Marc @ MPC Motorsports

I finished four last year, started two others and worked on numerous projects like resin masters, stripping paint from builders, and so on. Four is a record for me since I returned to the hobby 10 years ago. If I could have remained focused those other two would have been completed as well. It's all about having fun and I had plenty. I do have a little more time since my kids are practically grown now. I have one in college and the other is graduating from HS this spring. Depending on how tired I am from work and family obligations I try to spend an hour at the bench each evening after my wife and daughter go to bed. I am a night owl so this is fairly easy for me. If you try to focus on one aspect of the build each session, it will come together in no time. Just don't stress out about it and have fun regardless of how few or how many you crank out.

That would be the best bang for the buck assuming you already have the F&F Charger for the rest.

What about the rear glass? How difficult will it be to make a curved rear window?

I did the same thing with the round 1/2oz Testors bottle. I used to use an Aztek airbrush and had all my Alclad paints in Testors bottles. Works like a champ!

Is that 1:25 scale from the MPC kit? If so, I'll have to have one.

It's not orange. The color is House of Kolor Goldmine Pearl over grey primer.

Jim, check your PM for a message regarding brakes. Marc

Why not get a boot from Modelhaus, whack the roof off of your donor kit and make your own?

I've been collecting All American Models resin kits lately. I had not yet returned to the hobby when Art was cranking these out. I have been able to acquire the following: 1955 Chevy Panel Truck 1957 Chevy Black Widow 1966 Chevelle SS396 ht 1966 GTO ht 1967 Mercury Cyclone ht 1968 Mustang GT fastback 1969 Camaro SS ht They are neat as collector items and, like everything else I own, hopefully will get built someday.

Nice lot!!! Motor City Resin Casters does the '72 Torino coupe BTW.

What thinner are you using? I use Gunze Mr Color thinner because it is cooler than hardware store or auto parts store lacquer thinners. Tamiya makes a comparable lacquer thinner too. Also, go light coats if possible and let each coat gas out up to 30 minutes so you aren't laying down too much wet paint at one time.

I also use mine when I am mixing two part body fillers. It sucks the fumes out of the room and believe me when I say that this stuff smells worse than paint. You need enough CFM's to get all the bad air out. A 250cfm fan will draw all the air from a 10x12 room every five minutes.

Phil, it helps a whole bunch if you get a commercially make one with enough CFM's. My Pace Peacekeeper Deluxe does the job. Rattle cans or airbrush it doesn't matter. Rattle cans put out more paint and fumes IMHO. I have a board with the dryer duct attached that fits in the open window so all bad stuff goes outside. My kids bedrooms are next to the room I paint in and there is no residual odor in their rooms or the adjacent living room. Best investment I ever made.

Bandit Resins just introduced a 1961 Starliner body and vacformed rear window for the new '61 Ford kit.

There is an active thread that is titled, "just because you can doesn't mean you should" which is very appropriate for this topic. We take for granted that hobby paints are flammable and the fumes can be explosive under ideal situations. Commercially available paint booths that were designed by experts with our safety in mine are not that out of reach for most of us and should be considered a "long-term investment" in our hobby. Paasche and Pace have paint booths available for less than $250. Save your money and do it right. These booths have a purpose designed fan with enough CFM's to pull paint overspray and fumes out of your painting area and do it safely. One of these booths should last 10, 20 years or more so, when you amortize the cost over that long period is like one or two kits per year. I bought a Pace Peacekeeper Deluxe four years ago and it has been the best investment I have made in the hobby. I can paint indoors anytime I want to with no paint fumes to disturb my family. When I used to paint in an enclosed garage without a booth, the fumes would find there way into the house, especially when painting with Duplicolor automotive paints. Not any more. No more worries about temperature, humidity, etc. I vent mine out the window. The filter catches most of the overspray so no worries about paint settling on the side of your house. TCP Global has Paasche 22" booths for about $220 and Pace has two models under $250 with free shipping. The top of the line Pace is $435. We all have plenty of models to build. Don't buy any for a couple or weeks/months and use that money to buy a proper paint booth. You will be glad you did.

It's not that bad and I'm sure it will get some fine tuning in the days to come. I recall folks complaining when our Host changed formats a few years ago. We as humans and model builders tend to resist change.

You will be much happier with your airbrush and paint booth if you can set it up indoors and vent the booth thru a window. Imagine painting 24-7-365...

Is that not the AMX instead of the Javelin? Regardless, there was some sharing between the two. AMT sold versions of the Johan 1968-70 plus 1974 AMX, Maverick, 1969-70 Cutlass 442 and I think the Olds Toronado. Same kits in AMT boxes.

Urethanes are nasty! I have friends that only shoot urethane clear. With one friend's help, I cleared one model with urethane. If mastered, you can get a great high gloss shine without polishing. But the toxic nature of the stuff and the ease in which you can bury a 1:25 scale model's details and get that "sealed in amber" look will forever keep me from using it. I do just fine with Tamiya or Testors rattle can clears and a session of wetsanding with Micro Mesh.

Nice build! I used those same Pegasus wheels on my black 1962 Ford Falcon and while many will disagree on the choice, I think they look marvelous.

Click here for a step by step tutorial I posted in 2007 on this subject.

It is temporarily unavailable thanks to California labeling laws. I cleaned my LHS out of it a few weeks ago. All distributors and online retailers appear to be out of stock but hopefully it will be available soon. Duplicolor and some wet sanding with 1500-2000 paper or Micro Mesh will be your best bet in the interim.

I have lots of models that I would like to build in 2011, but I can't say with any certainty what they will be. We'll have to wait and see what the voices in my head tell me and how much my Modeler's ADD interferes.

The accuracy or lack thereof does not bother me. I'm going with the 1972 chassis but while it is the same, I also have an original 1968 chassis at my disposal.

With the current thread on rare models, this one ranks right up there. It started as an MPC 1968 GTO funny car (promo style) body that probably makes it even more rare. I got it on Ebay and it was built curbside back in the day with a 1967 GTO chassis and interior. I have opened the hood and added a windshield cowl. Also removed most of the emblems, rocker panel and wheel well moldings. Most emblems will be replaced with decals and or photoetch. Opened up the hood scoops for functional Ram Air. I'll be using the guts of an AMT exMPC 1972 GTO with a resin cast 1968 GTO instrument panel. Paint will be Scale Finishes Verdoro Green. Rolling stock and powertrain to be determined. This is a theme build for the Arkansas Model Championship in April 2011. Enjoy!!!