Peter Lombardo

Very nice....I love the color choice. This is just my thought though, it may look really cool if the wider front chrome strip is filled with gold, surounded with chrome. I think the gold insert will set off the white and purple really nicely...just my opinion, but it sure looks good now. Keep it up.

http://www.autocult.com.au/img/gallery/full/PDP5YYR4.jpg Bill, in this picture, (I am sure you have seen this before) it sures looks like just a nice solid medium red...nothing more, nothing less. If I were doing this car, I would use solid red, no metallic.

Raul, that '58 Chevy is an absolute home run build, classy, understated, and yet screaming at you to not over look it. One of my favorite cars of last year. We have a winner!

1962 Ford Thunderbird custom coupe & 1960 Pontiac Bonneville custom coupe Here are my two latest projects under construction. The ’62 T-bird is based (based, not a complete copy ) upon John D’Agostino’s 1961 custom T-Bird entitled “Firestarâ€. The biggest customization is the conversion of the ’62 AMT convertible into a chopped top coupe. I found a top at a swap meet a few weeks ago, it was close to what I wanted, but the back sail panels were too long and the angle of the rear slop to the rear deck was wrong. I cut a scale 5 inches out of the rear of the top and reset the rear portion with a greater sloping angle to the rear deck. You can see where the putty fills the front portion of the weld. The top was chopped about 5 or 6 scale inches and the windshield frame was also chopped and the A pillars were reset to reflect the roof chop. I had to fabricate rear wheel opening skirts from scratch. I removed all of the chrome strips on the body, like the Firestar because it looks much cleaner. I will lower the car down to the “Firestars†ride height and use the wheels and tires from the AMT T-Bird kit. The wirewheel spinners will be replaced with chrome bullets. I will paint the car Mopar Gold, tape off the gold accent stripes and finish with Tamiya clear red airbrushed on. I opened the doors and plan on having the two front seats swivel out to the opening, which was the kind of thing that customizers were doing back in the 60’s. I don’t think the real car has that but I like the idea so my model will get the feature. The interior is basically white, so mine will be also. Next is the Trumpeter 1960 Bonneville. I had no intention of building this car, but it just kinda’ happened. While at that swap meet where I found the T-Bird roof, I picked up an AMT 1967 Chevy Impala body. Someone had painted it Candy Apple Red and then tried to color sand (I think) the body and made a real mess of it, but I was only interested in the roof, so I picked it up. Then one day at the local hobby shop just before Christmas I was selecting a kit or two to give to myself for Christmas because I was such a good boy this past year. I saw the 1960 Pontiac Bonneville convertible kit sitting there and I remembered the 1967 Chevy Impala and the roof on it and the light bulb went off in my head. I have a Bonneville coupe kit that I picked up, along with the Nova coupe when they first came out and quite frankly I was not too impressed with the kit’s engineering. I mean, I went through that nonsense of returning the “satin†chrome and I can’t understand why the radio antenna’s, door handles and rear view mirrors were not plated but the entire exhaust system was and then there is that crazy hinge stuff, and the look of the roof, and you get the idea, but since this was a custom, all of that stuff did not matter, so I got the kit for myself. I cut off the roof from the Chevy, and grafted it to the Bonnie (I love the way it looks on the car) and then filled in the side molding and once again increased the side wings in the rear. I know, I just did that to the 58 Impala I just finished and I do not want you guys to think I am in a styling rut, but it was just a natural on this car….I mean, remember, this is a John DeLorean “Wide Trac†Pontiac…I wanted it longer and wider still. I opened the doors (not an easy task as the Trumpeter model plastic is crazy thick) but I won out, then to add a little variety to this, I added lambo hinges to the doors. I am filling in that insane styling nonsense on the hood. Geeze, it looks like the Pontiac stylists were stealing 1960 Japanese styling anomalies and do-dads. Even though I liked the twin mini jet thruster tail light pods, they had to go away. The rear backup lights, which I originally filled in, then frantically re opened will become the tail lights and then I attached the chrome bumpers to the car to be molded into the body. Just a word about the chrome on these Trumpeter kits…this stuff is almost indestructible. They must plate this stuff with kryptonite because I had to use my roughest Dremel sanding drum to grind off the excess to get the rear bumper flush with the car body. Man that stuff is strong. I looks like it is plated with copper before the chrome goes on…very tough and heavy. I will use the stock grill and headlights as they look really good on this. I have not picked wheels and tires yet, I can’t decide if I go with old school wide white walls or big wheels and rubber bands. I am leaning toward the latter as the lambo doors are kind of a new design treatment. Color is also up in the air, but I am thinking a base of pearl white with pearl orange fading and an orange and white accented interior with all custom ( 4 ) bucket seats. I am also kicking around the idea of lighting up the head lights, tail lights, dash and using LED’s under the chassis to light up under the car. I have red, yellow, blue and purple LED’s, so we’ll see…I can drop the battery in the trunk, not a big deal. Oh, yeah, I am also thinking of dropping in a Revell parts pack Pontiac 421 under the newly smoothed hood…we’ll see about that later. Well. If you made it through my long diatribe, congratulations. If not, I can’t say I blame you for not reading my “over the top†overly wordy description, but that is just me and I like you guys to understand why I am doing what I am doing to my builds.

It is close to impossible for me to accurately predict my future builds as I tend to just stumble on to a project. I will see a picture of a real build that sparks an idea on a kit that I have on the shelf, or a trip to the local hobby shop will spark something else. So going forward into 2009, the first 4 projects are, 1. 62 Ford Thunderbird custom coupe based on the AMT convertible kit. 2. 1960 Pontiac Bonneville custom coupe based on the Trumpeter convertible kit. 3. a radical Art Deco rebuild of the Lindberg 37 Cord convertible (a very “rough†kit, to be polite) and 4. a 34 Ford Roadster based on the AMT coupe kit with a Prowler “flair†using the headlights, dash, windshield and top and maybe the engine, I haven’t decided on that yet…after that…maybe a Dodge Ram Pick Up with a retractable top…who knows. Also, Happy New Year...I for one was very happy to see 2008 in my rear view mirror this morning...last year was the worst for business that I have seen in 50 years...it has to get better.

Happy New Year, Dave, let’s hope ’09 gives us a better economy and more time to build. I really like the direction those two 34’s are headed…I know you will not just build another standard coupe…there is always a twist or a design feature that takes your builds somewhere else…they are always unique. Can’t wait to see the next installment on these cars. I love the top on the roadster…very “Carsonesque†(to coin a phrase) And the “humpback†coupe is very different . I am planning a roadster 34 but my idea is to incorporate more of a Prowler look to it with headlights, dash, windshield and top on a low riding fendered car. That is what I like about modeling so much…you can play “what if†and it only costs a few dollars if you were wrong. I also like the fact that we can have 10 or so builds of the same kit and have that many different takes on the same car. I love playing “Harley Earl†with my builds…I just don’t get pleasure from building stock. Anyway, nice start to a new year of builds.

That was easy...the 59! That is one clean build...very nice. I liked that car the first time I saw it.

That is really slick...neat "outside the box" build. I think I would get claustrophobic though, if I were to actually drive that truck...but who cares???? It's a model! You can do that kind of design and not worry about it. Great build...you must be very pleased with the outcome.

Do you think you could get a little more shine on that paint? Seriously, it looks great, I really like how you included the back part of the front fender as part of the door, very different and well done...let's see some more of it.

Hey, I'll throw my two Lincoln's in on this...real nice conversion. The color AND wheels look great on this one. I have to agree, 65 and 66 were great looking GM years, but I also think 62, 63 and 64 were killer design years too. In fact, I would take any real Ford or GM product from 62 to 66 and be a very happy collector.

This is one very impressive group of autos. I would guess that you have built more ’32 Fords then Roy Brizio. As always, beautiful work. My favorite is the Malibu.

Well, I am far from an expert “flamerâ€, but I have done it a few times and have used four different methods to get four different styles. 1. Cut masking tape (some use Bare Metal Foil for this instead of tape, but the technique is basically the same except the BMF goes directly on the car, not on the glass)…..I place a piece of 2 1/2 inch wide tape on an old piece of glass (I use a tempered piece that used to be a sliding rear window on a small Dodge pickup truck. I draw out the flames as I want them and then cut them out with a #11 blade. You can use either the “Male†or the “Female†piece depending upon how you want. If you want to spray the flames onto a freshly painted car, use the “Female†piece. ( If the tape is too sticky, use some water to loosen the tape bond on the glass, when you install on the car, the water will dry so the tape will stick) Lay the tape on and then paint the flames, which works best with an air brush. As soon as it is safe to touch, but not yet fully dry, remove the tape. If you feel adventurous, use a very fine brush and outline the flame. Usually done in light blue, but the choice is yours. 2. Liquid masking…..You need to practice this method as it is done “liveâ€. Purchase the liquid masking agent at the hobby shop. You may need to “thin†it down a little with water so that it can be sprayed through your air brush, but then spray it onto the area that you want to “Flameâ€. Once dry, use a fine tip marker to draw on the flames and very carefully with a brand new #11 blade, cut the flames out. Remove either the male of female side, depending upon your plan and then paint on the flames. Remove the masking, again, as soon as possible and then outline if you want. This takes a ton of practice to get the method to work out for you. Brian Nerring (sorry if I butchered the name) is an absolute expert at this style of flame technique, look up his work, you will be impressed I am sure. 3. Computer cut masks….This is my personal favorite method. I make my own, but only because my brother is a graphic artist and sign maker so he has the necessary tool for this, a computer controlled vinyl cutter. If you can’t find a guy with a vinyl cutter (check out your local sign shop, they may have one), there are guys that make and sell the masks….search it out on the internet. This is very simple to do, get the mask, apply it to the vehicle and mask off the other exposed areas and paint away. As a note, I have created masks that are 2 sizes for one flame…that means I have a slightly bigger mask which I apply and then spray first, as this forms the “outside†or outline of the flame, say in light blue, when dry, I apply the slightly smaller mask over the painted flame and begin the flame coloring, which for the traditional “fire†flame is yellow at the front, then orange and then red, but the colors and direction is your choice. By using the two masks, I get the outline looking perfect. (take a look at my 34 Ford in the Under glass section, these are computer cut flame masks, only one layer because I was going over the louvers on the hood and did not want to overdo it there) 4. And lastly, the most difficult method is the “True Fire†flames. There are books and DVD’s that explain this method in complete detail. I have played with it and can tell you it looks easier then it is to do. You need a few things for this….an air brush, miniature flame “shapes†painting templates and properly thinned out paint and then lots of practice, but when done right, it is nothing short of spectacular. If this is where you want to go, get the equipment and a good DVD of the method and have fun with it. Again, Brian is quickly becoming and expert on this method as well. He just sold a Nova on EBay that is done in this style, so check out his work, it will inspire you I am sure. I hope this helps and remember then is no right or wrong method, they all produce a different effect, the only constant here is that it takes a lot of practice, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t hit it out of the park on the first at bat…..practice, practice….practice, the three most important components to great flames.

1934 Ford 3 Window Coupe. (after posting the pictures, I noticed some rubber spec's from sanding the bottom of the tires on the car...oops!) This began life as an AMT ’34 standard roof height 5 window coupe. I chopped the top, sanded off the simulated vinyl opening and converted it into a 3 window coupe, and then I removed all of the body “lines†in order to smooth the overall shape. I opened the doors and hinged them in “suicide styleâ€. I opened up the engine cover louvers by very carefully grinding the inside (backside) plastic away with a sanding drum on my Dremel tool. Once it was ground down to a paper thin thickness I used a knife with a #11 blade to slowly open the slits. Once open, I used brass mini dollhouse hinges to allow the four pieces to move and fold up. I modified the front suspension so that the front wheels are pose-able. The tires came from the kit and the mag wheels came from my parts box. The Chassis and engine were painted Mopar Patriot Blue (Dark Blue) and the body was done in Jacquard Blue/Green Pearl topped with clear gloss and then rubbed out. The flames were computer cut graphics painted with HOK paints with an airbrush and then a few spots were brushed by hand for some highlights. This is the first ’34 Ford I have done, so I thought I would include the bumpers…the next few will have this detail omitted, I think. That’s it, a fairly simple and pleasing build for me. I have un-built resin chopped 3 and 5 window and chopped sedan bodies waiting and the intention of doing one more a s a roadster, so in between some of the more complex builds I will get to them. Thanks for looking, and Merry Christmas (a little late) and a very Happy and Healthy and most of all Prosperous New Year to you all.

Boy, that sure brought back some memories! That was the kind of Hot Rods I was building back in the 60's...all of which my mother trashed when I was away in the Navy. Your dad had it "going" there, as they are nicely done for that period. Thanks for the post, I love looking back to the way it was..."back in the day".....the real Golden Era of model car building.

Nice job...it will go alone with the '59 Chevy/Vette that Treehugger did about a month ago. It is amazing how many vehicles can be combined with a Vette and come out looking plausable. Who is going to combine one with a Hummer H1?

The paint!! The paint looks great on that tiny thing. Great job as usual. You are so boring....the outcome is always the same...flawless.

Whoa, I was wondering why you were not posting anymore. I am sorry to hear about your fiancés run in with the dreaded “C†word, glad she is doing much better. About three or four months ago a very, very good friend of mine was “accidentally†diagnosed with colon cancer. His wife had a small run in with some skin cancer two years ago so her Doctor wanted her to have a colonoscopy, while they had her scheduled, they told Chet, my friend, to get one too as he is older (65). She checked out fine, but my friend unfortunately did not as they found a rather large tumor. It was removed without incident and a few weeks later he was scheduled for chemo. He had such a bad reaction to the chemo, whether it was rightly administered or not I don’t know, but he was back in the hospital and very close to death. After weeks of “touch and go†experiences he pulled through, but they had to take him off the chemo. Looks like the “cure†is worse then the decease in some cases. He, like your fiancé, is now much better, but it was rough for a while there. When you experience “close calls†and brushes with your, or a close friend or loved ones mortality, you gain a whole new outlook on day to day life. All of a sudden, the boring mundane tasks that we take for granted become important. We tend to take life for granted and it is not until it is almost ripped away from us that we begin to realize how very precious it really is. Enjoy the time you two have together now…every minute is a gift. It is great that they are making strides with Cancer research and the survival rates are increasing all the time. I guess that is comforting, but only marginally if you are the one diagnosed with it. Again, glad to hear that things are looking up…hang in there as, like everyone is telling me, 2009 will be a better year.

GREAT JOB....I LOVE IT ALL!!

Obviously, the chassis is where all of the extra effort went on this build....beautiful workmanship. The engine detail and fittings are very first rate and sweet too. Nice job. About 7 years ago I did the Nomad based wagon that preceided this one, the RealMad wagon...when the Newmad wagon came out about a year later, I thought it was really neat...your build proves that, that is the case. Very nice.

I never watched the show, didn't care for the car either, but you did a very nice job on it. One of the best "General's" reproduction I have seen...very nice.

Bill, you read my mind…..the only show I ever go to is the NNL East and I was thinking that it would be kinda’ fun to open or close the roof while someone is looking at the car without their knowledge just to watch their reaction. I think it would be fun. The remote works from at least 15 feet away so I could step back a bit. I just took the remote apart so I can paint and detail it to look like the car. I have to tell you that I was so impressed the day I saw your 58 Chevy convertible at the NNL East a few years ago with the opening windows that I knew I had to make “something†work one of my cars. Anyway, thank you to all of the guys that commented on this car, I really do appreciate the kind words…I was very happy with this build and I am glad you guys liked it too…thanks.

Really noce...very smooth. All of the features flow and work together very well. I especially like the interior treatment,,,I know you are happy with the build and you should be...well done.

This is a very nice build...very faithful to what we used to see on the roads back in the early 60's. It is a very believable build. I have this kit but have just not figured out what I want to do with it yet. Nice job, very clean....I really like the continential kit on the back...looks great.

Lyle, I liked this car alot while it was under construction, it looks great finished. My late father-in-law had this exact car in the green with the green vinyl roof so it brings back memorys for me. Very nicely done.

Hey Dave, thanks, the Sci-Fi Spinner is my sons project....I spunge off this Flickr sight to post my pictures. Here is the link to his project http://www.flickr.com/photos/jpl3k/sets/72157609837020504/ It's a pretty neat project...he is into the sci fi and Jeep offroad builds. I guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. The good news is that he can't raid too many of my kits because we are building slightly different directions. P.S. he ripped off the bubble top from one of my shelfed kits...I gotta' watch him.....he's sneaky.