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Interesting video on YouTube - good history on the Aurora, Monogram and Revell plastic models.


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I use a product called "Same Stuff" from Micro-Mark almost exclusively. It's a liquid cement, which comes with it's own applicator built in. It's not cheap but it works better than anything else I've ever used, including the more popular liquid cement brands. It's worth the extra cost. Each bottle is about $14 after shipping. 

 

It gets it's name from being based on the long gone Ambroid Pro Weld. It's not quite as strong as the Ambroid was, but it's still the best available currently.

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This should be a photo of the two together. If that doesn't work, I wrote up a review of it on my little-used modeling blog when I first got it. Rereading it now, I can see a lot of things I would have done differently writing it, but it still has the photos. 

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1 hour ago, Laughing Coyote said:

What is a good plastic model glue to use? One that will actually glue one part to another and you don't have to wait a day for it to hold a part affixed.

Martin, I use a glue called Insta-Cure Gap Filling Medium Glue. It is the best glue I have used for both plastic and resin kits. It retails for $5.50. It has a curing action of 3 to 5 seconds. 

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Whenever I got back to model building over the years, I was inspired by some of the great Automobile modelers, such as Conti of Italy, and Gerald Wingrove of England whose book "The Complete Car modeler" published in 1978 is a great guide. However, I was most impressed a number of years ago by the astonishing work of Edgar Roy of West Roxbury, Massachusetts (and a 10 page arcticle "the Simplex Complex" published in Automobile Quarterly Vol 29-1, of January 1991).

WHO! While having a successful career in Industrial Engineering, and taking time to restore 18 interesting cars, edgar Roy devoted much of the latter part of life and the best part of 30 years (and 23,000 hour) building a complete Model Line of the 1911 Simplex. He started with the idea of making 6 working miniatures of the 1911 Simplex he had recently owned and restored, including a display chassis, Speedwagon, Toy Tonneau, Seven Passenger Touring, 5 Passenger Tourer and an Indy Racer. Since the miniatures were to be "working models'', and the smallest practical working engine would need about 3/4"-7/8" dia pistons, everything else scaled up from there resulting in models of about 1/9 scale, and weighing about 20 pounds. The cars were built from scratch, with running engines (Pentane fueled, water cooled, battery electrics) 4 speed transmissions, manually operated brake shoes/drums and correct worm gear steering. 

 

At the time of the AQ article in 1991, the Roy family still owned 3 of the models, one was owned by the Browning Corporation of Utah, and 2 were owned by Richard Teague. former VP of design for American Motors. Pick up an issue of this book, this article alone is worth the price.

 

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This one is not technically a  model kit so I hope you don’t mind it being posted here.  It’s a Corgi of Great Britain metal and plastic 1966 Lincoln Continental with body by Lehman-Peterson.  Overall it measures about six inches long.  The hood opens, trunk opens as well as the doors.  As found in the giant toy box I purchased all four doors were missing.  Floating around in the bottom of the box I found two doors, both from the same side which was a surprise.  This replica also features a battery compartment in the underside that has a light bulb to light up the replica TV in the back seat!  Car has amazing detail.  It sure would be great to have the right side doors.

 

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12 hours ago, Brass is Best said:

 

Thanks! I might try a Model A next. 

The Model A's by Hubley really straddle the line between toy and model. I built these two as semi customs. They are based upon a Hubley Model A Town Sedan, in the case of my Tudor,  and the Coupe kit in the case of my Cabriolet. 

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4 hours ago, TerryB said:

This one is not technically a  model kit so I hope you don’t mind it being posted here.  It’s a Corgi of Great Britain metal and plastic 1966 Lincoln Continental with body by Lehman-Peterson.  Overall it measures about six inches long.  The hood opens, trunk opens as well as the doors.  As found in the giant toy box I purchased all four doors were missing.  Floating around in the bottom of the box I found two doors, both from the same side which was a surprise.  This replica also features a battery compartment in the underside that has a light bulb to light up the replica TV in the back seat!  Car has amazing detail.  It sure would be great to have the right side doors.

 

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Terry,

             I know Corgi made some pretty detailed cars but the idea of a battery to light up the TV just blows me away!

As a kid I really liked Corgi for their larger scale and quality. I had a pinkish-red 1963 Stingray by Corgi with opening hideaway headlights, that when opened showed a sparkling pair of rhinestone-like gems for headlamps. It was the grooviest! :lol:

Greg

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   Ok, going back a few pages, the video of the model making companies caught my attention. I had to pull down the model of the guillotine that I made some 50 years ago...and yes, I guess I’m a hoarder!

  The next photo is of the model I’m working on now between car projects. It a 6’ RC model of the 1903 three masted topsail schooner “Atlantic” which set the trans Atlantic record in 1905 and held it for 98 years!

  

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Edited by yachtflame
Trying to correct grammar and orientation of photos (see edit history)
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11 hours ago, ericmac said:

The Model A's by Hubley really straddle the line between toy and model. I built these two as semi customs. They are based upon a Hubley Model A Town Sedan, in the case of my Tudor,  and the Coupe kit in the case of my Cabriolet. 

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Very nice work!

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I have 5 hubleys to build yet and will use them on my garden railroad. A model kit I built for my railroad is the Ruby steam engine. It’s a real steam engine, propane fired. The engines boiler is assembled along with the wheel sets but everything else is assembled then held together with these tiny little bolts and nuts. They give you a couple special nut drivers to fit the hardware as it’s so tiny. I machined up a mount for two small servo motors to radio control it putting the receiver and battery pack in a tender I salvaged from the dump. It’s a cool engine to run and I get about 20 minutes of run time per firing. Also a couple of miniature buildings I made for the railroad. All made up from red cedar I cut into strip wood. Making 1/2”x5/8” shingles is a ton of fun!It’s all modeling right! 

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Edited by chistech (see edit history)
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I also build scale RC plane models. Most are based on WWII fighters, have the 4 basic flight controls, and many have additional things like flaps, retractable landing gear, to bomb drops, gun sounds w/ flashing LEDs.  All are fiberglassed and airbrush painted with no decals or transfers. Every insignia is made from a hand made stencil! This makes for a very durable and fuel proof finish. Here are a few I have pictures of in my iPad. I’ve been building and flying RC planes for over 40 years.

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12 hours ago, GregLaR said:

 

Terry,

             I know Corgi made some pretty detailed cars but the idea of a battery to light up the TV just blows me away!

As a kid I really liked Corgi for their larger scale and quality. I had a pinkish-red 1963 Stingray by Corgi with opening hideaway headlights, that when opened showed a sparkling pair of rhinestone-like gems for headlamps. It was the grooviest! :lol:

Greg

Here you go Greg, 1963 Corvette with its jeweled headlights.  The 1968 Camaro is also Corgi.  It has opening doors, the front seats fold, there is a 4 speed shifter on the floor.  The hidden headlight doors open close and for some reason all four wheels can be removed using little releases on each wheel.  When I found the Camaro in the box it was missing two wheels.  Then I found them like the Lincoln doors but thought they were broken off.  Then I discovered the wheel release mechanisms.  Yea!  The most unusual thing I am finding in this mix of Corgi and Dinky toys, the values on eBay are greater for the Dinky toys.  

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4 hours ago, chistech said:

I also build scale RC plane models. Most are based on WWII fighters, have the 4 basic flight controls, and many have additional things like flaps, retractable landing gear, to bomb drops, gun sounds w/ flashing LEDs.  All are fiberglassed and airbrush painted with no decals or transfers. Every insignia is made from a hand made stencil! This makes for a very durable and fuel proof finish. Here are a few I have pictures of in my iPad. I’ve been building and flying RC planes for over 40 years.

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Ted, those planes nice.  I work at a hobby store, and they have a nice selection of RC planes, cars, boats, etc. I have never seen planes like yours. Are yours scratch built? You are a man of many talents. 

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On 3/28/2020 at 6:00 PM, Tom99 said:

211 are dealer promos.

391 That I built myself. With several in process. And, plenty still in boxes.

I’ve been building and collecting model cars, since my Father gave me my first dealer promo in 1955. Yes, I do still have it.

Many of the cereal box cars, I got out of the cereal boxes myself.

In one way I’m lucky, my 23 year old granddaughter, wants all the models, and my 65 Corvette. She has a strong interest in cars, both big and small.

 

 

Groovy.  I have been building for 50 years myself.  I saw tons of promo (which I love)---that is why I asked.  All good.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history)
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7 hours ago, John S. said:

Ted, those planes nice.  I work at a hobby store, and they have a nice selection of RC planes, cars, boats, etc. I have never seen planes like yours. Are yours scratch built? You are a man of many talents. 

I usually build off of plans and sometimes purchase old or rare kits. I’ve just started having some laser cut short kits made off of plans rather than cut all the parts out myself. The 0S2U kingfisher float plane was built  from a Brian Taylor (English model aircraft designer) short kit but the BT version is only landing gear version. So I took a larger scaled set of Charlie Smith plans, scaled them to match the BT scale, and copied just the float, cutting all the pieces out by hand. I modified the airframe and used my own design for the float attachment then it was fiberglassed and painted. It has a Saito .82 four stroke glow fuel IC engine. It has been flying for almost 10 years now and has over 70+, 8 minute flights on it.  Here’s the build thread.  https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/seaplanes-176/9408372-brian-taylor-os2u-kingfisher-build-8.html
 

The SBD-6 dive bomber (blue and gray) is built from a Skyshark kit no longer made. It’s powered with a Saito .80 engine and is probably one of my most “scaled” out models. It is a 9 channel plane with retractable gear, flaps, dive brakes, bomb drop, and machine gun sounds with flashing LEDs simulating the two cowl mounted machine guns. Build thread here: https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-warbirds-warplanes-200/11624942-skyshark-dauntless-build.html

 

The Japanese fighter plane in the picture with the Dauntless is a model of a plane called a Shinden Kai. It is not a Zero as many first think it is. It was made from a Tettra kit Mfg. and only sold in Japan. I heavily modified it to be much more scale by installing split flaps, retractable landing gear with working Oleo struts, and with manually closing gear doors. The door closing system I built closely mimics the original. This is an extremely nice flying model. It’s very docile and lands easily but can really move out when throttle is put to it. It also, like the others, flies with a Saito four stroke engine. Build thread here:https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-warbirds-warplanes-200/11601408-50sz-tettra-n1-k2-shinden-kai-george-build-thread.html

 

Looking back now, I’ve been doing build threads on forums for years, only the “models” have changed!

Edited by chistech (see edit history)
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On ‎3‎/‎31‎/‎2020 at 8:02 AM, Billy Kingsley said:

One of the TNMCC members lit the gauges on the dash of a 1939 Chevrolet. Head and tail lights also functional. It's visible on the drive in diorama I posted a few pages back.

One can also buy any of these 'deluxe-edition' GM 'New Look' transit buses that also light up--------------->  https://www.boutiquestm.com/en/models/edition-deluxe/

 

Craig

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Question for the pro builders- is there a way to paint a model with the old Testors enamel small bottle and brush and minimize the brush marks?  I know the short answer is to use spray paint but my inventory of paint is all small bottles.

Thanks!

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26 minutes ago, TerryB said:

Question for the pro builders- is there a way to paint a model with the old Testors enamel small bottle and brush and minimize the brush marks?  I know the short answer is to use spray paint but my inventory of paint is all small bottles.

Thanks!

Maybe with an airbrush for those small amounts.

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You can actually find a decent Badger or Paasche airbrush at pretty reasonable prices.

But you would need to thin the paint before you shot it through an airbrush.

Testors makes a paint thinner specifically for spraying through an airbrush.

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52 minutes ago, zepher said:

You can actually find a decent Badger or Paasche airbrush at pretty reasonable prices.

But you would need to thin the paint before you shot it through an airbrush.

Testors makes a paint thinner specifically for spraying through an airbrush.

I was asking as I might try to do some painting and I really don’t like painting or at least how it looks when I’m done☹️.  Can’t  go to stores or hobby shops right now so I was thinking about retrying the brush stuff since I have some.  One on line video said to add some thinner to the paint so it’s not so dense when applying it.  Ever try that?

 

I appreciate your info on the airbrushes.  Most videos of those painting a model or diecast vehicle use airbrushes.

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16 minutes ago, TerryB said:

I was asking as I might try to do some painting and I really don’t like painting or at least how it looks when I’m done☹️.  Can’t  go to stores or hobby shops right now so I was thinking about retrying the brush stuff since I have some.  One on line video said to add some thinner to the paint so it’s not so dense when applying it.  Ever try that?

 

I appreciate your info on the airbrushes.  Most videos of those painting a model or diecast vehicle use airbrushes.

You would only need to thin the paint a tiny bit if you're still going to use a brush to apply it.

Thinning it will help to prevent brush strokes but will also make it more likely to run so you will have to experiment with how much thinner you use to get the right ratio.

Good luck and post some progress pics.  🙂

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1 minute ago, zepher said:

You would only need to thin the paint a tiny bit if you're still going to use a brush to apply it.

Thinning it will help to prevent brush strokes but will also make it more likely to run so you will have to experiment with how much thinner you use to get the right ratio.

Good luck and post some progress pics.  🙂

Thank you, and totally unrelated to this is I had a 1989 Honda TransAlp.  Saw your Honda Hawk in your list.

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24 minutes ago, TerryB said:

Thank you, and totally unrelated to this is I had a 1989 Honda TransAlp.  Saw your Honda Hawk in your list.

 

Very nice!

That engine is a beast and is very stout.

Not the most powerful in stock form but incredibly durable and torquey.

I don't ride my Hawk as much as I should but even with it being a little under powered it all just works so well together that it is unlike any other bike I've ridden.

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I finished a 1909 Ford Model T Runabout 1/20 scale by Gabriel last night. This is a metal and plastic kit. You have to file and finish the metal and use epoxy to glue plastic to the metal. The Horn tube is made from copper wire and painted. this worked better than the plastic part with the kit.

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I posted earlier some photos of "Revival" "Cassidio" 1/20 scale die cast European GP cars from the '30's that I bought 20 years ago and built in past 15. This one is the Alfa Romeo P-2, note it had a splitter and 2 driveshafts to 2 rear differentials, unusual, not sure how practical it turned out to be. What I like about these kits (sell for about $150+ on ebay) is the finely detailed real wire wheels, which come already finished.  Being mostly diecast components also makes them quite heavy. As any modeler knows, at this scale the biggest challenge is getting wheels to look to scale. CMC now is producing even better factory built models like these, pricey though. This car has working steering through box and drag link.

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Did you realize🤔

A 1/4 oz bottle of Testors enamel model paint sells for $2.

One ounce would be $8.

A pint is $128.

A quart is $256.

A gallon is $1024.

And when you use it to paint something with a brush, even an official Testors brush, it still comes out looking like crap!  Obviously my most recent toy car paint experience did not come out so stellar.

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TerryB, why don't you try your hand at airbrushing? I am down the basement airbrushing some projects now. It is better  that spray cans, or using a brush. You can control the pressure coming out of the airbrush. Paint is expensive, and now Rustolem bought out Testors, and the quality isn't the same. If you want to try a better spray paint, try Tamiya . It gives you and even finish. I would also warm up the spray cans  with warm water for a few minutes. Helps the flow better. Good luck. John

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John, during this most extraordinary time when I have more at home time than I ever wanted I thought I would try once again to do something I don’t like and see if I can do better.   I have the paint and brushes leftover from a previous model painting attempt so nothing to loose other than my patience (as usual).  This job was a 1957 Ford tootsietoy that had lost most of its red paint so after removing the remaining paint and watching several YouTube videos I used the thinned paint method that suggests using a mix of 70% paint and 30% thinner to get better flow.  Maybe it’s a little better this way but I’m not impressed with the outcome.  I would try a spray can next if I decide to continue “exploring the inner me”.  Thank you for your comments and suggestions.

Terry

 

 

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TerryB,  Tootisetoys were sprayed with enamel paint from the factory, I would strip it, and get spray paint from either a hobby store, or Ace Hardware, and try it. I would also give the body a coat of primer, as it will hold the paint better to the metal, than on bare metal. I feel the same as you, being under house arrest, I have plenty of time to to catch up on long lost, or new projects. Thanks, John

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