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Post by landoflogic on Oct 31, 2021 20:23:56 GMT -5
Hello all,
I am currently in the planning stages of creating Tony Bettenhausen's 1960 Watson Roadster by using the AMT kit and Classic Racing Resin's generic Watson conversion as well as their tires.
I'm mostly used to street car models, where the body is usually one big piece and a hood. That's fairly self explanatory. But the AMT Watson's body is split up into a lot of different parts. Do you recommend I paint these individually or wait till the car is put together (sans wheels) and paint it then?
Also, the Generic Watson Conversion kit came with a vac-u-form windscreen in what I assume is its original mold. I've never dealt with one of these before. How do I free it safely from the mold for use?
Elijah
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Post by illeagle10 on Nov 1, 2021 5:20:35 GMT -5
Hi Elijah,
I would suggest to paint your kit before assembly. That way you will not have to tape all those fragile suspension parts if you wait until the end. As far as your windscreen is concerned, there should have been the standard clear plastic windscreen with the kit. The vac-form windscreen seems like a substitute, for the kit windscreen. However, if done properly can turn out to be better than the one offered in the kit.
I am not clear about the vac-form windscreen you have. Is there just the vac-form piece with extra clear around the windscreen part or is there an actual piece on the underside of what has been molded in clear? If it is just extra clear acetate around the windscreen, you will need a good sharp pair of small scissors, like a surgical scissors, that is what I use. You will need to cut out the windscreen very carefully. I would cut out the general shape first leaving a very little bit of excess. Once the shape is cut out then you can go back and trim off the excess. What ever you do take your time. Always test fit what you are doing as you go. You can also gently use some 400 grit sand paper on the very edges to smooth and rough cut, but be careful not to hit the fact of the windscreen when doing so.
Once your windscreen is secure, you can gently apply some Future Floor Finish with a cotton swab. This will help hide any small or slight scratches.
Jim
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Post by landoflogic on Nov 1, 2021 9:14:39 GMT -5
Hi Elijah, I would suggest to paint your kit before assembly. That way you will not have to tape all those fragile suspension parts if you wait until the end. As far as your windscreen is concerned, there should have been the standard clear plastic windscreen with the kit. The vac-form windscreen seems like a substitute, for the kit windscreen. However, if done properly can turn out to be better than the one offered in the kit. I am not clear about the vac-form windscreen you have. Is there just the vac-form piece with extra clear around the windscreen part or is there an actual piece on the underside of what has been molded in clear? If it is just extra clear acetate around the windscreen, you will need a good sharp pair of small scissors, like a surgical scissors, that is what I use. You will need to cut out the windscreen very carefully. I would cut out the general shape first leaving a very little bit of excess. Once the shape is cut out then you can go back and trim off the excess. What ever you do take your time. Always test fit what you are doing as you go. You can also gently use some 400 grit sand paper on the very edges to smooth and rough cut, but be careful not to hit the fact of the windscreen when doing so. Once your windscreen is secure, you can gently apply some Future Floor Finish with a cotton swab. This will help hide any small or slight scratches. Jim Attached is the product image from the page, I'm unable to take a photo of the vac-u-form myself at the moment, but hopefully this helps. You did clear up the painting question, so thanks! I've been told the original windscreen the model came with was unusually thick, and as someone who is a stickler for accuracy, I want it to be as close to what the real car looked like as possible, hence using the substitute. Elijah ![]()  Attachments:
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Post by bobbyc on Nov 1, 2021 15:14:49 GMT -5
Regarding the windscreen: Before making any major changes to it, I suggest trying to use the existing piece at first. It is more important to have a clean, accurate appearance than a thin screen that is somewhat compromised. That having been said, I would carefully cut, trim, and fit the kit screen to the model. After you are satisfied that it looks good, make a "buck" from modeling clay. Once the Buck/Mold is done, get a sheet of .005 clear plastic sheet from Evergreen. You'll now nee either an old Mattell "Vacu-Form" toy, or another brand (if one exists) or a home-made unit. Heat the sheet and then use the vacuum force to stretch the clear sheet over the buck/mold. Now you can cut, fit, tri, the new part which should be more to scale. There's also an odd chance that someone either sells a replacement unit for that windscreen of may have an extra one they made that they may sell. In any case, when it's all done, dip it in Future Polish or whatever they call it nowadays, and then lay it on a piece of paper towel for the excess to wick off. It'll look a lot more to scale, but also a lot more work.
Bobby
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Post by Art Laski on Nov 4, 2021 0:07:12 GMT -5
Hi Elijah,
You got advice from two of the best in the business above, but I just want to give you some tips on the vacuum formed windshield as shown on the picture. What I do is trim it with small scissors as closely to the actual line of the part as I'm comfortable with. I have a set of curved Tamiya lexan cutting scissors used for RC and slot car bodies that helps a lot on the corners. Then I use a sanding stick an/or sandpaper to get right down to the part edge. You can fine tune it easily that way to get the right fit. Once it's how you like it, use Future like Bobby C. suggests. Hope this helps.
Art
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Post by landoflogic on Nov 5, 2021 20:08:36 GMT -5
Hi Elijah, You got advice from two of the best in the business above, but I just want to give you some tips on the vacuum formed windshield as shown on the picture. What I do is trim it with small scissors as closely to the actual line of the part as I'm comfortable with. I have a set of curved Tamiya lexan cutting scissors used for RC and slot car bodies that helps a lot on the corners. Then I use a sanding stick an/or sandpaper to get right down to the part edge. You can fine tune it easily that way to get the right fit. Once it's how you like it, use Future like Bobby C. suggests. Hope this helps. Art Thanks for the specific scissor name Art! I'll place an order for those. Thank you all for clearing this up for me and giving me a good understanding of what to do! Elijah |
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