Hot Wheels and Matchbox Customizing Thread

[Apok]

Yeah, you probably shouldn't be using thinner to get paint off of your skin. Enamel thinners are usually synthetic (at least I haven't ever heard of any others) and can actually damage your skin. If you use gloves you can avoid getting paint on yourself in the first place and you also avoid leaving grease marks on whatever it is you're painting. What I do before painting is clean the car thoroughly with soapy water to get even the tiniest bit of dirt and grease off, leave it to dry and after that I only touch the body using gloves. Might seem excessive, but it's better than having paint chip.

 

[AOS-]

The damage is minimal if you don't let it sit for too long. My dad's done that for well over 20 years. He used to work in a printing factory and he used to use thinner to clean paint off his hands all the time. None of us knew what it was called in English, but the moment I learned of acetone or nail polish thinner, I recognized it by its scent. But yeah, his hands are doing just fine. So are mine. Like soap detergent, the damage it does to your skin is not life-threatening, but it's certainly not something you want to have lying on your hands for too long. That's all. It's not the safest procedure but it's definitely effective.


What also makes me happy is that now I can really get going with weathering effects or custom colours. I can stock up on TONS of Tamiya paints now, and I'll definitely have to look for places that may do bulk discount.

 

[stretcher]

This thread is for anyone that is into customizing Hot Wheels, Matchbox or other 1:64 scale cars. Anything from wheel swaps to custom paint, all the way to full custom cars.

This is also the place to ask about or share tips and tricks for customizing your own cars.

I will reserve this first post for tips only, so anyone that is curious about trying their own custom can look here. 👍

**Updated Frequently*​

Typical Items Needed:

Tools:

• Rotary Dremel Tool w/variable speed (Info)
• Various Dremel Bits (Info)
• Handheld electric drill w/variable speed (Info)
• Drill bits for metal - 3/16" and 1/16" or #50
• Small Screwdrivers - flat head mainly
• Exacto Knife w/sharp blades
• Wire Snips

Supplies:

• 2-56 round or flat head machine screws (optional) (Purchase)
• #2 Flat Washers (optional) (Purchase)
• Rivets & Rivet tool (optional)
• 1/16" Brass tubing (Info)
• Gorilla Glue or JB Weld
• Paint stripper (Info)
• Spray Paint suited for metal
• Paint Primer suited for metal
• Sandpaper w/grits from 60 to 1500 (optional)
• Steel wool (optional)
• Enamel Model paints (Testors or equivalent)(Info)
• Metallic Silver Sharpie Marker (optional)
• Sharp point tooth picks - round preferred
• Fine tip paint brushes
• Enamel paint thinner or Brush cleaner

How-To's & Tips:

Disassembly:

• Drilling HotWheels Rivets for 2-56 Screws

Customizing:

• Re-sizing HotWheels Axles
• Removal of HotWheels Tampos

Re-assembly:

• **Coming Soon**

Enamel thinners aren't too harsh. They get paint off you better than soap can. Soap can't actually.

But yeah definitely cotton swabs, and I've already got a pack of toothpicks to do all the detail painting I've been doing.

Hi there from newbie and wanab restorer can you make replacement glass for diacasts

 

[CodeRedR51]

Hi there from newbie and wanab restorer can you make replacement glass for diacasts

Nope. I've seen people make windows from the plastic blisters that the cars come in, but it's not exactly great.

Also, what's with the other posts with no replies? And if you need to multi-quote, instead of posting 3 posts in a row you can just keep clicking on the Reply button for every post and it puts them all in the text box at the bottom of the page.

 

[AOS-]

That thin layer of testor's enamel gold got dissolved by Krylon Acrylic.

Worth noting. Now I need to try that other can of clear.

 

[stretcher]

Thanks about blank posts oops sorry shouldn't happen again im very impressed with what I've seen so far this is just the site I've been looking for whats the best tools to start off with im hopping to kick into it after christmass

 

[AOS-]

Thanks about blank posts oops sorry shouldn't happen again im very impressed with what I've seen so far this is just the site I've been looking for whats the best tools to start off with im hopping to kick into it after christmass

Best tools? Airbrush, dremel, and a sledgehammer.

Also, please make use of proper punctuation, apostrophes and capitalization. Your message will be more easier to read and you'll definitely improve your chances of getting accurate responses.

 

[stretcher]

Ok

 

[Cano]

There have been posts in Custom Diecast México troughout the week, but sine the first one was a car you had already seen, I waited until there was a car new to the GTP communuity, which happened yesterday: a restored/customized Matchbox Lesney Dunne Buggy by Ahnmed, go see:

http://www.customdiecastmexico.com/2013/11/dune-buggy-matchbox.html

The car earlier in the week was my Majorette Renault 4 that you all already know well:
http://www.customdiecastmexico.com/2013/11/majorette-renault-4-customresto.html

 

[AOS-]

http://lamleydlm.blogspot.com/2013/11/as-is-custom-our-faves-for-week-ending_10.html

Lamley's week of customs.

Looks like people are really getting into weathering details now. Can't say I don't like it though. I've found a source of a weathering kit so I won't even need to use the airbrush. If it turns out to be the same as a makeup kit, that's even better because that's even more accessible.






Also, just to bring it back up, the reason why we find new people joining this video game forum solely for customs is because this thread is the first hit for forums when google searching an outlet to share work.

 

[Cano]

I'm fed up of the wheatering/rust thing already. I've never liked it to begin with but with everyone jumping on the hype and making it the "in" thing now, it's even worse.

Also, (finally) doing the CDM post on the black Cobra right now, chuck. It'll be posted tomorrow.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I'm confused how some of those are even picked. Not much to some of them, and others are horrible.

 

[AOS-]

I speculate, speculate that John doesn't spend the same amount of time hand-picking customs on his own as much as he used to (i.e. when we first learned of the Lamley Group). Now it's about who sends in photos to him unless he finds something he finds very amazing, namely because the hobby's popularity increased so quickly in the last year. Note I am making this statement based solely the increasing number of low-level entries being shared on his blog. I know for a fact the initial limit of customs he'd show off each week has been taken off due to the amount of submissions he gets nowadays. I also know for a fact he wants to give beginners a chance to show off so their work gains exposure so his choices are deliberate. I get where you're coming from, Jason. I myself haven't submitted any of my recent customs to him as I want to help boost the overall quality of work in his posts.



Trivia: Another piece of evidence that backs up the increased popularity of the niche hobby is the increase of new members that have showed up here to get into the practice as well.

 

[Johnny1996]

My current cars in line for customizing (italics is Hot Wheels, bold is Matchbox; plans for the cars in parentheses):

1. Oldsmobile 442 (black with subtle red and silver striping)
2. Camaro Z/28 (TBD)
3. '73 Ford Falcon XB (touch up, exhaust)
4. Mercury Cougar (wheel swap)
5. Mercury Cougar (vintage racer, wheel swap)
6. Camaro SS (TBD for design, flashlight, keychain)
7. Ford GT40 (Gulf Racing GT40)
8. Viper GTS-R (maybe a wheel swap, nothing else)
9. Citroen C4 WRC (flat black, orange tribal designs)
10. Two Ford Falcon V8 Supercars (TBD)
11. Fish'd and Chip'd (at least a window repair)
12. Scion FRS (TBD)
13. COPO Camaro (add sponsorship decals, nothing else)
14. '82 Supra (touch up, nothing else)

EDIT: And to who it was that did the Ford EcoBoost V8 Supercar, your idea WILL NOT be copied.

 

[Cano]

I'm confused how some of those are even picked. Not much to some of them, and others are horrible.

I speculate, speculate that John doesn't spend the same amount of time hand-picking customs on his own as much as he used to (i.e. when we first learned of the Lamley Group).

If I remember correctly (note here: I might not) John hisveryself said in a post @ Lamley that he includes any and all customs sent to him in the course of the week precisely due to the sheer ammount of submissions and how time-consuming it was to pick feature cars from the bunch. Again I might be wrong, let's hope he'll say hi and clarify.

Also!

Also, (finally) doing the CDM post on the black Cobra right now, chuck. It'll be posted tomorrow.

AAAAND IT'S DONE! Here is Custom Diecast Mexico's first entry for this week, a car that Andy knows well but might not recognize. As usual go see, as there is more to the car than meets the eye.

http://www.customdiecastmexico.com/2013/11/hot-wheels-black-cobra.html

 

[AOS-]

If I remember correctly (note here: I might not) John hisveryself said in a post @ Lamley that he includes any and all customs sent to him in the course of the week precisely due to the sheer ammount of submissions and how time-consuming it was to pick feature cars from the bunch.

Thanks for regurgitating what you quoted.

Also caught that rhyming bit at the end. 👍

a car that Andy knows well but might not recognize. As usual go see, as there is more to the car than meets the eye.

Oh I know what that is, dude. I've already seen it before. Wasn't big on the "9" as the decal is thick enough to make out its edge. Have you ever use Dullcote before? It's a clear coat that leaves a flat-finish (hence "dull" in Dullcote).

If you ever wondered what Sky busters look like inside, there's your answer. Stuff will be done, worry not.

 

[Johnny1996]

So below are two of the cars I have in line for customizing. Apologies for not including a before picture of the Cougar; I never took one. It was all red. I'm pretty certain you fellow customizers can tell the difference between the Mercury Cougar and '82 Supra.

 

[CodeRedR51]

This thread is for custom cars, not going-to-be custom cars.

 

[Johnny1996]

This thread is for custom cars, not going-to-be custom cars.

I so far don't have any finished cars. Although that will hopefully change very soon. As for my posts, I just thought I'd share what I have coming up.

 

[AOS-]

Okay guys, I can't decide which colour scheme to go with. I have a 1:18 Beetle expected to arrive this week that I plan on painting, so I'm using this crummier 1:64 as a test model. The wheels are chrome smoothies with white walls. Which colour scheme do you feel it will work best with?

White body/Red fenders

Red body/White hood & doors

White body/Red fenders & roof

 

[Cano]

None of the above.

 

[AOS-]

Proper link please?

 

[CodeRedR51]

I right clicked on the broken image and clicked "Open image in new tab" (Google Chrome) and it opened just fine.

 

[AOS-]

Well rather than worrying about that, which colour scheme do you think looks best for a Beetle that's going to be slammed?

 

[Cano]

Well rather than worrying about that, which colour scheme do you think looks best for a Beetle that's going to be slammed?

see the pic as Jason told you.

also, new car at custom diecast México, this time it's Ahmed's understated 32 Ford transporter, whit way more work than it seems:
http://www.customdiecastmexico.com/2013/11/32-flat-bed-transporter.html

 

[Johnny1996]

I'm going to go do some work on my Cougar, but I won't be able to post pics for quite sometime. And that '32 Ford transporter is awesome!

EDIT: Paint shortage, cannot work on the Cougar, or the Supra, or the Falcon . I need only the paint which I don't have and some tubing for the Falcon. This will take a while before I have either.

 

[Johnny1996]

Can someone help me out? I want to remove the tampos from a Matchbox Lotue Exige, but not the paint. How do I remove only the tampos from a car?

 

[GTPorsche]

Can someone help me out? I want to remove the tampos from a Matchbox Lotue Exige, but not the paint. How do I remove only the tampos from a car?

From the OP of the thread:

 

[Johnny1996]

From the OP of the thread:

D'oh! Never crossed my mind to check the OP. Thanks, though!

 

[AOS-]

Acetone or nail polish remover. Dip that stuff with tissue or paper towel and rub lightly. Think of it as if it were acid that can take off the tampos easily, but also take off paint if you let it make contact for too long in one go. You need to give the stuff a second or two to bite into the tampos. What I like to do is to get a thin glaze of acetone/remover on the surface, leave it for a second, and then begin to rub.

However, avoid letting it sit for too long anywhere, especially in ridges like separation lines, as that can start dissolving the paint to a noticeable amount. What I do is after I get the stuff on the surface, I scrub for a bit, but after about 4 or 5 seconds I stop and I wipe off the excess with my finger, just so the paint has time to recover. If you've exposed the surface to remover for too long, you will notice the paint loses its shine. If you keep it light, little to no damage will be done to the paint.