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Modeling in General
General discussions about modeling topics.
Most Dreaded?
GunTruck
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 04:16 AM UTC
New post time!

What is your most dreaded task in armor (or modeling in general) building?

Me - I've got two things that kill the fun. First is cleaning up road wheels. It's a real pain when each and every road wheel has a mold seam running along it. Second would be cleaning up leaf springs on wheeled military vehicle kits and trying to fill a short-shot Italeri leaf spring right smack where everyone can see it.

Close runner-up is two-part wheels, with one a 3/4-cast and the other a 1/4-cast insert with part of the tire sidewall on the backside. Man - who thought THAT was an improvement over the old 50/50 split!

Gunnie
TreadHead
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 04:26 AM UTC
Man, you hit it from a thousand yards out, with a 2-click crosswind Gunnie!
The road wheels are really it for me. The way I know, is that I will stand in the aisle of my local hobby store looking at the different models thinking over what it would take to build it, and just how much accurizing it would need, and the one common concern that runs through my head right there in the aisle is ROAD WHEELS. I've even been wanting lately to try some gun trucks (yeah,gunnie, guntrucks ) because they don't have any ROAD WHEELS. Don't really mean to complain, it's just that my eyes are not what they used to be.

Actually, that would be a good question for the group. Is there a better way to do the road wheels? Maybe while still on the sprue? (tried it, didn't like it). Maybe not spend so much time cleaning them? Or maybe just hire an Afghan sherpa to do them for you?? :-)

Any suggestions?

Tread.
TreadHead
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 04:32 AM UTC
Ohh, sorry Gunnie. Didn't mean to change the subject. Got a little self indulgent there
I should hold my question for another forum, sorry.

I agree with the road wheels thing. Second for me (as far as the build-up is concerned)would be deciding between cleaning up the cast parts (hand rails and such) or just building new ones. (not sure if this last one is laziness or just old eyes).

Tread.
GeneralFailure
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 04:41 AM UTC
Gunnie,

Probably not the reply you're looking for, but I really really hate clearing and cleaning up my desk all the time. Mysterious forces always bring ALL my modeling equipment to end up in the middle of that table, no matter how clean it was when I started modeling ten minutes earlier... !

But to really answer your question : cleaning up single track links isn't my favourite way of spending the evening. Certainly when it comes to resin links that have holes that need to be "opened".

Maybe that's why I like wheeled vehicles more... ?

TreadHead
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 04:49 AM UTC
Ya know, I've been wanting to try some wheeled vehlcles myself, unfortunately they are to much like automotive modeling to me. And I just can't find any pleasure in building 'cars'.
But I think I'm up to the challenge now. Gunnie's gallery of guntrucks has inspired me to give it a try :-) Is that guys stuff excellent or what?

Tread.
pipesmoker
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 04:51 AM UTC
Filling sinkholes and knock-out pin marks really do me in. What a pain..
BTW, has anyone ever tried using "White-Out" for filling the shallower knockout marks?

I have come up with a neat solution for the seams on roadwheels. I use the mandrel from my Dremel for the cutoff wheels and mount the wheels on that. So far the screw has been long enough. Set the Dremel on low speed and use a 240 grit sanding stick. Just keep your eye on the wheel and stop every so often to check your work.
GunTruck
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 05:16 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Ya know, I've been wanting to try some wheeled vehlcles myself, unfortunately they are to much like automotive modeling to me. And I just can't find any pleasure in building 'cars'.
But I think I'm up to the challenge now. Gunnie's gallery of guntrucks has inspired me to give it a try :-) Is that guys stuff excellent or what?

Tread.



Tread - ANYTIME you wanna talk gun trucks - let's do it! I do love 'em!

Gunnie
GunTruck
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 05:19 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Actually, that would be a good question for the group. Is there a better way to do the road wheels? Maybe while still on the sprue? (tried it, didn't like it). Maybe not spend so much time cleaning them? Or maybe just hire an Afghan sherpa to do them for you?? :-)

Any suggestions?

Tread.



Well Tread, I've HEARD urban legends about chucking road wheels in the collette (sp) of a motor tool and spinning them against an emory board or sandpaper to smooth them out. However, when I tried THAT - I launched the damn things three rooms down the hallway. Never tried that again.

I just cut them off and clean them up one, by one, by one, by one. It's drudgery.

Gunnie
TreadHead
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 05:26 AM UTC
So then Gunnie, I take it you don't care for that Sherpa idea then huh?

lol.
GunTruck
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 05:46 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Filling sinkholes and knock-out pin marks really do me in. What a pain..
BTW, has anyone ever tried using "White-Out" for filling the shallower knockout marks?



Whoa - "White-Out" really?!? I'd like to see that one. Would be cool if it worked.

Gunnie
Sabot
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 07:09 AM UTC
Worst task of them all is cleaning up single link track blocks. Most kits use at least 80+ per side, some over 150.
E23C
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 07:56 AM UTC
Well for me its painting rubber rimmed roadwheels this drives me nuts! Then its the dreaded Zimmerit,a tedious horrible job,but after reading the article on Zimm maybe I have been going at it the hard way As usual.
Gotta love all steel roadwheels :-)
TreadHead
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 08:00 AM UTC
Tossed 'on the table'
I use an architect's template laid over the road wheel that is the correct size to 'mask off ' the inner and outer rims.....

Tread.
GunTruck
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 08:03 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Tossed 'on the table'
I use an architect's template laid over the road wheel that is the correct size to 'mask off ' the inner and outer rims.....

Tread.



Ditto! I zip through painting road wheels using circle templates.

Gunnie
ArmouredSprue
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 08:29 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Worst task of them all is cleaning up single link track blocks. Most kits use at least 80+ per side, some over 150.


I think that´s why I didn´t start my israeli M50 Super Sherman from Dragon yet!
And that road wheels, I do agree, makes me crazy!
TreadHead
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 08:33 AM UTC
Hear that E23C! Learn from one of the masters, Gunnie.
pipesmoker
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 09:15 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Filling sinkholes and knock-out pin marks really do me in. What a pain..
BTW, has anyone ever tried using "White-Out" for filling the shallower knockout marks?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whoa - "White-Out" really?!? I'd like to see that one. Would be cool if it worked.


Gunnie,
It works pretty good. I used it on the backs of the skirts for the Academy Stug IV, kit #1332. Get the kind for pen and ink corrections, the smelly stuff. It dries quickley, sands good and takes paint with no problems.
pipesmoker
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 09:21 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Well Tread, I've HEARD urban legends about chucking road wheels in the collette (sp) of a motor tool and spinning them against an emory board or sandpaper to smooth them out. However, when I tried THAT - I launched the damn things three rooms down the hallway. Never tried that again.


Gunnie,
That will work. Use an electric screwdriver. The one I have is a Sears that turns a 40 rpm. If you get the chuck made for an electric screwdriver and there is something on the back of the roadwheel to grab hold of, it will work.
If you want to use a motor tool, see the second paragraph of my first post.
All this has worked for me.
TreadHead
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 10:14 AM UTC
Pipe,

I'll have to give that a shot. How do you clamp the road wheel firmly onto a shaft so it can be put into the dremel? (variable speed)

Tread.
Epi
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 11:12 AM UTC
So far, we have in 1st place, road wheels. 2nd place goes to sink marks, and 3rd goes to those dreaded individual tracks.
Thes are afew of my not so favorite yhings!!!!!
GunTruck
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 11:14 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

Filling sinkholes and knock-out pin marks really do me in. What a pain..
BTW, has anyone ever tried using "White-Out" for filling the shallower knockout marks?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whoa - "White-Out" really?!? I'd like to see that one. Would be cool if it worked.


Gunnie,
It works pretty good. I used it on the backs of the skirts for the Academy Stug IV, kit #1332. Get the kind for pen and ink corrections, the smelly stuff. It dries quickley, sands good and takes paint with no problems.



Okay Ron - I'm gonna give it a try! I'll be going through the aisles sniffing little White-Out jars...

Gunnie
KMM
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 12:43 PM UTC
Wanna go absolutely insane? Try constructing the three-piece tread blocks on the DML Sherman Firefly. Its taken me a week to construct one side - they look nice once they're on the vehicle, but man is it tedious!
Kencelot
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 05:24 PM UTC
I too think the wheel clean-up is tedious. But for me, removing and cleaning the super-thin brush guards and turret rails...without breaking em! Of course if they break it gives me an excuse to make new ones out of wire. :-)
And yes, sink marks on track links is another one of those not-so-much-fun things!
210cav
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 10:06 PM UTC
19K---can you provide me the low down on how you construct the brush guards. I am constantly searching for how people do this task. How do you maintain uniformity?
thanks
DJ
pipesmoker
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Posted: Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 11:34 PM UTC

Quoted Text

Okay Ron - I'm gonna give it a try! I'll be going through the aisles sniffing little White-Out jars...


ROFLMAO..gonna keep my eyes on the national news for some crazed modeler being thrown out of an office supply store for sniffing the bottles of white out....
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