ColonelKrypton

Indeed, 'tis true. youtube is prime example; loads of pure utter crap created for the sole purpose of getting views, "likes", and subscribers in order to make money. There are even bots that do nothing else but create this sort of endless and pointless crap.

Dyslectic, careless, or just plane lazy - let's not overlook the wonder and benefit of modern writing tools ... (found in many places and variations - search for "ode to a spell checker") Eye halve a spelling chequer It came with my pea sea It plainly marques four my revue Miss steaks eye kin knot sea. Eye strike a key and type a word And weight four it two say Weather eye am wrong oar write It shows me strait a weigh. As soon as a mist ache is maid It nose bee fore two long And eye can put the error rite Its rarely ever wrong. Eye have run this poem threw it I am shore your pleased two no Its letter perfect in it's weigh My chequer tolled me sew. Anon cheers, Graham

Bill has a very interesting selection of kits. He frequently buys collections which supplements the latest and greatest from his suppliers. I never know what I will find whenever I get the chance to visit his store. cheers, Graham

not the best reason to travel but a distraction is always welcome. The best shop is The Hobby Center on Merivale road. Lots of parking, Tim Horton's near by and always lots of neat stuff, new, old, previously owned of all types. www.hobcen.com There is also a great hobbies near the corner of Hunt Club and Merivale. All new stuff, ,mostly RC but might be a nice diversion. Next on the list is Hobby House on just off Montreal road.. The oldest surviving shop in town. Big on trains and also plastics. I haven't been in a couple of years as it is a bit out of the way whenever I happen to be in the city. https://www.hobbyhouse.ca/ There are a number of Gunpla oriented shops too. Trinity Hobbies on Carling Ave springs to mind. https://trinityhobby.com/ I have never been in the store but have purchased online. Interesting selection of tools and details parts. I am actually about half way between Ottawa and Cornwall. Ordering online and paying for shipping is often cheaper than the gas needed to drive into the big city. Best of luck on your travels. cheers, Graham

I should have also mentioned that you may not need the thinnest 0.1mm engraving bit. There are a number of larger sizes up to (I think) 0.5mm. I have the 0.1mm and use it when only the thinnest blade will do otherwise I use the 0.25mm blade. It is bewildering to try and decide which size blade would be the most suitable 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.25, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5 - too expensive to buy them all and depending on your needs and wants it is likely that only one will suffice. I know I had a hard time trying to decide. The local hobby store didn't stock them so I had to do some online research and in the end just guessed, flipped a coin, and threw a dart which landed on the 0.25mm size which for my needs ended up being a good choice. cheers, Graham

That is another good saw. A bit large for most of my model making needs but an ideal size for other crafts and even a bit of woodwork cutting small trim and dovetails. A @Pete in Lincs describes - it's brilliant. Patterned after Japanese Dozuki saws having a similar tooth profile ands cuts on the pull stroke. The blade is 0.3mm ( 0.012" ) thick with 1mm tooth pitch ( 25 tpi ). Overall about 12" (320mm) long and the blade itself is about 6" (150mm) long. Incidentally, the Tamiya saw is made by Olfa rebranded for Tamiya. Most if not all of Tamiya's tools are made by some other Japanese company branded for Tamiya. Tamiya takes pride in the product lines and can always be counted on to select excellent partners to manufacture their products. The Olfa equivalent is the Olfa 125B Craft saw and the blades are interchangeable. I did say earlier that I was a confirmed tool nut ( addict ). cheers, Graham

always. You need to let the tool do the work. I have a couple of the Tamiya engraver bit and have yet to break one. They are made from tungsten carbide. cheers, Graham

I have a couple of these saws and wouldn't be without them. I also have a couple of true Zona razor saws - thicker and with a different kind of tooth profile - I also wouldn't be without them. I am a confirmed tool junkie These Ninja Hyper cut saws sold through Flexi File are made by Shimomura Alex in Japan. And as @cmatthewbacon described are made differently than similar western tools - thinner, harder, with a different tooth profile. Their tooth profile is more like the tooth profile on Japanese pull saws. http://shimomura-alec.co.jp/product/product.html#alk164 Lots ( lots ) of very interesting tools. I have used those Tamiya and other brand photo etch stainless steel saws that you put in your Exacto or similar knife handle. I never got along well with them, always bending and never really cutting to my liking. I have never broken a tooth off these saws but I have damaged a Zona razor saw by being too aggressive in it's use. Perhaps that is why I have never broken a tooth off of the more expensive Ninja saw, I learned earlier on the Zona to be more gentle If it were me, I would use one of the Tamiya engraving blades: https://www.tamiyausa.com/shop/tools/fine-engraving-blade-01mm/ Pricey yes but very well made and you do not need the Tamiya expensive handle to hold them. They are 2mm in diameter and I use a 2mm drafting lead holder pencil. You can use the engraving to remove said panel entirely or just to get started or on the round bits and the a saw on the long straight parts. Something else to consider to use a sewing thread. Yes, I said sewing thread - do a search on youtube, you will be surprised if you have never heard of this before. And while on the subject of engraving blades, Shimoura Alec has you covered there as well: http://shimomura-alec.co.jp/product/pdf/alk216.pdf also pricey but of very good quality and ergonomics. Incidentally, you can find these Ninja saws at hobby stores that cater to Gundam / Gunpla / etc builders but usually in their Shimomura package rather than the Flex File packaging. Do be careful if you go tool shopping at one of the better Gunpla stores. If you have an affinity for good tools and are a tool junkie you will likely spend a lot more than you intended. cheers, Graham

count me in too, please and thank you. cheers, Graham

One of my favourites; add me to the list please and thank you. cheers, Graham

I somehow missed this one. I have a passing interest in trains and things railway. Sign me up for this one. cheers, Graham

In days of yore and still today, jewellers will often use liver of sulphur to darken copper and copper bearing metals including sterling silver ( which can contain several % of copper ) to add a dark brownish patina. this is the same effect as @Tarby has described but using an eggshell on aluminum. Copper and aluminum are reactive metals which oxidize ( darken ) when exposed to the sulphur and hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the egg shell. Like all chemical reactions, heat hastens the process ( i.e. boiling ). A mashed up freshly boiled hard boiled egg can be quite effective in this process when your item is placed in a bag or other sealed container. Lightly abrading the surface will help the process. Plenty of videos and web pages describing this jewellery technique are easily found using Google. And, if you want something more effective than boiled eggs and fancy adding such patina to a lot of copper, brass, bronze ( etc ), you can get liver of sulphur from many sources like your favourite jewellers supply and even eBay and Amazon. I have never tried this technique with aluminum but have done so with copper and brass; worked well on photo etch parts. I will have to give aluminum a try, might even work on metal track links like those from Friulmodel or Master Club. cheers, Graham

that is my biggest problem with brush painting but I am getting better at resisting. cheers, Graham

Yes, use the Tamiya X-20A thinner; not only will it thin the paint BUT it also contains a bit of retarder which will also be of benefit when brush painting. You can also add a bit more retarder as needed. Tamiya also sells their Acrylic retarder ( product no. 87114 ). I would stay away from retarders and flow improvers intended for water based acrylics ( i.e Vallejo, AK, Liquitex, Golden ). Tamiya acrylics are not water based acrylics and it is best to stick with the Tamiya thinner and retarder. I suspect that much of the frustration many have had with brush painting Tamiya acrylics is a result of not using Tamiya's X-20A thinner and retarder instead using whatever witch's brew of water/alcohol/Windex/windshield washer fluid/etc ... they read about, heard about, saw on youtube, (etc). Save the witch's brews for cleanup; stick with the manufacturers own products and you can't go far wrong. cheers, Graham

It is not really two part paint. The add on poly just improves flow from your airbrush and makes a bit more durable coating. https://missionmodelsus.com/products/polyurethane-mix-additive-2oz#:~:text=The Poly greatly increases flow,a very light eggshell finish. I and others suspect that mission models paint is made by Createx for MMP. At one time there was a link on the MMP web site that took you to the Createx website but it is no longer there. Createx is well regarded airbrush paint. I had no problem airbrushing the MMP product and it did dry or cure as expected but any application of water or decal setting solution and it would lift right off. I suspect that what was needed was a good and proper matt/semi-gloss/gloss clear coating before attempting to apply decals but I never got that far. cheers, Graham