[Closed] AE/NEO/American Excellence down the road

Thanks Gregory ,Very important warning. Hope Neo will reed this

Better Still

Never take them out of the box.

or don't buy them! BTW Peter, photo-etched parts ...

lift even without handling the model.

Cheers Chris

Greg, in certain instances there are better ways to portray detail ....

other than with photo-etching. It seems every model car I have with photo-
etched parts has issues with the said part coming away.

I have model cars with chromed window surrounds that have been hot foiled
stamped. This method is certainly preferable here to using photo-etched
parts.

Personally, I have neither the time nor the skill to mess around with re-
assembling these parts that in my opinion should be fixed properly in the first
place. To me it is nothing more than rather poor quality control on the part of
the manufacturer.

Cheers Chris

Greg - repair advice needed

Greg - I have a side molding that's not strait on my 56 Pontiac. I would like to carefully lift it (or peel back) from one side, then re-attach so it's strait and horizontal. What's the best way to lift (without damaging paint) and then reattach the thin photoetched molding?
Thanks,
Max

Chrome stamping is the way to go. Minichamps needs to get with the program

Ixo, AutoArt, Ebbro, and Kyosho have already seen the light.

My minority opinion--love my photo-etched models.

I like the realism, particularly for vehicles equipped with polished stainless, rather than true chrome, brightwork. I am prepaired to repair as needed for that look. So far however none of the PE trim on my models [NEO, ATC,] has moved, but I will deal with it when it happens.

I abhor photo etching on 1/43 models.....Whatever Playtoy Brianza used, use that.....

I have a love - hate relationship for photo etched detail. I see it on ............

some models and it looks good and then other models not so good. Or some of it looks good on any particular model and on another part of the model it does not look so good. It is still better then silver paint I agree. I guess in some applications it just does not look realistic. Possibly because it is applied flat with no relief or depth. When you take a long strip of it and slap it full length on the side of a car model it does not look so good. Foiling is good but does not work in every application. I do not know what the answer is maybe a combination of both photo etched and foiling on particular models. I like the chrome that is used on Kyosho, minichamps and others as Harvey has mentioned. I am not complaining really just giving my thoughts on the subject. RANDY

RE/Max

Max.Use a razor blade or thin exacto blade and carefully go underneath the moulding at the end.Carefully pull up on the blade and the moulding should loosen and pull up.You will probably have some residue to clean off or scrape off.I use Shoe GOO,comes in a red tube and is clear and rubbery,excess cleans off real easy.Use a toothpick and spread some on the back of the moulding and press it on.It sets fast and will stay

Etching - good or bad?

I am new here but I am interested in this theme. I am German so please excuse me when I make a mistake.

I mostly agree with Randy Bahler. Photo etching is sometimes the right solution to a problem, sometimes not. It is good for large areas which might not really be "chrome" on the real car. It can also be good for other parts, but it is often too "flat", it has not enough "depth". I think even on good models, that can be a problem, I know models by TRON and by American excellence that are ... so-so. I am also surprised that some really good modelmakers (like Ilario) sometimes use it in strange places, like windshield frames.

For me, the "inexpensive" (or cheap?) look is the problem, and I wonder why the modelmakers do not look at this. Many times, a metal part -- nickelled or just foiled -- is better because it has "depth".

But *sometimes*, like on the AE 1958 Impala, I am impressed by how good people can make etchings. That is AE's best etching for me, the long Cadillacs (like the hearse) are the worst.

Also, some etchings seem to get "aged", like rust?, but foiled parts or nickelled parts don't do that.

Hello Thomas - the short answer to your question is both ......

My problem with photo-etched parts is when they are used as window
surrounds. The piece is too flat and as you say lacks any dimension. Where
the piece is a surround for a curved windscreen then it is only a matter of time
before it becomes detached.

NEO do an excellent Rover 3.5L but I have yet to see one where the surround
is fixed correctly. The four samples I have seen all have the sides lifting from
the front edge of the quarter light.

On one example of a resin Minichamps Aston Martin Rapide I have seen the
entire photo-etched window side frame just hanging on by one point!

Cheers Chris

Window surrounds

Chris, yes I agree with the window surrounds!! (I said I don't like the AE Cadillac hearse!) But even this is interesting to me because some are very bad, some are quite good! I think the modeller must have the "eye" for this, to do it right. Many don't take the time, or have the "eye".

I also see many cases where it gets unstuck. But I think the people above have explained that there are ways to fix this. For the modelmaker, there must then be ways to fix it when making the models, but maybe it's expensive.

I am wondering now about some models:
I have AE models with lots of etchings. Yes, some are even detached now, and the models are all new!! So you will probably be right. My Impala? :-((

I have TRON and it's the same. But TRON is old, AE is new. I think AE models "look" nice but actually they have a cheap build. They are designed to look good and have nice paint, but there are strange bits. The interiors are not very good. But often, the etchings quality is a big factor. The '85 Eldorado has very bad etchings, often they are not put on straight. (That's the other big problem with etchings!)

So I am now wondering about my Ilarios and Hecos, maybe they are made better? Or will the etchings fall off, too?

I talk to modelbuilders and they have very different ideas about etchings. I have VF models that uses LOTS of etchings. My old ones came off, but the less old models seem stable. But VF likes etchings a lot; maybe too much! On the other side, I know Motor City doesn't want to use them much.

I guess everyone has to decide for themself. I just want nice-looking models!! For me, I guess the material isn't as important as how the model looks in the end.