How to make die-cast cars look more realistic

[DickBrowne]

Hi everyone, I'm looking for some advice here. I have a reasonable number of Oxford 1:76 vehicles for layout deployment and I have a bit of an issue with them. They're too shiny!

The paintwork on model cars is, to my eyes at least, always a bit unrealistic, too perfect and so on, so I'd like to do something to address that. I've considered attacking them with T-cut, or maybe some find grade wet and dry, but before breaking out the abrasive, I thought it best to ask if anybody else has any experience in this area?

i'm not looking for full rust-and-mud reality, but something subtle to stop, for instance, a goods vehicle which is likely to have been used hard for many thousands of miles looking like it's just rolled out of the showroom

[Steve M]

The simplest way is to spray them with a good quality Matt varnish - but mask the Windows first or they will go completely opaque.

[Tricky Dicky]

Knowing how thin paint finishes are I would stay away from anything abrasive and I include T-cut in that category. Probably the safest way to tone down the “shininess” would be to spray a thin coat of a Matt lacquer on the paint work taking care to mask off any windows. This will also help preserve any signage on the vehicle body.

Richard

[bulleidboy]

I used three Oxford Diecast black taxi's on my layout (taxi's are usually clean and shiny), and they actually came apart easily. There was a very small phillips screw and a rivet on the bottom of the car - the rivet head was easily drilled off, and the car came apart, chassis, interior, glazing and body. I just used a drop of superglue where the rivet head was when I put the car back together.

[Bandit Mick]

Turning the front wheels and flattening the tyres where they contact the ground also adds to the realism - a member on here gave me these tips and my vehicles look so much better.

[Walkingthedog]

Turning the front wheel can make a lot of difference.

]

[RogerB]

Turning the front wheels and flattening the tyres where they contact the ground also adds to the realism - a member on here gave me these tips and my vehicles look so much better.

I recall the images of that vehicle. I believe he’d lifted one of the engine covers as well. Looked brilliant. R-

[RogerB]

Turning the front wheel can make a lot of difference.

Lovely scene there WTD. R-

[teedoubleudee]

Add a driver if you can gain entry.

[Walkingthedog]

Thanks Roger.