Scale-Master

I thought that was question #472.

I have been watching this since last night... I see a lot of good advice being offered. As one who has offered advice to others, I have to admit to sometimes being a bit gun shy about doing so from being admonished for daring to constructively point out flaws in other people's builds. It does no real good to praise poor work, yet it happens all too often. How is one supposed to become a better builder when he is told what he is making is already good? What incentive is there if you are falsely told you are doing great? How many of us have seen a gushfest of praise for a model we clearly can see and know is sloppy? It may just be an innocent case of one builder's standards being lower, so he offers a complimentary post, or maybe he's buddies with that builder and is offering polite atta-boys. But another builder with higher standards may see the flaws and point them out constructively, and I have seen that person get jumped on for trying to help. The travesty is when the one trying to honestly point out the flaws and offer advice on how to improve is chastised (incorrectly) for putting down the builder or the model. That is just not constructive all around, and hinders the free exchange of good ideas and the possible improvement of some builders, new and seasoned. I have noticed some builders do not want to build any model the way it comes out of the box. That is fine, part of the lure of this hobby is to build what you want, customizing. But if the grasp is beyond the reach of the builder, do others owe that builder honest advice as to how to achieve the desired results? Sometimes this constructive criticism is met with an attitude of "it is good enough for me" from the builder. How are we to know if they are just putting it out there to show, or if they really want feedback? (Honesty or just ego stroking?) Point being, all we can or should be is truthful. And we should be allowed to share our opinions without fear of being shouted down for them if someone else simply has a different viewpoint. I have seen a nice trend of threads like these running their course without a lot of drama, this looks like another one that should benefit from that attitude.

I keep finding myself back in this thread looking at that camper. You did a really clean job and truly captured the look and feel of it.

That looks nasty, I mean that in the nicest way... It is a shame to see a rare hemi Camaro in such a state of neglect though...

That's a clever trick, using the aluminum miter box as a jig. What a great idea!

Have you seen the ones that have visible engine details and interiors now?

I drew them. They are Auto Meter's.

The dash is painted and the toggle switches were made from sprue, the start button is a pin head. I decided to try chrome Mylar for the bezels instead of machining them. I think I’ll go back to machining for small items like these… Gauge faces and lights are decals I made.

Thanks guys. Yes, it has clear on it in those photos, (preferably the base color coat should be cleared in less than two hours from application). Since I am converting this one to Left Hand Drive, the dash needs to be reworked, well, it needs more detail too… Here is the stock kit RHD part. I sanded the ejection pin holes out of the “back side†which will become the new face. I drilled out the locations for the new gauges and some switches…

Some people don't care? Just a thought.

I think this one's busted... "Period." Now back to actually making something...

Interesting, thanks. What does it say about me if my PMT processor is less than ten feet from where I am sitting? And yes, let's get back on topic. Paging Andy... Inquiring minds want to know...

Got a bottle of it on my bench right now. The old plastic Pactra bottle, and it is still in really good condition.

I used printers ink to do the wood grain on my 1:1 Vista Cruiser. Shot it with automotive (of course) urethane to seal and finish it and did not have any running issues. But that was a good ten years ago, I don't know if today's inks will react as favoribly. What happened to our topic starter? I realize the thread has been running wide, but I still would like to know if he has any answers to our questions...

I have to second (or is it third by now...?) the super glue suggestion. By far the easiest and most consistent trick.

What paint works best with what clear coat? Answer: The same brand as the clear is a safe bet. I know enamel over lacquer is not good or is it different with clear? Answer: It is Lacquer over Enamel that is dangerous to the outcome. Usually enamel over lacquer is a non-issue. My two top choices are Testors and Krylon. I don't and will eventually buy Tamiya. Opinion: Of those three choices for gloss body painting, Tamiya is my first, Testors is second, and Krylon is not something I would use. (I do use Krylon for some non-body related parts.)

Can you get enough light through the vellum when exposing to burn a sharp edge to the screen for details? I would think the vellum would create a soft edge. Not that I intend to try, just curious.

I have done some screen-printing... I still have a stat camera to make the films. But for something so labor intensive, and somewhat cost prohibitve, why use it in this digital age for model decals? Oh, and the results in the home hobby realm are far superior with digital printing.

There was a similar product on the market years ago, it might still be around, Friendly Plastic. Neat product, but it did not do as much as I imagined or hoped it would, or at least to the detail I wanted. Stayed kind of waxy feeling too. Maybe this stuff is better...?

I have an Epson S60 with the DuraBrite inks. I have had some issues with them drying on non-porous surfaces. It can take days. Does the R220 you have use the same ink, and if so have you overcome that issue? Care to share how? And I too would like to know how you are laying down the white. Is it with the R220? Or some other process? If you are doing a tutorial it would nice to share all the pertinent info so it becomes useful to others, otherwise what is the point...? Your art looks very nice, but I think the majority of those following this thread would like to know how you print more than how to draw. Thanks.

Diplomatic, sense of humor, good builder. And there's a Seven in your collection. Seems cool enough to me...

I shot the body parts last night… Custom mix Dupont, Violent Blue Pearl.

As funky as these cars look, I have always thought they were cool too. Especially the ones (not this body style) that look like a sturgeon... This one is actually pretty tame or normal looking by comparison... It is also 1/43rd scale.

One my favorite LeMans racers. Classic paint scheme, unique styling... Older 1/43 scale resin kit. I had to make replacement decals for the flat black panel graphics, but basically an out of the box build.

Wow, I have never seen someone new to the hobby so well setup (and stocked with nice kits) before delving into their first model. Most people don't have the wherewithal to invest in a paint booth, let alone all the tools and paints before starting, let alone know how to use them properly. Can't wait to see how well this one (and your second build) will look!