From the Hobby Table

Filling with CA Glues

by Steve Perry on 10/02/14

A good structural filler has the property of a similar hardness to the material it fills. This enables flat, seamless sanding because a hard filler will cause the surrounding area to be sanded down before the filler is leveled. A soft filler will erode before the surrounding area is feathered in. Here's a tip: Mix a little baby powder with the CA glue before filling gaps with it. This makes the CA glue filler cure faster, its a little stronger, and yet it will have reduced hardness that makes it more compatible with filling gaps in modern, soft styrene plastics.

Next Step: Machined Parts

by Steve Perry on 05/26/14

I went to the N.A.M.E.S. show recently, that's North American Miniature Engineering Society. Another aspect of the modeling hobby, these builders focus on working scale engines made from machined metal. I was fascinated with the sound of a running small block Chevy in 1/4 scale with its loping idle. There were steam engines, back-driven on compressed air, and I saw a working flat sixteen cylinder engine, about 10 inches long. "What's the valve lift?" "Oh, fifty thousandths." And it actually ran on fuel. The NAMES modelers are true precision craftsmen and their work is an extraordinary mix of skill, art, and engineering.

At the show, I stopped by the Sherline booth and made a life changing decision: I bought a lathe. I've wanted one for years and believe that it's really my next step as a car modeler. Ajano fully supports it and I'm glad to be challenged with a new aspect of scale model building. You'll see some new Calnaga items very soon that were mastered on my new Sherline lathe.

The Other Side of the Contest Table: Judging

by Steve Perry on 03/23/14

I don't have any big projects in the pipeline, so I wasn't a contender at the Autorama contest this year. I volunteered for judging duty, and it was a real eye opener. I thought that judging was simply a matter of establishing some criteria for quality and applying it to all the models in a class and pick the best one. Simple right? Wrong. Our judging team did our best to consistently apply many different criteria to the entries, but the problem is that each model will have strengths and weaknesses. One has great paint, but poor chassis detail. One has a realistic engine compartment but the front wheels are toe'ed out. How do you judge a shiny custom paint job against a realistically weathered beater? In the end, we tried to reward craftsmanship, creativity, and knowledge in multiple aspects of the model, but it's not easy.