StevenGuthmiller

Correct. I was mistaken. Steve

That’s what I was getting at. There’s not enough interest to justify the investment. Steve

In the end, it all comes down to popularity and salability. It makes sense that there were so many 4 door kits and promos available in the late 50s and early 60s at the dawn of the model car, and then gradually went away in favor of 2 door models. Apparently they likely didn't sell all that well in comparison to 2 door hard tops and convertibles. If they were truly competitive, they would probably still be producing more of them. In short, nobody really wants them. Steve

Revell also did a few early '60s 4 doors. The '62 Plymouth and '62 Chrysler Imperial come to mind. Steve

Johan did a lot of 4 door kits and promos back in the late 50s and early 60s. As a matter of fact, all of their Oldsmobile models between 1957 and 1962, (with the exception of the ‘60 coupe) were all 4 doors. Similarly for Johan Cadillacs from 1958-1962. There were also a number of Johan 4 door Plymouth, Dodge, Chrysler and Desoto promos from the late 50s Likewise, Hubley did a number of Ford wagons and 4 door sedans from 1960 to ‘62. They’re out there, but of course they’re getting tougher to find and more expensive. (Johan 1959 Olds 98 “Sport Sedan”) (Johan/X-EL 1958 Cadillac Fleetwood) Steve

Another one spotted in Stillwater. Steve

The wife and I are celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary by spending the weekend in our usual haunt in Stillwater Minnesota. And of course we had to have dinner in our favorite Stillwater restaurant, “Domacin Wine Bar”. The wife had a green salad and a fig and prosciutto flatbread. I had Shrimp and Grits with duck fat braised greens and a maple-bourbon gastrique. Steve

In 1/8th scale, you’ve got all the room in the world for paint! Give it a couple more coats of clear and polish it out. With that much real estate to cover, the chances are pretty slim that you’re going to get every surface of that big body perfect, for certain. Personally, I would just plan on putting on plenty of color and clear, and getting my “perfect paint job” through cutting and polishing. It’s probably going to be the best way to get all of the surfaces consistent. I’ll add a “credibility” photo as well. Disclaimer; I ALWAYS polish my paint work. Steve

In Stillwater Minnesota. Couldn’t get over the familiarity! ? Steve

WD-40. Steve

Ya better prime. It’s lacquer. It’s always a good idea to prime regardless of what you’re using. Steve

That’s exactly how I did this ‘53 Ford many years ago, before I discovered the joys of lacquer! ? Steve

All of the traditional differences between lacquer and enamel apply. Steve

Shot this one earlier in the spring. Steve

One of the most obvious differences is ease of use. MCW lacquers are premixed and ready to spray straight from the jar. Their enamels need to be correctly thinned in order to spray. Other than that, it’s mostly a question of what you would rather use. Lacquer or enamel. And I’m not entirely certain, but I believe that they have a larger range of color choices available in their lacquer line versus their enamels. Steve

Hopefully, there will be some other suggestions for the color you’re looking for, but until that happens, either the thread evolves and continues, or it dies. Just the nature of the beast. Steve

That’s not unusual. A lot of threads end up turning into something other than what was intended. Conversations evolve sometimes. Steve

Of course there are a number of pickup kits available, some much simpler and less detailed, but the OP didn’t give any indication that he was new or inexperienced in the hobby, only that he had not built a pickup in quite some time, so my suggestions were geared towards his request of “the best kits”, regardless of the skill that may or may not be required. That said, other nice truck kits in my view would include the AMT 1955/‘57 Cameo and step side pickups, the AMT ‘50 Chevy, and the Monogram/Revell 1950 Ford F1. Others would include the Revell 1964 and ‘41 Chevys. Now if simplicity is the goal, the AMT 1972 Chevy Cheyenne, or the old ‘72 GMC step side kits may also be good candidates. Steve

An iconic voice that will last the ages. Steve

You’re best option for a highly detailed, modern kit is going to be one the Moebius Ford kits. Steve

Not to nit-pick, but I personally could never understand the airbrush “set up” thing. I suppose if you don’t have a particular designated work space that it could be a little bit of an issue, but if you have any sort of semblance of a shop, set up is virtually nonexistent. I have 2 airbrushes. Both of them remain attached to the hoses at all times, except for thorough cleaning sessions. One of the airbrushes is a single action siphon feed that is attached to a small hobby compressor which is plugged into a switched outlet, so set up consists of attaching the filled jar to the brush, and flipping the switch. The other brush is a little more complicated. That one requires me to fill the tank on a pancake compressor in the garage and then carry it down to my shop, (this eliminates the noise of the compressor in the house) attach the hose to the compressor, fill the cup, and spray. I keep both brushes adjusted and ready to spray and can be spraying paint in a matter of minutes. Clean up usually consists of filling the jar or cup with lacquer thinner and running it through, which takes little longer than inverting and cleaning a spray can nozzle. Occasional deeper cleaning is usually a simple tip and needle removal and clean with lacquer thinner, Q-tips and the little dental brushes used for between teeth cleaning. Certainly, it’s a little more involved than a spray can, but I certainly don’t understand why people find it particularly cumbersome. Steve

That is true. It’s one of the very few advantages that they have over an airbrush. But, when it comes to my desire to do the very best with my builds that I possibly can, the main advantages of a spray can, (ie easy, quantity and price) hold very little weight with me. Just my opinion. Steve

In all honesty, an airbrush can be a lot less “intrusive” than spray cans can. Depending on your air delivery system, an airbrush can ultimately pump a lot less fumes into the air than an airbrush. It just requires a little more thought and planning. Steve

Well, if you’re satisfied with what paint you can find in a spray can, I suppose an airbrush isn’t necessary. I just got really sick of having to let a spray paint manufacturer make my decisions for me. One of my favorite parts of a project is combing through paint chip sheets and picking a color that “I” want to use, and now that I know that I can choose any color that I can imagine, the hobby has become a LOT more fun! Steve

So basically you're looking for any dark metallic green, 'cause short of spending $30.00 on a custom filled rattle can at an automotive paint store, you're probably not going to get too close to the actual color anyway. That said, Duplicolor offers a number of dark greens. Other than that, good luck. This is wholly the reason why I bought my first airbrush. I got tired of fumbling around in the dark trying to find something relatively close to the colors that I was looking for, only to have to settle for some stinker that some company decided to put in a spray can. Now it's just a simple operation of choosing whatever color that I can dream of, ordering it, and away we go. Steve