# Polishing scuff marks from dragster body - advice please.



## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Hi all. I have a few questions regarding an AFX candy red Aztec and would appreciate any help.


1. The roof has some haze marking on it from some roll over slides. It doesn't appear to have penetrated through the paint, rather just dulling it. Is there a way to polish the marks out? What is known to work? Would rubbing some auto wax on the area do the job?




















2. What is the correct chassis type for this car when original? Is it AFX (non-mag) Speciality or MagnaTraction Specialty? Being a drag car I would think it is the AFX but would like to confirm.

Thank you,
Michael.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Used mild toothpaste, not the stuff with baking soda in it. and stay AWAY from Auto Wax/polishes, as they(some) contain solvents- which may attack the paint and the glass(ask me how I know).


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

The correct Aztec chassis could have been Both A/FX Specialty types- ie : the early '73-'74 had Non magna(both without screw and w/screw), the '75-'76 models were magna traction. 
I have one of the very Early- Dodge Fever versions, which is Non MT & No Screw, also have another Specialty non MT/ no screw Dodge Van as well


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

either 4 gear chassis goes well with that body. they came both ways.
of course you want the chassis extension for the front wheels. that body looks really good and you are wise to take your time resolving the issues. I have the extensions front wheels with axles and the wire for the front end if you need them. and, complete 4 gear chassis with proper wheels and tires.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

More info- regarding chassis. If the body is marked #1792- it came with non MT chassis, if the body is marked #1963- it came with MT Chassis.


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

Want to be safe you can use novus. Novus is a model polishing set, start with liquid #2 and apply with a micromesh cloth. Finish up with #1 wax seal protector. #2 is a mild abrastive.

There are a few automotive polishers that can attck paint. Turtle wax scratch and swirl is good as is meguire's polish. 

Nufinish will attack the top layer of paint.

You could also use futura floor wax, dip the body in the futura and let it dry and self level once dipped do not touch the body for 24 hours until the wax dries and sets up.

A light paint polish is easier. I would not use any toothpastes.

As for the chassis the dragsters started in 73-74 and were made until 75-76. So they started out on the non magnatraction chassis and ended with the magnatraction chassis so either could be correct. I have all 4 originals as non magnatraction. The bodies have part numbers underneath... Ralph's post lists them.

I also created decal sets for all 4 cars.










If you want to make your own decals I can send you the artwork files.

These are my decals I created from an original set.


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Wow! Ya see.......... that's why sites such as this need to be looked after. The depth of knowledge and willingness to share it is priceless. Thank you guys.

Ok, Ralph, that's excellent info. Hmmm, the body in question is numbered 1772-001 which matches neither of your reference numbers. Do I have an alien?

Al, a most generous offer. Thank you but I neglected to add in my OP that the car came with the chassis and complete extension, all in great condition. Given the wear on the chassis parts I'd be surprised if the car has done more than an hour of track time.

The chassis is an MT version and when I saw that, I thought it odd that magnet traction would be used for a drag car. Knowing now that they were released with an MT version, I'd just like to make sure it is correct for the body number.

Dan, I have heard of the Novus polish range and read good things. I'll make some enquiries with my local HS and see what they have. My working theory is to begin with the mildest action possible and only step it up if required. I did consider using future as I know it works well for this type of mark but if I can use polish, I would prefer that. Thanks.

Any further info is appreciated.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## bobwoodly (Aug 25, 2008)

I swear by Novus, but work very lightly. I use #2 all of the time


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

The cars are a blast to run on the new aw drag tracks... The non magnatraction cars are faster then the magnatraction cars, because of less downforce.
However without the magnatraction the front wheel adjustment is more critical. 

The wires on the sides of the body on the front extension are not for show. They adjust tension on the front tires so the chassis goes straight. You bend them up or down to tweak the front wheels it is basically a sway bar to twist the front end clockwise or counterclockwise.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*numbers*

Well, I just double checked two ref manuals- both Bob Beers and Tom Grahams, and my numbers are correct for the Red Aztec. The number You listed is correct for the White- Dodge Fever (non MT) version like mine, hmmmm...maybe it's different for Export models ?



Jisp said:


> Ok, Ralph, that's excellent info. Hmmm, the body in question is numbered 1772-001 which matches neither of your reference numbers. Do I have an alien?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

PS- I also guess it could be possible, that someone Painted a Dodge Fever version -Red ?


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

Good info on the chassis. Don't forget the dragsters came with wider rear tires that covered the width of the rims. The inside lip of the rim is thinner on the NMT versions allowing for the wider rubber.

Here's some more reference info:

AFX Dragsters

If you check out the "Furious Fueler" rear view picture, you can see the wider rear tires.

-Paul


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## torredcuda (Feb 1, 2004)

Meguiars #7 is a good polish and will fill in minor scratches.


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Thanks for the many suggestions for polishing. I've actually read good things said about toothpaste, Novus and more recently Meguiars. I did some hunting around and can get a Novus 3 pack + cloth via eBay for less than a local guy wanted for just a 3oz bottle of #2. :freak: I'm going to give the Novus a go, very carefully. Will report back with what will hopefully be a pleasing result when I get the polish.

As far as the body ID is concerned I'm unsure what to think. Thanks for double checking the numbers Ralph. Paul, you may well be on the money mate.... perhaps I have a respray. Here's the body from the underside showing the number. Hopefully something else here might help determine if this is original or not. From the limited images I can find showing sections of the underside of others, the over spray, melted mounting tabs, etc look about right. May I ask someone with a known original to compare the underside of theirs to mine?










That's a nice reference site you linked Paul. From what I can tell from pictures there and elsewhere, I think the chassis is original with correct wheels, front extension, etc. Given that I don't have another to compare with, I can't be sure though.



















Dan, I was messing with the front wire just last night, straightening it a little. I did notice there was a bias for both sides towards the top of the chassis and wondered if that was intentional. Thanks for clearing that up. I just noticed in this shot that the wire probably needs to be tweaked to bring the nearest front wheel down, or raise the other. Nice to be able to tweak!










Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Michael, I just checked my White w/yellow Dodge Fever Dragster body number, and it too reads 1772-001 ....so since I don't have access to the Aztec version, or the other two dragsters, I cannot say for certain that more than one dragster didn't share the same body number. Although I think that it's odd that two collectors guide would state separate numbers.
Anyway- your Aztec looks very nice and clean, although the brass bits are a bit over polished, and the silver plating is gone off the bottom electricals.


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

the bodies are the same, The dodge fever and aztec are the same body just one is painted red metallic. i think the part number is just listed by aurora as the painted version for packaging.

the furious fueler and dynomite is the same body also. just dynomite has a spash of blue color on it.


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## WesJY (Mar 4, 2004)

SWEET CARS !

Wes


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## Hilltop Raceway (Feb 12, 2006)

Cool cars!!! Like that backdrop!!! RM


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## LDThomas (Nov 30, 1999)

I have had excellent success buffing by using a buff bar made for fingernail care. Does a great job. Found in the fingernail polish section at your local Target or Walmart.


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

The starting line of the set.









Tyco show and go dragsters.

Complete set


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

How about buffing with a soft Tshirt? Works great.

Nice cars Dan!


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Thanks for the additional body info guys. I'm now satisfied that it's not a repaint and will simply put the number mystery down to one of those things that may never be explained.

Dan, nice photos of your beautifully displayed cars. Looking at them like that now makes me want the other three. It's odd, I've seen the dragsters from time to time but never really paid much attention to them. Mine came up on an auction site and just caught my eye for some reason. My hunt for the other three begins...........

Thomas, I actually have one of those buff bars that I pinched from my wife's collection and had considered using it. I was just a little worried that even the finest buff surface (it has 4) might be too abrasive on the paint. Thanks but I'm going to wait for the polish to arrive.

NTx, just tried t-shirt dry/damp and no joy on the wear mark. Thanks for the suggestion.



Ralphthe3rd said:


> ... although the brass bits are a bit over polished, and the silver plating is gone off the bottom electricals.


Ralph, virtually all the plating was gone when I got it and a clean up with Brasso must have taken the rest off. I only have one other Specialty chassis and while I haven't cleaned it up yet, it's also missing the plating. Maybe they were prone to it.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Michael, yes, the silver plating does polish off very easily, anything you rub it with will eventually remove it. When I get a used Tuff One or A/FX I can always tell how much handling and cleaning have been done, by how much of the original silver plating is left. But luckily for me, 90% of my Aurora silver plated chassis, still have 95% of their plating INTACT. And all I do, is gently wipe the electricals with a cotton swab with just dab of oil on it.


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

well if you want the cars to run right, that coating has to go anyway.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

slotcardan said:


> well if you want the cars to run right, that coating has to go anyway.


 Ok DAN, let me amend my statement. I MEANT use the cotton swab with a dab of oil to CLEAN the silver plated electrical, and THEN use the other DRY end of the swab to wipe it dry.... Does THAT amended Statement meet your approval !? 
PS- I think alot of aurora collectors(maybe like Michael/Jisp)don't even run their little prizes. But just display them as Shelf Queens. And a little coating of oil on the metal bits, does go a long way towards preventing oxidation....


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

?

i wasn't trying to being mean,, I scraped mine down to the copper  mine were all green anyway. white vinegar baths. 


the coating i meant was the chrome top coat... didn't mean anything about oil. if you want to have the best of both worlds.

Aerocar rail cleaner.. coat the suckers in that it will prevent oxidation and increase conductivity.


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## TGM2054 (May 14, 2011)

That Aerocar rail cleaner DOES work good for that! Learned that from Khim!


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

*Plated Copper Electricals*

Ok Dan, I thought you meant the oil, if you said remove the plating, I would have understood what you meant.
BTW- the old Aurora Cars used "Silver" plated Electricals, while I believe that Todays- Auto World pancakes use Chrome Plated Electricals.



slotcardan said:


> ?
> i wasn't trying to being mean,, I scraped mine down to the copper  mine were all green anyway. white vinegar baths.
> the coating i meant was the *chrome top coat*... didn't mean anything about oil. if you want to have the best of both worlds.
> Aerocar rail cleaner.. coat the suckers in that it will prevent oxidation and increase conductivity.


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

the coating all cause voltage loss, so the serious guys polish the shoes get rid of the coating and make them like mirrors.

course they polish everything the little hinge and the chassis parts as well.

some guys use INOX lub, I would go aerocar the stuff can do magic not kidding.

sorry about the miss understanding, was more looking at Jisp's post when i replied.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

BTW- I Do use Conducta Motor Drops(by AeroCar) that I got from Kihm, on my pick-up shoe hinge connection. And I do have AeroCars Track Cleaner (ACT-6116 trail size), is this the same as the "Rail Cleaner" of which you speak- that you use on the electricals ?


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

The motor drops you just want to use on the commutator of the motor, on the hinge Point and contact points you want to use the rail cleaner. 6116 or 6006 goes on the hinge points.
Conducta is just used on brushes where they contact the commutator.

You can then dope the contact shoes with 6116 or 6006 on the bottom where they ride the rails. 

Basically both do the same thing they lube up the contact points. The difference is the rail cleaner is conductive the comm drops are not. You do not want to put the rail cleaner on the motor because it can short out between the copper poles.

However you could coat the brush barrels with the rail cleaner that would decrease loss from the brush barrel to the brushes. You get carbon build up as the brush arcs inside the barrel.

Some people soak the brush spring In The rail cleaner and the contact shoe spring in rail cleaner then assemble.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Rail cleaner is conductive,you sure about that?
Did a test stuck my meter probes in a bunch of it,zippo as in open connection,better do some checking on your above statement,as i don't think they are as conductive as you think.
You can check conductivity of a liquid with your meter,and this one isn't:thumbsup:
Even a bucket of tap water will put up a reading on a ohm meter,and Kihm's rail cleaner doesn't put up any reading other then open connection:thumbsup:.

Even Kihm's conducta lube motor drops aren't conductive,test it in a bottle cap with your meter,open connection is what you'll get.

Tap water will usually put up a 1 ohm or a little more on a meter,while the above 2 liquids are open connection


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

Try the stuff on a stubborn track section.

I didn't believe, now I do.

Conducta is not suppose to be conductive.
They are comm drops.

Also kihm is a reseller aerocar is the manufacturer.


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

the early AFX style chassis including 4 gear had SILVER plating. later stuff was nickle plated. nickle plating never seems to tarnish and silver will always show some. removing silver plating is not going to enhance speed


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Jeez, this thread is starting to give me a head-ache !  So much conflicting advice 
BTW- back in the day in the 1:1 auto field, we used to put Vaseline on top of the battery terminals, I thought to both inhibit corrosion AND provide better conductivity? So was Vaseline(or regular PETROLEUM GREASES) a Conductor? If not, then why was die-electric grease invented? Is 1:1 motor oil a conductor ?


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

not conflicting, just different depending on what your trying to accomplish.

Basically if you collect and preserve originality you oil the metal and keep from tarnishing.

if you want to drive it and make things better clean the oil off replace it with nothing or you can try various products on the market that people swear buy.

get serious and want to race it against others in competition against the clock and reaction time,,all that coating comes off because it will make you faster.

some people believe in Inox, some people believe in Aerocar. i've tried both, aerocar works.

it is easy to get confused because aerocar names their product badly.

the comm drops are called conducta.... Comm drops are not conductive. comm drops it the simplest level is Dish soap.
that is how we made comm drops Years ago.. Palmolive and water.

the problem with that method is gum build up. So various chemicals have come out over the years to produce a lower friction on the comm surface without gumm build up. comm drops work, it has been used for over 60 years. there are just as many formulations of comm drops as there is automotive oils.

Aerocar, has some form of conductive flake in suspension its proprietary i have no idea what it is. basically when you lay it on a metal surface let it dry, wipe off the excess, it fills the pours of the surface metal and increases conductivity. you don't use that on a motor because i may cause shorting....

you can load up a track surface with the stuff and it won't cause a short so how much of it is conductive, well you know what i don't care here is what it does. It lubes the rail surface, reduces friction, and increases voltage getting to each car and reduces dead spots.

Proof? well try a sample. All i know is it actaully works, and it is good at removing surface rust from track, and carbon build up.
it isn't magical by itself, but after you polished a rail over and over and it still has a dead spot, you put aerocar on it and poof problem solved. Some track has a freaky coating on it to prevent oxidation, like galvanized coating. i fought with matchbox track for 2 days polished the track over and over nothing worked the curve sections were the worst constant loss of power with the track connections. laid aerocar on the surface as a last resort, Proof problem gone in 30 seconds.

get a sample and just try it, if it sucks don't use it. I use it on all my slotless tracks and the stuff is magic in a bottle.

dielectric grease was invented to prevent ignition wires from arcing and carbon build up at contact points, it prevents air from entering the reaction because it can't reach the area of the arc. if you lay it on a slot car track it will prevent oxidation however the viscosity will stop the car from moving forward easily. imagine a blob of Vaseline holding a slot car back.

dielectric grease has a high viscosity so it won't run out of the contact area. if you put motor oil it will run out of the area you put it or slowly leak away.

for a distributor you also need lubrication so it has a triple function of trying to keep the contacts cleaner and acting as a lubrication, and water proofer.


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## slotcardan (Jun 9, 2012)

i should add also,,, a lot of guys go braid drag racing and ditch the contact shoes.

braid allows more surface contact with the rails, more contact more reaches the motor. plus the braid gives you side bite on the rail surface. where you get max contact all the way down the track. also the braid can hold lubrication that reduces friction.

they get the braid in pure copper or you can play around with silver content the higher the silver content the harder the wire, its a trade off copper is soft, so you get more torque but it digs into the rails easier slowing the car down.
silver, is harder so less bite into the track rail but less friction gives you more rpms down the track.

in R/C cars its the same with old electric brush motors, copper verse silver.

coatings are a problem because they are layered on top of the base material usually with nickle or something its like a wire with an insulator around it that then has aluminum foil on top and you are trying to conduct the resistance is higher so you strip the coating..

then you have the gold coating idea. great but the whole point is the gold is tring to help the transfer from the rails to the surface of the shoe,,, but then it needs to get from the gold through the second coating to the base material....

or you get the best surface of the base material to hit the track itself, but them deal with it constantly oxidizing...

all crazy stuff if you get serious.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Dan, you forgot to answer my Question- IS Vaseline and/or Petroleum Greases, a Conductor of electricity or Not ?
Is conventional 1:1 motor oil a conductor of electricity ?


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

The Reason I'm asking is, I WANT to put a drop of Something on the connection of the pick-up shoe hinge, and WANT it to be Electrically Conductive. And as I stated before, I had been using AeroCars "Conducta"- comm drops, which I thought were giving good results, but now.....


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Nope on either Ralph,they're insulators,and oxygen suppressors.
Prime example oil filled transformers.

SD,gonna send you to school ,got a test for you to do .

Take some of Kihm's rail cleaner,put enough of it in a plastic container that you can stick some probes in.
Hook the probes of your meter up to a battery charger,turn said battery charger on,then submerse the probes in the liquid,and wait,any "liquid conductor" will start to warm up from resistance,and eventually boil,try it with Kihm's rail cleaner for yourself.
You'll be waiting a long time to make tea lad:thumbsup:.

I like Kihm,but there's differances of opinions about some of his products.
Rick


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Ralphthe3rd said:


> ........I think alot of aurora collectors(maybe like Michael/Jisp)don't even run their little prizes. But just display them as Shelf Queens. And a little coating of oil on the metal bits, does go a long way towards preventing oxidation....


Just taking a step back for a second. You are right about this particular car Ralph, it's a queen. I don't actually know how many car I have perhaps 60-70. Of those I have less than a dozen queens. They are all beautiful examples of particular models that I simply really like, all in top condition and they'll never see a track. I have duplicates of many of them that are runners.

Gents, all this talk of oils and protective coatings has got me thinking (while I wait for Novus polish). I may have made a boo boo. Every one of my stored queens was intentionally stored 100% bone dry. I'm talking not even a streak of oil or anything else. My theory was/is that most oils used on the cars were probably petroleum based and mixed with who knows what else by the oil companies. I figured that over an extended stay in storage, the unknown components in the oil and the petroleum based ones might damage the chassis plastic and perhaps even the metal components themselves. The cars are stored in a regular plastic storage box with a couple of silica gel baggies tossed in for good measure.

Am I being a bad parent to the cars storing them like this? :freak: I thought my theory was quite sound but perhaps not. Sure, I use oil and oil products to protect tools all the time but only on the steel, never on plastic parts like handles etc. I suppose I'm more concerned with what the oil etc might do to the plastic components of long term storage cars.

Cheers guys,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Michael, I don't think ANY oils made by ANY oil companies(either 1:1 or slot related), will harm the aurora Nylatron Chassis or the copper/silver electrical parts on the chassis or the gears. And you did not do bad- by bagging them up with a silica gel pack, as oxygen and moisture are the demons. Just give your longest bagged Queens a look see, and if the copper still looks shiney, you did good my friend :thumbsup:


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

Hi guys,

Hope it's ok to resurrect this older thread but I try to follow up where I can. Just wanted to say that I finally got around to giving the Novus polish a try on the Aztec and am wrapped with the result. I used a cotton tip with Novus #2 and just gently worked the area in a tight circular manner for a short time. Buffed it off and could see I still wasn't quite there yet and so repeated the process. There was a very minor paint mark on the cotton tip each time but that's to be expected. All good so thanks for the tip.

BTW, does anybody know of a readily available hobby paint colour that reasonably matches the Aztec candy red (or a formula to mix to)? Thanks.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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