Bainford

Great looking Jag, Rich. The colour works well with those sexy lines. The Jag collection is very cool, too. I really need to pick up a coupe and roadster. I'm feeling inspired.

Yes, I agree fully. I am frequently amused by this as well. On a couple of builds I have shot black simply because it was the easy way out. Any great paint job is all about the pre-prep and the post-polish. If you can lay down a coat of paint, and yet are dissatisfied with your black paint jobs, the problem is most likely in the prep and/or the polishing, not the paint or the application of it. When all of your prep work is done and you are ready for paint, inspect the body carefully with magnification. Be highly critical, and take the time to fix the seemingly insignificant defects you find (Gunze Mr Surfacer, applied locally with a detail brush, is great for this). Block sand all panel gaps/joints with 1000 or 1500 grit paper, used wet). Small defects and undulations in the base plastic or the primer which are not readily visible to the naked eye, will easily be exposed under a coat of black paint. There are many different ideas on how to deal with polishing. For me, I cut the paint with micromesh pads. If the paint is very nice I will start with 6000 grit, if a little orange peel I will start with 4000 grit, and if heavier orange peel or junk in the paint I will start with 3200 or 3600 grit but only areas where it is needed (always use the pads wet). You also want to knock down any paint that has 'stood up' at panel gaps edges (especially the doors) or other panel edges, which may require localised use of the coarser grits. It's good to start with the finest grit you can get away with to avoid getting too many heavy scratches that are difficult to rub out with the succeeding finer grits, yet you don't want to start with too fine a grit if there are imperfections to be removed, or you will just end up with very shiny orange peel. The coarser grits knock down the high spots more efficiently. A thin strip of masking tape on panel creases helps to prevent an errant swipe with a course grit from cutting through to primer (and generally ruin your day). Once the entire body has been cut and flattened, some people will go straight to the cream polishes, but I usually continue with micromesh pads 8000 and 12,000 grit, then rub it out with Tamiya Fine and Finish polish, and finish it off with Tamiya wax (the wax provides a beautiful, lustrous finish well beyond that of just polish and buffing, especially on black). If you plan to clear (and with all of the pinstripe decals on a Blackbird T/A, you probably will), I apply the decals after the paint has been cut and given a rub with an 8000 grit pad. Once the clear has been applied, I carry on with the steps above. That's my method, YMMV.

Good looking pair of trucks. I like what you've done with both of them. Despite its issues (and there are many) I like the Revell '56. Probably because the one I built as a kid (the old issue in metallic blue with funny car slicks) was one of the coolest models on my shelf at the time. I have another '56 Ford F-100 project coming up soon, a stock build, which I expect to challenge me. I built the wonderful AMT '53 when I was 15, and it is one of my rare survivor from those times.

Good looking Jag, Mario. Looks great in yellow. Nicely done.

That engine is, um, interesting. I've been curious about these big Mustang kits. Cool to see a WIP on one.

Thanks, Bill. Never heard of that guy before. Just checked out his stuff, some interesting pieces there.

These are the dental files I was referring to (exacto blade for scale)

Another vote for isopropyl alcohol, 91% or higher. It’s all I’ve ever used on Tamiya acrylics.

Very nice conversion, Mario. You did a great job replicating the old truck. Nice work on the weathering, and great memories too, I'm sure. Well done.,

Very impressive. Nice work on the 3D bits, especially as you are climbing the learning curve.

Stunning build, Rich. An impressive model of an incredible car. Hats off to such a fine build.

Very cool 7. Very nicely built, and in the right colours, too. Those wheels look great. What kit did they come from (Gunze Elan?)?

Cool T. I dig the stripped down nature of this little racer. Nicely done. I've been intrigued by these ICM Model T kits, especially the Speedster. They seem to be well done.

Your perseverance paid off, Dan. That's a fine looking Mustang.

Excellent tip, Greg. I've got a couple in the tool box, and never thought to use them as model files. They're not that expensive, I may pick up a clean, fresh set just for the model bench. Another, similar tool, though a bit finer (not near as robust or strong as the tip cleaners), is the files used by dentists for root canals. Dentists use them once, then chuck 'em. I get my dentist to save a few for me. I'll snap a pic of some when I get home.

True, if the bottles had 10 ml of paint in them. Every one I've opened seemed to have a lot of empty space in the bottle, so I measured the quantity in three different bottles. All had slightly under 8 mls of paint in them.

If it will spray, I’d try it without thinning.

Welcome to the forum, Alex.

Welcome to the forum, Slobodan.

Gorgeous Riv, Tom. Very sharp, very tidy. Nice foil work, too.

Very nice work on another unusual (for here) model. Good detailing and nice clean work. It looks very much like the Russian cars called Lada that were sold here in the 1970s. Thanks for posting.

Cool model, and nicely built. It's always good to see something different. Well done!

Very nice Cobra. The paint work looks great, and I'm really digging those wheels.

Beautiful Citroen, and lovely paint. Overall a very nice build. I've been wanting to build a Citroen for some time, and I can see now I really need one of these.

I'm curious to know if this was the Monogram Tom Daniels Street Vette. I had one in the late 70s on which part of the driver's door just would not take paint, no matter what I did.