StevenGuthmiller

That’s my thought. Looks dead on. Steve

I use pre-wired distributors from M.A.D. Boot material is included. Steve

Might have something to do with the fact that all of the guys that you're talking about are getting old. The eyes and hands don't work as well as they used to. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that a lot of builders are just doing it for the fun of it, and not necessarily looking for trophies or magazine spreads. In my case, I'm just an old school "plastic" model car builder who enjoys working within that medium. I have absolutely no interest in working with brass, or milling parts from aluminum, and not a heck of a lot of interest in 3-D printing or resin casting for that matter. If I can't get where I want to go with some parts swapping, a little scratch building and modifying, then I'm not going there, and that's alright with me. It already takes me long enough to build a model in plastic without all of that. Above all else, it has to be fun, or it's not worth it. There are already enough pressures in most of our lives. I enjoy attending the occasional show here and there, but it's okay with me if the guy that completely scratch built his model from the ground up wins, and I don't. He'll do his thing, and I'll do mine. Besides, I think a lot of people are more interested in seeing something a little more unusual, out of the ordinary, and just cleanly done, than they are necessarily seeing every model looking like it belongs in a museum. Or maybe a lot of the builders you're talking about are just getting tired, and they want to remember how much fun building was when they were a kid when they weren't trying to impress anybody. Sorry if that rubs anyone the wrong way, but it's just my take. Steve

The AMT 1962 Pontiac Catalina kit has the transparent wheel, as do the Moebius ‘61 Pontiac kits. Steve

I am NOT a "custom" guy.......but that's pretty cool! Steve

Buyer beware. Sometimes you have to do a little research if you want to keep disappointments like this from happening. Not that I condone how some of these companies occasionally have the tendency to mislead, but it's really on us to do the research to make sure we're getting what we think we're paying for. Steve

I agree!! I can't even begin to count how often I see people having paint issues, whether on this or other forums, or the dozens of Facebook groups that I visit, but it's a constant and never ending thing. And 99.9% of the time, it's because people try to use this cheapo paint, whether they're using it exclusively, or mixing it in with other "good" paint. You have to make the decision of whether or not you want to spend a little extra money up front and buy good paint in the first place, or whether you would rather spend countless hours fixing the problems that the cheap paint created for you, not to mention the added cost of having to buy more paint to correct the mess from the first attempt. Please people, use good materials! Steve

I use BMF quite frequently when I need to mask weird, uneven areas where masking tape won't conform. Steve

There's a guy that photographs models at several of the local shows, including the NNL, that have been featured in "another" magazine, but I don't know if he has an exclusive affiliation to that mag or not. But he's a very good photographer it seems. I could get you in contact with the promoters of the show if that would help at all. This photo of one of my models, (my current profile photo) was included in the online coverage of the NNL show this past spring, but I don't know if it was ever in the magazine. Nice photo though. Steve

Thank you everyone! Couldn't wait to get started foiling, and I thought that this was going to be a pretty easy one, but the rocker panel moldings turned out to be more of a challenge than I expected. The engraving is so deep between the ridges that it was virtually impossible to get the foil all of the way into the grooves without tearing. Luckily, the '64 Bonneville rocker trim has silver paint in between with chrome ridges, so I basically had to cut in between each ridge to get the foil snugged down tight, and then painted the trim with steel paint, and finally, cleaned it off of the surface of the ridges with thinner. Steve

Thanks Carl. Everything I know was learned from others. Steve

Worked pretty well on my latest project. Steve

This one has had nothing added to darken the lines. Just scribed deeply. Steve

You might be surprised. It’s really not that difficult. All you need is magnification......and a fairly steady hand. ? Steve

Thanks guys! I managed to finish up the polishing today, (except for the hood) and I wanted to get the radiator bulkhead area painted right away so that I could begin foiling as soon as possible. These are the kinds of things that I really hate doing after the painting and polishing is finished, but I find it gives me the best results that way. A lot of masking for such a small area, but it turned out good. Steve

Here's one of the Johan '58 Olds 4 door hard tops......very nicely done I might add. Steve

If you don't get the engine from Doug, let me know. I have a couple of extra air cleaners. I imagine that I could be convinced to let one go. Steve

Aside from the obligatory mess, and a shelf full of paint cans, the shelf directly behind my bench contains a good portion of my most valued kits......where I can keep a good eye on them. Steve

I would just ask in the “Wanted” section. Somebody probably has one and at the very least would probably be willing to cast one in resin for you. I have at least one of them, but I’m no good with resin casting. Let me check my stash to see if I have any extras. Steve

Shouldn’t be too hard. There are a lot of the Johan “USA Oldies” 1962 Chrysler 300 kits around. They all had that air cleaner. What are you going to use it for? Steve

Not going to call it my favorite, or my best, but I’m pretty happy with it so far. Steve

Only the old Johan 60s Mopar kits. Steve

I always drill them out and replace them now, but in the past, I would just use some clear gloss mixed with just a touch of white, and maybe an even smaller dab of silver. Steve

My wife and I would be having a “discussion” on that one. I love my wife with all of my heart, but the cat is not going into my shop under any circumstances! My wife knows that, and understands the reasons behind it. Cat hair in my paint jobs being the largest! Steve

I just mean, don’t let someone else’s perceptions dictate your own. If it looks good to you, that’s all that really matters after all. I mean, I understand trying to rectify the occasional glaring imperfection, but if you take everyone’s advice and spend all of your time trying to fix every tiny little fault, you’ll never do anything else. Steve