I added a list of materials that I used in the M577 model on the homepage.
It would be interesting to list specific odds & ends that can be useful for scratchbuilding.

Making mirrors & headlights
I overlooked the possibilities of aluminium foil. Even better to mimic mirrors and headlights is Mylar, the modern gold/silver colored glossy plastic (?) stuff that is used for fancy giftwrapping. It is great to make mirrors. All you have to do is add a clear coat, a piece of transparent plastic sheet or a layer of transparant resin to cover it, et voilà, you have a very real looking mirror. The same applies to headlights. Before installing headlights, stick a piece of mylar to the back. If the back of your headlights is not flat, maybe you can recast a transparent resin copy and insert a pre-cut piece of mylar into the mold, to be molded into the resin ? (I never tried that. I guess it deserves a trial).

Other ideas for scratchbuilding models or diorama elements out there ?

Jan

Jan - good post. For mirrors I use .010" mirrored styrene sheet. I dig being able to see myself in the reflection of a mirror. Before getting a hold of this, I used Mylar to form the backing of a mirror too, and then punched out a disc of .010" clear styrene sheet to simulate the "glass". I attached the glass to the Mylar with a drop of Future Floor Finish. Worked pretty good...

Gunnie

Well guys;
I´ve been working with the aluminum foil plus a circle of clear plastic (the type used for transparencies, used in retroprojectors!!!!!!).
For the headlights, I drill it and form the foil in the background, and put or a clear round (as said above) or with formed clear plastic (in the case the lense is not flat).
HTH

Okay - we did headlights and mirrors...

Another favorite is lead foil. VP and VP / TechStar's line of foil is my favorite for modeling details usually done in photoetch. They've got various thicknesses, and if you can work photoetch, you'll be able to work foil too...

Gunnie

Gunnie,
I read a lot about that Future Floor stuff. That's not for sale here. Is it some sort of varnish ?

Ahh... Lead !
I haven't seen any in model shops here. I think there's European regulations on selling lead, since it's a toxic product. But you can get it for roof works if you look around at big DIY stores (our version of Home Depot). It comes in quite thick rolls (often 10 Kg !!!), but a local roof worker gave me a big sheet.
Old wine bottle wrappings (not allowed anymore : new botlle heads are plastic) and tubes (medication, oil paints) are a good source for thin lead.

I love working with lead. It's easy to cut and to bend...

Jan - Future Floor Finish is an acrylic-based clear protectant that you can apply to the floor to buildup a layer of shine. It isn't really meant for high-traffic areas, but works well at home. It comes in the consistency of water, and for A/C modelers it's great. I like to take aircraft and helicopter model canopies and sand them smooth - like for a bubble on the MASH Helicopter. You then dip the canopy into a little tub of Future, remove it and let it drip dry. The shine is so nice, you can see rainbows in the canopy.

It's also good for glossing a model - but isn't as durable as Varethane. It is thicker than an airbrushed coat of gloss lacquer, and is self-leveling as it dries. It isn't a varnish, as it is water-soluble, nor quite as durable as varnish.

A good armor application would be if you shoot Tamiya acrylic without having thinned it properly - where it dries just before hitting the surface of a model - leaving a grainy finish. Future is good for quickly leveling out this problem - which evens your finish overall. When you dullcote the model, it'll look great.

Gunnie