Snake45

No "secret" at all. It usually takes me 2 or 3 coats of the Sharpie to achieve good coverage, but the stuff dries almost instantly and I recoat in the same sitting. Maybe you got a bad one. I've noticed that they don't have much shelf life, either. I can use one for a few weeks and then it starts looking "thin." That's why I buy them in 4-packs. BTW, last fall I opened a "new" 4-pack I got at least two years ago, maybe three, and it was still good, but after you start using one, the countdown clock starts. BTW, I played a little last night with laying Sharpie on a Scotchbrited junk '57 Vette body. The Scotchbrite gave me the brushed effect I wanted, but I now don't think it's gonna be possible to lay the silver Sharpie on a whole body without problems, even for a "rough" finish. You need to do overlapping strokes, of course, and the problem is that the solvent in the new stroke affects the color in the previous stroke. Not much of a problem in doing thin trim, but it's just not gonna work for a whole body.

Great topic. I have the same kit and have had the same question for years.

Absolutely beautiful! Don't know how I overlooked the finished job till now. Model on!

I want to build something like this, but a little rougher, not quite as shiny, Maybe about like this:

You just reminded me that I have an original, first-issue JoHan '66 Marlin that I painted in the late '60s. Someday soon I should dig that thing out and finish it. The paint is AMT Surf Green (similar to '68-'69 Pontiac Verdoro Green) with gold two-toning. I need to figure out where I want to go with it from here.

Interesting. I haven't had that experience at all. In fact, I just looked at some Sharpie "chrome" trim I did on some diecasts at least four years ago, maybe six or seven, and it looks exactly as it did the day I did it--just like Testor Chrome Silver little bottle paint, except NO brush strokes or unevenness, and it actually dried. I love the Silver Sharpie so much that if they quit making them, I'd have to consider giving up car modeling and go back to airplanes full-time.

I agree about RNB and the filling of scratches. But the method I discovered to apply it--with a stiff brush, and very thinly--might work for this. That's how I put the RNB on the two airplanes above (over an airbrushed primer of the wonderful old Pactra Steel). I agree with you completely about using fresh RNB. An opened tube might last as long as a year, maybe not even that. The very first airplane I did in RNB was a Monogram P-38 I did in high school. I put it on with a rag over bare plastic that I roughed up a little with #00000 steel wool to give it a little tooth. It looked great--very shiny, almost chromelike--for many years, and then it seemed like the stuff just wore or "evaporated" away. The model was still shiny and looked like aluminum from 2-3 feet away, but look at it closely and it just looked like some kind of shiny glitter coat on the bare Monogram "silver" plastic. Couple years ago I took the decals (now very yellowed) off it, painted it in Floquil Old Silver (or maybe Platinum Mist, I don't remember which), then repainted the antiglares and put new decals on it. Looks great for something I built more than 40 years ago. (Sorry, I don't seem to have a pic of it loaded up on photobucket.)

I've done some experimenting with the methods I mentioned, too, including doing whole airplanes in one of them. I wouldn't have mentioned it here if I hadn't.

It is if you're going for something like a chrome or polished aluminum look. I think this will be much less critical working for raw, brushed type finish.

I believe the AMT Sunbeam Tiger has been reissued several times. The original Alpine version, with 4-cyl engine, I don't think ever has. (Get Smart car.)

Interesting question! I've been thinking of doing something very similar, a "naked" Shelby 260 Cobra. I have some experimenting to do, but I plan to sand the body with #400 or #600 as suggested above, and/or perhaps a Scotchbrite pad. From there I'm going to play with Rub N Buff, applied with a stiff-bristled brush (have done this on an airplane or two), and/or--don't laugh, now--a silver Sharpie.

Thanks, Tim. I'll definitely be looking toward polishing it out, just to be different.

Herman's Hermits, Henry the 8th.

Well played!

I've never heard of one. You'd have to start with a resin repop of the '69 2-door (I'm assuming somebody makes that) and convert it. My folks had a '69 4-door Impala, too--white with green vinyl top. If I ever get around to it, I'm just going to paint my original AMT kit that way and call it good.

I've been loved and put aside I've been crushed by the tumbling tide And my soul has been psychedelicized

Nicely done.

Aurora DB5 "Spy Car." MPC '67 Pontiac Bonneville MPC '66 Pontiac Bonneville AMT '66 Falcon

Indeed. Reminds me of the late lamented AMT Candy Oriental Blue.

Someone tell us about that blue plastic. Is it metallic? Is it suitable for polishing out, or does it have swirl marks and so forth?

Very nice, very clean build! What's not to like? Special respect for staying with factory-correct black plug wires instead of opting for something more "colorful."

Very, VERY nice! I like it! If I were doing it, I'd go with some simple semicircular rear fenders, and I'd shorten the bed a bit. But hey, it's your model--and you're inspiring me to finally getting around to building my own.

You got 82% (14 right out of 17). The average score is 62%.

Oh, I forgot, the '69 SS Chevelle I finished last year, I painted that when MCW paints first came out. What was that, 1991 or '92? I have two '69 Camaro bodies I painted at the same time, one Hugger Orange, the other Fathom Green. The green one's now on my "Git Er Done" list, might come up in the rotation this year or next.

In you I put All my faith and trust Right before my eyes My world has turned to dust