Heya! So, thus far I’ve shown off a couple of kits for review and had a few FYI posts, but honestly I wanted to do a model building 101 for noivices/newbies (MAYBE for veterans as well, but I’m not that good).

TIP #1 – DUAL THINNERS –

It is a cheap fix but I think it is a needy one. I have found that while working on model cars having TWO containers of thinner is key! You should use one for the darker colors and to flush the first amount of paint off the brush and then use the second thinner bottle for final rinsing and for whites/silvers. If you use a brush to paint the car itself, you’d be nuts not to use this technique, but I think you’ll get better life out of your brushes either way.

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TIP #2 – JEWELRY CONTAINERS –

Ok, I haven’t lost my damn mind. These are jewelry holders that you can find at many craft stores. These are interlocking containers that will hold 80+% of your extra car parts and separate things so you can keep your batteries in different places than your air cleaners. Sounds ridiculous, but really, as someone who has hundreds of car kits worth of parts, you cannot go wrong having a holder of sorts. I have bought drawer boxes and can tell you that they are bulky, take up way too much room and make wherever you are look like a garage bench. These holders fit neatly in desk drawers or the like and take up little room. Great find, seriously.

TIP #3 – ROTARY DRILL –

This may seem a tad bit overdoing it for the every-now-and-again builder, but these are cheap and come in VERY handy. They can be used to make exhaust tips, but also work to make holes in the undercarriage if you need to make new ones and they are fantastic in axle repair. I’ve had at least 10 or so car kits that I’ve needed to fix/move the axle to work – either because of faulty parts or because of non-stock pieces. They are quiet, usually are USB powered (which is also handy) and come with multiple bit sizes.

TIP #4 – TREE EXHAUST –

What the hell am I on about, huh? Well, it is so simplistic that most builders will have seen/done this handy FREE trick. The chrome trees that come with cars have a natural supply of tasty exhaust possibilities. Everything from the smaller pieces working with ends of a normal exhaust, to larger ones being used for headers/side exhausts. You have to be leery of the flash lines that are on most of them, but a quick trim with a sharp knife gives you a LOT to work with. Some are long enough to give straight exhaust all the way down the car and that is fantastic!

That is my Car Craft list for February 2020. I will try to give some tips of the trade every so often to help those who need some advice. All others may bask in my unneeded ramblings and move on to more enjoyable pictures and such.

—Kev