ghodges

Well, apparently you succeeded! That Zero is a "ten"! Looks great Ying! GIL

Well, to me it's a matter of degree. I think to qualify for OUR shows, the "toy" should have to be almost completely (if not completely) disassembled, rebuilt, and repainted. The problem is, unless you're completely familiar with the item in question, well done work will mask how much trouble the builder actually had to go to (or not). The automotive divisions seem to run into this more often than other divisions, although with the release of some of the large (1/32 &1/16) aircraft that came assembled and painted, it's been growing in a/c too. As an occasional head judge, in a contest I'd be inclined to require some photo documentation that the builder did return the toy to "kit" form before rebuilding/repainting it, putting it on an even level with the other models. I still don't think we need a separate category for these items, as I've yet to see more than a couple at any one show. In a way, this gets to the philosophy of what i"P"ms is about; PLASTIC modeling. We're folks who buy KITS, assemble, and paint them. Sure, there are some tangents to that, but rebuilding toys is not one of them (IMO). It's like those beautiful wooden sailing ship models. No one can deny their craftsmanship, but they have almost nothing to do with building plastic models. Cheers! GIL

D&S= Detail and Scale. The Navy Phantom book is blue cover as opposed to most of the brownish D&S books. GIL

The D&S F4 "Navy" Phantoms book does have -J cockpit pics, although not the biggest. However, they are in color. GIL

A nice bit of work for the week Duke! GIL

Get a 10/0 (ten-ought) brush at your hobby shop or local art supply store. I also recommend using a good acrylic paint for the fine details, or even some white oil paint (thinned appropriately). Enamel and lacquer whites tend to dry on the brush hairs too quickly to do several buttons at a time, and the paint tends to build up more making it hard to do the finest details. Dry brushing those fine details is often easier than spot painting them! Other than that, it merely takes skill and magnification to see what you're doing! GIL

Try here: http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=F-4J+Phantom+cockpit+pictures&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=vxJPTcHPDc_TgQeC5Iwm&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCMQsAQwAA&biw=1280&bih=834 I don't know if this will help, but if you scroll down under pg2, there a pic of an F-4J resin cockpit set, mostly assembled and painted. Not only is that a good reference, but you can use it to check against the real pics on the pages to figure out which ones are J cockpit pics (or B/Ns, which are not very different on the side panels). Hope this helps! GIL

Wash with soapy dishwater, with just enough dish soap to give the bowl some suds. GENTLY scrub them with an OLD toothbrush (less stiff bristles) using less vigor than when you brush your teeth. The finer and more delicate the resin part, the gentler the scrubbing. In fact, sometimes a simple dip (no scrubbing at all) in the soapy water followed by a rinse will be enough to do the job! Cheers! GIL

While you don't specify the precise problem you're having with those checker nose decals, the tough compound curves of the nose are usually what cause the problems. Most kit decals are either too thick, or poorly engineered (or both) to lay down easily. Without knowing exactly what problem your having, my best advice is that you'll need to make some slices in the leading edges of the decals where they wrap around the nose. Be sure to use a NEW knife blade so that the cuts are clean and the decal doesn't tear. Make them anywhere you see evidence of a wrinkle or overlap due to the decal not wanting to conform to the curve of the nose. Also, a good decal solvent (Micro Sol, Solvaset) will go a long way to helping you out. When you get the decals close to conforming, apply some solvent and leave it alone for a day. Do not touch them after applying the solvent! They may wrinkle even worse at first, but this is normal. They should flatten out and conform as they dry. If you still have a few wrinkles or bubbles the next day, slice and pop them with the tip of a new blade and apply more solvent. The combination of cutting the decals in places to help them bend and the application of solvent should solve most of your problems. If all else fails, a little touch-up paint should complete and repair the problems you have. Hope this helps! GIL

Sharp work Ying! You're of to another great start. GIL

Hey John: you can save a ton of time if after installing the interior and chassis, you don't paint it and just set it on concrete blocks! GIL

"Your labor of love/pride and joy model will wind up on the contest table next to the most detailed, well painted, People's Choice and Judges' Best of Show choice winner." Heck, modeler extraordinaire Ken Belisle is a member of our local club, this happens to me at out meetings! GIL

Half the vendors have already loaded in (and done a little business to we early eager beavers). The room is set up and the category signs in place. all that's left is to load in the rest of the vendors, set up the raffle, and welcome the folks to the show! God speed and safe journey to all who're making the trip! GIL

Hi Troy: rather than retyping my thoughts on "scale effect", I'll ask you to drop down 10 threads on this topic and read about it under "Painting scale effects". In general, the problem is models are smaller than the real full size item. If you use the actual paint from an F-15 on a 1/48 F-15 it WON'T look the same! Since you want it to look the same, you need to adjust the color of the paint a little (in theory). In the end, you have the right idea, if it looks right, it IS right, no matter how you arrive at that result! Cheers! GIL

Try a cheap brand paper towel (not the cloth Bounty type). It should smooth the paint a bit without really removing much. GIL

Aha....Chicom cookie-cutter M-113! Thanks! GIL

Just a thought Troy..... Priming doesn't really need the controls that the finish painting does. You can spray a coat of primer onto parts out in the garage or on the back porch (outside of the living/breathing spaces of your home) very easily. If this could be done, you can use ANY primer (spray can, enamel, lacquer, etc.) that you want to. This may not be an ideal solution, but it may allow you to buy something that is locally available now and keep build models until you can find an acrylic primer you can use in your booth. Best of luck! GIL

That's a real can of worms.....my GUESS is most of it is somewhere around 5,000 to 10,000ths thick (.005-.001?). However, that can vary, especially depending on material selected (steel, brass, or copper) and whether you're doing single or multi-layer etching. When I did my Hodgepodge stuff (long ago and far away...) Fotocut (you can Google it) did my etching. I know that when I introduced my cockpit consoles with raised details (2 part etching) Fred had to use a slightly thicker material. Unfortunately, the whole few test sheets I have in my pile have no indication of their thickness, but they do seem to compare closely to the average sheet plastic you buy at the hobby shop, and seem no thicker than soda can aluminum. Hopefully someone with more hands on experience will be here to supply better info shortly. If I may ask, why is the thickness important? Cheers! GIL

Actually, that sounds like an excellent way to do it. Test paint a few parts that either won't be used, or will be out of sight (the inside of a fuselage half) to see if problems develop. But, keep in mind that mold release may not be evenly spread through the parts. It may be left on only some parts, no parts, or all parts; so test painting may help, but it won't be fool proof. The other side to this is that the time you spend test painting could just as well be spent washing the parts. You won't save any time, but if it gives you piece of mind, it's worth it! GIL

Richard: what I said is YOU'LL need to decide if you think you need to wash them. Personally, I don't. However, from the other replies you've gotten, it seems more people DO. If you like to do things on the "safe side", you'll want to scrub the resin or plastic parts to be sure to avoid painting problems. GIL

Welcome Ian! Hope we can help you with your projects. By the way, if you and IPMS Phllipines can find a way to pass along some of those pre-production Trumpeter kits to the rest of us..... GIL

Interesting.....pardon an a/c guy's ignorance, but is this perhaps a replacement for the M-113? Is it even American? It's got a nice streamlined modern shape to it. GIL

Many builders do scrub or soak their resin parts before painting. Stuff called "mold release" is used when casting resin parts that allows them to be removed from their rubber molds easier. This same mold release may be still on the parts. If so, it can affect whether or not your paint adheres to the parts properly, or cause "fish-eyes" and other paint finish problems. It's up to you whether you want to wash them, or take your chances and skip the step. I very seldom wash my resin goodies, and have had very few problems. But then again may have just been lucky! It's a good idea to submerge them in warm soapy water, scrub them gently with an old toothbrush, rinse them, and allow them to air dry overnight. By the way, regular plastic kits can also have this same problem! Hope this helps. GIL

Just got the word today....FRIDAY evening vendor load-in is a GO! So if you're vending at Jaxcon, you WILL be able to load-in to the facility from 5pm-8pm. NOTE: If you're NOT a vendor, you're welcome to attend, BUT be aware that vendors will NOT be ready to sell! You'll have to wheel and deal as circumstances allow , AND also NOT be in the way of those trying to load-in and set up their tables. Still, if you're helping some guy tote his stuff in you at least get a first look at what he has to sell! GIL

Well, ONE week to go! The vendors area is SOLD OUT!! The awards for the almost 100 categories are ready. The raffle will have close to 100 items up for grabs, including several worth $100+ retail value. Go to ipms-firstcoast.com for complete info and directions to the UNF University Center here in Jacksonville FL.. Or, email me at: slowhandshodges@bellsouth.net with your question. Hope you can join us here for some southeastern sunshine, warm winter temps, and some hot modeling fun! GIL