Need detailing help on '70 JoHan Eldorado halo roof and grille

[Monty]

I want to replicate the car depicted below, but I've never done a halo roof before. Here's what I need to know to get started.

1) What is the correct Plastruct P/N to use for the trim that surrounds the vinyl roof. I'm guessing it should be either 1/2 round or 1/4 round, but I don't have a 1:1 Caddy to look at. Scale size will be important here too.

2) Will the Plastruct bend to make the angles from the side of the roof to the front, or will I have to do this in multiple pieces?

3) Is it better to glue on the halo trim, shoot and mask the roof and then shoot the car, or mount the halo trim, paint the whole car then mask and shoot the vinyl roof?

4) Typical of Johan kits, everything on the grille is chromed, including the turn signals at the leading edge of the fron fenders. Has anyone come up with a better way to do those? Clear resin?

TIA for all helpful replies.

[Alyn]

I don't know the P/N, but I'd look for some .020" X .010" strip for the trim. The front corners where it turns from the side and goes across the top of the windshield are fairly sharp bends, so that's a tough call. The styrene may not bend quite that sharp, so some relief cuts would be needed, or a miter joint might work, but could end up being two angular.

After glueing down the trim strip, a light sanding with 600 or finer paper will knock the edge off. Sand until it's sufficiently rounded over. The quarter round is entirely the wrong shape. Half round might work, but a close look at the 1:1 strip will show you that it has a rectangular cross section with rounded corners. BTW, styrene in these smaller sizes bends quite well.

I would glue on the trim pieces and get them properly shaped, then paint the whole car. After the paint is cured and polished, then the trim could be foiled or painted and the vinyl roof installed. Paint the car first, then the trim and top in the order of your preference. For the vinyl, masking tape painted with a matte finish can be pretty convincing, but there are other methods available that you and others may prefer.

HTH