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Everything posted by Snake45
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Kitbashing a 1972 El Camino
Snake45 replied to Bob Ellis's topic in WIP: Model Trucks: Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial
I think the current Round 2 "AMT" '72 Chevelle is actually the old MPC. It's different from the old (from the '80s) AMT '72 Chevelle kits I have. I'm not surprised that it's too narrow. Several of the MPC kits of that era are too narrow and/or undersized completely, including the '68-'69 Camaros and Firebirds and the '69 Mustang. As I said, I have an original AMT '69 Elky so I got that covered. I want to do a '68 Elky as one of the Air Force U-2 support cars. I've collected a handful of pics of these rare monsters over the years and I can't really tell if they're '68s or '69s, and if they're SSs or not (they did have the 396 engines, just not sure if they came down with the SS trim), but I'm just gonna take my best guess and do it on the '68 kit. You sound like the "go-to guy" on Caminos. Thanks for the tips! -
Been here a few days now, and I love the joint! Trying to make worthwhile contributions. Got a couple Qs about where to post things. 1. Are diecasts and metal-bodies supposed to be segregated to the Diecast section? Or if they're 1/24-1/25 models of "mainstream" subjects (musclecars, ponycars, etc.) can they be shown in the Workbench and Under Glass sections? Looks to me like the Diecast section might be geared more toward 1/18 and other scales, classic and exotic subjects, and so forth. Looks like more traffic and views in the Under Glass section. 2. Okay, I gather that the proper procedure here is to post in-progress pics and reports in the Workbench section, and then when it's finished, start a new thread with finished pics in Under Glass. Now, what's the etiquette for Drag models? I gather that in-progress pics of those go in the Drag section. Do the finished pics stay in the Drag section, or should they also be moved to the Under Glass section? Any rules or customs on these kind of matters? Anything else I need to know here to get along?
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Very clean build! And if anyone questions the color, tell 'em it's '65 "Iris Mist Extreme."
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Kitbashing a 1972 El Camino
Snake45 replied to Bob Ellis's topic in WIP: Model Trucks: Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial
Very nice work! What color are you planning to paint it? (Whoops, posted that Q before I got to Page 2). I have an original AMT '69 in need of restoration so I appreciate your comparo with the '68 body. I'll keep those things in mind when I do mine. I have the Jimmy Flintstone '72 Elky body and an AMT (real AMT, not the ex-MPC) kit for a donor, but the thickness of the resin in the area where the windshield goes keeps me from starting on it. Apparently this is a common problem with Flintstone bodies as I have a couple others the same way, and have heard others complain about it. Maybe I'd be better off just using my '72 and a '68 Elky and doing what you're doing. I doubt it would be any MORE work. I want to paint it Spring Green. -
Back bumper still had about 85% of its chrome and I coulda worked with it except for some major glue damage and another fingerprint in a conspicuous area. Stripped it (it was molded in GREEN plastic! And the interior shifter is molded in RED!), repaired it, and airbrushed it Testor Chrome Silver. Someday I'll get a chromed Modelhaus replacement for it. Maybe. Painted the taillight, which was a very weak red, with Testor Clear Red Acryl (also Wonderful Stuff!), added the backup lights, and hand-painted the chrome trim. It'll have to do. Front bumper/grille was in a little better shape. I did some detail painting with Black Chrome Trim, Testor Steel, and Turn Signal Amber, and touched up the worn spots with a silver Sharpie, which works for this much better than you might imagine. Amazing what a little detail painting of this kind can do for a simple model--compare with the stock red promo next to it. (I'll work my evil magic on YOU later, my pretty!) Got the foil trim on yesterday. Now to come up with a chassis and some sort of satisfactory wheels/tires for the poor abused thing. Stay tuned. I might actually kick the beast (which I started on over two years ago) through the goalpost sometime this week, with a little luck.
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Thought I'd see what a white interior would look like with the bright blue. Painting the interior was complicated by the fact that the front buckets are molded right in. This is one coat of Walmart Color Place gray primer (WONDERFUL stuff!), followed by a couple coats of Color Place white primer, followed by a couple VERY light coats of Krylon crystal clear, dusted on dry from about a foot and a half out, for a little "vinyl sheen." I guess that's about as good as it's gonna get. Test fitting the white gut into the blue body didn't look TOO bad.... So I drove on in that direction. Flat black "carpet," Black Chrome Trim dashboard, package tray and kick panels, black vinyl tape seat belts. I thought tape belts would be easier than painting the molded-in ones, but the stupid black tape left sticky black adhesive residue everywhere it touched so it was at least as much time/trouble to work with, although the belt edges are at least straight. I even put a little "loop" in one of the rear seat belts, just to show off.
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At some point during the 20 or 30 hours I spent sanding and polishing this thing, the bright, almost "Richard Petty" blue color began to grow on me. And the stupid little model was taking a good polish, too. The color's a bit eye-jarring at first, but I eventually decided it was just too pretty to paint. Body after polishing:
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A few years ago I bought this '68 Javelin promo off ePay. Actually it's not even a promo, it's a friction motor toy. When it came, it was basically complete and undamaged (except for chrome wear) except for the body itself, whose surface was an absolute mess. I wish I had taken some "before" pictures of what I started with. I think maybe the poor thing had been painted, and then someone tried to strip it, and whatever they used to strip it crazed or etched most of the surface of the body, including some fingerprints (!) etched into the surface in a couple places. It was so bad I thought there was nothing to do with the poor little hot mess but sand it smooth and make some kind of mild custom or street cruiser out of it. Before proceeding down that path, I took a good look at all the body trim and emblems under an Optivisor. Amazingly--miraculously--they all seemed to be undamaged and in more or less perfect condition! I decided to see if the body could be saved by sanding (I'd already tried the full range of paint-removing solvents on it, no joy with anything). Started sanding with #1000 Wetordry around the emblems, as those would be the hardest parts to do, and when those areas came out okay, I did the rest of the body with the #1000 Wetordry, then repeated with #2000 Wetordry, then polished with Weiman's (formerly Wright's) Silver Polish. Here's the closest thing I have to any "before" photos, a couple shots showing what appears to be some kind of gold paint overspray on the inside of the body and behind the rear bumper area.
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I wonder if R2 listens ?
Snake45 replied to w451973's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Preach It, Brother Monte! -
Wow, that's a nice clean build. Nicely done!
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No, closest would be the AMT Bel Air post sedan kit. In fact I have one of those on the bench I'm doing as a Two Lane Blacktop-ish car. (The AG and 2LB Chevies were in fact the very same car.)
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It's true 1/25 and the body is VERY close in size and shape to the AMT kit. In fact, I know a guy building a good replica AG '55 Chev from the AMT kit and he's using the interior from this Revell diecast. I think this Revell kit was made around 2000. You might be able to find one on eBay.
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I don't think I have any that could be restored to original condition. If they were, I wouldn't have been able to afford them in the first place. The only exception to this was a mint, original, boxed 1970 GTO promo that I detail-painted...in 1970, when it wasn't worth hardly anything. I still have it and touched it up a couple years ago
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Preach It, Brother Tom!
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This is the Revell diecast Graffiti '55 Chev. Since the kit has stock front suspension and a 409, I didn't attempt to replicate the movie car exactly, I just built it the way I wanted to. It's actually OOB except I removed the front bumper and hacksawed its mounting bracket off the metal body, 'cause that's how I roll. I left out the backseat cover and roll bar, too. Fit on this thing was amazing. The only glue I used was on the engine block half and heads, and the seat backs and steering wheel. Everything else is either press-fit or screwed. I can blow it apart and re-do it easily if the mood ever strikes me. Fun build and looks good on the shelf, and that's all I really ask of a model.
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Very nice! I have one of these on the bench (been there for about a decade) and you're inspiring me to drag it across the finish line. Model on!
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Put me down for "409" and "Shut Down." Two other favorites are Springsteen's "Racing in the Streets" (even though he's got "fuelie heads" on a 396) and Warren Zevon's "Roll with the Punches," even with a "429" in a '57 Chevy. For those who've never heard it, Zevon wrote the song just to score this scene from HBO's Tales from the Crypt. Now that's a hot rod! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxZPZgQouDE
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Put me down as another fan of curbsides. I love 'em. I also like to rehabilitate damaged or "distressed" old promos, too, which is usually the only kind I can afford. Before: After:
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I think this was a Testor kit, might have been basically an unassembled Welly. The rear side windows in this thing are way too small, which really messes up the look of the whole roof. I filed the rear windows out to a more accurate shape. I don't think I got it perfect but I got it closer. There's a "rib" molded on the inside through this area that I had to grind out with a Dremel. Lotta work for a mediocre model but ah shucks oh well I have a '68 Chevlle (more or less) on the shelf. First time posting pics here. Let's see if I have it figgered out.
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I'm looking at the various grille pictures again, and I can't tell for sure, but it looks like Revell might have gotten the ends of the grille wrong. The top of the grille should be wider than the bottom. It looks like the Revell grille is symmetrical top to bottom, i.e., you could put it in either way and not be able to tell the difference. The AMT '67 and '68 kits have the proper effect, very subtly (probably not as much as it should). The old MPC '68 Rally Sport kit has this right on the right (passenger) side, but not on the left (driver) side--very annoying! The original AMT '67 SS/RS annual got this right (though that grill might have a little more "V" in it than it should).
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I'm told that Scale Equipment Ltd. has them. But I believe you can also just file/sand the scoops off the kit hood. That's what I did with an MPC Firebird back in the day.
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Yes, I'd love to see that if it's not too much trouble. BTW, I think the other day I found on my harddrive a pic I snatched off the net of the headlight bucket on the (unrestored) '72 Motown Missile. I can load that up onto photobucket and post it here if anyone's interested.
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Sounds very most way interesting! I'd very much like to see that. Any idea when it would be available? If it looks good, I'll take at least two.