy” paint I’m beginning to think of a set of more fancy wheels, perhaps Halibrand Torq-Thrusts, rather than the white steelies I had originally planned. Additionally, I’m well along with the chassis and have the motor partially built. I have Hilborn injectors and short intake stacks coming from Speed City Resin for the salt flats variant. Hopefully these will be the subject of my next update. Thanks for lookin’, B.

Yowza! 3D Chess in action...

Just got back from the show and... Completely unexpected but deeply appreciated...

Below is a link to my pictures from last weekend's 2018 NNL West. The number and quality of models wast extremely high this year, so I have to apologies for the small number, and occasional rough quality of my picures - I was almost certainly engaged in too much Heavy Socializing! NNL West 2018 photos Same samples

Several years ago I acquired a Monogram 1/24th ’57 Corvette for its Rochester Fuel Injected V8 and 1/24th scale whitewall tires. The fuelie motor went into a ’32 Ford Five Window while the whitewalls found their way onto the front end of a couple of showy hot rods which used 1/24th scale rims. So, sans rolling stock and power plant the kit sat in my stash until recently. I’ve recently added vintage road racing and sports cars to my modeling diet, which up to now consisted exclusively of traditional hot rods, customs and straight line racers of various sorts. In keeping with this expansion of my palette I decided the time had come to rescue the ‘Vette and make a project out of it. My plan was originally to do a no-nonsense Cal Club style road racer from the late 50’s and early sixties. These cars were almost literally driven off the showroom floor and raced virtually stock appearing with grills, bumpers and trim intact. While the hubcaps had to be removed for safety reasons, just about the only visible modification was the addition of a rollover bar and some racing numbers. Under the hood it was another matter, with hot cams and free breathing heads at the top of the list. Theoretically these were B-Production stockers but soon there evolved a coterie of hot shoe driver/mechanics who could really make these machine fly. The most famous were Dr. Dick Thompson and Dave McDonald, both of whom used Corvette racing as a launching pad for their professional driving careers. As I said, basic Cal Club racers tended to leave his ‘Vette stock appearing and that had been my original intention. My plan was to paint the car in basic white, a suitable background for some homemade decals, as is my general practice. But my particular Monogram ’57 came in the dreaded Red Plastic, and try as I might could never quite completely banish bleed through to the white outer coat, despite using Duplicolor Primer Sealer followed by a couple of coats of silver lacquer. This had been effective over colored plastic for me in the past, but this was my first crack at white over red, the most difficult combination of all. I experimented with the interior bucket, and as the photo below will attest, the result was a noticeably pinkish cast to the white. So time to check my paint stash where I encountered am untouched can of Testors Spangled Blue One Coat Lacquer, a particular nice shade of metallic blue similar to what Lance Reventlow and his Scarab crew referred to as, oddly enough, A Nice Shade Of Blue. A test shot over the aforementioned series of undercoats showed excellent coverage and not a trace of pink or red. Hurrah! Now I had to regroup aesthetically because my thoughts of a Utilitarian White race car were done. So I decided to go with a “Triple Threat” ‘Vette – a nicely turned out show car paint job on a Cal Club racer shorn of its bumpers, windshield and trim, with an option for an annual trip to the salt flats. My plan is to paint the car the showy blue with white coves, racing stripes and rondels and a set of salt flats accessories, namely a tonneau cover, a blanking piece for the grill for streamlining, a set of Hilborn injectors, and some Moon discs over the road racer’s white steelies, all removable. The road racer will run the 270 HP dual 4-barrel 283 that was a factory option in ’57 and popular with racers at the time. The motor will be a Revell Parts Pack piece with the intake and carbs removable to swap with the Hilborn injectors for the salt flats. Below is where I’m at so far, with a small 2-poinmt rollover bar behind the driver’s head, provision added for a cut down Plexiglas windscreen and the blanking piece for the grill and tonneau cover roughed in place. The front and rear pans have been molded in and bodywork and paint completed out to the silver base coats. I’ll update after this weekend’s NNL West by which time I should have the chassis well along, the motor started and probably the basic color coats down. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Superb cross-breeding of the best of the AMT and Revell contributions to the Deuces-in-scale tradition. So elegant!

Great to see La Collection D'Aupho all in one place. There hardly a genre Deuce hot rod that you haven't modeled. and modeled well! Bravo! Sorry I missed Deuce Days the last time. As a fellow Deuce-oholic I hope to make it next time! AMT Deuces have a unique character all their own. It's so easy to fault them for their myriad flaws in detail and accuracy, and yet few models capture the essence of 50 's-early 60's rodding as well as a properly done period AMT Deuce, and these 2 are as good as it gets!

Well... I'm thrilled at how this thread is alive and kickin' again, with so many terrific additions that soon it shall have recovered from the Photobucket debacle.

Time to simultaneously revive this great thread and update it with my most recent Deuces: '32 Ford Tudor Highboy Barn Find Deuce 3-widow Dry Lakes Racer

Thanks again The picture was manipulated in Photoshop. The original photo that I started with is the 3rd one down after the text. I added a background photo I had of the Bonneville salt flats and then processed it to add noise (the fine dots spread throughout the photo), reduce the number of colors used to make up the color picture, and incrase the contrast between light and dark areas, all in the hope of creating something that looked like an old magazine or postcard photograph,. I think I went a little overboard but it's a technique I hope to master. I'd like to be able to make old-timey postcard photos like this one:

Just these initial posts show the breadth and longevity of Dan Gurney's impact on the automotive world, from postwar hot rodding as shown by Phil's build of the car he shared with Skip Hudson, to the initial sportscar boom in the 50's and his big break with Frank Arciero, to the period in the 60's when he was the very personification of the Golden Age of American participation in international motor racing, and finally the incredible run he had with All American Racers, first with his Eagles, especially in Indy car racing, and then as a design and development shop for Toyota and, often discretely, many others, up to this very day. What a long life of achievement and fulfillment!