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Peter Lombardo

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  1. A brief history tour…..1957 Ford introduces the Ranchero, effectively blending the line between pickup trucks and passenger cars. Two years later, Chevrolet countered with the 1959 Chevrolet El Camino based on the 2 door Brookwood station wagon. It ran, in that configuration for 2 years before slumping sales sidelined the car/truck. In 1964, Chevrolet brought the El Camino back but this time, based it on the smaller Chevelle. This seems to have been the right sized package, as the new El Camino ran through the 1987 model year. Even though, you could never mistake either the Ford or GM car/trucks as “runaway best sellersâ€, they did, and continue to this day, to have a huge number of fans. In fact, Pontiac is readying a version based on the Australian Holden as a new car/truck model for the 2009 model year called the Pontiac G8ST. To this day, I never understood Chryslers’ reluctance to jump into that market. Sure, Chrysler was always short of cash, but the retro-fitting of a B body Dodge or Plymouth with a pick up bed instead of a rear seat would not have been all that difficult or expensive. Plymouth, in 1979, did briefly produce a compact pickup truck based on the Horizon/Omni platform, with front wheel drive called the Arrow, then in 1983 calling it the Plymouth Scamp. Dodge produced the Rampage during the same time sharing the body and platform with the Plymouth and having a distinctive Dodge grill and graphics. These car/trucks had more in common with Volkswagen than with other Detroit vehicles, though. So, I asked myself, if Dodge or Plymouth did venture into El Camino/Ranchero territory, what could one look like? Since I had a 1971 Plymouth GTX un-built on the shelf, it was offered up to the God’s in sacrifice to find out. So here it is...... a 1971 Plymouth Arrow GTX Hemi. The pickup bed, sides and front bulkhead were scratch built and the tailgate was heavily modified from the trunk of the car. The doors were opened, tailgate hinged and a Hemi and Shaker Hood Scoop were hijacked from a Barracuda convertible kit. Not being a big fan of the chrome front grill surround, I painted the outer portion and the rear bumper the body color. The body is painted in Mopar Champagne Pearl Metallic lacquer and the accent color is Super Copper Pearl all toped with clear coat and than rubbed out with wax and finished with bare metal foil and a few decals, hood pins and an antenna. I don’t know where you guys stand on the issue, but I like how this little experiment came out and honestly think Dodge and Plymouth would have taken a good sized chunk of this market, had they ventured into it. Just a little side note, the accent color on this car, as I said before is super copper Pearl, but that is not the whole story on that paint. This stuff, Jacquard Products, Pearl Ex Pigments is my new favorite kind of paint. This is a pigment that is ground down to 10 to 60 micron size particles…I can only say that it is a very, very fine powder. I mix about a ¼ teaspoon of the powder with about 1 inch of clear lacquer (this becomes the “carrier†of the pigment) and about a ½ inch of lacquer thinner in a small paint bottle, shake it up and pour it directly into my air brush. (all measurements are estimates, so if you try it, experiment with the measurements to find a consistency that you like). This pigment comes in 40 different hues and many are duo tones that change color depending upon the viewing angle. I have 13 bottles and the colors that I have used have worked great. I pay $3.99 per bottle, with many, many applications per bottle, they are very cost effective. If you spray them on and don’t clear coat them, they will give you that great “satin color primer†look that look great on neo-rat rods and customs. When you clear coat the color, it gives you a nice bright look that will buff into a high shine. You can mix different pigments together to create your own custom colors too. One word of caution though, if you will be masking (using tape or any kind of masking agent) over the painted on pigment surface, be sure there is a good dry strong coat of clear over the top, or you may pull up some of the paint when you remove the tape……been there, done that, not going back again, thank you. Other than that one precaution, I love this stuff, and oh, yeah, I found some of the basic colors at A.C. Moore and Michaels, but found a more extensive selection at a well stocked artist supply shop (art store), also, you can go on line, just google “Jacquard Productsâ€. Their website will list the stores in your area that stock the stuff, and one more thing, I use Lacquer as the carrier but you can use Tamiya clear or even Enamel paint, but it will take longer to dry. If you haven’t tried this yet, take a look at it, I just painted a 1950 Chevrolet pickup truck with a beautiful light green/yellow duo pearl that is awaiting some flames to be applied) yes, it has been clear coated) and it “looks marvelous†(Billy Crystal, Saturday Night Live, circa 1985)
  2. What was Chrysler Hemi Tag line??, oh yeah, SWEET... Nice work and great detail.
  3. Very nice, aggresive but also understated just enough.
  4. Currently, I have three on the workbench, close to complete, a 1950 Chevrolet pick up truck with a seriously chopped top and flames, a 1971 Plymouth Arrow GTX hemi and a 1935 Cord Cybele. Next up is a 1971 Corvette cut away racer for the "real" cars owner, an Audi R8 and a sports car of my own design with a few neat little twists.
  5. Look down in the lower left, around nine o'clock...there is the model I was trying to remember.... click the picture to make it bigger....It is much better looking than this "Thunderwad" thing.....at least I think so. http://public.fotki.com/Rikster/model_cars...f_juhas_models/
  6. Yeah, that beats the Aztek for ugly, but if I am not mistaken, didn’t Juha Airio build something similar to this from a 55 Chevy? Kind of like a fore runner to a Mini Van but kinda’ like a Corvair pickup looking thing? Does anyone remember what I think I remember? I will have to start looking through my four foot high stack of model magazines to try and find it.
  7. Just as a little side note, years ago I purchased the Gunze Cobra Daytona kit. I guess if I had to pick my one and only favorite car of all time, this and the Cobra roadster (427 version) would fight it out, but most likely the coupe and its sexy lines would win. I immediately opened up the hood with complete expectation of building the under hood details. I began sourcing out an engine and such when HRM announced their kit. I contacted Harold to see if I could purchase just the parts I needed to complete the Gunze kit as a full detail model (I have yet to begin the construction mainly because I enjoy looking at the beautiful pristine parts from HRM so much I do not want to contaminate them). Well, obviously they sold me the parts, at a very fair price, I might add and one day, I will build it. The main reason I wanted to add my two cents to this thread is that, HRM is a great company to do business with. The quality of the castings are absolutely first rate….like I said before, they are so clean and perfect that it seems a shame to “dirty†them with paint and glue. The delicate castings of the inner fender walls are amazing. Even though I was “up†for constructing the metal tube chassis of the Gunze kit, Harold insisted on sending me their molded version….wise decision because it is also perfect. The engine and carburetor detail is not to be believed. Yes, the full kit from HRM is pricy, but like most everything else in this world, you get what you pay for. I am seriously contemplating the purchase of a full HRM kit, so I can feel better about building the modified Gunze kit, and keep the new HRM kit un-built so I can periodically pull out the parts and ogle them. I know…sick…but there is something about perfectly molded white parts in their separate little bags and the promise of what they can become. There is so much potential in every pristine kit….you look at the parts and think how great that kit will look once it is completed, than all too often, the results don’t live up to the expectation. Anyway, I digress, the HRM kit and detail is great…if you are even just thinking about one….do it….beg, borrow or steal the cash…sell your soul to your wife and promise years of dedicated “Honey Do†list completion if she will allow your indulgence. The kit is just flat out worth it.
  8. Very funny, Bill......
  9. I remember it like it was yesterday….My first model car build was in 1959, I was 10 years old. It was an AMT 1958 Mercury Convertible. I “Brush†painted it, in two tones, black and yellow. The car was lowered in the rear, ( do any of you remember the wedge shaped 3 hole blocks for changing the ride height, both front and rear?) had fender skirts and twin antennas on the rear fenders. It also had the obligatory full moon hub caps. This car, and all of my early builds along with my extensive collection of baseball cards from the 50’s and 60’s, got cleaned out by my mother when I went off to the Navy for 4 years. Who knew that they would be worth something today?….certainly not my mother. Now my wife can’t understand why I want to hang on to everything I get my hands on….once bitten, twice shy.
  10. “Bonnet†is British speak for an American “Hoodâ€.
  11. In case any “new†modelers are wondering why this build looks so great, in my opinion, it has the 3 most important elements done perfectly….1. perfectly flawless paint with a high smooth shine. 2. Great use of Bare Metal Foil and 3. Windows installed without any smudges. I know there are many other disciplines that need to be done properly…but these three done right will get results approaching this build. Nice job, beautiful build! P.S. I am a 1949 model...I like to think that I have retained the classic looks of a Mercury coupe.....low and wide. Well, maybe a little too wide now that I think about it.
  12. The real Shelby was called a "Shelby Series One". Very nice build, but I have one question....Both side pipes and a rear exhaust? Which is it? Both?
  13. I read a story just two days ago in the Automotive News (an auto trade weekly newspaper) talking about that exact situation. Scary but true, a number of dealers are declining to take large trucks and SUV’s on trade because they just don’t have an outlet for them. They can’t be resold as Used because there just isn’t a demand for them. The auction prices are way down on them because the other dealers do not want to buy them. And on top of that, the factories are unloading a large number of “almost new†trucks and SUV’s to the “closed†auctions so IF a dealer wants a used big pick up truck or SUV, he will buy the factory truck with the almost full warranty and very low miles. The factories are sitting on tons of Trucks and SUV’s because for months now the dealers are refusing to take them into stock. The Factory guys drive the truck as a Demo for 5,000 to 6,000 miles and then the factory brings it to the closed auction (a “closed auction†is an auction that is only open to the same “Brand†dealer as the factory that is bring the vehicles….so a closed Ford auction is only open to Ford dealers.) Look, I don’t mean to be sounding so negative on the subjects of gasoline prices and our economy in general, but we have some very tough times ahead. My heart goes out to you guy’s stuck with low MPG trucks. And what makes matters worse; many of you guys are most likely “upside down†in the deal. In case you are not familiar with term “upside downâ€, that refers to a situation where you owe more on the vehicle than it is worth. That is the classic case of adding insult to injury. You (not you, but the editorial “you†can’t afford to keep the truck and you can’t afford to trade the truck. So, you are left to buy expensive gas and run the credit card debt even higher. Personally, I think this is a good time to hunker down, cut excesses, and start working on some of the huge stash of kits I have been stockpiling and keep new purchases to the minimum…….yeah, like I can stop buying plastic!
  14. I feel I must add my obligatory WOW! Very nice build…the color combo is beautiful and the wheels work great on that car. I was just wondering…is there anything else on the engine that could be chromed?
  15. Gentleman, whether you like it or not, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the mess we are in…and I am included in that statement. Let me explain…. 1. As Americans we believe it is our God given right to have cheap gas. While Europe and Asia have lived with extremely high fuel prices we have felt we were immune to that problem…not so…get used to it. 2. We live in the era of the “Global Economyâ€. Think back to 10 or 15 years ago…remember all of the pictures you saw of China? Millions of people wearing olive drab clothes riding bicycles’….well, they are now driving cars. China and India are both emerging “Semi Capitalist†economies that are driving up the price of oil and building materials too. We live in a supply and demand world….as supply falls due to increased demand…prices go up and I don’t see any change in that any time soon. 3. The United States Government has been hijacked by the extreme environmentalists. Don’t get me wrong….I am not an advocate for pollution, but I believe we should try and balance our environment and our economy. Right now our TOTAL economy is in grave danger of going deep in the tank because we have not explored for oil. We have not built a refinery in over 30 years. No new nuclear plants have been built in that time either. We have over 60 years (according to the experts) off the continental shelf. There are huge oil reserves in Alaska in the wildlife preserve area, which, by the way, we could be drilling today and the experts say there is 80 or 90 years of reserves there. In 1994 a bill past the Congress and Senate allowing drilling in this area. The bill was vetoed by then President Clinton. The Drilling companies say it will take 10 years to bring that oil on line, with the pipeline construction and all of the exploration involved, so, if it had been done in 1994, we would have that oil in our system today. 4. We, as†Good Old Boy†Americans feel that we need to drive those wonderful big gas guzzling pickups and SUV’s….and why not…why not. Well, the factories have done a great job of convincing many of us that we need the big trucks. Think about this…(my numbers are close, but not exact) a GM built large SUV sells for, say, $45,000. It costs them around $20,000 to build….profit around $25,000 per unit. A Chevy Cobalt sells for around $22,000. It costs about $15,000 to manufacture….profit around $7,000. Ok, you are running GM…your bean counters present this information to you…What products do you want to build and sell? The $25,000 profit truck or the $7,000 profit car? I thought so…the trucks. So the U S manufactures do everything to convince you that you need the trucks. The advertising tells you, you need it. Your manhood tells you you need it…and ok, your business requires it.....I get it…some of us need to drive the larger trucks for business, but do all of those housewives need the Ford Explorer? It’s like cigarettes…the tobacco companies tell us all day long that “it is not your fault†you can’t quit smoking because it is addictive. They are sorry, but tobacco products are just addictive so it is not your fault that you can’t quit (read…buy more cigarettes). So the factories tell you that your lifestyle demands big trucks. Have you ever noticed that the advertising for the trucks is almost always set in the west? Big sky…big mountains…big land…and the big truck. It gets into your head and then the next thing you know, you are trying to see if the new truck will fit into the garage. 5. In the early 1970’s, the Arab Oil Producing Countries boycotted the U S for our support of Israel in the short war. I remember the gas station lines and the odd/even license plate day to purchase gas. We saw, first hand, the effects of gasoline shortages but as a country did nothing to change our bloated ways. We have done almost nothing to find alternate forms of energy. Granted, we have Trillions and Trillions of dollars invested in the internal combustion engine and all of the peripheral industries surrounding it. That will not change without a fight but we as Americans are paying for that situation now. It has been like playing Russian Roulette. Sooner or later we were going to take a bullet in the temple…this may be it. 6. Our economy, I hate to say, is in a very precarious situation right now. We have a huge trade deficit with China…everything, and I mean everything we buy comes from china….Hell, all of the models we love so much were molding in China. China and Saudi Arabia now owns most of our trillions of dollars of debt. If they pull the plug….we are in free falls friends. Today, the “Dollar†has been greatly devalued by our weak economy and that is contributing to the high cost of gasoline. Granted, right now it is in their best interest to let it be as they need us as an outlet for the goods they make for us…but sooner or later…when the China and Indian and European markets begin to pick up the slack…..God help us. Think about this too. In the eighties our trade deficit was with Japan. They took the money and invested it in land, like Pebble Beach Golf Course and Rockefeller Center, among other properties and in priceless works of art….all very cool. But the Chinese have a different view. They are investing huge portions of the trade profits into their military….not too cool. Have you noticed the other day, Russian and China are getting chummy? Also not cool. The Chinese have an expansive spy network all throughout our Military Industrial Complex. Our high-tech secrets are heading west….also not cool. We, don’t make anything …anymore…. in this country. Manufacturing is leaving America as fast as a top fuel dragster pulling a hole shot. NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was, in my opinion a bad deal all around. My feeling was when you have “Big Business†and “Big Government†pushing hard for something “hold on to your walletâ€. NAFTA took jobs from America and put them basically in Mexico (Also Canada, but not that much). Great, Jose could get a job in Mexico building Chrysler PT Cruisers and Joseph in Indiana loses his job…real smooth. Don’t get me wrong…I have no problem with Mexico or Mexicans…we live in a global economy and everyone is entitled to life, liberty and a job. I am just concerned that our elected leaders are selling us down the river and damaging our economy and therefore hurting you and me. And that brings me to my last point… 7. Our Government is failing us….big time. Our elected leaders, for the most part, are only interested in their personal gain. The corporate lobbyists control the Politian and therefore the legislation. Two weeks ago, our big bad Congress had hearings to find out why the cost of gas is so high at the pump. They dragged in the heads of the major oil companies and basically tried to embarrass them with the high amount of their salaries. This was a thinly veiled attempt to get a “sound bite†for the evening news. Come on, stay with me here…I don’t defend the oil companies, especially when they make record profits….but they are not driving up the cost of the crude oil. Wall Street has much more to do with the price of oil than the oil companies do. The commodity markets control the cost through the bidding process. Whether a barrel of oil is $40.00 or $140.00, the oil companies do not set that. As I said earlier, it is a supply and demand world…..other countries are willing to pay more so we pay up or do without. Back to Congress…..the oil company exec’s, to a man, correctly, put the blame back on Congress. Congress has not past the laws that will allow the oil companies to explore for more supply. They stop the building of refineries and have done little, if anything to spur on alternative energy research. There needs to be meaningful tax breaks and incentives to alternate forms of energy. The Japanese and Europeans have been moving on this front and are out in the lead. Once again, America, the greatest industrial country in the world is playing catch up. You guys should know where your Congressman and Senators stand on energy reform. Write them…question them…find out where they are on this. I live in New Jersey, so I am screwed. All of my elected officials are in the tank. We, NJ, are a whisper away from bankruptcy….and nothing is being done to make it better…taxes go up…spending goes up….and the deficit goes up…therefore my disposable income goes down proportionally. I know, I can be long winded…but there are many reasons for where we are today. Here is the “Cliff Note†version, of why I think we are paying $4.00+ for a gallon of gas. We are arrogant…always thought gas would be cheap, unlike the rest of the world, so we made no plan to prevent this….Other emerging economies have increased demand and that drives the price up….The extreme environmentalists have kept oil exploration from happening….The vehicle manufacturers have a vested interest in keeping us in low mile per gallon trucks and SUV’s….Even in the face of problems in the past with oil supply, we continued on fat dumb and lazy (as a nation)…Our economy is weaker than they are letting on, our dollar is falling in value and that drives the price higher…and lastly, our elected leaders have failed us and have left us in a very bad place. I got to tell you…New Zealand is looking better and better to me.
  16. Those are flat out great flames. True Fire flames in 1/25 th scale are not easy to do. Especially with HOK lacquers because the paint drys so fast it can clog the tip every 5 seconds. Great job. Keep at it.
  17. Great looking build….I built this kit about 10 years ago and I know how tough the decals were….nice job.
  18. Ok, that was weird...the reply was posted 4 times....believe me, the posting was barely worth one post, let alone 4 times. Sorry.
  19. I brought a can and have used it a few times. I was not overly impressed. It is better than any other one part “Chrome†paint that I tried but it will not replace Alclad or a good chrome plating service but it is better than the other bottle chrome/silver paints. It is an enamel paint, so be careful with it. I have not tried this, but I want to paint a car with this and then over spray it with a candy top coat. That may look crazy. I think it is worth trying as long as your expectations are not too high.
  20. I brought a can and have used it a few times. I was not overly impressed. It is better than any other one part “Chrome†paint that I tried but it will not replace Alclad or a good chrome plating service but it is better than the other bottle chrome/silver paints. It is an enamel paint, so be careful with it. I have not tried this, but I want to paint a car with this and then over spray it with a candy top coat. That may look crazy. I think it is worth trying as long as your expectations are not too high.
  21. I brought a can and have used it a few times. I was not overly impressed. It is better than any other one part “Chrome†paint that I tried but it will not replace Alclad or a good chrome plating service but it is better than the other bottle chrome/silver paints. It is an enamel paint, so be careful with it. I have not tried this, but I want to paint a car with this and then over spray it with a candy top coat. That may look crazy. I think it is worth trying as long as your expectations are not too high.
  22. I brought a can and have used it a few times. I was not overly impressed. It is better than any other one part “Chrome†paint that I tried but it will not replace Alclad or a good chrome plating service but it is better than the other bottle chrome/silver paints. It is an enamel paint, so be careful with it. I have not tried this, but I want to paint a car with this and then over spray it with a candy top coat. That may look crazy. I think it is worth trying as long as your expectations are not too high.
  23. Gentleman….what is going on around here? Have we all decided to eat our young? Some of us complaint because we left the forum and no one noticed. Some of us complain about the model choices others make about builds. Now we are going to bicker about whether a show is really a contest or visa versa. Hey Gregg…What’s the matter with you!!! Why is the site so slow!! I guess you guys must complain about the weather all the time and the fact that no one is doing anything about it. Enough is enough. Look, I have been building model cars since I was 10 years old or so…now I am 59. Just over a year ago I stumbled onto this forum. I liked what I saw here….model car builders sharing ideas, observations, emotions and mostly their builds. I liked it. Now, there is so much divisive attitude here you can cut it with a knife. I build models, period. I have a very stressful business to run all day long…after supper I settle down to my work bench, turn on The O’Rielly Factor and relax with my hobby. It is one of my two “happy placesâ€, (golf course is the other) where I can escape all of the ###### that I deal with every day. I will not “bitch†about the things that surround this hobby. I don’t care if the manufacturers make a particular model or not. I will buy the cars that they make that interest me, modify them as I want and not worry about whether they will make a two door post hardtop “whatever†with a special option engine. I do not care if the forum is slow or not. I have a fast computer and a fiber optic line so, that is the best I can do, so I will not worry about it. I only have gone to the NNL East show/contest, and only because it is close to my home. Will I ever win anything? No…Never going to happen. Do I care? No. I was at the NNL East this year. I had 14 models there. I have to tell you guys that I had more fun talking with the “new bees†and the people that either don’t build or build very little because they are eager to learn how to do things. It is interesting to me how something that we, us builders, take for granted, a young modeler is “blown-away†with. Many people looked at my Ford Interceptor model and had no idea what it was. I had a great time explaining it, what it was and how I made it. The same with my cutaway Corvette. The point is, I went there for me, not awards. It is an opportunity to share my hobby with others and maybe have a positive influence on someone wanting to get into the hobby. I do not care if you build lowriders, or donks or killer customs. You build what you like. I build what I like. I will look at all of them. I will not respond to all posts, but I will look. I don’t expect you to respond to my posts. I don’t care. Sure I like it when one of you guys complement one of my builds, but I know if I am happy with the build and that is all that matters to me. So, the point is, Oh, maybe there is no point. I build models, I build models for my own satisfaction. I will continue to do so and I will not pay any, and I mean any attention to all of your bickering and complaining. I will not leave the forum and I don’t care who does or does not stay and post. Guys, this is not life or death. This is just a model car forum to share the hobby that we participate in. This getting way too childish lately. And as Bill O'Rielly would say, "And thats a Memo".
  24. Even though I would not recommend it, because of the work involved in preparation and because this is not the most efficient method to paint a model, I have used touch-up paints with more than decent results. A few years ago, I got my hands on a box full of many different Mazda touch up paint bottles for free. I thinned down a few of them and sprayed them through my air brush with no problem at all. The only two items of concern I can recall are 1. Be careful to get the paint consistency right…not too thick or thin and most importantly, 2. Be sure to use a good lacquer primer that can stand up to “Hot†lacquer based paint. After that, go for it. But be aware, you may need more than one bottle of touch up paint to insure you have enough finish your project.
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