StevenGuthmiller

I suppose I could add a few of my rarest kits that I have yet to build. Johan 1966 Plymouth Fury convertible Johan 1967 Plymouth Fury hardtop Johan 1967 Chrysler 300 hardtop Johan 1964 Dodge Polara hardtop Johan 1964 Plymouth Fury hardtop Johan 1959 Oldsmobile 4 door flat top AMT 1966 Plymouth Barracuda MPC 1966 Dodge Monaco MPC 1966 Pontiac Bonneville hardtop Revell 1962 Dodge Lancer This doesn’t include a bunch of Johan USA Oldies kits and several “less rare” AMT kits. Steve

This is the only ‘69-‘72 GP kit that I have. At some point, I absolutely have to build it to replicate my 1:1. Steve

Very well put. I feel like WIP threads are probably the most relevant threads on a forum. It’s supposed to be a “model building forum” and what’s more germane to model building than actually building models? ? Steve

I would guess that this mold would still exist for possible future releases, if it’s currently not available. ( I don’t know a whole lot about trucks) My assumption is based on the fact that the kit you shared is an ERTL release, so it’s really not that old. Steve

I’ll rephrase that. MCW is just as good as some, and better than most. Or, to put it another way, I don’t know of anything that could be called better. I prefer it over Scale Finishes because the scale of the metallic particles is better. Other than that Scale Finishes is extremely good and comparable to MCW, and between the 2 of them, I can honestly say that I know of nobody else who offers a more comprehensive selection of factory stock colors. Steve

I was lucky enough to get this one in a trade from one of our very own. (Claes Ericsson) I'm still eternally grateful to him, and I hope that I did it justice for him. If you can even find one anymore, my guess would be that an un-built example would cost you, what.........$600.00 maybe? Steve

MCW is some of the best paint you will ever find! Fantastic stuff! The color pallet is nearly endless, and they have a really good handle on getting the metallic paints to look correct to scale. It sprays nice, covers great, and lays down nicely. As others have said, being as it's acrylic lacquer, you can use virtually any kind of primer made for lacquer, and the sky is the limit for clear coat. Personally, I like Duplicolor "primer sealer" under it, and my preference is Duplicolor lacquer "protective clear coat finish" from a spray can in their "Perfect Match" line. One of the advantages of using Duplicolor primer over some others is that should it become necessary to strip the paint for any reason, (I almost never have this happen) it facilitates that process. MCW is without question my go-to paint! Steve

Mine is pretty easy. Try finding one of these in kit form, (promos are considerably easier to find) and you'll understand. Johan 1968 Oldsmobile 442. Steve

Looks considerably better Joe! Now we just need someone to address that dumpy hood molding, and we would have a much better starting point. Steve

No. I haven't heard anything. Their website is still up and operating. They just announced a new color in February. Steve

Yes, the centers were hollowed out slightly with a drill bit. The finish is Alclad chrome. Steve

Thanks everyone! Some small progress on some of the chassis parts. The drive shaft needed to be lengthened due to the chassis stretch and the shorter transmission. Then, as I really didn't care for the appearance of the kit provided rear shocks, I decided to make some changes. Finally, a few general chassis mock-up pics. Steve

I tried an approach similar to this one a couple of years ago when I was building my '64 Grand Prix and wanted to try to replicate the "open" style window cranks in that car. They turned out reasonably well, but I don't think that I'd want to do it again. Steve

Sorry. I was under the assumption after reading yours and Casey's posts that you were legitimately wondering what Linberg's current status was. Maybe it's just the way that my brain works, but I guess it didn't enter my mind that there would be anyone who really cared about who's name was on the box. The kits are still available under one name or another. Seems like a moot point to me. Steve

Lindberg was absorbed under the Round-2 banner some time ago, just as AMT, MPC, Polar Lights, and several other brands were. None of these companies exist independently anymore, and haven’t for quite a while. All of Lindberg’s line, (as well as the others) are now owned and produced by Round-2, often under different company badges, (ie, Lindberg models packaged as AMT kits, etc.) If you’re interested in the history of these different kit companies up to this point, the information can be found on Round-2’s website. Steve

I decided that this idea was one that I needed to explore, so I sat down in the shop for a few minutes to see how it worked. I did it a little differently than you did Greg, but the overall premise is the same. As I don't have a punch, I just used a thin slice of plastic rod for the base of the crank, and I cut my starting shaft piece in a slight pie shape to give it a taper from the base to the knob. Otherwise, I did it exactly the same. The only other variation was that I left a little of the background plastic protruding from the sides of the shaft to give the shaft a little more depth, and used a little larger rod for the knob itself. This is just an experiment piece, or a "prototype" if you will, but it looks to be a very promising and sound technique. Sometimes all that's required is a little "brain boost" to get these things to register. Thanks for the tip Greg!! Steve

That's some very nice work right there Greg! I'm pretty sure that I could handle that! You are correct though. Not quite the same as PE pieces.......Much better in my opinion!! Steve

I use standard painter's brown masking paper available from any home improvement or hardware store to cover the majority of the area to be masked whenever I'm doing a 2-tone paint job. I've learned over the years that the less tape that you have applied over your finish color, the better, for multiple reasons. Use Tamiya tape for the edges, and then strips of the masking paper with regular masking tape applied so that the regular tape only covers the paper and the inside edge of the Tamiya tape, with as little touching the paint as possible. The less tape that touches the paint, the less chance you'll have of problems such as pulling up the paint, tape texture imprint in the paint, or adhesive residue left behind once the tape is removed. De-tacking the tape might work, and I would recommend that approach if you decide to go that route, but it may also lead to tape lift and paint bleed under on compound curves in the body if you are applying multiple coats of paint over it. The tape can often lift in areas where there is stress or strain on it on weird curves. I've had that happen. Use light coats of the secondary color. Applying the paint too heavy, especially the first coat or two, not only increases the possibility of bleed under, but will also create heavy paint ridges along the edges of the tape that will somehow need to be removed, and that can be a difficult task. Apply the Tamiya tape that will de-mark the line between the two colors on the highest ridge of the body trim moldings. That way it will be much easier to remove any paint ridge that should occur, rather than trying to remove a ridge from a low point in the moldings. Any ridges that are present after removing the tape will absolutely need to be removed. They will almost certainly show through foil, or paint, or whatever you use to finish the trim with. Above all, whatever masking method you decide on, take your time and be vigilant while masking. Make sure that everything is completely covered and double check everything. Add more masking if there's any question. Nothing ruins a 2-tone job quicker than one small area where the secondary color bleeds under. But on the flip side, nothing is more beautiful than a properly done 2-tone paint job! Steve

I think Steve’s point is that foreign does not always equate to a better kit. It’s certainly not true when comparing the Trumpeter ‘60 Bonneville to that lowly old AMT article, and there are other examples. You really need to consider yourself extremely lucky that Tamiya even made a 90s Mustang.......If you’re a Tamiya loyalist anyway. Otherwise, who cares. Steve

Sidney’s comparison photos above are a comparison between the kit and the 1:1. But where the obvious discrepancies come in is when you view them from the top. The top on the Trumpeter kit is more than “a little” short. Haven’t done any measurements, but if I had to guess, I would say at least a good 3 or 4 scale inches short. Not a pittance by any stretch of the imagination. But with all of this said, I would never suggest that someone shouldn’t build the kit if they desire. Just one of those situations where I feel that people might want to be aware of the situation. I generally don’t let small discrepancies bother me a whole lot, but in some circumstances, they will bother me enough where I have difficulty getting beyond them. For instance, the shape of the side trim on the AMT 1958 Plymouth never really bugged me, but I’ll never be able to get past the shape of the rear quarter panels on the AMT ‘68/‘69 Roadrunner/GTX kits. Just my personal issue I suppose, as apparently AMT sold a boatload of those kits. Steve

The roof is considerably too short, and as a consequence, the tulip panel between the rear glass and the trunk lid is way too long. Another glaring body mistake in my eye is the hood molding. Far too wide, short and stubby. Steve

Yeah, they botched the roof pretty good.......among other things. Steve

The problem is that some people don't see it that way. Apparently some will sacrifice their desires for "easy". I've never understood this mentality myself. If I want to build a that '65 Bonneville, I'm going to suck it up and go with the only available kit from AMT, and make it better if possible. I'm certainly not going to consider a Tamiya Volvo station wagon an immediate alternative. Steve

When I first came across this kit in my LHS some years ago, it was quite an exciting revelation. Initially, upon opening the box, it looked as if it was going to be a fantastic kit! Of course, as time went by and all of the kit’s short comings became evident, it lost it’s appeal pretty quickly. That said, I have one of the hard top kits, and if I ever built it, (which at this point is rather unlikely) I would absolutely be chopping off the top and doing a convertible. There’s no way that I can unsee the roof/tulip panel proportions of the hardtop kit. My opinion? That weird wheel/tire configuration is the coolest part of the whole kit!! ? Steve

This subject comes up constantly, and I'll just offer the same opinion that I always do. I could care less who the manufacturer of the kit is, and the initial quality is of no consequence to me whatsoever. For me, subject matter is the ONLY consideration. If the kit has issues that bother me, or need attention, I'll fix them. The best engineered kit in the world means nothing to me if it's a subject that I have no interest in. I would rather use my skills to re-work a subpar 60 year old kit that interests me, than build a immaculate new kit that doesn't. It's that simple. Steve