jbwelda

wow thats nice. count me in!

anyone got a picture just for my information?

aw, i think that will buff right out.

by "swirled", do you mean shock absorbers molded with coil springs over them? if so im afraid i dont know where specifically to get them, but seems to me the old AMT kits used them a lot. what i am really replying for though is to mention its real easy to make coil-over springs by taking correct gauge wire and coiling it around a paintbrush handle or something cylindrical like that. perfect coil spring are easy to make, then just super glue them over your shocks or if you want it more detailed build some little shock perches for them to mount on.

if my experience is any guide, you will be taking more than one "shot" of working and priming to get those gone. just take your time and be patient because its important you dont end up flattening those curves in the fenders.

in general i read mags like model cars to a) learn about new products, to learn about whats in new products and c) to pick up tips and tricks and d) to see whats being put out at contests and shows. however, and dont take this the wrong way, i think your selection of cars to feature in your contest coverage has been sort of blaise, but it could just be me that would live just as well never seeing another 55-57 chevy, nascar or really a whole range of testosterone driven cars that interested me when i was 14 but not so much now that im 56. i would much prefer a concentration of the unusual, the foreign, tuners, and legendary hot rods/customs/lakes cars that havent been done and done and done over the years. i also like the "build a kit/car" sort of articles and i would REALLY like to see you tackle some of the old almost impossible to build models like the orange crate or even to recreate famous groundbreaking models of yesteryear. and historic articles on the hobby and kit issues through the years (the one place that other rag has you beat if you ask me). oh and tuners ARE the hot rods of today, love it or not. you totally shut out an entire range of enthusiasts by ignoring that segment, a segment that to me represents the current evolution of "car people" and in doing so sort of disrespect those exact people who will carry car culture into the future. kudos to you though for the minor concentration on tuners that you do commit to the movement. hence, using the latest issue as a guide, here are my favorite sections/articles/columns: whats new kit reviews collectors showcase (yeah i know its diecast but the guy features cars that appeal to me and im not adverse to the easy way out sometimes...this is sometimes the column i most look forward to) as for articles in the current issue i most enjoyed the photo booth building article, in connection with the photo how to article, but i really liked the sanford and son article (and that sort of research article in general) and in a perverse way the mustang panel truck one (though i would have zero interest in investing the time to build one, i do appreciate retro unusual concepts like this). the article on modifying die casts was of use and interest to me too. in fact perhaps the only feature i regularly dont spend too much time on is the trucker column but even that has some good tips or something of interest to me. actually that doesnt leave out much to tell the truth, the mag always gets a cover to cover read from me even if i am not terribly interested in a specific subject i usually find something of interest in any given article. i think it would be a shame to ditch the ask g and j column but i do think you two could sort of cut the beside the point chatter and concentrate more on answering or soliciting questions, or even just giving the most recent good tips youve received. i would miss the column if it were gone. and your sketchpad remains a major inspiration even if i rarely if ever actually attempt to build anything there. but i do like how you not only present a sketch but think about it enough to actually relate it to the real world, eg: what kits and parts would work to build a real realization of your designs. i do think getting more writers would be good and they would bring their own perspective and interests to the magazine. oh and ads. does anyone mention ads? to me in this context they are almost as interesting as the articles and columns themselves since you see what various vendors are planning for the near future. overall though i think you guys rock. or rule. or whatever. at least you still have "enthusiasm" which the competitors admitted to losing some time ago (and its hilarious in my opinion, or at least ironic). that enthusiasm and the targeting of enthusiasts is what continues to separate you from the other, increasingly thin, increasingly superficial, increasingly, well, less enthusiastic magazine that we all know and love so well. hope that helps. ps: i did notice you changed the name of the ask g and j section here and i wondered if that was the harbinger of something to come.

thats a pretty good idea, thanks for sharing. saves ruining the windshield when you overdo it.

it wont hurt and as i recall it will strip it in 12 hours or so. remember though, any bodywork is gonna be toast

and this whole thing is further complicated by that 1:1 "model" display thats been shown here and travels around to different car shows, evidently. good one, though my money is still on model for this one.

>"green & red" show wouldnt that be the "red green" show? great show, i loved that one. anyway i like that car too, pretty unique. if it makes you wonder "wtf" then to me its done its job

nice. i would think you could get a small article out of that research...

do you mean to tell me i am the only one convinced those are drawn in panel lines on the louvers ontop the fenders (to mention only one feature) , and rather shakily drawn panel lines at that? and the whole thing looks totally model like to me. but maybe somehow you folks can see the photos better than me. the window nets look very model like to me too, im just not real familiar with how "real" nets of that sort look, but those in the photo look unrealistically "chunky" to me. if thats a photo submitted for an auction, i bet either it is a photo of a model the owner of the car had commissioned that somehow got ran or the photo was submitted as a prank. sure dont look real to me.

pm me and i will send you one of the skulls

that sounds like a winner steve and i especially want to try some planking with the brass trim! thanks!

heres a way to make pretty good looking "knotholes" in plastic that is done up like wood grain: 1. take your dremel or 1/8" or so drill bit and just grind down into the plastic in one spot to make a divot. 2. using a sharpie, put black ink down into that divot. apply and let dry for a minute a few times, maybe even, with a fine point sharpie, make a "lagoon" sort of outline around the divot. 3. take a brush with some testors dullcote and working out from the divot that has been made black with sharpie, drag the brush with dullcoat on it outward from the divot. this should sort of smear the sharpie ink out of the divot, mixed with dullcoat. after doing this a couple times, take a larger flat brush and put a good amount of dullcoat on it and run it over it again. follow by drybrushing dullcoat and sharpie till it looks right. the manipulation of the sharpie ink mixing with the dullcoat will make a pretty realistic knot hole. if it gets too messy just sand it down a bit and then do the sharpie/dullcoat thing again. that brings me to how i simulate larger areas of wood and that is to build up some layers of different earth tones, brown, tan, even dark green, not being afraid of leaving brush marks, especially if they follow a lateral pattern. after that mess is dry i sand down through some layers while leaving other areas less sanded, then follow with the knotholes above, and finishing with an overall coat or two of dullcoat and then some dirt weathering. but if youre doing fine work like real woodgrain in interiors my method might be too crude to get the result you need.

to resize the photo go to to the file-save for web selection and at that point pick the "image size" tab and enter the pixel size you want for either height or width (they will change with each other as one or the other is typed in, to keep the proportions correct). then apply and save. i gave those instrux from memory so they may be slightly off but i think youll see the procedure.

i think it depends on the exact circumstance of the join area but i would (and do typically) "tack" weld it together with thick super glue, then once i am happy with the positioning and the super glue has dried enough to hold, go back and run some epoxy to really make it permanent. i would also think about making some connectors from sheet plastic bits before actually applying glue. but it all depends on a lot of variables like how close the body parts fit and how big the gaps are.

vw dave, thats exactly what i was going to add. i bought up a bunch of those hotwheels when they were around just for the skulls to use as shift knobs. it just so happens i was looking for a skull that size recently and i forgot about my stash of hotwheels ones, so i went to the lhs to see what they had. they had what were labeled "resin" skull knobs but they were obviously white metal. i bought a pack anyway and when i got home and started fiddling with one trying to clean it up, i remembered HEY i got some much better ones somewhere! when i found them sure enough: far better than the "resin" ones with a much better, more evil expression (like yours show so well) with only a bit of cleanup needed. though the plastic is kind of soft and hard to work, but not impossible. and the price sure was right: i think i paid 50 cents each for the hotwheels, and there are two skulls per car, whereas the aftermarket part was something like 5$ for two poorly formed skulls.

i usually just soap and warm water it afterward, but a dip in westlys bleach white wouldnt hurt, then a soap and water.

ditto on that advice. seems they changed the formula a few years back and its not nearly as universal as it used to be. it seems to have great effect on model master paint, and on krylon and other hardware store paints (enamals i would imagine), but it wont even touch tamiya, or if it does it takes a week. but you should be able to tell within 12 to 24 hours how well its going to work, and you might have to work at it with a toothbrush and then resubmerge it in the super clean for another session. the good news is that in my experience anyway, it doesnt seem to harm plastic, though it will take away body putty so any body work will be toast.

a fairly mint in box example of this kit recently, like within the past week or two, went for about 225$ it really is a cool kit. i especially like the wild dream but don tognotti was a local guy here and that was his early major claim to fame, the king t.

it looks so model-like, it has to be real. or a real model. unreal!

cool! you completely changed the character of those cars. i like them more now, more aggressive stances and overall look. i need to update or repair some older builds too, one of these days!

###### cool and great follow through; man if i got something as extensive as that done in the time you did, it would be a miracle. very cool build!

just finished dinner i see: careful with that 16 eugene! things are looking up if im fiddling around with a dumb shift knob!