Ace-Garageguy

Ebay, under model train lights, is an excellent source for this stuff. Here are just two of hundreds of examples. http://www.ebay.com/itm/10pcs-1-8mm-White-Waterclear-Lens-Pre-Wired-LEDs-Light-Model-Lamp-12v-USA-/111777495179?hash=item1a0675388b:g:7jkAAOSw9N1VvGHX http://www.ebay.com/itm/221091222300?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT You can get small, low current switches too. http://www.ebay.com/itm/161171611206?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT I also use a company called DigiKey Electronics. http://www.digikey.com/

Here's something a little earlier, in the same vein...(custom-bodied Horch 853 Sport Cabriolet)

Yes, I've used the online version a good bit, and it's pretty amazing...except for the syntax and context issues you mention...but still, it's a spectacular piece of work.

Yup, like those wheels a lot. These wildly over-styled things look great in red, too.

I have to agree with Oldcarfan above... Substitute a '26-'27 body shell in the current '29 kit (instead of the '29 shell), with slight mods to make it fit, and possibly the already-tooled SBC from the Rat Roaster or one of the Corvettes, or one of the already-tooled flatheads (or better still, the already-tooled Ardun from the '50 Ford truck kit). Throw in a quick-change rear on a buggy spring, and maybe a good looking track-nose and hood (along with a chopped '32 grille shell). Instant winner. Might want to get somebody who builds real cars (to get the proportions right) and can do top-notch kitbashing, as well as documenting exactly which engineering mods would be required to get the various bits to work together in a single kit (with minimum re-tooling in mind) to do a little consulting.

Looks very good. Great racy colors, and definitely a model of a striking car we rarely see. Nice work.

Another thought is buttons. You might find the right center profile at a fabric or craft store, and save yourself a ton of scratchbuilding time.

Nice work. I particularly like the exiting-the-Batcave shots. I've been thinking of backdating one of these to a more accurate version of the original Lincoln Futura, and your fine photos give me a lot of info towards that project too.

Photos of what you have would definitely help. I checked my shelf and all I have in stock is the Tamiya version. One method that MAY work for you, if you're not concerned about doing it realistically, is to simply cut the mounting pins for the wheels or axles off of the subframes (or spindles / struts, depending on how they're made) and move them UP the amount you want the car to go DOWN. This involves very careful measuring to hit it right the first time, and you should mock up the car (dry-assemble) with it at stock ride-height, but on the new wheels you have. Measure the ground clearance you have that way, then take the suspension bits out and mock up the car over the new wheels the height you WANT it to sit. Measure the ground clearance there too. The difference between the two measurements is the exact amount you need to raise the axle stubs or pins. Be SURE to measure both ends, as good-looking lowering usually tends to have slightly different ride-heights front and rear. One problem with lowering cars, even real cars, is that you can run into all kinds of clearance problems, with your wheels or tires or both interfering with the inside of your body, or suspension and steering parts.

If 'twas me, i'd try orange and white, and if it goes too light, pull it down with a tiny bit o' brown. BUT...as you suggest, it also looks like a light copper...especially if it's supposed to be a metallic.

The scaling of the Red Ram in the ORIGINAL Ala Kart double kit is correct. That correctly-scaled Red Ram Dodge engine is also in the multiple separate releases of the AMT '29 Ford. It's only the "new tool" Ala Kart that has a ridiculously under-scale engine... The DeSoto Firedome in the 1953 Ford truck appearing in this thread is also correctly scaled...done during a period in America when using things like tape-measures was still among the workers' skill sets.

This is what he's looking for.

Not yet mentioned in this thread, but the optional engine in this kit is a DeSoto Firedome hemi, introduced in '53 as one of Chrysler Corporations 3 hemi-headed engines of the 1950s. The multi-carb setup on this one makes it a natural for an unusual hot-rod build.

And there are, alas, many many words it's never heard of...

According to the MSDS for the product (available here): http://www.stanbridges.com/files/pdf/MSDS87038.pdf Tamiya Extra-Thin is 50% acetone, and 50% butyl acetate.

The Consulier line of vehicles became Moslers, and evolved into a much more attractive series of cars...the Mosler MT900, etc....after the company's engineers and designers realized you didn't have to make a dorky looking turd just because carbon-fiber was a little difficult to work with. Pity about the appearance of the earlier cars, because they really performed very well. If I remember correctly, the stylist who did the vehicle in the above photo for Mosler was also the designer of the Corvette C5. Kinda shows, eh? Also unfortunately, the MT900 came in at significantly over the design weight, which I think may once again have been due to the engineers' lack of experience with carbon structures.

I used to use the magic adhesive that came in CV-joint boot kits. The replacement boots were split along one side so you could install them without taking the axles out, and the glue for the seams just happened to work on vinyl tires too....and the boot kits always came with way more than you needed. Haven't seen that style boot-kit in years though, and I have no idea what the stuff was chemically. You might try this... Here's the tech data sheet... http://www.loctiteproducts.com/tds/CNTCT_VNYLPL_tds.pdf

Yeah, I've seen some pretty unbelievable "professional" work done with just about every product you can imagine. Some of the work I see that folks have actually been paid for makes me wonder if the clients were as blind or stupid as the folks who did the work. Every day I'm amazed by what passes for "professional".

My question is this; Do I sand the body back to plastic or am I able to spray it with Duplicolor primer/sealant? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sanding "back to plastic" is usually a pretty good way to obliterate fine details. Shooting more sealers and primers over previous coats of stuff tends to soften details too, of course. Try to find a stripper that will take everything off, and afterwards scrub the model with hot water and a mildly abrasive cleanser like Comet, and a toothbrush to get into the crevices and corners. Then shoot your primer on bare plastic. A discussion of what strippers remove what finish products can be found here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/83153-paint-strippers-what-to-use/

It's only the earlier kits that have the 3-port exhaust headers. The later kits have it right. If you have headers with 4 primary ports, you're good to go. It's a very nice little engine. There are several versions of the Ardun with things like water inlet locations being different, but the Revell version is fine as is, in my humble opinion. There are also as many induction and ignition options for the Ardun as there are engines, so a Google image search will do you well.

Google is your friend. I found this board using it. Here's a strategy. If you're into basket weaving, for example, try googling "basket weaving forums". Then click on what comes up and see what it looks like.

Buying MEK in larger containers and decanting it into your little old cement bottles is by far the most cost-effective way to go, and you'll find that the majority of liquid "cements" are MEK-based. Weld-On (Sci-Grip) 3 is methylene-chloride (dicloromethane) based (or at least used to be), more toxic than MEK. Weld-On (Sci-Grip) 4 is simply a slightly "slower" version of 3, not so prone to bulshing on clear acrylics. If you have a plastic fabricator or plastic supply house (try a web search) in your town, you should be able to buy Weld-On or MEK there and save the hazmat shipping fees. If you decant it outside, don't stick the bottle up your nose, and keep it capped other than when you're actually using it, you shouldn't have any odor or toxicity problems whatsoever. Nail-polish thinner is simply lacquer thinner with some smell-good added. Some folks say it works very well, though I haven't tried it. Using solvent with styrene is more akin to welding than gluing. Solvent dissolves the styrene temporarily, dissolved styrene from the two parts flow together, solvent evaporates, styrene returns to a solid. There is no "glue" in the final joint. The two parts have become one styrene part. Therefore, any solvent that will dissolve styrene will also weld styrene. MEK just happens to be very strong solvent well suited to the task. Many others will work. Lacquer thinners, as noted above, are good suitable replacements because they contain strong solvents for melting lacquer paint. The evaporation rate of the solvent will determine the work and set time. You can make your own "thick" MEK by dissolving a small amount of styrene into the can prior to using. On solvents Safety Warning: most of these solvents are toxic. Do not inhale them, especially deliberately. Use in a very well ventilated area. They are also highly volatile and thus flammable. Keep away from open flames. Do not smoke while applying solvents. 1,2 Dichloroethane: Also known as Ethylene dichloride. Found in paint removers.Acetone: Found in small quantities in nail polish remover. Also found in various plastic cements. Also found in acrylic paint thinners and varnishes. Can be bought pure.Cyclohexanone: Found in plastic cement, particularly ABS and PVC pipe cement.Dichloromethane: Also known as Methylene chloride. Found primarily in paint stripper. Used as an industrial solvent. Banned in Europe.Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK): Also known as Butanone. A large component of almost all plastic cements especially ABS and polystyrene cement. Can be bought pure.Methyl benzene: Also known as Toluene. Used mostly as a paint thinner or paint remover. Found along with MEK in polystyrene model kit cement.Tetrahydrofuran: Found almost exclusively in PVC cement. Can also be in some varnishes.Plastic cement is generally comprised of a solvent (or mixture of solvents) along with dissolved plastic resin of the plastic in question. Thus PVC cement will contain dissolved PVC along with the solvents.Examples: Testors is MEK with a little dissolved styrene.Genova ABS cement is around 20% Acetone, 60% MEK, and 20% ABS resin.Oatey Green Transition cement is around 40% Tetrahydrofuran, 35% Acetone and MEK, 10% Cyclohexanone, and 15% PVC resin. Look either on the can or search for Material Safety Data Sheets for the ingredients and quantities, and then look up which plastics these will work with.

Interesting concept. I'd like to see progress on it too.

Here's Wiki-p links to the commonly available V8 engines from the late '40s on into the late '50s. The Ford flathead was also buildable in various levels of tune, and a hot flathead could have easily found its way into a '41 Plymouth. By '55, the flathead was falling out of favor for serious go-fast. Chrysler Corporation "hemi" engines (Chrysler, Dodge, DeSoto) from 1951... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrysler_Hemi_engine The DeSoto hemi engine is in the AMT '53 Ford truck kit. The Dodge hemi engine is in the old AMT '29 Ford. The Chrysler hemi (first generation) is in several kits. Oldsmobile Rocket, from 1949... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_V8_engine Cadillac OHV V8, also from 1949... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_V8_engine This engine is available in the vintage Revell "parts pack". Buick OHV V8 "nailhead", from 1953... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_V8_engine Ford Y-block, from 1954... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Y-block_engine Chevrolet "smallblock", from 1955... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_small-block_engine Pontiac OHV V8, from 1955... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac_V8_engine

Simplified overview of gasser rules from '58 thru '69. http://gassermadness.us/Gas_Classes/index.htm Read it carefully, do a little research, and you'll find 2 seats or something approximating same were required at least through '69. Note the second seat in '69, and the cars were not exactly streetable...