Monty

I assume the engine should be a non-metallic dark blue, correct? If someone has a real close match in model paint, please let me know. I've never seen a 1:1 transmission assembly from one of these beasts (Front wheel drive). Would they be a raw aluminum? Another metal? Painted? TIA for all helpful posts.

Wow, you're worse than I am. I've only held mine hostage for 10 years. Hijack alert: Is the Ferrari 512S any better?

Harry has already hinted that major changes are in order, and the polling indicates that the majority of you can't live without adding this new segment, so for "narrow-minded haters" such as myself, the battle is over. Many of you can't understand why some of us don't want "change" so let me try and explain. I have been a member of another model car board for over 10 years. At one time it had a large collection of notable builders, most of whom were happy to answer questions and offer suggestions on improving a build. However, in the last couple years, the number of notable builders there has diminished, and the content has devolved into pages of pictures from weekend car shows, photos of old buildings, prayer requests and silly questions from an old divorced guy who apparently refuses to make Google his friend. Jeff Sauber has been insisting that this new addition won't dilute the overall content, but I can't help but wonder who else might be turned off by it. I gravitated to this forum about three years ago, partly because of the skill of the builders but mostly because it was about cars (I include pickups and semis too) and nothing else. I liked the fact that there was a sort of purity to it, as opposed to the all-things-to-all-people approach. Yes, I know that "I don't have to read the threads". By the same token, I'm curious how you've all managed to maintain your sanity for all these years without having this non-automotive segment on here since it now seems to be of such vital importance.

I had seen this debated for years, but wasn't able to offer my own opinion since I only had the Heller kit. The ebay pic I tried to post shows the Union rebox of the 917. I just thought it was funny for a Japanese(?) company to issue this with French text all over the box. Did you have any trouble building yours?

The 917s are some of my favorite cars, but they're not well represented in the model world. AMT/Matchbox did a styrene 1/32 917-10 (thanks for nothing, brainiacs). Other than that, you don't have much choice. Fisher Model & Pattern used to offer a 917-30 resin kit, but it was in the $100.00 range IIRC. Otaki offered a styrene 1/28 Can Am 917, but it was motorized and I couldn't vouch for the overall accuracy. Closed cockpit styrene models (917K, 917LH etc) are a little easier to find but are still a little pricey ($45.00-$75.00 in my experience). Heller and Union both offered the 917K. From what I've heard, the Heller is best left to professional builders. Opinions seem to vary on whether the Union car is a reboxed Heller or not. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=310238230640 I have to agree with LDO on this. You should be able to bag a nicely detailed Fujimi 917K for around $35 + shipping.

Marc, any chance you can have Bandit Resins cast the stock chassis and interior for this car? Also, what engine would you recommend for replicating a bone-stock 304-powered car?

The rear sway bar on this car will have to bend in at more than 90* because it's supposed to line up on the inside of the rear control arms. Sounds like you've figured out a way to manipulate styrene rod without breaking it, but I think I would just be adding to my own frustration by trying that on this assembly.

Thanks for the heads-up on the rosin core solder. As I mentioned in the original post, I've never worked with any kind of solder before, so I was totally unaware of any pitfalls. Who knows what kind of mess you helped prevent .

I couldn't have said it better myself. There's a reason I buy MCM and SA(E)and not FSM. I'm interested in model cars, not ships, tanks, trains or planes. PS Jeff, I noticed the distinct lack of an "Oh, hell no" option for your poll. Any chance this could still be added on? Ledsled, I doubt they'll ban them since they're still technically automobiles, but I wish they'd at least put them and lowriders in their own separate section. Harry's note regarding "a major reworking of this site" pretty much tells me the decision to include at least some of the other junk has already been made.

Background: I've got a Lindberg '67 442 with a subassembly that's got me annoyed. Some brainiac designer apparently decided it would be a great idea to mold the rear sway bar to the axle. He then compounded the problem by making the sway bar indistinct and filling the gap between it and the axle in solid plastic. It looks more like some kind of differential bracing you might see in NASCAR than a standard Olds rear end. (See pic) I've ground off the "sway bar" and removed all traces of its existence. Now I want to create a more accurate sway bar out of solder. It has the right diameter and I doubt I could bend styrene to the required angles. I've never worked with solder before so I want to know the best way to attach it to the styrene without making a mess. (The left and right ends of the sway bar attach to the insides of the trailing arms). TIA for all helpful replies.

I have a fairly new computer with MS Vista and I use this board's "Comfy" mode when I want to post here. If my post is comprised entirely of text, everything works just fine. However, if I want to create a post with text, an attached thumbnail and then more text, I can't figure out how to put a caption below the picture because there's no indication where the picture begins or ends. Caveats: I'm not terribly adept when it comes to computers, and I haven't even gotten to the "electronic camera/uploading/etc" stage yet, hence the attached thumbnails of other people's pictures. Thanks! Monty (King of the Luddites)

I'd love to have the original back instead of this turd.

I keep about five different kinds of glue in my work area. Due to its slower drying speed, Testors tube glue is useful for situations where you may want to reposition the parts before they're fully bonded. It also has decent strength once fully dry. Liquid glues (Model Master, Tenax, Ambroid etc) are great for things like engine block halves. Model Master's version has a thin steel tube that helps prevent excess glue from being applied. The others, if still available, have a built-in brush to apply the glue. CA type glues (crazy glue) are extremely popular, although I only use mine for difficult-to-bond issues. From what I've seen, they don't "weld" the plastic together like regular model glues, but they have the advantage of creating an almost instant bond. They also come in thin, medium and gap-filling formulas, which comes in handy too. IIRC, they may cause fogging on plated parts and model glass. Canopy glue - this is the stuff to get for model glass applications. If you've ever felt the disappointment that comes from a glue smudge on a windshield or had a headlight lens turn solid white from glue fumes, this is the stuff to buy to prevent it from happening again. Some say Elmer's glue works, but I'd be concerned about bond strength on windshields and back glass. Heavy white craft glue (Basically a thicker Elmer's glue). This is the stuff to use when you're just mocking up an assembly. It has enough "hold" to keep things together while you're contemplating your decision, but comes apart easily. Fortunately, none of these glues are expensive, so it wouldn't hurt to have at least a couple of them on hand. HTH (Wow, I spent so much time editing my reply Charlie beat me with virtually the same answers)

Interesting. I was under the assumption that the primer would need to be chemically similar to the paint for best adhesion etc.

I'm considering using some of my water-based acrylics for painting bodies, something I haven't done before. I've used these acrylic paints (Testors, Tamiya & Gunze Sangyo) for just about everything else, without primer, and gotten good results. Now I want to take advantage of their wide array of shades for use on bodies. I'm well aware that using primer can result in a better paint job, but I'm curious which primer would work best with any/all of these these water-based paints. One of the main reasons I haven't used these paints for bodies was an article in SA(E) years ago comparing various brands of acrylics. As I recall, some of the paints took forever to harden, which is the last thing you want when painting model bodies. I'm hoping someone has figured out a solution for that by now. Any other tips and pics of paintwork would be appreciated.

I'm going to be using Detail Master's stock disc brakes (solid rotors - no slots or drilled holes). The instructions say to leave a "tab" when cutting off the middle piece that goes between the outer rotor surfaces, but doesn't explain why. Any ideas? Also, the instructions call say to use an epoxy for assembly. Lacking that, will super glue or any other type of glue work? Any other tips and suggestions are welcome.

Here's the one I want. If there's one out there without the pressure toggle, I'll take that and modify it.

1) I'm looking for the most accurate radiator cap available for a car manufactured in 1980. If you have pics and vendor names for one of these in Photo Etch, machined aluminum or resin, I'd appreciate it if you'd post them. 2) I'd also like your ideas on creating an oil dipstick and tube as well as the dipstick and tube for the automatic tranny fluid. (Dipstick does not need to be removable)

Very nice work on the paint and detailing. Great stance too. I haven't built any Lindberg kits yet - did you have any issues with this one, or was it pretty much like any recent AMT or Revell kit?

I gravitated to airbrushes years ago because I had too many projects ruined by Testors rattle cans. After hours of body prep, I would proceed to get the paint ready (shaking the can, heating it in warm water, etc). Then, depending on the whims of the model gods, the infamous Testors nozzles would do one of the following: a ) ejaculate viscous globs of paint in a pattern that only Jackson Pollock could appreciate b ) allow a trickle of runny paint to spurt out 1/2 inch from the can. To get a proper visual of this, imagine trying to stop a bout of dysentery with half a cork. c ) spray paint in a usable manner. I can't recall if this ever actually happened on one of my projects, but a few of my friends say they had some success, and they don't lie very often. That said, I couldn't seem to manage varying the pressure on rattle cans. To me, they were the virtual equivalent of trying to sketch with a log. I'll take the extra effort of the airbrush any day.

Doing some Google searching for some specific paints that I can't seem to find on the internet. 1) Polly Scale "Graphite" P/N 501999 from their Metalline Series. I bought the original bottle about 10 years ago, and it's about empty. There don't seem to be many places who carry Polly Scale paints, and I haven't found any that had this P/N. The Floquil version looks much too dark. 2) Polly S "Gray" P/N 500817 (label also shows 36622) These are specific shades that I've become accustomed to using for specific purposes over the years, so I'm hoping to find them again. All helpful responses appreciated.

Graphite Metallic as a detail paint? Interesting. I don't have access to the magazine. Can someone link me up to this article? (I tried a couple Google searches but only found older SA articles on grille detailing).

In addition to making the actual bracket, I'd like to know: 1) How can I make a realistic slot in the bracket for the tensioning nut? 2) What's the most realistic way to mount this bracket to the cylinder head? The goal is to make the bracket look like it's supporting the alternator (as opposed to the "magic fan belt"). I know there are P/E units out there, but in this case I'd rather build than buy.

I'm inclined to go with Brandywine, but I'm trying to figure out why you'd want to paint over flat black. While it will darken the top color, which I assume is what you want, it also typically dries with a much rougher surface than, say, a dark primer. IIRC, Bluemoose does most of his "red" paint jobs over gloss black.

Hmmm, something weird's going on. Hobby Lobby's online site still shows some service parts for Paasches, but no airbrushes. They used to sell Iwatas, and like an idiot, I never used the coupon to take advantage of it. The 40% off coupon is offered every other week in their Sunday ad. It's down on the bottom right hand side of the page. What are you going to run the brush off of? C02 tank? Air compressor?