Remember When

I used to build tons, from about age 9 to 14 or so. Some have broken or become lost over the years, but I still have several.

I was a Testor fan, though I did plenty of Revells. To the shock of no one, most of them consisted of race cars. I wasn't above doing hot rods or muscle cars, I even had one, huge SR-71 that I made, but the majority were 80's NASCAR. My cousin knocked one off the shelf when he was little and it of course came apart and sent parts everywhere. Rather than toss it, I took a lighter to it. I melted a little here and pushed it in with the lighter. A little there, same thing. Before long, I had "saved" it, not by getting it back together, but making a pretty decent model of a crashed car. Pushed in the fenders, bent the hood just so, it looked really good. As a bonus, the carbon from the butane added the perfect touch, and I was able to smear tire marks and oil stains around the areas that were damaged. It ended up being one of my favorite builds. I still have it; I'll have to break 'em out and post some pics.

Funny you bring it up, I was just thinking of getting back into it as my kid is coming of age and it's Almost Winter. I was thinking it would be a neat something we could do together, now that fishing will be ending soon. I know the level 1's are little more than 50 or so pieces that snap together. He could probably do it himself. Level 2 is where you start getting into the glues and paints and decals.

They're harder to find nowadays, though. I remember seeing them at every K-mart and Ames and Hills and all those other ancient stores that no longer exist. I think the huffers ruined it for many, as model glue was the go-to for a cheap buzz. They just started asking for ID toward the end of my building career, and now they're gone totally. I know Hobby Lobby and the like carry a few, but for a real selection, you need to go to an actual model place. One that sells Lionel trains, and R/C cars and planes, and model rockets. The place I get my kid's trains have tons of selection and accessories, and there will definitely be at least one under the tree this year.

Quote: Face

Funny you bring it up, I was just thinking of getting back into it as my kid is coming of age and it's Almost Winter. I was thinking it would be a neat something we could do together, now that fishing will be ending soon. I know the level 1's are little more than 50 or so pieces that snap together. He could probably do it himself. Level 2 is where you start getting into the glues and paints and decals.

If you get serious a hint is when you paint it get the match from the auto parts store. More expensive but more real.

I made a V-8 model about 10 years back. My brother bought it for me because we both tried and failed to make the "Visible V-8" in the 1980s. I kept wondering aloud if we could do it now what with actually knowing how cars work and watching our dad build a real one, actually several, in the basement. It worked as well as can be expected for molded plastic not machined metal.

why build a model plane or a model car when you have the physical space and the ability to build a small plane or a model T?

Quote: Fleastiff

why build a model plane or a model car when you have the physical space and the ability to build a small plane or a model T?

Because any 1/24th scale model I want can be had for $18.95 ;)

Quote: Face

Because any 1/24th scale model I want can be had for $18.95 ;)

$4.95 back in the day!

Ahh, memories. I think I know what to ask for for my birthday =)

That's an inhuman paint job. I mean, mere mortals can't achieve that kind of quality :)

Quote: Nareed

That's an inhuman paint job. I mean, mere mortals can't achieve that kind of quality :)

Oh, I wish I could take that credit =)

It's mostly decals. Not that doing decals doesn't require some talent and skill, but it's in no way as difficult as painting all of that by hand would be. Kulwicki's #35, for instance, only required me to paint the back half and the hood solid black. Every bit of all the rest is decals. They come on a sheet and you have to use an Exacto knife to cut them just so. Soak them in water and the paste dissolves, allowing you to slide the decal off the backing. Now, some of these decals are small indeed, and they are incredibly frail. Especially any corners rip terribly easy, it's more fragile than wet tracing paper. So it does take some skill and I am still proud of it. But it's certainly not as hard or time consuming as it would be had I painted all that. Waltrip's #11 has no paint at all, it's pure white. All the color is all decal.

The fenders and, wheels?

what I recall of decals was many winding up a gooey, wrinkled mess.

Quote: Nareed

The fenders and, wheels?

what I recall of decals was many winding up a gooey, wrinkled mess.

I had to double check =) Yes, even those tiny "Goodyear" and "Eagle" on the fenders and wheels are decals.

And your memory is sharp, because "gooey, wrinkled mess" is an apt description. There is a method, though, that alleviates much of the hassle.

The key is to really soak them, as opposed to just getting them wet. You want to get it to the point that if you pinch the decal between your fingers and then make a rubbing motion, that the decal slides on the backing. Once it does that, you place the decal where it needs to go with the backing still on it. The area were it goes should also be wet. When you have it in place, I would sort of poke it with the point of the Exacto knife to pin it into place, and then gently slide the backing out from behind it. The water that's on your project has a tendency to pull and hold the frail decal in place, as opposed to letting it flop and meld with itself. Once the backing is gone, and since your project is wet, you can easily slide the decal into its exact position. Then all you need do is use a soft, clean paint brush to smooth any bubbles out of the decal and let it dry.

Doing a decal like that giant "Mountain Dew" one, which stretches the entire length of the car, would be nearly impossible if I just removed it and then tried to place it. It would surely fold onto itself and just get ruined. But if you follow the steps I described above, the biggest and the smallest decals become a lot, LOT easier.