StevenGuthmiller

I shot a few more pics today while the sun was shining. Nothing particularly good, but they do show case the color a bit better. Steve

You will have no problem spraying Testors clear lacquer over enamel. I've done it many times. Just be absolutely certain that the enamel is cured fully. And yes, that can take weeks or even months! Steve

Looks a hell of a lot better than the "Monkey Mobile" ever did! Looked like it was designed by a 6 year old to me. Rock on! Steve

I'm one of those guys that uses "12 coats of paint", sometimes as many as 14 or 15. I'm not sure what's going on here, but my suspicion would be the primer/paint that you're using. I can use my usual 12 or more coats of primer, color & clear without getting anywhere near this type of result, & that, many times, is all shot from a spray can. I generally will use almost all Duplicolor primers & clears, & often colors. I have zero experience with "Spaz Stix" paint & Krylon primer, but you might want to rethink those products. Any good auto parts store should carry all sorts of primers & Duplicolor touch up paints that should give you a better out come. If you try them, just remember that they are lacquers designed for real automobiles, not plastic, so you need to be careful about application techniques. This is one of those "12 or more coat" builds all shot with a rattle can. No issues with detail hide. Steve

Very nice work! The color is exactly what you would expect on a '57 Chevy. Exceptional job on the trim! Steve

Oh Lord! A TKM model! You're going to need all of the luck that you can get! Good luck! Steve

Agreed. I have found flat paints to be the most difficult to remove, especially flat black. Steve

I concur completely. I've compared the two, & Super Clean is the superior product for paint stripping, hands down. Steve

You can do amazing things with a polishing kit! If you're anything like me, your painting skills might not be entirely up to par, & your patience for hours of surface prep may match that. I don't consider myself a professional painter by any stretch, but I do get consistent compliments on my paint jobs, all directly attributable to my polishing pads & liquid polishes. You don't have to be a paint guru to get nice results. Steve

I agree too. The likelihood of ever seeing any of the old Johan kits come back are probably slim to none. You're much more likely to see some of the old AMT or MPC kits return, & the odds of ever seeing most of them again are pretty slim. I've been lucky enough over the past few years to pick up most of the old kits that I really wanted before they get to the point where they are financially out of reach for me. They're definitely not going to get any easier to find, so if you're looking, you might want to take that leap soon. Steve

Thanks everyone! Thanks Scott! At this point, I'm still planning on being there. We have a niece's wedding to attend on the Saturday before the show in Iowa, but the plan is to swing through the cities on the way back. Might be a little later than when the doors open, but the wife suggested that we attend the show anyway. Hopefully we'll see you there! I'm still planning on trying again! The weather was perfect today, but we got back late this afternoon from a gathering in La Crosse Wisconsin & have far too much to do to get ready for the coming week. Hopefully there will be an acceptable day this week to get a few more shots. Steve

Thanks Scott! I guess that it will have to be there. It's the only thing that I've built since the last NNL North!! Steve

I'll go along with that. Especially if you go way pre-1972! Steve

Don't know if it could really be considered a "glue bomb", but it was a fairly extensive restoration. Steve

Well, I achieved another photographic "sub-failure" this afternoon! The morning started bright & sunny. A perfect day to shoot some photos. But as I waited for the afternoon sun to move around for what appeared to be the optimal position to take some pics, the clouds began to quickly move in! I just can't seem to win! I took a few anyway, because if nothing else, they do a little bit better job of accentuating the paint finish, if not the color. I'll possibly try again if the sun ever makes a more than few hours appearance here in beautiful Minnesota! Steve

Yes, I noticed that. The '66 pieces, being hub caps, don't have the outer wheel detail like the ones in the '67 kit. That, plus the fact that the spokes on the '66 caps don't continue all of the way to the wheel hub is a give away. Steve

That's most likely the plan at this point. But I may be open to using the '66 wheel covers. I have plenty of time to decide. Steve

I guess if I were to add my "most fun" vehicle, it would be hands down our 2005 Honda S-2000! This could also rank in the top 5 for reliability & probably #1 for fastest. If it had more miles on it so that I could truly assess reliability, I could say that this was my #1 all around car. But, it's a Honda so I doubt that there will be any reliability issues. Steve

Ok. They're so close that even after looking at them side by side, I still can't see much of a difference between the '66 wheel covers & the ones in the '67 kit. But I see more of a resemblance to the "Mag Star" wheels. I can't read the logo on the center cap, but it doesn't look like any sort of factory Ford logo. So, I guess if I want to keep it stock, I either need to stick with the stock hubcaps, or scrounge a set from the '66 kit? Steve

No, none of them have been painted. I just meant that I already have colors more or less chosen for all of them, & already have the paint on hand. I like to get chrome re-done & paint bought ahead of time before I get too involved with any project. The Lincoln is one of the few that I have not completely settled on a color yet. I basically have it narrowed down to 4 choices. A dark metallic GM gray called "Shadow Gray". A lighter metallic Ford gray called "Gunmetal Gray". A Dark metallic Mopar green called "Ivy Green". And a custom mix that is somewhat akin to Ford "Platinum" which is a very pale solid blue. If I went with one of the grays, I'm thinking that a dark "ox blood" interior would look good. Probably a tan interior with the green, & maybe a light parchment or off white with the blue. Steve

My favorite car is one that I still own. My '69 Pontiac Grand Prix. But the best one that I ever owned in terms of reliability & that sort of thing was an '87 Mazda B 2000 pickup. Steve

I'm not much of a Ford enthusiast, so I was hoping that someone could give me some insight on these wheels. They seem to be very prevalent on both '66 & '67 Fords. Is this a "carry over" wheel option from the 1966 to 1967 models? I'm seeing just as many of them on '67s as '66s. I ask because my AMT '67 Ford kit includes both these, & the stock '67 hubcaps, & it will help me make a decision as to what I will use. There also seems to be quite a few with Magnum style wheels in '67. Was this also a factory option, or was '67 too early for those wheels? Steve

Thanks Michael. Your comment about the color & shine of the model is exactly why I've decided that tomorrow, I'm going to brave the cold Minnesota winter & shoot some outdoor photos. Don't feel bad, you're not the first one to mistake the color for black. It's actually a very deep egg plant like color called "Plum Mist". As far as the shine goes, the model has been polished to a high gloss, but with the photo studio set up that I have & my limited photographic skills, my indoor photographed models have been coming out looking like they were painted with matte paint. I'm sure that it is due to a combination of soft, diffused light & the white felt background mat that I've been using. Some outdoor shots should not only highlight the shine, but also bring the true color to the fore front. Look for some updated photos possibly tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I can do a little bit better job of showing off this builds attributes with some natural light. Steve

I don't know for sure Peter. Maybe you can help me with that. These are the kits that I currently have on the bench that are all ready to start with new chrome & paint ready to go. 1966 Pontiac Bonneville hardtop. 1967 Ford Galaxie hardtop. 1960 Lincoln Continental hardtop. 1967 Plymouth Fury hardtop 1967 Chrysler 300 hardtop. 1960 Chrysler Imperial hardtop. I was kind of leaning towards either the '60 Lincoln or '60 Imperial just to cut down a little on the build time because it took so long to finish this Bonneville. But what do you think? Steve

Thanks so much everyone! I appreciate all of the comments! Steve