StevenGuthmiller

Congrats Jim! I'll be celebrating my 30th this coming September! We have the best relationship of anyone I know & I wouldn't change one second of the last 30 years! Steve

Sweet Al! Someday I'll find one of these. I have only about a half dozen muscle cars on my want list & this is one of them. Nice work! Steve

Looks very nice! I'm a stock "purist" & I would never be offended by wheels like that. Just don't like them. They just look way out of place to me on such a beautiful classic car. In my opinion, they belong on an Escalade. But there's no question, you did a beautiful job on this '65! Steve

2 words, "Super Clean"! Steve

I didn't know we needed a code for weed. In our world today, with it becoming legal everywhere, it's a little like having a code for Budweiser. Steve

I think we need a real "day". Why not? Did anyone know that yesterday was "National Beer Can Appreciation Day" & that tomorrow is "National Peanut Brittle Day"? Surely what we do is more important than beer cans & peanut brittle! Well, ok, maybe not beer cans. Steve

Nice work Emmanuel, considering what you started with! Personally, I probably would have thrown it in my "scrap" box. Don't think I would have even attempted it. I love these '61 Dodges! I bought one of the X-EL re-pops many years ago, & built it, but it's screaming for a do over. I even did it in black! Very nice save! Steve

Thanks guys! I haven't really decided yet what I will be doing for the engine. I will most likely be using the engine that came with the kit, but I've contemplated using the dual quad engine from the AMT '62 Catalina kit. Time will tell. Bronze was never really in the cards for this one. It was originally going to be turquoise inside & out but there were problems with the paint. I decided on black with a blue interior. Gold tones have always been my least favorite colors. As a matter of fact, I don't believe I have a gold build in my collection. Something about the color that I've never really cared for. Closest I have is a Bronze '65 Dodge. I did start a '65 Plymouth months ago that was pale gold in color, but I have yet to finish it. Steve

Thank you guys!! Steve

One of the reasons why I hate working with black! While I sit in my Lazy Boy & polish, I can literally watch the dust settle on the surface as I sit there! But it seems to be coming out ok. This is the 3rd build of my last 3 that I had to repaint the hood on after finishing everything! For some reason, hoods don't seem to agree with me. Steve

Looking really nice John! You won me over with the up top! Steve

Enamel will basically never dry! I have tires laying around that I painted probably 30 years ago that the white enamel is still sticky on. Use acrylic flat white. Testors acrylic works fine. Steve

Remember guys, the original idea of this thread was the rarest "built" kit that was "built by you". I'm sure that all of us have something rare in the stash, I have tons of them, but what makes the thread interesting is seeing those old kits finished, & seeing the members craftsmanship. It might not be a bad idea to start another thread for just a general "rarest kit you have", but this thread is designed to narrow things down a bit. Steve

That I don't know, but you can surely ask Bob directly @ the email address that Nick posted. Bob is a great guy & will help in any way he can. Steve

It's important to remember that neither Chrome Tech nor Kustom Khrome do in house plating. All of their work is farmed out to other entities. Bob at Kustom Khrome told me that the gentleman who does their plating is the same outfit that used to do kit chrome for several of the kit manufacturers in years past. This, along with the results, impressed me because it was obvious the the plater knew what was expected from a modeler & delivered on it. I have no idea who Chrome Tech has plate their parts, but I believe that I heard somewhere that it was a Canadian company. Regardless, the last couple of times I received parts back from Chrome Tech, I was not particularly impressed. I believe their biggest problem is the application of the base coat. They are applying it way too heavily, hiding detail & creating sags & the like under the chrome. I had also noticed some minor adhesion problems with the chrome from Chrome Tech. It only took one shipment of parts to Kustom Khrome to see the difference. Near perfect in every aspect! I'm wondering if Chrome Tech changed platers at some point. I still have some parts that they did for me probably 25 years ago that look every bit as good as the Kustom Khrome parts do today. But over the past few years, the Chrome Tech parts seemed to be getting more & more inferior every time I received another batch. I'll be sticking with Kustom Khrome. Steve

Thank you Randy!! Steve

Thanks guys! It's one of those combinations that I've never really liked either, but I've seen a few cars in black with a light blue interior that I really liked. Maybe my tastes are just changing! More likely is the fact that I'm always down for a color combo that's a little more on the unusual side, & I think this one will fit the bill. Speaking of "bill", I have to thank Bill Allphin for suggesting this combination. After messing up the turquoise, I needed a little inspiration. Steve

I use the Testors paints as well, except I have the enamels. Steve

Just a couple of progress shots. Nothing much to look at, just black! I did get the first color on the interior so you can see where I'm going with this. I think the "silver blue" will add a nice splash of color with the black. Clear coats next! Steve

Thank you Jon! I really appreciate that! Steve

Thanks everybody! One of the best trades I ever made AL! I doubt that it will be going anywhere, anytime soon. Steve

'70 Ford? Steve

I could see how that might raise some eyebrows! You could quite possibly expect a visit from a "Bobbie". Steve

It just brings a tear to my eye! It truly feels like the end of an era. Steve

It may be the "Off Topic Lounge" but I believe that there is a political ban on the site, am I right? Is there anyway that this topic can "NOT" go political? It's obvious that it already has! I come here to relax & discuss "fun stuff" with other people who like fun stuff. I just wish we could refrain from these subjects that are inevitably heading for a "lock down" by the moderators. We all know, nothing good ever comes out of this type of thread! Steve