Thought I'd start a thread on "quick tips", if you have any you wouldn't mind sharing, that might help me or other customizers, that peek in from time to time. Sometimes the simplest idea someone has, will make a difference in that custom job. If you have a quick tip, please post it here. Thanks...RM
Here's a simple one: Put a touch of flat black inside those wheels for a little depth and distinction. Use a small tipped brush or even a toothpick... Also put a little flat black in those exhaust ports...

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Great idea for a thread, and I see it's off to a good start! I can't wait to see what kind of tips come out of the woodwork.

That's a really awesome hot rod in the first picture, Randy. The low roof line and slit windows give it a very distinct, even sinister, appearance. A villian with incredible taste would drive such a car... It would look pretty cool in a graphic novel as well - send it to Frank Miller.

:drunk::hat::freak::dude:

To add to Hilltop's tip of wheel detailing, I use a wash made up of one part flat black and two to four parts thinner. Using a small fine point brush, load up some wash and apply it to the wheel. Let it set up for a minute or so, then wipe with a QTip. This leaves the wash on the background area and cleans the outer part of the wheel. Just another way to get the job done. :) rr

I find when detailing or gluing the tool I use the most is the simple round wood toothpicks. Very in-expensive too! I use them to apply all types of glue to small areas. I also use them to wipe access glue out of cracks, corners and crevasses with the sharp tips.

When applying small paint details like rivets, bolt-heads, etc., it can be simulated very well with the toothpick end slightly dipped in the color paint you desire. I also will use the small tip to get paint into the tiny areas that the smallest brush can't get to.

Only use natural wood toothpicks. The dyed ones will bleed their color when using with glue or harsh paints.

Customizer's tip;

Keep all and every slot car body you can get you hands on. I use the broken bodies and their glued on parts to "kitbash". I even have started to separate the glued on bumpers, airscoops, mirrors, etc. from the broken bodies and put in thier own container. It makes it easier to look for the fender or roof you can get off the bodies in one container, and look at all the little do-dads in another container.

Keep decal sheets in flat tuperware containers. It keeps them from getting moisture damage. I also use multiple labeled containers to separate the different types of decals. ie; F1, sports cars, Nascar, customs, etc. Makes it a lot easier to find the style decal you're looking for.



This is really a cool thread Randy!!!!!

I use poster putty (get the light blue stuff because, yellow isn't as good) to hold parts in place, to hold bodies while painting, to hold bodies or parts while detail painting etc.

I find that putting poster putty on the bottom of a bottle with a body or part held in place lets me become hands free and also lets me move what I am painting to any angle for easier painting.

When you are trimming a fitting parts this can hold pieces together to see how they mesh and then just pull them apart. Poster Putty doesn't leave any oily film either.

Here is a picture of a van painted by Ed and decaled by me. I just put a little poster putty on the end of a pencil and then dipped the body in Future clear coat. Then shook it off just a bit, put it in a hole in a box for holding it and just walked away.

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Here I used some poster putty (the yellow kind "it works for this but, isn't as pliable for my other uses" get the blue stuff!) as a paint mask.

I Future clear coated the scallop decals before hand so, they would not get messed up in the masking process.

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Bob...remember get the blue stuff NOT the yellow...zilla

To paint round headlights I use the head of a common stick pin its the perfect size for most HO cars

A piece of wood in the top drawer, with some drilled holes, is great for holding all those dremel accessories. Also great for holding those special loose drill bits...RM

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Nice tools of destruction...Cutting wheel is my favorite.

Like that one Randy!! I was going to make one so i can get a bit more organized. Nice to have everything within easy reach, especially them collets. I'm always fishing for them and grab the wrong ones too many times

A piece of wood in the top drawer, with some drilled holes, is great for holding all those dremel accessories. Also great for holding those special loose drill bits...RM

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I did the same thing just with larger holes .... I keep my bottles of washes, decal set, and and other bottled items in it. Really does keep me from knocking them on the floor all the time :)

This tip was passed along to me by 'doba. It really saved me. So with proper credit given...here's the tip.

I had applied a decal and you could see the stripes from the car right through it. So 'doba tells me......just put another one of the same decal right over the top of it. I did and it worked. THANKS 'doba your tip saved my little car.

I wouldn't do this to original cars...but for others it just might help.

Tired of breaking the little window pillars on your cars??? I know I am
So what I have tried is filling in the little "wing/butterfly window" with Testor's Clear Parts Cement and Window Maker. It's goes on opague so you can see what you're doing, but as it dries it turns clear. For really small openings I just put in in and let dry. On larger openings you can use tape on the inside of the opening and then apply the Testor's.

This is what us rookies dream of. Great thread! I appreciate everyone's willingness to share the tricks of the trade. Thanks RM for getting the ball rolling.

Hobby Lobby has the plastic see thur divider boxes for 1.99. These have the molded in dividers that want pop out. For those of you that have the pop out divider boxes, a little silicone on the bottom of the divider, should hold them in place, to keep your parts from going to the wrong compartment...RM
P.S. Don't foget your 40% off, on line coupon. Hobbylobby.com under weekly specials

Picked these up at Hobby Lobby. They are in the jewelry making department. Snip the ring off and they make great exhaust pipes. Add a little flat black . The best part is no need to polish, already shiney!!! RM

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This tip was passed along to me by 'doba. It really saved me. So with proper credit given...here's the tip.

I had applied a decal and you could see the stripes from the car right through it. So 'doba tells me......just put another one of the same decal right over the top of it. I did and it worked. THANKS 'doba your tip saved my little car.


Some of you will find that this will be a common solution for some of the decals that are marketed out there. I have had some in the past that were "thin" and required a second layer to get the right look (good color). :thumbsup: rr

Tips.... tips.... what can I offer?.....

Never let your mother comb your hair when she's mad at your dad.

Seriously though, I have had many great paint jobs ruined when brush painting details with the same type of paint as the main colors. Usually the second brush stroke drags up the original color because the detail paint softens the paint underneath. Solution? I've taken to using acrylic paints for detailing. It won't craze the underlying colors and if you make a mistake you can "erase" it with a damp paper towel and still not damage any other paint.

Post leveling

I nip away at posts I will install to a body to get the right stance.
I get it to the right length and the derned thing is crooked!
Bills dremel-mill is one option, but I sure as heck am not going to send all of my cars to him for post leveling! :D Seriously, I was reaching for end mill bit with the dremel wrench in my hand when I noticed the hole in the wrench itself.:thumbsup:
I round-filed the hole just a bit and it is a perfect fit to my favorite post material. The thickness of the wrench cross-section keeps it perpendicular to the post itself. Zip across with blade or dremel and have instant level!:woohoo:


Oh, and this is the last fuzzy pic I am going to post. My camera is crap and I know it. I get a new one soon!

Hmmm... I look at Randy's last post, and then I look at Joez's and I can't help but wonder if those jewelry thingys might be an option for the very small ring terminals I've been looking for. The question is, will a Tjet screw fit the ring? I can cut the exhaust part you're using off for the most part, and use silver solder to hold the wire in.. Note to self.... Find a Hobby Lobby!!!

Hmmm... I look at Randy's last post, and then I look at Joez's and I can't help but wonder if those jewelry thingys might be an option for the very small ring terminals I've been looking for. The question is, will a Tjet screw fit the ring? I can cut the exhaust part you're using off for the most part, and use silver solder to hold the wire in.. Note to self.... Find a Hobby Lobby!!!

Yes Sltman, The screw will fit and you could also insert your wire into the tube and squeeze clamp it...RM

Hobby Lobby here I come...great idea Hilltop!

Aluminum tubing makes great header or exhaust pipes. Take your Dremel and polish the tubing up with a nice shine before cutting. To help hold the portion, as your cutting, slide a Q-tip, pipe cleaner, or toothpick into the tubing. Helps you keep from loosing it!!! RM

This tip was passed along to me by 'doba. It really saved me. So with proper credit given...here's the tip.

I had applied a decal and you could see the stripes from the car right through it. So 'doba tells me......just put another one of the same decal right over the top of it. I did and it worked. THANKS 'doba your tip saved my little car.

In a similar vein, I make my own decals but don't have an ALPS printer for white. So I make an extra copy of decals and apply. Those that need white to shine through or are on a dark background are carefully painted over with white. I then apply a second decal over the top and have the decal appearance I was wanting.

Gary
AKA LeeRoy98
www.marioncountyraceway.com

Hank can we get this thread as a sticky?

Great idea - that's why your'e the coach!

For mounting those Lifelike bodies to AFX chassis, I use the the same old screwdriver technique to make mounts for the Lifelike body. After making your mount, just glue em in. I used a credit card to make a spacer to bring the mount out, as the Lifelike bodies are a little wider. As you can see, you can leave the Lifelike mounts and run either chassis. I usually glue in one side at a time and let it dry, then do the other. Gives you more adjusting time. I haven't done this one yet, but a little JB Weld added around the mount will hold in place better, especially if you like hitting the wall as much as I do...RM

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So it's time to get back to the business of landscraping. I've tried to proceed with a plan. Part one is now over. I've discovered where most of the de-slots occur, so now I can place some more details without worrying too much about running little folks over or wrecking into stuff. With that in mind, here's a thrifty little tip for those who are either tree shoppin or tree choppin. We do things on a pretty small scale here at Land HO. Size and budget constraints call for alot of "cut-backs". All ready-made trees are pretty expensive. The best deals are had with the kits to make your own trees, but I have little time for making trees lately and dammit I just don't feel like it anyway. The sized ready-made trees are also either too small or too big for my taste. So I have learned to cut them apart to suit my needs. Woodland Scenic's are mostly what I work with. The trunks and branches are extremely pliable and you can straighten them out or bend them into whatever configuration you want. They stay where you bend them almost as if they have wire in them, but they don't. Here's the math....

$10.99 for 3 of the 4"-5" size costs $3.66 per tree :eek:
after pruning...
$10.99 has bought you 12 trees now 2"-3" for only 91 cents per tree and a nice handful of extra ground cover :)

$7.99 for 4 of the 2"-3" size costs $1.99 per tree :eek:
after pruning...
$7.99 has bought you 16 trees now 1"-2" for only 49 cents per tree and again a nice handful of extra ground cover :)

Avg price of 67 cents per tree? Ready made?.... not too shabby in my book ;)

A regular pair of wire cutters is all you need to do this. I myself can't stand the contrived spikey looking dead branches that are on the new trees either. I also hate the round "stands" that come on the trees. My layout is all permanent. All you have to do is yank the stands off by hand and snip off the spikes to make them look more like real cut-off branches. Foliage can be plucked as needed and recycled as ground cover. To install, I drill holes for my trees, put a drop of hot glue in, insert the trunk, and then immediately sprinkle some loose turf on the hot glue that happens to squeeze out. Go for 1 tree at a time though. Otherwise when you try to go back and sprinkle them, the glue has already cooled and dried. Happy Arbor Day!!!! nd

The Top of the Day thread reminded me of this trick:

For the Lexan guys;

I like to line up the body and poke holes for the body pins BEFORE I paint. It allows me to see the alignment on the chassis easier. To facilitate this I took a 4x4" piece of partical board added a blob of poster putty and stuck an empty wizzard chassis in it leaving the wheels off the "ground". Now I can drop an unpainted body over the chassis and see the mounting posts clearly. I can adjust the hight of the chassis by squeesing the putty up or pushing the chassis deeper into it. Once I have everything lined up the way I want it I poke a small hole through the body and into the mounting posts with a push pin and mark at the top, front and back of the tires on the outside of the body.

Now I can paint the body, cut the wheel wells and put the body pins in and know that everything is pretty much aligned without having to guess looking through the bottom of the painted body.

Also, I made a template from the wizzrd chassis using a scrap piece of lexan. I drilled a hole for the front and rear axle and one for each body post. I use the template for drilling Tyco and Tomy chassis for body posts. This allows me to use any lexan body I have on any chassis as the posts are in the same position relative to the wheels.

Wow, that's two clever ideas for lexan mounting. I like the alignment template aloows you mount bodies on all of your different chassis! DD, you are one smart slot head. :thumbsup:

Here's another one for ya RM. When I paint lexan bodies, I have an old cover from a spiral bound notebook that I cut a 1 3/4x3" hole in the middle. Slip the body into the hole and tape the edges down. Now the body is in a secure holder and you don't get any overspray on the outside of the body or your fingers.

Those little silica gel packs you find in lots of things are good for keeping decals fresh.

Here are a few things I have learned about painting flames and stripes from trial and error. Don't be afraid to mess up as a soak in some Pine Sol will get you right back to square one. Can't never did anything...

If you want to paint with flame mask or mask off stripes, etc. paint up your bodies ahead of time, let them dry thoroughly first. One or two weeks should be enough.

If you are in a hurry then try using flat paints or Zinc Chromates as they dry almost right away. After you get done painting up pull the masking off right away to keep the paint from drying on the masking. If paint is allowed to dry on masking it will come off in chip form and mess everything up...just do it right away.

Before painting with masking make sure you will have a place to grab onto body and hold it while pulling off masking. You don't want to put a thumb print in your custom paint job. Ouch:cry:

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If you use flats (I do some times) for your flames or stripes a clear coat of Future Floor Covering will gloss that flat right up!

Bob...you can never have enough paint...zilla

Rule of thumb.....

When you tighten the mounting screws on your t-jets if you use your thumbnail you will never over tighten and crack the post.

Corney but true.

Old Blue

Whatever you do, don't rush.

And one other, if you have ideas, write them down. Carry a notebook with you, or have one on your workbench as you work.

Cheers

Andrij

Another example of how to use Poster Putty.

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I just took some poster putty and covered the area of this, originaly painted gloss black, VW things interior and now will just do a light touch up with black around the edges. This will give you that Crisp interior look!

Used an X-Acto knife on the poster putty ends to give them a straight edge.

This body has been sitting around in gloss black for over 2 years and finaly it was time to Phsssssssssssht it with a silver base and then Testors Metalic Stop Light Red. My camera must be having the same problems as coaches now because, this doesn't show the way this realy looks. Sometimes taking pictures outside with natural sunlight helps ALOT with the picture quality.

Bob...will try to get a better picture of this when it is finished...zilla

For making body posts for T-Jet chassis, fill a small straw with your resin mix, once it hardens, remove the straw covering. Sand the bottom area that will fit into the body to give your glue or JB Weld an area to bite or bond to. Any area that is to be glued, needs to be scuffed up for a better hold...RM

For making body posts for T-Jet chassis, fill a small straw with your resin mix, once it hardens, remove the straw covering. Sand the bottom area that will fit into the body to give your glue or JB Weld an area to bite or bond to. Any area that is to be glued, needs to be scuffed up for a better hold...RM

If your adding posts to a resin body mount it using Resin..Bonds up real good too...


Dave

If your adding posts to a resin body mount it using Resin..Bonds up real good too...


Dave

Coach,

Soooooooooooooo what you are saying is if the body was made from Chocolate to use melted Hersheys (with nuts?) and if it was a Rice Crispy style body would melted Marshmellows work?

Resin to resin...That sounds like a great idea man!

As for molding in the post I was having a problem with this on the Indy cars untill I figured out what was going wrong. Doh :freak:

I Now pour my resin into my female mold and then some into the male molds post holes. Squish them together "HERE IT COMES" and now flip the whole mold over to let the post stay filled with resin.....works for me! Was just a matter of flipping the mold over after pouring and they come out good almost every time. Me likes my molded in post!

Bob...I use a fruit cake recipe for my landscaping...zilla

Here's another quickie. Same idea as Bob...I can't paint just one...zilla's use of poster putty. Take a popsicle stick, wrap a piece of masking tape around it, then reverse wrap it so you have the stickie side out. Stick your small part to the tape and spray away...RM

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I have just began work on my first custom!:woohoo: It's a 71 Hemi Cuda. I have already decided on the paint job (Which will be revealed in good time:rolleyes:). Any ideas, or advice would be greatly appreciated.


A wise person once said, " We cannot succeed, unless we are first willing to try."

Yeah Jordan,

Go grab yer old mans airbrush, that he never uses, and show him how to use it ...LOL!

Uh, get one of those Sleds or Chevy vans to practice on. Those large sidepanels are great for spraying on paint. When you get the side of one covered with a smooth finish, then jump on that HEMI !!! RM

P.S. Don't forget to mask off the lights ;)

I have just began work on my first custom!:woohoo: It's a 71 Hemi Cuda. I have already decided on the paint job (Which will be revealed in good time:rolleyes:). Any ideas, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jordan,
I have some Plymouth decals you might wanna use. I'll send them out today.

Thank you for the thought, but what are Plymouth decals?:confused:

Jordan... Look here fore some Plymouth decals on a car. nd

http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/attachment.php?attachmentid=15922&d=1109732494

Those decals look sweet with that paint job. Im not sure if they would go well with mine. My paint job consists of flat red, yellow, and a orange stripe. Would the decals go good with that?

I have just began work on my first custom!:woohoo: It's a 71 Hemi Cuda. I have already decided on the paint job (Which will be revealed in good time:rolleyes:). Any ideas, or advice would be greatly appreciated.


A wise person once said, " We cannot succeed, unless we are first willing to try."

Yeah JordanZ my advice is to have fun...lots of fun! 71 Cuda Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm? Iron Cross Decals look good on everything! :thumbsup::thumbsup: Big rear tires and Skinney up front... that is the Old School way. New school meets old school! :)

Bob...It doesn't have to be perfect as long as you give it you best shot...zilla