StevenGuthmiller

I have no first hand knowledge about Scale Finishes enamels, but a very respected fellow modeler told me when I mentioned that I had purchased some of their product, that if he would have known, he would have given me a bunch of it that he had bought because he refuses to use it anymore because of drying issues. When I told him that I had purchased the lacquer, he asked me to let him know how I liked it. I love it Rod!!! Steve

I will have to respectfully disagree. In my experience, Super Clean works works much better than Purple Power. I bought a jug of Purple Power some time back because the local auto parts dealer in my small town did not carry Super Clean. I was completely disappointed in it's performance and now I always buy my Super Clean at the O'reilly's auto parts store in a larger city about 20 miles away when I'm in town. I still have most of that jug of Purple Power sitting in my shop. Don't know what I'll do with it. Maybe I'll use it to clean my garage floor! Steve

Try some "Scale Finishes" lacquer base coat paint! Amazing stuff! I just recently bought several jars and tried it for the first time on my '65 Plymouth project, and I loved it!! Goes on nice and smooth and even. Of course it's a lacquer base coat, so it requires clear coating. 2 oz. for $9.00 will do 2 models. Sounds expensive, but it is absolutely worth it! And yes, it is premixed and ready to shoot through your air brush. I've been told to avoid their enamels. Apparently it "never dries". Steve

Yes, don't buy another one! If it's painted with enamel, Super Clean will take it right off. Steve

One of these 3. 1956 Desoto FireFlite. 1955 Plymouth Belvedere 1961 Chrysler 300 Steve

Couple of pics of the firewall in the body. Steve

Grilled fish tacos with all the fixins' and Spanish rice. Steve

Still managing to make some slow progress on this project. I spent a good portion of the day detailing the firewall! But now it's done except for the master cylinder and maybe a decal or two. This is what I started with. This is the finished product. Steve

Another good tip is to forgo the pen altogether for small parts and touch ups and use a brush. You'll get much better control with a brush over those clunky tips. Steve

The chassis are different. I found this out while contemplating various chassis for my '63 and '65 Furys. The Lindberg Dodge 330 chassis is shorter that the Plymouth Belvedere. The Dodge chassis fit perfectly under the '65, but the rear suspension needed to be moved slightly forward on the Plymouth chassis for the '63. It didn't require any wheel well work on mine though. Steve

Ok. I guess we have pretty much established who likes it and who doesn't. The question still remains for the OP. Can it be polished? I think that we will all agree that the answer is no. By the way, if a polished aluminum affect is the objective, Alclad will do the same thing for a less money, and while still not perfect, it's more durable than Molotow ink. Steve

There is no doubt that the results of using this product looks good. The question is, how well will it stand up over time? Do any of us know? I'm pretty confident in thinking that it will not fare well. We all know that our models will not remain static forever. They eventually get jostled around, need to be moved or cleaned, etc. One errant glance from a finger nail, or slight bump against any hard surface is extremely likely to net you scratches and marks of some sort, much more easily than chrome will. I remember using silver paint for much of my body trim years ago and it inevitably was worn off from places like drip rails over time just from simple light handling. I doubt highly that Molotow ink will hold up much better. I have used Molotow ink for small parts, and even though it has cured for weeks in some cases, it still dulls to the touch quite easily and needs to be touched up after final assembly. It has uses, and is very handy for some applications, but I have little confidence that this product is the answer to our prayers. I will continue to use much more durable chromed parts and foiled trim until it is no longer an option. When that day comes, there are other more promising options out there like Alsa Chrome, a product that I have been hearing a little about as of late, that although quite expensive, seems to be more likely to offer some durability than Molotow. I personally don't like the idea of using things on my builds that may not withstand the test of time, and would much rather start with something that at least has a better potential to last, rather than something that likely will not. Steve

Not going to work. This is one of the biggest issues with Molotow chrome. It's too fragile to be useful for many modeling applications. Even after fully curing, it's fragile enough to where I won't use it on any parts that might possibly be handled at some point. I save it for mostly interior parts, touch ups, and an occasional very small exterior parts. I would never use it on bumpers or exterior trim. Just my experience. Steve

Well, I'm guessing that I won't get a start on my '64 Grand Prix until sometime early next year anyway, so hopefully we can look forward to something by next February or so. Steve

Well thanks for crushing my dreams Mike! I didn't read anything. I don't belong to Face Book so I just glanced at the picture. I had recently heard from a forum member that Joseph was working on a Pontiac tri-power set up, so I was assuming........... C'mon Joseph! A little less Mopar and a little more Pontiac!!! Steve

Perfect!!!!! My next project will likely be a Johan 1968 Olds 442 that I purchased some of Joseph's Rochester Quadrajets for. The following project will be an AMT 1964 Pontiac Grand Prix that I will need these carbs and manifold for! I have several old AMT ponchos that I can use the tri-carbs for. Great news!! Thanks for the heads up Mike!! Steve

Some of the VW Beetles have come in some more interesting colors in recent years including some of the pale yellows and greens that you don't see anymore. One of my biggest issues with color schemes on the new cars for the past 30 years has been interior colors. The auto makers seem to be of the same frame of mind as Henry Ford back in the 20s. You can have any color you want as long as it's gray!! It occurred to me recently that the population of the US has become more depressed in recent years than ever before. I think the dreary, dispiriting colors that we use for our cars and homes might have something to do with that. Some people call gray "neutral". I call it depressing! Why would you want your car, something that many of us spend a great deal of time in every day, to reflect a gray, gloomy, overcast day? The kind of weather that we all find melancholic. It makes no sense to me. I haven't bought a car with a gray interior since 1994 and I plan on never doing it again if at all possible. Steve

We can wait. Steve

I remember someone from one of the forums referring to today's cars as "drab colored jelly beans". A perfect comparison if you ask me. Steve

Just got a couple of sets of door handles and several carbs from him a couple of weeks ago. Steve

Sorry, I haven't seen any pics from the show pop up yet, and I didn't take my camera. Steve

It's called "Desert Gold" but it is basically just a pale yellow. I painted my '61 Sunliner this color. It is MCW paint, so it should be relatively close to correct. Steve

I guess that I was always under the assumption that most headliners were done in lighter colors to brighten up the interior. I hadn't really tested this theory by researching, but it just made sense to me. Steve

I liked the '61 Ford Starliner a lot as well! The Mercurys and Lincolns didn't do much for me, likewise the '61 Imperial. I really liked the other '61 Chryslers, like the New Yorkers and 300s, and while a lot of people might think I'm nuts, there's something about the Dodges and Plymouths that grabs me as well. Steve

Personally, I love the over the top styling from 1958. But I really love the cars from 1961! Chrysler Corp went a bit over the top with the Dodges and Plymouths in '61, but the GM cars were just beautiful to my eye. Steve