StevenGuthmiller

True, but the selection will be limited, and only modern colors, unless you know of a place that will custom mix a spray can of the color that you want as Noel mentioned, in which case, you will get way more than you need for one project, (which for me is not desirable. I rarely paint more than one model a particular color) and a can of custom mixed paint is going to cost a considerable amount. I've been conversing recently with a forum member who was having difficulties with "Paintscratch" paint. Not to say that they're not good paints, but he was having major issues with paint leveling and orange peel. Of course, I directed him to MCW and Scale Finishes. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Steve

I personally don't use Tamiya primer, but I see no reason why you shouldn't be able to use it if you prefer. I'm positive that there are a lot of guys that use it under automotive paints. I prefer Duplicolor, not only for economic reasons, but because I like the fan spray nozzles on the Duplicolor cans. Very easy to get light, even coats. I know a lot of people rave about the Tamiya nozzles, But I personally don't see it. Another advantage to Duplicolor primer over Tamiya is the ease of stripping lacquer paints should it become necessary. Tamiya primer is notoriously stubborn to remove in comparison. Should you need to strip a lacquer paint job applied over Duplicolor primer, a good soak in Super Clean for a couple of days will do the trick. The solution will seep under the paint and dissolve the primer, allowing the paint itself to come off in sheets. There are drawbacks to using Duplicolor primer however, the most important being that the primers, like the paints, are hotter than hobby lacquer primers. Therefore, caution is necessary to guard against crazing of the plastic. Numerous light coats are the key, becoming successively heavier as you proceed. Often times, I will shoot a base coat of Testors lacquer primer prior to the Duplicolor, just to add a little bit of a barrier. This seems to do the trick quite nicely. Steve

Very nice Tony! You got a lot of the stuff that I didn't! Steve

I'm no photographer, but I do enjoy snapping a few pics here and there, and even a blind squirrel finds a nut on occasion. Here's a few shots taken on a very recent trip that I thought turned out okay for a photographic illiterate such as myself. A smart phone camera can make even the most incompetent photographers among us look at least mildly adequate. Some of my favorite vacation shots from over the years. Steve

MCW and Scale Finishes both offer exceptional paints! There are a few differences, but they are both fantastic ready to spray lacquers. The main differences between the two that I have been able to see, are the size of the metallic particles in the paint. Scale Finishes' particles are a little larger, and for that reason, I prefer MCW. Very often, the particles in MCW paints are so fine, that it can be difficult to pick them out on the finished model, but they have the correct looking metallic sheen for a 1/25th scale factory stock model. MCW paints are "gloss lacquer", which in theory means that they can be finished without a clear coat, but I clear over it any way. Scale Finishes paints are either "lacquer basecoat" (which will require clear coats) or gloss enamel. I use the base coat colors because I greatly prefer working with lacquer paints, and I have heard others say that the enamels take forever to dry......if ever. Scale Finishes colors are more economical at $9.99 for 2 oz jars, while MCW will run you around $7.50 for 1 oz, depending on the colors. (some colors are more expensive) Although you stated that Scale Finishes colors appear to be more limited in variety, it's actually just the opposite. Scale Finishes carries nearly every color for a particular year and make, while MCW is a little more spotty, which is why Scale Finishes is my go-to when I absolutely must have a particular unusual color. Regardless of which lacquer you choose, (I know very little about Scale Finishes enamels) you will want to treat them as any other automotive type lacquer paint. A good lacquer primer, (and plenty of it) and preferably a good clear of your choice, is the rule of thumb. In short, you can't really go wrong with either of these brands! They are both really a joy to work with! This MPC '67 Bonneville was painted with MCW #6701 "Royal Plum" metallic. This AMT '64 Pontiac Grand Prix was painted with Scale Finishes, code N "Sunfire Red" metallic. Steve

Yes, the X-EL Fury is a direct copy of the Johan '59 Fury kit/promo in styrene. It's a little easier to find than the Johan kit, and will undoubtedly be better than the acetate promo, but it did not come with an interior. You're only option for finding an interior is an original Johan. Modelhaus cast the interior in resin, but that's no longer an option. I think you'll be disappointed if you try to convert a '58 body into a '59. The only sheet metal they shared was the top and doors. Front and rear quarters were entirely different, not to mention all of the trim, grille, bumpers and tail lights that you would have to recreate. This is my X-EL '59 with the Modelhaus interior. Steve

The lower windshield molding on the drivers side has already been re-scribed, and the passengers side has not yet been done. That probably explains the difference that you’re seeing. Steve

I was thinking about possibly a half smoked stogie. ? Ether that or I could fill it up with change for the non-smokers. ? Steve

I believe power windows were an option. This model will depict a relatively bare bones console delete, 4 speed car, so cranks make more sense to me. Steve

Thanks guys. I've got one front seat to finish up, a steering wheel to basically scratch build, and the interior should be about done. That is except for making some arm rests, and making or robbing some window cranks, pedals, shifter, etc. Once the interior is done, I'll have the most difficult portion finished and I can move on to more body mods, and then begin concentrating on chassis and engine stuff. Summer puts a real damper on bench time, so updates might be a little slow in coming. Steve

It is, but they are doing all automotive contest editions. Indication is that their next contest issue will contain 12 pages from the NNL North show alone! Steve

Which brings us to my current position. The top boot from the Monogram '59 Impala fits quite well in this instance, but I did want to add a little bit of material in a few places to make it look better, and to make it slip into place, and remain in place better. Steve

Thanks guys. Of course, the dashboard is not to be ignored. I started by first removing the Bonneville badge and then grinding out the fluted dash molding and fashioning a piece of rocker panel molding from a Revell '67 Chevelle to fill it's place. Then I removed the better defined gauge pods from an AMT '65 2+2 kit to replace the originals. A tail light bezel from the Revell '68 Charger will do nicely to replicate a dash mounted tach, and a set of new dash knobs made from plastic rod will help to make detailing the dash more precise. I was originally going to upgrade the lower dash to console molding, but being as this will be a console delete 4 speed car, I decided to add ash tray detail in it's place. Finally, a steering column collar and new ignition switch were added to the lower dash, and the defroster vents opened. Panel lines and trim was also scribed deeper for better definition. Steve

I would think it should. That's why I bought it. But I have yet to try it. Steve

Yes, it is. Steve

The front seats needed attention in my opinion as well, so the first task was to cut the front "skirt" from the seat, angle it back, and re-install it. Some sanding and shaping, and the ugly seat bases will look much improved. The seats were then re-scribed all over to enhance details, and seat "buttons" added. Next, the pleated portion of the backs were removed and replaced, along with some piping added. Steve

Next, I began some work on the rear seat area. A rear shelf was taken from a Monogram '59 Impala, and then the rear seat needed to be widened just slightly to fit into the newly shaped space. the "cheesy" looking rear seat speaker was also removed for replacement, and I began adding some seat "buttons". The new rear seat speaker was fashioned from a speaker taken from the Monogram '59 Impala, the center was ground out and replaced with some PE grille. A strip of aluminum and short pieces of wire were then installed to try to replicate a '64 Bonny speaker grille as closely as possible. Steve

Steve

As has become "standard operating procedure" with me, I'm not able to leave a interior alone, and in this case, the interior will be readily viewable, so it's even more on my radar. The first thing on the list was to blow apart the original interior so that I can use some of the original parts on the Ventura floor plate. Then I dove into the door panels. I decided that, much like my last '68 Coronet project, I would scratch together at least a portion of the panels by grinding out and replacing the fluted portion of the panel so that it would be easier to replace items such as arm rests and window cranks. Likewise, I re-scribed and reshaped the pleated portion and replaced all of the trim and the piping around the perimeter of the fluted portion. Some added material at the front kick panel area and the rear seat area, and a little bit of top mechanism well detail, and the door panels are nearly done. Steve

Nothing like this on the GP, but I’m unsure of the hardtop. My guess is that the hard top might be the same, but we would need verification from someone who has one. I had a hard top at one point, but have since traded it. Steve

Next I began adding a few extra bits under the hood, which included the top portion of the firewall as well as the inner fender "lip" for the hood to rest on. I also began the engineering required to get the radiator bulkhead and radiator to sit where they needed to be, by grafting in the top of the bulkhead to the body. Steve

It became apparent to me at some point while looking over the body, that AMT made a goof on the '64 Bonneville kits. At least that's my assumption, although I don't have anything to compare it to. But on my example at least, it had become obvious that the hood corners were not symmetrical, and neither was the cowl The hood is longer in the rear corner on the driver's side than on the passenger's side, and as a consequence, the cowl thicker on the passenger's side as well. This anomaly might have been missed if it were not for the fact that I began adding some panel lines throughout the body, and it became obvious very quickly that there was a variation in the thickness of the cowl in said corner. So I went to work trimming back the cowl and adding material to the back of the hood to try to even it out. It's looking better, but I may try a little refinement at a later date. Steve

Next, some refining and fitting of the up top, as well as the addition of the boot snap trim was required. At the same time, I decided to add a little detail that kind of grabbed me on a few 1:1 examples that I had seen online, that being a molding around the fuel door. I think it will add a little extra interest. Steve

My first order of business was to find a suitable donor for all of the innards for this build. On my previous '64 Grand Prix project, I used the AMT '62 Catalina for most of the guts, but being as I have a couple of spare Moebius '61 Ventura kits, this time I'll give one of them a roll. The first task was to stretch the chassis slightly as the Ventura and Catalina sat on a shorter wheel base than the Bonneville. I decided to make this modification to the frame and floor plate just behind the front wheels. I wasn't sure whether to place the splices there, or somewhere in the rear of the chassis, but this seemed to make the most sense because although the bulk of the length difference appears to be in the rear quarters ahead of the rear wheels, this modification was easier, and would actually afford me a little extra room in the engine compartment between the back of the engine and the firewall, which seems to be a perpetual "bone of contention" for me. Not only that, but moving the entire front half of the frame forward would have either required moving the firewall even farther forward, (it's almost too far forward already) or making even more modifications to move it back. I think this will work the best. Steve

Well, I decided that it's about time to start another build thread, so for the past few months, I've been toiling on another full detail, "kit bashed" project. This time an old AMT 1964 Pontiac Bonneville convertible annual. I started a considerable time ago by removing mold lines, drilling out the molded in head lights and having the bumpers, grille halves and wheel covers re-plated. The model will have optional up top, (from a '62 Buick annual) and top boot for display options, and at this point, the color will be correct "P" code "Aquamarine" from MCW. I have already made some progress on this project, so I will post the progress in a series of posts rather than just one. Steve