Scale Auto – October 2019

(Jacob Rumans) #1
10 Scale Auto • OCTOBER 2019

TIPS&TECHTIPS&TECH BY KEN HAMILTONBY KEN HAMILTON


FROM THE TIPS & TECH WORKSHOP
We’ve had several requests from modelers looking for instruction sheets for a
variety of model kits. Recently, I discovered where you can find a great many of
them, including photos of box art and oodles of other useful information.

VISIT THIS LINK and click on Model Kit Instructions & Box Art. Follow the
prompts and you will likely find what you’re looking for. Many thanks to Drastic
Plastic Model Car Club for taking the time to collect and share all this informa-
tion. Well done!

https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/

(^) READER
TIPS



  • While shopping at a local home-
    goods store, I saw fine and ultra-fine
    stainless-steel oil splatter shields in both
    mesh and perforated styles. One screen
    would work for quite a few models.
    However, I don’t know if the mesh
    screens would unravel when cut.

    • Dave Bergeron, via email




Ken: Thanks for the tip, Dave. If you cut
the mesh carefully with a sharp side
cutter, you shouldn’t have any trouble
with frayed ends.


  • When planning the weathering of
    your model and you’re going to have
    scratches or chips going through to the
    base metal, use DupliColor ultra silver
    metallic paint as a base coat over the
    plastic. It’s full of super-fine metal flakes
    that glisten like newly revealed steel. In
    places where there are fresh scratches
    down to the metal, it gives a convincing
    look.

    • Mark Birdsell, via email



  • I needed a piece of “aluminum”
    thicker than aluminum foil but not as
    thick as aluminum flashing. My solution:
    Cut open an empty tube of toothpaste
    that had the flex I was looking for. The
    inside looked like dull chrome and was
    perfect for the project at hand. Always
    be on the lookout for unusual materials
    that can be used for your modeling!

    • Craig Reynolds, via email




Ken: That’s a good one, Craig. You
never know where you’ll find great
modeling material.


  1. Is there a good website reference
    for car colors and trim?

  2. What’s the best way to find back
    issues of Scale Auto?

  3. Is there a difference between
    airbrush cleaner and paint thinner?

    • Bob Andrews, via snail mail




A


Welcome back, Bob. You
asked several other
questions that I’ll try to get
to in future issues, but for now:


  1. You’ll find a wealth of
    automotive color charts on
    http://www.autocolorlibrary.com. Plus
    you can punch in any make, model,
    and year to find a specific color.
    Googling “automotive color
    schemes” will bring up a lot of
    useful information too.

  2. You’re in luck! Go to
    http://www.scaleautomag.com/issues and
    you’ll be able to locate just about
    any back issue you’ve missed while
    you were away. You also might want
    to order the Scale Auto: First 35
    Ye a r s DVD that contains every page
    of the 218 issues published from
    1979 to 2013. In fact, the answers to
    your other questions can be found
    in articles that appear there.

  3. Every manufacturer would like
    you to use their brand of thinner,
    but it doesn’t really make a
    difference as long as you’re using a
    compatible type of solvent. That is
    water-based acrylic thinner for
    acrylic colors, paint or lacquer
    thinner for enamels, and lacquer
    thinner for lacquer. You’ll find that
    water-based paints have made great
    strides during your absence, and
    you might want to dust off your
    airbrushing skills to take advantage
    of all the available colors.


Q


Can I apply decals over a
clear coat of Pledge Floor
Gloss?


  • Doug Mitchell, via email


A


Pledge Floor Gloss (PFG) is
the reincarnation of Pledge
FloorCare Multi-Surface
Finish, which replaced Future Floor
Polish, a long-time alternative

Q


I’m building a Bonneville
1932 Ford roadster. How
can I make the hood
longer?


  • Rob Robinson, via email


A


Good question, Rob. You
have a couple of choices
here. You could pick up a
donor kit and use a portion of that
hood to extend the original, but you
might have an issue getting a proper
front-to-back taper. Or — and this
is the method I prefer — you could
carve a wooden buck that’s the size
and shape of the new hood you
need for your project. Carve the
buck from basswood or soft pine;
both are easy to cut and shape.
When you’re pleased with the
shape, heat a section of .020-inch or
.030-inch sheet styrene over an
open flame (such as a candle) until
the plastic begins to sag. While it’s
soft, pull the heated styrene down
over the buck to create the new
hood. If you haven’t done this
before, the first attempt might not
be exactly stellar, but you’ll quickly
get the hang of it. Hold the styrene
in place until cool, then trim to fit.

NOTE: Be sure to factor in the
thickness of the plastic when
carving the buck. If you carve it to
fit snuggly inside the kit hood, the
thickness of the new piece should
work out nicely. Good luck, and let
us know how it turns out.

Q


I recently retired, and I
am getting back into the
hobby after more than
50 years away. It’s a lot different
now! I have a few questions:
Free download pdf