Bainford

WOW! I’m speachless. Simply outstanding craftsmanship. My hat is off to you, sir. That is just amazing.

Nice build on the old Revell flopper. I loved these kits when they first came to market in the early 70s. They seemed 'head & shoulders' above the offerings from AMT and MPC in terms of authenticity.

The dragster is looking great. I'm really digging the aluminium body work and the spoked front wheels. Good luck in finally dragging this one across the finish line.

Very nice work on the old Dodge. Clean and tidy. You did that old kit justice. Well done.

Very tidy! The colours work well and the trim work is very clean. Very nicely done.

I agree entirely with sentiments about the value and usefulness of the forum, and very much appreciate that it’s here. Thanks Greg for keeping it alive. Cheers.

Another vote for Tamiya tape. For a crisp edge I lay out a piece of tape on clean glass and cut a new edge with a straight edge and a fresh Exacto blade in the knife.

Good looking Manx. I'm really digging the seat graphic treatment. Very well done.

Nice body work mash-up. Thanks for showing your method here. I'm going to try the 74 Road Runner/Charger kitbash some day. Did you use the forward part of the Charger roof because it (or the windscreen) has better shape than the Road Runner parts, or was this simply the most straight forward way ahead?

Very nice build on the Charger. I quite like the 'all business' look of the 500, and you pulled this off beautifully. The redlines and dog dishes seal the deal. The colour looks great, too. Excellent work here, as usual.

Yes, if you are going to use wax, it must be the last thing you do to the body. Nothing will stick afterwards. Tamiya wax is my personal favourite. It works great on kit glass, too.

I mostly use enamel for bodies and sometimes lacquer. Acrylic paint has many fans in the model world so, figuring it was high time I gave it a try, I painted a recent build with Tamiya acrylic (white). It will probably be the last time. I had multiple issues, some during polishing. I was able to achieve a decent finish, eventually, but during the wet sanding process (I do the first part of the polishing with Micro Mesh pads) I would leave significant thumb and finger prints in the paint which became softened from the polishing water. In fact, any time I handled the polished body, especially if I had to grip it for a few minutes, the moisture from my fingers would leave fingerprints etched in the paint. I also found that decal solvent would mark the paint to the point that only polishing would remove it. There were other issues as well which I documented, but I don't have my notes with me right now. Bottom line; if any alternatives exist, I won't be using acrylics for painting bodies again.

Outstand work, Dan. Very impressive build. A lot of small elements for the builder to get his head around. Hats off to you, sir.

What problems have you found? I’ve picked up a couple of these kits over the years just for the engine, but haven’t built one yet.

A very nice pair of Deuce Roadsters. Good clean work and style. I really like the smooth and elegant style of the maroon one. Very nicely done.

Steve, if you're going for a plausible stock build, the FE Cammer won't do. It was not available in any Ford road car, not even as a dealer installed option. As far as the factory was concerned, it's a race engine only.

Such humble beginnings, but looking great so far. This is serious model building.

Keeping the corners from digging in does require a bit of diligence. I considered stoning the corners to soften them and reduce their tendency to gouge the surface, but I find there are many uses for chisels, and the sharp corners are frequently useful. I often use the chisels for cutting stock material (sheet plastic, thin sheet aluminium, various tapes and other soft construction materials) by placing the material on a hardwood block that I keep for that purpose. Just by pushing the chisel edge into the material by hand, you can make very accurately place small length cuts. The chisel corners are also useful for getting into tight corners during some scraping/cleaning operations. In the end one must be careful when doing surface work on plastic, but in my scratchbuilding efforts I find the sharp corners very useful.

I use this set of small chisels by Veritas and find them extremely handy on the model bench. They are a high quality tool set, 3 1/4" long with blade widths of 1/8", 1/4", & 3/8", made of quality tool steel and wood handles. They are sold through Lee Valley in Canada and are not cheap at $47.50 Canadian dollars (less than $40 USD), but so useful they are well worth the price. http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=72391&cat=1,41504

Ok, good to know. That will save me from searching for one. Kind of a shame, though, because I'm really finding coolness in that kit.

Very interesting. I'm sure a little practice is required to get good results, but your example looks fantastic. Very convincing, thanks for the tip.

Man, I'm really digging that outboard motor. Very cool bed furniture for a 50s vintage pick-up.

Wow! Thanks for the heads up on these circle cutters. I never heard of these before. The DSPAIE tool seems exceptionally well made. A bit pricey but I think very useful.

Hhmmm… very interesting. It could be the right scene. I'm going to have to dig this movie up and have a watch. I thought the Daytona was able to leave the site on its own, but memories have a way of morphing over the years. Nonetheless, seeing such a car treated so carelessly as in the pictured scene is a real trip, nearly worthless as it was back in the day.

Outstanding!!