StevenGuthmiller

That is probably the best strategy for anybody who is on any sort of budget and doesn't want to get into one of those "bidding wars" that some people fret about. As I've stated before in other threads, you can only become involved in "bidding wars" if you are a willing participant. This is the way that I always operate when bidding on ebay. Decide on the highest price that I'm willing to pay, place that bid and walk away. Simple as that. Steve

Most likely AMT 1961, possibly '62 Ford. Could be '61-'62 Mercury too. Steve

White is a really tough color to do this with. The transparency of the white plastic can become pretty apparent if not painted, especially if it gets any back light whatsoever. I discovered this when I decided not to paint the interior parts on a '66 Chrysler 300. Under most circumstances it looks fine. But if the light hits it right, it's obvious that it's unpainted plastic. Steve

I think the fact that the auction ended in the middle of the day on a Tuesday could have really held the price back. I have learned over time that the best chance of getting a pretty good deal on ebay is to watch for auctions that do not end on a weekend. This theory has held true for me more often than not. $200.00 for this particular kit is not really out of line. Steve

That's about the best synopses I've heard on the subject so far. I concur. Steve

Duplicolor clear straight from the can for me as well. Easy to apply, readily available, and durable. Good enough for me. Steve

As Robert stated, there's really no way to remove the glue as it's purpose is to melt the plastic together. That being said, if it's not a total loss glue bomb, glue damage can be repaired in some circumstances. Steve

That is the biggest factor when deciding whether or not to paint. If there are no swirl marks, the mold lines can be removed and the plastic can be polished just like paint. The only one that I have done this way in the past 30 years is a particularly nice Johan '61 Plymouth Fury. Steve

Sorry, but that's just creepy! Parents are going to have to leave their kids at home or they'll have nightmares! Steve

Unfortunately, I have heard the same thing about alcohol from some. That's why I use it on a very limited basis. Steve

If I decide to try it, we'll put it through the paces. My paint jobs usually consist of as many as 13 or 14 coats of automotive primer, lacquer and clear! Steve

I will have to put your recommended solution to the test sometime. I have tried virtually every main stream paint remover available at one point or another, except ELO, and settled on Super Clean as the easiest and most effective stripper to date. I suppose that I never suspected that a Testors product would ever be "the best" at anything! Steve

Last night it was "Ginger Pepper Steak". Steve

Now that you mention it, I believe that I have heard from other UK members that Super Clean is not available there. In that case, you might be limited to trying either alcohol or brake fluid. Easy Off oven cleaner might be another option to try if it is available. My guess is that the Super Clean "car cleaner" that you referenced is a watered down version of the full power stuff that we get here, so it will likely have little effect. Other less effective brands of de-greaser such as Purple Power or Simple Green might be available to you, but sadly, they are no where near as effective as Super Clean either. I have heard that some guys swear by a product called "Testors ELO" paint remover as well, but I have no experience with it myself. Steve

It was not really a mystery to me. I could tell just from the shape of the top of the rear fender that it was a '64 Cutlass. It's a real shame! Steve

The first thing that I saw were the peoples faces. If they were just black silhouettes, it would have been different. Steve

I became a little dismayed when I spotted what I believe to be a very rare AMT 1964 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a melted front end and caved in top in this photo!!! Steve

Morgan Automotive Detail, (M.A.D) makes very possibly the best pre-wired distributors in the hobby! Steve

Well, one of my thoughts was to try using Windex instead of water on the glass to guard against beading. That didn't work either. It destroyed the adhesive on the transfer. So, it was back to the basics and just apply it as per the instructions, with water, and it looks quite nice. Steve

Generally, in order for a marinade to add flavor it needs to be made with very flavorful ingredients. Vodka, if it's good vodka, has literally no flavor. Usually more flavorful alcoholic beverages will inject more flavor. Wine, bourbon, beer, tequila, etc. Your best bet would be to dump all of your ingredients into a food processor or blender to get the flavors to meld. My suggestion, if you want a very flavorful marinade for chicken, using the flavors that you mention above, dump some garlic, lime juice and the zest from the lime peel, olive oil, jalapenos, honey, salt, pepper, alcohol of choice and maybe some herbs, (in this case cilantro sounds like a perfect fit) into a blender and blend it into a paste. Being as this combination sounds very Mexican, I would use beer or tequila as my alcohol, and maybe even a little white wine to boot. But you don't need a lot of alcohol. A little will do the job. Something a little more interesting that might get people guessing would be to omit the honey and try a little Kahlua for your alcohol. It will add sweetness and you might be surprised how great coffee is as a meat flavoring ingredient. Steve

Hi everyone. I know there have been a couple of guys interested in this product, and I just gave it my first try and thought you might like to know how it went. Basically, these are "dry transfers". The individual strips need to be cut from the sheet with a sharp Exacto blade and lifted with a tweezers. Don't try to use these using your fingers. The adhesive is so strong that it would be nearly impossible to manipulate them with your fingers. The instructions call for spraying the glass with water to facilitate positioning. Well, as you can imagine, this is difficult as the water has a tendency to bead up on the bare clear plastic. You just need to do the best that you can. The fact that the vinyl is very thin and the adhesive very strong can make positioning quite difficult, but luckily, it can be lifted and moved multiple times without degrading the adhesive. Once in place, it's easily burnished down with a Q-tip and trimmed with an Exacto blade The results are actually very good! I will offer one warning. I generally like to add a light overall tint to the entire glass with Testors #2949 "Transparent Black Window Tint" before adding the tint across the top of the glass. This didn't work because repositioning the decal pulled the window tint from the glass. Then I tried to apply the window tint after the decal. I had no luck with this technique either as the tint pooled slightly in a thin line at the edge of the decal leaving a dark line at the bottom. I have a couple of more ideas that I will try later to see if things work a little better and will post photos of the finished product when I have perfected it. But at this point, the product looks very promising. Steve

You can shoot Testors clear lacquers over virtually anything, including enamel. I do it all of the time for interior, chassis and engine parts. Testors enamel thinned with lacquer thinner and cleared with Testors #1261 lacquer gloss coat. All Testors lacquer clear coats are interchangeable. Steve

Understandable. I just thought that it was key information needed to answer your original question and I had missed your unedited post. Good luck! Steve

It would be nearly impossible to answer a "value" question without knowing what the items are. Are they readily available modern kits, or are they very rare vintage kits? That question alone could make the difference between a couple of "Jackson's" and a few "Franklin's". Steve

I'm not sure about that Wayne. I haven't really been following availability for the past couple of years as I have most of these kits now, but back when I was still hunting, the Johan '65-'66 Chryslers came up more often than the '65 Fury kit. I'll agree that the Chryslers do go for big money when they pop up in pristine condition, but I still think the '65 Fury is more difficult to find. I have nothing scientific to back that up of course. Just my perception. Steve