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I use the Vallejo Tyre Black, depending on the size of the window gasket, I either freehand it with a small brush or mask it off and then brush it on. The Vallejo Model Air is too thin for my likes, I think it's too opaque and can allow the underlying color to show through. That's just my 2-cents though!

The method that I have used for a long time is to replace the axle pin altogether with a 2-56 Allen Head screw and sometimes the appropriate washer. I start with a 2-56 X 1/2" Allen head screw, drill the hole in the pin location, which in most cases is just about the same, or slightly smaller. Next thread the 2-56 Allen head screw through the hole. Measure the needed length, mark and trim as required. Once the screw is trimmed and threaded back into the axle pin location set the screw in place with a dab of JB Weld on the backside. It only takes a tiny amount. Thread the wheel-back onto the 2-56 screw threads and Bob's Yer Uncle, done with a stable axle pin replacement. 2-56 Stainless Allen Head Screws are readily available on eBay for cheap, (I think it's the same size that Hot Wheels Customizers use to replace their chassis rivets. You could also use a 2-56 Cap Screw as well to get additional stability from the wider screw head. I have used this method on Ancient Screw Bottom chassis, Straight Axles - Recently the V8-60 chrome front axle on an AMT '25 T after seeing Dave Darby's Article in issue #221, AMT 60 Ranchero chassis, AMT 64 El Camino & Chevelle Wagon chassis, 60 Ford F-100 chassis and many other AMT chassis. It works especially well on the "Axle through the Block" type chassis, eliminates the nasty hole in the block and oil pan, your engine swap selection is greater. Totally eliminates those pesky oil leaks from the huge hole in the block onto your display shelf... LoL!!

I use *JTape Custom, which seems similar to the Tamiya or Washi tapes. It comes in a larger roll, multiple widths and is less expensive than the Tamiya tape. I've also used the blue vinyl masking tape; it's used in a lot of industrial manufacturing applications. The only drawback to the vinyl tape is that it's a bit more expensive than any of the other tapes, especially the usual run of the mill crepe masking tape, it tolerates elevated heat curing (like used in the powder coating processes). I still use rolls of crepe masking tape on the work bench, just don't use them for masking paint other than extending the masking out from the JTape. JTape Custom - WWW.jtapecustom.com U.S. Distributor Midwest Airbrush Supply - Midwest Airbrush JTape Custom The other thing to consider about any masking tape is the shelf life. Once unwrapped from its packaging and it's exposed to the air the clock starts ticking and the adhesive begins slowly breaking down. I remember reading something to the effect that 6 months to a year, depending on humidity and temperature variations (Airbrush Action Magazine). To counteract this to a point, all masking tape goes into a Ziplock sandwich bag then stored in a cool dry location in my paint cabinet. The other advantage of this is that the edge of the roll isn't picking up dust and bits off of the workbench which get transferred to the paint. The cleaner you are with every step of the painting process, the less you are going to have to work to get a great paint job! *Caveat - I have used multiple rolls of this JTape for models, sign work, automotive custom work, artwork - airbrush and watercolor painting - So this recommendation is from actual use versus secondhand recommendations, or a website said this is great stuff. (Manufacturer's websites are made to sell product, to let the consumer know what their usage characteristics are and can be expected when used as directed.)

What you are experiencing with the "old paints" lasting longer in the bottle than the new paints are the reformulation of the enamel paints to meet California air standards which the Federal EPA has adopted as well. Sometime in the 80's or 90's almost all of the enamel paints were reformulated, first they removed the lead, next they tweaked with the formulas and even pigments. Which is why it takes more of the newer paints to cover properly than it did with the old stuff in the 19 cent Pactra and Tester's paint bottles. I would also suspect that Tester's has reformulated their enamels once more, now they start setting up as soon as air is introduced to the mix. You also might be experiencing what Sign Painters refer to as "skinning" where the top of the enamel skins up in the container about 1/16" thick, if so, just cut through the skin, mix the paint below and use like normal. Worth a try to see if it works.

Fellow sign painter here apprenticed in the late 70's. Yes, you can reduce Sign Painter's One Shot Enamel with lacquer thinner to about a 50/50 ratio. You might even have some of the One Shot hardener in your kit, (I know I do). Reducing enamel paints with lacquer thinners by sign painters goes back to the early 1900's (and probably earlier) it's not a new idea. Sign Painters use lacquer thinner to dry quicker, smooth out the enamel's brush strokes and give it more sheen. MCW paints offers an enamel hardener (about 1 - 2 oz jar), which I've used successfully on almost all the enamels that I've got in my stash of model paint. So, I'm sure it will work with the One Shot as it's a straight enamel itself. One Shot sprays like any enamel, when reduced to the consistency of milk. Depending on your airbrush and air source/compressor, start around 15 - 20 psi either reducing or increasing air pressure as you go until you get the spray pattern you want. One Shot does make some really cool colors that you don't see in most ranges of model paints, only drawback is you either have to buy a 1/2 or full pint.

That's exactly what I use, probably have 9 or 10 full of small parts, both kit stuff and resin parts. Agreed, they are cheaper than anything else similar that I have come across. If you wait until around Christmas, those plastic Sterlite shoe boxes hover around a buck or two each, they go up after New Years for the organizing season. I use the shoe boxes for bagged parts, have one with complete engines alone, (plastic and resin), 1-quart Ziplock bags from Costco work, you can get some pretty big parts in them.

No, I line the walls and floor with white butcher paper which lasts a long time. The booth is vacuumed, then the filter cleaned out after every painting session. Prior to painting, the fan is turned on for an hour or two. This seems to pull any airborne dust into the filters before it would have landed on fresh paint. The cleaner the booth, the cleaner the paint is what I am finding.

Yes, you can, but you will need to step up to a good reducer and a flow improver along with priming and sanding the primer. The other thing is the cheap acrylic paints have some really wonky pigments in them. It's like they aren't ground uniformly or something, but they clump. The better craft paints have a greater pigment ratio to acrylic medium which gives you better coverage. Use a good acrylic airbrush reducer like Createx or equivalent to reduce the paint mixture to spray consistency, like milk. Experiment with the air pressure 15 - 20 PSI is a good starting point. Wear an N95 face mask when painting with acrylic paint, it's not so much the acrylic medium, but the pigments (you really never know what was ground up for the paint pigment. As with just about any paint system, the basis of good bodywork goes a long way to getting a smooth finish. After you get a decent finish you can clear coat with acrylic clear, acrylic lacquer automotive clear, or even 2K clear to get a real shine to the paint.

I use the alligator clips like everyone else and stab them into a chunk of Styrofoam with a chunk of modeling clay stuck on the bottom, keeps it from falling over with painted parts on it. Plus some 1/2" X 1/2" double back tape bits that I stick the part onto a wood coffee stirrer stick, works for me!

Dependent on size - Hardware organizer, Jewelry parts organizer from (Hobby Lobby they're Cheap), Stero Clear Plastic Shoe boxes for larger parts and assemblies everything in the shoebox gets bagged so it can be quickly found. Resin & 3D printed parts - R & M parts stay in the bag until used, stored in another plastic shoe box you can lay them on their side like a file card box. Photo Etch are in their bags on small pegs on cabinet doors. Tires - stored in another Hobby Lobby jewelry parts box. Doug Whyte did a YouTube video on Make Spare Model Parts Easier to Find which is pretty helpful to get thinking about storage systems.

This, plus - If I have a question whether 1K or 2K clear will work with the decals I use the "Title Strip" on the Decal Sheet (applied to a spoon, the one that I tested the paint and air pressure on). Title Strip = part number, what car it's for and who made it. That is if it is on decal film, if not then I use the "trimmings" off of the decals that are going to be applied since it's the film that might react Vs the ink which won't.

Thanks! Great idea, this one should be pinned right up there with the others. Those hex beads also work well with "rubber hose", or vinyl coated wire to represent the high-pressure fittings in use before braided stainless became cheap enough for the masses to use.

Almost looks like the time honored "Ace Hardware Recessed Firewall Kit". Since at least the early 70's when "Rod Action" magazine ran an article on recessing Model A firewalls with a wheelbarrow body. They even came up with a few suggested uses for the wheel and tubing that came with it. Smart idea! Your idea is great, it works exactly like Hot Roders have been doing for years, even before the introduction of the wheelbarrow. Guess it's one of those "Life imitates Art" things! LoL!

I vent to the outside in the winter, even in freezing weather. Setup is a window with a piece of Lexan window material as tall as the opening and about a foot wide with a dryer vent punched through it. I open the window slide the Lexan into the opening and close the window on that. Never had any issues with the room temperature being too cold the fan unit pulls air from the room and exhausts outside. I would be leery of the "bucket" filter that you showed, it defeats the purpose of using the spray booth to exhaust the fumes and particulate outside. I could see the room filling up with paint fumes pretty quickly with that type of unit. You might as well just spray into a non-running spray booth rather than filter through that "bucket". I saw one unit and I can't recall where I saw it. It pushed the vented fumes through water, then through a charcoal filtration layer and then through a third filter of wadded up towels and T-shirt material. It was said to remove "a lot of the fumes" but not all the fumes. If given the choice, I would vent outside no matter what the weather.

My typical acrylic cleanup, including Createx is isopropyl alcohol with a drop of dishwashing detergent. I use an Iwata cleaning scrubber brush, (a round hog bristle brush is a good substitute) then scrub out the gravity feed reservoir with the isopropyl mix, scrub down the tip and exposed needle. Finally flush with clean isopropyl alcohol. I don’t break the airbrush down but about every five or six uses (maybe once a week with daily use), finding little if any residue. If there is residue just scrub it away with a stiff bristle paint brush and Bob’s yer uncle. (Never, ever under any circumstances use any wire brushes of any type on an airbrush. It will scratch the finishes and certainly wear away the plating.) I use about the same process for cleaning up enamel and lacquer using cheap no name lacquer thinner to flush and scrub. As long as you are scrubbing the pot, tip and back flushing the airbrush, it should come clean no matter what material you are shooting through it. I’ve been using this procedure for over 35 years, it’s worked on all kinds of D/A airbrushes from cheap Harbor Freight to Paasche, Harder & Steenbeck, Iwata, Badger and a few other offbrand cheap Chinese copies and never had a problem. Keep the tip clean and you’ll have no problems. This is the way I was taught in production Sign Shops, where you take care of your tools (brushes, airbrushes, etc.) but don’t wast time doing so. From experience, the more the airbrush is broken down, the more chances you have of bending or scratching a needle, scratching a seal, gouging a tip or even losing a part in a moment of distraction. So I try to keep that to a minimum, then do the disassembly, inspection, cleaning and reassembly in a metal butchers pan lined with a blue shop towel or two to keep things slightly padded and wick away any remaining moisture. Most of the time breakdown is pretty much an inspection and lube with the manufacturer’s recommended lube. Keep your tools clean in the first place and you shouldn’t need deep cleaning. Incidentaly, I have a couple of ancient Paasche D/A brushes one from the thirties and the other from the forties that have been treated this way probably their whole lives, they belonged to sign painters before me. They both shoot like a new Paasche!

I’d third the simple green + dishwashing detergent soak overnIght, gets in all the nooks and crannies to allow mechanical means of popping the assemblies apart. Three methods I use, one has already been mentioned, the photo etch blades work. Really well. Second method is a dental cement spatula that I thinned down to about half its original thickness so it slides under things to allow a gentle pry. Third is a dental explorer, the needle like pick that the dental hygienist uses to drive you nuts as they are cleaning your teeth. An explorer can be used to pick at and pry on the ancient glue puddles, gently working them loose. I tried tossing a gluebomb into my ultrasonic cleaner hoping it would break the glue joints loose did nothing, but I did get a really clean gluebomb! The ultrasonic cleaner will take off chrome in under ten minutes in most cases, it also weakens the lacquer undercoating so it can be wire brushed off (that’s using the Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner mix). Ultrasonic cleaner also works great to clean up the mold release from resin cast parts and bodies, as long as the heat is kept around 50 - 70degrees F. I normally run resin parts in the ut cleaner for 5 - 10 minutes, I haven’t had any paint issues with any resin since I started using this method. I’ve also found that using a strong mix of the HF Ultrasonic cleaning mix will loosen and take off most enamel, lacquer, and acrylic paints in about an hour or so. Haven’t used purple power yet, as the HF cleaner is similar, the ultrasonic cleaner helps remove the paint and chrome by cavitation. Acrylic paint is no match for the ut cleaner, it just shreds it off completely in a little under 5 minutes! To demonstrate the effect of cavitation, put a sealed foil packet in the ut cleaner and the cavitation will erode right through the foil, it looks like it’s been dipped in acid [experiment right out of first year materials Engineering!]. Thankfully the cavitation has zero effect on styrene, so it’s perfect for dechroming. The vat on my ut cleaner holds about half a gallon and is large enough to hold a car body or two.

The “Parts Box” in Australia makes a wire reinforced true straight axle, plus some I-beam and tube dropped axles with the “Ford-Style” transverse spring. I think they have an eBay store as well. The only downside is shipping charges, so it pays to make a bigger order, buying ahead. If I remember right they also have a shipping and handling charge which is why I always do a bigger order.

Createx and other acrylic topcoats do not chemically bond with the primer (or plastic) basecoats, think of it as a "vinyl wrap" of sorts. Acrylic paints adhere to the basecoat by basically "shrinking" onto a slick surface, primer/plastic by evaporating and "shrinking" onto the surface. If that surface is too smooth, thinned, sprayed acrylic paint can actually bead up on the smooth surface leading to some really killer orange peel! Think of using acrylic glue, like Elmer's Glue-All (white school glue), if you place it onto styrene/plastic/primer or another slick surface, it will sit there and evaporate until its dry to the touch. Yet you can pick at the edges and peel the whole pool of glue off of the surface, the side "mating" to the body will be as smooth as the surface it was applied. Now try to give it some tooth to adhere to the surface, by sanding and you will notice bits of primer come off with the glue blob. The acrylic glue is pretty much a "really thick version of the acrylic paint", it needs tooth to adhere to the surface to stick. You are providing that mechanical bond by sanding the surface for the acrylics in the paint to "mechanically' attach to, they will never bond because there is no chemical melting and bonding of the topcoat on primer. Acrylic paints thinned and shot through an airbrush need a good toothy surface for a good mechanical bond, primer provides a good part of that, plus sanding the primed surface. Acrylic paints shot through an airbrush will also show sanding scratches if you use too heavy of a grit when scuffing the surface. I've used Red Scotchbrite pads or 800 - 1000 grit sandpapers with good luck, showing no sanding scratches and good mechanical adhesion. (I haven't tried using any of the acrylic primers, in part because the lacquer-based primers are working well for what I'm doing. There are some good YouTube videos out there covering the use of acrylic primers.) Bottom line, you should use a good lacquer-based primer to help smooth over the sanding scratches from the earlier body work. Then scuff the primer before shooting the acrylic paint over it. Hope this helps.

I usually toss treaded tires into a vibratory tumbler with a light blasting media, followed up with walnut hulls. The "sandblasting" media takes the shine off of the surfaces, while the walnut hulls clean the tire back up again getting the blasting media out of the tread grooves. Depending on length of time left in the tumbler you can get a used to a pretty well-worn look, could mask off the sidewalls to get a tread worn look with only slight sidewall wear. I suppose a rock tumbler with either a course or medium grit tumbling media would do the same thing. Could either do them wet or dry and see which cleans up better. Would recommend tumbling with walnut hulls to remove grit and lightly polish the tire. I have also used a fine steel wire brush (dry) to scrub the treaded tires, removes the shine on the sidewalls, treads and between treads with just a light scrubbing. Normally do this after spinning the tire tread against sandpaper or Scotchbrite pad. I've read and heard of others using just plain old Scotchbrite pad all over the tire to scuff it up, to remove the shine.

Yes, you are spot on with your modifications, the second view is what I was describing. Rephrasing the question; I wanted to make sure I was on the same plane you were flying on! LoL!! I thought that was your original meaning before it was taken to left field with all kinds of other examples (albeit good ones). Reminds me of college Mechanical Engineering, where we were exposed to numerous “Cut-A-Ways” of all kinds of mechanical assemblies. They are a great learning tool to assist the “non-visual” person to understand what the assemblies loomed and how they function. Looking forward to seeing your finished “cut-a-way engine”.

I think your question was, "What should go between the lower engine block and the base?". That is before it got sidetracked with the other details, right? This looks like a generic 4-Stroke Horizontal Shaft engine depending on scale could be used in applications such as a rototiller, mini-bike... Blending the engine block to the base would make it appear as one casting, so something needs to separate the engine block from the base. In the last pic that Bill added, it looks like they have used the base as a "fuel tank". Represented by the fuel cap. So, if your kit doesn't have a fuel tank would be a great, logical modification to the kit. The base itself is not a part of the motor, just a base. So, a gasket or other spacer such as something to represent a separation, or vibration damper, between the engine block and its base would look right. If you do this the round stock used to represent the rubber vibration damper could also cut away down to the bolt threads in at least one of the mounts to the base. In a lot of these applications a squared off or round washer goes between the engine and its mounting.

I’ve used the same type of guillotine cutter for a long time too. Never even come close to cutting anything other than the material intended to be cut! Cutting tools of any kind are only as safe as you make them. Think safety at all times whether it’s an X-acto knife or a Dremel with a saw blade spinning at forty-bazillion RPM’s, treating them all like they’re going to bite you is a start. You will only get bit when you’re either taking shortcuts, doing something stupid, or just plain let your guard down. You’re the one with the brain, you have the ability to think; where any piece of machinery can do neither! So plan your steps out ahead of time, it’s your responsibility to protect yourself.

If they are not prethinned, then yes you should be able to brush it on. You really should be asking this question to Model Car World, I’m sure they’ve done tons of product testing, enough to know what their products can and cannot do. Contact MCW and see what they say about it.

The Novus system is like for plexiglas, (i.e. plastics, acrylics). So I’d do the ore polish with the least aggressive polishing pads 1000, 1500, 2000… then move onto the Novus polishes

Dental tools! Its called an Excavator, the one that goosenecks into a thin flat blade on both ends, the blades are around 0.02” Thick X 0.05” Wide X 0.25” Long. I think they’re for carving fillings or wax carving. With a little light file work and a fine hard Arkansas stone you can work the very tip into a sharp hook-like profile. A lot similar to the profile on those Tamiya scribing tools for a lot less cash outlay. I especially like these because you can modify the tip and continue until the profile consistently works for you to route the grooves in the panel (lines). You will have to keep tuning up the profile with use as the dental tools are stainless steel versus a carburized steel, but for the cost I’ll keep tuning.