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| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Vibrant Colors Yet Clear Area Decals | 1/1/2012 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: There's a unique situation I have run into a few times. A good example is the current black Trans Am ... A: Commercial decals are offset printed on decal paper, then spot coated over the inks with a clear ... | ||
| revell miniature masterpieces | 11/4/2011 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: I've managed to buy most (if not all) of the Miniature Masterpieces models, after a fellow volunteer ... A: While I am not familiar with the series of which you speak, it is not uncommon for manufacturers to ... | ||
| Model Glue | 8/15/2011 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: Do you know of a product that can remove model glue from plastic. For example, if the glue gets on ... A: Sorry to tell you this, but anything that would remove the glue will do worse damage to the surface. ... | ||
| Model building schools | 2/5/2011 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: Is there such a thing as a school for learning how to build all kinds of plastic or wood models. My ... A: Jack, There are no schools that I am aware per se. Some model clubs have tutorials, but one of the ... | ||
| 50s vintage plastic model | 12/24/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: i saw a segment on a roadshow ; ) where at the very end they were saying that it was worth so much ... A: Phillip, The value of the kit will be reduced considerably without the box. To me a kit is ... | ||
| Model car/military model building groups? | 10/19/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: Hey Cliff. I have done some simple searches online with little luck so far. Is it possible, if there ... A: Tony, What I suggest is to go through this list and find the closest one. I am not suere of your ... | ||
| Model Military Weight Designation | 9/15/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: What determines the weight of a military vehicle? For example a model tank or military vehicle ... A: That is an excellent question, but actually a tough one to answer. For tanks the classification as ... | ||
| Photo-Etched Parts | 8/13/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: What are photo-etched model kit parts? For example, I saw on a tank kit photo-etched tank tracks. I ... A: I went to the official website for Ace and found a photo of the PE tracks: ... | ||
| Photo-Etched Parts | 8/12/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: What are photo-etched model kit parts? For example, I saw on a tank kit photo-etched tank tracks. I ... A: Hey Kenneth, Photo etching is a technique used for etching metal and printed circuit boards. For ... | ||
| Airbrushes | 7/30/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: What type of airbrush would you recommend for painting plastic model kits? I have seen some with ... A: Airbrushes are kind of a person al choice, kind of like choosing a shirt or a motorcycle. I have ... | ||
| clear coating | 7/27/2010 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: When clear coating models, both vehicles and aircraft, can you airbrush clear coat directly over the ... A: It really depends on what you are using for your clear coat. If you are using an acrylic based ... | ||
| Model Kit Manufacturers | 6/26/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: When selecting a model kit, are there any model-kit companies/makers that you would avoid? If so, ... A: Kenneth, I can recommend ICM, Zvezda and Amodel. ICM and Zvezda have shared molds and some Zvezda ... | ||
| Model Kit Manufacturers | 6/26/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: When selecting a model kit, are there any model-kit companies/makers that you would avoid? If so, ... A: The one that leaps to mind is Starfix (not to be confused with Airfix). Some makers like Lindberg ... | ||
| Tank Hulls | 6/24/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I saw a description regarding a model tank that has a die-cast lower hull. I now understand that the ... A: Kenneth, Die casting refers to metal vs injection molding which is plastic. The metal is usually a ... | ||
| Airfix valuation | 5/24/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: 04655-6 in its original package and still in its principle componants and was wondering whether or ... A: That is really a tough question to answer, as hobby reference often show a certain "value" for an ... | ||
| .. about double action airbrushes | 4/24/2010 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: .. hi i just got my airbrush and im gonna start aribrushing tommorrow for the first time ,, i pretty ... A: Chris, Unfortunately you have to learn by trial and error. Each brush is different, and many ... | ||
| .. about double action airbrushes | 4/24/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: .. hi i just got my airbrush and im gonna start aribrushing tommorrow for the first time ,, i pretty ... A: The problem with airbrushing is that it is more of an art than a science, something that just has to ... | ||
| number of coats | 4/13/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: and it says " start with an overall light coat, and slowly build up successive coats until they are ... A: It is kind of a subjective thing Chris. When working with flat colors I tend to let them dry fairly ... | ||
| 1/72 scaled model aircraft decals | 4/6/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: Where can I purchase decal kits for a pile of models I have. I need a set from an Academy for a 1/72 ... A: Bill, Sorry to take so long to respond, 12 hour days can be a killer. Anyway, I believe the best ... | ||
| air compressor psi question... | 3/26/2010 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: im looking to purchase an air compressor and airbrush for military plastic modeling, ive decided on ... A: The compressor looks fine, it's the regulator that seems to be the issue. You could certainly ... | ||
| 1/18 scale decals | 1/17/2010 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I've recently acquired a 1/18 scale silver f-86 sabre without any decals or markings from Admiral ... A: Billal, You could try scanning the decals into your computer and using a photo edit program to ... | ||
| silk screen printing water slide decals | 12/9/2009 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: I currently use an ALPS printer to make my water slide decals. I'm looking to improve my decals by ... A: It is hard to beat the Alps; it is a very good die sublimation system for the hobbyist. Unless you ... | ||
| waterslide decals | 11/9/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I have begun trying to make waterslide decals on the computer and printing them on clear decal ... A: Don, The problem with most printers is that the ink is somewhat translucent and will allow darker ... | ||
| airbrush or normal brush? | 10/31/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: Clifford, I'll start to use photo etched parts for enhancing my ships models; but, looking at their ... A: Rodrigo, My biggest concern with using an airbrush on photoetch is that the airflow might simply ... | ||
| Plastic Model Kit Companies | 9/25/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I am interested in purchasing a model aircraft kit made by PM Models. Is this a good plastic model ... A: Ken, The PM Models are a mixed batch, with the Ta-183 being fairly decent, while many of the others ... | ||
| Building a plastic model of airplane | 9/1/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I have a Monogram A/B-26C Invader that I had the opportunity to fly in during the Korean conflict. ... A: Bill, Unfortunately I do not know of anybody that I could really commit to this build. However, ... | ||
| eco-friendly cardboard model house | 8/11/2009 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: I need to build an eco-frindly model house for a project. I am planning to put solar panels on the ... A: I have some ideas for a material that could simulate a sheet of photovoltaic cells, but I need some ... | ||
| paint finish | 6/26/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I am building the USS Constitution wood boat model. The paint I was given has a flat finish. I ... A: Dan, Looking through my slides of the USS Constitution the paint used in the latest restoration has ... | ||
| Heller QM2 | 5/6/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: Just a few questions I have nothing to crazy. Is this a re make of the AirFix kit that was made ... A: Thomas, I believe that the kit is the same from both Heller and Airfix. It dates from the time ... | ||
| 1/48 th Scale Heinkel He 111B | 4/28/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I am desperate need for Germen decals for this project 19k338-1940, can anybody help? A: That is kind of out of my field. A quick search shows most decals are for He 111Hs. This could be ... | ||
| clear coating & glueing | 1/24/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: It appears I can't directly reply to your response to me, so I'm copying/pasting my original ... A: Rob, The glue gun might present a good answer. However, will the glue get hot enough to melt the ... | ||
| clear coating & glueing | 1/20/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: It appears I can't directly reply to your response to me, so I'm copying/pasting my original ... A: Rob, It sounds like moisture could be a problem. If for some reson it is very humid that could ... | ||
| foil decals | 1/11/2009 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I have some Davey Allison #28 87 tbird decals the foil just went to pieces when hitting the ... A: Bernie, The best prevention I have found is Micro Superfilm. That product gives a clear coating ... | ||
| house model | 12/15/2008 | Dr. John F. Steinman |
| Q: We want to model a cordwood or 'stackwall' house. The walls are made up with a cement mortar, that ... A: Depending on the scale of your projects there are a couple of things I would use as the "cement". ... | ||
| decals | 9/28/2008 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I'm looking for some decals for an airplane I saw in my favorite movie " The Langoliers ". It's the ... A: Dan, Being a livry created for the movie I seriously doubt there are any decals. A quick online ... | ||
| airbrushes | 8/2/2008 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: hopefully this will be a simple question to answer with out a page of answers, mainly to benefit ... A: Keith, My favorite has become a Paasche H, single action, siphon feed. It is simple and very ... | ||
| Bismarck German Battelship | 7/18/2008 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I have KANGNAM Bismarck 1/400 Scale plastic model that my wife bought me for my birthday. And it ... A: Rod, The Kangman instructions are either Korean or Chinese. I can't remember which. As far as the ... | ||
| Airbrushing Metal Flake Paint? | 5/27/2008 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I want to paint my Timaya Porsche model (my mid-life crisis model) candy apple red. This would ... A: Dan, I have successfully airbrushed Testors metallic colors, but have never tried Tamiya. Indeed ... | ||
| Painting plastic model | 5/23/2008 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: Part of the problem is that the plastic is black. So I am not getting good coverage without laying ... A: Dan, Agreed, black plastic can be very difficult to paint. The technic I have found that works ... | ||
| How to paint a split colour efffect on a boat hull | 4/5/2008 | Clifford Bossie |
| Q: I wonder how one might go about painting a boat hull in 2 colours, say white above the water line ... A: Russell, The last ship I built (1/72nd scale CVE) was made of fiberglass, so sealing it was not an ... | ||
Clifford Bossie
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Model aircraft and aviation History and photography, Naval history and ship models, maritime and ships in general, Scratch building of models, Some military history
Experience
I have built models for the better part of thirty five years, have taken photographs of U.S. military aircraft and ships for about twenty five years and am currently scratch building a 1/72 nd scale model of the USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80).
Organizations
Local IPMS
Publications
IPMS journal and local IPMS publication. Photos and drawing in Koku Fan, Deatil and Scale, et al.
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