Dave Armstrong

Thanks guys!

I tried to get this as close to the boxart, and the 1:1, as I could. Silver base, mix of Tamiya Light Pearl Blue and Pearl Green paint. Because the decals were not great, mix of original and replacement decals. White stripes are painted, Tamiya White. Tail light done with a Sharpie. Original tires were replaced as the fronts were dried out and somewhat brittle, the rears deformed. Boxstock, no wiring or extra detailing. Engine belt made with tape, painted black.

That's a beautiful build, Mark! I liked it so much, I went and looked at your WIP thread- very impressive and informative! I bookmarked it, as I have a sealed kit I'll build sometime, and your thread will be most helpful!

Thanks, glad you liked it Frank! I generally keep all of my decals , even ones I don't use; unfortunately, not only did I not particularly like these decals, they were also old and chipped from all those years in the box- so they're long gone, pitched when I built this kit, which was several years ago. If I still had them I would joyfully gift them to you! The other kits in the pic are still complete with decals in their boxes, but I'm going to keep them complete.

Exactly right! I love building, always have- it's the FUN I'm having that's important. When I was growing up, ALL the guys rode bikes, played army, read comics, and BUILT MODELS. I mean, how did I know all those years ago that these things were going to be valuable? Some kits I bought have turned out to be worth a lot, others probably aren't worth diddly. Bought all my kits because they were just so cool looking, I wanted to build them. If I liked them a lot I bought more than one; as I grew up there was more and more responsibilities, less time building, so the stash just grew and grew. I've been retired 3 years now, and it's back to being a kid again, and build, build, build! And just because a kit is "rare" isn't going to keep me from building it. I bought them for ME to build, not pass on to someone who just wants to preserve it like a museum piece.

Thanks, glad you liked it! I've been buying and building since about '64-'65, just following behind my older brother. When I liked a model I quite often bought dups or multiples. My grandmother was my enabler!

Thanks to all of you!

A coincidence, and appropriate timing, I think! I had just finished painting the body on this, when the news came out that the 1:1 car had been found, was going to be restored and shown. Monogram Uncertain T Now, being retired, I've really been getting into my older kits. I thought it was time to build one of my Uncertain T kits. Mint kit from my stash; I just wanted to build the car, I really don't care about the display or figure. Paint is a combination of Metalflake Testor's Revving Red and Fiery Orange lacquer, Wet Look Clear. Sorry for the pics, in some it appears a bit more reddish than it actually is. Top is Tamiya Matte Black. Windshield chrome is Gundam Chrome marker. Went mostly smooth, except for one of those things- lost the license plate somewhere on the build table, or the carpet monster got it; I looked and looked, no dice. Used a plate from the parts box, and a decal (Montana- though neither the car or I am from there). Typical Monogram, so easy to build! Not a perfect build, I'm no pro! I hope I did justice to this iconic kit. Finally got one on the shelf- comments welcome!

Mike, glad you like it. I build my rare kits all the time, they're meant to be built, not hoarded. No, the chassis is not the same. It does appear to be a stock body. I got the decals several years ago, I believe it was Bruce Sadewater; sells on Ebay https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?item=253939551761&hash=item3b1ffa0e11%3Ag%3A~osAAOSw5cNYOuy9%3Ark%3A37%3Apf%3A0&_ssn=us2014-sm&_sop=10&rt=nc&_pgn=2 Though he may not have them up right now, you could always write and make a request.

Thanks guys! Glad you liked it!

The AMT Mach Won! is being reissued, should be here very soon. I thought I'd post some pics of what I did with one of my originals. Didn't like the decals that came with it, so I made a "What If".

Very snappy, looks great! Chuck's decals are about the best out there.

Another nice build! I too, miss his decals, they were great. That sign- all too true!

Very nicely done! I have a friend who also had problems with the decals, finally gave up. I have everything I need to build it, just have to gird myself up to wrestle those decals!

All really nice builds!

Slixx never answered me. I don't understand it, I've used their decals for decades without problems. I don't see any difference being thicker or stiffer. The brand/type of gloss coat doesn't seem to make a difference. It's like as if you bought a roll of adhesive tape, and the roll you bought didn't have the adhesive- it was just paper or plastic that wouldn't stick to anything- weird! Bob- Pete's right, never polish/wax before decals. Actually, I NEVER wax my builds- no matter how gentle, it will scratch the paint, and leave a residue that's hard to get off. If I want shine or a deeper finish, more gloss coats for a beautiful deep finish.

I tried again, Pete- it's just no go. A mystery that defies solving. I'm going to do something else with the almost finished build.

Hi Pete, That was my last thought as well- I normally use either Testor's Wet Look clear, or an acrylic enamel clear on my car models; but I use Tamiya clear on my aircraft builds, followed by Tamiya flat over the decals. On this one I used the Tamiya clear on a car. I wouldn't have thought it would make a difference, as the decals don't slide around on the aircraft, why should they on the car? Perhaps because there is some strange funkiness between Tamiya clear and Slixx? After all, there aren't any Slixx decals for aircraft, so it never came up...I didn't have decals to try that theory out then, but I do now. I repainted and this time, used the acrylic clear before I try the decals, which I have a new set of. Thanks for your thoughts on it, gives me hope that maybe between the two of us, that might be the answer. Wish me luck, as I'll give it a whack tomorrow (Friday).

Yes! I can't tell if the decals are really any different; but most of the time, when you apply decals, you have to be sure they're somewhat wet, with water or a wetting agent, to give you time to get them in place- otherwise, they start to stay in place before you're ready, have to re-wet them to move them- they WANT to grab onto the model. This is like the opposite- they will slide around, wet or dry, and as they dry out, they don't want to stick, they fall off the model. TEFLON!

Very nice build- looks great!

I'm saying, I'll need to trim the decals, ONCE THEY'RE IN PLACE, DRY. But that can't happen because the MAIN problem, the decals won't stay on the model! I've written to Slixx, but no answer.

I've been building models for decades, I'm very experienced with decals; but this one is bugging me. I've been working with some Slixx decals, something I've done a zillion times before. I'm using decals that are specifically meant for this body, but it still seems like the decals are just slightly bigger than they should be- they over hang in places, which means I'll probably have to trim them; no big deal, something I've done before- except for the MAIN problem. If the decals stayed in place, the trimming would go fine; but the bugger is, the decals AND the model act like they're coated with Teflon, and repel each other! I use a gloss coat over the paint, as usual, to help prevent silvering- nothing different here. I try to apply the decals, and they just slide around, won't settle down. I wick away the water, blot, and as they dry a little, they just fall off the model! I have several different setting solutions, and they just MELT the decals, creating a mess! So, what's my choice- just use water and blot, they drop off, won't stick; use a setting solution, and create a sticky mess! And I use setting solutions sparingly. I've ruined two sets of the same decals for this build, and because of the mess, having to strip and repaint the body twice. I'm ready to throw this thing against the wall. For someone who has built a LOT of models, a LOT of decal work, this is just nuts. Any ideas?

Thanks, and you're welcome! These are about the 4th set of decals I've got from Chuck, he's a superb decal maker.

Thanks Andrew! As for the kit, the design is quite old, but it fits ok. The nose and the hole in the hood require some work for the engine to come through, and the decals to fit- you're going to be doing some cutting, putty, and sanding. If you use the kit slicks, they look WAY too puny, and nothing near as big as the 1:1.

Thanks Pete! I decided to come here first, because I hadn't posted here in a while.