#1 model citizen

That's a pretty cool Valiant. Is that a Mustang roof? And did you rework the engine compartment? Did it even start out with an engine compartment?

When I polish plastic I 1st carefully remove the mold lines with various grits of sand paper. I will start with 600-800 grit and carefully smooth away the mold lines taking care not to go too far beyond the mold lines. I then continue to go over the offending areas wet sanding with 800 then 1000, 1500 & 2000 grits. (You may then want to continue with a polishing kit on just the areas you have been working or the whole body. I usually don't) I then polish the whole thing with Novus 2, though others use all sorts of different polishing agents such as automotive polishes and Snake has already suggested silver polish. So use whatever you have at hand. I rub firmly, supporting the backside of the area I'm working. It can take some time, but as you work you see just what it will take to achieve the results you want. Be careful to not to rub to hard on delicate areas like roof pillars, etc. If you find a good polish, pass it along to the rest of us! good luck no matter which way you go & keep us updated on the progress.

I don't think you would have any difficulty painting this model. You are not working with a color that is hard to conceal & it doesn't appear to have a high gloss. I would sand the bare plastic with 400 or 600 grit sand paper and primer it. You might even be able to paint it without primer if your'e painting it a green, black, or another dark opaque color. I would use 600 grit sand paper if painting without the primer.

I recall demolition derbies on the school playground at recess & lunch. I would use "a little extra" glue to try to outdo the the competition. This work well on 1 particular '61 Chevy, nicely brushed painted a custom mix of a less than pretty blue. I had done well winning several rounds. but it eventually suffered an irrepairable blow to the front fender. It was really only a piece of plastic that had chipped off, but my prized Chevy was now ruined and I retired from the derby, not wanting to suffer such financial loss in the future.

Love them Darts!

x2. Very nicely done!

If it is molded in high gloss finish, there are no major dimples to fill and I like the color I will remove the mold lines, polish it & call it good. Sadly almost all models have flaws to be fixed. Even worse is cutting down the high gloss finish so paint will stick if you do decide to paint it. If it is molded in red, orange or yellow, you may have bleed through issues as well. I had a Dodge Caravan molded in red that I attempted multiple times to paint white with all different primers, colors, multiple coats, & even silver & gold as suggested by the knowledgeable & helpful folk on this site without success. The red would always bleed through. Bottom line is finish it to your liking; its your model!

As a long time MoPar owner I can tell you the primer is gray but most of the underside is body colored over spray. (My T&C minivan doesn't have much over spray beyond the rocker panels, but thats's a much newer and different vehicle).Also most have been undercoated black. Cars of your model's era use a low gloss black for the frame rails, suspension, steering, rear axle & drive shaft. Even though these components all use this same approximate color, you may want to use different blacks on the various components to add a little detail interest. The black on 1:1 cars isn't a perfect match from part to part since they are made of different materials and painted at different times at different locations with different paint lots, and possibly different paint formulas/suppliers/manufacturers, (but you probably already know that )

I would have to agree. Also the character lines along the the rear window & edge of the roof need to be removed. I am just assuming these alterations have yet to be addressed. This is a very fun, interesting &, dare I say, an exciting build to watch!

The headlights are particularly well done.

YAY! I done good! I assumed a rant would have been long winded!

Thanks, Paul! That's quite a good technique and I imagine I will find several projects to use it on.

I agree & just didn't remember to do it. I'll fix that immediately, if I can Oh, BTW I don't see the rant. Did it get taken down? Note: just went in and deleted what I could. I couldn't remove the links

That is cool and looks like its its simple & easy and something I could do! I would like to see more!

Looks like a good repair! Did you make the mold with Silly Putty? What type of resin (or other agent) did you use? And did you place the mold onto the body to be repair before filling it with resin?

Thanks Bill! All that is highly informative. Thanks for including links to the older threads, too. I just wish that the pics that are now missing from those threads were still visible

Thanks Cale. those are some great pics. Just the type I was hoping for!

Thanks Paul. This is pretty much the way figured they work, although they have always been somewhat of a mystery to me. (Something I should have researched but never have ) I am really more interested in the way they look in order to convincingly wire a model engine. Your explanation & photo of the cap(?) helps. Could you maybe provide a photo of the outside of the magneto with wires in place. Maybe a photo of one on a engine? Anyone? Maybe different styles /brands?

Ok. I knew it took the place of the distributor, however the wires don't pug into the top like a distributor. Looks like maybe they all come out of a slot about 1/2 way down the side?

I blame the busy bodies who decided what kind of vehicles we should be driving & somehow convinced congress to legislate these vehicles into being by using CAFE standards as the measure.I once knew a guy who thought no car needed to go faster than 84 mph. & believed this should be a law. I argued that if that was what he wanted in a car, fine, but if I wanted a 200 mph car I have the right to own one. No one has the right to tell me what I must drive. As for the looks, dimensions, etc., all the cars are pretty much computer designed based on meeting the CAFE. The manufacturers tell the computers what is required & the computers all spit out the same uninspired designs. Trucks & SUVs had become increasingly popular as the public rejected the undersized & light (read unsafe in a collision) autos. (Trucks have much more lenient restrictions.) I personally moved from full size cars mostly of the '60s into a little Aries wagon. While not a bad car, it wasn't long before I moved to MoPar minivans. Although at one time considered a soccer mom car, this vehicle is quite versatile & everything I always wanted a wagon to be. I can haul plywood in it and keep it dry.(not to mention lots of models ) Try that in a modern crew cab pickup. The bed is much too short to be a real hauler, not to mention the sides of bed are so tall its nearly impossible for most of us to reach over. (I met a farmer who has a resto-mod '56 Chevy pickup he uses as a daily driver; his 2002 pickup was too tall to be a practical work vehicle.) Nowadays as you say everyone "has" to have one no matter how bloated & unpractical they have become.

Mer too! Could have sworn it was Chevy with that front end...

This isn't a bad idea. I insert an Exacto knife between the lid and box and slice the plastic the entire length on all 4 sides then remove just that piece off the bottom. That way you can leave the rest of the wrap on the lid. This will protect the lid from shelf wear, etc. And when on the shelf gives the illusion of an un-opened kit & that may help to resist the urge to start it.

I too have to resist that urge. While its no resolution I'm trying to finish all my started kits before I start several others!

There is plenty of good pics here of spark plug location & even a distributer diagram, but what has always baffled me is how is a magneto wired?

I think you're right!