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Snake45

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Everything posted by Snake45

  1. My current go-to is a Folk Ark craft acrylic called Brushed Metal Brushed Dark Gray. I'm very happy with how it looks. I think I got it at Walmart.
  2. Thanks for the new thread! I got into glue bombs/restorables because the old kits I wanted to build just weren't available in my price range--GBs were all I could afford. I'm a little better off $-wise these days, but discovered along the way that I actually like turning a wretched or unloved old pile of styrene into something fit to sit on my shelf. For a long time I wouldn't buy a "restorable" of anything that was still in production or commonly available, but I've broken that rule a few times in the last year or two. I still won't bother with a common kit that requires extensive work, but if it's something that has "good bones"--it's complete and I think I can work with or fix the paint job--and I think I can get it on my shelf in 6-10 hours (as opposed to 40+ for a new kit full build), and it's a subject I'm at least marginally interested in (but maybe not interested enough to put 40 hours into), and it's only a few bucks, heck, I'm in. Yesterday I finished my 58th glue bomb "rescue" of a model someone else built (there are a couple full-effort complete rebuilds in that total, but most are just "rescues"), and I've also done another 11 of my teenage builds. And now, the often-forgotten factor of having FUN. Way too many of us (including me) can get just WAY too far into this modeling thing and forget why we started doing it in the first place, which was to have FUN. When I start on a new kit I've just spent $30+ on, I have a tendency to feel like I have to build it PERFECT, because I know I'm capable of it. When something goes wrong or gets difficult somewhere along the line--and it almost always does, don'tcha know--I have the bad habit of throwing it all back in the box, chucking it on the Shelf of Doom, and looking for another shiny squirrel upon which to lavish my ADD attentions. That way lies misery. (I envy those of you who can start and work on one project until it's finished. I just don't have that gene.) With one of my glue bomb "rescue" projects, I can lighten up and have FUN, because I know going in that it's not gonna be perfect. Perfection isn't the goal, improvement is, or "good enough," and with rapid, apparent progress. It's like being a kid again, when I could get a model together in one session, or a weekend, or (for a major project) a week. I've often said that if I can get one of my "rescues" to look as good as something I built in 1968 (my third year of car modeling), I'm happy; if I can get it to look like something I built in 1969 (my fourth year, when I was actually getting pretty good), I'm ecstatic. Here's one of my latest rescues, a common Monogram '70 Challenger, Before and After. Perfect? No. Good enough? Kinda. Fun? Oh hail yes!
  3. Wish it hadn't devolved into a "glue bombs yes-or-no" sort of discussion. The original idea was to show glue bombs in their original state, whether you were restoring them or planning to or just wanted to laugh at them as "a good example of a bad example." Before-and-After pics seem to be in the spirit of the thread. Pics of a nicely built finished model AFTER restoration/rebuild, without any BEFORE pics, are not.
  4. In general and in principle I agree with this completely. On the other hand, that thoroughly roached '65 Elky I showed on the previous page, which I'm now working on? Ironically, just last week I bought on sale two brand new copies of the same kit! "It's like RAY-EE-AAAAAAAAIN, on your wedding day....." Part of the reason for this one is, I was inspired by the Flip/Kamikaze El Camino on Street Outlaws. It was built out of junk, scrap, and parts others had discarded, and I'm trying to build up this model exactly the same way, using only leftovers and castoff parts from the scrap box that would otherwise never see the glory of my display shelf. Gotta have some pure FUN every now and then!
  5. Then you'll never experience the joy and pride of bringing one "back from the dead."
  6. Cool! Reminds me of Chelsea's "Tomcat" on Street Outlaws.
  7. "Having more fun than humans should be allowed to have." Rush said it many times, but he stole it from David Letterman, who did too, and first. Nice model BTW.
  8. The Corvette script on the rear deck will tell the true story. If's it's straight up and down script, it's a '66. If it's slanted/Italic--Corvette--it's a '65. The straight V8 emblem on the front fender leads me to think '66. (Earlier ones had the FI emblem.) But the wheels are from a '65 Coupe kit. I'd definitely treat it like a respected survivor.
  9. Result: Your media now has another "crisis" story they can milk for days--if you're lucky. (If not, for weeks.)
  10. I'm wondering if some of this is caused by the relative rarity of the '65 2DS body. Most of us I'd guess have seen many, MANY more of the '62-'64 2DS and '62-'65 HTs and that's what we're used to seeing. I know this roof didn't look "right" to me at first, until I started doing some research. I'll reserve my judgement until I actually have the kit in my hand. And I'll still happily build it anyway.
  11. Beautiful! Tell us more about it! AMT '66 with '65 wheels, or '65 with the '66 optional hood? Either way, I'd just clean that one up, maybe lay some minor Snake-Fu on it, and let it stand as a proud survivor. Congratulations!
  12. As promised/predicted/hoped, it was Snake-slapped back together this morning without undue drama.
  13. Believe me, I completely get that, my brother. I own several that I will never build, it just makes me happy to have them 100% complete and intact on the shelf. As for special areas of collecting, I have a few. *Original annual '63-'67 Corvettes, mainly AMT (the MPCs are harder to find, but I do have a couple '66s). Last time I counted I had over two dozen of them, and at least one of each year in both coupe and roadster. Most are restorable glue bombs, only a few are complete unbuilt kits. I think I have all of the original boxes except one of the '63s. *Original AMT 1966 annuals of all makes and models. In complete unbuilt kits I have only the Barracuda, Riviera, Falcon, and Mustang HT/convertible, but I have restorable examples (some with original boxes) of the Impala, Corvair, both Corvettes, Skylark, Mustang fastback, Thunderbird convertible, and Thunderbird HT promo. (Also have some reissues, of course, but they don't count.) *AMT '65 and '66 Mustang fastbacks. Haven't managed to score an unbuilt kit yet but I have managed to acquire and restore six or eight builtups and promos, and one bare body. Here's probably the jewel of that subcollection, a nicely builtup '66 I got on eBay last year and just laid a little Snake-Fu on. It's the only one I have the original box for.
  14. Those are magnificent! I think I'd polish out the white plastic on the '64 and leave it, as you say, a period piece. That '65 seems to be an MPC. Very desirable and restorable, well worth the effort. Didn't I send you a set of ModelHaus '65 wheel covers in a deal we did a couple years ago? I have plenty of the AMT '65-type alloy knockoff wheels, too, if you could use those.
  15. I see what you mean about not being able to mount the front axle on top of the springs without reengineering everthing-looks like it would hit the crossmember. Actually, it looks like the axle would hit the crossmember as-is with about one inch or less of up-travel. Of course those springs as-modeled would be pretty much solid, as there's no provision for movement at either end. Hmmmmm, looks like some reengineering will be necessary one way or the other.... BTW, the Motion-type traction bars look excellent--MUCH better than the ones in the AMT '72 Nova. Thanks much for these pix. I really appreciate the valuable information therein.
  16. Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. My hobby bench has seemingly been infested with Shiny Squirrels....
  17. Magnificent! Well done and model on!
  18. Here's a couple glue bomb projects I'm working on now. 1. '65 El Camino: Bought this a couple years ago planning to use some parts of the body to repair a couple AMT '65 Chevelle AWB racers that need work. Couple weeks ago I ran across it and got the idea to build it up as a "Street Outlaw-ish" junkyard street monster. The black paint turned out to be hiding a multiple of sins. After stripping, it was revealed that a camper top had been HEAVILY glued on, the glue soaking the black paint right into the plastic. I've now got 3 or 4 hours into cleaning up the mess with a couple of special files (rifflers). Got the top of the bed about 95% done but there's also a lot of damage where the custom rear pan was glued on. The taillights are toast and that will have to be addressed. I had a second body on hand and stripped that one too. It's better in some ways, especially around the rear pan/bumper area, but has a hole in the roof as well as bad damage around the bed top. I'm gonna TRY to drive on and use the first body, but it's good to know I have this one for backup. Whatever works.... 2. '65 Galaxie: This one was complete and looked like a quick, easy Snake-Fu "rescue," but when I started trying to give the paint a light polish, it was quickly apparent that it was VERY thin and wasn't gonna stand up to it. The body's currently floating in Lake Purple and will get the equivalent of an Earl Schieb replaint. 3. '70 Chevelle SS: This one's at the other end of the glue bomb spectrum. It looks in pretty nice shape at first, but has turned out to have a LOT of annoying little issues. Been working steadily at it, though, and might have it ready for reassembly as early as tomorrow.
  19. Tim, best post I've seen on this subject in quite some time.
  20. Tim, does the front axle mount under or atop the leaf springs? And if under, does it look like it could be moved to mount atop? I find that in most cases, axle-under-springs puts the front end a little higher than I'd like it.
  21. Beautiful builds, both of them, very clean! Very well done and model on!
  22. AMT and MPC also did Berettas. Again, only 2-doors. I drove a metallic red Corsica for a few years. Gonna build an AMT Beretta to represent it. Not gonna bother modifying it to 4-door.
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