Peter Lombardo

First and foremost, Happy New Year to all of you guys, I hope this New Year brings us all prosperity and all of the new plastic from the manufacturers. Anyway, it has been quite a while since I posted anything on the Art Deco Aero Coupe I thought I should get an update in. The paint has been more than a bit “difficultâ€. The paint scheme is very similar to the scheme on the “Cybele†roadster, but for some reason, it has not cooperated well on this car. After primer, light sanding, primer; light sanding, white, light sanding, and GM beige on top the problems began to start. The Beige did not want to lie down without a fight. We went three rounds before I was reasonably happy with it. Next I threw down a coat of the Gold Interference top coat that I used on the Corvette. It gave the Beige a nice golden hue which I thought would work well with the lower color I had chosen, Deep Amethyst Pearl, which is a very dark Purple. After the gold was dry, I clear coated it with 2 coats and let that dry very well so I could mask it off to paint the Amethyst. I was careful to let the gold layer dry extra long because in the past I have experienced difficulty in removal of the masking tape for the second color. For some reason, the Jacquard Pearl Powder, mixed with the clear and sprayed over the top coat, tends to not adhere as well as you may think and has a tendency to “pull up†with the tape. Even with two coats of good strong clear lacquer, you can not always be sure it will hold. My care was rewarded, or at least I thought so, because the masking tape came up fine without taking the gold along with it. But later, when I was putting down the bare metal foil, I actually experienced some of the gold and clear coming up with the excess foil after I cut around the molding trim. Very strange. The tape did not pull up the gold and clear but the BMF did. That is one thing about modeling that I have found, there are not that many “absolutesâ€! I mean, just because a technique has worked in the past, it is not guaranteed to work today. One day paint goes down great and the next day under the same conditions it does not. I am sure you all know what I am talking about. You must always be on your toes. I HAVE MORE PICTURES, BUT A PROBLEM WITH THE FLICKR SITE WILL NOT LET ME POST THEM NOW...MAYBE LATER, WE'LL SEE. Anyway, so far this is acceptable, but the wheel covers with the Art Deco Stylized Wings on them did not work out as well, so they had to be striped and redone. Prior to the painting, the “spats†fit perfect. The paint went on fine, so I BMF’ed the wings, but when I test fitted them again, somehow (we all have experienced this) they had mysteriously grown and no longer fit. And what was worse, the BMF had developed wrinkles that really damaged to look. So I had to strip them and begin again only this time, I sanded off 1 ½ mm from each wheel cover. So these pictures are taken without the wheel covers. You can see the magnets mounted in each wheel well to hold the “spat†in position. I went back and forth in my head as to what to do with the grille. It is so massive, and since this is an exaggerated Art Deco car, I finally decided to go with “Big Honkin’ Chrome†bars. Big and Bold…just like the rest of this car, cartoony to the max. The headlights are in and the exhaust tips, but the road lights up front and tail lights on the back are yet to be set. Then I have to build the pneumatic lifts for the hood and gullwing doors, finish the interior in cream white and very dark Blue/Purple and that should do it.

Great looking class, I see you still have a few "Underclassmen" in the mix. That Christine is really impressive. Still hurts my eyes every time I look at it...it is just that Hot! Just try and beat this group next year!

Absolutely, everyone have a safe and Happy New Year...just get drunk enough to enjoy yourself without causing any trouble. And NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!!!

Tom, really nice. They are so super clean...completely error-less. I like the 55 Chevy and the 5 window 32 the best. They all have your tell-tale smoothness and look about them.

1. click on the "Gallery" tab just below the header where the 49 Merc. is. 2. Click on "Members Gallery". 3. On the right side of page, click on "New Album". 4. Click on c"Create Album". 5. Add a name and description and check off the "Public Box" if you want others to view it. Then hit "Create Album" then follow the steps to load pictures.

Only word that came to mind was....Awesome! Very impressive. Great idea well executed.

Maybe I am crazy, or just lucky, but I have not seen any issues with the new system. My viewing of the pictures has been "normal", all are the same size they have been all along. I am running, at home, an AMD processor with Windows XP Professional, and at work a laptop with an Intel processor running Windows Vista. Both are using Internet Explorer and both systems are experiencing absolutely flawless operation. I am also using the "Tech" skin, which I find very pleasing on my old eyes. All in all, I really like the changes, which are inevitable with computer software these days. Everything is being updated as the systems (hardware)and operating systems (software) continue to evolve and improve. I only question the lack of advanced notice (did I miss an advance warning that an update was coming?)but other than that, I like the changes...even the heading with the 49 Mercury by Harry looks much better.

This is quite an undertaking....I am interested to see the direction this takes. Different. This is one of my favorite "square" designs. Ford really pulled it off on this series of cars. I will be watching this....you sure have a vision..go get it.

I have to agree...all very nice and it is quality, not quantity that matters. I also like the simple and clean lines of the 49 Ford...nice color choice on that one.

Great looking set....you got the muscle cars to start the chase, the police cars to make the chase and the rescue truck in case something goes wrong.....seriously, beautiful "clean" builds...not a soft patch any where. Personally, I have always liked the "Mach 1" Mustang with the t tops.....thought it was a winner the first time I saw it......it is still a winner.

John, that is a great combo. The Tommy Ivo Dragster is just beautiful. I am very impressed....the engine (X 4) detail is great. Everyone here seems to know your work and has seen it before. I can see why everyone is so blown away. Very impressive...so let's see more.

That is really nice....very clean and real looking. I really like the fact that you have photographed the model with the real city and buildings in the background. The exotic (to American eyes) looking buildings add a neat touch to photo. Nice job, I like it.

Nice catch Curt, I built the "D" version a few years back...actually they are very nice kits. Looks like you will have your hands full just cleaning that one up. I know you are up to the task....but you have to hurry up...with an average of a new completed build every eleven days, you will need to get going here..

I missed this posting until this morning. I always liked the idea of the "ratty, saltwater riddled surfer woody wagon" That's a mouth full, anyway, the exterior rust spots and the interior details are looking really good. Good to see you back to building something and partisipating. This is really looking good. I have two "long" surfboards sitting on the corner of my workbench, one of these days I may have to build a car to sit under them.

What a mess!!!! Great job, not your average Funny Car build up. Very unique and original....the "smoking" look is very clever.

Very nice group there, Bill. I am not much of a Rat Rod fan, but your '32 is really very interesting....I kinda' like it...and for me and Rat Rods, that is saying something. I really like the Porsche Martini and the Enzo the best. I like white paint on the Enzo.....I am tired of seeing it in red all the time. A wealthy fellow who lives near my office has a red one. Every so often, on a nice warm morning he drives by the office....the sound is amazing...just amazing. Keep it going...I find that the more you build, the more you want to build.

This is pretty wild. At first I thought it looked rather strange, but the more I looked the more it grew on me. The paint is very cool and from the rear, the Caddy backend looks great. Very daring and unique, but well done. Not a design you see every day. Well done.

Viper XRT10 First, I personally would like to thank Gregg and who ever is responsible for the updated forum because I really like the look of this now...I find it very smart and contemporary looking. Kudos to all involved, it looks great. While my “Art Deco†Aero Coupe is in seclusion having its 3rd coat of paint dry, I thought I would post some shots of the Viper XRT10 concept coupe that I have been working on. I posted a drawing of it, along with the Chrysler 300 Concept, at the end of the Corvette post. The clay and Bondo model is not quite finished, but it is getting close. As you can see, I drew out the outer dimension of the car on a piece of paper and taped that under a clear piece of plastic and then started to build up the clay, bit by bit to create the basic shape. As it seems to be the case now, I made some variations to the design as I began working in 3 dimensions. I keep seeing other design ideas crop up as I work on the design, so I just go with it if I like the way it is moving. I guess, in contractor terms, I make “field changes†to the blueprints while on the job. This car has been heavily influenced by the Group C race cars of the 80’s and early 90’s in it shape. This car has the characteristic square shape and relatively flat sides. It differs mostly in that the cockpit is covered in a clear bubbletop that will rise up and move forward as the doors will open in a “suicide style†hinged from the rear side. I plan on having the doors connected to the top so as the top opens forward, the doors open outward…..that is the plan, we’ll see if that works out. In the protruding nose, I will have the characteristic Viper grille and “snake eyes†shaped headlights. As of right now, I am planning to have all four wheels covered with full width disc’s with eight air slots on each wheel. The discs turn with the wheel making for a more aerodynamic air flow. Right behind each front wheel is an air outlet, patterned after the current model Viper, and to let out hot air from the radiator positioned behind the grille and any heat build up from the front brakes. Directly above and behind the cockpit is a large air intake snorkel for the engine. The Viper V10 will be mounted in the rear behind the driver and passenger seating. The Corvette concept had a joystick for vehicle control, but this will have a conventional set up with steering wheel and gear shift. On the top of the rear body work will be two air vents (area is set up, but the openings are not set yet) for oil cooling and rear brake intake for ventilation. Behind that area, I have drawn on the rear wing. My plan on that is to have it raise up at speed. So at rest or slow speed, the wing will be in the down position, flush with the rear bodywork. But at high speed, the wing will raise up about a scale 10 or 12 inches. To the rear, the lower center will have the traditional Group C “recess†with the vertical air slots. I have “boxed in†the tail light area, but have not settled on a shape as of yet. I am kicking around a few ideas, but I am not sure yet. The plan is for this to be some type of metallic red color; after all, it is a Dodge and Dodge just loves red concepts, but to shake it up a little, I am planning a silver / charcoal snake skin fade paint job from up on the scoop area, down to the back of the car. We’ll see how that works out. Once again, I am really excited at where this will be going. This morning, while reviewing some concept car pictures on the computer, I ran across a picture of a 1938 Cord Concept (It basically looked like a Cord Convertible), but it got me thinking about what a stylized Cord Concept would look like. So I draw out a few ideas and a picked up a block of balsa wood and this afternoon began grinding away at that outside because it was such a beautiful afternoon here in N.J. You know, pop up headlights in the front fenders and those wild horizontal grille slots stacked up in the front and grille sides along with front wheel drive…that could be pretty neat.

I kinda reminds me of that old Rolling Stones Album....Tattoo You.... Anyway, that is pretty cool looking....I like it.

Pat, great news, glad to hear you are doing better.....the longer you live, the more you realize how important your health is. Great Christmas present....enjoy and have a HEALTHY and Happy New Year.

Being busy, I just saw this post now for the first time. I think this is a great looking concept. Are there other pictures of it around? I haven't seen any. With a few other shots, side and back views, I think this could be done. I will look around for more pictures. Obviously, without the exact measurements, soom "artistic license" would be taken, but it could made to look very close to this.

I am an OLD TRADITIONAL FART, so for me it will always be....To All of My Friends and Building Buddies, and Their Families.....Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season and I hope Santa has lots of Plastic and resin in his sack! Enjoy!

I pulled out the 1/20 scale kit, just to look at it again (It looks great, now I can't wait to start playing with it) but I just wanted to correct myself.....on two occasions I referred to this as a Hasagawa kit...my mistake, it is a beautifully molded Fujimi kit. I just wanted to set the record straight.

OK, well 1/20 or 1/12, you are still doing a beautiful job on it...I am looking forward to following this thread. I enjoy the customs, street rods and sports cars, but I really love the older F1 cars...back when the driver was an intricate part of the race and not every square inch of body was covered in sponsor decals. I built the Tamiya 1/20 MP4/5 with Senna driving and have the Hasagawa 1/20 MP4/6 to go with it....I will also have "my guy" Senna driving that one too.

Very nice job, I really like the vinyl roof and the wheels and redlines look just perfect. I have the unbuilt AMT kit from a few years ago...I was always planing on doing it in the Plum Crazy color and if yours is an indication, it is the right color for that car. Very, very nice.