Snake45

Sir Elton's "The Bee-yotch Is Back."

I thought it was either the Beverly Hillbillies theme song, or The Battle of New Orleans by Johnny Horton.

Agree completely. Every paint job is a law unto itself, and all you can do is work from your own experience (and that of others whom you trust). I've learned that SOME metallic colors in the Model Master (enamel) line can be polished directly, while others will change colors and get "blotchy" if you try to rub them out. Once you've learned how, it's not that difficult (just a certain amount of careful work) to get a very high gloss, "show car shine" on a model. Lately I've been trying in some cases to get more of a factory finish. If you really look at a factory paint job, no matter how shiny it is, it will have a certain amount of orange peel or "eggshell" effect in the surface. I've been working on trying to get something that approaches that effect on a model. What I've been doing is going for as smooth a finish as possible on the final color coat, and then just lightly polishing that to a good shine. Those who don't understand what I'm doing would probably consider such a finish "second rate paint" but it's actually what I'm going for in some cases.

Yeah, I'm building a car dated somewhere in the 1969-72 timeframe. I'm using the May '68 Car Craft, special features on Modified Production, for one reference. It's just a bit earlier than I'm going for. I think tunnel rams had just appeared about then. BTW, thanks Neil for your very helpful answer. Much appreciated!

I have the reissued T, which I plan to build, and an original '32 Ford, which I also plan to build. I believe both the MPC (later AMT) American Graffiti and the AMT Coddington '32 Fords are based on the MPC Switchers kit. Interestingly, some issues of this kit have a chopped top, and some have an unchopped top. I forget which is which. I'm planning to build a Gasser out of the unchopped one, and an Altered out of the chopped one. The fit of the tops to the bodies isn't the greatest, which is the sticking point on my getting either one done, though I've done some work on them.

Okay, so I could paint 414 or 417 or 474 or 714 or some such on there and not be wrong? (Notice all these numbers have straight lines, no curves.)

Yeah you did a pretty nice job with that steaming pile of styrene. Perhaps it's time to take another look at mine. Well, AFTER I get some projects I actually WANT to do off the bench, of course.

On this one, and others where I only need a "light polish" on a smooth metallic paint, I polished directly with Weiman's Silver Cream, available at Walmart. Good stuff! On solid colors or where I've use a clearcoat, I found I can save a LOT of polishing time by knocking down orange peel with #1000, #1500,and/or #2000 3M Wetordry sandpaper (available at most auto parts stores), followed by the Weiman's. I've never owned any specialty polishing cloths or polishing "kits" and feel no need to.

I'm pretty sure The Boss wrote it (it's on The River), but this is my favorite version (starts at 1:56). The Excitable Boy bangs a mean honky-tonk piano on this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3SUJTcc8dE

I'm working on a late-'60s-early '70s Modified Production drag car. In looking at vintage ref pics, I see that most cars had a three-digit number painted on the side widows (or sometimes on the body itself). Does this number mean anything in particular? In other words, can I paint on any random 3-digit number, or does this number mean something that would make me look stupid if I pick a "wrong" one?

James Dean in that Mercury '49 Junior Johnson runnin' thru the woods of Caroline Even Burt Reynolds in that black Trans-Am All gonna meet down at the............?

I know it will give Promo Purists a case of The Vapors, but here's what I'll be doing: 1. Scribe door and trunk lines deeper. 2. Scribe the fender cap lines, fender-to-cowl lines, and whatever other body seams I see on a real Mustang that I can do. 3. Polish the red plastic to a high gloss. 4. Paint or foil all the factory trim and emblems. 5. Looks like I'll prolly be painting the whole interior and headliner, and the one-piece chassis will get a squirt of satin black. 6. Glass, both bumpers and taillights will come from an AMT '66 kit. I'm pretty sure I can save the '65 grille with some combination of foil and paint. Looks like a fun project but then don't they all at the beginning!

In this particular case you could foil the part, paint the part, and then rub the paint off the letters with something like a toothpick. I've used that trick many times (also works with kit chrome).

This is Duplicolor, from the can, had "frosty" appearance shortly after shooting. Rubbed out direct, no clear coat.

Been a while since I've seen it but I think the Nova wagon was pulling the Nova AWB funnycar AKA Rat Packer. I don't think you'll see it again because I believe the Nova Wagon body was itself later turned into a funnycar, and the door lines were filled in and all the factory trim is gone. Also in this series were a '63 Impala pulling the '65 Chevelle AWB, and some kind of Ford combo--I think it might have been the '64 Galaxie pulling the Falcon AWB but someone else might have a better idea.

If you look carefully, MOST model car bodies have that effect, to one degree or another--some pretty bad, some almost unnoticeable. I ALWAYS block-sand my door and panel lines to get rid of that, as I discovered that if you don't, it can lead to big problems later in either painting or rubout or both.

Bought this "distressed" '65 Mustang promo at a flea market about 20 years ago. I'd have restored it long ago, but it was missing one bucket seat and I was never able to find one. Forum member MK11 here answered my plea for one so now I'm good to go (as soon as I get at least one more build finished and off the bench). Body's in good shape but there's glue on the glass, both bumpers are broken, and the taillights are missing. An AMT '66 kit will make a great organ donor for all that stuff. I'm pretty sure I can save the '65 grille and wheel covers but if not, Modelhaus has fresh repops. I might try to match the color on the donor seat MK11 provided but don't have a lot of hope I can do it, so I'll probably end up painting the whole interior. It'll look less "promo-y" and more "model-y" that way anyway, and I am planning to polish the body's red plastic and do all the chrome trim. Thinking probably a basic black interior. White would be good too but I've got so many models now with white guts it's starting to look like I have a fetish or something. Wish me luck....

It definitely CAN cause this effect. And I've had Dupli-Color look just as you describe shortly after painting (didn't make any particular note of humidity) but the stuff rubbed out just fine, very shiny.

Also late to the party but better late than never. That looks FABULOUS! I'm planning to do something very similar in the near future, hopefully.

Well, part of my "problem" is that when I bought that thing, I'd just finished the Testor/Italeri 250 GTO. Compared to that, the "AMT" 250 SWB is a horrible disappointment.

Well, those electric sheep to the valley they keep walkin On the radio waves selling tennis shoes and beer It induces sleep when that DJ starts his squawkin' I'm lookin' for one song to save me on this midnight clear

Lindberg did a '66 SS396 Chevelle. Dunno if it's currently in production or not but it's not rare. Revell makes the '65 Z16 SS396 Chevelle. It must be in production, I just saw one at AC Moore last week. MSRP is about $25 on it now, though (at least it was at AC Moore).

Couldn't agree more. I've picked up several copies of the Double Dragster kit over the years just because it's an amazing "parts mine" of early '60s speed stuff.

Decided about the hood bump. This morning I cut that '72 Nova scoop down to a scale 7" and painted it black. It'll get some kind of decal--Holley Carbs, prolly, to brighten it up. Eventually I'll scratchbuild a lump to my liking but this will do for now. Got the headliner touched up, the inner fenders and radiator support painted black, and the chrome trim started (windshield, vent window and rear wagon window frames). Emblems, door handles and other fine chrome trim will be done at or after final assembly. Narrowed the wheels a little so they're not rubbing on the rear fenders. Next "big" job to do is select and apply some speed parts decals to the rear window. I think most of them will come from the Revell '68 Firebird. I think the finish line is finally in sight on this thing....

Another wretched backbirth of a kit was the "AMT" (reboxed, dunno who originally made it) Ferrari 250 SWB. Every so often I get that thing out, look at the kit parts again, and throw it back in the box. To add insult to injury, the kit box art was NOT the kit in the box. I'm not any kind of a Ferrari nut but even I can spot the flaws in that kit. Ick!