decals Archives - The Silicon Underground

Testors model paint tips for better results

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 27 Apr 2017 11:00:13 +0000

Testors is a brand that’s been around for decades. It’s by far the most common brand of model paint for hobbyists. Here are my Testors model paint tips to reduce frustration, give you better results, and save you money. After all,

The post Testors model paint tips for better results appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Londontoy: Canada’s answer to Tootsietoy

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 01 Feb 2017 12:00:57 +0000

Years ago at an estate sale in St. Louis’ Central West End, I bought a number of Tootsietoy vehicles. When I got home, I noticed some had only the word “toy,” a number, description, and “Made in USA” inside. That

The post Londontoy: Canada’s answer to Tootsietoy appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

How to customize Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:00:04 +0000

It’s fun to customize Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars. I tend to buy representations of pre-1950 cars and un-hotrod them so they’ll look like they belong on my O27 (1:64-ish) train layout; others buy them, paint them differently and put

The post How to customize Matchbox or Hot Wheels cars appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Model railroading with your Droid: Color matching

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 10:42:27 +0000

The biggest problem with making custom (or reproduction) decals for use with trains of the miniature variety is getting the colors on the computer-generated decal to match the paint on the model. Eyeballing the color won’t work; you need a

The post Model railroading with your Droid: Color matching appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Waterslide decal tips and tricks

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:38:30 +0000

The one time I remember hurting my Dad's feelings was when we were building a model. We were applying decals, and we could never get them to stay on the model for long. I observed that when I built a model with my uncle, he didn't have that problem.

"He's better at it than I am," he said. I nodded. "You didn't have to agree with that, you know," he added.

The post Waterslide decal tips and tricks appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

How to assemble a plastic model kit

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 00:55:37 +0000

Several months ago I bought a plastic model kit for the first time in probably 20 years. This past week I started to put it together.

I'm doing things differently this time.

The post How to assemble a plastic model kit appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Removing paint from old plastic models and toys

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 28 Jul 2004 02:45:36 +0000

So, someone got the bright idea that my Dad's Lionel 6017 caboose needed a gold roof and painted it. Great, huh?

Believe it or not, it's possible to remove paint from plastic and metal toys and models, using household items, easily and inexpensively. Whether you're wanting to restore an old Lionel train to what it's supposed to look like or wanting to strip chipped paint off a Matchbox car to prepare it for repainting, it's easy to do.

The post Removing paint from old plastic models and toys appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

I need to build this in O gauge

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 31 Mar 2004 01:05:27 +0000

I visited the site because the link promised billboards. I got so much more. Now the fine Scot in me really wants to build this box car.

Since my trains are O27, not HO, I can't use his artwork directly. But his HO scale decals might be suitable for a tinplate 6-inch car like those American Flyer and Marx used to sell, since those 6-inch Marxes basically look like double-height HO cars.

The post I need to build this in O gauge appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

More tips for playing with toy trains

Dave Farquhar — Fri, 12 Dec 2003 05:00:18 +0000

As you can probably guess from the length of time between postings, the Lionel has proven to be quite the distraction. A welcome one, but definitely a distraction.

The post More tips for playing with toy trains appeared first on The Silicon Underground.