roncomatic

I'd also like to see a nice 33/34 Ford 3 window coupe from RM (assuming somebody from RM bothers to check the forums) and I also wouldn't mind seeing any of the other old iron suggestions either. A low to mid thirties Chevy would be really nice. RM, you build it, I'll buy it. ron

I concur with everyone else. You've done a great job. The paint and decals look superb. I've got a couple of these Vettes waiting to be built but I'm seriously sweating the decals. And they're not nearly as involved as your build. --ron

I'd like to add my voice to those suggesting Tamiya's XF-16 "Flat Aluminum" paint. I use it all the time now and it goes on smooth as silk. The trick that's helped me the most with it is to thin it about 40% with Tamiya's X20A thinner. I've tried other thinners but nothing seems to work as well as Tamiya's. I've been told that they add a retarder to their thinner to slow the drying time. Otherwise it drys way too fast. If XF-16 is too light for your tastes you can add a little XF-56 "Metallic Gray" to it. I use a mix of this (added to XF-16) for aluminum intake manifolds and add a bit more to replicate steel. Again, the key is to be sure to thin it properly. I usually mix my colors before adding the X20A thinner. The best part of using this stuff is cleanup. Usually soap and water... and sometimes a little Windex is all it takes. This won't take the place of Alcad for big jobs but when you need a small amount this stuff works pretty well. --ron

Nice build Peter, I especially like the way you modified the hood to open. I have one of these kits on the bench now and have been toying around with different ideas for the hood. Your build has given me some new things to check out. ron

I read something today about Grand Am being under the NASCAR banner now... or are you referring to some other Grand Am series? I confess that I'm not that familiar with this series. However, if it is the same series you have my condolences. ron

Thanks for the heads up, Gary. I dropped by a nearby Big Lots and bought every (I think) Dale Jr kit they had. I only found four. ron

I'm a NASCAR fan... have been since the fifties. I'm not a bit surprised by the Revell announcement. And, while it saddens me to see them do it, I can't really blame them at all. As many others have pointed out, NASCAR ain't what it used to be. These days, when you buy a ticket to a NASCAR race you 'agree' that any photos you take belong to them. Any 'content' ... (descriptions, accounts of this game...etc.) are theirs. Of course, I don't know of any case where NASCAR has busted anyone for using an image taken at an event but it's probably happened. You also give NASCAR the right to use your 'likeness' in any manor they see fit and waive all rights to same. No libel claims against NASCAR... no matter what they do with your picture. They could make porn with it and you have no recourse. Notice something there? It's all about them... it's all theirs. Nothing belongs to the lowly fan. Not even his or her own likeness. The thing that gets me about the licensing deal is that each and every car is a rolling billboard. If you build a model of it, THAT also becomes a billboard for the same stuff. Goodyear wants extra bucks from Revell for the right to advertise Goodyear products. Frigging amazing! We usually go to one race each year... been doing it for a long time and have had the same seats forever. We're seriously considering letting NASCAR sell those seats to someone else next year. Never mind the economy. The racing often sucks... and with the COT it's often impossible for me to pick out my favorite. All the cars look the same. Maybe, Dale Jr. will dig up some more 'Back in the Day' tapes. If you're never seen a mid sixties or seventies NASCAR Grand National stocker dirt tracking around Darlington you haven't lived. ron

I agree with everyone else. Your Camaro looks fantastic! A very clean build. Welcome to the forum! ron

Yeah, I believe the Glen is this weekend. Unless NASCAR get's cold feet over last weekend! From what I'm reading... some of the big wigs in Detroit want to add a few more road courses to the Sprint Cup mix as early as 2010. There's a story on the That's Racin' web site about some changes that Detroit might be wanting to make in NASCAR. It's an interesting read. --ron

I agree that this was a pretty cool race. It's too bad that the course didn't adequate drainage. As it was parts of the track flooded which is what actually caused the race to be called. As someone else commented, there were more accidents under caution than there were under the green flag. It was also pretty amazing that the tires did as well as they did considering their age. From what I understand they were at least seven years old. Also, the teams only had a few minutes to switch from slicks to rain tires, install wipers and install tail lights. NASCAR then, for some strange reason, took their sweet time getting the cars back out... hoping for the rain to quit I guess. I'm not sure if they (NASCAR) will do this again though. At least not anytime soon. I think they found out that you really need more than just rain tires and wipers to compete in the rain. That shot of Carl Edwards (I believe) trying to clean his windshield was hilarious. I guess we'll see this weekend at the Glen. --ron

Thanks for the review, Chris. I came close to getting one of these things at Michaels the other night. Seems they've replaced most of the AMT kits that were on clearance with a bunch of these Jada Bigtime kits. The box art on all these kits was pretty nice although the wheels and tires do seem a bit out of scale. Guess you really can't tell a book by it's cover. I still may pick one up the next time I have a spare 40 or 50% off coupon. --ron

I was really happy to see Danica finally win. She has a lot of talent behind the wheel and is as deserving as anyone out there. Way to go, Danica! --ron

I was really happy to see Danica finally win. She has a lot of talent behind the wheel and is as deserving as anyone out there. Way to go, Danica! --ron

Air Brushing has a bit of a learning curve. That's for sure. However, with the help of folks like yourself and Bob, I'm slowly figuring it out. Unfortunately, for the time being at least, I have to do all my painting outside and it's been way too windy here south Florida to work. Thanks again, ron

Please excuse the delay in replying. I just haven't had the time. This is pretty much what I was looking for. I know that experimentation is the key. I just wanted a starting point. Thanks again, I appreciate it. ron

This has been a very informative message thread ... at least for me. I have a question about thinning Testors enamels with lacquer thinner. I'm just getting started air brushing and I'm still working out paint ratios and such. What ratio of lacquer thinner to paint should I use when working with Testors enamels? Thanks, ron

I agree that a lot of the guys here seem to have a purple passion but I've had really good luck with a product made for cleaning pots and pans. I'm talking about Dawn Power Dissolver. It removes chrome. It removes paint. Takes a few hours. Stuff rinses off with plain old tap water. I just put the parts in a plastic baggy and then spray in enough Dawn Power Dissolver to coat everything. Let things set up for a few hours and then rinse. I admit that I haven't tried Purple Power or break fluid for removing paint from models. Ditto for Easy Off Oven Cleaner and some of the other products that have been mentioned in other posts on this topic. Some or all of them may do a fantastic job but I used a lot of really harsh automotive chemicals for years working on 1:1 cars. In my book anything that gets me away from them is worth a try. And, while it's probably a good idea wear rubber gloves while working with any chemical of this type... including Dawn Power Dissolver, my feeling is that Dawn is possibly less harmful than most automotive chemicals. The smell is much less offensive as well. ron

Just this past Thursday night I was at our nearby Michael's with coupon in hand and nearly picked up one of those '55 Chevy Cameos. However, I couldn't find a clearance sticker so I set it back down. I've really bought way too many kits since this latest "clearance" deal kicked in. Of course, if the '34 Ford were to magically go on clearance I'd probably have to make an exception. --ron

I wonder how come the AMT '34 Fords aren't on clearance. All of the other AMT kits are selling for $9.00 but the '34 Ford is still going for $14.95. --Ron

I'm also glad to see this thread. The Corvette GTP racer was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful and lethal race cars on the planet during it's heyday. --ron

We watched the whole thing... well, the game anyway. Life's too short to watch the whole pregame show. Anyway, we really enjoyed this game. Most Super Bowls are snoozers but this one was pretty exciting. Congratulations to the Giants. They played a really good game and deserved to win. Personally, I think they gave the Caddy to the wrong person though... not that Manning didn't have a great game. However, the real heroes were the Giants Defense. They found a way to stop Brady... namely, they got in his cornflakes early and often. They should have handed out keys to every member of that defense. Being in South Florida we were pretty happy that the Patriots didn't go 19 and oh. Hey, what can I say?! We were hoping that Stevie Nicks would come out for the finale of the half time show and do Stop Dragin' My Heart Around with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Now that would have been special! --ron

Even though I owned a '69 Z/28 with white upholstery I can't seem to find any photos of it. I can tell you, however, that the seats and door/rear side panels were white and everything else was black... including the dash and console. Mine also had the woodgrain sport steering wheel. Man, was that ever a sweet ride... and one of the tightest cars I've ever owned. The exterior color on mine was dark burgundy red with white stripes. It had a flat hood. No bubble. It was one of the first '69 z cars off the assembly line and, apparently, the cowl induction hood came a little later in the run. With the stock 3:73 gear ratio it ran 13.50's in the quarter mile at just over 100mph. Your build is looking really nice. The stripes look great and the PE parts really add realism to the model. I can't wait to see it finished. --ron

Hi Jeff, Great looking work! It's really rough to take on a job like that one. The personal pressure (the pressure you put on yourself) must have been terrible. --ron

I'd like to add my compliments as well. A very nice build. And, while I'm not extremely knowledgeable about the NASCAR modified series your car looks spot on. Oh, and those headers are awesome! I'm not sure what Gregg's intentions were in creating this section... I'm a newbie here and didn't come on board until after the section was created. However, I'd be surprised if there were any objections. --ron

Hi Bob, Welcome to the forum. I'm also a fan of Dave Strickler (as well and Dyno Don during that period). Looks like you're off to a good start with your Old Reliable IV recreation. I'll be looking forward to seeing the finished model. --ron