Ace-Garageguy

Thanks for everyone's feedback. Bill...I've had good luck with the running-very-low PlastiKote primers I have, but I've been reluctant to order from Amazon or 'bay because I've read these have been reformulated too. I assume they're still working well for you...you've actually used the web-ordered version? (All the local places that carried the product have switched to Duplicolor)

Got one of these with the old coupon deal. For the most part I like the kit, though the blobular old-style chassis is a little disappointing. That's OK though, 'cause I just wanted the split-window body. I've got plenty of chassis to use. The BIG disappointment was the Weber carbs. They are SIDE-DRAFT carbs, very obviously to anyone familiar with Webers, but they're mounted on the engine as DOWN-DRAFTS. This could not possibly work in reality, and as frequently as I've seen people recommend the Webers from this kit, this anomaly has NEVER been addressed (to my knowledge).

Got one of these with the old coupon deal. For the most part I like the kit, though the blobular old-style chassis is a little disappointing. That's OK though, 'cause I just wanted the split-window body. I've got plenty of chassis to use. The BIG disappointment was the Weber carbs. They are SIDE-DRAFT carbs, very obviously to anyone familiar with Webers, but they're mounted on the engine as DOWN-DRAFTS. This could not possibly work in reality, and as frequently as I've seen people recommend the Webers from this kit, this anomaly has NEVER been addressed (to my knowledge).

As I was looking out my living room window this AM, I spotted a couple of older guys walking their little dogs. One guy let his little dog take a big poo on my lawn...which irked me, as later today I'm planning to mow the grass. Before I could open the door and say something about it, the poo-dog master got out a plastic bag and a spoon and cleaned up after his canine friend. It's always pleasing to see people who take responsibility for their actions...and those of their pets.

In my own philosophy, it's OK to take a human life if the person is in the act of killing or threatening death or serious injury to another person...or me. Killing Hitler would have been simply killing someone who was killing others. Not too complicated in my view. Conversely, I DO have a problem with state-sanctioned execution. ONE man may not kill another man with premeditation, but 12 men on a jury, or "society", are free to commit pre-meditated murder as long as they play the game by the rules. Innocent people HAVE been executed by the state. I believe firmly in the doctrine that "it's better to let 10 guilty men go free than to kill one innocent one". I also believe a person is responsible for protecting his own life, and the lives and safety of his family, BEFORE the police get there. If you kill the SOB who's raping your child, there's no question of guilt and you save the state a lot of bother.

I've found some 3mm very finely-woven ribbon that looks perfect for the old style black (WW II vintage) aircraft belts used in period cars. I'd suggest looking for a fine-quality ribbon, spraying it with a fixative (like for charcoal...or hair spray) so the edges don't unravel, and slicing 2mm strips off with a new sharp X-acto and a steel straightedge, I know some people also use masking tape or the old-style electrical tape that has a visible weave.

The last few kits I've tested Duplicolor sandable primers on have crazed instantly...even if I shot the stuff slightly dry...just wet enough to avoid orange peel. Has anyone else noticed this? I'm not really wanting to have to switch to model-specific primers, but will if it's absolutely necessary.

I agree, but the problem for a lot of folks comes down to the definition of "right". Again, many say that without religion, there is no possible definition of "right". I disagree, holding the belief that if I treat others as I would like to be treated, I can't possibly do them any "wrong".

The MGS 285 works well on properly prepared steel, but all repairs, even something like a pinhole, have to be backed up with very fine fiberglass cloth...not mat. I did a steel bike tank a couple years back that had been "customized" and the welds had a lot of pinholes. Bondo had been put over all of it with the usual results. Stripped, prepped and repaired, it's still holding just fine. Nothing readily available sticks very well to aluminum tanks, but there IS some aviation goo (Pro-Seal PPG P/S 890)) that will do the job. It will also seal fiberglass and steel tanks. Speaking of which, I have a fiberglass Norton tank I'll probably never use. I've been thinking about making molds and producing a few. You know many Norton guys? Kinda like this...

The little Homer Simpson gif was supposed to indicate that this was just another in a never-ending stream of misguided doom predictions and prepper vids. And be sure to get your very own copy of Mayan Calendar Girls while they last...

NOT MY MODEL(S) The clear-body version... The frame...

PS. There probably are some modelers who have had tape vinyl-tops last for a long time, maybe 20 years or more, but variables like which particular tape was used (the specs of the adhesives and the paper and the surface treatment of the paper all vary with manufacturer, intended application and cost), what it was top-coated with, and the conditions under which the finished model was stored (temperature, humidity, exposure to sunlight / UV etc.) make drawing any blanket conclusions about its longevity pretty much impossible. Using masking tape for vinyl tops is too much like a carp-shoot for my liking.

There are some philosophical positions that argue for the idea that morality and ethics can't exist in the absence of religion, for example. There are other positions that maintain that morality is quite capable of being an independent concept, and some go so far as saying the "golden rule" is all you really need to live in harmony with your fellow creatures no matter what your particular spiritual beliefs are.

Gotcha. I should have realized that. Anyway, if you ever DO have need of resins that will last immersed in fuel, those I listed will.

Unfortunately, I believe you'll find that to be the case. The professional green 3M body-shop tape is the longest-lasting stuff I've seen to date. Eventually, the same thing will happen to it. It's simply not intended to last indefinitely..but to be removed shortly after application. If you want truly permanent vinyl-tops for model cars, you'd probably be well advised to use some kind or textured spray. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/28359-vinyl-roofscalling-all-vinyl-roof-experts/

I really don't know about every form of foam labeled "floral" on the planet. What I DO know is that all of it I've encountered to date is styrene, and melts in gasoline, acetone or polyester resin...which is why I have little use for it these days. Some of it is more solvent-resistant than others, and you might be able to get away with using it for a Q&D form under polyester if you get lucky, and don't use excessive resin. Another thought...if you actually repaired a fuel tank with polyester resin, it will probably fail. Most polyesters will NOT resist fuel indefinitely (Vipel F-764 is one exception I know of). I see tanks "fixed" with polyester quite frequently. They always come in leaking. What WILL work permanently is a high-performance epoxy like E-Z Poxy 87 or MGS 285 with 285 or 287 hardener. They MUST be mixed on a gram-scale to an accuracy of about .5%, and post-cured...but they WILL do the job for gasoline-based fuels. It is also my current understanding that AOC Vipel F-764, MGS L160 with 163 hardener, and R&G Epoxy-C are ethanol resistant as well, but I have no personal experience with these in ethanol applications. Styrene foam is frequently used as form material for specialized epoxy-based parts (including fuel tanks) specifically because it WILL dissolve in several common solvents. The extremely light carbon-fiber wing spars for the Gossamer Albatross were made over styrene-foam forms that were dissolved out with acetone at the end of the process.

Yeah, the real stuff is toluene-based, 70-80%, plus MEK, iso alcohol and wood alcohol...which is why real lacquer paints are so hard on styrene.

Plenty of ways to get hurt with just about anything you can think of. A business associate a long time back was painting a car with lacquer, cleaned out the gun with thinner, while smoking. Not real bright so far, but the kicker was when he dropped the gun (and since he was just in cleaning mode, the top wasn't latched down tight). When the gun hit the ground, the top came off and a beautifully atomized spray of lacquer thinner enveloped him...instantly ignited into a fireball. He survived, but it took a fair of work to put him back to almost original-condition.

Rather a lot of people seem to be under the impression that "Aeroquip" hose is all stainless-braid jacketed. This is actually not the case. While stainless-braid jacketed hose did become very popular for top-line cars in the 1960s, other types of AN-rated hose were in wide use...and still are. Black fabric-jacketed hose is one alternative that was used a lot in those days in some applications and still is. For racing applications, the jacket is Nomex, a highly flame and abrasion-resistant aramid fiber introduced in about 1967. There's also a black hose that has a very fine-fabric "rubber" impregnated outer jacket. It's typically seen in fuel-injection lines running from pumps and metering units to nozzles, where abrasion and high temperatures probably won't be encountered. Frankly, though the stainless-braid seems to be the knee-jerk "racing" hose most often specified for everything, it's not always the BEST hose for the application. One place it doesn't belong in particular is coolant lines that attach to a radiator. Because the stainless-braid hose in larger diameters is not very flexible, it can lead to metal fatigue fractures and complete failures of coolant tanks it's attached to. As noted above, most all "restored" cars you'll see today have all stainless-braid, so it's good to look closely at period photos of the cars, as-raced (mentioned above) to get an idea of what is correct for the time period represented by any model.

These kits get a lot of bad press for being "fiddly" and "almost un-buildable". Frankly, I disagree adamantly. The models are reasonably well-proportioned and look like what they're supposed to be. They also take well-above-average skills to get the opening panels functioning and aligned correctly. Parts-count is high, and they can look spectacular if you take your time building them...if you have the skills and patience. And you have to admit...they have some of the best box-art ever to grace a plastic kit.

Knowing how to "write" has been universally declared to be obsolete.

Well, that's kinda part of what I intended to be part of the joke of this thread too. So many of the doom-and-gloomers, and the conspiracy whack-jobs, and all the other various and sundry nutters just drone on and on and on without bothering to get any of the science or math or history or other "boring" stuff even close to right. You'd kinda think folks who believe they're on a mission to save the world would have learned some shock-and-awe production values from Hollywood by now. It takes a lot of loud music and stuff blowing up and naked babes to actually get anyone's attention.

As long as there's a check...and it clears...no problem.

This is not a political statement, so PLEASE refrain from making ANY comments that could be construed as "political" in nature. This is simply a news item, and some of you may want to do your own research on the matter. One easy way to get started understanding the news item is to simply copy and paste the title of this post in to your browser. This is also not a joke.

THAT would be cool.