Scale-Master

Does this help refresh your memory Harry? My point still stands, the driveline is certainly as visible (if not more so) as the parking brake cables. In fact many kits don't even represent the cables, but they all have differentials. Not trying to hijack your thread Ryan, keep up the very nice work on this one..

Great work on this Ryan. The engine looks ready for an NCRS show. Gotta ask Harry, why the change in viewpoint? The bottom of this Corvette is every bit as visible as the bottom of the '65 Coronet...

Absolutely. He was a client that I did work for and we discovered we shared a lot of the same interests. He is still a client and now also a very good friend. I have been friends with bosses too and never considered working for them without compensation.

Thanks a lot guys! I made the mirror mounts from aluminum rod. I did not miss-drill the holes in the doors to attach them. The real truck was that way back when I bought it.

Thanks guys. No problem Shaun, as long as you pay like my friends do...

Thanks guys. It is the 1/25th Revell snap kit. I painted the wheels with a semi gloss gray (RAF Aircraft Gray). Then I burnished/polished them with aluminum powder. I also did a very light wash to enhance the recessed details.

This is one I’m doing for a friend. I changed the wheels and tires from the stock ones that come in the kit. I cast some more wheel copies from a Camaro project I did a couple months ago. The tires came from the parts box, I sanded the lettering off and replaced them with decals I made. Since they were both taller and wider I had to cut the front inner fender wells out to make them fit, and to lower the car. I also notched the axle holes front and rear. The interior is just straight out of the box, but painted in non-stock colors. The body is Telephonica Blue, the decals are all custom made. So are the hood “vent” panels.

I made a pattern for the side rear view mirrors and cast a couple in resin.

I used to use Smooth-On, but had the same experience you describe. I now use products from BJB Enterprises. I use TC-5045, a platinum based RTV for my molds . The resin I use is TC-892. These materials are over two an a half years old and still working well.

I made a brass and aluminum master for the knock-offs and cast resin copies.

The method John describes above does work, but I hate burning styrene fumes. (Plus it's not the best for our health.) I'd suggest practice with different sprues first. Also the comment by Steve about letting it cool fully is important. I prefer a candle instead of a lighter for better control. I have a "sprue stretching candle" for a consistent flame.

Thanks guys. Being a So. Cal. truck the salty beach air (and the sun) did more damage than anything. All the time I had it we lived less than 5 miles from the ocean. It's not like one from an area that was exposed to salted roads. It did rust through the edges of the interior floor in front of the doors, (that's what floor mats are for...), but surprisingly not the fenders. The interior is mostly done; still a few decals and details to add. The seat had several Pep Boys cheapo seat covers installed on it. Where the foam padding wore out, I stuffed it with old towels. They were varying styles of southwestern patterns, whatever was in stock at the time. When one wore out, I’d put another on top of the others. It was a work truck and I spilled things while eating and driving. Plus the dog hair, oil, dust and whatever he tracked in. The dash pad saw a lot of sun; it cracked and peeled something fierce. The gauge and radio decals came from an IPMS Convention sheet I did in 2007. The steering wheel came from my Vega, still need to make the GT horn button… The Hurst T-Handle came from the same Vega. The driver’s door sill had the paint worn through from a left arm resting on it and it kept rusting. The floor mats were cut from photo paper; the real ones were just basic rubber mats, big enough to cover most of the rust holes.

I've been doing it for years with pretty good and consistent results. I have found that some plastics work better than others, and I've come across a few that do what the OP describes no matter the heating process. I'd suggest experimenting with different brands and colors of sprue. I generally have better luck with black, white and silver, red can be a little finicky. FWIW, Tamiya plastic works very well and is very consistent.

Thanks guys! It is up on its wheels. I’ll align the bed to cab better when I mount them to the frame. I added the rear license plate too.

This one was done in a similar fashion as the Skyline. I added some decal stripes and lights before distressing it. http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/2015/07/31/minicars-barn-find-hot-wheels/#more-41874

I made this Hot Wheels for a friend who liked what I was doing with my truck and had done to the Nova and Coronet I built as replicas of my cars. His idea was the race car had been parked after its final season and forgotten. Many years later it was “discovered” and had the dust brushed off and a new set of wheels & tires installed. Sanding and hand painting were about all I did to it. The only decals I added are the Goodyears on the tires. It will be featured in a two car set in an online article, so I can only share it here in our private forum. http://japanesenostalgiccar.com/2015/07/31/minicars-barn-find-hot-wheels/#more-41874

I work in brass (and aluminum or steel or bronze…) when it is the best choice for the parts being made. I do a lot of fabricating with styrene, but there are some parts that can be made better and sometimes even faster or easier in metal. As mentioned, the stability of metal is superior to plastic not only in larger sized parts, but in tiny parts as well. The frame on my Seven would never have worked (survived) if it were built up from styrene. In fact making it in styrene would have been unimaginable harder to do. It had to be brass, not aluminum, so it could soldered to as I went along. All the hardware and fasteners I make are done in aluminum; stronger and easier to maintain uniform tolerances than in styrene. Some builders like to showcase their metal parts by leaving them in raw finishes. I prefer to finish them to look like the real parts could have looked, sometimes that is raw and other times its paint or a dozen other options. Even if the metal part(s) can’t be seen they provide an often much needed strength and uniformity in scale that can be difficult to achieve with only plastic.

Thanks Guys! I added the decals to the windows of the camper and the screw details around the windows.

I do have photos I'm using for reference. I found a bumper from an old Revell Custom Parts for Vans kit and modified it a little to look like the one on the truck. I also made all the bumper stickers for it. Took me a lot longer to make them for this than it did to slap them on the real one… And one for the front bumper… The tire lettering and center cap decals have been applied.

The wheels have been cast in resin, painted and weathered. The tires are Desert Dogs that I sanded the lettering off of. The size and tread pattern is a good match for the Remington’s I had on it. I’ll add the sidewall lettering and center caps later.

If I build it, it will be for my friend who gave it to me. But I will check to see if he has room first. I've ready done a model of his Continental 737; he was the pilot that took delivery of the very first Continental 737, and the Minicraft kit builds it straight from the box. (With the Scale-Master decals...)

A friend of mine had to clear his attic for a new furnace today and found these four kits. He decided he'd never build them so he gave them to me. He used to fly B-47s and B-52s. He used to have a '63 Corvette and an early Pantera. I'm sure he planned to make replicas of his rides.

No, I sold it a couple years ago; for $300.00 less than I bought it for. It held its value very well.

Thanks Carl. All the windows have been installed…

I bought one many years ago, I still have it and rarely use it. I tried all the different nozzles and found it doesn't work very well for paint at all. Even when charged fully it doesn't spray for long as the material is depleted so is the pressure. So to empty the canister it needs to be recharged with more air pressure a couple times. The spray pattern and volume changes quite a bit and quickly. The best use I've found for it is for spraying cleaning chemicals/solvents. But even then it is a hassle to fill, charge, recharge & clean.