StevenGuthmiller

This kit has been around for a long time but went the way of the dinosaur when Johan went out of business many years ago, so they're all collectible now. The original annual came with customizing parts & the up top. The later "USA Oldies" kit had stock parts only with no up top. This was a mixture of the 2 as evidenced by the 2 different plastic colors. The box is also original annual. The interiors, engines & chassis were rudimentary as was standard with these annuals from the period. The interior consists of 3 parts including a tub with the seats molded in, a dash & a steering wheel. Steve

This was one of them. I saw that with little time left there were still no bidders on it, so just for the heck of it, I bid the staring bid never expecting to get it. Seems like whenever I don't expect to win an auction, I invariably do! Anyway, I thought $32.50 was a fair price. Steve

Mail man dropped this off today! It's a mixture of newer & vintage parts from the original annual & the "USA Oldies" kits. I bought it mostly because it included the up-top. Got it fairly cheap anyway. The chrome is all from the newer kit which means it won't need re-chroming, so this one may jump the line a bit & get built soon. I already have colors & engine picked out. It will be "Luminous Brown" with a black top, the cross ram 413 wedge engine from the AMT '49 Merc kit, and a set of Torq Thrust wheels. Not completely stock, but not too far off. Steve

I'm curious. Did you use Testors clear for your clear coats? If so, this looks like a perfect example of why I stopped using it. I have had similar issues appear, (although not as badly) as long as a month after clear coating. After ruining 3 or 4 paint jobs this way, I swore off Testors clear. I've never had the same issue with the other clears that I use now. Steve

Another trick you can use, if you want a white top is to spray the entire kit with white primer. Than just mask off the top, spray the rest the body color, unmask the top & shoot the whole thing with clear. Kind of kills 2 birds with one stone. Steve

I've bought probably 4 sheets in the past year. No problems whatsoever. Steve

Ditto! When you restore old annuals, you have to do this all of the time. If it's just minor abrasions, that's exactly how I do it. Steve

The kits that I have, ('63-'68) Johan Chryslers & Plymouths all share pretty much the same chassis with a few minor variations. Steve

There seem to be all kinds of little "glitches" going on. I've had issues with replying to threads quite often. When I click on "reply" on particularly long threads, about half the time I don't get a text box to type a message in. I found a way around that one, but I've also had the problem of clicking on "reply" on a thread that I had responded to in the past & getting a whole page of "quoted" messages from past posts! Not to mention the "Insert other media" button being pretty much useless, although I haven't tried inserting any photos that way for several months. There are obviously still problems to address. Steve

Thank you very much Curt! Steve

Depends on the type of paints you're using, & how you're applying it. I use mostly Duplicolor products with MCW colors & I never have problems with burying details. My average build has 4-5 coats of primer, 3-4 coats of color, & as many as 5 clear coats. This '64 Chrysler got the full treatment. 14 coats! No trouble with covering details. Steve

I don't think the '59 El Camino kit is all that bad to foil. As far as 1950s cars go, it's pretty tame! Try a '59 Dodge or a '58 Buick! Steve

I glue whatever is necessary to hold it together. I've even been known to glue the tires to the wheels if necessary! As far as "smoothing" the tires, I'm assuming as mike did, that you mean the tread. Just regular old sand paper for me. Steve

Wow! That's a beauty Vince! The second shot looks like something right out of a magazine! Welcome to the forum. Steve

I don't know if the "pledge" is necessary, but my routine is close to Snake's. I only sand in between coats of primer & color if necessary & I usually use multiple coats of all 3, primer, color & clear. I use several coats of primer to make very sure that I guard against any "crazing" of the plastic due to the fact that I'm using automotive lacquers for top coats. I use, on average, 3 to 4 coats of color for various reasons, one of which is so I can use the "foil under paint" technique for scripts. I also use as many as 4-5 coats of clear. This of course is only a good idea if you're using a clear coat that doesn't go on too heavy & cover all of your detail. I use Duplicolor "Perfect Match" in a spray can for the first few coats, & lately I've been using Duplicolor "Paint Shop" clear through an airbrush for the last couple. I've found that the more clear I use, the less likely I am to polish through the paint anywhere during the polishing process. I will usually sand after about 3 coats of clear to eliminate as much orange peel as possible before applying the last couple of clear coats. As far as polishing goes, I use the "Micro Mesh" polishing kit starting with the finest grit pad possible to avoid too much scratching. I usually get by with starting with the 4000 grit pad. After polishing with the pads, I use Novus "Fine Scratch Remover" & then usually an automotive polish to finish off. (Currently I'm using Turtle Wax "Scratch & Swirl Remover". Seems to work pretty well) At the end of assembly, I give it a once over with Novus "Clean & Shine" just to remove any finger prints, etc. Steve

Thanks so much Bob! Steve

Looking really nice Matt! Have you ever used Alclad paints? The gold anodized trim can be replicated very nicely with a mixture of Alclad "Pale Gold" & "Polished Aluminum". Might be a little late for that at this point though. Probably would have been better to try that before the foil was applied. Personally, I think it looks just fine as is! Keep up the good work. It'll be a beauty when it's done! Steve

Thanks Derick! I still think the Magnum wheels & white lettered tires went a long way towards giving it a "sporty look" of any kind. Steve

Thanks a million Doug! It's funny, but every once in a while I find myself starting kits that are lower on my build list because they don't interest me as much, while leaving other projects that I'm highly motivated to build waiting! I'm not sure why I do that sometimes, but I think it may have to do with the fact that I know I want to build those "lower interest" cars at some point, & I figure if I squeeze them in between more desirable builds, they won't come all at once down the road to sap all of my enthusiasm. In other words I'm trying to mix the good with the bad! But even those builds kind of grow on you to the point where they become endearing by the end of the project. Now I love my '65 Monaco! Steve

Thank you so much guys! This was a thread that I thought was long dead! I appreciate your kind words! Steve

Funny, I've never noticed that one @ Hobby Lobby. If I had, I'd already have one! I'll have to give it my attention next time I'm there. Steve

I'm not all that familiar with the Testors "One Coats" but with the automotive paints that I use, the paint has little or no transparency so additional coats tend to even out colors, even if you paint parts separately. Once coverage is complete, the color just becomes......the color. One of the reasons I like MCW paints. I have almost zero problems with issues like this. Steve

I'm pretty sure you're talking about those marker lights on the rear quarter, correct? Those could be a challenge, but I think I would try just using acrylics. Paint the louvered part body color & then maybe some silver acrylic for the reflector, followed by some clear acrylic tinted with a little red for the lens. The reason I would use acrylic paint is obviously because it would be easy to clean any excess from the louvers with some water to avoid damaging the paint. Steve

I will just add that as long as you have "room" for more paint, ( ie. you won't cover up all of the detail) I would try just taping all of the parts into position at this point & shooting one more coat of color over the whole thing. Hopefully it will even it all out. It's worth a shot before you go through the hassle of stripping & re-painting. Steve

Again, I have to agree with Tom. Seems that people have no problem spending $10.00 on a can of Tamiya primer, but they can't abide spending $8.00 on a sheet of foil every few months. I look at it from the perspective that I spend as much money on one jar of paint to paint one kit, as I spend on a sheet of foil that will do several. In other words, I don't worry about waste. Steve