jbwelda

excellent and even better when you get to the detail! but it really doesn't need it in a way, its simple but nice jb

sometimes though, despite all your best efforts, one of the wheels just hangs up there in the air. i know because it happens on virtually all builds where i do not employ this technique. i will basically spend a lot of time with the otherwise finished model (permanently attaching the wheels almost dead last in the build process), gluing the wheels onto whatever they attach to, usually a stub axle of some sort. my basic technique usually is to get the model to sit flat on three wheels, eyeball engineering wise, and then if the fourth makes one of the other wheels lift off the ground, make the wheel hole of the still unattached wheel oblong with a file or dremel or something. then i use 5 minute epoxy (which i typically use on all four wheels because it gives you some time to align things) with the wheel in proper orientation to fasten it, and try to leave it in place for a few hours before disturbing it. so there is a little compromise there, but the model will sit with all four wheels on the ground and generally the difference is only about 1/16 or so, so you don't really notice it underneath. also as Art mentioned, a piece of glass is ideal, and i also use a metal magnetic jig thing that is flat for all practical purposes, and on that i have scored parallel and perpendicular lines lightly in the finish. jb

james, notice that you live in texas, and some folks here live in Michigan. while it might be necessary to let paint gas out for a couple weeks in Michigan, for example, it might only take a couple of days in texas. the off side is there is probably a lot more dust in texas than Michigan. jb

i would try lightening the tone of the darker one to see if you can get it somewhere between where it is now and the lighter shade one. looking great either way though. jb

super looking! i was going to ask about NNL too...gonna bring em? its pretty much the highlight of my day to check your builds in person! jb

this is going to be very interesting, especially since i have that kit on the shelf myself. i have always wanted to transplant engines on Japanese cars but haven't actually done one yet. keep us updated please! how are you going to cut open the hood or is that opening there going to be it? jb

um, buy it from whomever you said said they had in stock. and get an extra can. jb

jb

those chrome spears on the running boards are kool. the strip of chrome immediately in front of those spears should be rubber, not chrome metal. the weird little lip on the fenders you mention is actually upholstery beading that fits between the body and the fender and isolates it to cut down on rattles and make the bond waterproof. it is constructed of roughly 3/8" tubing surrounded by a stitched piece of naugahide or leather with a tail on it that is in between the body and fender, the covered tubing part constitutes the weird little lip. the part that looks out of place to me is the chrome running around the rear area behind the seats. jb

man what some people will do for a little attention! and i bet theres a little 1.6 VW air cooled engine in the trunk that provides the actual "go"! jb

sure is a kool looking ride. jb

>There's always some confusion about the SOHC and DOHC nomenclature. well yes now that i think about it, of course this makes sense. in an over head cam situation you of course have to have one cam or more per bank of cylinders, its only when the came is under the head/valves that it can be shared by banks of cylinders. duh. thanks for the explanation. made me think about it a bit jb

could i ask a question and pardon me if its already been mentioned in this thread but when you say: "a 27 liter SOHC engine (2 cams, one per cylinder bank)," you literally mean a twenty seven litre (like REALLY HUGE) engine? just wanted to make sure as that's pretty darn huge, like 1500 to 2000 cubic inches (offhand and undoubtedly way off calculation)? and this "SOHC" part...to me that has always meant single over head camshaft, but what you are describing sounds to me like a DOHC: dual over head camshaft. is this something unique to aeronautic nomenclature, the camshaft for one bank of cylinders defining the difference? jb

I put an unopened club racing version out on ebay last night for a reasonable opening bid (< 30$). so far today no watchers no bids and only 6 people have looked at it. so much for really really sought after. of course its still early but i would have expected at least some watchers by now. maybe it will heat up over the weekend jb

that's pretty unique, the rear view interior mirror mounted on the left side of the dashboard. how in the heck is that supposed to work? great and very inspiring job on the interior, and I am going to try that wheel alignment trick on my next build. I too hate when the wheels are not oriented properly jb

wow that was pretty darn exciting. I wonder how much it cost to shut down all those streets and freeways for the filming. jb

I would avoid anything Revell for starters. instead if you are interested in exotics, pick something from either Tamiya or Fujimi. much more likely to end up nice and Tamiya in particular is known for excellent fit and very accurate moldings. this will pretty much guarantee a positive experience for you and allow you to build your skills while still getting a nice sense of accomplishment from your first model. Tamiya and Fujimi kits should be available from amazon or you can check out www.hlj.com which is hobby link japan and a direct line to the best kits at reasonable prices. "reasonable" may vary though. one thing about Revell kits: they are relatively cheap. that might not be so for many Tamiya or Fujimi. jb

epoxy behind the panel: genius! jb

the problem with these sort of techniques is they generally end up looking like melted plastic that was pushed in with something (not another scale car). I have tried it a few times and my experiences were just that: not all that impressive looking. what I have read, and what I would like to try one of these days, is to get some thick aluminum foil, the really thick kind for oven broasting or something. then take a piece and form it over the fender to be dented, then cut off the fender away from the body, trim off the foil fender, being VERY careful to not bend it up too much and mount it onto the car. then take your finger or even the bumper from another car and ding it. it will look much more like metal than plastic. then I guess you paint it along with the rest of the body and then do some effects if you like. maybe you would want to paint it first and then dent it. might take some experimentation. personally that sounds kind of difficult to do without ruining the area, but I have seen it done and the results looked really great. I want to try it out one of these days on a not important build. jb

just like with that Ferrari post a couple weeks ago, now washed away in Noahs cleansing flood, in 10 years when your Corvettes look like this, you will be all gaga over them as the koolest thing since sliced bread. just watch. that is one hell of a lot of car for a hun and a half. jb

umm, its "Can Am" for that poster there. not being a spelling cop but probably should fix that. looks like a kool meet, I hope I can make it, and will at least post it around our local club in Sacramento. jb

I rarely have that problem but I rarely build American kits so maybe that's why. seems to me the American kits that I have used decals from, they weren't really affected by the stuff. I know the Cartograf decals I have used seemed to have loved it, especially if I also used a hair dryer and/or warm moist cloth to firm them down around corners and stuff. when everything dried up it was like they were painted on the surface of the body. but the key is: always test first before committing yourself to it on the actual piece. and it takes patience no matter what. jb

in other words: its more difficult than it looks. stupid putty shrinks with time and especially contact with the next coat of paint or primer, and come right back. very frustrating. like foxer says, sometimes you have to grind the problem deeper and then fill that, as backassward as that might sound. also the part about using a firm sanding block; don't know how long it took me to realize that's the problem with my prior technique, not using a firm block, even a coffee stick for close areas. jb

I think you did a great job on this, congratulations! right now you see and know all the little defects, but it certainly looks great in the photos. and I see where the front fender overhang comes from on another, more street rod version, that was posted here recently. it looks good and balanced in yours whereas if you shrunk the wheel diameter significantly it really starts to look odd from some angles. yours looks great and looks like the paint came out excellent too jb

thanks I remember I have that BRM. not bad little racers but I don't think they ever left the open magnet motor design for the Mabuchi can. jb