BlrwestSiR

Harv, I got it from Maple Airbrush https://www.mapleairbrushsupplies.com/ First time I've ordered from them.

So far Ive used it to straighten my Procon boy needle. The needle had a slight bend near the tip. You merely slip the needle into the slot and with gentle pressure to hold it in place, rotate the needle a few times. It's definitely taken the bend out. I haven't tried painting with the fixed needle yet. Probably tonight so I'll post how that goes.

Got a few items in the mail today. First up is a tool I've been looking at for a couple years now. Finally took the plunge. Some armour accessories. Finally a couple kits. There's a couple goofs in my current Scammell build so I'm planning to take a second crack at it down the road. They seem to be hard to find and some folks have wondered if they have closed up. My LHS had one so I grabbed it.

Good luck Harv! Here's to better vision. Carl

Rob, the oils make a huge difference. Thanks for showing the before and after. I still haven't tried using oils but may just have to. Carl

I think it's supposed to come out by the end of the year. There was a recent post over on LSP that said something to that effect. Carl

The Wild Willy was my first RC car. I haven't replaced it yet but I do have the Willy's Wheeler which is a Honda City Turbo. Tamiya redesigned the Willy chassis back in 2000 and have used it as the basis for a number of other vehicles since.

I've been waiting for a couple drivetrain parts to arrive and they finally did today. I ordered some upgrades driveshafts from a company called RC4WD. The upgraded ones are on the top of the pic. Not only are they stronger than the stock ones but they're universal joints versus dog bones so should have less binding. The dog bones were then installed into the axle halves. They're supported on either end by small cartridge bearings. Here's the assembled axle halves. They in turn are bolted to the gear case assembly. Time to get messy with the grease and installing the gears. The Clod uses a simple planetary diff. Pretty bombproof. And that leads to one assembled gearcase/axle.

Well, it worked. The big hurdle with the Fly kit.

I haven't tried the Master tracks as they're either crazy expensive or sold out. I've used Fruil a couple times and those were pricy enough. I think that this holds true for many of the AM bits folks use. I remember the complaints about the Eduard resin sets for the Tamiya Mossie. At least I got them on clear out so nowhere near full retail. Mk 1 from Korea makes 3D printed burner cans for the Tamiya F-15 but they're around $100 or the same price as the base kit. Stuff for car kits is possibly even worse. Scale Motorsport made a nice set for the Tamiya 1/12 Porsche 935. I think the list price was $300 or almost triple the kit price. They sold every one and the detail sets are more than double that on the used market now. Then there's Top Studio...

I'm hoping this works out.

Try Tamiya lacquer thinner. It's cool enough not to melt plastic. It may take a couple applications but it should take the paint off. It'll probably strip some of the plating too though. Carl

Oh I know that feeling. I picked up the Eduard resin Merlin set and then their nose gun bay and cannon bay set too. I normally don't build my planes with panels open so it'll be different whenever I get to it. Which will be after my Tse Tse conversion.

Phil, the Bandai Star Wars kits go together like a dream. They're generally press fit too so not even glue is needed.

In this case, Tamiya did a nice enough job moulding the ammo chutes but they didnt put any ammo in them. They're emoty so it could look odd to some.

Got the assembly done on the Super Star Destroyer. I'm impressed by how much detail they crammed into the kit. Here's a closeup of the superstructure. How big the kit is.

Or maybe the streaky finish used on Fokkers?

How about treating it like a WNW kit but instead of lozenge decals, use carbon fibre decals? Scale Motorsport makes a set. https://scalemotorsport.com/collections/templated-carbon-fiber-decal-sets/products/fgt-clear-full-carbon-jacket

Flightpath makes replacement gear bays for the Revell kit. They correct the shallow depth. But, they're PE and a real PITA to assemble. They were way above my skillset when I tried them out. Also, Aerocraft has brass MLG and resin doors for the kit.

Really impressive nose section. Can't wait to see the rest. And welcome aboard!!! Carl

Sadly, it's true. What's truly scary is the prices these days for production bikes. There are mainstream bike manufacturers selling bikes that cost upwards of $10K. That used to be the domain of boutique brands and custom builders. Not any more. Bill, I'm glad to hear you haven't given it up. My heart attack was only 11 months ago but I've been able to get out about once a week with the boys riding once I was cleared to ride. They've been a great motivator. Carl

Thanks Gaz! I can't freehand paint that well. Or more precisely, as beat as I'd like. So I've learned to mask things. Like ejection seat handles and instrument panels. It takes forever but it's always neater than I could do otherwise.

I've gone to the Dark Side. The detail is " Most impressive" as one might say, especially for something this small.

Yup, Norco is Canadian. A couple friends of mine work there.

Sounds like the streets here in Toronto. I had slick tires for my last fat bike. 4.0 inch wide slicks. People would ask me why I had them and I'd only half jokingly say because of the condition of our roads. Same here. The city finally got off their butt and made a continuous divided bike lane that goes across the city. Hopefully it stays that way through the winter. I think I still have a DX derailleur somewhere. As for XT, I've got 8, 9, 10 and 11 speed versions of it. I'm just missing the oldest 7spd and the newest 12spd groups . I also have a second generation XTR group on one bike. Shifts like a dream.