sjordan2

3D printers lay down material by making passes in "slices" of material of a certain thickness. The finished surface of the product depends on how many slices are produced at what thickness. It's going to keep getting more precise all the time, so roughness will be reduced more and more, and I think improvements will occur very quickly and with greater accessibility for the home or small business operator.

This is the time of day when I pop the cork on some Cabernet. I read this and I spewed it out my nose.

Looks like Hot Wheels and GM have teamed to produce a limited edition Camaro at $7,000 over MSRP - without any performance upgrades. http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/08/autos/hot-wheels-chevrolet-camaro/index.html?source=cnn_bin

Just got my kit today. Beautiful piece of work with very crisp molding and next to no flash, excellent chrome work. Just great. Except I will stand by every criticism I made previously about the body. Those mold seams are ridiculous, and only advanced modelers who want to shave off the scripts and emblems and replace them with aftermarket PE will disagree. That nose seam is so close to the corvette script that it's going to be extremely tricky to sand away for even an average builder. It would be OK if the seams went down to the grille opening, where sanding would be easier and less noticeable, instead of what's supposed to be a very smooth piece of the body. The seams along the upper body from front fenders to tail are acceptable, and I guess you can't avoid such things, even with 21st century tooling. However, there is a big honkin' sink mark on the right side of the lower nose valance that doesn't belong on a Revell kit. And I assume that Revell was being purposely conservative on the barely-there door panel lines, which is fine. I just feel that this is not a kit for beginners or average builders who aren't ready to do a bit of bodywork - an amount which I consider unnecessary. So I'm not just whistling Dixie. I've got the kit.

All of those are superb. The paint jobs are awesome. You should be very proud.

Duh. Great. What did you use for flocking the trunk? And why are there so many great builders in Istanbul?

Ditto for PE parts. If it weren't for a very nice tutorial on this site, I would be up the creek with doing PE wire wheels. PE wipers and all types of hinges are still an issue for me.

A tip that makes it easier for me to deal with certain types of instruction sheets, particularly those with several pages: I print out a couple of copies on my printer, then cut them and tape them together in a sequence that makes it easy for me to see everything at a glance, sort of like opening up a folding road map. Helps to see where you're going without flipping pages, and is useful for making notes directly on the instructions, which can also be seen at a glance. This can also be done so you can spread out multiple pages in front of you without having to turn over the pages to look at the opposite side.

When it comes to older "sealed" kits, I usually ask the seller to UNseal them and take inventory and inspect condition. Generally they cooperate, but not always. I've certainly received my share of resealed kits with mixed results. My latest experience about a month ago was with a clearly resealed 1/16 Mercedes SS cabriolet - the last 90s reissue by Minicraft - which had everything in the original sealed plastic pouches, but the front bumper was warped and mangled beyond repair. The seller said he hadn't looked inside the box, and refunded shipping costs, which was satisfactory. Moral: Always open the box as soon as you receive it. I've been stung on a couple of occasions, when I just put a sealed box on the shelf. Not wise, and it's especially important with older kits that may have been stacked or stored in less than ideal conditions.

For darkening panel lines, one of our members swears by MIG wash before painting.

This is a new one on me. I've always thought a line of Lauren collection kits would be cool, but I see that he's offering 1:8 built versions of some of his cars (about $9,500 each)... Bugatti Atlantic Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Ferrari 250 GTO McLaren F1 LM Each car in Mr. Lauren's private collection is digitally scanned to capture the precise detail of every component. Accurate to one-tenth of a millimeter, the technology allows for the creation of an accurate scale reproduction of the original. A dedicated team of highly skilled model-makers worked for 3,000 hours to create the master model and an additional 350 hours to carefully assemble each individual limited edition model. A silicon rubber mold creates detailed castings of each model, which are then treated with authentic automotive paint systems. Hand-sprayed like the originals, and cut, fettled, sanded and polished, each replica is crafted for a superb finish. Finely crafted with extreme accuracy and attention to detail. Model is built on a 1:8 scale and authenticated with its own unique edition number and certificate. Presented in a protective acrylic case that fits over a wooden base. Model: 9" H x 22" L x 9" D. Case: 11" H x 27½" L x 14 http://www.ralphlauren.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12282160&utm_medium=12282160&utm_source=Shoppingdotcom&utm_campaign=CSE

Superb. Can't see a single thing that isn't just right.

It's great to watch a master at work. Can't wait for more.

Yes, the 1/12 is incomplete to a certain extent, but this is the sort of kit that invites experienced modelers to dress it up without a lot of fuss - add real mesh in many places, plus create a carburetor stone guard, add a bit of wiring (and for some reason add a missing fan), external brake linkage, etc. Some very fragile parts could be upgraded. Huge tutorials and a long book have been written about upgrading this kit, but I don't think all of that is necessary for building a very nice model. You can look at John Teresi's build journal on this forum for tips on going all-out with touches that can't even be seen, from the heart of an extremely dedicated and talented builder.

Beautiful work in every detail. But is that awesome paint black or green? My monitor makes it look dark green.

I would like to know also if there are any differences between the original 1:12 kit and the recent reissue (but I'm not going to pay $140 to find out - or even half that). My guess is that the only difference is the license plate/chassis number, in order to avoid any property rights questions with the current owner, Ralph Lauren (or could it be an Airfix ploy to sell more kits? - "Hey, don't you want another team car, #9, to go with your #8 car?"). The new box art shows the Flying B badge in the correct, higher position, but I think the art is a combination of what's in the kit and what a 1:1 looks like - those definitely are not kit wire wheels on the box. New box art below. Check the link that Casey posted above for more discussion, and Matt Bacon's link shows a terrific 1/24 build by his daughter. 1/12 - 1/24 comparison here: http://gregers.7.for...opic.php?t=2056

If there isn't a desire for a good 70 Charger, why do I see so many threads criticizing all existing kits of the same era, including those by Revell?

I think it takes a lot of guts and a vision to do that kind of precise decal work and add weathering. I salute you.

I've downloaded some of their instructions from modelmotorcars.com as reference for my 1/16 kits including vintage Rolls and Mercedes, and they seem to stop short of showing final assembly, such as mounting the body to the chassis. Is it this way on the hard copy?

Read it and weep. http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2012/07/barn-finds-year-in-review-of-whats-been.html

I'll go with real.

And you can get a lot more help if you make the title of your thread more specific. "Help!" is a loser. "Funny car plumbing and wiring" will bring you better answers faster.

PLEASE show us some images of your build.

I have never felt happier about my work than when I recently posted a very old build of my 1:12 Bentley and got a lot of kudos and encouragement. I would be happy just to get some nice comments on this forum, judged by a jury of my peers. I think that's what Ben just said. But in general, I would encourage our members to make constructive criticism of the builds they see on this forum as they see fit, with a little less rah-rah. We are loaded with members who know tons of stuff and can help people get better. Talk about the good, but offer critical opinions if you think they would be helpful. That's the nice thing about the forum that you don't get in contests or the magazine - the give-and-take discussion.

The case is excellent. The models are even better.