Scale-Master

That's pretty much the bulk of what I did too. Practice with different paints, distances, pressures, thinning... Just keep it dry. Thanks for the input!

The paint pen. It has to be a new unused, unprimed pen or else the foam is saturated with paint.

I thought it was part of an IQ test.

Years ago (about the time frame this truck is from) NOX was used to describe Nitrous Oxide injection systems that were made by another large performance company (other than NOS brand) that also made nitrous systems. I was implored by my contact there not to refer to their system as NOS, but NOX when I was building one of my Super 7s with replicas of their parts. While incorrect chemically, it is fitting for this build. Today that company uses the chemically correct N20 term or simply refers to them as Nitrous Systems. The Super 7 is fine thanks, why do you ask?

The foam is from a Tamiya paint pen. Has to be a virgin to sacrifice the foam, one per pen as I recall. As far as the booties for master cylinders (and oil breathers), you can try punching out donuts from the Styrofoam trays that come with many prepackaged foods. I like the dark gray that sometimes comes with beef and also mushrooms for air cleaners. Yellow comes with chicken, white with some beef, and blue also with some mushrooms. I make the punches from brass tubing. Using different telescoping sizes you can make a donut in one punch.

The distributors and plugs are wired... Note the extended boots to protect the wires from the rearward header tubes... Yes, two distributors, but only 8 plugs. Here are the air cleaners I made for the engine. The bases are machined from aluminum. The elements are real foam. Machined from scratch? OK. But the foam elements were sourced. Who would call them 100% scratch-built? And here they are installed... I would be glad to do a set of How-To's about texturing and washes. I'll see if I can dig up one of the older posts about washes. If not I'll have to write something fresh for both subjects.

Why not offer up the identities of these individuals? I for one would like to know who to watch out for at my show in So. Cal. this September.

My wife doesn't have a Cricut. She has an embroidering machine and I still have not found a use for it in my modeling. But Dave, you figured it out for the most part. I used a plotter to cut masks for the lettering and the birds. I did have to create the art first. Am I the first to do this? Do I get to claim I invented it? No Way! I played around and this happened. Just me without adult supervision... I'd offer a tutorial, but without the plotter/cutter I'm not sure it is all that pertinent. We all already know how to mask. Don't we...?

Thanks Marc, I have done live seminars and included that subject at IPMS shows, TamiyaCons and GSL, and I know at least once I went over it in an online forum (with pictures)as I used it on a BRE 350Z. That might still be hosted on this forum. But that technique was not used on the body. It was done with just several enjoyable hours of free hand airbrushing coupled with an occasional stencil used to "force" some edges.

The body is coming along. Most of the paint work is done. This is all paint, no decals (or dry transfers), but I did do some creative masking... Tamiya lacquers for the paint. It will stay matte sheen.

I'm not following, could you elaborate? Thanks.

The kit single 4BBL manifold was used as a base for an injection system. The big round plenum is just brass that was textured with that old non-invented texturing technique. It has a dual ignition set up. The distributors are machined from scrap sprue. It is also plumbed for NOX. The manifold is not scratch-built, just modified. The engine is still growing. The ignition wires are ready to be routed to the plugs. Then the air cleaners will be installed… And maybe then the intake will make more sense…

Thanks guys. I have been working on the wheels/suspension. It will get new wheels, and brakes. The kit exhaust will be modified or cannibalized, but I don't know for sure what will be the final outcome.

For wings on 1/43 scale F1 cars I use the CA to tack the parts together, then I reinforce the joints on the bottom with 5 minute epoxy.

The engine is coming together. A little texturing on the cast parts, a simple painting technique I figured out many years ago, as I’m sure many others did on their own, but certainly did not invent. I am keeping the oil sump system from the kit and doing some simple plumbing. The starter is also being wired. I machined the adaptor for the oil filter inlet from aluminum, but it’s not worth referring to as scratch-built…

Thanks guys, just a little something to play with, can’t seem to find large enough blocks of time to build anything serious right now. I only have the clear shot from the Morgan, not like I’m sacrificing anything of value.

I started with a R/M Chevy (Die-Hard in this case) kit. The headers needed a mounting flange; they looked anemic with no visible means of attachment to the engine. I also added some locating pins made of stretched sprue at the same time to make installing them to the heads easier. Holes were drilled into the outboard pipes to accept the sprue. The flanges are made of .015 sheet plastic. The one on top is assembled, parts for the other below. No, this is not considered scratch-building… Here the pair is with paint... I sanded off the molded in grille vents from the bumper/air dam and made receptacles for a pair of HID lights with brass tubing. (A lens is in the drivers side hole in this photo, from a Tamiya Morgan kit.) Still have to make the reflectors, maybe from scratch, but still not what I’d consider scratch-building… The fan belt/pulley set is one piece, all it needs is some detail painting (and a little pin vise action...). Yep, just out-of-the-box for this part… More as it grows…

That's odd, they fit fine on mine, using the PDP body, almost 15 years ago.

Nice. It's great to see this era of cars built up. But the Keith Black and Kendall decals should not be overlapping the panel graphic.

This is one of those "sleeper" models. Looks nice but not a lot of gotcha from across a room. But does it ever suck you in once you start looking. One of the best Woody models I've seen, maybe the best stocker. The wood is amazing.

He bought something he already invented? He should sue the perpetrators! Oh, I would love to see the swearing in for that litigation…

Gee George, Your rant calls out types of builders here as the problem, but ironically the list includes “Build for profit “. Are you including Dave in that? Sure you want to offend him like that? After all he says he was a “professional pattern maker for Lancerâ€, isn’t that the same as build for hire? Hmmm. If this Charger was only for you to see, why was it posted on the OPEN forum instead of a PM? Don’t let any facts get in the way, just have your rant, and be done with it, and as I politely asked earlier and you ignored, again please don’t stir the pot. BTW, I think you might have to apologize to THD for that rant. There's a smiley face to make all nice. But where’s the smiley with a lock?

Really Dave? This is why you came back here? Runs awfully counter to your earlier unfulfilled claims of wanting to share techniques and help other builders. The “accomplishments†you list or aspire to are nothing to be proud of.

No problem Dave, you obviously know me, always trying to do what’s best for the hobby. But why are you coming forth now with this info after all the hub-bub a few months ago? Wouldn’t it have been easier to answer the questions then? Any of them? And why are you now not claiming to have INVENTED it? What changed? George, you do not need to stir this pot.

Does this mean we’ll finally get the answers inquiring minds wanted to know? Tune in and find out! Same Bat time, Same Bat Channel!