StevenGuthmiller

I guess I just thought that some differing opinions might start some actual discussion rather than 30 posts saying "I agree". Have a nice Christmas guys! Steve

Don't get too defensive guys. I don't have a problem with the thread. Anything having to do with modeling is a legitimate issue on this forum. Whenever you start a topic you have to know that there will be all sorts of differing opinions. My only point is, as Mike stated in his post, people have "different versions of fun". So wouldn't the same be true of "better"? I think lobster is better than prime rib, but I'll bet that there would be those that will disagree. So, continue on. I think that all of the items that JC mentioned are legitimate areas that a person "might" want to consider to improve his builds, but omitting one of them does not necessarily make that build less "better" than another. Possibly a better name for the thread would have been, "how to make your builds more competitive in a contest" or something along those lines. Steve

Bingo! I agree that there are things that all of us can do to improve, but becoming obsessive takes the fun out of everything. I don't want to be a buzz kill, but I don't worry a whole lot about being 100% accurate on every aspect of a project. I let it be what it is, a model kit, & just enjoy building them the way I want to. Of course, that's not to say that we should stop trying to improve, but improve for "yourself", not for anyone else. Steve

I have done the same with some people on the forum. If I have parts that I don't need & know I will never use, & there is someone who is in need of them, I have no problem giving them up free of charge. Hell, I don't even worry about postage. On the subject of who is acceptable to receive an obsolete kit, I agree, that's really not my place to say. I personally cringe a little when someone chops up a vintage kit & customizes it, but that's just my issue. I have no say over what a person does with "their property" once it's in their hands, & that's the way it should be. If you want to sell them at astronomical prices, part them out, or bury them in your back yard for that matter, that's up to the individual. I believe we still live in a free country.........or at least some semblance there of. Steve

I would love to see a section just dedicated to "vintage plastic" as well, Steve

That's pretty funny! Maybe it would have gone over a little better with a different color! Steve

Thanks David. The bulbs are the easy part. making a clear lens where none exists now is the difficult part. There are no reflectors or clear lenses with this kit, only a chrome piece. Steve

I agree with everyone else. There are acrylics out there formulated for models & airbrushing. Ceramcoat paints work nicely for fine detailing, but I would never even contemplate painting a kit body with them. Steve

Sounds like a great idea to me! But then again, this is right in my wheel house, so I might be a little bias! Steve

Just came today! A little grungy, but very solid, straight & complete. Steve

Be careful not to get it too tight Kevin. Be mindful of paint thickness. I've had a couple of projects give me a little trouble with the hood fitting perfectly before paint & not so much after 3 or 4 color coats & 3 to 5 clear coats. I make sure now that I leave a bit of a gap to compensate for that. Steve

I just had to do the same thing on my '65 Monaco build. The right front fender seems to be warped outward a tiny bit towards the front bumper, yet the radiator brace is where it belongs & the front bumper fits fine. Not sure where the problem is but the gap is non-existant at the firewall, & as wide as yours at the grille. Weird, but a little styrene strip has taken care of that problem. Steve

I did get a pretty good starting point for not a large investment on that Ford. I know what you mean Bill. I started out the same way. Telling myself I would be happy with a few unusual kits from about '58 to '61. Now I've moved on to the late '60s as well. It can become an addiction very quickly! Steve

First off, I don't know where I would find a set of Polar Lights caps. Besides, I really like the look of the Magnum wheels on this car. The body style is not exactly "racy" looking & I think the Magnum 500s add a "muscle car" touch. I know they're not correct for a '65 Monaco, but hey, I've never really worried too much about being too correct.

I really have no love for restoring kits just for the sake of doing it. I restore them exclusively because I'm interested in the subject matter old annual kits provide & restoring an old built kit is much more economical than shelling out the $200.00-$300.00 that some pristine kits demand. I will say that it is satisfying to see what can be done with a kit that an 8 year old built 50 years ago. Steve

You're probably correct about an unbuilt kit. There's a pristine in the box '63 Ford kit on the bay right now with a starting bid of $150.00 & a buy it now price of $195.00. Too rich for me! I'm not sure I'd call him a "sucker hunter" but I've seen them go for less than that. The '63 Ford That I rebuilt was an unpainted & unmolested built up kit that I got for less than $60.00. Not the best deal in the world, but it was the next best thing to an unbuilt. I'm still quietly on the hunt for a '60 Ford pickup. Steve

I agree. Most of us who are avid builders can instantly smell the difference between a legitimate auction & someone looking for a sucker. I don't mind paying a reasonable price for a kit or a part, hell, I will occasionally pay more than I should if it's something I really want or need. Just today I happened upon a 1963 Ford pickup that was a complete gluebomb that the seller was asking $125.00 for! Uh.....not in this lifetime! You could most likely get an unbuilt kit for less than that! Steve

I guess if you're building a lot of customs the heavier metal flakes are ok, but for the factory stock type builds that I like to do, those heavy flakes just don't cut it if you're looking for realism. But you're correct about control. It's much easier to get the coverage you're looking for with an airbrush & this type of paint. It can also be much easier to destroy a paint job with an airbrush if you're not real familiar with it. I did my share of that early on! Steve

I still use spray cans for some solid colors like red, white or black. Basically anything without metallic in it. But I won't use a spray can for metallic paints. Most of them have metal flakes that are just too out of scale for me. Steve

I stand corrected. I thought the '66 was molded in the gold too. Regardless, they absolutely could have found a better color to mold them in. Or my preference, white! I love their paints Kevin! I will never look back! I don't use MCW clear coat mainly because I use a lot of it & don't want to have to order it through the mail. Same with primer. I've given up on Testors clear & have been using Duplicolor in a rattle can as of late. On this project I'm giving the Duplicolor "Paint Shop" clear a try again. It didn't work so well for me the first time I tried it, but I'm confident it was "pilot error". Seems to be working well this time. The best part is, it comes pre-thinned in a quart can ready to airbrush. That quart should last me quite a while! I'm using a set of Magnum wheels on mine as well, just because I'm not crazy about the look of the stock hubcaps. In my eye the '65 Monaco was a little "stodgy" in the styling department & could use a little icing on the cake. Steve Here are a couple more photos. Nothing really new except one more color coat, which I think made the color a little richer & deeper. Plus the scripts have been done & a couple of clear coats shot.

Fair enough. I prefer to find unpainted, unbuilt kits as well, but depending on subject matter, that can become cost prohibitive very quickly. I don't buy a lot of old painted kits, but I don't let the paint stop me if the deal is right. Some of my favorite restorations started out as painted kits. Steve

Not unusual. I believe all of the MPC '65 & '66 Dodges were molded in that horrendous color. If you do have the 880, that's a real gem! Very difficult to find, as if the Monacos weren't already hard enough to come by. Hang on to that one!! Steve

I don't doubt the veracity of whether or not plastic can become brittle over time, everything deteriorates with age, including me. I've just not seen it myself. I've bought probably 40 kits in the past 3 years, all produced prior to 1969, most of them prior to '61, & I have seen no deterioration that I can detect. I guess my point is, if brittle plastic is the main reason that you would be dissuaded from buying vintage kits, I don't think I'd worry about it a whole lot. Or at least it would be very low on my radar. Steve

Are you sure it's not the 880 kit? I'm not Familiar with either the Monaco or 880 convertible kits, but MPC did do an 880 in '65 as well. My hard top does have the bucket seats. Steve

Thanks guys! That'll be a big help! Steve