StevenGuthmiller

I agree. A bad color choice can really destroy a build. But I do believe if you keep it within the realm of what was available in stock colors in a particular year, then it's just a matter of personal taste. This car in a "Day Glow" green would just be horrendous! But then again, I really hate most of those "modern" custom colors. Steve

You've got a whole lot of choices in this situation Bill. Lincoln had a pretty good selection. The "Maple Leaf" looks good, but I kind of like "Rose Glow", & "Copper" would look really nice as well. I also like the very pale blue "Platinum", "Killarney Green", & the "Spartan Gray" would really look nice also. Steve

Are you........my brother? Steve

Sounds like it could have been the same car! Mine was light green also. My brother bought it used probably around '78 or so. I inherited it when he bought a new van. Steve

That's a coincidence! I had a '68 Newport in high school too! Mine was a big 4 door sedan with a 383 2 barrel. This Plymouth will be built with the 426 Hemi included in the kit. Steve

Ouch! Looks like you're missing a few! Steve

Agreed! And there's something to be said about the satisfaction that one gets with taking these less than stellar, poorly detailed kits & making them look presentable. It's relatively easy to build up a great looking interior on a new kit with a "platform" style interior & multiple parts. It's much more difficult to make one look good when you're starting with only 3 parts. A tub, dash & steering wheel. It's very satisfying to me to try to make these old kits look like something most of us would have never envisioned back in 1962. Steve

Absolutely Cameron! I should have mentioned that I use them also. The smallest size works extremely well for this technique. I use them first to remove the majority of the paint from the emblem & then pick out the very fine points & around the edges with a tooth pick. Steve

I'm not trying to be confrontational in any way Spike. My "long" answer was just an explanation of "why" I feel the 2 points have nothing to do with one & other. I thought that an explanation was warranted rather than just saying "I think it's a moot point" & leaving it at that. That would absolutely sound confrontational. Steve

Not really my favorite color combo either Kevin, but I like to mix it up a little. Steve

It is true Bill, that it's a little easier with an air brush, but if you wait until that last color coat, the paint will draw away from the script leaving very thin coverage over the emblem. The white on my '61 Buick was done with Duplicolor paint in a rattle can & the emblem on the rear deck was very faint, but it still worked well using this technique. Steve

It's kind of a moot point really. The cost of the kit has little to do with the enjoyment of the hobby in my opinion. It depends totally on what you enjoy building. If you're content with building what the kit companies currently offer, you can get by much cheaper. If you're like Harry, who likes to build large scale classics, it's gonna cost you. Or if you enjoy building unusual cars from the 50s & 60s like Bill & I, you can either spend a moderate amount on old built kits, or considerably more on unbuilt annuals. Personally, I enjoy the heck out of building those old annuals & credit them for getting me excited enough to get me back into the hobby after a quite long hiatus. Personally, if it weren't for the subject matter that I enjoy being available, I would enjoy our hobby a lot less, regardless of the cost. Steve

I started out by doing it this way, but was never satisfied with the result. Depending on how many coats of primer & color you use, it can be a lot of layers to remove from the emblems. I also started noticing very thin "lines" around the scripts of exposed primer after removing the paint. Also, some guys seem to have pretty good luck with using the "sanding" method to remove the paint from the script, but be aware, the foil is very thin & it's very easy to sand right through the foil. Steve

Thanks guys! I haven't entirely given up on this build yet. I started on my '62 Chrysler convertible & had a minor problem with the hood on that one as well. So while I was at it, I stripped the hoods on both of them & got them both primed again & ready for paint. I have very little of the color left for the Plymouth, but I am still hoping to have enough to do the hood again. I may give it a shot over the next couple of days & hope that I can make it work this time. If that's the case, I'll get back to work on this one & hopefully get it done over the next few weeks. Let's cross our fingers! Steve

I've tried this technique several different ways & have pretty much settled on one way of doing it that works best for me. I wait to apply the foil until I'm down to one or two more "color" coats left to apply. I apply the foil over only small emblems & scripts, cutting as close as possible & then shoot my remaining color coats over the entire body. After allowing sufficient drying time to safely handle, I carefully remove the paint from the script or emblem with a tooth pick soaked in a little lacquer thinner. Then I clear coat over the entire body. I've had very good luck with this technique & use it all of the time. Steve

My worst lapse in judgement was a few years ago when I paid nearly $300.00 for a mint in box Johan '61 Plymouth Fury. Steve

Don't care for the "Ultra Bright" at all myself. It's thicker so it's much more difficult to get it to conform well to compound curves, & that thickness also makes it more difficult to cut. The nice thing about the original, or "New Improved" foil, was that simply the weight of the blade was adequate pressure to cut through. The more pressure required to cut through the foil, the more apt you are to cut through the paint, which could cause other issues. I have also had adhesion problems with the Ultra Bright. Steve

Super Clean is much more "efficient" than either oven cleaner or Bleche White in my opinion. You don't need a permanent basin. You can pour it into one for stripping, & then pour it back into the original container when you've finished. Won't take any more space than either of the other two. It works better & faster than Bleche White, you can use it over & over again, there are no noxious fumes as with oven cleaner & no difficult disposal as with brake fluid. It has a pleasant smell, & is completely biodegradable. When it's life is over, you can just dump it. Just remember to use gloves. It's nothing more than a degreaser which means it will "degrease" your hands by taking off a layer or 2 of flesh! But I would do the same for the others as well. Steve

Sounds like you have your work cut out for you! There's a gentleman on ebay right now selling a bunch of parts for this kit. The body is in great shape & the "buy it now" price is $35.00. Not "too" bad if someone really needs a good body. Steve

I've had it happen to me too. I've concluded that Testors bottle enamel does not play well with plain old paint thinner. (mineral spirits) I use it all of the time for cleaning brushes, etc, but if you use it for thinning the paint, it seems to really speed up the "gelling" process. As Scott said, it only seems to happen with certain colors. Steve

I really don't know a lot about the quality of the Revell kit. I've never had one. But I can tell you that it's much more rare that the Johan! Steve

Great tip! Don't know why I never thought of that! Steve

Why? Have you got one that you want to get rid of? Oh, well, I guess I could take it off of your hands. Steve

Well, you sure can't beat that price! Looks like you will be searching for a lot of hoods. I'm sure that you will be "not" happy to hear that the hood for the LeMans came from Modelhaus! Steve

Pretty nice haul for $30.00! I'm getting a feeling of dejavu looking at that '64 LeMans! Steve