Ace-Garageguy

A couple of my models have been at the ACME NNL South in Atlanta this year and last, at a couple of hobby shop events, and I put one in the Revell online contest the first year. That's it, though I sometimes entered LHS contests when I was an early teen. The overall build quality at the ACME events left me feeling I have a long way to go if I ever seriously want to take any hardware home from a judged contest.

Really like these. Nice conversions.

Oh, that's sad. Makes me cringe...

About 15 years ago, one of my daily drivers was a Porsche 550 Spyder replica (Beck). A truly remarkable number of people would say "nice MG", even though the car had Spyder scripts on the front fenders and Porsche badges on the front and rear decks. I guess they were thinking MGA...what with the fenders looking a little similar...maybe...to a blind person. (images taken from open internet sources)

I don't use a tack-cloth, even on 1:1 jobs anymore. For me, blowing the work off with clean, dry, filtered air works better. As far as the iso goes, I use a pretty well saturated white paper towel, folded over into quarters, to wipe it on, and a clean dry one to wipe it off. Having a pretty much sterile area (wiped down with iso first) to lay the model and towels on during the procedure insures against picking up contaminants from a table, etc. I wear clean latex (non-powdered) gloves as well. It may seem like overkill, but the hours it can save correcting fisheyes is worth a few extra minutes to me.

Interesting question. I've found that cleaning models with 70% isopropyl alcohol before priming and painting pretty much eliminates any surface contamination from questionable water, mold or die lubricant, detergent or stripper residue, handling or just sitting around.

I was a kid. Took the first decent paintjob model I'd done, a '63 Pontiac, on vacation to work on it in the motel room at night. Left it under the plastic convertible window in the back of the car one afternoon. Very sad. :(

'56-'57 Continental, full detail in styrene '51 Studebaker Starlight Coupe, full detail in styrene The Red Head streamliner A GMC WW II 6X6 And a 1955 Olds 2-dr hardtop.

Old AMT Dodge Stealth (always cheap on ebay) has a couple of small turbos, as does the AMT 1995 Supra "Fast...Furious" kit (plumbed into a common Y-pipe inlet).

Yes skip, that's exactly the point. As the technology becomes more mainstream the benefits to modelers will be a part of the mix. Imagine modelers of 1955 discussing the merits and shortcomings of styrene injection molding, and how it would change the modelers' world in times to come. Plastic modeling by hobbyists was hardly the driving force behind the development of injection molding, and hobbyist applications will never be the driving force behind 3D printing tech...but we'll be among the beneficiaries.

Another real-world-focused article that might be of interest...a not too difficult extrapolation of material presented here is that 3D printing of METAL tools for injection-molding mass-market products (models included) is entirely within reason. http://www.deskeng.com/articles/aabmxc.htm

You can also probably count on your fingers and toes the number of folks on the planet who have the ability AND the interest to make a GOOD master for resin casting. Little things like poor accuracy and lack of symmetry spoil many attempts. 3D modeling and printing will allow vastly improved product output with a less-demanding skillset than ever before...much like computer illustration has allowed artists who simply don't have the eye-hand coordination to produce work using traditional materials and methods, but who DO have an appreciation of form, style, color and composition, to produce some breathtaking stuff. Traditional prototyping and machine-shops have been resisting the trend towards this technology, but the ones who will be in business in 10 or 20 years are taking it seriously and embracing its capabilities. Whether for making accurate masters for resin casting, developing prototypes for injection-molding, or straight print-from-file output, it's coming, and it will make models better. I personally don't think that 3D printing will REPLACE injection-molding for mass-market output, any more than carbon-fiber will ever replace steel. Different materials and technologies have their own particular strengths. BUT, 3D modeling and printing in a vast range of materials for a wide range of applications is already having a major impact on the world as we know it, whether we know it or not.

Yes, and Pico Elgin of the ACME club has already done just this with his Lamborghini 350 / 400 GT. The early Lambo isn't available anywhere in either styrene or resin. Yes, change is always resisted energetically for some odd reason. If the energy expended by naysayers was put into forward-thinking, humanity would be a LOT farther along. I'll never understand.

With a caliper it measures to .060", which is about a 1/16 or .0625", as Jeff said.

Yes sir.

A British (color) film with racing sequences shot partially during the 1956 Mille Miglia in Italy is now on youtube in its entirety. The plot is kinda lame, but the cars, women and scenery are beautiful indeed. It's fascinating to me to see these cars filmed when they were state-of-the-art racing machines, muddy, greasy, hot and wet...not over-restored and coddled "art" objects. The film thanks "the David Brown organization" (Aston Martin) and John Wyer (went on to run the Ford GT40 racing program) for technical assistance. Plenty of mid-'50s Astons, big Healeys, Jags, Porsches, a V12 Lagonda, Mercs, Lancias, Alfas, Maseratis, Ferraris, etc...all when they were new race cars in action (complete with no firesuits or rollbars, and bakelite helmets). Worth a watch if you love vintage European sports cars. Look up '"Checkpoint 1956" on YT.

Thanx for the heads-up on this...I just snagged the last one at my local, and I had to dig in a bunch of other models to find it. Remarkably nice little model for ten bucks, though the chassis is typically blodular. There's certainly a nice, crisp bunch of body castings, and plenty to make the basis of a really unique build.

Unless you're building exactly stock representations of production vehicles, or replicating a particular vehicle, your imagination is your only limitation. For replica stock builds, google image search is your friend. Look for photos of restored or original vehicles to get a very good indication of what color things should be.

Wow ! That Indian gas station is REALLY nice, very believable. Great work.

What store (I'm also in the Atl. area currently)? Under $10 is about what I can afford this Christmas.

Man, you have a good eye. That's cool.

...and Pamela Tiffin...

I very much like the low low beetle too...but it's far far removed from the toilet seat / rusty tractor parts / can openers / snot-welds style of "rat".

Casey's right...it's in the AMT '32 roadster kits. Detail is soggy, but it will pass for a 331, 354 or 392 Chrysler. It's backed up with an old Ford (think '39) 3-speed. There's also one in the Revell 5-window, which will also pass for a 331, 354 or 392 Chrysler. The Revell version has got very nice no-name, polished cast alloy aftermarket valve covers, but the exhaust port spacing is a little wonky for some odd reason (they SHOULD be evenly spaced, and aren't). Induction is dual 4-bbl, and the gearbox is a no-name manual. There is also an early Dodge "Red Ram" hemi in the AMT '29 roadster kits. The Hemi has been in the AMT roadster kits all the way back to 1959, though there are some engine differences in the later releases...

This old movie has finally made it to youtube in its entirety. Besides some very very nice period hot-rods, the experimental Chrysler Turbine Car is featured prominently. Worth a watch before the copyright police strike. Just look up "The Lively Set 1964" on YT. All kinds of technical errors in the dialog, but kinda fun anyway.