Harry P.

It's a challenge. There are a LOT of pieces, and many of them you have to make yourself. They give you the raw material, you have to cut, shape, carve, bend, etc. to make the finished part. But it sure was fun!

Here's my "King of the Mississippi" paddlewheel steamer by Artesania Latina. This is the kit: And here's what I did with it: I went "rogue" and laid the floor planks in a herringbone pattern on the upper deck, contrary to what the instructions instructed me to do: The twin spiral staircases were a pain... you have to soak the pieces in water to soften them up, then bend them around a form of the correct diameter, then let the curved pieces dry, then assemble the staircases. A major PITA, but they turned out ok: The balusters are photoetched brass, I added the round caps on the handrails (they're actually map pins): And the "business end"... This was one of the most enjoyable model projects I've ever done. Working with wood (instead of plastic) was a terrific change of pace, and after I finished this one, I was so stoked that I bought several more wooden ship kits, including the Santa Maria (which I will photograph and post sometime soon).

Of all the work by you that I've seen so far... this is the best yet! I love all the little things... the wrench pedals and door handles, the bullet holes, the steer horns, etc. Also love the sweep of the headers and how they relate to the intake stacks. It all works. (except, of course, for the suspension!!) 10+...

Make that 1,000 times, just for being a wise guy!

Nice! I like the "realistic" version of Rommel's Rod.

Worst fitting kit? Try a Pocher sometime.

It may only be a "small detail" but it adds a whole lot to the model. Nicely done.

All of us want the kitmakers to come out with what we personally are interested in, that's a given. I'm just saying that there's no reason that a 2-in-1 kit can't be done right. The fact that they usually aren't is a decision by the manufacturer based on cutting corners, based on the bottom line–not some sort of technical limitation. Of course the kitmakers want to make the most money with the least expenditure possible; hence the compromises of many kits. That's Business 101. Everyone understands that.

No inherent reason for that. It's corporate decision making. A 2-in-1 kit doesn't have to be compromised.

Lonesome Dave... Treehugger Dave.... now I get it!

No offense to your club... but if the club is telling you how, when, and what to build...is it still really your hobby?

Is it under Communist rule?

Wow! Real or model???

Ah, but at least it has rear view mirrors on both sides. I think a bigger problem is no wipers...

Much better!

That turned out really well! BTW... hate the type font you're using in your posts. Hard to read...

And of course there's always the PE option. Model Car Garage and others sell photoetched detail sets for many specific existing kits (including scripts and emblems), and also generic detail sets. If the model you're building has a PE detail set available, you could sand all the scripts and emblems off the body and then apply the PE scripts and emblems after painting.

That's really cool!

ALL one-part putties–those that you apply straight from the tube, no mixing beforehand–dry via evaporation; that is, the liquid (solvent) evaporates, leaving the solid putty behind. The problem is very simple: If the product hardens via part of the product "going away" after application (the solvent portion of the putty evaporates away), then obviously the putty will shrink as it dries, because it's literally losing a portion of its initial volume as it hardens. Plus, the stuff can seem fully hardened... you sand, prime and paint... and weeks or months later, when the putty has really totally hardened, you start to see evidence of the shrinking under your perfect paint finish. Too late to fix it now! ALL two-part putties (Bondo, to name one brand) don't rely on evaporation or drying. They actually cure via a chemical reaction between the resin (the "putty" part) and the hardener, similar to how epoxy cures. Two-part putties cure within a very short time "window," and once the chemical reaction has taken place, that's it. The putty is fully cured, will not cure any further, and since no part of the volume of the applied putty goes away (via evaporation, like one-part putties), there is no shrinkage, and no surprises weeks or months down the road. What have we learned, class? One part putties BAD. Two part putties GOOD. Class dismissed.

Real = the real car, or a full-scale recreation (kit car, "tribute" car, forgery, whatever). In other words, not necessarily a "real" original, but a real car. Model = scale reproduction (any scale smaller than 1/1).

Let's hope you don't find it...

Two ways to do it. A. Cover the badge or emblem with a piece of foil just slightly bigger than the badge or emblem before you apply paint, and burnish it down thoroughly. Then after you finish painting, you can use polishing compound to remove the paint that's over the emblem, revealing the foil beneath. B. Foil the scripts after painting. Cut out a piece of foil a bit bigger than the area you want to cover, apply the foil, burnish it lightly, remove the excess with a sharp X-acto blade and burnish with a Q-tip. You need a steady hand and a magnifier of some sort. Neither way is particularly easy... it takes practice, patience and skill to do it either way. Sorry... no easy shortcuts or tricks.

Windex window cleaner will work... although I don't know if the product is known as "Windex" in Australia.

Watch that front tire clearance...