A is for Attitude - the builder's block buster

[mrm]

Hello everyone!

After I moved from Colorado after losing everything pretty much, I end up in Tennessee, where everything shut down because of Covid, two weeks after we got here. My family and I went through some very difficult times and slowly began to recover. I tried my luck at a completely new line of work and I hate to say it, it did not work out very well. So back to square one I went and now I feel a lot better. Long story short, I have not build anything for over a year now. I tried to look up any hobby shops around me, but apparently there is none. So, I was driving home from work one day, when I heard on the radio that the highway is closed ahead. I took "the scenic route" and as I got stuck in traffic there too, I look to my right to see a big sign "FAMILY HOBBIES". It turned out to be a nice hobby shop, catering mostly to the radio control crowd, but they still sell some kits and have a small, but solid selection of building supplies. What really caught my eye was the reissued '30 Coupe by Revell, sitting on their shelf, which I had no idea even came out, since I kind of completely got lost on the hobby. I jumped on it, grabbed some Tamiya paint, BMF and liquid mask ( all items I can't go without) and went to the register. The wife of the husband-wife run shop made the suggestion I should visit the upcoming show and handed me a flier. It turned out that the Middle Tennessee IPMS show and contest was on the day of my birthday, which was in two days. Something in me flipped. Like seeing an ex girlfriend you were madly in love with. Or like smelling something really yummy you have not had in a long time and it makes you instantly crave it. So I went home and told my wife and we made the plans to go to Smyrna for the show and to enter it together with my two kids. I brought some models I had built in the past, my older son brought three models, last one of which he built five years ago and my younger one entered the only car model he has ever built with some guidance from me for his mom as a mother's day present. We end up going home with some trophies and about $250 worth of "JUNK" (according to my wife) and had great time. Most importantly, I met some really cool people and had my model building pilot light restarted.

  One of the things I got at the show were two more of the Model A coupes. I had three of the original kits and had built one box stock channeled over the original frame and with the bare interior and stock grille.

 

 

I figured out that since I love the kit and it was the reason I got to restart my building, it would be the perfect builder's block buster. I wanted just a simple quick box stock build. And this is where the trouble started. LOL. I'm keeping it box stock, but unlike my previous build, this one would have the plush interior, sit on the '32 rails with a '32 grille and steelies. I loved the car on the box art, but could't decide what I wanted to do. This is when I decided that I can not make up my mind and I should really build two of them. And I can create myself a little challenge. Build two models that are pretty much identical with the almost the exact same parts to a T, but make them project two completely different attitudes. Can I make two completely different Model A Coupes when they are basically identical, with just paint and textures? I don't know, but I am going for it. 

So, the first one is going to be the rebellion kid living at the end of town that every girl's mom warned them about. ;D

First I glued the body and the firewall together and glued the crossmember to the frame and did a lot of sanding to it, because it had all sorts of sink holes that I have never experienced with the '29 parts. Then the body, '32 grill shell, frame and lights were primered and sprayed with the new to me Tamiya color I bought. I says Pure Metallic Red, but it has nothing to do with pure red and it is this reddish metallic with a lot of copper undertone, which looked really dull and lifeless to me. Not happy at all. So I decided to make lemonade with the lemons I was dealt and sprayed crimson candy on top of it. It looks a lot better now. 

 

 

Next I did something that I have never done before. I painted all the suspension black. OMG! No chrome?! I don't know what possessed me to do it, because I love chrome and have never built a hot rod that did not have chrome suspension.

 

Staying on the "all go, not for show" theme, the steelies were painted Tamiya metallic black. I still have not decided if to add the white wall decals or not. 

 

The engine was painted same metallic black as the wheels and all the chrome was sprayed Tamiya matt clear, which took all the shine out and gave the parts a nice natural aluminum finish. 

 

Last thing I did for now, was to dechrome the exhaust and drill the ends. 

 

Now I have to start putting parts together.....

Stay tuned and thanks for looking.

[vamach1]

Welcome back from your time away from the hobby.  Glad to hear you were able to connect with other builders.  Your projects will be followed by many on this forum.  Keep up the great work.  Most wife’s or girlfriends do not understand our plastic obsession. 😏

[Dennis Lacy]

Nice to have you back and you can’t go wrong with a pair of ‘30 Coupe hot rods to get you jump started back into building models. 
 

It’s hard to see in the pictures, how “metallic” is the metallic black?

[mrm]

1 hour ago, Dennis Lacy said:

Nice to have you back and you can’t go wrong with a pair of ‘30 Coupe hot rods to get you jump started back into building models. 
 

It’s hard to see in the pictures, how “metallic” is the metallic black?

It’s actually very metallic.

and thank you for the kind words. 

[4mula1fan]

Welcome back from up I 24 in Ky. I took a 20 year break myself, but it looks like you are off and running!

[mrm]

14 hours ago, 4mula1fan said:

Welcome back from up I 24 in Ky. I took a 20 year break myself, but it looks like you are off and running!

Thank you A.J. You will have to keep me up to speed on the scene in KY. I don't mind traveling for shows. 

[4mula1fan]

I'll do it! Let me know what's happening that way...

[mrm]

A little more progress on this bad boy.

I sprayed the brake drums with Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver over Tamiya Matt Black. This silver works miracles for replicating flat aluminum. The AS series of spray cans from Tamiya are specially designed for aircraft models and have some really cool and unique finishes. Besides the AS before the number, they are also immediately recognizable as they have an airplane on the front of the can and it says Tamiya Color for Aircraft. Drums were then attached to the axles. You can see on this picture how much I have cheated on the front spring to really bring the front end of the car as low as possible.

 

The reissue of this kit has some serious mold issues, not the least of which are the twisted and warped frames. I figured out that if I completely change the sequence of assembly and use 5 minute epoxy, I can actually use the engine together with the floor to keep things straight. So, first the rear axle was glued to the frame, than the rear portion of the exhaust was painted Metallic black and attached to the floor, which was sprayed with Matt Black. Next the engine was glued in with epoxy at the same time as the floor, with everything clamped by small wooden clothespins that I by from Hobby Lobby.  I held everything in place and kept checking for squareness, until the epoxy no longer allowed any twisting. 

You can see on the picture the different textures and finishes on the undercarriage. Gloss black suspension with the semi-gloss metallic black exhaust on the matt black background of the floor. 

 

Now we have a nice square chassis with all four tires sitting perfect on the ground. It is still missing its shocks and the steering arm and box, but other than that it is pretty much complete. 

 

Next I turned my attention to the engine. The carbs were not dechromed. Instead they were first sprayed with Tamiya Gold and the detail on the side of each pice was rubbed off to show the chrome. Then they were sprayed with Tamiya Champagne Gold and the detail rubbed out again. Amazingly enough, even tho Tamiya spray paints are hot lacquers, they don't attack chrome plating.

 

Now the engine is pretty much complete, save for the headers and radiator hoses.

 

And finally, a quick mockup. I still can not decide if I need white walls.

 

Thanks for looking and stay tuned.

[TransAmMike]

Welcome back and to Middle Tennessee neighbor. I had no clue there was a model show around here. The '30 is looking great and I especially like the color. Model on!!

[cobraman]

You are doing a great job on this model. I think white walls would add a lot but that is just one guys opinion.

[Dennis Lacy]

Black walls for sure considering your theme and back story. 
 

Looking good. That metallic red is killer!

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

This looks great, paint is beautiful...welcome back!!! -RRR

[Khils]

On 11/25/2021 at 1:23 PM, mrm said:

 So, I was driving home from work one day, when I heard on the radio that the highway is closed ahead. I took "the scenic route" and as I got stuck in traffic there too, I look to my right to see a big sign "FAMILY HOBBIES". It turned out to be a nice hobby shop, catering mostly to the radio control crowd.

Welcome back to the hobby!  Your coupe is progressing nicely! Kudos!  The reason I quoted part of your original story..... I am 62 now...but when I was a kid....my mother always told me....." all things that happen in our lives...happen for reasons we cannot foresee"....hence your detoured highway.

Carry On!   Be well & Stay safe!

[Tuffy's Garage]

Looking Sharp

[chris chabre]

Looks killer! Whitewalls will kill the vibe youve already set in motion by eliminating the chrome and polished aluminum

Edited November 27, 2021 by chris chabre

[NOBLNG]

That is looking REALLY sweet! That paint treatment worked great.👍👍👍

[espo]

Sorry to hear of your misfortunes in life, but it sounds like you have landed on your feet and starting to enjoy our hobby again. I like how you're building this A and the paint finish and color is very rich looking. Thank you for sharing your painting techniques. 

[mrm]

Thank y'all for the encouraging words. It's greatly appreciated. Sorry for not replying by name to each and everyone of you. I just turned 45 and this is the third time starting from zero. One really bad breakup, one divorce and one string of bad decisions  fueled by the advice of apparently not so competent lawyer later, I have to say that the hobby has played an instrumental role in keeping my sanity and be able to bounce back. And I'm including my diecast obsession in that. This forum has been a great place to find solitude, inspiration, support and a place where I can come and relax, putting the worries of life aside. 

  But enough of that. Back to the "Lock up your daughters" hot rod....

In the spirit of this build, everything has been shot straight from spray cans. With the exception of the body color, which was shot from the can straight into my airbrush and then a crimson candy was shot over. On the previous photos there was no clear coat. So after very few decals supporting the bad boy image, I sprayed some clear. It is dry to the touch, but I will leave it for another day, before I wetsand it and buff it out.

 

These are all the colors used so far, minus the crimson candy and the 2K clear. 

 

The grill had matt black sprayed in the cap of the rattle can and then with a flat brush flown between the bars. Immediately the surface was rubbed back to chrome. Then I sprayed the whole thing with matt clear and rubbed only the surrounding edge back to chrome. Now we have a grill with depth, vintage metal insert and chrome surround in a nice Deuce shell with a vintage Ford emblem.

 

While the body was drying, I turned my attention to the interior. The dash insert was black washed like the grille and the decals were installed. Then just tiny drops of 5 min epoxy were dropped in the gauges to create nice vintage domed lenses. The tuck'n roll portion of the doors and the seat were sprayed with metallic black, then masked off and the rest received the matt black treatment. I wanted an all black interior, but needed some contrast. I hope this does the trick.

 

Shifter is in with a flying eyeball knob and the no nonsense steering wheel received a ford emblem for the horn.

 

The headers were spray painted from a distance, first with primer, followed by matt black and then gunmetal, to create a little bit of a texture. Then they were just "dusted" with metallic black, while the gunmetal was still wet. When completely dry, they received a coat of matt clear. The pictures don't really show it very well, but the effect is quite cool and realistic. 

 

The kit comes with just the right decal for the license plate, which received the matt clear treatment like the rest of the chrome parts. 

 

Thanks for looking and stay tuned.

[Bills72sj]

All I can say is WOW! Your painting techniques do a marvelous job of bringing out just the right finish for the part being detailed. And that red is simply stunning! Also thank you for sharing your story of how you got here. It is good to hear recovery stories in spite of all the bad news the media unloads on us everyday.

[Brandon Miller]

Where are you in middle TN? Smyrna is just up the road from me.

[espo]

Great attention to details in your painting techniques.   

[mrm]

7 hours ago, Brandon Miller said:

Where are you in middle TN? Smyrna is just up the road from me.

I work in in Murfreesboro and I live on the other side of NashVegas. LOL. 

[mrm]

5 hours ago, espo said:

Great attention to details in your painting techniques.   

Thank you. Glad to be of any help. 

[Mr. Metallic]

Thank you for taking us through your process of how you finished out the grille. Especially love the detail of the highly polished trim halo. 

[mrm]

3 hours ago, Mr. Metallic said:

Thank you for taking us through your process of how you finished out the grille. Especially love the detail of the highly polished trim halo. 

Thank you. I'm glad it was of help. 

I have not had any chance to spend any time with this model the whole week, but today I managed to wet sand some spots I was not happy with and to buff out the coupe. I will try to finish it this weekend. Also I just shot primer on the second body.