Wiring Harnesses
Check this out (photo right), I was just working on some wiring on the Mr. Norms Hauler and wanted to make a harness for it this is what I came up with. I used a thin strip of black garbage bag--the cheapo lightweight stuff--and super glue to hold it in place...Dennis Dew

I use armature wire coated with white glue. Wind the armature wire strands LOOSELY around each other, dip your fingers in white glue, pull the harness through the glue and leave the ends sticking out. Paint them individually per the factory wiring diagram and stick the ends in #80 holes in the ballast resistor, top of the coil, back of the headlights ect...George Crombie




Easy 1/25th Scale Conversion Chart
Here's a quick and easy way to figure out what size stock you need to complete a given task. In 1/25th scale, .040" is equal to 1" in 1:1. Once you are accustomed to seeing things that way, you'll begin to think of 1:1 items in 1/25th scale! These are some common sizes and their 1:1 equivalents.

.005"=1/8" (.125)
.010"=1/4" (.250)
.015"=3/8" (.375)
.020"=1/2" (.500)
.025"=5/8" (.625)
.030"=3/4" (.750)


.035"=.7/8" (.875)
.040"=1" (1.00)
.045"=1 1/8" (1.125)
.050"=1 1/4" (1.250)
.060"=1 1/2" (1.500)
.0625"=1 5/8" (1.625)
.080"=2" (2.00)



Funny Car Headlights
Headlights for funny cars, or any models that require painted-on versions are easily made by finding a photo of the desired vehicle and scanning it. Use a photo program to size the headlights properly and print them on smooth photo-paper or decal film. Cut out and apply them and you're done...Riceman

   
Opening Doors and Panel Lines
For opening doors, or any panel, try this one: Using a small, round Moto-Tool cutting bit, grind away plastic from the inside of the body following the panel lines as closely as possible. Do this until the plastic left is not quite thin enough to remove the panel.  Now follow the panel line with the back of an X-Acto blade till the panel is free. This makes the work quicker and easier than doing it with only a blade, and lessens the chances of a sliced finger.  It also leaves the removed panel with much thinner edges that look much more in scale than thick panels.  For cars with internal door hinges, try MAS (Machined Aluminum Specialties, 10177 S. Byron Rd., Byron, Mi. 48418). They make a very nice photo-etch hinge kit, can build 2 different styles with it. For cars with exposed hinges (through '48), try doll house door hinges, they can get very small, and look in-scale when peeking thru the body.  The hinges are normally brass, no need to worry about breakage.  Doll house caster wheels for beds, etc. make very nice wheelie bar wheels as well. They come on brackets that also look very in-scale, and are normally brass...Vince Bayarinas
 


Hood Pins
Here's one for the car door guys.  To replicate hood pin retainer cables in 1/25th scale, check out beading needles in your local craft store.  I found these at Hobby Lobby. I don't recall the brand name, but they are twisted, fine wire, used to string beads.  They look great, as the pics will attest (Okay, so these are from a left turner-- they illustrate the point.).  The hood pins are sewing needles, and the plates are punched from aluminum duct tape.  The clips were hand-bent from fine wire. This is an easy addition that adds TONS of character to your models...Dan Himmel

 

Rivets
The question arose about how to create rivets for our models. Several methods were posted by different members. Here they are. Experiment, and see which method you prefer.

     1) Sharpen a toothpick to the necessary size.  Shake up a bottle of Testors aluminum.  Dip the toothpick in the bottle cap, and blot it one time and then print the "dot" on the object to be "riveted".  Try it on scrap first to see if you are happy with the result.  Repeat the process the same way for every rivet.  Watch out for paint buildup on the sides of the toothpick which will make the rivets get bigger around.  After the dots have dried, use a .005 drafting pen to put a speck in the center of each dot.  They'll look like  pop rivets!  As always, practice first. Good luck!...Jay Moody.

     2)  How about the old trick using a mechanical pencil and Bare Metal foil?  Where you use a .05mm mechanical pencil (with the lead retracted) to punch a little dot out of the Bare Metal, and then push the lead forward to eject the dot and attach it to the model (also leaving a little dot from the lead in the center)...Mark Brown

     3)  I guess I'll throw my two cents worth into this subject. On the dragsters and funny cars I have crewed on, the windscreens or windshields were mounted with 10-32 countersunk phillips head screws. What I do, is use a .016 drill bit (to mark the position, and retain a consistent diameter), and rotate the drill 3 to 4 revolutions, just to create an indentation of the diameter of the drill. Now, when you apply a dot of paint it remains in the drilled area. Practice on a piece of scrap first to get the feel...Riceman


Tonneau Snaps
Since many race cars feature snaps to hold down tonneau covers, I needed a method to create them in scale. Beginning with a 1" length of 1/16" brass tubing, I sharpened the inside edge of one end to create a punch, which I used to punch small disks from aluminum duct tape. Since the tubing is sharpened on the inside edge, as it punches through the tape, it pushes the disks into a slightly domed disk, which nicely replicates the look of a tonneau snap. They look great! Give it a try the next time you need to replicate snaps...Dan Himmel



Ny-Ties
Ny-Ties or Zip-Ties can easily be replicated using monofilament fishing line. Simply heat the end of a length lightly and flatten it between your thumb and forefinger, before it cools. Once it's flattened, use a straight pin or sewing needle to poke a hole in the flattened end. Wrap the monofilament around the objects to be tied (in the photo to the left, the yellow circle indicates a tie on the fuel lines), push the opposite end through the hole, snug the line and super glue the line at the hole. The pictured engine also has Zip-Ties on the plug wires. They're simple to make, and once you've got the hang of making them, they add much character to any assembly they're used on...Dan Himmel


Zolatone&Vinyl Tops-Paint as Texture
Zolatone was a common paint application for race car interiors in the sixties and early seventies. What does Zolatone have in common with vinyl tops, you ask? Both can be simulated using the same simple technique. Basically all that’s involved is misting on coats of paint from a distance.

First, to replicate Zolatone (above), spray a base coat to provide good coverage. In this case, I used automotive primer, and would suggest using flat colors anytime you’re replicating Zolatone. After the base coat is applied (it doesn’t have to be drier than “to the touch”), mist on a light coat from a distance (twelve inches or more--experiment on scrap until the desired effect is achieved), so that the paint partially dries before it reaches the surface of the model. Now, mist on one or two more colors from a distance (again, experiment--different paints dry at different rates) to achieve a rough, mottled surface. This technique, once mastered, produces a very convincing finish. Check out their website at:  http://www.zolatoneaim.com or check the image below for their color combinations.
Sometimes, when replicating or constructing stock-bodied racers, it may be necessary to to create a vinyl top. That can be easily accomplished by using the technique detailed above with two simple changes. First, use a semi-gloss paint as a base coat. Follow the base with a mist of the same color, and move in a little closer in order to create a less coarse finish (see below). Once those two applications have dried, topcoat it with the same color. These descriptions are simplified, so always experiment! Also remember to add the chrome spears that separate the top from the rest of the body, and the seams in the top itself (the seams are easily replicated using thin tape or Bare Metal Foil)...Dan Himmel


Figures

The figure in the pic shows that with correct placement, you don't need to paint the face that elaborately! However, a few little details will help.

     Note the "opened" pockets...use a hobby knife to open the pockets up some, to add some dimension to the area. Paint the interior of the pocket with a darker shade of the pants color. I built up a wallet in the pocket. I added a small piece of sheet styrene to make the wallet, then made the top of the pocket open, a bit. I added a watch, salami-sliced some styrene rod, used styrene (.005"x.030") strip for the band. Scribed some points on the watch face with a dental pick, then applied a wash of black to reveal the etchings.

     The shoes are a bit scuffed on the bottom, but that doesn't show too well. I used a bright flash to get details to show, so I DID dullcoat the figure, it just doesn't look it.

     I undercut the shirt where it meets the waistline of the pants, again to give a bit of dimension. I did the same with the shirt collar. I cut off the shoe, and thinned the pant cuff some, then re-attached the shoe.

     So, using flat paints, some knife blades, and some imagination, I had a figure in no time! See, not all figures will be facing the viewing angle.

Here's another good trick. Cut off the shoes, and thin the cuff material to give an open look. Then, drill a hole in the shoe and up in the leg. Use .040" rod to attach the shoe to the figure. A mechanical joint is always best. Note how this gives a more lifelike effect to the figure, and still no face showing!

     I scuffed the shoe soles some, although it does not show well in the pic. I applied a wash of black to the show laces, again, to give a dimensional effect. Sorry about the blurry pic!

     Here's the same technique of cutting off a limb, and hollowing and thinning the cuff material. This time, it's the T-shirt.I made the welting on the collar with some .010" rod, applied some Testors Liquid Cement to the rod, and mashed it down with a hobby knife blade. I then carefully (!) cut under the rod/welt (after it was dry) and gave the area a wash of black. Note the ragged sleeve cuff...Dave Pye


Drybrushing and Washes
When I drybrush, I always use Testor's bottle paint, and it is very rare that I ever thin it at all. A
cool trick-- when painting the interior, after you paint the seats, mix up a little batch of a lighter
shade of the basic color, and drybrush the seats. It adds a great deal of realism. I also use my
fingertips to rub the paint afterwards-- gives it a nice shine like leather or vinyl.

For washes, I generally prefer to use water-based inks, but I've also never had any problems using
thinned-down Testors, as long as the paint beneath is completely dry. For me, the ideal mix is really
thin-- I once read that it should look like tinted thinner, not thinned paint.

With water based paint, adding a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid will help the workability of the wash and keep it all from sliding down to just the low spots...Tim Emsweiler
Replicating Metal
What began as a tip about applying drybrushing and washes to add realism has developed into a sort of "mini-article" about applying an overall realistic finish. In this case, the subject is the 392 Hemi I'm working on for Riceman's Rapid Rickshaw dio dragster. Flyin' Phil, our Dio-Dictator wanted the engine to represent a block that was partially stripped, so that its owner could hone a scored cylinder.

After I assembled and cleaned up the seams and prepped the bare plastic block (this one came from Revell's Hemi Hydro kit because I think this one and that from the Miss Deal Stude, while somewhat fussy, are by far the nicest early Hemis in kit form), I bored one of the pistons from the block and inserted an aluminum tubing sleeve to create the cylinder wall as seen in photo 1(below). Subsequently, the cylinder was deburred, and a bit of fine steel wool was used to give it a "honed" appearance.
Next, because the heads would be missing from the block, it was necessary to drill holes in which to place the stud bolts. I created a template using a photo of the bottom of a 392 cylinder head as reference. I used quilt basting spray to mount the template to the head surfaces (it is just tacky enough to hold the paper in place, but not sticky enough to leave any residue on the block's head plane) and drilled the holes in their proper locations. The same template served as a pattern to cut out the head gasket. Photo 2 (below) shows the block, a set of Mark Brown's resin heads (they feature the water outlets), the printed templates and, in the upper left, the thin copper flashing that provided the head gasket material (For unexposed head gaskets, try the foil wrapper from a Rolo candy package!).
Photo 1
I began applying the finish to the block by first shooting it with an overall coat of Testor's Stainless Steel metalizer and followed that up with a coat of their sealer. Photo 3 (below left)displays the result of this step. Once that was dry, I taped off the areas that would be machined on an engine block. The head planes, the pan rails, and the bellhousing flange (mounting surface only) were all covered with masking tape. I white glued a crappy spare parts front cover in place, just to maintain a clean mounting surface for the good one to be installed later. Next, I shot the external surfaces of the block with spray can grey primer from a distance, so that the drying droplets would create some texture to represent the cast outer surfaces of the engine block. I followed the rough primer coats with a couple of light coats of Testor's Magnesium metalizer. The Magnesium is slightly darker than the stainless steel, enhancing the differences between machined and cast surfaces (Photo 4).
Photo 2
Photo 3
Photo 4
At this point, I sprayed the entire block with Testor's Model Master Semi-Gloss clear and let it cure for a couple of weeks before applying the washes--mineral spirits can be brutal on paint if it isn't thoroughly cured. In the meantime, I was able to cut out the head gaskets--the cylinder holes were punched out, and an awl was used to open the holes for the head studs. Also during this time, I cut out and fit the aluminum sheet valley cover, did some paint work on the heads, and installed the head studs.

I prefer using metal wherever I can for a couple of reasons. First, I don't have to paint it--what could look more like aluminum than aluminum? Second, in some assemblies, it adds strength. Finally, it simply adds more color and texture to my modeling projects. Photo 5 displays the way the engine looks at this point. Now, I can really begin to bring this engine to life using washes and drybrushing techniques.
I use oil paints for washes. I've tried all kinds of other media, and oils work best for me. As for applying washes, apply themafter the basecoat(s) and a well-cured coat of Testors Dullcote or semi-gloss clear. I use Testors because it is lacquer based and the mineral spirits used to thin the washes is a tad too hot for some color coats. I thin washes as thin as possible while retaining some color. The oil colors I most frequently use are:
Raw Umber (shadow)
Burnt Sienna (rust)
Black (shadow)
Titanium White (to lighten drybrushing colors)

Often, I add a tiny dab of some metallic model paint, just to add a little sheen to the finished product, especially if the wash is going over a solid color base. Note the darkened rings in the cylinders from the raw umber wash in photo 6.
Photo 5
I've had excellent results using old model paint for drybrushing, but get a pallet and DO NOT mix the paint! Use a flat toothpick, or strip of styrene and dig the goo from the bottom of the bottle. Wipe that onto the pallet, along with whatever thinner paint gets on there, then dab a bit on the brush, brush the bristles across the pallet until virually no paint is coming off. Then, and only then, apply the paint to the surface of the model using light pressure. The paint will come off on high spots and corners, enhancing their 3-D qualities, or, in the case of "metal" pieces, creating a more burnished look. Always use (mix it if you have to) a color that is a shade lighter than the basecoat.

The photos below are of the completely "finished" engine block. Note the level of realism here that is so frequently missing in car models. Race cars aren't clean. Of course, they aren't filthy, either (well, maybe a mud-bogger is), but all of them have some--dust, rubber dust, oil spills, bare cast iron is always going to show rust, or salt dust on Bonneville cars (don't forget to add that buildup on the rears of the wheelwells), and for our models to look like something besides toys, they have to have some, too.
Photo 6
These techniques take effort and time, but, I think the results are worth every bit of it. Oh, yeah, one last touch: Want to create a nice, wet-looking oil spill? Mix a little black and raw umber with a drop of linseed oil and thin it just a touch of mineral spirits--voila! Have fun, and don't forget, once everything is dry, to finish it off with a super light dusting of light grey-tan pastel powder! As always with any new technique, practice, practice, practice!...Dan Himmel
A final couple of notes regarding this engine. I punched out some discs of dull bare-metal and applied them to the tops of the pistons, and also applied small discs of aluminum duct tape to the indentations for the freeze plugs. I like the method Guy used on his Groundshaker Jr. better, but as this is a diorama model, it didn't seem necessary to go quite that far. Had this been a contest model, I'd have drilled them out and replaced them as he did.


Replicating Duct Tape
Yet another tip involving the use of paint comes from Flyin Phil:

This has been discussed both on and off site. I believe the foil will be almost too (scale) thick.
I needed to put duct tape on a seat of a beater towcar for the dio. I tried painting cheap masking tape; Not bad but...
The most satisfying look so far has been masking AROUND the space that I want to look like duct tape and painting the remaining space with flat aluminum paint. When the masking tape is picked up, the remaining thickness of paint looks pretty close...Flyin’