charlie8575

Welcome back. Testors enamels have changed a little, probably due to enviro-Nazi regs. I've found you now must use a primer under them; I remember when I was a kid it wasn't always necessary. For primer, I recommend using Plasti-Kote or Valspar lacquer primer, available at craft and artist's suppliers. Plasti-Kote T-series primers are sold at many auto parts stores. Dupli-Color primers tend to be a bit hot and might cause crazing, so try not to use those, or use some kind of a barrier under them. Future seems to be well-reommended for that. I find the enamels work very well for airbrushing when thinned with conventional hardware store lacquer thinner. This also helps them dry much, much faster. To help with the drying, take a hairdryer, set it to low, and hold it about a foot away and thoroughly go over the model. That will also assist in drying. As to the other paint chemistries: I've used Testors Model Master Acryl and I like it very much. It can be applied without primer and cover well in 1-2 coats. It also airbrushes nicely out of the jar. Testors Acryl Dried Paint Remover also works well on all acrylic paints, but follow the directions to the letter! Testors lacquers are also nice products. I haven't used the spray as of yet, but have used the bottle paints. They're fanstastic and I highly recommend them. However, you will need to use their lacquer thinner with them, as regular lacquer thinner doesn't seem to do much to them (anyone have different experiences?), even for cleaning the brushes. I have not tried them in an airbrush. Tamyia acrylics are also very nice. I have found, however, that thinning them with alcohol tends to knock the gloss down, so keep that in mind. I'd recommend using their thinner. It's expensive, but will work better in the gloss paints. They're just this side of too thick to airbrush out of the jar. They do, however, cover reasonably well. To clean from the airbrush, 91% alcohol is best (also true for Acryl.) Tamyia's lacquers are nice. I tried a can of a friend's at my club, and was very impressed. And they dry almost instantly. Other nice paints are Humbrol and Polly-S. Mr. Color, a Gunze Sangyo product, is said to be outstanding. I haven't used it, but I know several people that have and liked it. Word to the wise: you MUST use all their products, mixing brands will result in disaster. Charlie Larkin

Does Gunze Sangyo have an Internet page? My searches for one have been less-than-productive. As it looks like they're starting to put all those neat little 1950s European cars back into production, I'd like to try and track what I can purchase. Charlie Larkin

I remember Gunze Sangyo made a whole bunch of those little European cars first when I was in fifth grade. I begged and pleaded for them because I thought they were neat little cars, until my dad saw how much they cost! Does anyone remember what other cars were in this series? I remember the 500, the Multipla and the Messerschmitt. Back to topic- very nice build. And it is a cute little bug. I think much better looking than its modern descendant (although it's cute, too.) Charlie Larkin

I've had great luck with bleach in a small closed jar. I've had small parts ready in as little as ten minutes, if I have a lot pieces, it might take an hour or so for it to work, but it's effective. I leave the clear lacquer on as a primer, but the bleach removes it sometimes, or gets softened enough so it'll come off with a toothbrush when I do the final scrub. Charlie Larkin

Nice build, Brandon. What did you use for the paint? Charlie Larkin

I think it can be done by expanding the image, copying it into Paint, Gimp, Corel Draw or whatever program you like and re-sizing. I'll play with it a little and see what I can come up with. Charlie Larkin

I like the color! David- if that's the can I'm thinking of, yes, it's the right color for the Turbine Car. Charlie Larkin

Anyone would be happy with that build. For your first time out, you did an excellent job. Charlie Larkin

Nice stock car. That burgundy is very pretty. I might try that myself. A lot of people may not like this, but.... Toro Red is best duplicated with Testors Gloss Red enamel, despite its appearance in the paint chips, it's actually a bit brighter. If you feel adventurous, you might add a TINY amount of black to the red in an airbrush bottle and airbrush it, but the Gloss Red out of the spray can will be a pretty good representation. The burgundy should be ordered from MCW or ScaleFinishes. It's a weird color and I can't think of anything that'll really duplicate it well. Honey Cream can be dummied up reasonably well with Testors Light Yellow Pla Enamel. However, as it doesn't come in rattle can, you'll need to airbrush it. Yellow with the green is actually a very nice color scheme, especially with a black roof. Charlie Larkin

Very nice job. Charlie Larkin

So very true. Punks who have no respect for other's property need to be dealt with in as severe a manner as allowed under the Constitution. Especially when they destroy so much property of a business and others all in one stop. Dare I say it, but I can't help but wonder if Arizona's "other problems" are contributing to these arson troubles. Charlie Larkin

A 1/24-25 display case will hold just about anything, but if you find it fits better in a 1/18 case, go for it. Usually, there are provisions in tbe base to run twist-ties through. Simply loop them around the axles in an upside-down "U" before placing the model in the case, and place it on the base, positioned so the ties go through the holes. Twist up and you're done. You could probably super-glue the ties together to make sure they don't loosen if you wanted to. Charlie Larkin

I approve. Charlie Larkin

I like it. I love World War I aeroplanes. Charlie Larkin

Gee, you're right. I completely forgot about them. Apologies to Cadillac. A CTS wagon is something I wouldn't mind one bit. Charlie Larkin

Very nice work, I like the color, too. Charlie Larkin

Just the Camaro now. I wish they'd pull their heads out of their fannies and just start making the Caprice as a standard-issue, normal full size car with six-passenger seating and a V8. Soon, we'll have no full-size cars to speak of, and none rear-drive (the 300/Charger just miss full-size by a couple cubic feet, I think.)I'd also be very happy if they started to make a wagon again, I hate SUVs and anything like them. I uderstand the Commodore wagons, at least until they redesigned them a couple of years ago came very close to the B-bodies in towing and cargo capacity. A car that can handle a 5000-pound trailer, around 90 cubic feet of cargo or eight people and still return 23-24 miles a gallon unladen has a lot to say for it. That's what my Caprice will do. The American auto industry, even before the recession had lost its way, and Washington and the lawyers have only "helped" along in the process. Taunting those of us who like or want a full-size car with the new Caprice is just cruel. Charlie Larkin

Excellent work! That brick looks astoundingly good and the rest of the details are outstanding. Charlie Larkin

Nice work on that. I've thought of doing something similar for some display cases. Charlie Larkin

Chinese quality control strikes again. To not stand behind your product with such obvious defects that appear to be rampant is shameful. Swap the bodies, regrind the old ones and use the styrene again. Charlie Larkin

Pro/Touring is my least favorite style, but I must still respect a clean execution. This counts as that. Nice work. For your scripts, try either dry-brushing the scripts with chrome silver or putting foil on prior to the paint and using a 4000-grit polishing cloth to remove the paint, revealing the foil underneath. Charlie Larkin

Not a bad match for the Copper Brown. Great work overall, as always. Charlie Larkin

Very nice builds. Is that Suburban a promo or is someone casting it? Another idea came to mind- the door lines could be re-scribed to make a Belvedere or Savoy Sport Sedan? Charlie Larkin

This is quite something, too. What a creation! Charlie Larkin

I saw the coverage of that on NECN this morning. When a police officer dies in the line of duty, it's always troubling. When it happens this senselessly, it's sickening. For those interested, the story can be found here. New England Cable News Charlie Larkin