StevenGuthmiller

Thanks Bill. Have you considered trying the technique of using thin strips of blue painter's tape laid along the edges of the moldings after, (or before) the foil is applied to aid the cutting process? I find that as I get older, and my eyes and eye-hand coordination declines, this technique helps immensely with getting a perfectly straight cut. I use this trick on virtually every piece of trim on a model now. Beats the hell out of trying to freehand the cuts. Steve

Had the opportunity today to get out and take a few new shots of an old model. Didn't really have any half way decent photos of this build anyway, so this will be a new perspective on an old theme. Steve

Mist coats with lacquer is a fairly dangerous prospect. It's very easy to get a grainy texture. But, even that is not an insurmountable issue. You would be amazed at what you can overcome with a small attitude adjustment. Personally, I don't get into the fancy paint terms too much. I'm old school from a German/Norwegian area of the country. For me, there's only "Tin" and "Tick". I appreciate Bill's recommendation, but please know that I am no professional painter. I've struggled with laying down a perfect paint job for most of my modeling career, and still do to some extent. That all changed when I realized that it was a fool's errand, (at least for me) to expect to be able to get a perfect dust, blemish, and orange peel free finish, and I began to look at paint from a different perspective. It occurred to me that I was putting way too much unnecessary pressure on myself, and soon found that cutting and polishing the finish was the answer. It of course requires additional elbow grease, but I can tell you this. Since adopting this attitude, I haven't had to strip a paint job due to paint issues in probably more than 20 years! I've only stripped a few due to dissatisfaction with color. It removes a great deal of pressure and has had a huge freeing affect on my attitude towards painting models. I pretty much know going in, (barring any unforeseen major incident) that my paint job is going to turn out. Of course, the products that you are using are also very key to what can be expected, as well as the commitment of the modeler. If you go in thinking that your going to get that perfect paint job with one heavy coat of enamel over bare plastic, well more power to you if you're lucky enough to end up with anything remotely presentable. Just for an illustration, here is an example of what most would have considered a failed paint job by conventional thought. This model was painted some years ago, (air brushed with MCW lacquer) and the color was applied too dry, giving the surface a somewhat grainy texture. I could have thrown in the towel and stripped it, or did what I did and shot a few coats of clear over it, and cut and polished the model. I think I made the correct choice. Steve

I haven't, but I'd like to. Steve

The paint's a gamble, but the grille is not a huge issue. The '60 Plymouth wagon has the same grille, and they're much easier to find. Parts for the wagon pop up quite regularly. Personally, I might take the chance on the gold built-up, as long as the price didn't go much higher. This kit is quite rare, and finding anything in better shape is going to mean more money. Possibly a lot more! The gold paint isn't necessarily a killer. My '67 Pontiac was painted gold and it stripped very easily. You never really know until it's in your hand. I got my '60 Plymouth some years ago pretty cheap. But that was back when you could still get these kits for less than their weight in gold! Steve

Depends on a lot of factors, but it should do. As a general rule, I can paint a body with about a 1/2 oz. That said, if you’re painting something such as a stock Mopar where the engine bay and chassis also get body color, it can take an ounce or more. Factors such as that, plus the number of coats that a particular color requires to get good even coverage, and the depth of color desired, along with whether or not you will be using any body color in the interior. I often use body color for parts such as dashboards, steering wheels and columns, and possibly door tops. When I painted my 1968 Dodge Coronet, I wound up having to do a minor repair. I used MCW paint, which comes in 1 oz jars, and I very nearly ran out of paint. Steve

Asian “Sticky” Ribs, Spicy Cucumber Salad, and Jasmine Rice. I have to say, I think I have a new favorite rib recipe! ? Steve

Found this required radiator shroud extension for my '69 Grand Prix, and it was obviously sitting out in the elements for many years. While I could have passed on it and waited for another opportunity, this part, as well as many other parts for these late 60s-early 70s GP's, are very difficult to find, so I decided to take what I could get. I was more worried about the function than the appearance anyway. Anyway, I decided to give it the mineral spirits and boiled linseed oil treatment to see if it would make it look a little more presentable. Looks way better! I gave it another coat, and this time I'm going to let it sit for an hour or so before I rub it down. Not sure how long it will last, but being mostly out of the sun and elements, I would think it should last a good while. In any case, it's a pretty easy operation to apply, so I can always do it over again in a couple of months, or next year, or as needed. Before: After: After a second coat: Steve

I'll PM you his email address. Steve

I've had snails too. They're okay. Something akin to a clam. Steve

In all honesty, I have eaten beef tongue, albeit many years ago, and to be honest, I thought the flavor leaned much more towards liver than “beef”. Not that that is a bad thing. I love liver!! ? Steve

I’d probably have to get a little drunk to eat beef tongue too! ? Steve

Having a little fun with some foods we had never tried before. Burrata cheese with grilled bread and Sopressata, and crab stuffed Branzino with a salad. Steve

That's mostly the case with Round-2 as well. It's much less expensive to modify and re-pop an old kit than it is to tool an all new one. With the labor and expense that is involved with the development and production of an all new tooling, you d*mn well better have your ducks in a row and have a good indication that it's going to sell a whole bunch of units, or you're going to lose your *ss! Kit manufacturers can no longer be frivolous with their ideas in today's market if they want to remain in business. Everybody has their "pet" subject that they would like to see, but it's going to have to have pretty wide appeal, and the ability to be reissued in several different forms, if it's going to have a chance to ever see the light of day. I've seen these discussions floated around on every forum and social media platform for many years, and there's always those that "can't understand why" Round-2 didn't produce an all new tool for their latest 1964 Chevelle kit, for example. (There are many other examples) It's quite obvious that these people have virtually no idea of how a business such as this needs to make extremely smart and careful choices just to keep the doors open. Steve

I’m sorry, but cars that drive themselves is just the dumbest idea ever!!! Steve

I've had this 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix Model-J since I was about 18, and right out of high school in 1981. I drove it for a number of years until shortly after I got married in 1987, at which point, it went into storage. Turned out that after a number of years, the storage situation became other than ideal, and I wasn't aware of the situation as I lived more than 100 miles from where the car was stored. The family farm where it was stored along with a few other vehicles, became vacant at some point, and the shed fell into disrepair. The roof began to leak, and for a period of time, apparently a group of meth heads began squatting in the farm house and cooking their meth there. The shed and the car were broken into, and some minor damage was inflicted on the vehicle, as well as a number of parts stolen. Eventually, the owners of the home site began tearing down the house, as well as the out buildings, so I was contacted to come and get the car. At first, I was very disappointed to see the condition of the vehicle, but as time passed, I began to feel better about it. The paint was terribly oxidized and moisture damaged, and there is some rust that is beginning to appear, but all in all, I think it's repairable. The interior is in pretty good condition, with pretty nice upholstery, and a perfect dash and console. The head liner has been eaten by the mice, and the carpet and a few other items need replacement, and other items need repair and refinishing. The white upholstery is discolored, but it's good enough to where I don't want to start reupholstering anything. I would just as soon keep it original. A few cracks in the driver's side door panel/arm rest. The engine and transmission have since been rebuilt, as well as the necessary repairs performed on the fuel, cooling and brake systems. The car runs and drives like a champ, but there have been some overheating issues, which I'm currently addressing. It had come to my attention that a very common mistake made when overhauling some Pontiac engines, (this 400 included) is the spacing between the water pump impeller and the corresponding backing plate, which impedes the efficiency of the pump, so right now, I have the pump removed and have reduced that space from over 1/4 of an inch to virtually nothing. The addition of the gasket should make the spacing perfect. Another issue was the fact that the meth heads damaged the radiator shroud extension, which was removed and replaced with some plastic sheet when the engine was overhauled and reinstalled. The new "shroud" does not encircle the fan completely which affects the air flow that the fan is able to draw through the radiator. I've since found an original shroud extension which is on it's way, so with any luck, the combination of these two repairs will remedy the overheating issues, at which point, the car should be in pretty sound mechanical condition and should be able to be driven anywhere. At some point thereafter, when funds permit, the body work and paint can be addressed. When, I don't know, but that's the plan. This will never be a show car, but all that I want to achieve is a presentable driver than I can proudly putz around in on the weekends. This is an illustration of the spacing between the impeller and divider plate that needed correcting. Before, and after. The engine bay was never cleaned before the engine was installed, so I'll be getting that looking a little better as the summer progresses as well. Steve

I’m a little upset that I missed the “Back to the 50s” show in Minneapolis this year. Haven’t been there for some years, but it’s a huge show that takes up the entire Minnesota state fairgrounds! Considered the largest exhibition of pre-1964 cars in the country, there are routinely more than 10,000 cars on display there! We declined due to the weather. ? Steve

There’s just about nothing more soothing than the sound of the morning doves early in the morning and in the evening. We have plenty of mourning doves too, but I suppose “unfortunately” for us, the main “nesters” that we get are barn swallows. beautiful and interesting little birds, but messy as h*ll ! And talk about protective of their young!!! ? You can literally feel your hair blow in the breeze they make as they swoop down on you!! Steve

Alclad is relatively durable once it has had time to cure fully. Much more so than something like Molotow, which only makes sense as Alclad is a lacquer and not an ink. That said, “durable” is a relative term when discussing all of these chrome paints. None of them are really durable in the true sense. Some are just a little better than others. Steve

Nothing. Generally clears don’t work well over any of the chrome paints. As a rule, it will dull the finish. Steve

Just a shiny base, (doesn't necessarily have to be black) and then a light coat of Alclad, and walk away. I think some people's problem is over thinking it. Just about anything will work as a base, (I use any black paint, usually black primer, and a coat of Testors clear enamel as my base) And it's my guess that people often think that they need more Alclad than is really necessary, which ultimately causes more problems. Just a very light coat will do it, and although it may not look like chrome immediately after spraying, if you leave it alone for a few minutes, the shine will materialize. The parts of this dashboard were done with various methods, but they blend seamlessly. Parts such as the tachometer are kit chrome. The dash background bright work, steering wheel hub, and BONNEVILLE script are BMF. The dash knobs, gauge cluster pods, and vent knobs are Alclad. Steve

I won't disagree with much that you said, but I will disagree with this statement. I routinely do quite well in the few shows that I attend, and I'm not using 2K. As a matter of fact, a good number of those that I know that produce some of the best models that I've ever seen, do not use 2K either. Shine on a model may be a high requirement to do well at a show, but there are a number of ways to reach that goal that don't require the use of 2K clear, and that has been the case for many years. Likewise, I don't believe that most GOOD judges are not aware of the intricacies of what constitutes a good or "realistic" paint job. They are just as knowledgeable, if not more so, of what a paint job should look like for a particular subject as we are, and as has become evident by a number of opinions just in this thread alone, there are a lot of people who feel that there absolutely can be such thing as too shiny when it comes to model cars, and that could very well include a good number of judges. Just like anything else, 2K is not necessarily the "silver bullet" when it comes to paint. It might be an option for some, but it's use alone is not necessarily going to bring home any more hardware than a good enamel paint finish, or a nicely executed polished lacquer paint job. Steve

If there are any questions, don’t use it. There are plenty of viable alternatives, so it’s not necessary. If you’re not afraid to put forth a little effort, you can get every bit as good of a result with clear lacquer and some polishing as you will with 2K,(and in my opinion, a more realistic in scale finish anyway) There are of course other safer alternatives that are also good. Steve

I think it’s just become a fast and easy way of getting a super, high gloss shine without having to go through the extra work of polishing or anything. It’s become very prevalent on the Facebook modeling groups, and I really wonder how many of these guys have any clue at all of how bad this stuff can be for their health. I see people asking questions all of the time on Facebook that just by the questions asked, you can tell that they’re very green in the hobby, yet I know that they’re using 2K paints and clears. It’s pretty frightening actually! Sad part is that they’re basically being talked into it by more experienced modelers.........who also probably don’t know of the toxicity issues themselves. Anyway, you sometimes feel that you want to try to offer alternatives and warn of the dangers to all of these young or inexperienced modelers, but it mostly falls on deaf ears, because unfortunately the desire for an easy and shiny paint job trumps everything else. At least until they find themselves toting around an oxygen tank with them for the rest of their lives. Steve

I would try to stay away from any solvents. Any amount of solvent on a paint job would make me a little nervous. My suggestion would be to sand it off with a very fine sanding pad, typically used for polishing. Steve