jaymcminn

The Aoshima kit looks at least as good as the Fujimi (better, in my opinion) when built and goes together with surprisingly little drama. It's thoughtfully designed to sidestep many of the assembly challenges presented by the Countach's unique shape, such as the rocker panels being separate parts that fit perfectly so you don't have that moment of terror when you have to force the body over the chassis. The downside is that the engine detail isn't quite at Fujimi's level, but it still looks great when built. Both Fujimi and Aoshima have produced early LP400 kits.

Who needs safety when you have a sweet mustache.

Making it extra ironic when you order it online and USPS loses it.

Very impressive work, especially given the starting point. Beautiful!

Ooof, I've been on a couple of aircraft sites lately because I'm working on the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire IX. I haven't built an airplane kit since before the internet was really a thing. Although I have some "rivet counter" tendencies in my car model builds, I was bemused by some of the discussions going on over there about every minute detail. My Spit will (hopefully) look good, but I'm not going to drive myself nuts poring over grainy 80-year-old photos trying to determine if the interior of the landing gear door is painted aluminium or the underside color! I swear, I'll never again roll my eyes at an impassioned discussion on this site over spark plug firing order.

A recent favorite... Aussie band The Beths' "Expert in a Dying Field". An old favorite... The obscure NY band The Damnwells' "Accidental Man".

My recipe, tinkered with over many years. Brown 2lb lean ground beef and one diced large yellow onion. Add 2 jalapenos, 2 red chili peppers and 2 poblano chilis (all seeded and cored) finely chopped in the food processor. Next add 4 tablespoons chili powder, a tablespoon of cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional). Saute for a minute or so. Add a can of fire-roasted tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce and a bottle of beer... preferably a little dark and not too hoppy. I like Bell's Amber Ale. Add salt to taste and let the chili simmer, uncovered, for an hour or so, stirring periodically. Add a can of black beans and a can of kidney beans rinsed and drained (also optional) and let simmer for another 15 minutes.

Only one so far... the Mercedes 500k Roadster.

Molotow airbrushes very well without thinning. It can be handled lightly after several days drying time. The results are excellent. The radiator shell, headlamps and exhausts on the Mercedes below as well as the bumpers on the Ferrari were airbrushed Molotow. Molotow does have its limits... it's not as durable as kit chrome and doesn't like to be overcoated or handled much. On the plus side it doesn't require any special prep other than a perfectly smooth surface.

The grits on the Micro-Mesh system do not directly correspond with standard sandpaper grits. They use a proprietary scale. MM 3200 is more or less comparable to 1500 grit sandpaper. I start with the highest grit (least abrasive) possible to level out the surface... usually 6000 but I'll go down to 4000 if it isn't getting the job done. It's more elbow grease but you avoid the potential for the sort of deep scratches you're seeing here. Go up through the 12000 grit, which is the perfect starting point for Meguiars Ultimate compound and polish. I would stay away from microfiber cloths for final polishing as well. Microfiber is TERRIBLE for holding onto old abrasives, random bits of grit, etc. and doesn't like to release this stuff even after washing. Old t-shirts are okay, but they need to be all cotton (polyester fibers are abrasive) and clean. Even then I'd be leery. My fabric store cotton flannel costs about $4/yard and a yard lasts me for a year or more.

What is your prep/primer process like? It's possible that these scratches are a result of scratching in the plastic or primer from block sanding. They'll tend to show up after the top coats have cured and shrunk down. Do these scratches show up regardless of whether you use polishing cloths or not? If it's only when you use polishing cloths then make sure you alternate directions when you go up a grit to help eliminate the scratches. Make sure you're using plenty of water with a drop of dish soap for lubrication. You might also be starting at a more coarse grit than necessary, scratches from 3200 grit can be tough to get out. Finally, what are you using to apply your compound/wax? Do you reuse the applicator cloths? I buy cotton flannel by the yard at the fabric store and cut off a fresh piece for each polishing step, discarding them after one use. Micro-abrasives can embed themselves into applicator cloth and are difficult to wash out.

I'm betting the bases on the '39 Chevy and the car in the background (black/white swirly base) were hydrodipped. The paint on the models is definitely conventionally applied.

Absolute magic.

It's tough to narrow down to one. Best small venue would probably be the Flaming Lips at Jannus Landing in St. Pete several years ago. They put on something less like a concert and more like an out-of-body experience. Best medium venue would be Vampire Weekend in 2019 at St. Augustine. Great show, great crowd. I don't go in for arena concerts much anymore but my #1 would probably have to be Paul McCartney in Tampa back in 1990. Sir Paul somehow managed to make a stadium full of fans feel like an intimate concert.

Looking at the parts breakdown, it looks like a simple transkit for the rear louvers and some interior bits would be all that's required for a stock DeLorean. I can't believe that Aoshima would miss the boat on a stock version.

Oooh, the Modulo. Those crazy Italian concept cars from the late 60s-early 70s are great examples of the car as modern art. Amazing work!

Fantastic build of a great subject. The 355 is one of my favorite Ferraris... it's a shame Fujimi didn't do right by it.

John (Nacho Z) is 100% correct here. Black trim is tough to pull off properly, but masking and airbrushing is your absolute best bet for getting a good finish on it. I've been lazy and sprayed Tamiya TS29 as well, but it will creep under tape if there's the slightest gap or lifted area. I honestly haven't brush-painted black trim (other than tiny details like lock cylinders,etc.) in years.

I wanted to experiment on the new Tamiya Nissan Z, so I tried using the pearl clear over one of their military colors, in this case IJN Green. I found that 2 coats of the pearl is the maximum you can get away with before it starts interfering with the base color. Additionally the pearl clear is more of an intermediate coat that still needs a top coat to come up properly glossy. Overall it wound up looking really good...

Love 'em. The green on this Caterham 7 was done in their Bentley Racing Green. I haven't tried their 2k clear though, this was Tamiya lacquer clear with Mr. Leveling Thinner. Primer was Tamiya grey straight from the rattle can. You can see how fine the flakes are, especially in the second pic.

Well, curbside is disappointing as well as the non-optional Bondian gadgetry. I'm sure the aftermarket will come to the rescue with a 3d/resin engine. Filling the armour plate and ejector hatch lines is doable but not fun. I wish that Revell had gone the full-detail, pull out all the stops route they did with the excellent Jag E-Type and Porsche 911 kits, but this seems like a good starting point for a detailed build.

Tomasz, coming from you that "Wow" means a lot. Your work was a lot of the inspiration behind this build!

I've lived in my house for 22 years now and it's come through direct hits from three major hurricanes (Wilma, Irma and Ian) with flying colors. It's built tough and I'm on "high ground" about 8 miles inland. When Ian hit Naples last year with 130+ mph winds I lost power for less than 24 hours with zero damage. I have native trees (live oak and cabbage palms) for landscaping and they handle heavy winds really well. The plan if I ever do have to evacuate would be to pack up the top 20 or so builds as if I were going to a contest and load them up in the car in big flat storage boxes. As for sharknadoes, not a lot you can do about those so sometimes you just have to roll the dice!

Excellent. The build quality, the stance... it really has that outlaw look!

Thanks Jeremy! The Hase Testa Rossa came out in the early 2000's if I remember correctly. It's an absolutely beautiful kit. They're on eBay pretty frequently but they tend to go for silly money now. This one has KA Models photoetched parts and Hasegawa's own PE/plastic wheels.