StevenGuthmiller

Just a photo would do Joe. I can gain a lot of useful information from just a good photo. Steve

Ok, I'm waiting with baited breath. honestly Joe, I have to say that I'm with Mike about the finish on the plane above. It might just be the lighting, or possibly the angle, but it doesn't look much better than Alclad chrome to me. Although I will say that even if the finish is not much better than Alclad, if it's tougher, it might be worth it for that alone. I might use Alclad for larger parts occasionally if it wasn't so fragile. Many times for parts other than bumpers, a less than super reflective finish would be desirable anyway. Steve

I managed to find the time to get the wheel components shot with various shades of Alclad while I work on the final coats of primer on the body. As soon as my Scale Finishes order arrives, I'll be ready for body color. Steve

Agreed. Steve

Ok, now I thoroughly understand what you're after. Not necessarily iconic in the sense of automotive milestones, but more along the lines of "famous" cars, for whatever reasons. The first thing that popped into my mind for famous cars that are instantly recognizable by a large portion of the population, although not necessarily an "iconic" car, is this one. I doubt that there are many people in the free world that will not recognize it. And yes, it is available in kit form, although it would require a little customizing by the builder. Steve

I couldn't agree more. In my opinion, most of the cars depicted above are just variations on a theme and would have never been considered iconic if it were not for the names associated with them. To me, there are not a lot of really iconic cars. My personal definition of an iconic car would be something that is instantly recognizable by the majority of people whether they are car lovers, or not. If we are talking about what would be iconic to people like us who love cars, that would include almost everything. It's just my opinion, but a truly iconic car is one that would be recognized by my wife or 30 year old daughter. These are my ideas of a truly iconic car. Steve

I'm not a huge expert on the '63 Chevy either. It's quite possibly my least favorite of the Chevies from the 60s with the possible exception of the '69. But having owned several of the AMT kits over the years, a quick glance at the body of the Revell kit when I opened it was enough to set off an alarm in comparison. At least enough to prompt me to do a quick google search for photos of the real car to see if my suspicions were correct. What I discovered was that the front and rear fender profiles were both far too blunt and squared off, especially the rear. They should both come to a more pronounced point. The entire rear quarter of the car should have a gradual taper, upper and lower, from the door to the bumper. The Revell fender has virtually none and just looks square. Revell entirely lost the sleekness of the car with these mistakes. To my eye, while it might not have been evident what the problem was upon first inspection, it was obvious immediately that something wasn't right. It also became obvious that fixing these issues would be difficult at best, and absolutely not worth the effort when there is a good body available. In conclusion, if anybody wants a Revell '63 Impala body, you're welcome to it! Steve

Wow Peter! That is Pretty!! Steve

Don't sell yourself short Wayne! I'm seeing some pretty nice work there! Your '63 Impala has me thinking that maybe I should dig mine out and get going on it.........the AMT kit of course! Steve

I suppose the Revell body might not seem "offensive" to you Alan, but none the less, it is completely inaccurate if you want a finished product that actually looks like a '63 Chevy is supposed to look. As I said, I am not the type who generally picks apart a kit for it's inaccuracies, but when it's this bad, ( and not really correctable) and we have another kit of the same subject that is readily available and is accurate......well, it's pretty much a no brainer to me. If there was no other alternative other than the revell kit, well then we would have to make due. But there is a perfectly good alternative. We don't have to settle......and we shouldn't. Steve

I'm up for the challenge! Now I just need to scrounge up $160.00. Steve

All that is necessary is to view the AMT kit and the Revell kit in profile to see my point. The front and rear of the Revell kit look like they were chopped from a block of wood with a rusty meat cleaver. The shape on both ends is completely wrong. In normal circumstances, I'm not the type to nit pick, but this is one example of where the instant that I pulled the body from the box, it was obvious that something wasn't right. The way I see it, we have two 1963 Impalas to choose from. Is there any reason why we shouldn't choose the one with the accurate body? Steve

Those would probably be pretty easy fixes. I think I would use the guts from the Revell '63 Impala. The chassis, interior and engine are far better than the AMT kit, but the body from the Revell kit is a disaster! Basically, I would swap bodies. The Revell kit also has separate tail light lenses. Steve

Fotki was down for a while a day or two ago. Seems to be working just fine now. Steve

Neither one sounds like anything that anyone should ever put into his mouth! I know what haggis is, but what the hell is clapshot? Steve

Tonight, a feast fit for a 12 year old! Sloppy Joes with peas and chocolate milk! Steve

Sunday night was "Steak Pad Thai". Steve

Expecting the 101st Airborne? Steve

I know that my auto parts store carries Pontiac Blue, Chevy Red, Chrysler Orange and Turquoise, and Ford Blue at least. When I can't find a color that I want, I mix my own from Flat Testors enamels, air brush it on, and clear coat it. Saves me from having to keep $100.00 worth of engine paint around cluttering up my shop. Steve

You can buy big 12oz. cans of many popular engine enamels at your local auto parts store for virtually the same price as a little can of Testors, and it works great! Steve

Possibly because Fotki is down at the moment? They are still visible on my end. Steve

Just arrived from my newest Canadian "best friend", Bruce (Belugawrx)! They will look great on my '65 Plymouth Fury project! Thanks Bruce! You're a true comrade! I also need to give equal billing to my newest friend from Tampa Florida, Bob (TooOld), who helped me out in a big way by printing some speedometer faces for me for the same project. Your help was greatly appreciated Bob!! Steve

I've never cared for the look of the front end of these cars. The grille is quite ugly. But, you know me. If it's something different, I'm all in. Steve

Fantastic build of one of the ugliest cars that Plymouth ever made! I say that affectionately, because I love the '60 and '61 Furys!! Steve

Finished up the firewall today. It is ready for paint and detailing. I provided a "before" shot of the "Color Me Gone" Dodge firewall, that I used to create this one, as an illustration of the modifications done. Before After A decided that more modifications to the hood hinges was going to get too involved, so I decided that I will leave it alone and make a prop for displaying with the hood open. The body colored parts should be about ready for primer and paint, but I have some time to get everything in order. I decided to go ahead and order paint from Scale Finishes for other upcoming projects, so I thought that I just as well order the correct "Medium Turquoise" for this project while I was at it. This will be my first time trying out Scale Finishes lacquers. Can anybody tell me for sure if these paints are basically the same formula as MCW paints? MCW uses Dupont for their base coat lacquers. I just need to know if I will still be safe using Duplicolor lacquer clear coat. Steve