Harry P.

That's exactly what I'm asking... what does being a "friend" actually do? Anything?

But you can already send anyone a PM without being a "friend"...

I mean, specifically, being a "friend" by clicking on that forum thingie. What does that actually accomplish?

And what exactly does being "a friend" mean?

They are exactly that, bumper cars.

Great history lesson, Art!

Thanks to my buddy Skip (sjordan2) for these: Yes! They're street-legal!

That's ok by me! If you don't want to use an airbrush, that's your business. But I stand by what I said: there is nothing to operating an airbrush and getting good results that is beyond the grasp of any of us. There is no special innate talent needed, it's simply a matter of correct paint viscosity and correct air pressure, which can be learned, and correct technique, which can be developed through practice. If you can lay down a good finish with a spray can, you can do it with an airbrush. An airbrush is nothing more than a spray can that you have more control over. The end result–a spray pattern of paint–is the same, spray can or airbrush.

And with a little more experience and a little more practice you'll keep getting better and better!

Were they playing poker?

Good point!

He said he was using Humbrol acrylic paint. So why can't you spray acrylic clear over acrylic color? And I disagree with your opinion. Anyone can learn to use an airbrush successfully. It takes patience and practice, but nothing that any one of us doesn't have or can't master.

Bill's advice about testing first is good advice. Before you spray your model, test out the paint on a scrap body, or even the back of a white plastic spoon. You can lightly sand your already painted body with some very fine sandpaper to get the paint smooth, and respray a couple more coats of color over the top. I'm pretty sure your problem was that the paint was too thick (or your air pressure was set too low). Like Bill said... test spray first.

If the paint is grainy you probably don't have it thinned down enough. To get a shine, try spraying a few coats of acrylic clear after your color coats.

Remember when the first VCRs came out? They cost a bundle, but as time went on the prices kept dropping until VCRs were so cheap that it was literally cheaper to throw away a broken one and buy another than it would have been to repair the broken one. Same thing happened with flatscreen TVs, digital cameras, etc. Same thing is going to happen with these RP printers... it's just a matter of time. Who knows, maybe one day they will become so cheap that the average modeler will have one on his workbench.

Yeah, I know about the "motorizing mania" that Japanese kitmakers apparently all had. It makes absolutely no sense to me. A scale model kit is obviously not a plaything... so the motorized feature is just plain goofy. There had to be a reason, I just wonder what their thinking was. Ok, back to the original topic...

If that's the case, I have another question. Why? Why was it so important for the Japanese military kit makers to have their kits motorized? What's the point of a motorized kit? Were you supposed to build them and then drive them across the floor???

You're right. Both.

ok, boys, final vote: 15 REAL, 62 MODEL. You got it! It's a diecast model (but a really, really good one, I think!) Next ROM coming MONDAY!

The last Road Runner sold as a distinct standalone line of cars was the '74 model. In '75 the Road Runner became an option package available on the full-size Fury, and in '76 through '80 the Road Runner was an option package available on the Volare. So whether any '75 through '80 Road Runner is a "real" Road Runner depends on how you look at it, I guess. You could say that the later year RRs were "real" RRs, because they were... real! They were real cars that were really sold and you could really buy them. But they were not unique models; since they were option packages that turned another car (Fury or Volare) into a "Road Runner," I guess you could also make the argument that they were no longer "true" Road Runners like the '68 through '74 models had been.

Why are military models done in 1/35? How did that scale evolve?

If it won't stick there could be a couple of causes. First, BMF went through a period where their product was "improved" (their term, not mine!)... problem was, it didn't stick! No matter what you did, the stuff just wouldn't stick. If you are using old foil made during that period, you're pretty much out of luck, because the foil is junk and really won't stick no matter what you do. After everyone complained long and loud, BMF finally reformulated their product, and the new stuff seems to work ok. So if you're using a new sheet and it's not sticking, the problem could be caused by what you did to the body before you tried to apply the foil. Did you polish or wax the body before trying to foil it? If you did, that could be the problem, because some polishes have silicone in them and BMF will not stick to it. Also if you waxed the body beforehand, BMF will not stick to wax either.

Interesting. Thanks, Art.

It is annual... there's one contest issue per year. And unlike SA, who makes you pay big bucks for theirs, with MCM the contest issue is the same price as any other issue, and if you subscribe it comes automatically as part of your subscription. However, I do realize that some people are not too excited about contest coverage and would probably be fine if the contest issue went away and we just went with a "regular" issue instead, and ran contest coverage within the regular issues throughout the year. A topic for a forum poll???

I hope this isn't a dumb question, but it just popped into my mind. Back in the early days of the automobile, many cars came with polished brass fittings, radiator shells, headlights, etc. instead of chrome plating. Was the brass on these parts coated with any sort of protective clear from the factory, or did the poor owner have to polish all that brass every Saturday afternoon to keep it from tarnishing?