shucky

Out of control awesomeness!!!

Mark ... AWESOME! Not sure what else to say lol.

John, I've been quietly watching with interest and as usual your doing an amazing job so far. I'm always so impressed at how much you accomplish in such short periods of time. I also appreciate the fact that if you do make some small error or mistake (which normal folks wouldn't or couldn't see anyways) that you normally will mention it and just move on. As in, this is still a hobby, and it IS supposed to be fun after all. As long as you the builder are happy and satisfied with the build (and good enough for the girls you go with lol) thats all that really matters. Most of us really appreciate your being here and sharing your wonderful builds with us. I've been a fan of yours for years and I'm really glad you keep on doing what you do. Just needed to say that. Build on!

Model companies (especially of the Asian variety) are most certainly using 3D printing technology for their prototypes. For that purpose, this technology is absolutely fantastic.

Not sure what this means or who it's intended for, but I'm probably on the younger side of those who are members here and fairly up to date on the "tech" side of things. Let us know when those injection molded like-quality 3D parts are printed on your coffee table for pennies on the dollar okay? Lol.

Same old thread and same old hype. I completely agree with Casey and Pat as well. I'm intrigued just as much or more than some of you but some of the claims and speculation / direction of the hobby and future production of kits is just unrealistic to say the least. It will be a very long time before a 3D printed part can match the quality of an injection molded part, especially in 1/24-1/25 scale. It will be an even longer time before a home 3D printer can poop out those parts of that same quality of an injection molded part at an affordable cost comparative rate. And no one seems to mention what it's like to even work with the printed media. It soaks up primer and paint, it's brittle, has limitations with acceptable glue, etc. Some day cars will have no wheels, they will float and hover and be propelled by a yet undiscovered propulsion method. That day is not tomorrow, not next week, and not next year. And neither is 3D printing at home with superior high quality at an affordable rate. Some of you will be dust in the wind before this happens.

You can simply dust the powder on the mold using a paint brush and shake out the excess. Again, keep it simple. Alumilite white is extremely thin and flows exceptionally well. I recently used Alumilite white that was two years old without any problems whatsoever. Any time I open a fresh batch of resin containers I remove the caps and wrap the threads with Teflon tape. After each use I also cover / wrap the tops with aluminum foil tightly pressing it all around the cap. These steps will increase the shelf life of your resin without going the extra step of an additive.

Looks awesome! Love the colors.

Blair, I see you have the Pegasus wheels and tires but the wide whites are not the normal tire that comes with those rims. Where did you get those?

The one that got me back into building a few years ago. MkII GTI with kit bashed 1.8T conversion.

Jason cool model and the 1:1 is simply stunning.

The most amazing Fiero I've ever seen. Excellent work!

Joe, sent ya a PM. Thanks.

Fred I've so been waiting for these updates! The wheels are beautiful and that's the finest Procharger install I've seen to date. This is going to be a killer build. Outstanding work Fred!

Another awesome build! Looks great and the weathering you do is always incredible. Nice job!

This is an interesting thread. The original question was vague, but based on all of the replies it proves there are endless opinions from those who have tried their hand at resin casting. It is just "my" opinion, but many people who venture into resin casting overly complicate the matter and make it far more difficult than it really is. But, because resin casting is still somewhat a "taboo" subject where people who do it extremely well are not willing to share their success stories, procedures, and trade secrets ... we wind up with the wild and varying opinions as noticed here in this thread. If I were to give tips to a beginner (or anyone who wants to cast better cleaner parts) - 1) USE mold release (Price Driscoll comes to mind). This will help your parts pull cleanly and effortlessly from your molds as well as protect the longetivity of your molds. A top shelf mold release is not greasy (READ do not use petroleum jelly!) I cannot believe articles in recent mags published recently even suggest it. I use a paintable mold release which means you do not even have to soak your parts prior to painting. Why anyone would choose to not use a mold release is beyond me. A quick spray every 3-4 pulls will keep your mold in tip top shape. 2) Use baby power to dust your molds prior to pouring resin. Why? It releases surface tension and allows the resin to flow where its supposed to. 3) HEAT. Yes pre-heat your molds to between 140-160F especially if they are very thin 1 piece flat cast molds. Why? Uniform heat throughout the mold will assist the resin in curing properly. The heat also helps the RTV releasing its oils and maintains the molds longer for storage, etc. I actually continue to heat my molds after resin is poured to speed up full cure. Makes demolding faster w/out distorting your parts. Some resin (Onyx from Smooth On does not like additional heat. It actually softens instead of hardens when addt'l heat is applied) Alumilite white loves heat and cures beautifully using this method). 4) This is just "my" opinion. Legos stink for mold boxes. Why? They leak most of the time. Why build a mold box from 20-40+ pieces of plastic (legos) only to have to seal the inside of the box prior to pouring rubber? Again, this was recommended in a recent article and I'm surprised people still do it. Simple way? Express mail boxes from the post office. They are FREE thin cardboard. These are excellent for most smaller mold boxes. You simply cut a length of it, bend at the corners, secure with double sided clear tape and you have a mold box in about 30 seconds. You'll simply use a bead of clay to secure and seal the mold box to your work surface and you have a clean, neat, and leak free mold box in a fraction of the time it'll take to make one from legos. Foam board is also excellent for mold boxes if your looking for something larger / more sturdy. Cut a long strip with a razor blade, score the outer paper layer on the OUTSIDE at the corners, snap at each corner inward, secure with double sided clear tape, run a bead of clay, mold box in less than a minute. Sealed, strong, clean, cheap. 5) Pick a resin that will work best for your application(s). I love quick curing resin for doing small parts and multiple molds in an assembly line type way. Unless your mixing a huge batch or pouring a huge mold that will require more time, there is just no need for longer slow curing resins. I like to belt out parts as fast as possible. So here you should pick what will work best for you and what your doing. Remember very small batches for small parts do not have to be mixed forever and do not require the recommended mixing time. Good luck to whoever reads this. These are my opinions, yours may clearly differ.

So where are the pics?

Steve awesome work as always. I've been following along on your FB page. Neat idea using the acrylic paint like you did to create the tuck n roll inserts. Wonderful!

More products for me then

Saying that "everything" MicroMark sells can be purchased elsewhere is a very broad statement and wholey untrue. While some of their stuff is rebranded items, many of which are made in China, their products do seem to be a bit better quality wise than their no-name counterparts available elsewhere. Further, MicroMark has a huge array of unique items NOT available anywhere else including car shows, swap meets, and flea markets. I agree however, that since they do have very attractive sales throughout the year there is no reason to pay their full asking price if you want something, just simply wait for the sales to pop up to place your orders. I'm a huge fan of MicroMark and do not think people should be discouraged from ordering from them simply because of the negative comments made here.

Looking great Tyrone, I check back on this thread quite often. Nice progress!

Ray both look great! What kind of wheels and tires are on the hauler?

This one is on the wild side Doctor! Looks rad. Can't wait to see what the good "Doctor" is cookin' !!!

Fred and Fred LOL both super nice builds! Awesome job.

Looks great Fred. Wicked cool color and nice wheels.