Dave Ambrose

The interior tub was just a little too tall. I fixed it by sanding on the lip of the dashboard, where it wasn't visible and I think I did a little sanding on the bottom of the interior tub. I didn't see any fit problems until I glued in the windscreen and rear window with Elmer's. Truth be told, I didn't glue the tub at all. The assembly was sufficiently secure that I just trapped the interior between the body and chassis.

This idea might be a bit late to the party, but the Buick aluminum block V-8 would be a peculiarly appropriate engine for an Austin. It was licensed by Rover (later British Leyland) and installed in most Land Rovers, and some MGBs.

My favorite bench was tongue and groove subfloor with a masonite top. It's smooth, cleans up decently, and is very durable. Our next hobby-only table will be a glass topped table from IKEA. The glass should have a lot of advantages for painting, and I'm not anticipating doing any pounding there. Good light is absolutely essential. I have two 48" fluorescent fixtures above my current bench, along with an illuminated magnifier. I also have a hobby tool box that looks a bit like a machinists tool box. It's been very handy, but blades and the like to slip out the back of the drawers. A bit of glue fixed that well. I still haven't found any good commercial solution for storing paint bottles, so I'll probably have to make one myself.

I did a rush build of this kit for a museum exhibit, and it builds really clean. The only thing to be aware of is that the interior needs some filing to make it, the chassis, and the body all line up properly. I really like what you did with the engine. It has just the right amount of shiny to be interesting, and not so much that it looks like a toy. For the wheels, you can thin the paint a bit, and just let it flow in to the recesses. Then gently wipe the highlights with some tightly woven cloth, like a sheet. If you muck up and need to start over, just drop the wheels in a 50-50 mix of windex and alcohol. That will remove acrylic paint without harming the plastic or the plating. It's also good for cleaning (air)brushes.

I was in the first grade when I built my first model, an HH-43B Huskie helicopter. My second model was an F7U Cutlass. My first car was a 1962 Thunderbird hardtop. (not so) Oddly enough, I just got another '62 T-bird model; this time, a convertible.

I cut myself a few times when I was a kid. Between the cuts and a broken elbow, the Dr. office got to know me pretty well. I quickly learned to be more careful.

I hope your friend makes a full recovery. Painting explosions are very scary. Lacquer solvents are particularly flammable. You need a certain minimum concentration of solvent fumes to get ignition. This usually happens in the exhaust duct, which is why the fan is so important. Exposed brushes and paint vapors are an accident waiting to happen. Explosion-proof motors may have brushes, but their cases and bearings are well sealed to prevent any ignition from propagating outside the motor. Brushless motors should be fine. But just having a 12 volt fan is no guarantee of the motor being brushless. Better yet, use an engine compartment ventilator for a boat. These are inline blowers, and ignition protected. They're intended to remove gasoline fumes from the engine compartment before starting the motor provides an ignition source. They run off 12V, and only cost about $35. West Marine has a couple of interesting candidates here. I would take a second precaution of putting a metal screen between the fan and paint booth. This will prevent any flames in the exhaust duct from propagating into the paint booth. The screen must be metal, and preferably made from copper. Aluminum or brass might be OK, but I'd test it first in a propane torch. Hold the screen over the flame. If the flame stops at the screen, it's working. Be aware that the above steps will be of little to no assistance if you ignite something on the model or in the shop. Be mindful of your water heaters and furnaces. Personally, I wouldn't want either one in the same place I'm spray painting.

That's a sweet TR-3. Go visit http://www.team.net/tn-lists.html and subscribe to the Triumph mailing list. You will be surrounded by experts in all things Triumph.

My daughter and I really enjoyed the show. Lots of good models and dioramas. We spent the trip home brainstorming ideas. John and Rommel had some awesome models. Photos don't quite do them justice. Tho I think I'll bring a magnifying glass next time. I'll die happy if I can build half as well as they do. It was great seeing everyone from the SD Model Car club too.

That is totally cool. Hopefully. my eyes haven't deceived me. Is there really a Morris Minor under all that extra bodywork?

Harbor Freight has a needle file set for $2. It's very serviceable for plastic models. You can find stuff like fine wire at industrial surplus outlets. I use wire wrap wire for ignitions and small hoses. You can also find tools at a substantial discount too. I also routinely surf local garage sales. You'll find cheap baby gear at those too. Good Luck

I've gotten good service from Megahobby.com

The Tamiya thinner definitely has some (unknown) amount of toluene in it. For cleaning, I use a 50-50 mix of denatured alcohol and Windex. It cleans off all sorts of stuff; dirt, acrylic paints, and other organic materials. Don't know what you might substitute for thinning your paint. Maybe piggyback a couple of bottles on a kit mail order? Cheers, Dave

So long as you keep the resulting size above a few hundred atoms, you can cut magnets without them becoming non-magnetic. Best to use carbide cutting tools as some of the magnetic materials are very hard and abrasive. Also, the turnings stick to pert near everything. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

Have good light available. My main bench has two fluorescent fixtures and a lamp with a magnifying glass.a As a ten year veteran of presbyopia, it helps a lot.

I've been using hot melt glue to attach parts to sticks. Recently, I came up with an improved method that uses a couple of popsicle (aka craft) sticks to make a quick and dirty stand. The attached pictures are pretty self explanatory. Everything is assembled with hot melt glue and literally goes together in a minute.

I got my order for a double dragster kita Stutz racecar for my daughtera Moebius Moonbusa handful of PE detail parts. The resin Edelbrock flatheads really look nice! I'm gonna have fun building the moonbus too.

I like seeing all the car genres. I keep mooching ideas. But, we need a good place for open wheel, and road racers.

Thanks. I found them at our local Michael's. I never go there as the local ones are totally craft oriented. Cheers, Dave Ambrose

Can anyone recommend a metalflake paint for 1/25 model cars? I remember using some when I was a kid, but I haven't seen any in the local hobby shops. Something I could shoot in an airbrush would be especially nice. Thanks, Dave Ambrose

I don't have a black hole. I haven an entropy fairy that pays weekly visits to my workbench. They're worse.