Ghost email notification messages...

I have noticed that some ghost blog message notification messages have been generated recently. I have received four in total, all of which contained no post title and no post ID number. First of all if anyone else has been received them I apologise for this and I have put in place measures to stop it happening again. A small technical glitch relating to the .asp page!

Kindest regards, Tom.

Trumpeter kit model explosion...

I have finally caught up to Trumpeter (as much as I am able). That company is so productive it is difficult to keep up with them!

See for yourself how many have been added by clicking here.... This provides the full listing of everything I have added, however if you want to limit the search to a particular store section, such as 1:35 scale military vehicles, use the advanced search facility (click here) and type TIANKMIS into the Search Words textbox and use the dropdown to limit the search to a particular section in the store you are interested in.

The Revell 2008 Catalogue - a new addition and available to buy now

Revell produce a fantastic catalogue once a year, of which I am sure most of you are aware of. Naturally it is a full colour glossy brochure affair and provides great images of all the current models and accessories for this year. It provides basic information on most products and some further detail on selected items. Probably most interestingly for fans of Revell is that it highlights all the products due for release throughout the year.

Selling manufacturer catalogues is new to The Model Catalogue, which may come as a surprise. This is largely due to the fact that the large amount of information provided in The Model Catalogue was deemed to supercede the need for a catalogue. However this year I have decided to get a few in stock to see how popular they are and if I am proven wrong and they are popular I'll continue to stock them! Click on the image or here to go the correct place in the store to see pricing and to order.

Over a hundred new products added over the last few weeks!

In the last 8 weeks I have been extremely busy and have added 150 new products to the inventory. In the last couple of days I have added a whole range of medical quality holding instruments, such as high visibility tweezers and a locking needle holder. Some of the items give more choice and quality. Click Here to browse the products that have been added recently.

Kit Chat TV - Video Demo of Hex Drill Chuck in use

Well, after yesterday's post I have finally bitten the bullet and made a video of the Hex Chuck in use. Click on the TV to start the show.

I will be storing all my videos in a section of the site called Kit Chat TV. The video is embedded into the page and it should start playing straight away. You can control the playback by right-clicking on the video screen: you will be able to pause and restart playback, speed it up, slow it down, modify the volume and so forth. The key products that have been used in the demonstration can be further researched or purchased by click on the links on the same page.

Obviously this is my first attempt at a video and while I am happy with it, production quality should get better with practice! I hope you find them useful.

Post holiday catch up...

It has been a little while since my last post and thought I would drop a note now that the Easter weekend is behind us. I hope you all had a pleasant break and have got back into the old routine easily enough again.

Norfolk, along with much of the East coast, received several coatings of snow, each of which lasted just a few hours. It was lovely while it lasted and gave me a chance to have some fun with my son and daughter in the local park. For once I forced myself not to turn the computer on. I stuck to my goal and it allowed me to give all my attention to the kids and it also gave me a decent break.

I have been very busy though, part of the reason for my silence recently. For example, either side of Sunday and Monday I have been adding a whole raft of Trumpeter kits to the inventory. I had fallen behind the new kit releases by Trumpeter and it has been a big task identifying them all, ordering them and then adding them to the inventory. It is nearly done now and we should be getting them in stock and online pretty soon. Naturally I will let you all know through this blog when they are added to the site. Something to look forward to!

In addition to the new kits there will be a number of new tools added to the site, all of which are interesting additions and will at the very least improve the choice available to customers. All new additions can be viewed by click on a link below the Store Section listing on the left hand side of the home page. Click here though for now.

I have got some site design improvements up my sleeve which will improve the quality of information about each product and more importantly the delivery method of that information. I don't want to reveal too much at the moment because it will involve quite a lot of work and imagination, so I do not know how long it will take. Suffice to say I believe it should generate a positive response. I believe it will also be unique among online kit model retailers.

I still have to get *Kit Chat TV* off and running though. The key issue is that it is not like writing a post or a product description, which I am comfortable with as it can be edited very easily before publishing. Filming yourself is a whole different kettle of fish! I am using fairly basic equipment and I do not have a lot of time available to edit the videos, so I have been trying to do each in one go. You can imagine the scenario: I am completing a video but then deleting it in disgust after reviewing! I guess it is all about accepting some flaws and practice. No doubt once I get into the swing of it I will be churning them out and you'll be sick of seeing me!

So, a quarter of the year gone with so much done and still so much to do! There is more on the boil but I'll keep it under wraps for now. As always please feel free to join in the dialogue by using the add comments facility at the bottom of each post. I love hearing from readers and always look forward to comments and feedback.

Till the next time ... happy modelling ... Tom.

Four new tools have been added to the inventory...

I have just added four new tools to the product inventory: a set of Fine Tipped Sliding Lock Tweezers, a Double-Ended Spoon, a Wax Carver Knife and what is known as a Cerumen Hook and Scoop.

While all are predominantly used in the medical profession, they have uses in the modelling hobby too. Just as important their addition to the catalogue provides more choice to customers of The Model Catalogue.

While I am sure you will have your own ideas and uses, I have tried to lay out the uses for each and the reasons why I have added them to the inventory. To view the items in the store please click on the images or the titles.

Fine Tipped Sliding Lock Tweezers

I already sell a set of locking tweezers, Modelcraft branded, but there are two key differences between these and the new addition. Firstly the new addition is not serrated and it has very fine tips (as can easily be seen in the image above) which will be excellent for detailed work. Secondly, priced at £3.97, the new addition is cheaper than the existing item, which is of course a bonus.

Double-Ended Spoon

The double-ended spoon is a new type of tool to The Model Catalogue. It's correct name is a *Volkman Double Ended Spoon*. I did a bit of research to learn what it is used for in medicine. While its use is fairly generic nowadays the original design was necessitated by a pretty nasty disease. Suffice to say after seeing a picture of the manifestation of the illness a few minutes ago I still feel a bit clammy, so I shall not share that information here!

As far as modelling is concerned there are a number of uses based on its key properties namely two small scoops at each end, one about twice the size of the other. They are not unlike an ice cream scoop dimensions. The tool itself is about the length of a desert spoon, so despite the small size of the scoops at each end it is not fiddly to handle. Uses would include:

• Measuring out weathering powders and crushed pastels with greater accuracy and consistency.
• Measuring out paints for blending.
• Applying putty and filler with greater accuracy.
• Using the back of the spoon scoop to smooth putty along tight corners such as wing roots.
• Sculpting putty and filler, either on the model or on dioramas.

Wax Carver Knife

The Wax Carver Knife is a great little addition. It too is a double ended tool, with a carver type tool at one end and a knife blade at the other, similar in dimensions to the small blade on a Swiss Army penknife. We do not currently stock another conventional knife so this is a first for me too.

Uses for the knife would not cover the fine incisions that you would use a scalpel for, but it is very useful for less detailed work, and it can of course be kept sharp using a conventional sharpening stone or with a Dremmel and a sharpening stone attachment. The carver end of the tool can of course be used to apply, smooth or sculpt putty and filler. The fact that it is compact and has two tools makes it excellent for travelling (if you like me sometimes take a model on holiday for those quiet moments).

Cerumen Hook and Scoop

Like the double-ended spoon tool this tool originates from the medical profession and again I shall not go into what it's original use is for! As you can see from the image it has a hook at one end and an open scoop at the other. I found it after reacting to a comment made on this blog about using dental filling tools for applying putty in small places. Comments like that do get my mind racing about ideas for modellers, so please keep them coming. While the search for a dental filling tools supplier goes on, I found this Cerumen Hook and Scoop along the way.

Uses for the hook would include the detailed application of putty and filler, as well as a dropper for glue in tight spaces. It can be used for positioning very small decals without damage (due to the fact that the end is smooth and rounded) and for positioning very small model parts in tight places.

The scoop end can also be used for sculpting putty and filler and, while I haven't tried this out yet, I should imagine it could be used as a drop measuring device for paint by virtue of the fact that the hole in the scoop should act as a temporary reservoir for viscous liquids such as paint and Humbrol clear fix. If so it would be excellent for creating small windows with Humbrol Clearfix. The scoop should hold the liquid until it is dragged whereupon a thin layer of Clearfix or other window creating liquid, should be left behind.

Enamel modelling paint. Basic tips for using it.

What follows in this post will be old hat for experienced modellers, however for those just starting out or returning to the hobby this post should serve as a useful basic guide to using enamel modelling paint.

Enamel modelling paint is of a very high quality and generally made using extremely fine pigment, typically around 15 microns (15 millionths of a metre) in diameter. Apart from the fact the only small amounts are needed for painting models, this explains why it is generally sold in small quantities (typically in 14 ml tinlets): this level of quality is simply not required for many life size applications.

Lots of uses for enamel paint...

Indeed, whilst the primary market is the plastic kit modelling community, enamel paint is perfectly suited for use on all manner of surfaces, including china, wood, metal, glass, stone and so on. We have had customers who have bought it for re-painting toys, touching up scratches on bycycles and cars and decorating canal boats to name a few.

One of the key benefits of Humbrol enamel is that it conforms to European Toy Safety Regulations and is therefore totally safe and ideal for use on children's toys and furniture. For further information about the paint the material data sheet is available by clicking here.

Applying Enamel Paint...

There are two common methods for applying enamel paint. Most modellers start off using a paint brush, many however graduate onto airbrushes as well. It is generally accepted that airbrushing is best for achieving a really high quality of finish, particularly on large exposed areas of the model such as aircraft fuselages and wings where different thicknesses of paint and brush streak lines can give the appearance of corrugated roofing if you are not careful. Despite this the paint brush remains very useful for painting smaller parts, detailing and weathering models and in a very experienced hand is a match for any airbrush.

Tips for using enamel paint...

Always stir and shake the paint thoroughly before use. Because enamel paint pigment is so fine it does tend to coagulate, a little too readily if truth be told, but you can't do away with your pigment and have a top drawer paint finish.

What's more it can be very difficult to shake into suspension again. To help modellers overcome this particular bane of the hobby I have introduced two products to the store, both of which have been very popular with customers.

One is the battery operated Badger Paint Mixer, which is basically a miniature version of those milk frothing devices you can buy in appliance stores. The other product is Lead Shot. Its use simply involves dropping a few balls of the lead shot into your paint tin, replacing the lid and shaking as normal. Because of the great difference in density, the lead shot moves through the paint with ease and vigour and disperses the pigment very effectively. The good thing is that when you come back to use it the lead shot is still in the tin and so another quick shake gets things moving again with no additional mess to clean up, such as a stirrer.

If you are planning to use an airbrush to apply enamel paint you will need to thin it with enamel thinner or white spirit. the ratio is generally two parts paint to one part thinner, but this will depend on the air pressure you plan to use. The lower the pressure, the tinner the paint will need to be. Remember to use a mask if you are spraying enamel paints and keep the room well ventilated.

White spirit is generally cheaper and more readily available from hardware stores than enamel thinners. It will suffice as a thinner and many modellers do use it religiously, however companies such as Revell and Humbrol have developed superior specialist thinners that are designed to work more efficiently with enamel paints. The results are better and this is borne out by their popularity with my customers, however I would encourage you to do your own research to help you make your own mind up.

If you are using a paint brush to apply the paint there are four simple things to remember: apply the paint in thin layers, draw the brush lightly over the surface, always apply in the in the same direction and once the coat becomes tacky let it dry before revisiting.

Probably the most important point to remember for both airbrush and brush application is to leave the paint to dry for at least 6 hours (in a dust-free, hair-free environment) before you even think about handling the subject again. I have lost count of the number of times my patience has got the better of me!

Always clean up thoroughly...

It is really important to clean up your airbrush and paint brushes thoroughly after use with white spirit or enamel thinners to prolong their useful life.

Make extra effort to avoid bringing the paint or the thinners or white spirit into contact with your skin, especially if it is sensitive. Always wash your hands after use. A barrier cream can be useful in such circumstances, as can surgical gloves.

Paint Conversion Tool updated again! 231 paint blending instructions added...

For some time I have been meaning to upgrade the Paint Conversion Tool to include instructions on how to blend Humbrol paints to achieve all manner of authentic colours for military hardware, such as standard RAF, Luftwaffe and U.S. Air Force paint shades. I have now done this and it is ready to use.

There are an additional 231 additional colour shade records to reference. The Paint Conversion Tool itself works in virtually the same way. The only difference being that you can now use the Other Paint Code search box to search for part of a code or paint colour name rather than the exact code or exact colour name. For example if you search for *RLM* you will be returned a number of records which provide instructions on how to blend Humbrol colours to achieve certain RLM colours. Click on the link below to give it a whirl and do pass the news on to anyone who might be interested.

http://www.themodelcatalogue.com/kitchat/paint_conversion.asp

New Lists Showing Popular Models and Accessories

For those who are interested in which models and accessories have been popular with customers in the last few months I have created a couple of new lists using the same technique as that used for the discounted kit lists.

The links can be found below the store section links on the left side of the home page (the same place as the links to the discounted kit lists). In the meantime please click on the links below.

• Popular Kits
• Popular Accessories

Hex drill chuck is finally in stock!

I have finally taken delivery of some hex drill chucks and have added them to the catalogue. Click here to find it in the store. If you want to read the story of how I came to the decision to add them to the inventory click here. This post also explains how I envisage it to be used and what else you need to make it into a great addition to your toolbox. If you haven't already got them you will also need a set of drills.

A new home for Material Data Sheets and other product information

Every now and then a customer may request a material data sheet for a product found at The Model Catalogue. We duly secure it from the manufacturer and send it on to the customer. In the past this is where it has ended but from now on they have a new home on the site: a little pop-up page generated by clicking on the Product Information link on the home page (left hand side below the store section links).

I have also moved the other product information pdf documents, such as the Revell Airbrush parts diagrams, the Bonda Resin instructions and the blank decal sheet instructions. Click here (Product Information) to view the pop-up.

Making it easier to search for new and discounted items and kits by skill level...

Further to my post yesterday I have made some important changes to the online store to make it easier for customers to quickly find new and discounted items items and also lists of plastic kits classified by skill level.

Tucked below the store section menu on the left side of the main screen, I have added some links that make good use of the product search tool. I have copied that part of the page below so you know what it looks like. The links generate pages that return only products related to the link title. To illustrate:

• If you click on *- 40% off* you will be taken to a page that displays all the items currently discounted by 40%.
• If you click on *Recent Additions* you will be taken to a page that only shows items added to the inventory in the last 60 days.
• If you click on *- Easy* you will be taken to a page that lists all the products that are classified as easy in terms of skills level required. This should be particularly useful for non-modelling customers who are buying kits as gifts.

Quick Search Links
Recent Additions
Discounted Products
- 40% off
- 30% off
- 20% off
Skill Levels
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Challenging
- Advanced

Discount Distribution List. Keep up with discounts and offers at The Model Catalogue.

I have been thinking for some time about my discount pricing strategy: something that has concerned me is that while I often have kits heavily discounted in terms of price, the actual sales do not seem to reflect the discounting. I thought these kits would fly off the shelves at the prices we have offered, but it is not happening. Customers do not seem to be taking advantage of these offers and I am sure it is not down to price as sometimes it is barely exceeding and sometimes less than the wholesale price.

I realised this morning that it may be because it is actually quite difficult to search on our site for the kits that are on offer. A penny dropping moment if there ever was one!

Currently the most likely route a visitor is likely to take to find a kit on offer is by looking for the specific kit they are after and then getting a nice surprise when they find it heavily discounted. The alternative route would be through Google or more specifically Google Base, but once again they are likely to have searched for a specific model kit or type of model kit.

So to help those deal sleuths keep a finger on the pulse of what is being discounted at The Model Catalogue, I have set up a new distribution list called the *Discount Distribution List*.

Subscribers to this list will receive periodic emails detailing products that are subject to price discounts or multi-buy deals (which will also subject to price discounting).

While I will still maintain a dialogue with Kit Chat blog readers regarding some discount deals and multi-buy deals it will be much, much less intense and most likely be tied in with suggested modelling projects and modelling tools and techniques. Emails to the Discount Distribution list on the other hand will be pure price information: what products are discounted and by how much?

So if this suits your buying strategy you might want to sign up to the Discount Distribution list. Please do so by clicking here and completing the form.

SALE: 40% OFF specially selected kits

Every now and then I end up buying far too many of a particular kit model, largely because I get suckered into a *great* deal by my trusty account managers at my various suppliers!

Anyway, I have done a review of what has been sitting on the shelves for a bit and have found several that I have decided to offer at a knock-down 40% discount off the RRP.

Below is the current list so if you want to stock up or buy some to put away for presents click on the link to learn more about them and the great prices they are going for. At these prices I doubt they will stay for long so you'd be advised to hurry, particularly as I will be posting them on Froogle / Google Base shortly.

Airfix Limited Edition Commemoration Tin - S.6b Schneider Trophy Winner & Spitfire Mk1a
Airfix Mustang P-51D Minikit
Airfix Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk M/KI Minikit
Revell Sturmgeschutz IV
Revell Panzer III Ausf. M
Revell M60 A3 Medium Tank
Revell Warrior add-on armour MCV
Revell Challenger & British Infantry
Revell Boeing E-3A Sentry AWACS
Revell EC-135 VIP
Revell Fokker D VII

What's on my bench?

Now you can see post comments in a pop-up window!

I have improved the blog to make it easier to see if any comments have been made about a post. Simply click on the new link below each post called "Show Comments in Pop-Up".

Not surprisingly a pop-up is displayed showing the comments relating to that post.

It'll save you time: you can whiz through the blog posts and comments without having to open the post in a new window!

Paint Conversion Tool. Clarification of instructions and a feedback tool to boot.

I have just updated the user instructions for the Paint Conversion Tool to make it clearer as to how to get the most out of it. I have also added a feedback tool which can be linked to from the same page.

The instructions clarification relates to the need to apply a two-step process to searching for an alternative paint when starting off with a non-Humbrol paint code.

If you start with a Humbrol paint code you automatically get all the alternative paint codes in the returned list. However if you start off by searching for alternatives to an "Other Paint Code", you are only shown the single Humbrol equivalent, if one exists.

If an alternative Humbrol code does exist you can expand the results to show alternative codes from brands other than the non-Humbrol code you have entered. This is what you need to do. Enter the Humbrol paint code (returned in from the previous search) into the "Humbrol Paint Code" form field and click Search again.

This will then regenerate the search query and show all the alternative paint codes for both the code you entered, Humbrol or otherwise. It sounds complicated but it isn't really. If you follow the instructions and you'll be OK.

Regarding the feedback tool I figured that it would be a good idea to give users the opportunity to let me know if they think one of my conversion suggestions is a load of rubbish or if they have a conversion suggestion of their own to add.

Therefore I created a very simple online form to complete. Naturally I will need to research and verify the feedback, but if it is valid, I will make the necessary changes to the paint conversion tool.

Applying putty to your model neatly, with virtually no mess.

Hex drill chuck is such a great idea!

I have been using my hex chuck for a little while now and can report great success with it, particularly when it is coupled with a low speed battery powered screwdriver.

I have been working on an Ozmods Canberra model for a few months now and I am just finishing off the build before starting the paint job. I keep asking myself why it has taken me so long as it is only a 1:144 scale kit! Perhaps it is because it is a limited run kit and I knew it would require a lot more skill to cut and polish up a rough diamond. Nevertheless progress has surged in the last few days. I post some pictures.

Last night I go to the stag where I needed to attach the wings, however the recesses in the main fuselage were nowhere near deep enough. I concluded that the builder is meant to cut away the plastic to receive the wings; so this is what I did. I suppose some would get out the scriber and gradually scrape away until the slot was deepened, I though decided to test the ol hex chuck dril method!

I attached the hex chuck to the screwdriver and tightened a suitable diameter drill in the chuck. My screwdriver has a pistol grip and a power-on switch where the trigger of a pistol would be so it was really easy to position the end of the drill bit before turning it on. The speed is just right to create a hole in the plastic without melting it. In fact the way the plastic shavings come away from the drill and the hole is very similar to whn a hole is made in sheet metal.

Because it iwas so quick and easy to position and drill, it made drilling a number of holes in quick succession a doddle! The job of drilling the holes was done in a couple of minutes. It was then easy to cut away the plastic with a scalpel to create the create slot width to accept the wings.

I am so pleased with discovering the technique I can very confidently recommend this method to anyone. I might have a crack at creating a video demo to illustrate! Watch this space...