StevenGuthmiller

Thanks Scott, but I prefer to keep it fresh with builds that I haven't shown at a particular show before. This year, I'll be bringing my latest '68 Coronet R/T build, along with maybe one or two old curbside builds, just so I can say I brought more than one. I'm thinking maybe my '58 Bonneville convertible, and possibly my '60 Buick Invicta. I'm still unsure. Steve

Thanks Bill. The cowl vents were just done by cutting out the holes and adding some wire mesh to the back side. Not the most realistic solution, but the original cowl definitely needed something. The Bonneville scripts were done in the same manner that I do all of my scripts. The "foil under paint" technique, which in short is the process of foiling the script before the final color coats, and then cleaning the paint from the surface of the script with thinner. Steve

I’ll be there, but the ‘67 Bonneville has been there before, so I doubt it will be making the trip. Steve

The console was modified by using the original kit console, and adding the 4 speed shift gate from the Revell '66 GTO kit. It turned out better than I thought it was going to. Steve

I posted photos of this build on this forum long ago, but was never happy with the pics. Got a chance to try again today, so I thought that some of you might like to see them. Steve

Whatever floats your boat as they say. I guess it's worth something to me to not have to beg, borrow or steal when searching for a paint color that I want to use. A pancake compressor, (which is a multi-use tool) a $100.00 airbrush, and between $7.00 and $10.00 for the exact color I want from MCW or Scale Finishes is well worth the price of admission in my opinion. But, to each his own. Steve

I don't think I've ever heard anyone call Tamiya the "cheapo route" before. Not exactly cheap in most cases. Steve

Yeah, it can vary quite a bit. my experience has been that the sheets that give me the smoothest finish are the sheets that have the least adhesion, and vice versa. Steve

Probably too much adhesive. I've had this same sort of issue with old sheets of BMF in the past. Steve

1964 Pontiac Bonneville convertible. Steve

Nope. Steve

Lacquer thinner. Been using lacquer thinner to clean my Badger airbrush for probably 25 years. Hasn't hurt it at all. Never replaced a single part. Works as it did when I bought it. Steve

I appreciate that Bill, but as is pretty much universal in this hobby, nobody is perfect. I still have my problems. But I've used many different materials and techniques over my 50+ years of building, so when I stumbled upon my current regimen, and have since been able to maintain a great deal of consistency with it, with a very low percentage of purple pond usage, I figure that there's no sense in reinventing the wheel. Just as everybody else would say, "this is what works for me". Steve

I can't say that I know too much about any of that. All that I know is that MCW lacquer shot right out of the jar, cleared with Duplicolor clear and polished, gives me great results. I can't remember the last time that I displayed one of my models at a show, or online for that matter, when I didn't get a dozen "how do you get such an authentic and shiny finish?" That's all that I need to hear to assure me that I'm doing something right. Steve

Putting it that way, no, I really haven't witnessed any such phenomenon. At least not to any significant degree. Steve

I agree with this as well. I generally only use Duplicolor paints when using solid colors, such as black, white or bright red. For all of my metallic paint jobs I use MCW, or Scale Finishes. Steve

I think you misunderstand his point Ace. I did at first. I believe he’s just stating that Duplicolor fan spray nozzles work better than small hobby cans for painting larger scale kits, but I don’t believe he’s insinuating that they aren’t great for smaller scale as well. There’s no question in my mind that Duplicolor nozzles are some of the best out there. Certainly miles ahead of Testors, and considerably better that Tamiya also. Steve

Exactly. Any of the Duplicolor lacquer primers will be very helpful if you need to strip the paint. I use mostly Duplicolor “Primer/Sealer” myself. Steve

I agree with this completely! Black is no more difficult than any other color in my opinion. It just shows flaws more readily. That's not the fault of the paint, but rather a prep issue. Steve

I'm not sure what you mean by "reducing down", but I use multiple thin coats, (as many as 5 or 6) and once it's cured and polished, I haven't noticed any changes over the years. Steve

You're going to get a hundred different answers for this question, but my two cents is that I would just Duplicolor from start to finish. Duplicolor primer, and "Perfect Match" Universal Black and clear, all in rattle cans, followed by some cutting and polishing, will yield a very fine black finish. Steve

I've only used it a couple of times and was not particularly fond of it. It seems to work okay, but I find I have better results just using the "perfect match" clear in the rattle cans. The Paint Shop clear seems to go on thicker, and I find that I like the control of the thinner coats that I seem to be able to achieve with the spray can, believe it or not. The Perfect Match clear generally requires some polishing to achieve a really nice finish, at least in my experience, which is okay with me as I always polish my paint anyway. Steve

Regardless of what you intend on using, be absolutely certain that the color coats are completely cured before spraying anything over it. With Testors enamel, that could take weeks! That said, I agree with Carl. Testors clear lacquer is completely benign and won't harm the enamel. Just use light coats. A little polishing in the end might be required as well, or at least beneficial. Steve

Yes, but even there it has been a pretty recent development. I don’t recall if they had a few Tamiya paints before or not, but their paint line has changed considerably in the past year or so since Testors hit the skids. They now carry a lot of Tamiya and Mr Hobby paints as well as some others, including some MCW enamels. Steve

Woof, woof. Steve