StevenGuthmiller

Believe it or not, there is a method to my madness for all of it. It's not that enjoy painting that much! Steve

The stripes were painted on using black primer. No decals. Steve

Exceptionally well done Steve! Extremely clean!! Steve

Yes sir. Here's the break down on this particular build. 1 coat of Testors lacquer primer 4 coats of Duplicolor "primer sealer" 1 coat of Duplicolor "Desert Sand Mica" 3 coats of Scale Finishes "Cinnamon Bronze" 5 coats of Duplicolor "Protective Clear Coat Finish" Steve

Absolutely! The warmer it is, the better. Steve

OReilly's carries it. I buy mine there. Get the gallon jug, not the spray bottle. My understanding is the stuff in the spray bottle has been diluted. Steve

Oooo......that's a mouthful! Steve

Yup, the bottom kit depicts the series that I was referring to. Steve

My thought was that the styling on the Taurus and the fore mentioned Faberge egg are very similar! Steve

I can't speak for the LA's stuff, but Super Clean will take it off in a couple of days as long as there is prime under it. I guess there are really no definitive answers to this question as there are a lot of variables depending on how the model was finished, but in general, as long as you use a "powerful" degreaser, like Super Clean, and not one of the cheap knock offs, you should get good results in 2 or 3 days. Be aware that these solutions will not touch the lacquer at all. They work by dissolving the primer underneath allowing the paint to loosen and come off in sheets. If you painted the inside of the body as well as the outside, it would be beneficial to put a few scratches in the paint down to the primer to allow the solution to penetrate into the primer. If the inside of the body is unpainted, it's unnecessary. The degreaser will work it's way from the inside to the outside. I use Super Clean almost exclusively for this job, and it always works for me, even with using as many as 14 coats of primer, lacquer and clear. Steve

I believe the "poly" head engine is in correctness called a "polyspherical" design, or a "semi-hemi". So you were not entirely incorrect in your assessment Charlie. Steve

The engine actually appears to be the "Red Ram" 270 V-8 "Poly" head engine. The "Super Red Ram" was the actual Hemi I believe. Steve

I have the '32 Chrysler Imperial roadster and the '28 Lincoln Touring, both from the "Connoisseur Classics" series, not the "Gangbusters" series, but I'm pretty certain that they still have all of the gangster stuff in the kits. Steve

Not likely. Neither of them would be able to operate a Duesenberg, or know what the hell to do with a Faberge egg. Steve

You're right. It's not about value. It's just common sense in a circumstance like this. I have a 25 year old son and a 30 year old daughter. Neither of them are into cars in any way, shape or form. But I know without a doubt which they would choose if given this choice for equal money. It's not even a fair fight.

There are a ton of different products that will remove chrome very quickly. One of the degreasers like Super Clean, Purple Power or Simple Green, or Wesley's Bleche White, or Easy Off oven cleaner to name a few. Steve

Sounds a little like my wife! Steve

Does the virus seep up through the crust of the earth to infect our feet now? Steve

W-30 was a performance package. The most obvious difference was the ram air induction system. This is the '68 442 W-30 that I'm currently working on. The dual snorkel air cleaner and large cold air induction ducts are a dead give away. Steve

Thanks so much John and Steve!! There was one more item that I felt needed addressing before I finished the final assembly phase of this project. The front bumper/grille of the '68 and '69 Olds 442s differ slightly, and as a number of the parts for this build came from the MPC '69 kit, the area between the back of the grille and the front of the radiator brace panel leave a portion of that area appearing unfinished. I decided that a pair of scratch made panels too fill that area would make it look better. I also finished the detailing on the underside of the hood. Next will be a quick polish, and then the finishing touches can be added to complete the model. Steve

I was going to say that you could send it to me, but then I realized that I would probably wind up in the same predicament as you! Understandably, it's a very rare kit, but I can think of a lot of other things that I would rather have. Steve

You absolutely cannot beat Joseph Osborne's offerings!!!!(Fireball Modelworks) I used a set of his Carter AFB 750s on a '65 Fury build, and a Rochester Quadrajet on my current '68 Olds. Fantastic stuff! Steve

I agree with Snake 100%. Try gently prying them loose first. Often times these kits were assembled by just pressing the pins in without glue and they will pry out relatively easily. If it becomes evident that they have been glued, grinding off the heads with a Dremel with a reamer bit is the way to go. Once the heads are removed and all of the other parts disassembled, you can re-drill the screw posts if you have plans on using a pin assembly system. Personally, I rarely re-use the posts or pins and invariably almost always remove the front screw posts altogether from the body. They're a real eyesore and in almost ever case, the front bumper can be re-attached by other means. By the way, what model is it? Steve

My grail kits kind of evolve as time goes on, but one that I never thought that I would likely ever find, is the one about to emerge from my bench very soon. The Johan 1968 Oldsmobile 442. This is a kit that I almost never see anywhere, and never really thought that I would be able to find, or afford, in restorable condition, but thanks to a trade with fellow forum member, Claes Ericsson, I now have one that will grace my finished build collection very soon! Steve

I have a 2005 Honda S-2000. Getting in and out of it is likely to be the biggest issue as time progresses! Steve