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Ace-Garageguy

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Everything posted by Ace-Garageguy

  1. Thanks for your interest. I was trying to post more of a response, but got 404'd.
  2. 11:30 PM, Oct 17, 2019 : This thread: Very simple text, link to one thread on this forum, one photo copied from this forum, no known trigger combinations
  3. 404 Error Sorry. We can't seem to find the page you're looking for.
  4. 8:49 PM, Oct 17, 2019. Text only, no known trigger combination, "what did you get today non-model-related" thread. EDIT: Then I tried to post the text here @ 8:54, got "This comment can no longer be edited bla bla bla..."
  5. 404 Error Sorry. We can't seem to find the page you're looking for.
  6. Send in the Vice Squad...
  7. Testors "buffing" and "non-buffing" metalizers are among my favorites, and are quite easy to use because they're rattlecans. The "buffing" Aluminum Plate, for instance, does a good job representing alloy sheet if it's shot fairly wet, allowed to dry for an hour or so, and buffed with a very soft cloth (like the backside of an old sweatshirt). That's what's on the engine cowl of this model. It prefers to be shot over bare plastic generally. Shooting it over primer gives a muddy silver effect that just won't buff up...like the cockpit cowling. Unfortunately, shooting a "sealer" over it, even Testors' own product, destroys the polished effect and turns the stuff into muddy silver again. Another effect you can get from these metalizers is shooting them very dry, to the point of orange-peel. If you get the texture right, you'll end up with a convincing and in-scale brand-new sand-cast aluminum look. The intake manifold and trans housing on the photo below illustrate that particular look, but the resolution isn't high enough on the old camera I used to really show the texture. Another effect shown below is a slightly weathered aluminum casting, the blower housing, achieved by just shooting the part with a sandable gray primer, again dry enough to get a slightly "grainy" surface. The cast-aluminum look is a little easier to get an impression of from the front wheel center below. The rim was very carefully masked to preserve the chrome. Cast magnesium, when it's raw and unpolished, is often a very dark flat gray. Duplicolor hot-rod primer gets that look quite well. I achieved this unpainted alloy body, straight-from-the-fab-shop look, by using a combination of buffing metalizers and Rub 'n Buff wax finish over a lightly sanded surface.
  8. 1) For the hundredth time...plastic spoons, signs, and Evergreen / Plastruct are NOT the same as kit plastics, and are typically made from styrene compositions that are in fact very different from what kits are made from. For testing compatibility of materials with kit plastics, it's essential you use plastic from the kit you're working on...because not all kits are made from the same grade of styrene, though the term is used to include them all. The suggestion about using the undersides of chassis or interior parts that will never be seen is a good one. 2) If you don't have spare or junk bodies to use to just practice your spray technique on something about the size of a model car body, and that requires moving around a 3-dimensional shape and learning to control spray-pattern overlap and prevent runs, a plastic "Coke" bottle works very well. Scuff and primer it, then spray away. 3) Testing color effects and paint material compatibility with other paint materials can also be done effectively with plastic bottles. But bear in mind that some materials WILL behave differently when you shoot them over a specific kit than they did during testing. I very recently had an adverse reaction over PARTS of a largely scratch-built and complex kitbashed chassis, where I'd neglected to test my materials over every different source material.
  9. Smart girl...and that's the key. Being able to work effectively on the old stuff as well as the new stuff opens doors to a write-your-own-ticket scenario. There's lotsa competition around here (a major metro area) for general-repair shops that work on mostly computer-encumbered vehicles, but very VERY few that are capable of diagnosing and actually repairing the older stuff. The tiny number of shops that can have more work than they can handle, customers who can actually pay, and who tend not to abandon their cars when costs become what would be prohibitive in "transportation vehicle" scenarios. Absolutely...(and in my case, it's over 50 years, and still ticking).
  10. For what it's worth, there are actually two Pontiac "engine" blues. One is metallic, one is not. On my monitor, these are pretty accurate. Your mileage may vary.
  11. You're welcome, sir. The Mako Shark kit is a little disappointing, as it has a pronounced 4X4 stance, but the basic body looks very good. I'd started hacking one, and it's really not that much work to get there...though I'll probably have to do some custom PE to get the hood gills, etc. After I cut the first one up and did the mockup, I decided I wanted a "stock" Mako to go with it, and I'll correct the stance and tires, but that's about it. I'm also basing the chassis for the XP-87 on the Accurate Miniatures Grand Sport. Though it's not correct, it's a lot cooler than a stock Corvette chassis.
  12. I was never really a fan of the car, but I definitely prefer the first, slightly more tasteful version. But Tom's right about historical context. For early 50's period over-the-top tacky-cool, not much beats that Lake Mead shot with the boat in tow...straight out of an Elvis / Vegas movie. All it needs to be perfect is a big tight-skirted blonde.
  13. The AMT Mako Shark snapper is a good place to start if you don't mind some serious hack-n-whack.
  14. I saved the text that triggered it, if that would be any use to you.
  15. Today, a competent mechanic working out of a two-car garage behind the house can easily gross $150,000 per year on labor alone, working 8 hour days, and having enough time to actually run the business during business hours. Of course, to do that, you need to know a lot, have excellent mechanical aptitude and eye-hand coordination, have a solid grounding in physics and math as well as general science including electricity, and be able to read and comprehend written instructions. Computer skills are also becoming increasingly valuable, but they do NOT supplant the basics. The VAST majority of candidates we get for entry-level and even "experienced" positions today are sorely lacking in MOST of those areas. And you can blame "common core" for a lot of that. PS: Again, I think it's great that Mike's daughter is getting into it. Naturally, people who want to be mechanics make the best mechanics...rather than those who go into it because it's considered just a "job" for people of only moderate ability...which explains why there are a lot of mechanics, but there aren't all that many good mechanics. With a solid grounding in the basics and some practical experience, a decent mechanic will always be able to find employment, usually well-paid employment, and advanced fields are open with a little more push...like racing, building hot-rods, or aviation. Get good at this stuff and, quite literally, the sky is the limit.
  16. ...and then complain about being buried under tens of thousands of dollars of "college debt" when they find the only jobs they can get are as baristas or waitrons or bartenders or dog-walkers.
  17. Just now, over on the "off topic" section. None of the known "trigger" combinations.
  18. 404 Error Sorry. We can't seem to find the page you're looking for. This is really getting old.
  19. Can you post a shot of the underside of your BAT? We might be able to come up with something that's "close enough". As I mentioned earlier, the 1900 engine looks a lot like a Jag XK engine with the rear two cylinders cut off. A "close enough" facsimile could certainly be made up from a Jag unit, especially as you're no stranger to scratch-building and the internet is awash with photos of the correct engine for reference. I couldn't quickly find an underside shot of the 1900 chassis, but this topside shot of one of the nekkid Abarth chassis (though this chassis was supposedly a lightweight built by Abarth, there's good reason to assume it is very similar visually to a production 1900 chassis) might get you pointed in the right direction.
  20. Very cool. Great to see young people actually wanting to get in the biz. I've only known a couple of women who were hands-on with machines, but they were both among the more highly-skilled and conscientious people I've met. Best of luck to her. Exactly.
  21. I dunno 'bout youse guys, but I'm really looking forward to the promised world where we'll be subsisting on soy, bugs, and recycled human protein.
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