Dr. Cranky

Mike, I have all of S.P.'s work. He is one of the giants of Military Dioramas along with Francois Verlinden.

Thanks, Mike, the blue definitely shows a lot better. I think I am going to paint the new one in Blue and see if I can do something good and unique with the powders. It's been raining straight for like four days here. Stay tuned in . . .

Outstanding, John. :o :o Super paint job, and the colors are so beautiful.

Jimmy, I've never used that brand. How much is it? Looks like a tall can, larger than the regular Plastikote.

The wheels are poseable (I love the Revell 41 Willys!):

Right now the body is in primer, so I went ahead and mocked it up for the 50th time. After a while paranoia sets in that thing are not going to fit right, so this is the only way to make sure, keep mocking it up for good measure. This is my favorite angle right now . . . Tomorrow the paint should go on and then it's a matter of waiting for it to dry . . .

We have a rolling chassis. The blower is mocked up right now, and it's missing a few more details, but this is progress for today.

Thanks, Dale, and everybody for chipping in . . . it's one of those things not to be taken for granted, this business of good primers.

Rob, that is very cool.

I really like this one a lot, Ira. Hope you keep giving it a big push. I'm sure you want to see it finished as much as we do.

We all learn sometimes the hard way. The few models I gave away or loaned were returned to me in pieces, so I stopped doing that. They all sit here on my shelves where I'm the only one responsible for them. Well, I have a few at the LHS but I bring them in, set them up, and lock the display cabinet after I'm done.

Steven, you need N gauge ladders from Plastruct. You can find them on line or through your LHS. Here's what they look like when they are finished: And here view . . . You have to work slow and take your time, and they'll probably look a little rough, but you can smooth them out with a little putty.

Jim, that's why this forum is worth it's weight in gold. You are going to love using these. Let's see what you cook up with them. Mike, I don't know about two days but I will have it done by the middle of next week. I am trying to get a few new builds done to take the some of the shows coming up in the next couple of months. Thanks for staying tuned in, folks. Cheers.

Joshua, thanks for sharing this type of eye candy with us. Great pictures and reference.

Thanks, Austin, Plastikote is still fairly cheap. They come in half a dozen cases and you can get good deals on line. What I like about it is that it comes in a variety of colors, including black which is perfect if you are using Pearl EX powders.

Lot's of great eye candy here for inspiration. Rom, Ed is right, the doll house suppliers will have some interesting stuff, but in the scale you want to build in, I don't know much about what's out there . . . hope more people will chime in with help and ideas.

I think a great weapon would be a nail gun!

Glenn, look at it this way, you are not hurting anyone with your styrene addiction!

Lately, more than a few folks have been asking about primers, so I decided to put this little video together in hopes of getting a discussion started on all things PRIMERS. Primer is important as a foundation between the raw styrene and your paint job. Again, this is not necessarily a HOW-TO, but more of a discussion on whatever primers you have in your arsenal. I used quite a few different ones here in the Lab-RAT-ory. Enjoy and please help keep the discussion focused, clean, and friend. THANK YOU.

What I always use, Liquid Drano Gel. It's always worked for me. Leave it soaking over night and by morning it's all gone.

Oh boy, what a beauty. I never get tired of seeing these 57 Chevy jewels! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks, Andy, some people call it STYRENE MADNESS!

By the way, the chassis/frame modification comes from watching the Donn Yost DVD. He's got lots of great kit-bashing suggestions that really make sense, and he makes it look easy, but you do have to put a bit of elbow grease on it, as it should be to get it right.

Dirk, it's the 41 Willys (Revell) blower. I love that engine and use it all the time because the parts are just beautiful.

Dirk, LOL, I am sure this one will crank up everyone who loves Cobras and Gassers, but not the two in the same vehicle. I am just going to go ahead and continue to blame Donn Yost for all this madness!