Modeling tips

[skunk]

I had been planning on perfecting a tri-color conversion of a red Herpa lens with which to dazzle everyone, but I am currently on a lot of painkillers and cannot really do anything. Here's my cunning plan:

Remove the plastic that should be a different color, replace with a suitably shaped piece of clear plastic, fashioned out of scraps from somewhere else. File it into the proper shape, polish and paint blinkers, and - Voila!!!!

Hopefully, at least... This will be a rather intricate process, possible only on those very very special models


Maybe Kristal Kleer will work better for small lights, I don't know if it is possible to file Kristal Kleer into shape w/o losing transparency?

[skunk]

Here is a Mini taillight into which I inserted a blinker last night:

Sadly, if you look at to steep of an angle, the red shines through and the orange becomes hard to see. Still looks good, though.

[Eric]

skunk said:

Remove the plastic that should be a different color, replace with a suitably shaped piece of clear plastic, fashioned out of scraps from somewhere else. File it into the proper shape, polish and paint blinkers, and - Voila!!!! & Maybe Kristal Kleer will work better for small lights, I don't know if it is possible to file Kristal Kleer into shape w/o losing transparency?

Hmm, it would probably look stunning, I'll give you that, but I am afraid that the chance I am ever going to try that with a composite rearlight with lights in different shapes is not too big... I am afraid I'll run out of patience along the way ! I think this could also work for square lights where the smaller parts are either square or rectangular, maybe I should try that first

Filing Kristal Klear doesn't really work, it does indeed lose it's transparency.... (Know that from experience )

[Eric]

skunk said:

Mini taillight / Sadly, if you look at to steep of an angle, the red shines through and the orange becomes hard to see. Still looks good, though.

That looks good indeed, how about painting the side of the orange part silver before inserting it in the red part to avoid the seeing through ?

[skunk]

Yes Eric, i've been considering that. Usually, painting directly onto a clear part doesn't work so well... I will keep experimenting. You are right, it will probably be easiest on square lights.

On another note, bare-metal foil doesn't stick too well on pieces this small. When I try to trim excess foil the piece always moves around for me, it is especially hard when making rear-view mirrors. Does anyone else have similar problems, or do I just need to clean the surface better before putting the foil on?

[Lee]

Christian, you mentioned using a plastic paste that you made with cement. Have you ever tried making it with clear plastic? An idea I have is drilling/milling the shape of a headlight/taillight in a piece of brass stock. This would be clamped to a second piece for a backing with any surface detail cut into the second piece. Using your paste fill the mold. I wonder if pieces of taillight, turn signals from a fender bender would work or not.

[Christian]

Lee,

my method only works with styrene as far as I know. Do they make clear styrene as well?

What you are describing is pretty much how I make the rear lights for my Ford kits. I melt (with heat, not glue) the red plastic and press it into the brass mold.

[Eric]

skunk said:

On another note, bare-metal foil doesn't stick too well on pieces this small. When I try to trim excess foil the piece always moves around for me, it is especially hard when making rear-view mirrors.

This is quite a common problem I suppose, there is just not enough glue on the back of a small piece of BMF. You could try using a small drop of CA superglue before you apply the BMF, that has worked for me.

[mazwoolley]

To do lights I do variation on Sylvan Scale approach.

I first paint lights and any chrome surround with Pentel Silver Marker Extra Fine Point (Bare metal foil would be an alternative but I admire anyone who does this for small scale models!). I then use Tamiya Clear Red/Orange/Blue/Yellow paints over the top to represent coloured lights leaving any chrome clear. The clear paint allows the silver to show through making it "reflective".

Some people suggest mixing white and silver paint for front lights though I tend just to do 'clear' lights in Silver Marker, though could add clear resin on top - Araldite goes yellow though some do not

www.87thscale.info/parker_models.htm shows a model done 'my way' Not high tech but not bad effect and quite easy to do

[peterwitt2424]

Just reading some past posts, on panel lines. The February 2004 issue of Scale Auto has a piece on How to wash panel lines
Don
Pr George