StevenGuthmiller

I love the color Jim!! The gold in the anodized trim area is a little much for me, but the color combo is pretty cool. I love the stance too. It's got that "50s tail dragger" look. Nice! Steve

I'm sure you know, there were no "kits" made prior to 1958. before that it was all promos, whether plastic or metal or a combo of the 2. They were few & far between & the plastic as you know was horrible. X-EL did a couple of repops of prior to '58 promos such as the '57 Olds, but other than that, finding unusual subjects from before '58 in restorable condition will be either be resin or something you probably wouldn't want to spend 25 cents on. Steve

I have all of my work done with Chrome Tech. They do very nice work. My only complaint is turn around time. The web site says 3-4 weeks. I've never recieved my shipment in less than 6. Many times it's approaching 2 months. Steve

This is Dusk Pearl. MCW Lacquer. Steve

I have a question for you Richard. Didn't these '59 Chryslers have a 2-tone top? If I recall correctly, my '59 Desoto had a 2-tone top. Not that they all would have been that way. Just curious. Steve

I think spray cans may be the answer. trying to get a good finish with a brush is nearly impossible in my opinion. Go get yourself a couple of cans of spray paint, Tamiya, Testors, whatever. That's where I would start. If you want to use brush paints for your interior & the like, I would use flat paints. They dry much flatter & smoother than gloss paints. You can always spray a gloss or satin clear over it to get the finish you want. Steve

This model was never done in kit form Hench, so you're only option is a promo. The original promos that were done by Johan in '59 were made of a type of plastic that usually warped horribly over time, so you're best bet is going to be an X-EL repop. X-EL took over the molds from Johan in the 80s & re-did some of these old models in styrene. Problem is, X-EL is now out of business & every indication is that the molds are no longer & these old models will probably never be made again. Therefore, the prices only rise over time. I doubt if anybody has done, or will do a resin cast kit of the '59 New Yorker, so if you really want one, you're kind of stuck. Steve

I'm liking it Richard! But you should expect as much from me. You & I are on the same wave length when it comes to these old kits. I really wish some resin caster along the way would have done an interior for some of these old X-EL promos. I have the '59 Desoto 4 door hardtop that I had begun converting into a convertible years ago, but kind of gave up on it due to the lack of interior. Maybe some day, eh? Steve

I clean mine immediately after each use. When I was young & stupid, I would just run a little thinner through after I used it & call it good. Strangely, after a while, they kind of stopped working. Now I dis-assemble & give it a good cleaning out after each use & have had a great run with my cheapo Badger 200 for the past few years. Steve

Yes Pete, They are automotive lacquers, so I'm assuming this "airbrush cleaner" is some sort of automotive lacquer thinner. But I know it's not the same as the lacquer thinner from Home Depot, etc. This is a much more powerful solvent. I've soaked airbrush jars in the store brand stuff for days & it never really cleans them too well. This stuff from MCW will clean them like new in minutes. Steve

Actually, I'm not even sure what it is, but occasionally when I order paint from MCW, I get a can of "Airbrush Cleaner" from him. This stuff will clean anything out of your airbrush....Pronto! I should find out exactly what it is because I'm sure I could get it a lot cheaper from my local auto body supply store. Steve

A good place to look for kits, paint & supplies is Hobby Lobby if you happen to have one nearby. There are no hobby shops in my town either Charlie, so whatever I can't get at Hobby Lobby, I have to get online. Not always the cheapest way with shipping costs & all, but you don't always have the options. There are a lot of good model supply sites online that carry everything you'll ever need. I buy a lot of my stuff from "Model Roundup". Just google it. There are many others & some of the people on the forums may have some good places for you to check out. Just ask around! Steve

What I'm assuming you're talking about Skip, is what most of us would probably refer to as "Crazing". When the plastic "wrinkles" up from the paint being too "hot". Usually occurs from applying lacquer paints directly over un-primed or insufficiently primed plastic. As far as I know, the only remedy would be sanding. The damage is in the plastic itself. so in order for it to be repaired, you must remove a layer of plastic. As far as bleed through, I would think that as long as you sufficiently prime after sanding, there sould not be an issue. Several coats of a good primer may be necessary. Steve

I'm suprised the '67 GTX kit didn't come with the scoops Charlie. Mine did. I built this one probably 10-12 years ago. I'll bet some one on the forums has a set. Just ask & they'll probably be happy to send them to you. Steve

I haven't painted window trim in more than 20 years Charlie. Most everybody uses "Bare Metal Foil" or something similar for their chrome trim these days. Steve

Welcome Charlie! From a fellow Minnesotan! Steve

I don't know what to tell you Steve. I don't mess with that kind of stuff anymore. I buy pre-wired distributers now. Saves a lot of messing around on something I don't want to spend time messing around on. Steve

I'm sure there are a million ways to do it. I just use Testors #3515 "Clear Parts Cement". Works well for me. I also use it for a lot of small detail parts on the body where I'm worried about getting glue on the finish such as antennas, mirrors, photo etched parts, etc. If you over do it, you can rub the glue off of the paint while it's still a little soft. I suppose good old "Elmers" would work as well. Steve

Looks perfect for clear coat now Niko! A coat or two of good gloss coat will really shine it up. Your color coats don't need to be shiny to produce a good finished product. Most lacquers will leave you with a dull finish too. Steve

That's a good question James. I have no idea what the actual thickness of BMF is, but I'm pretty confident it's thinner than aluminum foil if that helps at all. BTW, I've been using BMF for many years & have always had good luck with it. That is as long as it was the good old fashioned original chrome version. As far as I'm concerned the rest of the colors are mostly useless. Steve

Now you're talkin' my language!! Steve

I've been pretty much living on ugly built-ups recently. I just love taking something that looks like it belongs in the trash & turning it into a nice display piece. Steve

My guess is it would be way too thick to use in place of BMF. It can be difficult enough to get BMF to conform to some contours. I don't think I'd even want to try this on a vent wndow! Steve

I didn't have to do a whole lot to the top to make it resemble a correct '59 Merc top Roger. Just cut the back to the right angle & then add a strip to the back to give it more length. Also had to add a little to the bottom to bring it up in the back a little. Other than that, it's all '59 Chevy. Steve

Sounds to me like you're just getting side tracked because you're trying to get too detailed. I used to have that problem myself. I would concentrate on heavy detailing & never finish anything. Some guys can spend 3 or 4 years on a build with no problem at all. But if you're like me & have the attention span of a hamster, you just keep jumping from project to project never finishing anything because you lose interest. What I've done for the past few years is to just concentrate on simple builds. Curbside or simpler builds of more unusual subjects keeps my interest long enough to finish them up. At least that seems to have helped my production. I used to finish 1 or 2 kits in a good year, now I average 1 per month. I understand, it's not a race, but unless I can keep my attention piqued, I just as well give it up or I'll have a whole shop full of unfinished projects that I'll just have to get rid of someday. Steve