Chillyb1

Wow, Tom, you really did do some shopping. Looks like a really nice haul.

That is very nice, indeed. I really love this car and will someday build this kit. Your paint and decal work look spectacular. I like the front end work you've done though I'll never understand the modeler's impulse some of you have to make more work for yourselves!

Tamiya's white primer is my preferred primer and I'm sure no one will contradict me when I say it is at least one billion times better than Model Master white primer.

You can, of course, because it is formulated for hobby use. However, you'll find out sooner or later that it is the worst primer on planet Earth!

Looks like a great project. Good luck with it. Are you going to make the luggage, too? By the way, as coincidence would have it, I finally got both "Animals" and "Vol. 4" on compact disc in just the last couple weeks.

Sorry to hear about Jerry's fate. But I know how you feel. I've had Xerxes since the day he was born. His mother was a neighbor's cat that stayed at my house all day and then would go home at night. She gave birth in the bushes behind my garage and that's where I found her with the six new kittens. The other five found homes elsewhere after they'd all been weaned. Those ten weeks or so with all the kittens around were a blast. Two siblings lived at the neighbor's for a couple of years and they'd come over every day to play with Xerxes and to take naps. My other cat, Bella, was a rescue kitty. She was out on the road in front of my house trying to cross it but her hind legs didn't work and she kept falling down, which is what caught my attention when I went to close the drapes and happened to see her. She was between two and three months old then and now she's nearly two years old. She regained the use of her legs pretty quickly but control over, ahem, bodily functions took longer. And I'm glad every day that I found her and that she's part of the household.

I'm sorry, Tom, but that's the single ugliest cat I've ever seen.

Tamiya.

The illusion of disproportionality is probably created by the different wheel sizes, large in front and small in back. That combined with the fact that it is short, tall, and narrow accentuates the misperception.

The compressor, as mentioned above, is the easy part. There are plenty of options for small compressors with a two- or three-gallon tank that will suit your needs. I currently have a Craftsman but used a Campbell-Hausfeld for several years. The airbrush, on the other hand, will elicit a wide variety of responses and suggestions, and will probably result in rancorous and indecorous fightin' words being exchanged. So I'll start! People experience these kinds of things differently and as a consequence have different advice to offer. When I got back into modeling as an adult, I bought a Badger 350 kit that included several paint jars and a color cup and one of those tiny little air cans. I fell in love with airbrushing upon first use. The air cans are useless but the single-action, external-mix, suction-feed brush served well for several years. I grew restless with the limits that airbrush imposed. With a Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon in hand, I bought a Paasche VL and have never been happier. So, my opinion is this: Get a dual-action, internal-mix airbrush. Whether it is suction feed or gravity feed is a matter of preference, I think. The ability to control both the quantity of paint and the air pressure while painting is invaluable to me. If those are features you'd like in your airbrush, then get a Paasche VL or similar airbrush and you'll be happy and contented while slinging paint.

Excellent job! I love how they turned out.

Always glad to be of help.

Yes, something went wrong. In my experience their polished aluminum comes out almost looking the same as their chrome. Also in my experience it is much easier to work with than their chrome; it is almost foolproof. And that's not an insult. I can't think of what might have gone wrong. I've never had humidity or any other atmospheric/meteorological conditions affect the results with polished aluminum. I know that's no help, but my response is intended to accentuate the anomalous nature of your experience. I do hope someone here might have a clue. Maybe you should just try it again and see what happens. Bigjeff posted before I finished, but I will contradict him: you should be using the gloss black base with the polished aluminum.

This is my all-time favorite kit. I can't believe Tamiya reissued it. I've got a bunch in the stash that I've been accumulating via eBay and even in the occasional hobby shop. Can you show us what decals come with the reissue?

Well, not completely incoherent. I want to respond to this but am too tired at the moment to give you a comprehensive answer. So, a partial response now and a more complete edited version with illustrations later. First, I think very few automobile modelers use acrylics for bodies. I'm sure it can be done but I can't think of a single post championing acrylics in that capacity. That said, I use lacquers almost exclusively for bodies: either Tamiya's TS series or some Plasti-kote or DupliColor automotive lacquers. I use Tamiya TS paints for almost everything else as well. Testors/Model Master metalizers are essential, in my opinion, for simulations of various metal finishes. I love Tamiya acrylics for interiors and for weathering. I prime everything. For bodies I use Tamiya's primers in either gray or white. For small parts I like to use Color Place gray or flat white primers because they are only about a dollar a can and they go on in really light coats. I HATE the T 235 primer mentioned above twice already: for me it goes on way too heavily and you have to sand way too much after it dries. The process I use from body prep to final polish is mostly as above. I play it by ear and sometimes skip this or that step. I don't feel it is necessary to do everything every time, though some modelers are more comfortable with that. I prefer Tamiya's TS 13 clear but it has become a rare commodity. I've used Tamiya X 22 clear acrylic with good results but need to experiment more with it before it becomes a regular thing for me. And some paints require neither clear nor polish.

Welcome to the forum and yes, your English is fine. But we'll need to see pictures to answer your question. By the way, here's what my 959 looked like:

Here's Xerxes the Magnificent trying out a Tamiya box: And he's not a boxsteader (yes, that's the correct term). Being in boxes or other locations with all sides covered from attack is something all cats seek to some extent. Female cats are more prone to the behavior because they have to give birth to and then protect their kittens. Oh, and I just flatten my old boxes and put them in the recycling bin.

Yet another really cool vintage racer. Now I'm going to have to go check out your other posts to soak up more of the 60s stockers.

That is spectacular. I have a couple of the Tamiya 1/35 kits and hadn't thought of building one as a postwar truck. Great color combo and details. I love it.

I love the concept of this thing. I was a fan of Dark Shadows (only in syndication; I was too young for the original series) and even had the soundtrack record I'd found in a thrift store for $0.79 (I can't find the symbol for "cents" on the keyboard; do we even have that on keyboards anymore?). Anyway, the idea of this vehicle in Barnabas Collins's possession is just preposterous. Still, I love it. This is a recent reissue, no?

Do not despair. The belts and buckles and other pieces do fit together. These are my favorite pe belts because that material, after it is painted, looks more realistic than anything else I've ever seen. Much patience is required and you need the right tools, too. Self-closing tweezers are a big help. This Xuron tool is also very useful: I use the Xuron cutter to trim a small triangle off of the end of the belt that is going into the harness buckle so it goes in easily and folds under itself and can be seen after you've installed the parts. I'll try to find pictures of models I've used these on if I can.

That is, indeed, a very cool build. I'm assuming you shaved off the wipers? I've been working on vintage stock cars for a guy in Australia who collects old slot cars. He sends me the bodies and decals and I paint and decal them. Anyway, most have been from this era. I love the look of these cars.

Complete with Holy Grail, too.

Of course it can be used for paints and kits. I've done so about a million times.

Robert, your modeling skills have really improved in the last couple of years. I'm glad you've stuck with the hobby. I'm looking forward to your next build. The subjects you choose are unusual for this forum and they are always cars I want to build. Congratulations on a job well done.