StevenGuthmiller

That's what I assumed I needed. The photos that I have been able to find online were the same. Steve

I'm going to hit this project next. It's a beautiful unbuilt AMT 1967 Ford Galaxie XL. Just getting a start on it today. I started out by getting the trim around the base of the top going. I'm planning on Lime Gold with a black painted top. No vinyl on this one. I also got the headlight buckets done. I drilled out the originals and had the grille/bumper rechromed some time ago. I got lucky and found some parts in the box that worked perfectly for the buckets. I have no idea what they are supposed to be & couldn't find them in the instructions so I glued them in place, hit them with Molotow chrome and viola, instant head light buckets! I have some extra kit lenses, so I won't have to make buckets and lenses this time around. I think I might scrounge around and see if I can come up with parts to put an R code 427 under the hood. The badges do denote a 427, but it is the single 4 bbl variety. The kit does come with a dual quad intake and carbs, so the only thing I should need is something close to the correct air cleaner. Anybody know where I can find one? Steve

You just never know. Oh, mine was beginning to show surface rust towards the end of the 3 years that I owned it as well. By the way, you can make nearly anything run forever if you replace engines. Steve

I didn't have major issues with mine either, but it was more than I had learned to expect from a virtually new vehicle. When I traded it, it had a front wheel bearing going out & the power steering pump was about shot. (leaking all over the place) After decades of owning Hondas & Mazda trucks & never having to make a trip to the shop for anything other than tires & oil changes, these little things were enough to scare me off. There is nothing I hate more than repair bills. Steve

I loved the look of my 2003 Ram 1500. Unfortunately, mechanically it began to give me cause for concern after about 30,000 miles, so I traded it for something that I knew would last forever with no issues.........a Honda Civic. Steve

Easy Off works in the same way, with the same ingredients as Super Clean. I used Easy Off for many years before discovering Super Clean. Easy Off will work for most applications, but it's has just as many limitations and problems as Super Clean and a few that Super Clean does not. Steve

It will lose it's effectiveness after many uses, but with yours only being used a couple of times since august, it should still be fine. I have heard that there have been issues with stripping certain kit chrome, namely Trumpeter, so it might be something with the chrome itself. Try dropping in some chrome parts from another kit that you plan on stripping and see what happens. You should have your answer in very short order. If the chrome has not disappeared by the end of the day, your Super Clean is defunct. Steve

They always seem to look better in natural light. But, baby it's cold outside!! Steve

I agree. I was surprised to see how much better the wire wheels from the Moebius '55/'56 Chrysler kits looked with some nice tires wrapped around them. The tires from the kits make the wheels look entirely to small. They look great with the AMT Firestone Deluxe tires. Steve

I was just going to post this. This can all be solved the same way that it has for decades........buy a Mopar! Just kidding, but the Ram trucks do illustrate that regardless of regulations, a vehicle doesn't have to be ugly. These hideous enormous front ends on the trucks is just the latest styling trend. Hopefully it will die quickly! Steve

Thank you everyone! The stainless roof panels were very simple. I merely lightly sanded a section of BMF while still on the backing paper and then applied it as you would any other foil. Steve

I have radiant heat in my basement floor, so it works better for me in the winter than in summer! Steve

If you're talking about the Johan '59, I love it too. Of all of the finished kits that I have, it still gets the most attention. Steve

I bought a can of Testors One Coat "Fiery Orange" some time ago, and it had the same metallic problems as most other Testors metallics. I guess it might just be in the eye of the beholder, but metal flakes in 1/25th scale should be just barely perceptible. Even some of the MCW metallics seem a bit too large & they are generally very good. My expectation with metallic paint for 1/25th scale is that you should have to examine the model very closely to see the flakes. Case in point, this '58 Impala is painted in MCW "Cay Coral Metallic" but I defy you to pick out any flakes, even up close, in person. It just has a nice metallic sheen without obvious flakes. Perfect in my opinion. Steve

This has been one of those cars that has been high on my list of ones to build, even back before I thought that I would ever be able to find one to build. I've always considered the '60 Imperial to be the best looking Imperial ever built. Of course, this is just my opinion. Even though it is a behemoth of an automobile, everything just seems to flow well. It has all of my favorite attributes from a 50s car, from the heavily browed quad headlights and sweeping side moldings, to the enormous tail fins. I originally started this build from basically a pristine AMT kit a couple of years ago, but lost interest shortly after paint issues arose. Recently, I decided a second shot at it was in order, mostly because I was in a bit of a slump and needed an easier curbside build to get the juices flowing again. This was a pretty basic build with just a few small extras like scribing some extra panel lines and adding a few details such as a set of wire wheels from the Moebius '56 Chrysler 300 kit along with AMT Firestone Deluxe whitewalls. I also scratch built the interior rear view mirror, the radio antenna and modified an outside mirror from the kit. I also drilled out and replaced the head lights. The rest is all right out of the 1960 box. It was painted with an ancient can of Duplicolor "cream" touch up paint that I've had laying around since I was just a young man! The color closely resembles correct 1960 Chrysler "Sunburst". Anyway, I'm glad to have it done and I'm ready to move on to the next project. I'm thinking 1967 Ford Galaxie! As a side note, this car is so big that the plastic display cases that I generally display the majority of my builds in is too short! I will need to find a longer case! All comments or criticisms are welcome guys. Thank you! Steve

Yes, you are. Simple Green is also an inferior product to Super Clean. But if it's working for you, there's no reason to change. But I think you will find that it does not work well, if at all, for some tasks. Steve

I still have a gallon jug of it. I keep it around in case I need to remove something really easy.........like dust! Steve

There it goes guys! On it's way to "Under Glass"! Steve

I initially thought that your post might have been a misstatement, but you never know. Everybody has their own experiences. But I agree. I have tried both, & Super Clean is much more efficient in my opinion. Steve

Really? My experience has been just the opposite. This would be the first time that I have ever heard that Purple Power works better than Super Clean. But, to each his own. Steve

Very nicely done Steve. I see these Camino phantoms occasionally and they rarely look right. I think stretching the rear end is the key. Most look short and strange in the back end. Nice work! Steve

I'm finally getting very close to finishing this one. Mostly just a few details left before assembly. Shouldn't really have any problems wrapping it up in the next few days. Not a lot new to show, but I have been working on some small details. I put together this mirror by removing the mirror from the base of one of those ugly square mirrors that came with these AMT annuals, and replacing it with a round mirror that I cast from epoxy, then covered the whole thing in Molotow chrome. And I think I have the antennas down pretty good now. I don't think I spent much longer than five minutes making this one. Steve

According to the PC crowd, we are supposed to forget large swaths of our American history because certain symbols of it might be "offensive" to some. It hasn't always been pretty, as with any country, but it is our history. It's funny how you will see some of these same pin headed "activists" walking around with Che Guevera, Fidel Castro & Mao Zedong t-shirts. I guess it's perfectly acceptable to support Marxist dictators & mass murderers, but God forbid that a Robert E Lee statue should exist. Their goal seems to be to completely revise American history. Anybody ever heard of 1984? It doesn't seem all that far fetched to me anymore. Sorry to get on the soap box, but this stuff drives me nuts!! Steve

About the only Testors paint that I buy anymore is bottled enamels & primer. I only use the primer for a first coat because it covers better than Duplicolor & helps get a base established to guard against any crazing that could occur with the Duplicolor. Testors enamels take far too long to cure, a good majority of their metallic lacquers and enamels have metallic particles that are wildly out of scale, and I've had too many issues with their clear lacquers to continue using them on bodies. I now rely almost exclusively on Duplicolor primers and clears and MCW paints applied with an air brush. If Testors, (or Rust-oleum) really wants to compete with Tamiya or a myriad of other after market paint suppliers, with picky modelers like me, they have a great deal of improving to do. Steve

I agree. The product itself is not going to hurt anything. It is the stripped material that you need to be concerned about. in general, Super Clean used to remove lacquer will not dissolve the paint itself. It will get in between the plastic and the paint causing it to lift off in sheets. This material is pretty easily strained out. There will always be some primer or enamel particles left in the Super Clean, but I would not be particularly worried about disposing of it. I personally dump mine back into the empty jug and dispose of it at a waste disposal site, but I will not hesitate to dump it in an inconspicuous area behind my garage if need be. A gallon jug of Super Clean will easily last me a year or more, so disposal is normally not forefront in my mind. Now brake fluid is another matter. Steve