StevenGuthmiller

I concur! Steve

I just saw a pretty nice built MPC 1968 Coronet sell for $79.00. For one of these kits, that's pretty cheap. I didn't even bid on it because I figured it would go for much more. You just never know. Steve

Thanks Dennis! My biggest concern was figuring out how I was going to mask that perfect circle. Especially the "center". It came out pretty well. I knew a decal was not really any option without finding someone to make one for me & I really wanted to utilize the original casting if possible anyway. Steve

Just thought I'd share a quick ebay story. Not more than 3 or 4 days ago & put in a bid on a vintage AMT 1963 Pontiac Bonneville rear bumper. As usual, several guys swooped in at the last second & snatched it up, but at a price! That one piece sold for $30.00! Way more than I was willing to pay. A few minutes ago, an ebay parts seller that I've dealt with many times had the bumper & the chrome trunk panel with a buy it now price of $12.95. Still a bit high for some, but right in my range. I love it when you get the same part the same week for less than half the price! Steve

I just checked & they have the '70. I didn't see the '69. Steve

The '60 Ford truck alone is worth the price of admission! Steve

Ok, Am I dreaming or have I seen this one before? Possibly over on that "other" forum? Either way, I love me some '59 Edsel!! Nice work Tom! Steve

Absolutely! I have blushing problems occasionally with Duplicolor rattle cans. Clear coating will take care of the problem, no question. Steve

I think if you did a poll, you'd find that the majority of builders use lacquers today. I could be wrong about that, but it seems that way to me. Steve

I think this entire thread is a perfect promotion for clear coats. Steve

Uuuuuh, misprint......I hope? I think it's humorous that across the top of the auction, it says the "seller is away". Of course he's away! He's putting a down payment on a new villa in the Bahamas!! Steve

Thanks Steven, but not my style. Steve

I use a combination of spray cans, air brush & brush paint. For brush painting I use Testors flat enamels. Eliminates most of the brush marks & covers pretty well. A good rule of thumb for coverage is to "always" start with the lightest color first & work your way to darkest. Steve

Good philosophy! But not always so easy to adhere to! Steve

Don't give up so easily. If you want one, I'd keep checking. Others will likely turn up. Steve

Bingo! "A little patience & a bunch of Tamiya tape" I always say! Steve

What kind of wheels are they? You might want to just post in the wanted section & replace them. I'm pretty sure most of the strippers that would be effective on the paint will also remove the plating. Steve

I make my own telescoping antennas using pieces of surgical "syringe" tubing for the base, & stretched sprue for the top half. I like to use the plastic for the top because a little heat will add the "ball" on the tip. Steve

Ebay my man, ebay. If you leap now you could probably still get the '69 at a reasonable price. The '70s are still all over the place. If you can wait, I guarantee you that they'll be re-released at some point. Who knows how long. Steve

I haven't built the AMT kit in many years either, but it's a fine kit. The body is very nice but it's an old annual mold so you get what you did 50+ years ago. I have the Revell kit, but have yet to build it. The detailing is light years beyond the AMT kit & the issue that I have has all of the stock & low rider parts. Personally, if I ever build one again, it will most definitely be the Revell kit. Steve

Red & Black...... Pffffft! You chose the right color! Steve

I hear you Mike. I could post a couple of pictures on how Super Clean works on enamels. I'm very careful when I buy built kits to try to do my best to only get ones that are painted with enamel paint. The photos you will see are all kits painted with enamel & soaked for a couple of hours in Super Clean. Lacquers are a different subject altogether. Super Clean is a "degreaser" and has little effect on the lacquer paint itself. It gets under the paint & degrades it's ability to adhere causing it to come off in sheets. I've had the paint on an entire hood or top come off in one sheet! A good thing to try when you're ready to strip a lacquer paint job is to scratch the paint up, all the way down to the primer before submerging. This will give the Super Clean places to get under the paint to begin the lifting process. Just as with anything else, this product is not fool proof. It was never designed to be a paint stripper & will not work on everything. I've had the most issues with some flat black paints & some primers. One of the nice things about it is that it's safe for pretty much all plastics & resins. You need to be careful with alcohol & brake fluid depending on what you're stripping. Another member just posted a thread about a destroyed resin body after attempting to strip it in alcohol. Any way, all of these were stripped in Super Clean in less than 4 hours. As a matter of fact, I just received a heavily painted body in the mail this afternoon @ 3:00. I dropped it in the purple stuff immediately, & by 5:30 this evening, when I returned home from work, it was 99% crystal clean. Dropped it back in & will let it finish getting out the few small bits left in some tight areas over night. By tomorrow it will look like a brand new kit. Steve As you can see on this '58 Ford, The Super Clean would not remove the gold paint in the side spear. I have no idea why.

Oooh! That's a bummer Curt! But you have to remember stripping styrene & stripping resin are 2 different animals. Some things that work well for plastic will destroy resin. I would try some "Super Clean" the next time you have resin parts to strip. A lot of resin casters recommend Super Clean or Easy Off oven cleaner to clean mold release agents from the castings, including Modelhaus. I've used it a few times & have had no problems with it damaging the resin. That's a real shame! Looks like you were on your way to a really nice finished build! If it's any consolation, the interior looks terrific! Steve

A mixture of paints like this can be very confusing. You never know what was used & some of these old paints can be God knows what! You have to be really patient sometimes depending on the paint techniques & paint used. Get some fresh purple stuff & try some "Super Clean" this time if you can find it. My local auto parts store carries all of these cleaning products. Put it back in the soup & leave it alone for a few weeks. I have a '64 Pontiac Grand Prix that's been soaking for well over a month & it's coming clean, but slowly. The previous painter used lacquer paint without adequate primer & the paint etched the plastic making it very difficult to strip clean. I suspect you may be having the same issue with some of yours. Luckily, you're dealing with an easy to find kit. You may be better off not wasting your time & just get a new one. I've got a brand new '59 Elky body that I could send your way if you need it. Steve

I wasn't sure how the detail on the kit air cleaner was going to work out, but I think it came out quite well, considering. I first added the second snorkel & then primed. Then I shot a couple of coats of Dulpicolor red over the whole top of the air cleaner. Next I foiled the lettering & then shot a couple more coats of red over the foil. Then I cut a small round hole in the middle of a piece of foil to allow the center area around the wing nut to receive black paint, positioned it on the air cleaner & then trimmed around the outside. In other words, I used foil to mask. After shooting the black, I removed the mask & then cleaned the lettering with a little thinner. After a little detailing, I shot a coat of clear over the whole thing. I may do another clear coat before calling it done. This little project alone took me the better part of the afternoon! Going to try to get some more engine work done this evening. Steve