Harry P. Posted February 9, 2014 Author Posted February 9, 2014 Uh, no ... not really. Just the artsy types.
clovis Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 Harry, What material do you use for the U-bolts on the springs? How did you bend that material? Thanks!
Harry P. Posted February 9, 2014 Author Posted February 9, 2014 Harry, What material do you use for the U-bolts on the springs? How did you bend that material? Thanks! Brass rod. It bends easily. I use small needlenose pliers to make the bends. I could also have used aluminum rod just as well, but I happened to have the right diameter on hand in brass.
Harry P. Posted February 9, 2014 Author Posted February 9, 2014 Because the Lindberg Stutz engine is so simplified, it's missing a bunch of components. I'll rob from the Fuman Mercer kit to get those missing components, which all look very similar to those on a Stutz engine, including the front cover, magneto, etc... I guess I just turned that really nicely detailed Fuman Mercer kit into a curbside! Oh well...
Harry P. Posted February 9, 2014 Author Posted February 9, 2014 BTW... I went to HobbyTown yesterday to stock up. If you're into scratchbuilding at all, you can never have too much of this stuff around... the more different shapes and sizes you have on hand, the better. Here's just a small part of my supply. I can't imagine doing the stuff I do without these items...
Harry P. Posted February 9, 2014 Author Posted February 9, 2014 Wow... talk about a Frankenstein's monster... here we have all three kits Skip sent me doing their part... the Aurora Stutz chassis (still unpainted at this point), the Lindberg Stutz engine block, and the Fuman Mercer engine front cover... together. Everything fits perfectly. The crankshaft hole lines up exactly where it should be... right under and up against the bottom of the front chassis crossmember, and the Mercer's engine front end fits pefectly between the Aurora Stutz's chassis rails. Success!
f1ford48 Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 excellent work on the leaf springs! I forgot about the rear end on the Lindberg car-which is much better in detail than the Aurora unit. this is coming together beautifully and with more exact details than either model car could supply right out of the box.....
f1ford48 Posted February 9, 2014 Posted February 9, 2014 how do you do the wash on the lower engine parts?
Harry P. Posted February 10, 2014 Author Posted February 10, 2014 My "secret formula." Actually not a secret at all... I've mentioned it in several of my other WIPS. It's a mixture of Future and black acrylic craft paint (the stuff in the squeezy plastic 2-ounce containers with the flip top). The ratio of Future to black depends on what I want to do and the effect I want to achieve. I don't have a specific "recipe," I just do it by experience. The darker I want the wash, the more black I add. In general, I'd guess the Future to black paint ratio is about 8:1 or so? I only mix up as much as I need for the part(s) I'm washing... literally a couple of drops of Future, then I dab my brush into the black to just get a little bit, and mix that into the Future. A little black goes a long way... and it's always easier to add a coat or two of black wash if you want it darker, than to take it off if it's too dark. And BYW... not sure why, but the effect seems to be emphasized in the pix for some reason, In real life it's not quite that pronounced. And one more thing to consider... Future being what it is (clear gloss acrylic), adding the wash leaves you with a shiny part. In some cases that's exactly what I want... it has that oily, greasy, mechanical look to it... but if gloss is incorrect for the washed part, just hit it with a coat of Dullcote after the wash.
Pocherphile Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Outstanding balance of kit bashing to achieve a accurate build of this subject. And I agree, if one is to improve a build, scratch building materials are a must. The Future/black paint wash is one I shall give a try on my current project. Rick
Dragline Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 I'm loving it Harry. I too have quite a bit of that Plastruct and K&S laying around. It has come in handy on every build i have done over the last few years. Indespensable. Oh BTW, the build is looking killer. Bob
Nacho Z Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Really nice work Harry. This is a great example of long distance learning. I am getting "schooled" every time I check in on your, (I know you don't like this), builds.
Harry P. Posted February 10, 2014 Author Posted February 10, 2014 Really nice work Harry. This is a great example of long distance learning. I am getting "schooled" every time I check in on your, (I know you don't like this), builds. If you want to call it a "build," that's ok by me!
Harry P. Posted February 10, 2014 Author Posted February 10, 2014 Cylinder head detail... first I sprayed them silver. Silver is a very opaque color and cancels out the red plastic very well. Then brush painted Testors bottle green, then Testors Transparent Window Tint to tone down the green, then the details picked out with various Testors bottle paint colors... and finally a Future/acrylic black wash. We've come a long way from here... To here: A little paint detailing can work wonders on very simplified kit parts. There's no secret technique here, nothing anyone else can't so. All it takes is a good, sharp brush, some patience, and a steady hand.
Pocherphile Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 (edited) You want to know what I am impressed with............Testors Model Paint...........small bottles!!!!!! You achieve great results w/this stuff, I have not used their colors in years, yet you make your projects pop w/this brand paint. Old dogs can learn new tricks. Again, excellent workmanship. Rick Edited February 10, 2014 by Pocherphile
Harry P. Posted February 10, 2014 Author Posted February 10, 2014 You want to know what I am impressed with............Testors Model Paint...........small bottles!!!!!! You achieve great results w/this stuff, I have not used their colors in years, yet you make your projects pop w/this brand paint. Old dogs can learn new tricks. Again, excellent workmanship. Rick I am a big fan of the KISS school of model building... Keep It Simple, Stupid. I know a lot of people have these incredibly elaborate techniques and use all sorts of exotic paints and stuff... and if it works for them, great. But my philosophy is keep it simple whenever possible. If simple works, why get complicated?
Pocherphile Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 I am a big fan of the KISS school of model building... Keep It Simple, Stupid. I know a lot of people have these incredibly elaborate techniques and use all sorts of exotic paints and stuff... and if it works for them, great. But my philosophy is keep it simple whenever possible. If simple works, why get complicated? I could not agree more........when acrylic paint came on the scene, enamels where no longer a issue. Not everyone has your skills with this paint, I agree it worked for back in the day when this was the only type available and oh my what wonderful mess's I made with it all in the name of painting a model. However, when acrylics came out, you achieved a smooth paint job every time. I will admit, most large scale cars I have built in the past have been paint w/auto lacquer. For many many years Humbrol was my color of choice, then came Tamiya colors, so yes, many flavors and I agree, what works best for you is what you should stay with. What catches my attention, you keep referring to brush painting, the only way I ever got good results with this brand was when I sprayed it, I adhor brush strokes in paint! You appear to have mastered this technique of painting. Simple, maybe to you, but for me, I have horrible results using this brand paint w/a brush! Rick
Harry P. Posted February 10, 2014 Author Posted February 10, 2014 I really only use the Testors bottle paints for brush painting small parts and detail painting. I generally spray anything bigger than those cylinder heads... but sometimes a little brush paint is all you need. Brush strokes aren't an issue on small parts like that... I just sort of flow the paint on, and it's pretty self-leveling. I don't think I could get a good finish with brush paint on a larger surface, but for the small stuff it works great. I also use a lot of acrylic paints. I like acrylics because they dry fast and cleanup is simple... just soap and water. But in the case of these cylinder heads, I just happened to have a bottle of Testors Green sitting there, so...
f1ford48 Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 thanks for the wash effect story Harry.I forgot about the use of Future- I will try it on my next build. heres a little history for us builders of these ''RELICS'' . the Aurora Stutz in 1/16 scale was a spin off of this Hudson Miniatures Old Timers build which I recently inherited. this model was built back in 1950 and is mostly balsa and paper with scratch built hardware that the kit only supplied you with drawings to craft- it is still in one piece!. this is what started what we are all enjoying to this day. just for fun....
Harry P. Posted February 10, 2014 Author Posted February 10, 2014 Wow, Frank. That is too cool! What a piece of history! Tell us more. You say you inherited it. From who? Do you know who built it? How did it wind up in your hands? We'd all love to hear the details.
Danno Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Like he said, Frank, Wow! That is amazing. Waiting for more details, too.
f1ford48 Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 (edited) I just wanted to share it here since we are interested in this ''old stuff'''. back when I built OLD 16 I was looking for the Hudson kit of said car. that is when I saw two built Hudson Models-on e bay- the Stutz and a superb Regal Underslung. I bid on both and won both as not many folks have interest or even know what these models are... the Gentleman who built them -named Phil-had a few additional Hudson kits listed and through our communications and mutual interest decided to just include them in the deal-what a great guy! that is the reason I say I ''inherited'' them. the models arrived unscathed despite how fragile they are. here are some pics of the Regal Coupe that is quite a masterpiece-all wood with opening doors-hinged and latched.[and an image of the real car] and I will let you get back to your project which I am enjoying immensely. Edited February 10, 2014 by f1ford48
f1ford48 Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 here you can see - from the kit contents- just how much imagination went into one of these builds. I suppose it was like one of those balsa wood bi-planes-I remember building one of those! all the best- Frank
cobraman Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 Harry, you have me thinking of tackling a build such as this although I know I could not do as good of a job as this. You have the detailing down pat.
clovis Posted February 10, 2014 Posted February 10, 2014 I need to build one of these models, or maybe a whole room full of them. I own exactly four full bottles of Testors green enamel, and have no idea what to do with them.
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now