Can-Con

They looks great Bart. I do some WW1 planes from time to time myself. I feel that they're so far removed from that we're used to in present day that they're closer to science fiction to me. As for the rigging, I'd recement EZ-Line. I've used it and it works great because it's stretchy. I drill my holes for the rigging before paint. I glue a very thin piece of stretched sprue to the end and thread it through the holes, touch the holes with super glue to hold the rigging in place and trim the excess off with a sharp Xacto. This Fokker is 1/44 scale and I had no problems rigging it this way.

Those are definitely from the Monogram 1/24 '64, Dennis. Most people think they're a rally wheel but they're actually supposed to represent the spinner wheel cover. Pretty nice ones too.

Just an FYI for those who think you can easily get a 2nd gen Firebird kit from a 2nd gen Camaro kit ,, the only thing common would be the chassis and glass. You can't just swap the front and rear ends and hoods. You'd need the complete body, interior and engine. I would think that it would be easier to just do the complete kit at that point.

That's what I was thinking too from the width. But why would anyone waste time and materials making a teardrop hood for the '66 Galaxie when every issue had one in it already?

The Revell/Monogram '59s have skirts that might fit. They'd be pretty easy to modify to fit if they don't.

One for down the road a bit. Probably start on it in a month or two. I don't have a proper chassis for it so I'm gonna use one from an AMT '72 longbed. Still won't be quite long enough but , , We used to use the chassis from the '88/'90 longbeds for these conversions but they're pretty hard to come by now. It's just gonna be a curbside build anyway so technically I could even just make a "chassis" from sheet stock to hold the wheels as far as that goes. Just some HOK candy /pearl dark burgundy and dropped over some 20" wheels and she'll be good.

Tinted up a bunch of windows. Had to do the ones for my '64 Elky project so I did a bunch for future projects at the same time. I usually do them in batches of about a 1/2 dozen kits at a time. Then the paint is fully dried for several months or more before I wet sand and polish them out. It's all Tamiya acrylics. Dark sea blue for the tint bands, a custom mix of clear blue and green and strait clear [X-22]with a couple more coats of X-22 so I don't polish into the tint by accident.

Pretty sure it's gonna be a "worthwhile build" all on it's own. 😉

You probably don't need the scriber but I'd recommend getting an extra pack of #11 knife blades. Some assorted rubber bands would also be helpful if you need to hold parts together like engine 1/2s or airplane fuselage 1/2s while the glue sets. When you start painting, get a set of GOOD brushes of various sizes. Remember, the right size tool for the job. But remember,, the most important tool you can have is patients. 😉

The big block will fit with some grinding to the inside of the frame to clear the exhaust. Might not even need that with stock exhaust. I used a Revell 1/25 '69 Vette engine in mine. Just takes a little more work.😉

Great looking build of a great kit.👍

Just beautiful work. 👍👍👍 When I first opened the post and seen the first pic I honestly thought it was a pic of the real truck you were using for inspiration.

In the late '70s and '80s EVERY model company had it's own Pontiac Trans Am models. AMT, MPC, Revell, Monogram, Ertl, Entex, Lindberg, etc, etc, etc.

Don't know about that. I just looked at the instruction sheets for all of those kits on the Drastic Plastic Fotki site and the chassis of all those kits look identical to me, right down to the numbers on the parts. The engines look to have the same block/tranny parts aside from the separate oil filter on the newer ones. The heads look the same. Most of the difference between the kit engines is the add-ons like intake, valve covers etc. Granted I don't have the kits in my hands to verify 100% but I'm pretty sure judging from those instruction sheets.

I'd suggest these. They're HO scale 1 and 2 inch stripes. Should be thin enough. They make thinner strips in other colors but unfortunately not gold. https://www.microscale.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Session_ID=eb977ae4ed3f2c98973d6a17d4f63427&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=91113&Store_Code=MD&search=n+scale+gold+stripes&offset=&filter_cat=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=&sort=&range_low=&range_high=

If you put it on heavy it WILL dull the chrome effect. BTW, I do have some odds and ends that I had experimented with when I got the stuff and have been sitting for several months to a year that I have handles with no affect but I doubt anyone is going to spray them that far ahead and let them sit for 6-8 + months 😉

Looks fantastic, Jay. Gene would have been proud.

I've had good luck by not touching it for a week or two and then brushing on a thin coat of Future. Seems most people on here have the patience to wait that long though. I also understand some have had good luck using the Spaz Stixs clear they have for their chrome paint but I don't have access to any to try it myself. That's how I did the bumpers on this truck.

I was going to suggest stretched sprue too, Greg. Easiest way to keep it strait when putting it on is to glue one end first, just tacking the tip down so it doesn't move then pull it tight against the body and tack the other end down. I'll use super glue for tacking the ends and just a little liquid cement to glue down the rest after the super glue has set. I'll also cut the strip longer then needed and trim it off to length after it's attached.

Definitely. A local Ford dealer , which was the largest Ford pickup outlet in my part of Canada at the time built one back in the mid-'90 using a Mopar front suspension. Incredible looking truck. I don't remember what they did for the interior or wheels as it was unfinished when I seen it but I do remember the candy blue paint, it looked a lot like the one in this pic.

Just an FYI in reference to the engine in the truck kit, they just changed the intake, even the part numbers are the same. Don't know if this is pertinent to your question and you probably already know this but,, Original from '78,, current reissues,,

Very true. I think I remember some people doing this a few years ago and calling them "ghost models", ?? I couldn't bring myself to do it but it sure would be a help in clearing out someone's unbuilt stash. 😉

It's my understanding that Keith did his last decals last summer but he may have some leftovers. I really don't know.

Painted it today. Nothing too fancy, just some custom mixed candy red/orange over a gold base. I'll give it a couple days to dry and do a couple coats of clear and polish it out.

I'd love to see the Street Vette reissues too but I'm thinking the chassis of that kit now lives under their '65 or '78 Vettes.