Miatatom

I didn't want to put too much more money into these three kits but I think I'm going to need to spring for the decal sets for all three cars from Indycals. Now I've got to get these off of the McLaren. I took some more pictures outside today and the decals look awful. So bad that I won't even post them. I used Tamiya TS-56 Brilliant Orange.

This kit came from the Hall of Fame set that also includes the Lotus Ford Model 27 and the Watson Roadster. I'm working on both of them but I really wanted to get the McLaren together first. I had a tough time making the body and wings fit even close. After completing 3 Tamiya 1/20 models, jumping into 1/24 was a learning experience. The decals were a b***h. Tore one of the signatures. The numbers didn't want to lay down even after using Micro Sol. I guess I'll paint each one with a coat of Future and hope they stay down. There's a ton of mistakes but I long since learned that perfection is not in my skill set. I can live with it. I'll take some more pics tomorrow.

A guy in my neighborhood has 2 of them.

+1

I found a tip here on the forum that works for me. It's a tip that pinstripers use. Mix 1 part alcohol to 4 parts distilled water in a spray bottle and spray the parts with it. Blow dry with compressed air or a hair dryer.

I got one off eBay for less than $15. Works great!

Do you decant and shoot through an airbrush or apply it straight from the can? What brand do you use?

Is it possible to thin it, especially if it's starting to get old and thicker. If so, what do you use?

That's good to know and cheap to replace.

Microset isn't as "hot" as Microsol. Don't know if it will work though.

Lots of good advice here. I doubt I'll ever build a model that satisfies me. I'm learning to accept that. Make yourself happy, Mickael, don't worry about some arbitrary standard of perfection. There will always be something wrong when you're done. It's no big deal. Do like me and display them with the best side out.

I've certainly learned some things from this discussion. Great stuff! I don't need any convincing on Tamiya TS lacquers. Cost and availability are the issue. After shipping, I've got about $8/can, if I only order 1 or 2. It drops to about $7.25 if I order several. But anything I've painted with them has come out pretty good for my skill level. As for the acrylics, it's just tempting to put in the time to try to master them but I'm starting to feel like a dog chasing it's tail. The Paasche H can be had for about $50-60. Maybe I'll find a deal and can try one some time. In the meantime, I build mostly race cars which have large amounts of blacks and metal colors (aluminum, steel, etc). The acrylics will work for that.

You da man, Snake!

Works much better if you only fill the bottle about 1/4 full.

Thanks, Snake! I've got a Fireball Roberts 57 Ford I'm going to try it on. How do you remove it from the model after spraying your color? Do you mix up batches ahead of time or do they solidify too quickly?

I use a Badger Patriot 105 with a 0.5 needle and tip. http://www.chicagoairbrushsupply.com/bapaaise.html I'm thinking this is the wrong brush to try to spray this stuff. The Paasche H seems to be the preferred AB.

Use a spray bottle of water to mist the area around you if you have to paint in the garage. Some folks use an anti-static rinse before spraying the bodies. I do. I spray it on with a spray bottle and blow dry with compressed air. It's 20% isopropyl alcohol and 80% distilled water. I think your best bet is to move to a cleaner environment and build some kind of fume extraction method (booth, bilge blower vent) if you can.

Snake, would you share the ratios/proportions of each ingredient in your brew?

I've only painted one car successfully with craft acrylic paint. Covered it with Future. Not a very good job. I'm spraying the cheap stuff you can buy at Michaels. The first color I was using was a dark yellow. I've tried painting with a darker red also. The darker red seemed to have larger particle sizes than the yellow. The yellow didn't seem to have too much orange peel but the red was really rough. Do some colors spray easier than others? Are the more expensive paints better quality and easier to use? I've tried many suggestions, air pressures, thinning ratios, thinning mediums and I'm still struggling.

Most of the videos I see on Youtube show people masking over bare plastic rather than a painted surface. What types of paint can this product be used on? I've read that most masking products contain ammonia.

Yes, it's the fine tip.

I bought one today from HL. Used the 40% off coupon, as always. Got home and put some kicker in it and noticed that when the bottle is inverted, the kicker drip out without pressure on the bottle. Probably still better than applying drops with an improvised dropper or spraying.

Here's a pretty good tutorial: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=55926

I don't know if it's spelled that way but is there a tutorial or good thread explaining how to pin parts? My main questions are: How do you determine where to drill the part or the model in order to ensure that the parts are lined up when assembled? What size pins do you use and what material are they made from?

Yeah, like the one I use. Mine works fine. YMMV