jaymcminn

The Mercedes was a blast to build... the relatively low parts count meant I could concentrate on the fit and finish of the body panels, which all needed massive tweaking to get it to turn out as it did. The frame was warped as well on mine and needed some adjustments to get it to sit right. The chrome was terrible, so airbrushed Molotow was used. Pics below...

Beautiful work on this so far! I recently did exactly the same thing as you... after finishing up my labor-intensive 1/12 Porsche 934 build I built the old Monogram Mercedes 540k Coupe as a way to wind down. These old Monogram classics are great kits that build up into excellent replicas with a little TLC!

I tried the "Beyond Jerky". That's something you don't do twice.

BMF is the way to go here.

I've started playing with the Vallejo Metal Colors line... Just test pieces at this time, but I like what I see so far. They're pre-thinned for airbrushing and spray nicely at 15psi. Unlike Metalizers they can be applied with a brush on small details. The metallic particles are incredibly fine. The Chrome isn't even close to Molotow or Alclad, but it has a great sheen for polished aluminum... think Testors silver enamel but pretty much impervious to wear once dry. The Gold has a great polished brass look as well. The jury is still out on their gloss black polyacrylic primer that they recommend as a base coat. I'm going to try it with a couple drops of Flow Improver to see if that helps it spray out a bit smoother. Tamiya Flat Aluminum and Metallic Grey have been my go-to flat metal finishes for many years. The metallic particles are coarse, which looks great for cast metal.

I hope you have better luck with those stupid MFH zip ties than I did. I had the same failure rate as you but managed to get the job completed. Over the course of two days, three of the installed zip ties broke just from me looking at them. I wound up going with 1/32 Chartpak tape to represent the ties.

That Hasegawa 250 Testa Rossa is an absolutely wonderful kit. Mine built up with the optional PE wire wheels and a detail set from (I think) KA Models...

Model Expo has the Italeri 1/12 scale Lancia Delta Integrale on sale for $199. I had to pull the trigger. It showed up today. It's a beautiful, state-of-the-art kit and I can't wait to get started on it!

I would treat this as a learning experience. Looking at the finish on the roof and trunk you see plenty of "fisheyes" indicating prep issues and adhesion problems. The Krylon stuff won't key into the plastic like hobby paint tends to... it needs a primer to help promote that adhesion. At least your BMF doesn't seem to have the poor adhesive issue that some recent batches have shown. I'd strip the paint (should be easy, right?) prime with a compatible primer after scuffing and washing the surface and reshoot. I'm guessing your results will be a lot different the second time around!

Kinda makes the old "Visible V8" pale by comparison, huh?

Looking good. And Ultimate Compound is indeed magical stuff!

I, ummm, sanded them down and used 300 photoetched washers to replicate the grommets. I may have a problem.

Meh, you couldn't make a new car that looks exactly like the old 240-280z these days. Nissan did a very good job with what they have to work with. I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of the reason behind the new Z's fairly conservative styling comes from the criticism about the relatively wild styling of the new Supra. The new one is still prettier than the old 370z.

So much style for a simple truck. The gothic arch grille, the beautiful wood bed that follows the curve of the body... it doesn't get any more French than that.

Wet the surface you're applying the decal to with Micro Set, move the decal into position with a round-tip toothpick, use a Tamiya craft swab to suck up the surface moisture (without touching the decal, if possible) when the decal is where you want it.

Plus when you're sitting inside you don't have to look at the outside.

The dull red looks fantastic. Although metallics were theoretically available in 1930, they were pretty rare and unlikely to show up on a racing car like the Alfa. Your Bentley is beautiful... I've had one of these going as an on-again, off-again project for years. Are those the Model Bunker 3d printed wheels and tires?

Definitely not the metallic red, which is probably the dumbest color call out I've ever seen on a model. Hull red might be a little dull, but definitely worth a spoon test. I used Tamiya Italian Red over their Red Oxide primer on my Fiat Mefistofele last year, which gives a pretty nice vintage red feel. Pics below... The Italeri Alfa 8c is a fantastic kit that responds well to some pretty simple detailing. My build from two years ago...

On my seats I used my Dremel and some files to add wrinkles and make them a little less stiff and plastic-y looking. I also came perilously close to ruining them with a heat gun when I used it to add some sag to the cushions. The results were pretty good.

I got this message for a few hours tonight. Looking at the gap in postings on the site I'm not the only one!

Hasegawa did the smart thing by tooling up a late Mini. Looks like a seriously nice kit.

That's the perfect color for a Diablo. Great work!

Looks fantastic. Even more of that hard work will disappear from view once the front clip is on, good job taking lots of pics now!

My mother bought a 2009 Maxima with the CVT to replace her '04 Maxima with a standard torque-converter auto. Great engine yoked to a whiny, horrible, laggy draggy drudge of a trans. She only kept the car for a couple of years because she hated the transmission so much. I had a rental Kia Forte with CVT a few years back when my Soul was in the shop after I got rear-ended and it seemed... better? Not as bad, anyway. Could be because it was a 10-year-newer car or because the low power of the Forte engine masked the inherent laziness of the CVT.

Oh yeah, I block sand. Every single build. Before block sanding I'll always scribe panel lines deeper in case they disappear or go too shallow during the sanding process. Styrene, especially on older molds, will tend to raise around panel lines and the edges of panels and dip above details molded on the underside of a panel. Often I'll attach removable panels with Micro Kristal Klear so I can get the transition as smooth as possible. Some kits are worse than others. My latest, a Monogram Mercedes 540k from 1979, took about 8 hours of body prep between scribing, cleaning up trim and block sanding before I even got to primer and guide coats. On the 1/12 Porsche 934, I mocked up the body including the opening doors that shut with neodymium magnets before block sanding to make sure that they fit flush along the entire profile of the door.