StevenGuthmiller

Gary cook had asked me if I had ever built a '59 Impala & if I had if I could post some pics of it. Well... here it is. A little long in the tooth as they say, this is a very old build & is showing it's age. I believe this was one of the first times I ever used MCW paints when there used to be a local hobby shop in town that sold it in rattle cans. Can't remember the color, but I believe it may have been a late 60s Corvette or Camaro color. Steve

Actually, I did build a '59 Impala convertible many years ago & lets just say it's showing it's age. But just for you Gary, I'll post a few pics in the "Under Glass" section. Steve

Personally, I've always liked the '59 & '58 Ford styling much better than the '57. The '57 always looked to me like 2 different people designed it & they didn't share notes! The '58 to me looks like the "refined" version of the '57. Although I'll admit, I was never really crazy about the roof line on the '59-'63 galaxies, I do like the looks of the '59. Got the first coat of "Geranium" on the body tonight. Man...is it bright!! Steve

The Iris is in actuality, much more "purple" than this chip looks. Looked pretty close to '65 GM "Evening Orchid" to me. Should be a pretty unusual combo. Steve

Nice Jim! Looks like those bumpers were giving you trouble. Steve

That's very nice Brian!! Again, I'm not a fan of the wheels, but that's just personal preference. Did you not foil the rocker trim & fender well trim for a reason? Steve

I didn't design it Miles, I'm just building it. There were a lot of cars from around this era that had styling "issues". Let's take the '58 Edsel for example...... Steve

Thanks Bill! Many times, what I'll do is basically use Duplicolor paints as my "base coat". if i can find a similar color in Duplicolor to what ever MCW paint I'm using, I'll use the Duplicolor for the first couple of coats & then the MCW for my final coat. Saves the "good stuff" for another build, plus if you're painting the body along with under hood, chassis, interior parts, etc, a 1 ounce jar can be a little light sometimes. There's nothing worse than running out of paint in the middle of a project. Steve

Things seem to be going relatively slowly on this build, but I think it's mostly because I spent a few days prepping & mounting parts for re-chroming. But, I finally got the body prep & priming done, so hopefully I can start shooting some color over the next few days. Steve

All I can tell you Bill is what I've learned from experience from using the stuff. I assume he just uses a finer particulate metallic in his paints being as they're formulated exclusively for model cars. I've found that the metallic in the Testors paints is, for the most part, wildly out of scale for 1/25th scale, & most of the duplicolor paints that I have used are better, but still not accurate. Just take a look on my Fotki page. Almost all of my builds have been painted with MCW paints, at least all of the metallic painted ones. Some of them, like the '58 Impala, painted "Cay Coral" metallic, are almost hard to pick out the "flakes", but the metallic "sheen" is still there making the paint look much more realistic. Steve http://public.fotki.com/stevenguthmiller/

Finished up tonight!! Will post pics in "Under Glass" as soon as I get some good ones taken! Steve http://public.fotki.com/stevenguthmiller/1960-chrysler-new-yorker/

I agree with Steve! If you're going to use automotive paints, prime, prime, prime!! Nothing will ruin your attitude quicker than a destroyed kit body from crazing! I usually use 4 or 5 coats of good primer. Use what works for you but I would always rather error on the side of caution in this case. Steve

Sounds like the answer to me. Better to take a sliver out of the center of the bumper than to try hacking apart the body. Steve

The hits keep coming from you Peter!! wasn't it just a short time ago you were complaining of "builders block", or am I mistaken? Another beautiful build! I especially like the interior. So cleanly done! Keep up the great work Pete!! Steve

I've been using MCW paints almost exclusively for the past several years. These are automotive colors, I believe, from Dupont. The thing I really like about the MCW paints is, They're pre-thinned for airbrush application. Just stir & shoot it on! Another thing I love about it is that the metallic in the paint is to scale for 1/25th, unlike the Testors metallics & even the Duplicolor paints. I love the stuff & will never go back! Steve http://mcwautomotivefinishes.com

I think we dodged that for now, but we'll get our share very soon here in Minnesota! Steve

Looks nice Al! But I agree, what's the deal with that bumper? Could it be another example of bad kit engineering? Kind of makes you wonder if these guys ever just slap one of these things together quick just to make sure things fit before they pawn them off on the public. I mean honestly, that things gotta be hanging over a good 1/4 inch on both sides! It's not even close! There's something seriously wrong with those head lights too. It's just so frustrating to put all that love & attention into a kit, & you clearly did Al, & then have things like that so far out of whack. Well, I applaud you for a job well done. Just wish the manufacturer would have put in half as much effort as you did! Steve

Depends greatly on the type of paint used. Occasionally I get an old kit that was painted years ago with model paints, whether sprayed or with a brush, & the stuff will strip right to bare plastc in the matter of an hour or two. If it's a lacquer or some oddball stuff, it may take a lot longer. It won't even touch some kinds of primer or flat enamels. Flat black is particularly bad. Steve

Wow! 4 years before it started to rust! Obviously you never had a Vega! If you were lucky you might get 2 out of a Vega. Just about the same amount of time it took for the aluminum engine to melt down into a puddle. Steve

I use Testors laquer primers for my first couple of coats. The Duplicolor primer I use for the following coats is a little too hot & can craze the plastic if you put it on too heavy. The Testors stuff gives me a base to help guard against that. I'm sure there are other primers available that would work as well for that purpose, but, as they say, beggers can't be choosers. You use what's readily available to you. The only thing even resembling a hobby shop in my area is Hobby Lobby & they carry Testors paints & seems that all of the auto parts stores around here only carry Duplicolor. At least that's all I've found to this point. I've had fine luck with the Testors #28137 Gray primer. I just wouldn't put an automotive lacquer directly over the top of it. Had issues with that in the past. Steve

It's a Studebaker! Improvements may be necessary! Looks great so far! Steve

I understand what you're trying to do there. If you look at most cars, you'll see some orange peel in the paint. The only problem is, just like everything else when you're working with 1/25th scale, Is scale. How to keep you're orange peel in scale..... You don't want your "bumps" to be the actual size of oranges. Steve

Every body will have their own technique for painting & polishing. You pretty much have to take what you hear & develop your own. Whatever works for you. Personally I use clear coats & "Micro-Mesh" polishing pads, starting with the lightest grit possible. Then finish with "Novus" liquid polishes. Steve

I cut the glass with the intention of using it in my '59 Dodge. I'll bet it was nearly 1/8th inch thick! That may be an exaggeration, but not by much! I wound up using glass from another '59 Dodge with green glass. Which worked out great any way. Pre-tinted! Steve

No. I paint inside. Which is another reason I think Humidity may not play a huge role in the problem. My shop is air conditioned in the summer & heated in the winter. Nice dry forced air heat. So dry in fact, I nearly electrocute myself all winter long everytime I touch a light switch! Steve