Yes Fergy....It's very good.
This is a draft of a review I did for Swiss, but it got lost when his Computer crashed!....I'll try and find the photo's
Remember this is only a draft!....
Patto's Instant Hard Body - A review
How on earth do you write a review of a product called Patto's Instant Hard Body?
All I can say is that when I received it in the post it seemed to make my wife very excited, I really can't understand why!
Enough of my ramblings on with the Review. This strange Australian brew consists of two small bottles of semi liquid, simply labelled "Patto's Instant Hard Body". The bottles have no indication of contents.
(Insert Photo One here)
If you talk to Bruce at Patto's he will tell you that it was developed for him by a chemist friend and he really has no idea what it consists of……………. The Instructions accompanying the bottles are brief but adequate and cover the essentials to get you started.
This is my preferred method of using the product: -
1) Wash the lexan bodyshell and dry, preferably with a hairdryer, (I knew that Christmas present to my wife would come in handy!).
2) Mask up on the inside of the bodyshell all windows, lights and wheel arch/cockpit areas that are either later to be removed or must be left transparent. TIP. Always use a good quality modelling masking tape, such as Tamiya, it really pays in the long run as it avoids the dreaded seepage.
3) Mix equal amounts from the two jars into an old dish or container. Remember this stuff will paint onto the shell like water so you only need a tiny amount. I bet you all mix far too much with your first attempt. Everyone does!
4) Thinly paint over the inside of the shell. Do not apply the mixture too thickly as it "exfoliates" when drying. This will ruin your shell. I speak from experience on this matter. TIP. Use the cheapest brush you can for this job, as you will probably end up disposing of it after your night's work.
(Insert Picture Two here)
5) Now throw away any mixture you have left over.
DOMESTIC WARNING
DO NOT wash the residue down your sink, it will solidify and could cause a blockage in the waste
pipe……or so I've been told! TIP.I keep an old dish and knife to cut out the residue into a bag and
deposit into the wastebin. I'm afraid whichever disposal method you use it will be messy.
6) Let the shell dry for about one hour, the hairdryer again comes in useful. You will find the mixture on the shell will tend to drain to the bottom so turn the bodyshell regularly to avoid uneven build-up of material.
7) Mix up a new batch and apply a second thin coat. I find two or three coats at the most are adequate to achieve the thickness of shell I require. After you have finished this phase of the work I find that the brush is now useless and can't be used again. Anyone who has any suggestions on how to reclaim solidified brushes please let me know.
(Insert Picture three here)
8) Leave the shell to dry/harden overnight and you now should have a hard-bodied shell. TIP. Prior to painting the outside of the shell I use a very fine sandpaper which improves the adhesion properties of the paint.
9) Remove the masking tape from the inside of the shell, (you will probably require a modelling knife to do this), and apply fresh tape to the outside of the shell over the window apertures. You can spray the finished shell, apply decals and complete with a finishing sealer in exactly the same way, as you would paint a normal hard-bodied shell.
I think Patto's have got this product just right and it definitely works for me. I consider it good value for money.
What it does is open up a whole new series of body shells that previously you couldn't or perhaps chose not to use.
It also allows the use of more typical bodymounting methods, i.e. TSRF type side mountings or screw/tube mountings, as opposed to the Lexan fixing of pins through the side of the bodyshell.
The only way I have found to get this product is directly from Patto's in Australia.
The website address is :-
http://members.optusnet.com.au/pattosplace/home.html
It currently costs 20 AUD which at the present time equates to £8.48 (GBP) or 12.08 (EUR) or 14.8 (USD)
Delivery to the UK is approx. 10 days and costs roughly 5 (AUD).
I apologise for the poor quality photographs; the digital camera age seems to have passed me by! Perhaps I can persuade Mrs. Nuro to give me some lessons!
Have Fun
Alan
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