| The most comprehensive motorcycling modelling tips can be found at Coaster's Motorcycling Modelling Tips. Instead of reproducing those tips here, I have included motorcycle related tips that I haven't seen at other sites. Newest tips to the bottom. I have published an article on Modelersite.com regarding realistice fork tubes. You can see it here. Then do an author search on Evan Jones. Motorcycle Cables: Below is a chart showing thicknesses of various motorcycle cables and hydraulic lines, and what they would be in 1:12 scale. This is useful for finding the write diameter wire. Dry Transfer lettering/White decals: One of the most difficult decal problems is how to produce white decals with a clear background. A coloured background is usually not a big problem, because you can print the colour onto a white decal sheet and the letters then show up as white. But printers (except for the Alps printer) can't print white ink. I have used dry transer lettering used for model railroading. However, it is limited in the fonts and sizes and can get expensive quickly (especially if you need more than one sheet to spell a word). I found a company based in Vancouver, BC that prepares custom dry transfer lettering. You send them a graphic file and within a week, they send you a sheet of dry transfer lettering, which is very opaque. The company is All Out Graphics and can be found at www.allout-graphics.com. They prefer to have vector graphics files (like from Corel Draw), but I sent them a 300 dpi BMP file, the results were fantastic and the price was very reasonable. I managed to finally get the lettering on the tank of the Honda VF750 Interceptor Superbike and the lettering on the Matrix Ducati 996. Here are some pictures of just the lettering results. For the Honda, I just rubbed the lettering right onto the gas tank. For the Ducati, I first rubbed them onto a clear decal sheet, covered with one coat of Krylon Crystal Clear, then applied them as a regular decal. CA glue applicator: Have you ever struggled to get just the right amount of the thin CA glue on joints? We've all ended up with CA glue where we don't want it, including on our fingers. Go to a store that sells R/C parts and ask for 'control line conduit'. It is a tube of translucent plastic, about 4.67 mm outside diameter (about 3/16") and 2.95 mm inside diameter (about 7/64") and comes in about a 3 foot length. Cut off a small piece long enough so that you can comfortably hold it over a small candle flame (I use birthday candles). After the plastic starts to sag, pull both ends slowly like you are making stretched sprue. Cut in half so you now have two pieces with a very small tube at one end and the other end big enough to fit over the end of a CA glue applicator. You can now place CA glue precisely where you want it on your model joints. The tube will occasionally fill with hardened CA glue. Just cut off small pieces until you get to past the plug. This tip is thanks to the Guelph Plastic Modellers Group. BEWARE Future floor finish Since decals do not adhere well to flat painted surfaces, it has been widely suggested that Future floor finish be used underneath any decals. However, Future tends to react with water and leaves a milky residue that is almost impossible to get rid of. I had to redo the Star Trek Enterprise because of this problem. I don't know if it's due to the formulation in Canada, or a lack of curing time. I have since used clear gloss acrylic paint underneath decals on flat paints and then following with clear flat acrylic. Mesh carburetor intakes: Oftentimes, carbs on racing bikes do not have air filters. However, a wire mesh screen is placed over the mouth of the carburetor to prevent large pieces of dirt from entering. These can be made from brass wire mesh which is available from hobby shops, often in the model trains area. Drill a hole in a scrap piece of wood about the same diameter as the carb throat. Place the mesh over the hole close to a corner of the mesh. Find a dowel of a slightly smaller diameter than the hole. Sand the end so that it is rounded into a hemisphere and then press into the mesh to form a dome. Making the impression close to a corner of the mesh allows some of the material to be drawn into the dome and making it deeper. Cut the dome you have made out of the mesh sheet and superglue onto carb opening. You will probably need to make a few extras because it is difficult to cut the mesh exactly. You can paint silver or leave the natural brass colour. Kickstand spring: There are two ways to add a spring to a kickstand, either a centrestand or a sidestand
perfect for a kickstand. You will need to bend the last loop on each end at 90° for attaching to the model. You will also need to add a mounting pin and/or holes to attach the spring. The spring is quite stiff Wrap small wire around a drill shaft to get the right diameter spring. Aluminum wire bend quite easily. If you want a stiffer spring, you can use steel guitar string wire. Banjo fittings: At the end of hydraulic lines (brake and clutch), there are banjo joints. These can be replicated by taking the appropriate sized aluminum wire and squeezing in a pair of pliers or vice without any teeth. Drill a hole for a miniature bolt and file the piece to shape. Shown on the right is a banjo joint added to a hyraulic clutch. Brake Disks and poor man's lathe: Brake disks that come in most plastic kits are usually thicker than they should be for scale realism. If you have a variable speed drill that you can lock the speed at a certain setting, then you can thin these disks quite easily. You will need to find some way to mount the drill so that it doesn't move, and some way of mounting the disk so that you can spin it in the drill. Set the speed quite low to start and then use a file to remove material. You can't apply too much pressure, just be patient. I usually leave the scratch marks on the disc if they are representing steel brakes. Brake Calipers: In most plastic kits, the back side the brake calipers are usually left off to make them easier to manufacture. Filling in the back can make the calipers more realistic, especially with spoked wheels. Add a piece of sheet plastic to fill in the back, making sure you leave enough space for the disc. Below are two examples of calipers that have had the backs filled in. Exhaust Pipes: In some projects, you may want to modify existing exhaust pipes, or scratchbuild a complete set. Two ways you can do this are the following:
Use household electrical wiring, with the plastic insulation still on - it's what was used on the exhaust for the Ducati 900SS model. The kind with a single stand of copper wire inside is the best to work with. It doesn't hold its shape really well, can't be sanded easily and the paint may not last as long on this kind of material. Solder Solder comes in various diameters and 3 mm, or 1/8", diameter solder can be used for 1/12 scale pipes. (36 mm scale diameter). The solder can be a bit stiff to bend, but holds its shape well and is easier to work with than either aluminum or steel. You can even polish it to get a chrome finish if you want. It can be filed at the ends to get joints using superglue or epoxy. Below are some pipes built for a Honda Interceptor superbike. Other Small Detailing: The pictures below show a number of smaller details, with descriptions on how to do them. Just click on the thumbnail New Motorcycle Tips (Jan 2012) Over the years, I've learned (mostly the hard way) a number of ideas for improving my motorcycle models: Reinforce seams A number of older motorcycle kits have the gas tank, bodywork and fender parts molded in two halves. Here's my technique to strengthen and reduce the amount of finish work on these joints: - prepare a piece of strip styrene, 0.5 mm (0.020" thick) usually works well, to cover the joint from the back (hidden) side - apply a liberal amount of liquid glue to the joint - let it set up for maybe 30 seconds - squeeze together to ooze the melted plastic out of the joint, once dry you may not need any filler for the joint - glue the strip to the backside, using a liberal amount of glue and press and clamp to really strengthen the joint A couple of examples from a gas tank and front fender from a Tamiya Suzuki Katana model are shown below Engine mounting I always like to build and finish the frame completely before installing the engine. It allows me to completely finish all the frame joints. This means using a bit of imagination sometimes to figure out how to mount the engine after the frame is completed. This may include building the engine without the cylinders, installing the lower case in the frame first and then installing the cylinders and carbs after the engine is in. It may also mean using threaded or simulated bolts for mounting the engine. Sequence of assembly I find that I rarely follow the instruction sequence for mounting certain parts. The ones I do last are now: - engine side covers - footpegs - mirrors Leaving these off last helps ensure that they don't get scratched or broken as the model is being handled. Meng bolt head details (new November 2024) Meng produces a number of sets of injection molded bolt heads. These can replace some of the less detailed bolt head in many applications. Below are before and after photos of using these bolt heads to detail suspension pieces on motorcycle suspension pieces |
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Evan Jones Scale Models - Modelling Tips
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