jbwelda

>You going to finish it already? that, my friend, remains the question of the year!

alright everything has been pretty much test fitted for final assembly (oh yeah...lets see how that works out!) and i just got done gluing on the doors, dashboard and firewall after detailing them a bit more. i forgot to do it before mounting so i will dab some chrome paint on the door handles and hinges. and those doors sure fit less than tight, probably exactly like a real one would, but i will see if i can seal them up a bit with something (future?). this paint is really a disgrace, seriously, though you cannot see it too much in the photos. i really wish i had used a more opaque color than this yellow as all the panels look different even though i tried to paint them evenly, and there are little wrinkle spots here and there where the clear pooled up and its just a mess! maybe by the time im done i will do some extreme weathering on it to hide the defects but thats really kinda poor form. oh well i think the idea is good and its turning out alright but im sure not gonna consider it a candidate for best paint or anything! anyway check it out, and as always comments or barbs cheerfully acknowledged! firewall, note the turned aluminum coil, but this will be 90% hidden behind the massive (!) mill: dashboard, fire extinguisher, gaps in door and all! closer shot of dashboard and interior...i can feel the wind coming through those door gaps just looking at it! thing is, the outside and top side fit of both doors is pretty acceptable and its really just from the interior side that they seem gappy. won't be long now: clamshell motor between body and chassis, glue down, attach driveshaft (polished aluminum tube with expansion joint), make up exhaust system, attach front axle and grille shell and build front running gear. piece of cake. stay tuned!

thats sweet...how much does it weigh?

i had been away from this forum for a while and just noticed: the posts about TDR from people building with their parts seems to have gone quiet. any news from that front? i would really like to see that IRS mounted in a finished rod!

is this happening? sounds promising if so!

although you can put some cleaning solution of some kind in there (dishsoap seems to be a near universal choice) its really the water atoms being excited that does the cleaning.

one thing to think about with re-doing chrome like you want to do: as with real chrome prep is 99% of overall finished appearance. you are in a unique position amongst those who want stuff chromed (not that i know from experience...i have never had it done to any of my parts) in that presumably all your parts are still on the original sprue (or "trees"). so you dont have to mount it for chroming like most would have to. but there is something else to remember: you certainly dont want to chrome over the stuff that is on there now. so you need to strip the chrome. a lot of products work great for that but the one i use is castrol super clean also known by a few other trade names (i think): purple power, etc. a few minutes in this stuff will remove chrome completely...most chrome anyhow, theres always the exceptions. the other thing to think about is how good you want this model to look. i say that because if you look closely at the parts, especially after the chrome has been removed, you will notice what are called "parting marks", raised lines in each part that arent supposed to be there. and ejector pin marks, ditto on the not supposed to be there. not only that but the chrome is attached to the sprue still in the place the original factory planned it...and thats not always the best place. so what i am getting at is that if you want this to really really look great, and justify the expense of having the chrome done (like i said i havent done it but i suspect the price will come to around 20$ or maybe more) you might be needing to cut and finish and remount each part before sending it in for chrome. anyway should be a good project and please report back if and when you decide to go through with it.

hi just saw this thread, i am going to get one of those right now, thanks so much! you do know, you can stick your eyeglasses in there and they will come out sparkling clean, not just the glass but all the mechanisms. its a miracle.

chrome tech for one...i dont know details but i am sure a quick google search will find it.

thats how they do it in california too, johnny! a real shame. there used to be numerous flea markets around here but most have either shut down or become primary distribution points for counterfeit womens stuff. and turned into "antique" malls though like some have said you can run across something at those occasionally. but the seller usually thinks they are plated in gold and price accordingly. some friends of mine have good luck going around to yard sales but i dont have the patience to do it much.

that 2cv must be an ex-heller kit? probably no comparison at all to the tamiya which is very very nice and probably falls together with the least provocation. i got one of those decal trays too and i must say, even though they seem pretty lame in concept (cause like why not just use a saucer?) it works nice and makes it very easy to retrieve even small decals. have fun!

looks to me like he just wants to cover himself for shipping costs. his offer is to reduce the shipping to what is really paid. i dont see a problem with that. stupid, and i wouldnt bid on it, but to me jesse james is an outlaw from missouri mid 19th century and i dont give a wit about some pretty boy "car customizer" or whatever this jj's claim to some spurious fame might be, so my interest level in this particular (ly stupid) toy.

not too long ago i bid on and won a 1/16th "junkyard" which consisted of a built (what looks like a) top fuel dragster frame (just the rails) a more or less completed funny car chassis with motor interior all that stuff but the front wheels off and a few other parts loose, and a seemingly resin charger or something body with "Ramchargers" decal on one side (but nothing on the other...i assume these can be had somewhere?). anyhow i got it and its been sitting on the table for a few weeks and i doubt i will be doing anything with it. if anyone wants to take it off my hands for what i paid, plus postage, send me a pm and we can work something out. i believe i paid about 35 for the bunch including shipping to me. additionally if you really want it bad enough and just dont have the money, talk to me and i might just end up passing it on for free. let me know if youre interested...im sure all kinda parts could be scavenged off this though its sort of a shame because the chassis etc are built up very nicely from what i can see, no real glue bomb stuff.

excellent! i wish i would buy one of those from mini exotics one of these days!

thanks for the info and the photos...man i cant believe they are bringing out those 1/25 slot cars. that nova looks interesting but bleah on the rest...i just wonder what makes them think they are going to sell? i cant really see it but what do i know...i know there was a revival of interest in slot cars but thought it was mostly 1/32 or at least thats what i was into...but my perception is that interest kind of came and went. now amt is releasing these? i recall they flopped back in the 60s when amt tried to ride the slot car gravy train a bit too late and a bit too short in the performance department. old time something come back again as they say in jamaica.

excellent...i love and look for those trophies all the time too. will have to try my hand at detailing some of the trophy cars one day!

hi andy, i didnt read through all the excellent posts here yet so excuse me if i mention something others may have: i think it helps a great deal to think of each subassembly (motor, interior, chassis, body, etc) as a separate model in and of itself. then you have a near constant feeling of accomplishment at having completed something, and at least personally, that spurs me on to get more subassemblies done. my biggest problem and roadblock is actually final assembly for a couple of reasons: if you havent been building components separately, or even if you have but have been a bit 'whatever' in fitting them to each other, you can be in for some drastic last minute re-engineering to get things to fit. second problem for me is that i have to often cover up work that i have made look nice as a subassembly but in the final product that niceness is largely hidden. but the fact remains: try to look at each subassembly as a model itself and you will avoid that "aw i am never gonna get this done" feeling. oh yeah, and like others said: build for yourself and have fun. "perfection" is going to be overlooked by most viewers anyway but if youre like me, youre your own worst critic...i try to get over that.

man, tough audience tonite! thats some excellent spotting mike!

well i managed to move the front axle, wheels and grille shell back about a scale 3" and narrow the track a scale 1" or so, and its looking much better...though as mentioned that sticking out lower jaw (wheels) look was growing on me. this is much more balanced though. i slanted the wheels in at the top to reduce the track (is that called camber?) and it makes the front end look more "loaded" with weight as well as having the tire tops tuck into the fenders a bit more than before. and i noticed that the grille shell is indeed way off the ground as it sits on the axle. i originally envisioned it lowered right to the ground but now i dont think so, plus the moon tank will have some room down there so it is back in the running after me pretty much deciding to save it for another project.. i am currently attempting a quick polish on the embarrassingly bad paint job (maybe you CAN polish a toid!) and then am going to do some detailing with flat black and chrome silver and at some point here start with the final assembly...which will include building a driveshaft, exhaust system, headlamps and some other kool stuff. comments welcome and encouraged; dont let that big bad notice at the top of the forum scare ya! and heres a general shot of pieces laying around; how many unresolved "on the workbench" threads can you spot?

oh i see...it was newly tooled ten years ago? i was thinking of the one from the sixties. shows how old i am!

that is beautiful and i dont even like those "disco" vettes too much! you have great taste in avatar too by the way!

thanks for the link but as always, nothing is easy...heres the only real mention of the willys being or not being a reissue i could find in that thread: >K.S. Pittman Willys Drag Coupe - 1/25 – Modified reissue of Revell’s very nice Willys. The wheels on the box art look >different but I was unable to get a confirmation modified reissue. what that typically means to me is its a reissue with some little changes like a new decal sheet or maybe different (but already tooled for something else probably) wheels or something. so, not to rattle your cage or anything but is there any more definative word somewhere about what exactly this kit is re: revell history? this is all besides the point that i will want a couple for sure as i dont have any of the previous reissues on the shelf and i always loved that SWC thang though as i recall the doors were a bit fussy (for a 12 year old anyhow)... thanks though, always appreciated!

thanks for the info on the SWC new tool. can you post a link to the thread you are referring to? for some reason i cannot find it even though i tried. thanks sir.

i always figured the monogram ones were pretty much direct shrink-downs (if there is such a thing possible) of the Big Jag. probably just dreaming that though. the 1/8th one looks pretty good to me proportion wise but i am not an expert. a friend of mine has a roadster up on a rotisserie though (for like the last 10 years).

original poster: i would suggest you stand in line at the counter and have them figure out all your packages and postage. at least then its not gonna come back or if it does you can bring it up with them. guy with the part in the envelope (or not, as the case may be): i am assuming you put a part into an #10 envelope. those are for flat first class mail only basically and anything else is gonna suffer when they run it through the sorters etc. they will rip open the envelope and the part will fall on the floor or in a grease pan somewhere and is lost forever. they returned what they could of the package to you...makes sense. i have hardly ever had a problem with the USPS and in fact out here in the country they really bend over backward for you and in fact are on a first name, give cookies at Christmas, basis with everyone. but as for the machinery of the bureaucracy, thats beyond anyones control. the only real problem i have had with USPS has been trying to collect on insurance for stuff that got busted in their care. of course you probably know about that particular catch 22: if it broke it wasnt properly packaged and hence it says right there that your insurance is void if the package is not proper. and that makes sense too. as for chasing you down for the 27 cents or whatever, of course they do...as a matter of principle if nothing else. i dont think you expect the IRS or say Safeway to let you pay 95$ when you owe 100$. they probably left a notice saying it was being held at the PO? around here the mail lady would just ring my doorbell or probably more likely just put 27 cents more postage on it for me and mention it next time i saw her, but again thats the way it is out in the country. now if you wanna hear horror stories lets talk about UPS. i swear there is a special thing with UPS where they stab every package with a medieval lance or at least one corner is crushed in 20% of the box width. they got problems.