Other Tips

This is where all of the tips and tricks belong that don't belong in the other sections.

Storage

Dust is one of modeller's worst enemies (then kids), to keep your dust free, well nothing is 100% dust free, but to help keep dust off it you need a cabinet. Glass front and sides would help to show it off.

You can buy plastic storage boxes for models from model shops, but if you're like me and have hundreds of models these quickly prove to be an expensive way to store them. So you could make a display cabinet (like I did) or make it into household furniture. Things like coffee tables are great, put glass sides and top and you have a display case that's a showpiece that will always get comments. Or build it into the front of your bar, glass front and top, but again these methods can get expensive if you're not in the know how. So here is a quick and easy display case idea, find an old bookshelf; make (or get made) an extra shelf or two, adjust shelf heights to suit your models. Get some glass channel (from building supply shop, glass place etc) and some glass cut for shelves. Remember you'll need two pieces per shelf. Then paint it up, mount it on the wall and you have a display case. Here is a picture of one of my display cases (measures 2 metres x 1 metre)

Warning Some paints (enamels etc) don't fully harden so the wheels of your models will stick to it and when you try move them can and does leave the wheels behind. Ways around this is to use small bits of glass under the wheels (these gets get stuck as well) or use mirror, if mirror glass is to expensive look at getting glass tinted with mirror tint, also good for the back of your cabinet. Or you can use tiles, the type you use on kitchen benches (the small ones) or anything else you can find around the house. I've even got a rail car sitting up on cotton reels. Material is another idea; velvet or silk gives a grass like texture but be warned these seem to attract dust.

Rebuilding old models

Say you have an old glue bomb from your childhood or are given one. If it's been assembled with normal model glue wet the whole model, then place it in a plastic bag and place in the freezer over night. You may have to repeat this a few times but the glue should expand and contract enough for the parts to either fall off (hence the bag) or able to be pulled off with little effort.

Photographing models

Anyone can take great looking model pictures; best method is outside in the morning or late afternoon. Use a chair or table and place a white sheet (or any colour you wish) down the back and across the surface making sure there is a curve and not a bend at the corner. Now take your photo into this corner so you get a mutual blended background. You can also place your models on mirrors or materials and use nature as a background. Don't be in a hurry to take the picture, a tripod helps but doesn't have to be used. Make sure there are no bright colours in the background. Make sure there aren't poles or power lines, weeds etc that will appear to be coming out of the model when you take it. Another way is find some fine gravel, place your model on it, lay on the ground if that's where it is and take your picture from model height (camera on the ground). Model can appear real and on a gravel road.
Look at hot rod books and see how they are photographed for some more ideas.

Detailing your models

This has been mention in other sections but is a good one so I'll repeat it here, look at hot rod magazines, on articles about show detailing, now do the opposite to your model, show cars hide wiring etc. Try show as much as you can, spark plug wires, battery leads, fuel lines, handbrake cables etc. Some models look good with a few extras, things like a scaled pizza box, model box, animal, fluffy dice, flat tyre etc.

Making scaled extras

The secret is to get whatever you want to scale down, open them up, say a model box, open up the sides so its flat, stick it to the garage door, side of the house, wall or whatever and take a photo of it (watch for shadows and stray lines). Once you get photo developed cut out the shape and bend on the lines and you have a scale model box. Don't worry about a bottom for it as it wont be seen, and place this box in the boot (trunk) if you've hinged it or backseat. Eight out of ten people may not even notice it but the two that do, will be very impressed. This trick for scaling things down can be used with anything, CD's, boxes, cans (be careful opening them up) etc.

Bringing your model alive

This is something I personally haven't done but will do one day, add sound and lights to your model. First the sound, get an old pair of earphones or small radio and take the speaker out (carefully as we'll need the radio later - maybe). Attach the speaker inside your model, but make sure it's not seen. Carefully run the speaker wire through a tyre so it can't be seen even with a mirror under the model. Take the wire through the base and attach back to the radio (you'll have to extend the wires) or get an earphone plug put on it and plug into a walkman or whatever. Don't go for volume, as the power will blow your model apart. Just having soft music come out of your model will freak everyone out. Now the lights, using normal electrical bulbs would be to hot for the plastic, so fibre optics can be used, plus they blend easy. Buy one of those toys that have hundreds of strands running out of it and borrow a few for your models, Carefully place these strands through your model so you have working headlights and/or taillights (the red lenses should display a red light), could also be used as an interior light I guess, but may have to reflect the light for a more lighten area as these fibre optics are more a fixed light.