Mister 4x4

Aha! Thanks for the tip, Mike! Good lookin' 'Teg as well - the header looks perfect!! I'm thinking the XS wheels should allow me to use the painted up Si wheels for the Si kit as well (since I don't have any other imports to use them on - LOL - plus, I hate 6-spoke wheels anyway - they just look cheap to me for some reason). Any more pics of the 'Teg build? Thanks Dennis! If I wasn't afraid of mangling the dashboard altogether, I'd consider the mod - but it was already painted blue and I'm just trying to get this one done so I can move onto one of my Mach 1 kits.

For hand-brushing and dispersing the fumes a bit, sure - why not (although I would consider putting the fan next to the window, to "pull" the fumes, rather than "push" them). For airbrushing, spray painting with cans, or otherwise sending paint through the air: absolutely not. Light a match or something that generates smoke, and see what happens with the fan where you want it, and on the other side closer to the window. I can guarantee you having the fan where you indicate will disperse the "smoke" (fumes, etc.) throughout the room and some (maybe even most) will make it out the window. If you put the fan closer to the window, you'll notice the smoke (fumes, smell, etc.) will get sucked away from the work and out the window. This is also the same principle a paint booth works on - pulling the fumes vs. pushing. It's much easier to redirect airflow using suction than Not to mention, having the fan where you propose will blow any dust or whatever else is in the air directly onto your work while the paint is wet, and possibly blow some of the lighter objects right off your desk as well. But hey - if you want overspray all over that nice room, your furniture, cool TV, and laptop (thus pissing off the wife and/or mom) - go for it.

Cool! Thanks, TOYCARTEC! I found these: They're a lot closer in shape and appearance than the later-model Civic Si rims I swiped from the other kit. Someone else had mentioned the XS Wheels and the search I did earlier found only full-size wheels and 1/10th R/C wheels as well. Appreciate the tip immensely - these are on the way and should be here by next weekend. Quick question: are they post-mount wheels like the stock rims from the Hasegawa kit?

OK - so I left off with this kit several years ago after having painted the chassis flat black and started with the interior. I'm redoing the interior - I'd used glossy Testors water-colors (not knowing any better at the time that they'd worked the non-toxic crappy water-colors into the main-stream), and I'm planning on getting everything "flat-coated" with the colors closer to what came in the car. Since the windows will be tinted with the Tamiya Smoke, I'm not going to get exceedingly crazy trying to flock the floors or get every number on the speedo and tach. So today, I got the chassis, what there is of the engine, exhaust and suspension pretty much done. Since I'm using wheels from a different kit, I'll need to figure out some axles before I can mount up the wheels with the disc brakes. But, here we are - not too bad from not having seriously built anything since the '80s, eh? If it stays icy like today, this might get done rather quickly... although, I'll need to find a warm place to paint the body soon.

Totally jealous - those Porsches are gonna be awesome!

Wow! Awesome job!!!

Oh yeah - that's a beautiful thing, indeed! I love McLaren F1s... and this is an outstanding rendition. Bravo, Sir!

That's an interesting thought. I don't think it was a later run kit - I built it in '84 or 85... the kit came out in '83, I believe. Maybe it was a later run or something. I just don't seem to remember having any problems with it going together. Then again, I might've just been really focused and didn't know any better if something came up that would be considered a "problem" these days (the hobby has progressed by leaps and bounds in the decades since then, after all). I'll definitely keep this discussion in mind when I start building my "new" Coyote X, though.

I play just about anything low-brass in the San Angelo Community Band, Ice House Brass band, and various quintets, quartets, trios, whatever whenever I get the call (usually for heritage events at Fort Concho, as well as Christmas season being the most busy time of the year. I'm also the Merry TubaChristmas coordinator for San Angelo. I played in high school and for Air Force Basic Training Drum & Bugle Corps, but then didn't play a note for 19 years until I joined the Community Band in 2005 - haven't looked back since and enjoy the Hell out of it. Here's an old shot of my low brass arsenal: Clockwise from left: no-name Baritone Horn, Sterling Virtuoso Euphonium, Besson 3/4 Bb Tuba, Jupiter 4-valve Euphonium, Jupiter 3-valve Baritone, 1922 Conn 3G valve trombone, Blessing Marching Baritone. Since this pic, I've sold the Jupiter 3-valve and bought a Benge Studio Trombone. I'm working on finding a new(ish) 4-rotory valve full-size tuba, since I usually play a St. Petersburg on-loan from the Community Band during their concerts. I also need to send the Jupiter 4-valve to my friend's son for beginning band.

Looks like quite the project and a lot of work. I'm glad my '82 was covered by the '79 Turbo Cobra without too much modification. On first glance, to me it would be a lot easier to modify the '84 20th Anniversary kit... but not having owned an '85 or '86, I can see where it would look totally different to you - I now own a '71 Mach 1, and the kits out there aren't quite what they should be (most have '73 bumpers with '71 grilles - which are two very different animals). Hang in there, keep at it - can't wait to see it all done up.

Nice! I was thinking of doing something very similar with my '71 Mach 1 - a total rust pile when I bought it, and now it's restored. Excellent work - love the concept as well.

OMG - totally ridiculous! You Sir, are the man - nicely done!! I did a Messerschmitt Me-109 once and loved building it... nowhere close to this level, though (hey, it was the late-70s and I was just a kid, after all). Gonna hafta try it again with this new inspiration you've given me.

Oh man, this is just insane! Very nice!! I'll be looking back to these builds of yours when I crack open a WWII fighter kit, that's for sure.

One of my friends has a real Ural motorcycle w/sidecar & shaft drive... which I believe was based on this model BMW - looks a lot like it (although, his is a lot shinier and less "wartime ops"). Looks awesome!!

Awesome build! Some of my first and favorite kits were WWII fighters, and one of my favorites was the Monogram F4U-4. I totally glue-bombed it compared to this beauty, but I'm on a quest to rebuild many of the kits I built as a kid, so I'll get another shot. Thanks for the inspiration! Did you fix the wings that way, or do they still fold?

Found it on ebay - tons of different vendors available, but I got mine from TCP Global for $14.99 each. Bought 'em last Friday, and they showed up yesterday (Tuesday). http://www.ebay.com/itm/141270960521?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The rims on the real car were 16" MB Seven X rims from Discount Tire with Nitto NeoGen 215/40R16s all around. Kept the overall wheel diameter the same as the Honda 13" rims with 195/70R13s - so it didn't mess up the gear ratio (and steal a few of the 95 ponies the VTEC-E was putting out). I've had literally Zero luck finding any scale sized rims even close online. But when I bought the kit so many years ago, I also snagged this Revell Civic Si Coupe kit... the wheels are at least 7-spokes and should pass for "close enough" once I clean 'em up and paint the spokes. Plus, the Revell kit comes with 3 other sets of rims, so I can still build it as well.

I wonder why everybody thinks the MPC Coyote kit is such a PITA. I built one as a kid when it first came out, modified the rear end for a little boost in height with some Goodyear Blue Streak wide tires, cut and widened the rear rims to scale 15x10s (since the original Centerline Champ 500s are satin-finish anyway), and had VERY few issues getting the kit together (that I remember, anyway). I originally blacked out the light covers (from the inside, of course), but I think I'll be using some Tamiya "tint" for this one. I think I remember the biggest disappointment being how sloppy the suspension was - seemed to have a lot of play in it allowing the wheels to flop around.

First one I ever built:

We have a Michael's and a Hobby Lobby within about a mile of each other - but no other hobby shops in town (that seem to support scale modeling, anyway). I hadn't really given Michael's much consideration until I went in there for an Ott Light for my wife earlier this year. Hobby Lobby quit carrying them, and Michael's (albeit, half the size of Hobby Lobby) seemed to have more "good" stuff. As for their model section - I think they're not far apart. Both have about the same inventory of tools, paints, equipment, etc. Hobby Lobby seems to have more kits, or at least a bigger selection. But Michael's seems cheaper - as in a couple bucks on each item cheaper, depending on the overall cost. Hard to beat a 50% off coupon for a $100 Ott Lamp, though. I don't know. I'll give each a look, as well as keep finding deals online.

Dude: nothing there, Man. There are no "my bads" here - information is information... and it's all good, IMHO. I just remembered the whole Montage vs. Marauder discussions from back in the day. I'd gone to an Autorama when the Coyote X was making it's rounds, and was set straight by the car's "tender." The George Barris reference was from an old photo with a bunch of TV/Movie cars he had some kind of influence over or owns now or something. His website doesn't call out any of the cars in this picture as being "his" except for the Batmobile. I also found this on Mantacars.com, where it appears George Barris is very in-touch with the Coyote X. Maybe Mike Fennel worked for him when the car was conceived or something. The wiki isn't specific, and I haven't found anything more solid about exactly who was responsible for what. http://www.mantacars.com/coyote/ddcoyoteinfo.html Interesting to get all this information all laid out in one place, though.

This kit for my upcoming 1:1 of my '82 Mustang GL came last night: Along with the chrome modular wheels I found on ebay: Man, having the 'net around is making this so much more fun and easy to find the stuff I really want. Edit: Oh yeah, almost forgot. This showed up today as well (I got 2 - one for the bench, and one for the booth - which I still need to build):

Actually, that picture of the Coyote is not a Manta kit - it's a Marauder McLaren kit car released by Marauder as a replica to their M6BGT. The key difference is also in the wheel openings. http://www.allcarindex.com/auto-car-model/United-States-Marauder-McLaren-MkVI/ Marauder McLaren Manta Montage Marauder McLaren Manta Montage Since the Coyote X was built by George Barris for the show, it appears as if there's a bit of a blend between the two. Base body is the Marauder McLaren kit, no doubt... but the door latch placement and a few other subtle cues speak to the Montage. The DeLorean version from seasons 2 & 3 was an abortion and should've never been made, IMHO. Between that, and kids learning the car wasn't a major star of the show (like K.I.T.T., Airwolf, and even the General Lee), they lost interest and the show fizzled quickly. Too bad... it was OK for the time.

I think I discovered the difference the other day when I was picking up supplies at Michael's and Hobby Lobby. The "Plastic Model Finishing Set" I'd bought years ago has "water wash-up" colors... the new "Complete Enamel Finishing Set" I just picked up, has proper Testors thinner inside, along with a "Flammable" warning on each bottle of paint included. I remember starting the Honda with the "water wash-up" colors and hating every minute of it. Probably gonna just strip it all down and start over with some proper enamel paints.

I love building 1:1 replicas - probably because I love the TV/Movie cars so much. I had built one of my first car, 1982 Mustang GL hatchback, using an '84 Silver Anniversary Edition kit and some wheels kit-bashed from an old D-50 kit... but it's only "close." I just scored a '79 Mustang Cobra kit and found the proper chrome modular wheels in a sale lot on ebay - so I should be able to get it almost perfect this time around. I've also got a Jeep CJ-7 I started SO long ago, and never quite finished - which will be fun, since I'll need to back up and redo a few things. I also plan on building the rest of my 'fleet' and have the kits for just about everything else as well, including: '78 K5 Blazer, '85 Nissan 4x4, the other '85 Nissan 4x4 King Cab, and several '71 Mach 1s. The hard work will be my '97 Ram Club Cab 4x4... but I'm saving that for when I get my scratch building skills more up to snuff. I hope someone releases a current generation Dodge Ram crew cab... otherwise, I'll have to figure out how to mold resin from a die cast or something. OK - gotta get busy on it. Lots of trimming and flashing/seam smoothing before I can do anything meaningful.