louiex2

I cut a small block of foam rubber to cover my SW blades. Tip based on personal experience: Make sure the foam is sufficiently long enough that the tip of the blade doesn't poke through. Lou in California.

Those are Flex-I-File Sticky Micro Stix. They are still manufactured and come in three levels of tackiness. You should be able to find them on-line. Microbrush also makes a version in their dental supply line. I bought a set of the Flex-I-File Micro Stix years ago and found they never would let go when twisted as the instructions said. Now I just use Blu-Tac on the end of an old microbush. Lou in California

When are you going to post the photos of the model? Outstanding work!!!

For gluing styrene my go to is Tamiya Extra Thin. The bottle includes a brush in the cap so you don't have to worry about clogging. Lou in California.

It depends on what I'm painting. For the most part, I only sand areas with orange peal but if the primer went down smooth I just move on to the next coat. The exception is for anything requiring a smooth surface such as bare metal or a shiny car body. In that case I sand between every coat until I get to the final gloss. With the colour coats, I sand with progressively finer sandpaper, sometimes up to 12000 grit. Lou in California

Not sure about square bottles, but Mr.Hobby sells a round empty 18ml Mr. Spare Bottle. https://www.mr-hobby.com/en/product3/category_5/175.html You should be able to find them on-line. Lou in California

Model railroaders use white vinegar to etch brass. After rinsing the vinegar off a second rise with IPA will make sure the brass is completely clean and ready for primer. Lou in California

@Aku The Proops Brother's Mitre Sander looks great and will do the job for you just fine. Let us know how it works for you. @psdavidson I forgot about the DSPIAE unit. I have seen several reviews that give it high praise and the Meng unit is the same tool, just rebranded. Also, it looks like the price as come down- it used to be around $100 USD (≈£70) Lou in California

I don't know if these are available in the UK but If you need something for small pieces of balsa wood (up to 4" x 1") there are at least tow available here across the pond. - NorthWest Short Line makes a tool called The True Sander (https://nwsl.com/collections/true-sander/products/the-true-sander) or - Micro-Mark offer a very similar Sand-It (https://www.micromark.com/Sand-It?gclid=Cj0KCQiAuP-OBhDqARIsAD4XHpen2pL4E6lA1TPDtHhETaAQL9g712mZYDuOIc_adPhX8KFLCGDNOMEaAvH_EALw_wcB) Both include angle guide for sanding at 30, 45, 60 and 90 along with a protractor guide for any angle. Either will do the job for you. Lou in California

@PhantomBigStu I've been a fan and have used Mission Model Paints for over four years. I brush with them all the time with no issues. Brushes clean just fine with water but I usually use MM Airbrush Thinner to give the brushes a final cleaning at the end of a paint session. They also airbrush just fine but be sure to follow their instructions and use the their poly additive. I will add that they do take a bit of getting used to so toss out your book on how you use other acrylic paints. Most of the complaints I see in forums about MM paints is by modelers who didn't follow the directions. Mere's a link to their FAQ's https://www.missionmodelsus.com/pages/tips-and-tricks-faq Bottom line for me is, depending on the project, Mission Model Paints and Vallejo are my go-to paints. I do occasionally use Tamiya and Model Master but mostly to use up my stock of special colors. Lou in California

Sorry I’m late to the party. To answer your original question, Tamiya 74123 side cutters are thinner, have a longer taper and have a bit more curve than the 74035. I have a a Xuron sprue cutter that I like for general use but as so many of the new kits have a lot more small parts on the spruce I will probably get a 74123 for the more delicate work. Lou in California

@dogsbody Chris- You are correct. Thank you for pointing out the confusion; I should have clarified the link was to the main Ottlite UK website, however Ottlite does make a magnifier version. - I've update the post. Your magnifying swing arm looks like the same one I use (and have had for about 30 years.) Last time the incandescent bulb died, I replaced it with an LED bulb- what a difference. Lou in California

If you want the best- one word: Ottlite. https://products.ottlite.com/c-192-craft-and-sewing-magnifiers.aspx Update- I've corrected the link to the actual magnifier pages of the Ottlite UK page instead of the main page. Scroll down the page to find the gooseneck clip-on one. Lou in California

You might try jewelers abrasive cord. It comes in several diameters and grits. On our side of the pond Micro Mark carries it but you may be able to find it at a store that specializes in handmade jewelry. Lou in California

“And now for something completely different...” Outstanding work- the model belongs in a museum. I really enjoyed the history and backstory. Thank you for sharing Lou in California

Badger makes at 1/4 oz. (7ml) color cup that should fit the 200 series- part #50-0483. I'm across the pond so I'm not sure about UK stockists- you might try airbrushes.com Lou in California

Amazing work. I enjoyed the WIP thread. Lou in California

Detail Master makes photo-etched hinges in 1/24th scale. https://www.detailmaster.com/search?type=product&q=NOT+tag%3A__gift+AND+hinges* Lou in California

I don't recall when I read the tip (may have been here on BM) but Tamiya Airbrush Cleaner is almost the exact same formula as Tamiya Extra Thin. I gave it a try and Airbrush Cleaner glues styrene just fine. The only difference I can see is that Airbrush Cleaner has a slight yellowish tint and the Extra Thin is clear. Here, across the pond, Extra Thin is about $6 USD for 40ml and Airbrush Cleaner about $8 for 250 ml. That's 3¢ vs. 15¢ per ml and I'm not sure having a bottle cap with a brush is worth 12¢ extra per ml. Besides, I have two dedicated brushes I use for applying liquid glue. Lou in California.

As far as drying time, John Miller recommended using a hair dryer to speed the drying time before respraying. I've tried this and it works a treat. Be sure to set the hair dryer to the lowest heat setting and keep the dryer moving. Once I am completely done with painting, let the model sit for several days to make certain all the layers have "gassed out" before handing, but I think most modelers do this anyway. As far as colours, it is easy to mix custom MMP shades. Just keep track of the ratios and don't forget the amount of Poly and thinner. Once I find a colour mix I like, I write it down in a notebook and also on the instruction sheet. Please keep us posted on your results. Lou in California

I've been using Mission Model Paints for several years. I love using them and they are my go to paint, followed by Vallejo then Tamiya. I can't add much to what @Shin has recommended and it is good that you are following their directions. I have heard too many complaints about MMP from people who try to use them the way they use other hobby paints and that approach will not work work with MMP. You almost have to ignore much of what you "know" about using model paints in general as MMPs are a very different formula. MMP take some time and experimentation to find what works for you. The Poly will help and especially when using an airbrush, MMP seems to be sensitive to humidity. I was living in Arizona when I first started using MMP, then moved to Utah, then Idaho and am now in California. In each location I had to tweak my ratios a bit to find out what worked best. Also, as Shin mentioned, the ratios can vary with the paint color. I'd suggest keeping a notebook or list of the ratios as you try them and with a bit of experimentation you will find what works. Keep trying, especially once you get the Poly, and after you learn to work with them you will not go back. John Miller at Model Paint Solutions is friends with Jon Timken, the founder of Mission Model Paints, so he has a lot of good insight to MMP and has posted some great videos at the MPS website on using the paint. Finally, a note of caution about the Poly additive. Store it in the refrigerator if you are not going to be using it for more than a few days and it will keep much longer. If subject to big swings in temperature, it will thicken and become unusable. For more details on this phenomena, just do a web search. Lou in California

Here's on of the best tutorials I've ever come across about getting a gloss finish on a model car from BM's own @cmatthewbacon Lou in California

Just found this WIP and what a great build. Thank you for sharing how you are fabricating all of the detail parts. I love the way you did the plaid seats. To answer @johnlambert about Chrysler muscle car orange engine colours, it is a bit confusing. "Street Hemi orange" was only used on high performance engines (383, 426 and 440) from 1966-71 and the 1970-71 340. Earlier, a different orange, "Race Hemi orange," was used on the 1962-64 Max Wedge 413 and 426 and on the 1964-65 Race Hemi 426. Lou in California.

Very nice review. I love my Badger Krome and internally it is the same as the Sotar 20/20 and they use the same nozzles. I use it primarily for detail work. The nozzle size and guard are an easy fix- Badger make a 0.5 mm nozzle and also a two prong metal tip guard that will fit if damaging the needle is a concern. I’m not sure I understand your comment about the cut away on the cup. Lou in California

Both Gravity Colors USA* and Zero Paints make Land Rover paints colours for the Series III. For Pastel Green in Gravity Colors USA it is #GC-1192 and for Zero Paints it is ZP-1600HCD. Both are airbrush only and Zero Paints require a gloss clear coat. I'm guessing Tamiya and Vallejo have something that would give you a close starting point. Lou in California *Gravity Colors (Europe) is a different company, but for my mates across the pond, they also have Land Rover paints- Pastel Green is CG-1197.