StevenGuthmiller

Sorry Brett. I,ve been posting pics directly from my computer so my space is limited & I have to delete some occasionally. One of these days I'll start posting them via Fotki or something. Steve

Finished up the interior for the '60 Merc tonight. Was having a hard time finding good lighting for pics, so they're not great, but here they are just the same. Steve

Beautiful Sean! I started one of these many years ago & never finished. I removed the top from mine to do a convertible version being as MPC had seen fit to include the top boot with the hardtop kit. Some day I'd like to finish it. That is if I didn't have 50 other projects to do! Very nice job Sean!! Steve

My first "real" attempt with Alclad. I think I love the stuff!! I had "dabbled" half heartedly with it in the past, but this time I thought I'd try to do it right & I was amazed at how nice it looks. Don't think I'd be comfortable with doing bumpers & the like, but it worked great for these small parts. Now I'm thinking about ordering a bunch of different colors for engine bay detailing & bright work panels on bodies. Something makes me think some aluminum Alclad on the rear quarter panel bright work of a '57 Chevy would be amazing! Steve

Welcome Dane! You're correct. this is a great forum! There's every level of building experience here, from the novice, to the crazy good pros. No need to be embarrased about your level of expertise here. Every one is greeted with the utmost respect. A great bunch of wonderful people. I just joined recently myself & I love it here. I spent some time on some other forums also where everything was discussed, from the weather to politics. If I want to talk about the weather, I'll talk to my neighbor! Have fun! You'll find it's a fantastic place. Steve P.S. I have three words for you about stripping those "glue bombs". Castrol Super Clean!!!!!

Oh well Gary, we can't keep 'em all. That's why we build models......so we can!! Steve

That's a beautiful car Gary! Sometimes these Canadian versions were nicer looking than their American counterparts. I'm thinking, this may be one of those. The Parklane may have been what you might call, a little "over embellished". This one looks so clean, almost "racey". I saw "almost" because, after all, it is still a monsterous automobile! Steve

Thanks guys. All is going pretty well except my usual "window tinting" issues. For the life of me I can't figure out why I've been having such problems with coming up with a good system for tinting windows. I've tried acrylic & enamel paint & have had no luck lately. I'm thinking I'll just go back to the old tried & true system.....Just leave it clear!! It'll save me a lot of frustration! Steve

Thanks everybody! It boggles my mind sometimes how these companies can mess up these kits. AMT seemed to be a major "culprit" for these inaccuracies. The '68 Roadrunner comes to mind. But I guess they've all had their fair share. But I digress, When nobody else seemed to have any interest in doing things like the '58 Plymouth, the '60 Ford or the '57 Chrysler 300, to name a few, AMT came through for us 50s-60s guys! That's gotta be worth something. I would have switched out the white walls Alan, but at the time I had nothing else available. You'd think they could do a little better job with them so you didn't have to throw them in the trash! Steve

Just a couple of scratch built pieces I did for the '60 Merc tonight. Shift lever, rear view mirror & antenna. Debating whether to put forth the effort to shoot them with Allclad, or just paint them with Testors chrome silver. Hmmmm. Steve

With seeing a few '58 Plymouth builds lately, here & in WIP, I thought I'd drag out another old build. Not my best work by any stretch, it was my first build after my 10 year hiatis, so I was a little rusty. Some day, I'd like to do another one of these & do it a little better. First thing I'd have to give the ol' heave-ho to, is those wide whites that came with the kit. Same ones came in the '58 Edsel kit. I just hate 'em! Steve http://public.fotki.com/stevenguthmiller/1958-plymouth/

That color reminds me of the '58 Plymouth that I built. Mine is painted off white with a sort of gold-green top & interior. Keep up the good work Andre! Looking good so far! Steve

That's why I like to use the tape. My eyes aren't what they used to be either. My problem is, by the time I get done laying on 3 primer coats, 2 or 3 color coats & 3 or 4 clear coats, that moulding edge can get a little rounded & the blade can kind of have a mind of it's own. Scribing the edge of your mouldings can be a good solution also, but when you're dealing with something like that '58 Chevy...... That's a heck of a lot of scribing! On the ocassion that you find yourself with a kit that has rather faint trim, which happens a lot with some of the old kits, the tape thing works pretty nicely. Even if the trim is hard to see, you can still tape it off & get a perfectly straight line. Of course I only use this technique for long straight sections of mouldings, which are the ones that are hardest to keep straight. The rest I just do free-hand. Steve

John. Try using a lighted magnifier to start with. It really helps to be able to really see close up what you're doing. Another thing that works really well for me is to run a piece of blue painters tape along the edge of the trim after applying the foil & before cutting. This helps give an edge for the blade to "ride" against to keep your cuts straight. The contrast in color between the tape & the foil is also a great help. Make sure you use a fresh sharp blade for each job. They're not expensive, so don't skimp. There are a lot of great tips on foiling out there. These are just a couple. Steve

Looks vaguely familiar! Steve

I build, & I'm a collector. My wife thinks I'm a fool! Welcome Jake! Steve

I Know what you mean. I've never been a huge "stickler" when it comes to being 100% accurate with my builds. I just like the "stock" look. So I build them to look stock with maybe a few personal "embellishments". I've always just loved that pastel paint, wide white, dripping with chrome look & I always will. Never been a big custom guy. If I go to a show, while everybody else is drooling over the tricked out '32 Ford, I'm out in the parking lot staring at the so-so '56 Plymouth one of the other show goers arrived in. Steve

$500.00 James?!!! You could sell them by the semi load for that!! Put one like that on the street corner in that condition around here & you'd have 5 people with their check books out following you as you walked away! Very nice job! Steve

Thanks Glenn. I'll make sure to remember that one! Steve

So true Froghawk! I know the combo I'm doing on this Merc is not "strictly" stock. Most photos I've seen of the interiors were pretty boring. Even the "cross hair" pattern on the seat backs, if anything, should be the secondary color of dark red instead of bright red. I decided I'd add a little interest by leaving that section red & maybe give it a dark red wash to bring out the pattern a bit. Oh well, I guess with these old kits, you make due with what you get. Steve

Thanks guys! It's getting there. Still hoping to finish it up in the next week or so. Glenn, you'll have to forgive this old fogey who's not really up on the techno age acronyms. I don't know what KUTGW means! Steve

Thanks David! It is coming along quite nicely I guess. I did make a slight change in the color scheme. I was originally doing it in black with a red & black interior, black wheels & a black top boot. Decided it was too much black & made the executive decision to change the interior to 2-tone red & the wheels to red. Thought it needed a bit more color. The top boot in these photos is un-painted. It won't stay that way! Steve

Welcome Glenn! I can almost remember when I was 14......Almost! That's about the same age I was when I started building some 37 years ago. It makes me so happy to see young guys like you starting out in a hobby that I had pretty much given up for dead. At least for the younger generation. I wish you many years of fun in this great pastime. Now, young man, GET CRACKIN' !!! Steve

The trunk will open far enough to get a 12 pack of beer in it! I think it looks great! You live & you learn. I've done the same thing with the panel lines in the past. I figured it out after a while. The spoiler..... I probably wouldn't have thought of that either. Steve

Glad to see some one else as "enthusiastic" as I am about these old kits Ron. I have the Johan '60 Olds, as well as the Merc hard top, the Buick & the Pontiac, (both hard tops) as well as the Lincoln. (also a hard top). Unfortunately, if you want a '60 Olds convertible, you'll have to go resin or chop the top off of one. Johan never produced a convertible version. I have all of the 60s from Chrysler, ( New Yorker, Imperial, Dodge, Plymouth & Desoto) All of the Fords, ( Ford, Lincoln, Mercury & Edsel) & all of the GMs, minus the Caddy. Oh, I don't have the T-Bird either......Yet! Steve