Hot Wheels and Matchbox Customizing Thread

[Sonygamer455]

He was joking.

I know, so was i.

By the way, i went in Hobby Lobby and i found that brass tubing you were talkng about, but i didn't get it because i felt like i needed to double check this thread again before i bought anything because due to my recent shopping sprees im running low on cash. No rush but how is the picture tutorial coming?

 

[Cano]

We're resuming -finally- our attempts at wheel reproductions tomorrow morning. I really really hope we have a working set by the end of the day.

We don't have a working set. We did pour the resin down and made some solid wheels because one of the intructors lead us to believe rubber tires could not be repcuduced, so we decided to try our hand with solid wheels instead. We made the molds and when we were with the resin guy, I happened to ask him if it was possible to replicate rubber tires and showed him a Real Rider piece, to which he gave me a wtf look and said "sure, it's easy".

We didn't have the time today to try it but we'll be going back with a big-ass tire-only mold to try to make tires only. If we can get away with this, we will be able to make virtually ANY wheel model ever into a Real Rider.

Ah, I don't have pictures of the wheels we did do today, the paint guy took them with him because the molds didn't dry out enough to unmold them. I hope I'll have pictures soon.

 

[CodeRedR51]

I know, so was i.

By the way, i went in Hobby Lobby and i found that brass tubing you were talkng about, but i didn't get it because i felt like i needed to double check this thread again before i bought anything because due to my recent shopping sprees im running low on cash. No rush but how is the picture tutorial coming?

Can't find my tubing. Will have to search some more.

 

[AOS-]

AOS, thinking of putting up photos of your Skyline and 510 with the Studebaker wheels, and maybe a couple of stealths. What do you think?

Skyline doesn't have Studebaker wheels but go ahead. Take your time with the Stealth Project; that series need slow exposure.

What?!?!?!?

Lasers, 🤬!

 

[photonrider]

Looks great, although, wouldn't it be illegal calling it "Turbo's Custom Cars", since you didn't make the molds or anything (if this is what I think it is)?

It all depends on what country he's operating from. And how much he's profiting from it. And whether his business is really hurting Mattel, or actually adding to the sales.
And whether he has a licence to operate a business. The IRS can be pretty finicky.

As a home or cottage industry, operating in a small way, with sales under $1000.00 per mensem . . . I'm not sure how strict the laws are. When the dollar is involved a lot of sense gets thrown out.

I need to mod this. (Below.) Black glass? So I bought another Cougar with clear glass for the swap. Wheels may go, too.

 

[jtl46]

Post goes up today. AOS, starting with a Skyline and 510 wheel swap. Cano, your Brasilia.

esta bem?

 

[Cano]

haha the Braislia. Yes, Go ahead.

I might give it a racing livery on the future.

 

[McZachenF1138]

So to bring my Vanishing Point project over to this thread where it belongs, the plan is to make a diorama for this scene from the movie:

Also, if you've never seen this movie, do yourself a favor and watch it!

I don't know if you're into this, buuttt.....

 

[Cano]

Even I am tempted to try that.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Maybe. I suck at taking fancy photos in game.

 

[McZachenF1138]

Hey, me too, but I still love participating.
At least check out the shots this week, it may give you some inspiration for your diorama. 👍

 

[CodeRedR51]

Actually my inspiration is the photo I posted. I'm making that exact scene. I'd like to do others, but a lot of them just wouldn't look right with the car not "in motion".

 

[McZachenF1138]

You did say that scene was your inspiration, I'm sorry.

 

[AOS-]

Post goes up today. AOS, starting with a Skyline and 510 wheel swap.

Nice. Also, to make things clear since the photo isn't, I used wheels from some Nascar Authentics by Spin Master. The print on the wheels are the exact same (strangely enough), except the Nascar's got deep-bowl 8-spokes. Which looks 3 or 4 times nicer than Studebakers when put on the Skyline. I've got another one I'm going to put on a purple AAR Cuda.

 

[snypir]

just when I think I've seen everything on the internet...I find this thread

cool stuff, I had no idea people customized toy cars

 

[Cano]

Soooo people, I bring you another quick fix that brought another car back to life. The subject is this Johny Lightning Model A woody, which came to me vía E-Bay like this:

Looks pretty good, right? Yup, with the exception of it lacking an induction system, yeah... It also had some big chips in the black tonneau cover in its roof.

I had it lying around for a while looking for something to put in the engine, when at my traditional fleamarket, I found these:

At less 50 cents each more or less, I initially grabbed them because of their wheels: look closely and you'll notice they strongly resemble some wheels that Tomica used for its race cars back in the day; they also look like Work Equip 01s. You'll be seeing these used in a Kenmeri project down the road.

And the red one also had my induction system.

The Dremel took quick care of the plascit and soon enough I had a sextet of carburetors to drop into the small-block.

On it went!

Now I just had to adress the details in the matte black roof, clearly evident in this picture:

A quick masking job and a coat of fresh black by my paint friend and it was like freaking new again!

A bit of detailing in the zoomies tips with a little black, and that's it really.

 

[AOS-]

Tell your friend he missed a spot.

oh, a question I need to ask you guys. What kind of clear coat paint are you using? I've been using car paint in hopes that the krylon gloss clear coat won't dissolve it in case I accidentally sprayed too much, but at the same time, I feel like the clear coat barely sticks onto the paint that even after 4-5 sprays, it doesn't have a solid gloss like some finished that mattel releases.

 

[Apok]

Cheapo aerosol clear coat.
Works like a charm.

 

[AOS-]

Yeah, I was asking for brands... and maybe mediums. Lacquer? Enamel? Acrylic? Anyone used Acrylic Lacquer before?

 

[Apok]

Mine's lacquer. How come you feel like the clear coat barely sticks? Does it chip easily?

 

[AOS-]

Because I'm watching the paint vapours fly everywhere and so little of it shows up on the body. I'm guessing it's either because I'm below ideal working temperatures, and possibly because I'm not holding the spray down long enough. I could be wrong about both though.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Or you suck at painting.

Just kidding.

Temperatures do help a lot though. Try to spray somewhere at room temperature, with good ventilation. How far away are you spraying from the body?

 

[CodeRedR51]

Still don't like that font, but it is a slight improvement. Try throwing those colorful wavey ribbons over the top of the new darker background perhaps.

So, this?

 

[AOS-]

Or you suck at painting.

Just kidding.

Temperatures do help a lot though. Try to spray somewhere at room temperature, with good ventilation. How far away are you spraying from the body?

I was thinking about spray painting in the basement washroom over the winter season (now that it's cold out) since no one uses it and it obviously has a fan sucking the air out, but I'd have to make a booth. I'm only more worried whether or not the fan's strong enough to suck out the vapours.

As for distance of spray: less than a foot. I know the can tells you to aim farther but that gets so little pigment onto whatever it is you're spraying.
Should each coat (aside from the first 2 light coats) be thick enough that it looks like I glazed the surface? I think I've convinced myself to avoid doing that because the paint usually wrinkles up when I do that.

 

[CodeRedR51]

It shouldn't be wrinkling. Are you making sure to clean them thoroughly before spraying? Using primer? Usually for primer and paint I do a few light coats and then a good final coat. (although not too thick that it runs) The primer coats I do about 15 minutes apart since most primer is quick drying anyway. For paint, about 20-30 minutes between light coats, then the last coat about an hour after that. Then I let it sit in a warm, dry place for a day or two.

 

[AOS-]

Well... I've been skipping out on the use of primers since the Stealth Project. Will that greatly affect the durability of the paint?

 

[CodeRedR51]

It could. Wouldn't stick to the casting as well.

 

[AOS-]

Then what makes primer stick any better?

 

[CodeRedR51]

I'm not a chemist.

Primer is formulated to make paint stick better no? Not only that it fills in the casting imperfections better than paint will, so you get a better finish.

 

[AOS-]

Guess I'll pick up a can of primer next time I stop by Canadian Tire. Got a brand to recommend with a brand paint? I'm still using Dupli-color for paints, but might switch back to Krylon for the white series.