StevenGuthmiller

What type of paint is it? Is it the old Testors metallic blue enamel, or one of the Model Master "Custom Lacquer" paints? The enamel always had a tendency to draw away from body creases & edges just because it's enamel & dries slower. Lacquers dry much quicker & won't be as likely to do this. Steve

Nice Bruce! I have the Aerosedan & the Sedan Delivery kits that I bought years ago when they first came out. They seem to be great kits, but I just haven't been able to muster the interest to build them. Maybe yours will help motivate me. Great job! Steve

Even in Rochester Minnesota there are Mexican & Chinese restaurants on almost every corner! In a city of about 100,000 I'll bet there are 30 of them combined. Some good, some just fast. One of the Mexican places here that stands out is a taco truck called "Lucy's Tacos". Very authentic, cheap & quick! The best of all worlds. Steve

Thank's for the kind words guys!! Steve

Thank you so much guys!! Steve

Steve

Really! I stand in amazement too! It takes me an average of 3 days just to foil a kit! Of course, that's not continuously, but even if I could do it all in one sitting, it would take me at least 12 hours! Steve

I've been hoping for "Chic-fil-A in Rochester. I ate there a few times on trips down south. Best chicken sandwich on the planet, hands down!!

Not sure that there's many inside the USA that can claim it! Steve

I felt like all I did was polish & re-polish on this one Frank. I know I used the Novus "Clean & Shine" on it at least 3 times in the last 24 hours of build time!

Love it! What a tank! But a good looking one. I'm almost detecting a little blue on the hood by the grille. This color looks pretty close to a color I have planned for a '67 Bonneville build called "Plum Mist". Very nice Al! Steve

I guess it's about time that I get started on this old MPC Monaco kit. Hopefully this one won't take 2 months, but I'm not betting on it. Anyone have any input on color choice? I'm debating between the 2 colors shown. The one on the right is an original factory color called "Sandalwood", also known as "Medium Bronze". I'm leaning towards that but I also like the one on the left. It's actually a GM color from '61 called "Fawn Beige" but is close enough to '65 Mopar "Pale Gold" for me. I originally bought the "Sandalwood" for this build, so I'll most likely use it, but I balked a little because it seems to be close to the plastic it's molded in & I absolutely hate that color! Steve

Thanks so much guys! Bill, the battery decal, as well as the small labels on the radiator brace & firewall come from a member of the forum by the name of Tommy Logan. He makes custom decals as well as offering "mini sheets" with all kinds of small generic under hood labels such as air cleaner & oil filter decals as well as all sorts of different battery decals. The washer bag isn't a decal. It was just very carefully hand painted. Steve

Not really so much "chain" restaurants, but some other good restaurants. There is a family in town by the name of "Zubay" that own about a dozen different restaurants ranging from 3 great burger joints called "Newts", to a bistro type place called "The Redwood room" & on the higher end, a steak house called "300 First" & our favorite, a seafood restaurant called "City Cafe". They all have excellent food & the Zubay's all but own the stand alone restaurant business in Rochester. The next time you're in Rochester, Check one of them out. Especially if you're looking for a great burger. Newts is terrific!! But plan on waiting to be seated at any of them on a Saturday night. They're all crazy busy! Steve

I don't know a lot about them. I'm not much for 4 door cars so I never really had much interest in these kits. I picked up the Hobby heaven Galaxie years ago on a whim. Steve

Well, I don't have a complete kit, but in the future, if you need any parts, let me know. I have a couple of bodies & hoods, an interior, a top boot & a few other miscellaneous parts. Steve

Yup, the Hobby Heaven kit is a 4 door sedan with all of the police car parts. Steve

Thanks a bunch guys! Michael, you're correct about the fit of the front bumper. One of those things I didn't realize until final assembly. This kit was acquired in pieces starting with a basket case convertible that turned out to be such a wreck the only salvageable parts were the chrome pieces & the chassis. I later found a good body & interior so it could be finished. The front bumper that came with the first kit turned out to be a promo piece. I discovered that after stripping the original chrome for replating. It was molded in a red plastic that seemed to be softer than the usual kit styrene, & who knows if they were exactly the same as the annual kit parts That could have something to do with the fit, but it's more likely due to removing the front screw posts. I left a small portion of the bottom of the screw posts for mounting purposes, but it may have not been enough making the rear of the front bumper appear a little higher than the front. It would probably be an easy fix by just adding a very thin "shim" between the bumper tabs & the radiator brace. At this point, I'm not sure I'll attempt it for fear of messing up all of the engine plumbing by trying to remove the chassis plate far enough to add those shims. I'll probably wind up just living with it. Although it's something I may tentatively attempt. Thanks for pointing out my inadequacies though. Steve

Nice finds Christian! I have one of the Hobby Heaven repops of the '70 Ford. Not sure if I'll ever build it. I've already pirated a few parts from it. Steve

Why not! There are no rules to building models. I guess you could consider us artists. Have you seen what many consider art these days? I rest my case! Do whatever grabs ya! Steve

Yeah, if you consider McDonalds & Subway good stuff! The Midwest has been a food "wasteland" for many years. I think it may have a lot to do with the farm land basic "meat & potatoes" mentality. Not that there's anything wrong with that, farmers are just down to earth people who are normally not real "down" with extravagant things. Around here an Applebee's is a gastronomic adventure!! Although in the larger cities, it is getting better. There are some fairly good restaurants in the town that I live in. Steve

Yes Bill, I use a piece of sandwich bag for my rear windows in convertible tops. Looks more realistic than sheet plastic. Steve

Thanks guys! I got a few fairly good shots this morning so this one is now under glass. Steve

Well, I finally finished this one last night & got a few pics this morning. I've been on a bit of a "slow roll" lately, making progress on my builds, but not as quickly as I'd like. I think it turned out fairly well. I like the color combo, I think it makes it look kind of "classy, but it was just another reminder of why I detest working with black! Every little smudge & speck of dust stands out like a sore thumb. I relegated it to it's case @ break neck speed as soon as it was finished! Just a short list of additions: The interior is nothing more than a detail painted piece straight from the box with the addition of embossing powder carpets, resin cast door handles & rear view mirror & door lock buttons. The engine was taken directly from the AMT '62 T-bird kit & dressed up with some additional wiring & plumbing. I elected to leave the air conditioning pump on the engine, although I know that the interior has no air conditioning components. I scratch made the fittings for the hoses. I also removed those unsightly "screw posts" from the radiator brace that were always present on these old annuals & added a hood latch plate & a few detail decals. The headlight buckets were hollowed out, the buckets were foiled & some scratch made lenses were added. I also drilled out the center of the tail lights & added clear back up lights. The skirts were taken from an old Johan '61 Chryser kit, modified to fit, & foiled. I just taped them in place just in case I ever decide to remove them. Although, I actually think that they add a touch of class. I like them. I also added a "sandwich bag" rear window to the uptop. Anyway, here it is. I hope you all like it. Any comments or criticisms are always welcome. I think my next project will be one of 2 Dodges. Either a Modelhaus resin '56, or more likely an MPC 1965 Monaco. Thanks guys!! Steve

Well, it's finally done! Just like my last project, it took me more than twice as long as my average build. I like the color scheme, but this just reaffirmed the fact that I hate working with black! It looks "sexy" when it's done, but it's a major pain during, & after for that matter. Trying to keep the dust specks at bay is an exercise in futility! I'll just leave you with a couple of "teaser" pics for now. I ordered a photo booth setup last weekend, but it just shipped today. I'm anxious to try it out. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day here in the great white north, mid 40s & sunny, so I should at least be able to get a few outside shots, that is if I can keep the dust goblins away for a few minutes. Anyway, thank you to all who posted & kept me motivated during this 2 month project. I appreciate it! Steve Good thing I ordered some more "Dust Busters" a while back!!