Erik Smith

Agree about kit "glass" - carbs and undercarriage details are often hidden and many times never seen by anybody but the builder. Glass, though, plays a huge part in a kit looking either like a real replica or a toyish representation. The Lindberg '64 Dodge kits are great - until you see the thick glass... The bad part about thin, clear glass? It breaks. I have a few Tamiya kits with broken windshields. Revell '66 Impala has nice thin hlass too, and one I bought already had a crack. So there are trade offs.

I am no expert, but I really think washes are important for realistic looking models. I have done quite a bit of "looking around' too, to see what works, etc (look at military modelers, they are stringent when it comes to realism and have, IMHO, a better grasp of the wash thing than most auto modelers). Here is what I have learned: 1. A dull paint will hold on to more of the wash and give the piece and overall darker hue - too dark for many instances. It works best to apply washes to a glossy surface and then add whatever sheen you want after. 2. Totally dpends on the situation and the look you are after. I apply to the whole part if I am looking to change the entire part and include crease shading. I will carefully apply only to the creases if I am trying to keep a cleaner, "new" look - but avoiding that lack of depth no wash leaves. 3. I dab excess off while the wash is still wet. It becomes tricky to remove once it's dry because you have to keep paint compatabilities in mind. What I mean is, if the base coat you are placing the wash is removed with the same thinner you are removing the wash with, you will ruin your paint - which I have done. I mostly use water based washes from Citadel - the black, mud, and sepia being the most used. On this chassis, I painted it with Tamiya spray then washed with Vallejo dark gray, then thinned out and "dabbed" (with a paper towel), to remove excess on the high spots to increase contrast. Here is close up of the rear end - I used Citadel black and sepia (two colors can add some great depth, as on the U joints) Here i just added light washes to creases (valve covers) and a wash over the entire bell housing to slightly chnage the aluminum shade from the transmission: It's really fun just to experiment! Also, check out some of Harry's work HERE - he uses a mix of cheap acrylic paints and Future. I have experimented with the technique and it gives a very nice subtle wash, although some of my acrylics don't seem to like to dissolve completely in the Future.

My daughters' high school has a pre-engineering program that runs all 4 years. They have 3D modeling, machine shop, 3D printers - WAYYYY beyond anything I could have imagined when I went through the same school 24 years ago. I argue every time somebody tells me that public education is a mess - my girls have learned way more and are considerably more prepared than I ever was, or am...in addition to the engineering program, they have a 4 year biomed program. I wish I could have had that level of education available to me for free when I was in high school - I had a t square, pencils, and one computer in my drafting and architecture classes.

Lame looking - yes. Easy to change ride height? Oh yeah. Drill a couple new holes and BAM! New look!

Good looking paint - I really like the color, very subdued.

Peel. I have purchased old sealed kits and they are usually in worse condition than open ones - broken parts, tire melt, etc. To me, I would rather buy and have a kit I can see.

There are so many that ARE, or could be role models, but those guys are boring and don't get 24 hour news coverage. I agree with Harry - this post went from 0 to 60 pretty fast with a lot of speculating and assumptions. As for the OP, I think it comes down to what people are willing to accept - and not the builder, the consumer. If everybody quit buying a magazine (or a model!) because of substandard material, that would either cause a change or no more magazine. If we accept, or are silent (a form of consent), than we are responsible. I think humility is needed in anything we do, and being open to criticism is a sign that, know matter how good you are (or think you are), you will never be perfect, so admit mistakes but grow from them.

Paint is as good - nozzles on cans suck. The PK can I have used end up getting a lot of build up on the nozzle and clogged.

Pretty much ditto what Rob does - I almost always leave the body for last because I constantly test fit for ride height and clearances and I know I would drop it and destroy the paint. I test fit "glass" and body chrome prior to any work on the body because it is really difficult to make changes too late in the building process. I try to get most assemblies of the same color assembled then painted - stronger bond and saves times - but I am not so organized that it happens perfectly. I also try to paint all parts of similar color at one time.

Welcome to the species called humans.

LFA Either way, lots of work...would be a cool model though. If you are interested, I may have body from the Tamiya LFA shortly...

FR-S and Z (pictured above) are the first that came to my mind... but it looks like all of them could be starting points...

I thought all finished models DID go in "under glass". The other areas are for WIP for specific genres.

More from the 71 Cougar above - from eBay Japan...looks like an interesting kit - I am not one to judge accuracy on a mercury Cougar though...

Ebay - and a thick wallet Very nice looking model!

Awesome work on the Civic

Welcome - cool to have somebody on the board that I had to Google to see exactly where your country is...glad your here Manny.

1957 Ford, Revell...

Great advice ^ Working pressure is what matters. Also, you can regulate pressure with the set up pictured - it has a bleed valve airflow adjustment below the water trap - similar to my Iwata compressor.

I agree - black washes add the scale shadowing 1:1 cars have that can't be seen on a scale car. Another great looking model so far...

Here is mine: 1966 Buick Riviera with a LS-9 tucked between the fenders.

Cool. Yes to sleeperball...I actually already have one Kit on hand and just ordered the drive train for it...

Agreed. Not a bad deal for one of the rarest models, really. I bid on a 63 Nova wagon earlier this week that went for about the same...

1/12 Doyusha Honda S800 Coupe

Beautiful model.