StevenGuthmiller

That's one nice poncho Keith! Very nice job!! Steve

Terrific looking model Roger!! Steve

Looks terrific Bill! Very nicely done! Steve

I was hoping that I was wrong. I'm always on the hunt for up tops. Steve

Could very well be the individual that I picked it up from. Steve

I don't believe that the Lindberg '61 has an up top. At least mine doesn't. Later issue maybe?

I do need to ask how you did your vinyl top. It's very convincing and nicely done! Steve

Pretty nice haul Keith! I won't ask what you had to give up for all of that. But the '61 Ford truck and the '68 Coronet are pretty sweet! I'm pretty certain that following my '64 Grand Prix build, a '68 Coronet R/T hard top will be my next project. Haven't done a Hemi in a long time, so I'm thinking the Coronet will get one, if I can find a good set of "HEMI" PE badges for the quarter panels. Steve

That might work better, although I cannot say how well. As you can see from this jar of Scale Finishes metallic paint that I used not more than an hour ago, the pigment and metallic particles have begun to settle out very quickly. In this photo, you can see how much of that settling has already begun to take place. In a couple of hours, almost all of the metallic and pigment will have settled to the bottom, leaving an almost clear yellow liquid at the top. This photo shows how much of the metallic has settled to the very bottom, looking almost totally silver. If you poured off the top portion at this point and tried spraying that, I'm thinking that you would leave far too much of the solids behind resulting in very poor coverage. Steve

Final color coats were applied today, as well as finishing the scripts. At this point, no splotches or stripes are evident in the paint, but then again, I hadn't noticed any in the first attempt either. The true test will come with the completion of the first clear coat, which will hopefully take place this evening. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! Steve

That will likely not work. Generally, the metallic particles will sink to the bottom of the can. If you spray without shaking, you will get basically nothing but metallic as the can draws from the bottom as it sprays. Likewise, the pigments separate out from the paint and settle to the bottom as well. If you spray without shaking the can, it's pretty certain that you will just wind up with a mess. Steve

MCW has some of the best metallic particle sizes in their paint on the market. If they have the color that you are looking for, you will not be disappointed. Just as an example, I painted this 1958 Chevy Impala some years ago with MCW metallic "Cay Coral". The metallic particles are nearly imperceptible with the naked eye, but it has the metallic sheen that an object of this size should have to look in scale. Beautiful stuff, and I would use MCW paints over Scale Finishes all of the time if MCW always carried the color that I was looking for. Steve

That might be a little of a stretch. That's a little like saying that guys that build rat rods and junkers do it because they don't know how to paint. People have different interests and priorities. That doesn't necessarily equate with a lack of an artistic touch. I admire some of these back drops. They are very interesting. I don't avoid making one because I'm afraid of it. It's just something I'm not particularly interested in doing. Steve

I confess, I like the look of a background. I can just never justify the time to make one. Maybe one of these days, I'll pull out the old 90 minute quick set drywall mud that I worked with for 30 years and try to whip something up. Steve

Also sound advice. I will also add to be certain to "allow" for the thickness of the paint as well. There can be many instances where a couple of coats of paint can assure that parts will not fit properly. I can't count how many times I've seen a very nicely done model that the hood will not close tight on, because the hood fit perfectly before paint, but after a few coats of primer, paint and clear. it will not seat as it should. It's pretty hard to fix that after the fact. Steve

I use Testors flat white enamel myself. It covers better and dries faster than gloss white, and you can change the finish to gloss very easily with a coat or two of testors clear gloss lacquer. I buy virtually zero gloss jar paints. I don't like how it performs. Steve

I'm liking it!! Since finishing my '68 W-30, I have really developed a soft spot for the '68. Steve

Agreed. The adhesive on the gold foil is pretty weak compared to the regular chrome foil. Likewise, it's thicker than the regular, more in line with the "Ultra Bright", so it's not as easy to work with. And be warned, the gold foil is not gold all of the way through. It's just a finish applied to the top of the foil. So stay away from it with any solvents or polishing equipment or compounds after it has been applied. By the way, your project makes me want to build another '57 Chevy! Stellar work! Steve

Thanks guys! The Scale Finishes order arrived today. Another bottle of Sunfire Red, and a little bottle of Pontiac blue enamel for the engine. Should be back on track now. Steve

I usually detest modern aftermarket wheels! Those aren't half bad. Nice job! Steve

Precisely. I'm fairly certain that I could build a NASCAR kit with reasonable proficiency, but with zero interest, I would probably enjoy it about as much as I would mowing my lawn. Steve

This is an excellent point that I failed to point out as well! Often we think of a model as nothing more than a collection of parts to create a whole, but if we follow this advice and think of each part, or at least each assembly, as a separate model in itself, the end result of the project will inevitably be better. If your engine is not executed well enough to be displayed by itself, it will not display well under the hood either. A very good bit of advice Noel! Steve

Thanks Ron! I think this would be another kit that would be fun to do a full chassis and engine swap with. The stumbling block will be a finding a chassis to fit. I suspect that it would require a chassis stretch from possibly a '65-'67 Impala? Not sure at this point. Steve

This is a very thought provoking thread. My perspective is that "modeling", first and foremost, has to be a passion in order for an individual to reach his or her own personal pinnacle. In this respect, I disagree with Pete. Passion promotes drive. I'm curious about space travel, but that doesn't mean that I want to do it. Regardless of the word we use, whether or not a "pinnacle" can ever be actually reached is probably a moot point. The hobby is a continual life long learning experience, as most things are. Every individual has lengths that they are willing or able to go to, and I guess in that respect, there are parameters that one will set for himself that will dictate the extent to which he will go. For example, I see individuals who will mill entire engines from aluminum, or build frames from brass stock. Very admirable skills, but I know that these are things that I will never do, so I put them out of my mind. But for most things, I try to open my mind and absorb techniques that I see as things that I might try to utilize at some point. There are almost no techniques that I use that I have "invented" myself. Virtually every advancement that I have made in this hobby has been learned from other individuals. It's for this reason that I always keep my eyes and my mind open to new ideas. All too often, we can get "stagnated" in our thinking and are not willing to try a new technique or material, and if we really want to advance, sometimes we have to take the time to learn, and refrain from taking the short cuts. I often see individuals looking for "easy" ways to do this, that or the other thing, and I really think that this is the wrong attitude for advancement. As an example, I increasingly see individuals looking for a solution to finishing chrome trim because "foil is too hard". As with anything in life, we do not emerge from the womb with the ability to complete complex tasks. It may take some time and practice. But if you are not willing to put forth the effort to learn advanced techniques, or use the best materials provided to us, you will not advance to where you wish to be, at least if you're really serious about reaching that pinnacle. I guess my only suggestion would be to watch, listen and learn. It's up to you how far you take it. In the end, you don't have to build the best model in the world, just the best model that you are capable of at the time. Steve

In my case, it has nothing to do with "how many cars are in my display case". I build model cars because I have a passion for cars. For me it's not about passing time. I can go fishing to pass the time. I suppose I could build a car in a week as well if I were just going to assemble what's in the box, but as you stated, a large part of the fun is scratch building and figuring out how to do it. I just feel that effort, and my limited modeling time, is better directed at what I really enjoy doing. As is often the case, modelers find themselves in slumps because they take on projects that they are not particularly interested in. I rarely find myself in a slump because I am always looking forward to the next four wheeled project. Making a background, at least for me, would be a task that I would only undertake for the end result. There would be little enjoyment of the journey for me. Steve