Mark

If the chrome paint looks so much like chrome, why do they have to plate the cap instead of just painting it with the paint itself?

If you are going to change chassis, why not start with the same piece Petty started with...stock '71 Charger? Between the stock kit, and the Salvino (or Polar Lights if you prefer) roll cage, engine parts, and everything else, you ought to be able to piece together a much better chassis than the cribbed/two-piece/generic stuff...

Most pre-1964 Jo-Han interiors are on the shallow side. If you are bother trying to remove the convertible top well detail for use in a hardtop, may as well start fresh and get the depth and transmission tunnel right too. For most Mopars, the Lindberg '64 Dodge bench seat interior would be a good starting point. The seats can be sanded smooth and rescribed with correct detail, same with the side panels. The side panels can be installed straight up and down, eliminating the mold draft that is extremely pronounced in the Jo-Han interiors.

The Ollie's stores around here haven't had Duplicolor in the last year or so, other than the oddball stuff like peel-off "temporary paint" and the like. They did have two-part body filler (not the two-part glazing putty, but the filler). I bought a 19 ounce can for $1.99. The stuff hasn't settled, nor has the catalyst tube, so it must be pretty recent manufacture. They haven't had it recently, but sometimes they have wet/dry sandpaper. 3M, made in Canada or USA, the good stuff, not no-name junk that falls apart when dipped in water.

In addition to the bench seat interior, the 427 Fairlane has the rocker panel trim. Get the hood from the GT/A, and the stock wheel covers are in the '65 Modified Stocker kit. So is most of a 289 engine.

Opels were sold by Buick dealers, Vauxhalls by Pontiac dealers. As soon as the '61 Special and Tempest were available, the dealers dumped the captive imports like a hot rock. Resale on those tanked right away. My older brother had one of those Opel wagons, this would have been in '65 or '66. He only had it a short time, I only saw it once at the gas station where he was working. He wasn't driving yet, probably paid next to nothing for it...no idea what he did with it...probably junked it.

I spotted that too, might give it a try once I get back up to speed with an airbrush. Then again, I've got a decent supply of Alclad, and haven't tried applying Molotow with an airbrush yet...

Duplicolor is an acrylic lacquer, it should be applied over a lacquer primer. Applying over enamel will cause trouble. Even applying a "hot" lacquer over another lacquer could cause problems. With all of that, and two different brands in the mix as well...test, test, and test again before trying the combination on anything of value.

My past experience has been... Cemented seam, let dry, sand, primer over...visible seam. Cemented seam, brush cement over, sand, primer over...no visible seam. Your results may vary...

I now use a method suggested by one of the regulars here, Bill Geary if I remember right. Cement the parts together with solvent cement (not CA or epoxy). Let dry, then sand the seam smooth. Then brush liquid cement over the seam, let dry, sand smooth. I've done four of the MPC 1/25 scale three-wheel chopper bodies that are split right down the center, three of them are primed and painted...no problems. Did a few engine blocks with molded-in oil pans too...again, no problems.

Atlantis will probably prioritize tooling new tires based on how many kits can utilize those tires. If they have two or three motocross bikes in the same scale, that use the same tires, that would probably take priority over a tire that can only be used in one kit. As for photos of wrong scale kits, Revell did that a number of times. Several of their 1/25 scale drag car kits used photos of assembled 1/16 scale kits with the wiring and fuel lines left off. The funny cars' Cragar Super Trick wheels (fronts in particular) are the giveaway.

Adding replacement PE detail does involve removing or smoothing off the original molded-in details.

MCG puts as many items in their sets as will fit on the sheet. Seldom will everything be used. Other sets include scripts for lower-line models; for example, a set for an Impala might include scripts for a Biscayne or Bel Air. A few years back, I suggested smaller sets for some kits, with exterior script, emblems, and door locks only, so that the kit details could be smoothed off to ease painting the body.

If I remember right, the bird emblem decals are in the last couple of issues of the Revell Thunderbolt kit.

I don't think there was an "official" Ford Super Stock package with the combination of parts on this car. I'd put it in Modified Production the way it sits.

The lettering on the front fender, under the (possibly painted on) "bird" emblem, reads "Glasswork by Fibrecraft", which would indicate some fiberglass on the car. Hood: highly likely, possibly fenders, maybe doors. Any of those take the car out of Stock class. Maybe the car started out in Stock and evolved into a Super Stock or Modified Production car over time.

A D/Stock Ford wouldn't have that hood teardrop.

Looks like a toy piece, but one about the right size, and interesting enough, to work into a custom van project...

Those newer '55-'57 Chevy kits share a bunch of parts, so one version will often have extra parts from another. I thought all of the '57 V8 cars had the ram's horn exhaust manifolds, but it's possible that those with the 265 engine may have had the earlier ones. All of those were two-barrel carb/single exhaust, and I believe all had three-speed manual transmissions.

Of those Tri-Five Chevy kits, the '56 needs the most work as the last issue was unbuildable. The windshield and rear glass fell through the openings. I'd bet it won't be available as long as the newer Revell kit is available. The '57 Nomad probably just needs a bit of care in molding, as many of the bodies in recent issue kits have a sunken cowl on one side. Just going slower in production would probably fix that, as the early kits don't have that problem. The '55 and '57 hardtops are still buildable, though the hinges are on the sloppy side (but that has always been true).

No 348/409 parts pack back then, and I seriously doubt there will be one now. The original packs included two small-block Chevies, Pontiac, Buick, Cadillac, Ford 427 wedge, Chrysler 392, and a fictional turbine. One Chevy ended up in the '57 hardtop kit, and the Chrysler is in the Studebaker funny car now. The other Chevy, along with the Pontiac, Cad, and 427 Ford were reissued awhile back. That leaves the Buick and turbine, hopefully those will resurface.

Top one looks like a '59 Buick rear bumper. The lower one looks like a '65 or '66 Impala lower front pan. If it is indeed that, it wouldn't be chrome on the 1:1 car.

Those are the big boys, as included in the Jenkins Vega kit. The smaller ones (as in the '69 Chevelle kit) are available in a different pack, with four each slicks and front tires.

Any Yenko-badged car newer than 1982 or so shouldn't be a Chevrolet, it should be a Honda. Don Yenko sold off the Chevy dealership before his passing, but hung onto the Honda store.

Reminds me of that Three Stooges routine..."when I say 'go', we all point to the right!"