joemac

Thanks for the reply. I figured I might have to resort to kitbashing, which I don't mind. Here are the two trucks.

You puts your stuff on the Interwebz, you'd better be ready for criticism. Happy New Year.

Lacquer thinner, followed by good old dishwashing soap and water. I still have brushes I've had since I was a teenager and I haven't been a teenager since I was, well...in my teens.

We used to make our own, using black pieces from sprue trees. Holding a piece about three inches above a candle flame, the piece is pulled apart, like with a piece of silly putty. The faster you pull, the thinner it gets. It makes a great whip antenna if the end is held near a flame, which makes it ball up. Since it's styrene, it's compatible with the parts you're attaching it to. It can be shaped as desired by slightly warming it up again and manipulating it. Doncha just love manipulating things? DISCLAIMER: This post is NOT a "how-to". I'm only relating what I have done. If you burn your house or garage down because you stole my idea, you're on your own. I will assume no liability for you stealing my method.

Spray carburetor cleaner through the nozzle, using the 'stick' that comes with the carb cleaner. The 'stick" fits into the stem of the nozzle and it works like a charm, although I have my doubts that a charm would actually work. WARNING: wear eye protection. This stuff stings for a while if you don't. Don't ask me how I know.

You're trying to carefully touch up that tiny goof, or it's time to insert that one-chance-only part, and you're afraid to mess it up. Everything else is going so well and you're extremely satisfied with the results of your efforts. You really feel like you can't make a mistake with this, which only increases your anxiety, causing that normally sure hand to start shaking. A trick I picked up from my dearly departed father was to hum a tune while you do the job. The humming automatically helps because it requires controlled breathing, which is an enormous aid when attempting something delicate. Try it, it works. Just pay no attention to that laughter from the next room.

Having been away from the modeling world for a while, I'm out of touch with what's going on these days. Are there any decent sources for older truck kits? I'm hoping to build two models of fire trucks: specifically, a 1936 Ford one ton closed cab, and a 1937 International D 30 open cab. 1:24 or 1:25 scale would be ideal. I don't mind fabricating or modifying, in fact, I look forward to it. I've listed this in other fora, as well, hoping someone knows something. Thanks in advance.

Fourteen errors, just so you know. I'm finished, now.

Hey, I'm everyone's friend. Are you still typing in a hurry? Please don't try to inform me of my behavior or motives. If I were going for insults, you would know it. I wasn't. ********************************** I think that the smoothness of the surface is more important than the degree of gloss, as it is the imperfections that detract from the realism in miniatures. The lighting can also make or break the illusion being sought. I think cured enamel and lacquer that have been polished lead to more realistic finishes than the wet look of urethane. A couple of mill of clear on a scaled-down model would be half and inch thick on a 1:1.

Hmmm... We don't know each other, so you won't know for sure that I'm not being condescending or mean-spirited when I say this, but you are coming across like a meat-head. I'm not calling you names, but pointed something out, based on my observations. Since no one else will tell you, I will. You are trying to argue with several individuals who obviously have far greater knowledge and expertise in matters of airborne coatings application and who also have a firm grasp on the use of English and grammar, with impeccable spelling and punctuation, I might add. You stated, "...im always outside and being carefull (painting away from the wind, and when it starts smelling strong i stop until it goes away) so i dont have a problem,...". Ignoring the rampant misspelling and flagrant lack of punctuation, let's focus on the admission that you stop when the smell becomes too strong. That means clearly, beyond all doubt, that you have inhaled the stuff! I beg you...please stop using urethane. And please, learn to spell. Thank you. Your friend, joemac

This is going back a few years (decades?), but we used to touch up chrome pieces by covering the offending area with foil. Chewing gum foil is what we used, after burning away the paper. It is much thinner than standard foil, and it's easy to find. Just cut a small enough piece to cover the scar, glue it on and the polish it after the glue is dry. I remember having great results. We even used to fabricate our own parts out of the sprue trees and foil-coat them. I remember a Corvair Monza kit that had a bumper that the chrome plating was missing on one end and we just covered the entire bumper with foil.

Just remember that enamel will work over lacquer, but not vice versa.

Hi gang. New-B here, who's been out of the model building hobby for a while. I want to build a scale model of a couple of old fire trucks, namely a 1936 Ford closed cab and a 1937 International open cab. I'm not particular of the scale, although 1:24 or 1:25 would be ideal. I don't expect to find exactly these trucks as firetrucks, but I wouldn't mind finding something that I can modify. I'd prefer resin kits, but die cast would work if I can't find resin. Thanks in advance for any leads. This seems like a decent crowd here.

Dollar Tree has this yellow stuff that comes in a spray bottle that is every bit as effective as any of the purple/green cleaners. It's only...get this...a dollar! Much cheaper and, you get this nifty plastic spray bottle that will hold up to years of use, the best I've ever used. It's called, "Simply Awesome".