Snake45

All you have to do is lay a little model-fu on it!

That is an AWESOME Camaro! Replace those late-model wheels with 15" American Torq-Thrusts and it would be my dream car!

I agree with you, but hey, every now and then a guy just wants to build something different, for whatever reason.

Thanks for the kind comments. My favorite thing about this is that it's 1/25 or darn close to it. It can sit on the shelf with my other 1/25 GM musclecars without "overpowering" them like the 1/24 Monogram one does. It sits a little higher than my plastic models, and next to them looks a bit jacked up, but I'm sure I could lower the simple metal axles easily if the mood ever struck me someday. It's a pretty simple model, really.

I just spent some more time comparing the Revell '67 body with the others, adding the Revell '68 Firebird in the mix this time. Hard to believe the Firebird and the new Camaro came from the same people. You'd think they'd be very similar, as were the real cars, but it's obvious that they started with clean sheets of paper on each. The Firebird body is better all around. In fact, I think I could build a more accurate Camaro from the Firebird body shell--with modifications, of course--than from the Camaro body. The more I look at this new Revell Camaro, the more disappointed I am. Oh, I'll build at least one, maybe more than one, but any "special" '67-'68 Camaros I build will be based on modified AMT bodies. What a shame. BTW, Turbo, what's the color on that real '67 in your photos? I don't think it's a factory color, is it? Whatever it is, it's pretty.

I'm not really a diecast collector, but when I run across a cheap one that's close to 1/24-1/25 scale and a subject of interest to me, I pick it up and then "model on" it a little bit just for fun. This is a cheap Welly chinese diecast '70 Buick GSX I got even cheaper used at a flea market, with only minor dings and damage. I did the following to it: 1. Removed much of the badly-tampoed silver "chrome" trim with rubbing alcohol and re-did it with a silver Sharpie. 2. Detail-painted the black areas of the factory steel wheels. 3. Painted the white backup lights. 4. Added the chrome rocker panel trim with Walmart aluminum tape. (Cheap! Fast! Easy! What's not to like?) 5. Removed body from chassis so I could paint the back of the headlight mounting stems with a drop of white paint, removing the "googly eyes" look that this type of headlight has. 6. Painted inner perimeter of the chrome grille shell with Testor Flat Steel. 7. The right parking light (in the front bumper) was missing when I bought the thing. I removed the left one, made a mold of it from silicone caulk, and cast a copy in common clear epoxy. You can't tell it from the "real" one. 8. Painted the (separate) glossy black plastic hood tach with Tamiya Flat Black to match the striping on the rest of the hood. The whole time I was working on it, I thought it was seriously undersized, like maybe somewhere around 1/27-1/29 scale, as I'm used to working on the Monogram 1/24 scale model. But comparing it an MPC '70 GTO promo and a built AMT '72 Chevelle in 1/25, it looks right at home with them. The wheelbase is just a HAIR shorter than the other two, and using that for reference, it actually scales out at 1/25.6. Close enough for Snakework! For the minimal cost ($10) and effort (2-3 hours total, for everything) involved, I'm pretty pleased with it. What do you think?

I just went and had another look and I see what you mean. I compared it with an AMT '67 body and an original AMT annual '67 body and it has a little more slant than either, especially the older one. I see it but it didn't jump out at me like the awful grille shape. Something's wrong with that back end--I think the taillights might be just a hair too big (tall) too--but it's not a deal-breaker for me like that grille is. Ironically, Revell's '69 Nova, which everyone seems to love, SHOULD have had more "slant-back" or undercut or whatever you want to call it on its rear panel--it has none, that panel is vertical, and looks like the '73-74 cars--but I don't recall anyone but me ever noticing that or being upset by it. I couldn't stand it and ended up grafting in the rear panel from an AMT '72 and filing the ends of the quarters to match. I gotta get that stupid model finished someday. The bodywork is finished and it's painted but for some reason I'm resisting doing the interior.

I only have one set of open Rallys, from a '70 LT1 Vette, and I'm not using them on this. Dunno what I'm saving them for but I'll know it when I see it. When I get it finished, I'll take pics of it with both the Cragars and the black opens on the rear, and see what spins my windmill... BTW, I ran open Rallys all round on a '69 Camaro for most of the 1990s. The car's gone but I still have the wheels in the garage.

I haven't heard about or noticed that, but I'll take a look and see if I can figger it out for myself before you post.

In many ways it's far superior to the old AMT kit. In other ways it falls short. The AMT kit has some issues but after building three of them (all '68s--I haven't finished a '67 version yet), I think I have most of the major problems sussed out, and fixes for them. The BIGGEST problem I see with the new Revell is the shape of the grille. It's fixable, but not without money and effort. I can make a nice model out of either of them. Here's one of my AMTs with several body problems corrected, or at least improved. The changes are subtle--can you spot them?

Very nice indeed! Gold is a hard color to pull off but you did a great job with it. Model on!

Fabulous idea! I love Javs, and scored several "distressed" '68 promos off eBay to play with, but the '69s and '70s are more elusive. At least when I was stalking them. Here's how to do it (I think this will work). Do a basic '68-'70 body, come up with a PE set for scripts and emblems for all three years, and then get the bumpers/grilles, taillights, etc. from Modelhaus for the specific year you want to do. I guess we'll need an interior and chassis of some sort for it, too. I just finished refurbing a very distressed '68 Promo, and would happily buy and build at least a half dozen more '69s/'70s if they could be had at reasonable prices.

True Dat.

Yup, that's it. Ran on batteries or you could send off for an adapter kit to run it on a model airplane engine. They also did a '65 or '66 coupe. Every coupe I've ever seen was molded in Poppy Red (orange) and every '67 GT I've seen is like mine, molded in a grayish turquoise with white interior. When I was a kid, I had it posed in my room with my Aurora Man From UNCLE figures, which were also 1/12 scale. And I still have all that stuff, believe it or not!

Start? START?? All the hard work is done. This thing is at least 80% finished. Maybe 90%. Should be all downhill from here. (Oh, how many times have I said that? Reminds me of a woman I used to work for. Give her any job and she would complete 90-95% of it in 20% of the timeframe allotted. The remaining 5-10% would never be completed at all.)

My uncle had one! Got it after his '67 or '68 Plymouth crapped out its sixth or seventh rear end in as many months. His was dark (solid) green with a 327 Chevy engine. I think they kept that thing 20 or 25 years and rolled the odometer at least once, maybe twice. Never seen a car (not a limo) with as much rear seat legroom!

If I wanted (another) GTO, I'd drive on and build it. As you say, no box, no sprues. (Make sure All the parts are there.) I built the Testor/Italeri about 20 years ago and was pretty pleased with it.

I haven't read all 22 pages but here's what I use: 1. 91% rubbing alcohol. Fabulous for many old AMT and Pactra lacquers, for SOME Tamiya paints (not all), many Krylon spraybomb paints, and for most of the new Testor Model Master lacquers including the one-coat clear. Put a little on a rag and try it on the paint to be stripped. If ANY of it comes off, it should ALL come off with a 24 hour (or less) bath. If none comes off, time to move up. 2. Easy Off Heavy Duty oven cleaner. Great for Testor and Pactra enamels, old and new, also works on some other Tamiya paints. What I like about it is the speed--no 24 hour soak involved. Spray on, let sit 15-20 minutes, attack with an old toothbrush under warm running water. Repeat as necessary. It usually takes three or four applications to get all the paint but I've stripped multi-coat enamel paint jobs this way in one to two hours. If the first application doesn't take ANY paint off after 15-20 minutes, give up and try something else. If the first ap takes ANY paint off, keep at it, it will eventually get it ALL. BTW, I've seen the AMT lacquers shrug off Easy Off but yield immediately to rubbing alcohol. 3. Brake fluid. Only had to use this once, on a body that was apparently painted with Pontiac Engine Blue Paint. The above made no dent in it, but a weeklong soak in brake fluid eventually got it all. I really should use it more, I guess, but I'm comfortable with the other two methods. I assume that somewhere in these 22 pages, someone has posted the standard warnings about dealing with Easy Off or anything else with lye in it. Nasty stuff that can really mess you up if you don't respect it, which I do.

It's fun stuff to play with. It dries fairly hard and is supposed to be sandable, but I've never tried feather-edging it into styrene so I don't know if that will work or not. But I have used it as a putty of sorts sometimes, say I've glued a roll bar support on and there are gaps between the two pieces, the carpenter glue on a toothpick fills those fine and if there's any extra, it just looks like weld bead. It can also be used as a casting resin for thin or flat-ish parts. For example, I have several P-51 Mustang (airplane) kits that have very poor landing gear doors. This is a fairly simple part and I could scratchbuild them but it has some internal structure that would take some time and effort to duplicate. I also have kits with good doors. I'm gonna make a silicone mold of the good doors, and then fill it with the yellow glue and make the parts out of that. Might take two or three thin fillings but the stuff is cheap and I got time. If it doesn't work to suit me, there's always J-B Weld. I'm sure you'll come up with a dozen uses of your own for the stuff, once you've tried it.

Very cool! I'm not that familiar with that airplane but it's pretty cool looking. Model on!

'65-'66 Bel Air/Biscayne 2 door sedan body. I know there's one available but from pics I've seen of it, I don't think the roof shape is quite right. I want a '66 Biscayne but give me either year body and I can take it from there.

Hawk, it looks like you made the most of what you had to work with. Nice work!

Do it in good health, and more power to you, but not everyone has a $35 kit laying around for a parts donor. Just giving alternative ideas for some of us poor folk. Sorry if I offended. Won't happen again, I assure you.

Beautiful build and I like your VN rear plate. Sat Cong! Where did you get it, or did you make it? I had to paint it on this one myself. Decals are now available but they weren't when I built it. Again, great work. I really like this little street freak! Model on!

No, the '65 hardtop roof isn't the same shape.