David G.

I recently acquired this kit at the most recent Desert Scale Classic swap meet and I'm planning to build it. My pre-build research turned up your WIP on the very same kit! An excellent build Tim! I hope you don't mind my using your photos as a resource. Cheers, David G.

Thank you Jim. That's great, I hope your BMF batch works as well for you as does this does for me. Thank you John, I'm glad you enjoyed the thread and the build. I'm also happy to know that my work was a part of your pleasant Sunday morning. Thanks for sharing that. David G.

Yes, I did mean number plates. We call them license plates, or just "plates" here in the States. The custom personalized ones are usually called "vanity plates". "Brittan and America, two nations divided by a common language" -George Bernard Shaw ( I believe) ...wait... In England mirrors are referred to as "plates"? 😮 -D-

Yeah, that' my main concern Len. Once I start to inventory, the complete kits are no problem. But the partial kits? The bagged kits? The parts box?! Arrrgh! How finely do I want to chop the onion? Wha?... Do you mean like these? I keep meaning to pare that stack down a little ...but to do that I'd have to make an inventory to know what I have. David G.

Thank you very much Anders! David G.

Hello Everybody! As I mentioned earlier, my production department and photography department have caught up with each other. Which means for this project I have to build then shoot and edit before I can post the next update. The good news is that over the past couple of days, I was able to do just that. So here's the update. It took two sessions but the foil is done! Well, all except for the vent windows on the doors. I'll get those when I finish up the doors right before they're permanently mounted. I have to say that the most recent batch of BMF is their best yet. The batch I received in 2020 was just rubbish. The worst problem among the several that it had was the lack of a good adhesive. I ended up using diluted PVA to mount the foil to the surface. Which as one might imagine resulted in less than optimal foil deployment. I'm glad to find that Bare Metal Foil Company's quality level is back and better than ever! As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Thanks Ken! Thank you Bill. If it can earn a comment from you, it must be good! Thanks! David G.

I find those door posts especially impressive David. The finish work looks great! I really like your idea to build a couple of suitcases. Also, that's a charming little background story you've come up with to explain Mr. Webb's vanity plates. David G.

The paint looks great Ken! I also like your shop diorama. David G.

I know what you mean! We used to call cars like that a "J. C. Whitney Special" or more recently "Pep Boys Special" -D-

Hello Everybody! Just a quick update on the Love Bug progress. The interior. Just a couple of shades of gray and we're on our way! I did paint the door handles, window cranks and ashtrays with some Molotow though. A quick closeup of the detail on the dash and steering wheel. I do loves me some detail painting! That's all for now! As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment. David G.

Len, Here is a screen grab of the MS Excel doc I worked up to help me keep track of the build projects I have going. I'm not sure what those little black tags are, some artefacts form the program I used for the screen grab. I do want to go through my stash and do a proper inventory some day but I seem to have less trouble keeping track of what I have than I have with what I'm doing. It probably comes from spending a few years managing inventory as a prep supervisor. Anyway, maybe this screen shot will give you some ideas about setting up a build log for yourself. Cheers, David G.

Thank you Len. I've found that the best way to get good results with this or any chrome paint is to burnish the primer down to where it's almost shiny. Once the primer has cured for a day or two, I use a fairly stiff nylon brush to essentially polish the primer. This also makes it easy to see any seams, file marks or other flaws and correct them before going to paint. Thanks Jim. With parting lines, injection points and mold wear, I almost always have to rework the bumpers. Especially on the Fifties era cars. And the older the tooling on the molds, the worse it often is. The bumpers back in those days were like battering rams! They took up a lot of real estate on those old cars and were a very important part of the overall design and esthetic. It's very important to get them right. Which is why I don't understand the decisions that some of these toolmakers made. I can only surmise that they weren't car guys. Even if it's a newer tooling I still spray most of the chrome first with some Tamiya Flat Clear followed up with some glossy clear once that cures. It works great on chrome wheels! If I want to do a black wash, I do it once the flat coat cures. Once the wash is the way I like it, on to the clear coat. Thanks again, for your kind comments, David G.

That's a cool build! I really like the color combination and stance. David G.

Fabulous work Ken! Excellent detail, right down to the Ford badge on the radiator shell! David G.