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My name, of course, is Joe. I live in Fort Collins, CO. I'm 16 and turn 17 in December. I also love classical music, and my favorite composers are Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak, Bizet and Mussgorsky. I also play four instruments: 1st Clarinet, 1st Cello and 1st Bassoon.My favorite cars Now to the models!
-Basics
To Airbrush, I recommend having:
1.Of course, an airbrush(Single action for Cars, Double for other uses)
2.Compressor or CO2 tank(propellent cans are ok, but very expensive over time)
3.Paint Filter
4.Spray booth (can be bought or made)with exaust fan
5.Air Regulator/Moisture Trap
For just spraying car bodies, I use a single-action Internal mix 'brush(Badger model #200). This is better for cars because unlike military modeling,you won't be painting detailed camoflauge and single action is easier to use. For an airsource, I use a paasche air compressor. I got mine on sale at the local hobby shop for $120. Compressors usually cost anywhere from $80-$400+ dollars.Paint filters are good because tiny globs of paint can clog the orfice of your airbrush, can make tiny bumps of paint on your model, and make airbrushing very difficult. I use a spray booth I made myself out of a speaker box covered with aluminum foil. I use it because it shields against dust and removes dangerous paint fumes from my house.
Thinning
I use these ratios for various paint manufacturers. May need to be changed for your airbrush.
Model Master enamel-40-55%thinner
Humbrol Super Enamel-70-85%
Pactra acrylics-15-20% Pactra enamels-60-75%
Polly Scale acrylics-10-15%
Gunze-Sangyo-20%
Tamiya-20-25%
Air PSI
For general enamels, I use 20-30psi. For acrylics, I use 18-25psi.
Spraying
When you spray, start off the model and take long strokes and stop off the model. The distance between the car and the airbrush should be about 1' away from each other. Also, do not spray one heavy coat, rather spray 3-4 light coats. This will help guard against dripping, and will also dry more quickly. If you do get drips in your paint job, you can wet sand them out with 600 grit sandpaper.
Clean Up
First of all, get your bottle of thinner and spray through until it is clean. Then, dissasemble your tip and scrub out the paint with an old toothbrush. If some paint just won't come out, you can soak it in the appropriate paint base (thinner, water) and scrub it out the next day.
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-Wire
Wire is the most common detailing device I employ on my models. I have wire diameters from .015" to 1/16"
diameter. For engine wiring, I usually use .025" copper wire or Detail Master Ignition Wire. To use it, just drill out the distributor with a #75 drill bit.Then drill out the holes where the spark plugs would be.Then paint the wire the appropriate color for the engine and epoxy or super-glue them into place. Wire can also be used for fuel lines, air valves on wheels, brake lines, etc.
-Plastic sheet, strip, and rods
I generally use plastic sheet and strip for interior details, such as pedals, keys, sun visors, control panels, instruments. It also can be used in other places too, such as brake pads, chassis details, and wire wrapped around plastic rod makes excellent springs on suspension. Strips can be glued together for leaf springs, make new grills, etc.
-Tape
I use tape for seat belts. If you cut it to shape, then paint it, and glue it in, it looks very realistic. Buckles can be bought from Detail Master or Model Car Garage.(See links at bottom)
-Washes / Paint
Washes are liquid detailing devices that can be made from heavily thinned paint. For engine, transmissions, and general chassis details, black wash is ideal because it brings out details from the rest of the model. For other things, such as seats, dashboards, panel lines, etc. use the same color darkend a bit with black.Paint is also easy to detail with. For instance, instead of painting the whole engine block aluminum, I would paint the front steel, the bottom magnesium, etc. It also can be used in different finishes. Instead of painting the whole chassis satin black, point out details such as suspension, tie rods, frame, and bolts gloss black. This adds a very realistic finish to models.
Sale
*none yet*
Wanted
1/24 McLaren F1 and TVR Cerbera. Send prices to: music_man61@hotmail.com
If you have models for sale or wanted, e-mail me and I will post them. These will be updated every week starting on mondays.
Basic Tools / Glues
-'Xacto' knife with #11 blades
-Files-flat,half-round,Round,Square-used for making parts fit better, changing appearance of part, etc.
-Sandpaper-150, 200, 350, 400, 600, 1000 and 1500 grit-mostly body work
-Pin Vise and drill bits #60-#80-engine detailing for inserting wire into holes -Sprue Nippers-taking parts of of the sprue (or parts tree) -Needle nose pliers-general modification
-Clamps (C, Alligator, bar)-holding parts together while gluing -Tweezers-fine placement of parts; better than your fingers. Medical Forceps-same use as above, but better in some cases
-Recommended glues: Liquid Plastic Cement-'Tenax 7R' or 'Ambroid ProWeld'. Gel P.C.-'Testors Non-Toxic' or 'Ambroid original'. Super Glue-'Bob Smith Insta-Cure', 'Alteco Super Thin', or 'Zap-a-Gap'. Advanced
Tools /Glues (All above tools plus below)
-Heavy Duty 'Xacto' w/saw blades-kit bashing
-Rotary Tool; 5,000-30,000 RPM-heavy modification
-Syringe for liquid glue -Glue/etc.-Super Glue accelerator Putty-'Squadron Green Putty' or 'Bondo Glazing Putty'-for filling holes and dents
My Favorite Web Sites
Ferrari
Airbrushing/Spray-Painting
Detailing
MODELS FOR SALE/WANTED (free!)
TOOLS / GLUES
MODEL REVIEWS
P.S. Any questions? E-Mail me at the address below.
Lamborghini
Jaguar
Porsche
BMW
Chevrolet
Volkswagen
Audi
Chris' car site-tons of cars, movies,sounds, etc.
TONS of car pics & specs
Supercars.net
Revell-Monogram
Tamiya
Fine Scale Modeler Magazine
Hobby Link Japan-retail site with huge selection of Japanese models
Tony Matteliano's Scale model index
Model Car Garage-retail site with detailing products
Detail Master-same as above, some different products.
