StevenGuthmiller

Well, consider yourself a "Test Pilot" on this one Al. This is probably the first one of these kits built anywhere on the planet! At least now the rest of us know what to expect. Steve

Thank you Tommy! Steve

Nice Al! Did you have issues with the fit of the wheels & windshield like everyone is talking about? Looks like you may have had to go a little crazy with the glue on the windshield to get it in. Steve

Thanks Emmanuel! I believe we share the same taste in cars! Steve

Love it! But then again, I may be a little bias. I owned a red 1:1 in high school. I have the kit to build in the future as well, actually 2 of them! Nice work!! Steve

There's a ton of them out there. How cheap is another story. I have a body laying around some where, but nothing else to go with it. Steve

It's been a slow slog, as I had assumed it would! Just can't seem to get as much modeling done with my increased work load @ my job. Never feel like doing a lot when I get home at night. The holidays really didn't help much either. But, after a minor paint issue that was resolved with some extra polishing, I finished polishing, painted the top, & got about half of the foil done on the body. I also got the paint on the interior. I decided to go with a black interior on this one rather than saddle. Just thought it would work better with the black top. Steve

Love to see these old annuals come back to life! I probably could have made your life easier for you with a good body! I built a hardtop a couple of years ago that started out as a covertible, but I later found a nice hardtop body so I never used the convertible body. I'm usually not much for custom wheels on these big old cars, but they're a nice fit on this one. Steve

I had wished for many years that I could have had many of the old annual kits from the 50s & 60s. Being born in '62, I missed out on the kits from that era. Say what you will about ebay, they've fulfilled many dreams for me in the past few years. Kits that I thought I would never see again are now a reality for me. I've since purchased, & in many cases built, the majority of my "holy grail" kits. These are great times if you're looking for an obsolete kit that you've always wanted. They're out there, you just have to be willing & able to pay for them. Steve

I may still try to use some of it Frank, but I'll be very cautious about how I use it. Steve

If you're planning on stomping on it, let me know. Mine came with a mangled A-pillar & I would be more than happy to compensate you for a new body! Steve

Nice stuff Tommy! But if you don't mind my criticism, the rain drops on the 'Cuda are way out of scale! Steve

Thanks a bunch guys! Got a few of those "grail" builds done, & looking forward to getting a few more done next year. Steve

Don't know Bill. At first I thought the tape had left some adhesive residue on the surface, it had that look. But then I realized that it was etched into the paint!. It's not like the clear has not had ample time to cure. I believe the last coat went on as many as 3 weeks ago, & has since been satisfactorily polished & everything. The clear seems to be as hard & durable as you would expect a 3 week old job would be, so why the tape would leave marks in it is beyond me. I guess some soul searching is in order to decide if I will give it another chance, or not. Steve

I only do some underbody detailing when there's an engine in the kit. Curbside builds get the black treatment as a rule. Steve

I usually paint my headliners later, after the body is done. But I figure why not do all of the body color at one time? I'd just as soon do it all in one session. Steve

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Hey Frank. Before you rush out & buy some of this clear, you might want to hear this little update. I ran into a problem with it. This morning, I masked off the polished body on my '65 Monaco project to paint the vinyl top. When I removed the tape, I found the tape had marred the clear, pretty significantly in some places. The tape I used was Tamiya & blue painters tape, both pretty low tach tapes, so it wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances. I placed the body in front of a gas fireplace for a few minutes after shooting the top to accelerate drying, which I do often with no problems. Looks almost as if the heat had softened the clear enough for the tape to leave a textured imprint in the paint. In conclusion, if a little heat softens this clear this much, I absolutely do not want it on my builds. I am seriously reconsidering using it at all. Now the question is, is the damage deep enough on my '65 to render the paint job destroyed? If so, I know I will not use it again. Steve

If you've built some of these old annuals you will Know that many times there can be all sorts of things exposed that you didn't count on. If the chassis mounts "up" a bit in the body, you'll be able to see missing paint on the inside of the lower body. If you have no inner fender detail, like the '65 Monaco I'm working on right now, you can see the inside of the front fenders with the hood open. Sometimes the interior can mount a little low in the body as well, exposing a thin line of unpainted area on the tops of the doors. Depending on the subject, you may have to take this sort of thing into consideration. I always try to get a little color on certain parts of the inside of the body. Better to do it at the beginning than to discover it later. Steve

looks great Al! One of the nicest body styles GM ever built in my opinion. You gotta love that silhouette! Steve

The only draw back to using a coke or spray can is access to the inside of the body. If you want to get any color on the inside of the body or roof, the can will interfere with that. But I still do it this way on many occasions. Steve

Nope. Just used it straight out of the can, poured what was left back in & sealed it back up. Absolutely no waste. I think I'll be using it a lot more. From my first experience, I'm sold! Steve

So, when you're done painting, do you just stand around until the paint dries? Steve

I just use the "Dry Cleaner" system as well. Just a bent up metal hanger. I don't see any need to get too high tech about it. Many times I'll just use an old spray can with rolled up tape on the top. Works fine as well, & it's free!! Steve

Nice stuff Raoul!! Especially the Edsel! That color scheme is glorious! Steve