StevenGuthmiller

Yet you will still find the Pinto on nearly every "worst car ever built" list. Steve

The Vega was probably completely rusted out by then! Steve

The only ones that I ever thought were an attractive car were the Vega's. A lot like a baby Camaro. A friend of mine had a Vega exactly like this GT right after high school. Unfortunately, like most cars from that era, they were monumental turds! Steve

I bought my first air brush many years ago for one reason, and one reason only..........color availability! I was really getting tired of having to decide between a couple of dozen colors that someone else decided to put in a can. One of my biggest joys in this hobby is being able to go to a site like "auto paint reference", look at all of the colors available for a particular make and year of car, and then take a quick skip over to a place like Scale Finishes and know that I will be able to order the exact color that I have decided upon. For a fanatical factory stock builder like myself, accurate factory colors are a must, and with the help of these aftermarket providers, I no longer have to rely on either "close enough", or choose a different color. Steve

I understand your sentiment Leroy. Just had to defend some of my most beloved after market providers. I think of it along the same lines as some of the individuals who provide chroming services. Some guys are perfectly happy with using alternatives like Spaz-Stix or Molotow for their chroming needs. I feel that there is no substitute for real chrome. As I nervously sit and watch these services slowly disappear, I fear that many of these cottage industries will go away in the not too distant future unless the dwindling population of modelers uses their services. The hobby would absolutely be poorer without them. I really can't see myself continuing to build without some of these, what I consider essential providers. The same argument could be used for some of the other aftermarket providers like Modelhaus. What a huge loss that was! Steve

Thanks Keith. Each successive clear coat seemed to add more and more richness to the color as I went. Just finished one of the unmistakable markers of a W-30 Olds. Steve

Yeah, but they're the only game in town if you want "scale" looking paint and don't want to be limited to the colors that "someone else" decides to put into a spray can. Or I suppose that you could go through the mess, expense and head ache of trying to mix it yourself. Besides, a 2 oz. jar of Scale finishes paint costs $9.99. If you do it right, there is more than enough paint in a jar to do 2, or possibly 3 builds. Personally, I'll probably never do more than one build in a particular color anyway, so an ounce is probably enough for me. But regardless, 1/3rd of a bottle would be $3.33 worth of paint for one project. That's not out of line in my opinion. Especially when it is such a pleasure to work with! I hope that Scale Finishes and MCW are making HUGE profits! I want them to be around for a while! Steve

I agree completely! The "On the Bench" section can be your best friend! Steve

Bad rap aside for this type of thread, it's the perfect place to pick up tips. Steve

Kind of like that one random "wild hair" stuck on the windshield that is in every photo because you can't see it with the naked eye! Steve

Thanks so much guys!! The clear coats are finished and everything is unmasked. I will let it cure for a couple of days and hopefully finish the vinyl top over the weekend. Steve

That's the attitude!! Steve

You shouldn't have to weigh and scrutinize everything you want to discuss Leroy. There is absolutely no possible way to predict whether or not someone is going to get weird on you. Post what you want to post and let them sort it out. As a general rule, most of the people here are like you. They want to have discussions about what their interests are and possibly glean a little information along the way. There is always the possibility that someone is going to throw a wrench into the works, but it's not your responsibility to worry about that. If your lucky, you'll piss off some of the people that you don't want to deal with to the point where they will no longer post on your threads. Worked for me! Steve

You have to understand Leroy, that "every" discussion on this board can become contentious. That shouldn't stop you from posting whatever subjects you like. There are always going to be people who will denigrate a discussion as illegitimate. Just because some don't like it, doesn't mean it is. Steve

Ooooo!! That's where I draw the line! I have a 12 year old cat that has the run of the house. She sleeps on our bed with us at night and she is permitted on virtually every piece of furniture in the house. There are three places where she is not allowed! My wife will not tolerate her on the kitchen counter, or dining room table, although we occasionally hear her jump down from one of the two while we are down stairs in the family room. The third taboo is my hobby room! She is not allowed under any circumstances, and she knows it! I can sit in my shop and work for hours on end with the door wide open and she will lay outside the door looking in, but she will not enter. She knows which side her bread is buttered on. When I'm absent from the room, the door remains closed! Steve

Very, very nice!! Steve

I missed the humble pie, but I did see a recent example of the pot calling the kettle black. Steve

Thanks so much guys!! Yesterday I shot a coat of clear over the body. Today, I foiled and detail painted the body badges, followed by another coat of clear. A likely 3 more coats of clear will follow. I think the clear really enriches the color! I also showed the interior a little love by getting a start on some foil. Tonight, along with another clear coat, I want to try to prime the chassis plate and then hopefully get the front fender wells painted red. Steve

Point taken and accepted. I guess I was mainly thinking in the context that the vast majority of builds that I see are trying to depict stock or at least "stockish" vehicles. Even the overwhelming majority of custom vehicles have paint that does not have extraordinarily large flakes in the finish. On the contrary, a large portion of customs today are finished in pearl paints, and the like, where metal flakes are nearly imperceptible, even on the 1:1 vehicles. Steve

I guess that I should clarify that these are not so much "pet peeves" about anyone else's builds, but more so things that I can't abide on my own. I see fantastic builds all of the time that I may have done a few things differently on, even some of my own, but there are certain items that are just prerequisites at this point in my modeling career. Another one that I can't do any more is not eliminating the front screw posts on annual style kits with screw on chassis. Nothing kills a beautifully detailed engine compartment like a couple of enormous round pegs stuck to the radiator brace! Steve

Precisely. When I was between the ages of 5 and 14 or so, there was nothing else to do in the small town that I lived in except ride our bikes to the swimming pool, play with Match Box cars in the back yard, or build models. Steve

Yes, but who's eye? Steve

I'm not certain what you mean by "subjective" in this case. The goal in model building is to achieve an end result that is as realistic as possible. Just as a seam in a radiator is not realistic, neither is paint with metallic in it that would be the size of dimes if brought up to 1:1 scale, and it is the absolute first thing that you see when viewing a build. Unless you're trying to build a gasser with a crazy metal flake paint job, paint, like ever other aspect of the model, should be as close to the real thing as possible. Steve

Yeah, I'm not sure why it would be difficult to believe that kids would start building at the age of five. Back when I was a kid, it was just one of the things that you did, and there were models everywhere. Dime stores, grocery stores, gas stations, etc. It's only natural that something that prevalent would appeal to a kid. All of my friends built models in one form or another. I didn't start quite as early as five, but I know that I was no older than eight years old when I started. Steve

The only reason that I mention Testors Lacquers is because it is easy to find, (at least I believe it still is) and easy to work with. Personally, I use either Scale Finishes, or MCW, but if you're not afraid to work with automotive lacquers, Duplicolor is a very good choice in this instance. They carry Wimbledon White and several different bright reds in a lot of auto parts stores. Another good choice for the white in Duplicolor is GM "Dover/Arctic White". It's a little less cream colored than Wimbledon White, but not stark white either. Steve