Snake45

The front end could use some cleanup, but that's the coolest '68 Riv I've ever seen. (I consider the '66 to be perfect, and everything they did to it after that to have made it worse [except the improved engine, of course].) This ALMOST inspires me to model it on a common '69 kit. (I bought three of them JUST for parts to restore a couple of '66 and '67 kits and promos I have).

Used my HL coupon this week on a '66 Mercury. I already had a previous reissue in the stash, but now I can build one as a period '60s custom without worrying about shaving off the beautiful original factory trim, in case the mood ever strikes me to build one factory stock. Also, lucked out and scored four of my beloved but extremely hard to find Trim nail buffer sticks at KMart. Details on these here:

Walmart hasn't had these in over a year, maybe close to two. The link above still works to the website, but they show out of stock (and they won't let you order or pick up anyway). But I lucked out and found them at KMart today! The brand is different--SmartSense--but they are the same thing. You want the package with 3 sticks--black, blue, and pink/purple. They're more expensive than Walmart was ($2.99 vs Wally's $1.99) but they were on sale--buy three, get one free. My store only had four and I took them all. They are NOT shown on KMart's website. I googled SmartSense nail buffers and managed to find ONE other source for them, but at $5.99. The real prize of the set is the #1 black one. I don't know what the grit is--somewhere between #800 and #1000, I suspect--but it is PERFECT for leveling the plastic and taking out minor scratches on promos and other colored plastic. I've bought a lot of nail sticks at Sally Beauty but none have this exact grit--they're all either rougher or smoother. The black one is champs for taking minor scratches out of clear plastic, too, which can then be polished to crystal clarity with the other two. (There are many other sticks that do final polish as well, but not the initial scratch removal). I spent $9.50 (including tax) today just to get four of those black ones (they're double-sided) and consider it money well spent, that's how much I love the things. Happy Happy Joy Joy!

Agree completely. I won't use it over white, silver, or pale yellows or blues, but it's still great over reds, oranges, most greens, medium or darker blues and grays, browns, and black.

I do this too, especially with Glue Bomb Rescues that aren't painted in a factory color. I try to concoct a situation where it's a few years down the road, and has been repainted by Earl Schieb or high school shop class or at home, or something of that nature, to "explain" the less than perfect paint. Such models almost always have "Day Two" mods on them as well, so it all works out. I have now done enough of these glue bomb rescues set in the late '70s/early '80s that I have an imaginary car club for them called The Retrobates. Their only rules are, It must be street driven at least one a month, No Junkers, and Absolutely No Pure Stocks!

I might have to try that. My favorite clear is Model Master Clear Top Coat enamel, cut with lacquer thinner, but I'm out of it at the moment. Will have to net-order a bunch.

I think it's pretty clever and creative. And also in VERY poor taste. So, overall: NO.

I didn't push the rear panel back out, or do anything else to it other than sand it for flatness/smoothness. I DID move the edge around it forward a bit, as I'd planned all along. Will be adding more angle to the lower pan. Fortunately this piece is flat (at least along the top edge) so this won't be a big deal. This piece doesn't fit especially well, even in stock location, so I'll have to work out the fit of it first. I might be gluing it on solid first, and then matching the lower quarter panels to it. RE the wheel arches, I mean the body shape itself. The rocker panels themselves are "flat", front to rear. They don't flare up at the ends to continue the wheel arches, as the kit body does.

I just experienced some troublesome blushing. Testor "One Coat" lacquers. Hah, as if. Star Spangled Blue did not lay down smoothly, as it often does. Moderate orange peel. Second wetter coat did the same thing. I have to admit this can was at least six years old. Had never used it, but there was barely enough in it for two coats on all the body parts. First coat of Wet Look Clear, more orange peel. Second coat, still more orange peel, and moderate blushing. This was from two different cans, one about 6 years old, the other maybe 3. Went and bought a fresh can of Wet Look Clear. Before spraying it, I did a "rough polish" of the body to eliminate the blushing. First coat from the new can, some orange peel, more moderate blushing. Drove on 24 hours later and laid on a second heavy, wet coat, which is somewhat smooth but heavily blushed. I'm in the process of polishing out the last coat of WLC. Looks okay so far, but I hadn't planned for this paint job to be NEARLY this much work, and I'm still not sure I won't screw it up somewhere and have to strip and start over. And for the grand finale, Star Spangled Blue isn't the color I thought it would be. I thought it would be lighter and brighter. It's an attractive dark blue, but if I'd wanted this color, I'd have just airbrushed MM Arctic Blue cut with lacquer thinner and I'd have had it polished out and DONE a week ago.

Reminds me, they've had a Tamiya Walker Bulldog tank for $17.99, regular price. It's obviously an old, "first gen" kit but I don't think I've seen a $17.99 price tag on ANYTHING Tamiya since the '80s--maybe the '70s. Gotta get one. Could be a fun build.

Very nice! You got a pretty good finish on this one, too! Well done and model on!

Bad kit but you made it look Badass! Well done and model on!

You can just about track the speed of the cars by the stance (or vice-versa). As top-end speeds got up into the 140-150 mph range, the noses started coming down to get some aerodynamic downforce at speed--or at least, no aerodynamic upforce as would be the case with nose-high stance. You can watch it happen with the A/FX-funny cars, then with the Gassers, with the Modified Productions, the Pro Stocks, the Super Stocks, etc. The noses start coming down when the cars start going about 140 or better. (Of course over the years these things happened, there were big improvements being made in both tires and suspension science as well.)

It's amazing what fakebook, tweeter, etc. do and don't have "problems" with. Just one more reason I'm glad I have nothing to do with them, and never have had.

Yeah, it looks like it could have just rolled out of a Carrie Underwood song!

Four of those chassis would have to be shortened to be used under a '70 Chevelle. But the one from an AMT '69 4-4-2 would work fine.

No further interest in this, then? Okay, good to know. I won't waste time taking pics, editing them, and posting and writing up when I fix the front end. Will save me a lot of time.

Sounds like you airbrushed it. What did you use for thinner? I've polished out airbrushed enamel thinned with lacquer thinner after 48 hours. A week would be even better. Sprayed from a can, enamel requires, as Steve says, at least a month.

When I saw the thread title, I thought his museum had been damaged by the hurricane.

Great story, thanks for sharing it! When I heard that Penn Gillette, who's 6'6" (and the one time I was close to him, was way over 300 pounds, maybe over 400--he has lost a lot of weight since those days, but at that point was the largest human being I'd ever personally seen) drove a Mini, I had wonder, "How is he NOT the spokesman for Mini and doing EVERY Mini commercial?

That temp is about what I'd expect. This isn't nearly enough to cause any shrinkage, even long term. (I have kits that were stored in an attic that would get this hot in the summer for a decade or so, no problems at all.)

Wow, looks great! You sure got your buck's worth on this one. Well done and model on!

Very sad to hear. Will keep your son in our prayers. God Bless.

I hadn't noticed that, but you might be right. The one I'm working on, sometimes it looks to me like the top has been chopped maybe 1" or 1/2" at the front (A-pillars). And then I look at it closely and the "chop" goes away. Some kind of optical illusion. Maybe your roof crown thing has something to do with it.