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steelheader

IPMS/USA Member
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Everything posted by steelheader

  1. Just a quick thought: if someone has this decal sheet but does not want to send it too me, perhaps you could scan and email it to me. I have a club friend that could create a decal that just might help.
  2. I am building the old Hasegawa F-4J Phantom, "Showtime 100". I have the original kit decals plus the Microscale Set 48-300. All the decals are old, and I am using the Microscale to supplement the kit decals. The small kit decals (stencils) have all performed well, but the larger decals will sometime crack or roll over on themselves. The "USS CONSTELLATION" decal applied to the right side of the aircraft went on without a problem. The left side decal cracked in three places and parts folded over, resulting in an unusable decal. Dose anyone have a set of the kit decals that they are willing to part with? or can you point me where I can find a replacement? Microscale offers a set of letters that may work, so that could be my fallback. I am happy to compensate for the decals. Any help you may offer will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help,
  3. I did give the model a good rinse with warm, soapy water after the oven cleaner exercise. An old toothbrush was used in all the nooks and crannies. Much more work to go to remove the paint and re-scribing the panel lines. Generally I wash the models with Dawn and warm water and a distilled water rinse prior to painting. At least two days of dry time follows the wash and rinse. Thanks for the pointers and support. More to come.
  4. Here is an update on this project. We have had a spell of unseasonable warm weather for the last week, so I thought this would be a good time to go outside and remove the enamel paint previously applied by my friend. I used heavy-duty oven cleaner and water to rinse the paint and cleaner off the surface. It took two applications and most of the blue paint came off, but the white paint on the undersides appeared totally unfazed by all the attention. The second application did affect the epoxy holding the wing in place on the fuselage. I now have a separate wing section and fuselage to work on. Plus, I managed to break the struts on both wing floats. I also see that as a plus for future efforts. The steel bars at the bottom of the fuselage are now exposed, but I have decided to retain them in place and live with the extra weight. This should prove to be an interesting, if not challenging project. I will see about posting some images in the future for the progress.
  5. Thanks to all for your comments. As I noted above the model is a partially assembled 1/48th scale resin kit. The steel weights are visible through the top turret and nose possible, and therefore access is quite restricted. After a Google search everything I found to remove or loosen epoxy is hazardous to one's health, flammable, smelly and generally not inviting. I have decided to live with the weights in place and begin the restoration and hopefully completion of the project. I expect this to be a very long-term activity. Go slow and plan the work. Thank you again.
  6. Thanks for the input. My wife already said I could not put my models in the freezer.
  7. I recently acquired a partially built 1/48th scale Pend Oreille kit of the PBM-5 Mariner. This kit was given to me at our local club meeting last night by a friend that felt he would not ever finish the build. The four-part fuselage has been assembled, the wings and pontoons are in place. My friend had planned to display the model in flight on a magnetic base so that he could change the display with the model level or banking as the mood might strike him. To achieve this flexibility he epoxied steel bars in the bottom of the hull. The bars are visible through the dorsal turret position. The bars are probably 1/8" thick, 1/2" wide and maybe 4" to 6" long. I can imagine that a large resin kit would be heavy enough on its own, but the added steel would further increase the weight. I can probably live with the steel in place if I must, but would like to remove it to make future handling during the rebuild process a bit easier. Also, I plan to install beaching gear, therefore the removal of the steel weights would reduce the stress on the gear. Does anyone have any thoughts on how I can loosen the hold the epoxy has on the steel? My first thought was to store the kit in our basement freezer for a day and then see if I can carefully pry the bars out. I recognize the freezing would probably make the resin more brittle, but my thinking is the steel may shrink and possibly separate from the epoxy. Remember, the bars are only accessible through the dorsal turret opening which is about 1" in diameter. Any help you may offer will be greatly appreciated. I was told this kit cost $200 several years ago, so it would be a shame not to make some effort to save and rebuild it.
  8. Casual attire is fine with me as long as T-shirts do not have an offense message. Jeans with blown out knees and backside are definitely not appropriate. Although this next topic has nothing to do with attire it does have an impact on the banquet participants, speaker(s) and the presentation ceremony: people who talk to other members of their table when a speaker is at the podium. I had a situation a few years back at a convention when two men were having a rather loud and lengthy conversation during the opening comments. Their conversation when on and on, until I went over to their table and asked them to refrain from talking during the presentations. They were embarrassed and obliged my request. Later I was approached by a gentlemen who apologized to me for his friends behavior. It was obvious his friends were being rude, but they seemed not to recognize that behavior as out of line. Be it attire or other behavior during the banquet let us all be aware of the generally accepted rules of casual society. Be considerate of others.
  9. Thank you all for your responses. I have seen the fiberglass pencil mentioned in several foreign modeling publications, and only one issued a cautionary note regarding the issue of fibers. I was mostly curious about its possible use, but will look into the 3M pen. One can never have too many tools. Thanks again.
  10. Has anyone had any experience using a fiberglass pencil to eliminate ejector pin marks in tight corners? Or in removing mold lines on landing gear struts, both plastic and metal? I do understand the fiber shards can cause some discomfort/pain if they encounter exposed skin, and therefore gloves and safety glasses should be worn. Any other uses in plastic modeling?
  11. That did it!! Thank you so much for the help.
  12. Thanks for the information. I recall that the gear doors were closed when the aircraft was on the ground, but those speed brakes just have to be open! Adds some interest, but not necessarily accuracy to the model. Thanks again.
  13. I had similar problems with Future and decal solutions. Recently I have exercised extreme patience and allowed the Future gloss coat to dry for 48 hours. When applying the decals I float them into place with water, and then use a Q-tip to squeegee the water out from under the decal, and finally blot everything with a folded paper towel. I apply the decal solvent on the decal, removing any solvent from the adjacent surfaces, and allow the decal to dry. A second application of solvent may be required so use the same procedure. Prior to applying the final clear coat I use a damp cotton cloth to wipe down the decaled areas and remove any solvent residue. This solved my problem.
  14. I purchased the Hobby Boss 1/48th scale FJ-4B Fury at a local contest last year and have just discovered there were no instructions included. This is kit number 80313. The kit looks quite easy and could probably be built without the instructions, but I would prefer to have them to assure nothing is missed, goes in backwards, upside down or some other possible disaster. I did a search and found one image of a partial page showing fuselage and wings, but not all the details were included. Can anyone provide some assistance in this matter? Thank you for any help you may offer.
  15. Thanks for the response. I did check MicroScale and Aeromaster and struck out. I plan to be at the Nationals and will plan on digging through the various piles of decals sheets. I appreciate your help.
  16. Does anyone make a 1/48th scale sheet of WW II Nationalist Chinese insignia? I have a set of AVG decals that have more shark mouths than insignia. I checked all the decal manufacturers listed on the Flightdec's site, but came up empty handed. Any help offered will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
  17. I recently purchased a 1/48th scale Phantom FG Mk.1, kit number P17:2800 from a private buyer and once home discovered the clear parts are missing. I have sent an email to Hasagawa's customer service reqesting information on a possible replacement set of clear parts, but have not received a response. Would anyone by chance have a set of clear parts for this kit that you would be willing to sell me? or are you aware of an alternate source for these parts? I know that Falcon offers a vacuform set of canopies for various US Navy aircraft, but consider that my last resort. Thank you for any help you may offer on this request.
  18. Thanks to both of you for your responses. The super glue talcum powder mix sound like it is just what I need. I will practice this method on some spare parts before making the final commitment. Overall the plastic thickness varies depending on the shape of the part. Wings and fuselage thickness is somewhat uniform, but I think I will try the glue and talcum power mix. I have been reinforcing the parts as i remove them from the backer sheet. I question the wisdom on someone who builds a vacuform model and plans to rescribe the panel lines. Sound like a double whammy. Thanks again for your help. Will advise on the level of my successes with this project!!
  19. I am in the process of building a Koster vacuform kit. The panel lines are recessed, and some and not very uniform in width or depth. While some of the panel lines can be rescribed, the others that are a bit wider and not uniform in depth would probably not be suitableable for rescribing without filling. I have removed raised panel lines from injection molded kits and rescribed using the UMM or Tamiya scribing tools. The vacuform kit offers a new level of challenges. Anyone have experience or thoughts on how I might go about the filling and rescribing process to achieve a better uniformity?? Any comments will be most appreciated.
  20. This will help my friend greatly. Thank you for your help.
  21. Thank you, David. I appreciate the response and will pass this on to my friend and keep this in my file for my own use.
  22. I am submitting this request for an old friend of mine that is ailing, but remains an avid modeler. First, he has several sheets of ABT decals and is curious about the history or information on the company. He knows it is a French company, and assumes they are out of business. Can anyone offer information on this? I Googled this item, but came up with information that was not applicable. Last, he has some old decals, some remain flat sheets, while others have curled. I told him the curled sheets are most likely to shatter when immersed in water, and I was not certain about the others. I suggested that he test a small decal from each sheet to confirm their condition. What is the method to restore these old sheets for use? I have heard (I think) that by spraying a thin coat of clear seal, like Future or Floquil the decals can be salvaged. Each decal must be cut individually. Am I on the right track or not? Your help will be appreciated.
  23. Thanks, Tim. I will try that now.
  24. I "won" a kit of the Testor's M109 self-propelled howitzer last summer, and recently discovered the kit has no instructions. I seem to recall a website that offered instructions replacements either as free or for a fee. Have I been sniffing too many fumes lately, or does this site really exist? If my fume theory is correct, anyone out there that can help with this matter would be quite appreciated. This is the Testor's kit numberr 777, 1/35th scale. Thanks for the interest.
  25. The base colors must be acrylic for this technique, preferable with a flat finish for more "tooth". For the streaking effect try odorless thinner, applied with a 3/4" wide brush. The bristles should only be damp, not dripping with the thinner. Wipe the excess oil from the brush after each sweep (top-to-bottom). I normally apply the dots of oil with a round tooth pick, and can apply very small individual dots, or several close together. You can continue to sweep the dot until you arrive at just the right effect. I bought my thinner at Hobby Lobby (40% coupon works wonders!!). Try white on dark paints for the rain/dust effect. Good luck.
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