StevenGuthmiller

Just a smart phone. Steve

I use Micro-Mesh pads. Steve

Or you can cheat and do all of your sanding and polishing after the final clear coat like I do. I hate sanding more than anything, (probably due to the 25 years that I was a drywall subcontractor) So I prime, paint and clear without any sanding whatsoever between coats, unless I happen to have some junk that needs to be sanded out. Once the final clear coat is finished, (I usually use about 5 coats of Duplicolor clear right out of the spray can) then I polish using Micro-Mesh pads, (usually starting at about 3,600 and working towards 12,000) followed by Novus polish. It usually goes pretty well for me, and I can save myself a WHOLE lot of sanding. Steve

New pics. The '60 Edsel Ranger on it's own. Steve

Another older build that was in need of some new photos. Steve

Yes, I have taken part in some discussions about the discrepancies with the AMT kit, and the consensus seems to be the the model was being developed at the same time as the 1:1, and apparently the early drafts of the real vehicle may have had the same discrepancies, but were changed late in the process. Too late for the kit’s molds to be changed. I have no proof that this is the case, but it makes sense, as the models were developed at this time using actual factory drawings and specs, and were introduced around the same time, and changed every year, just like the real deal. Steve

AMT produced this kit in 1958 only. Steve

I'm not much of a Mustang fan, but this one absolutely grabs you by the collar and shakes you. The color is what does it for me. But then again, I'm a sucker for weird colors. Steve

A friend of mine who used to own and run a small grocery store jokingly used this line when he said it was time to let an employee go. It would probably apply with these people in nearly every circumstance. "I don't know how we would ever get along without you around here, but starting tomorrow, we're going to find out". Steve

Hi Bill. The '58 is the new (newer) AMT kit. I built this one some time ago, and it's really not my best effort. If I ever do another one, I'll dump the cheesy looking AMT whitewalls for better ones and work on the stance. Better colors would be in order too. The '59 is one of the AMT, molded in blue "Trophy Series" kits, with an added Modelhaus conny kit. The '60 is an original AMT "3-in-1 Customizing Kit". Steve

Thanks guys! Steve

Still on my "re-photography" crusade with some of my old subjects, I decided that I needed to get an Edsel family portrait. Steve

And I read somewhere that electricity prices in Europe are up 300%. Of course it's all blamed on Putin, but I thought most countries in Europe were going green anyway, so what's with the dependence on Russian oil? Throw up a few more wind generators and solar panels and you should be good, right? Steve

It appears as if the rear glass trim on the Jaguar XKE is in 2 pieces, with a splice in the center of each side's vertical section. That's where I would splice my 2 pieces of foil together. Steve

I’m not sure that I get your meaning. The corners of the glass in this car appear to be quite rounded in comparison to most rear windows, so yes, I would say that the inside of the corners need to be rounded. Steve

This post just made me consider that an instance like this might be a good opportunity to try thinning the enamel with lacquer thinner and trying that route. Do you suppose that the lacquer thinner might correct the enamel drying issue on vinyl tires? Steve

The same way that you would do it if the trim was on the body rather than the glass. Trim around front or real glass is never a single piece on the real car, so place your foil seams in the same places that they appear on the 1:1. Usually those seams are not right in the corners, but somewhere near the corners on a straight section. Usually, I’ll start with either the top and bottom followed by the sides, or vice versa, and overlap by just a fraction of an inch. Steve

Terrific Job!! The only thing that I would have done differently is to use a turquoise for the engine color. Steve

The flat will be fine as long as it's covering okay. If the tires have any age to them at all, they would look pretty much flat any way. I didn't use any sealer or anything. They came out exactly how I was hoping that they would. The craft paint shouldn't need one either. Once thoroughly dry, it shouldn't go anywhere. Steve

This is why I didn't want to thin the paint when I did them. Depending on the paint, thinning can affect the coverage qualities quite a bit. I preferred fewer coats with a little bit of clean up. Steve

Absolutely! A no-brainer. Steve

Trim off the pins and replace them with the correctly sized plastic rod. A pretty simple fix. This is the sort of thing that guys who do a lot of parts swapping and modifying do without thinking about it. Steve

I rest my case. Steve

Old build, new pics. Steve

By the way, the Mr. Hobby paints pictured above were relatively thin, so the “capillary” action mentioned above does apply, just not necessarily all of the way around the tire in one shot. I didn’t thin the paint because I didn’t want to adversely affect the coverage, but I’m sure that thinning slightly might help with that. I just prefer to use paint directly from the jar if possible. Less messing around. ? Steve