zenrat

Hah.Beat me to it Rob.

I only go with girls who are qualified engineers and experienced model builders. It's a lonely life... I rarely add the lower radiator hose as it's often not visible from above (rods excepted). I also never add the interior rear view mirror on closed cars. Lack of darkened panel gaps bugs me as does decals crossing said gaps uninterrupted and a failure to do anything with the window trim. All faults i've seen on a supposedly "Great Model" in the centrefold of a model car mag that rhymes with Ale Scorto. Uprated engines whilst retaining the original rear axle. And i'm surprised no-one has mentioned incorrect firing order. Rat rods in general also irritate me. Both in scale and in 1:1. However, the most glaring "error" is readily accepted by pretty much every builder - scale thickness. If we were really going for accuracy we'd be shaving down the edges of all body openings to wafer thin proportions. So much so that even breathing on the thing would cause it's collapse. And don't get me started on the thickness of the windows...

Superglue is also brittle and can't take the twist and shear forces that a good styrene cement join can. Forces you sometimes have to apply to get an interior tub into a body for example.

True. But actively discouraging someone entering their first show is a dogs act and is unnecessary. And to be clear, NNL judging is Modellers (or entrants if you like) choice (or at least it at the shows I go to). Peoples choice is different. It's voted for by the punters who come to look but don't enter.

Is it only me or does all this use of superglue take something away from the model building process? Maybe i'm old fashioned but I kind of like having time to set up and adjust parts and then leave them to set. It's part of model building in my book. Sure, i'll use superglue gel occasionally (wiring engines mostly) when I really need instantish grab and use a lot of 5 minute epoxy but I feel that for a good, strong structural join you can't beat styrene cement welding the 2 parts together. Even if it takes a day or 2 to set completely. Anyway, to answer the question. 5 minute epoxy on painted parts and Microscale Crystal Clear on "glass".

Winter actually. Winter solstice tomorrow. Went down to just above freezing last night but that's about as low as it gets round here. Currently about 60F. There's snow in the mountains now so the skiers head out of town at the weekend. I work in my shed heated only by a portable gas heater so shiny paint is out for a while. For me it's scratchbuilding season.

Don't forget their most important instrument, their Rivet Counter. Now. Lets discuss peoples choice awards. Biggest and shiniest with no regard for quality wins, right?

How about decorators filler (spackle I think you call it over there)? The stuff you fill cracks in walls with. You can mix the powdered stuff to a pourable consistency by using more water than recommended and it will still set. Then, skim over it with whatever putty/filler you normally use.

Acrylic paint should work although be careful of flexing the parts too much once they are painted as it might come off. Wash the parts thoroughly before painting. I paint white wall tyres with flat acrylics - enamels never dry on vinyl.

Well done those judges. Way to encourage Jason. D**ks I don't enter shows to win prizes. I go to shows to meet old & new friends, to spend money I don't have on kits I don't need and to look at models. I enter shows to show off the models i've built since the last time I entered that show. If I win something it's a bonus. If I don't I'll still go home satisfied if I had a good time. I don't enter IPMS type shows as a judge isn't necessarily a builder. NNL shows are judged by the entrants and those are the people I want judging me. Back to the original question though. Jant - it's the non-gloss black. It always looks too much like you took the easy way out and just blew over it with a rattle can (I have been known to wax flat or satin black - it gives it enough of a sheen to look like you took much more effort) However, if that's what you wanted then who are they to tell you otherwise. It's your build. Your vision in your head. Now that vision may seem to be be horribly warped and twisted to "normal" folks but you owe it to yourself to stick with it and not cave in to their way of thinking. You won't get a prize but so what. What do they know anyway. Pah! Prizes? We don't need no stinkin' prizes...

Blue tarp restrictions?

Or, as it says above a good soak in brake fluid. Depends what sort of day you've had...

As hot as it needs to be. Depends on the resin. Start with water from the hot tap, if that don't cut it then boil the kettle but don't pour boiling water over the resin. Pour it into a jug, let it cool a while and dip the part. If that don't work boil the kettle again but let it cool for less time & so on. Trial and error but working from the cooler end of the possible range so you don't cause worse warpage.

Wow!

I went years ago. The high points were glowing discs as they braked past the fairground at night and running into Derek Bell on the ferry on the way home.

Hot water.

Now that ones too big...

Or 2 kits and make them the ultimate glue bombs...

Yep. BMF is thin enough to hide the edges IF you put enough paint on, but it is always better to trim back to the edges of the script. And I polish the paint off the top of the script. I don't fancy taking a thinner soaked cotton bud to fresh shiny paint. I have seen a body masked and the trim alcladded and it looks superb. Heck of a lot of work though. And while it is possible to make your own BMF using cheap foil (or foil from chocolate bars) and spray glue life is just too short to bother.

And it's the wrong scale.

Ultra Bright is too shiny in my book. But it's not that new. If it says "new" on it how old could your packet be? It maybe that the vendor has had it sitting around for ages and it's gone off. Try the "new improved chrome" and keep it in the fridge* as is suggested above. *I keep mine slid under the salad drawer where Mrs z won't see it and complain.

Awesome* brushwork Larry. To the disbelievers - repeat after me "I was wrong". It's not hard to do and will avoid a lot of aggro. *word used correctly for once - I am truly in awe.

But do they refer to themselves as Pro-Modellers? Can someone ask them? I like to think of myself as a Pro-Crastinator.

Make up a nice strong Caustic Soda solution. Let it cool before you put the body into it - water plus caustic soda is an exothermic reaction and can get hot enough to warp parts (don't ask me how I know...). Let it soak for as long as it needs, scrubbing at it every so often with an old toothbrush. Always wear gloves (I keep a box of latex ones next to the stripping bench) and goggles and when scrubbing with the toothbrush wear old clothes or an apron. If you don't wear gloves that soapy feeling you get between your fingers is the fats being dissolved from your skin...

Too right Tom. Putting it back onto the paper is as bad as scraping excess glue back into the tube.