StevenGuthmiller

Oh I know that Pete! Any type of oil will destroy your paint job. Even oil from your fingers can be an issue. I keep a small plastic paint container with about a half a teaspoon of "uncanted" WD in it. And I make sure I only use it in the final stages of the build when painting is done. I just like it for cleaning adhesive residue after foiling because it's so effortless to use. Takes me seconds to clean all of the foil residue from a body. Steve

If you're looking for something for cleaning up things like foil adhesive residue that won't harm your paint, I suggest WD-40. A dab on a q-tip will remove it instantly. Just don't go crazy with it or you'll end up removing the adhesive from under the foil too! Steve

My trick is to try to foil your scripts as closely as possible. Just like as if you were doing them normally. They don't have to be perfect, but as close as you can get within reason. Then apply your last coat or 2 of color. I usually foil before my last coat. the less paint you have to remove from the script, the better. Then after the paint has dried enough to handle, remove the paint from the script with a fine pointed swab dipped in a little thinner. The less thinner the better. You don't want to damage the paint around it. Then I clear coat afterwards. Steve

I like to do my fine scripts with the foil under paint technique, in which case it's pretty hard to do without clear coating over the foil. All of the rest of my foiling I do after clear. This technique is the best I've found for foiling scripts & I can guarantee you one thing.......I'm not going back!! Steve

I have a bit of a soft spot for the '59 Plymouths myself. My dad had a aqua colored '59 Savoy 2 door sedan when I was about 6 or 7 years old. I remember it sitting on the side street of our house for a year or 2 not running. It was a second car & my dad never got around to fixing it. But I sure remember using it for a playground! I spent many hours behind the wheel of that old Plymouth traveling the world in my imagination. Eventually my dad sold it & I had to resort to other forms of ammusement. Steve

A couple of fresh progress pics of the Merc. Clear coats are all on & the body is waiting for a final polish after a couple of days curing. The interior was painted with Testors flat black & a mixture of Testors "Stainless Steel" Metalizer & flat green & then shot with a coat of clear lacquer to give it a nice satin sheen. Steve

Thanks Dave. I love researching & painting these old annuals in the most unusual colors they came in. Sometimes colors they didn't come in. Steve

On my way home from work yesterday, I saw a beautiful metallic blue & white '58-'61 Corvette driving down the highway. Not sure of the exact year. It was across four lanes of traffic. Steve

Nice Rich! Is it an original promo, A kit, or one of the X-el repops? I don't see any warpage so I'm guessing it's not an original. As far as I know, the original promo & the X-el promo didn't have an interior, only the annual kit. I have one of the X-el kits with a Modelhaus resin interior that I built many years ago that's in desperate need of a re-build. I love the '59 Plymouths & I need a companion for my '59 Dodge! Steve

I got ya Scott. I knew you were just kidding around. Just thought I'd explain my "thing" with 300s. I bought that '67 from a junk yard in New Richland MN in 1979. A friend of mine wanted the 440 that was in it, so I sold it to him & dropped in a 383 Magnum. I later found a dual quad intake with a pair of Holley carbs @ a swap meet & added that. It never really did run like it should. Just dropping on a dual quad setup without doing any other mods doesn't work too well sometimes. Especially when you're a dumb 17 year old who knows nothing about hopping up a car. My biggest problem with that car was while overhauling the engine in "auto mechanics" class, we pinched a wire under a valve cover & fried a large portion of the electrical system. By the time I sold the car some 5 years later, it still ran ok, but virtually none of the electrical equipment worked any more. By the way, The friend that was killed had moved to Minneapolis during our Junior year in high school & the accident occured somewhere up there. Must have been about 1981-82. Always seems like the guys with the biggest zest for life die way too young. Steve

Let's just say I have a small soft spot for Chrysler 300s. My first car in high school was a red 1967 Chrysler 300 hardtop with a black vinyl top & black interior. A good friend of mine had a maroon '64 4 door hardtop around the same time. I think I'll build this one as a "tribute" to him. He was killed in a car accident along with 2 other friends in a Vega Cosworth right after graduation. Steve

Just arrived! Picked up this very nice Johan 1964 Chrysler 300 on ebay for $40.00. Looks like it's in very nice condition as far as I can tell. We'll see after disassembly. Steve

I agree Jason. I have quite a few builds that are detailed under the hood that have had the hood removed once....to photograph them. I have some builds that I literally could not tell you as I sit here, whether I detailed under the hood or not. I absolutely don't remember. I don't do contests or shows as a rule so I'm generally the only one who ever sees my builds. I mostly build them as a shelf model so I focus 90% of my attention on the body & interior. I personally would never be able to maintain my interest or focus on a build that took a year or more to do. This way I can figure on about 1 per month. Keeps me interested. Steve

Yesterday, while on my usual delivery rounds, I spotted a black & white 1957 Oldsmobile 4 door hardtop sitting in front of a house just like it was an every day driver. Actually it looked like one. Earlier that morning, as I was walking into my place of employment, there was a 2-tone green 1962 Chrysler New Yorker 4 door sitting by the door that I've seen there many times before. (regular customer I guess) And later in the afternoon, across the street from one of my stops, at a small shop, there was a black 1957 Chevy sitting on a lift. (Couldn't make much out on this one as all I could see was the back end) And in the parking lot of the same establishment sat a red 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL. This time of the year in Minnesota, you start to see a lot of classics out and about as people are out for their last cruise or getting them ready for storage for the winter. Steve

All model kits & promos prior to 1961 were curbside kits with a few exceptions. I've been building a lot of curbside kits lately. Unless you're comfortable cutting up a rare vintage kit from '58 '59 or '60, (Johan kits were curbside until 1962) to add an engine or other details, you'll probably be building curbside. Personally, I don't think it's worth the effort or the sacrifice of an, (in some cases), unreplaceable kit, just to add engine detail, unless the kit is in rough shape to start with. With a little love, these vintage kits can build into a very respectable model just as they came from the factory. Steve

That's the stuff Niko. Or at least one of them. Testors makes 3 or 4 different Lacquer gloss coats, (I don't know why) I use Testors # 28139 "Ultra Gloss Clear Coat" for most applications, but I have gotten to like the one you pictured (#1834 Wet Look Clear) for final coats. If you're only using 1 or 2 coats, I think I'd go with that one. I also have Testors # 1261 Gloss Coat. Haven't found a real good use for that one yet, but it is the economy stuff. About a buck cheaper than the others. Good luck!! Steve

I'll throw my hat in the ring. This is probably my favorite build at the moment. Steve

I pretty much do the same thing as far as prices go. I know how much I'm willing to pay for a certain kit, so I bid once & once only. If I win, great. If not, there'll be another opportunity. I always chuckle a little when I see these guys that will bid 20 times in a row in $5.00 increments. Although, I just search once or twice a week if I'm looking for something in particular. Gives me something to do in my down time. Plus, I occasionally find a gem I wasn't expecting. For example, I just picked up a built Johan 1964 Chrysler 300 that looks pretty nice for $40.00. We'll see if it was a good investment when it arrives! Steve

Looks like a great start Ron. I still have a partial '60 convertible laying around. Used some of the parts to build this one a couple of months ago. Steve

Don't waste your money on the Revell kit Scott. If it's the same one I have, it's pretty dissappointing. The body on the AMT kit is much nicer. Nice job! Steve

The '59 Merc is not exactly my favorite body style either Peter, but as you said, it's one of those "quirky" designs that really needed to be added to my collection. The wierder they are, the more I love 'em! Might explain my obssesion with late 50s & early 60s Mopars! Steve

Already picked up a set of the Modelhaus lenses Chris. As for the lenses on the ends of the spears..... A couple of drops of Testors "Stoplight Red" will do just fine for me. I probably would have done the same for the plated taillights as well but my kit had broken fender ornaments that needed replacing, so as long as I was ordering parts anyway...... Steve

Color coats are finally on the Merc. I saw a '59 Edsel online a while back in a similar color scheme & I really liked it. A little more unique. This is MCW 1960 Ford "Meadowvale Green", also known as '60 Merc "Valley Green". Very close to 1959 Mercury "Sagebrush Green". The coves are just basic black & the rear quarter bright work panel has been shot with "Polished Aluminum" Alclad. I finally feel like I'm making some progress! Steve

Haven't gotten a whole lot done on this project for a while but hopefully I can get out of my "builders funk" & get back on it now. Body prep & first couple of coats of primer on the body done. Hopefully I'll get some color on it this weekend. Had to do a little more modification on the uptop. It needed a little more stretching to look closer to correct. Steve

I guess it all boils down to your sense of style. I guess I'm a little old fashioned. Personally, I haven't seen a good looking car since about 1972. They turned everything into a "box on a box" after that. "European styling" they called it. Keeping up with the Japanese has been the main focus for the past 30 years. Now they all look like "jelly beans". Or at least they would if they came in anything other than gray. I miss "American Styling". Steve