Frank Steffens

I've often banged my head against the wall trying to find a suitable match for that color. I've recently found that Model Master Boyd's Pacific Blue is close enough for me. Here it is on the 440 from the '68 Charger I'm building now: I'm gonna hit it with semi-gloss clear to knock down that shine. EDIT: Its actually a little bit lighter in person...I wish I could take better pics. Keep posting those Mopars!

That is awesome!

Nah, we all said just about the same thing, just using different materials for primer and paint.

Hi Anton, welcome to the forum. Don't use paint thinner to strip the paint. It may soften the plastic and damage it. Use automotive brake fluid to strip the paint. You'll have to get a container for the brake fluid large enough to soak the entire body. It may have to stay submerged for a while, several hours to a day ( or more). Keep an eye on the body to check its progress. Once most of the paint is off the model, take it out and use an old toothbrush to get into the tight areas where paint may still be accumulated. Once its free of the old paint, wash it with dish detergent and water and allow it to air dry. Wear gloves and work in a well ventilated area when using the brake fluid, it can be nasty stuff. The same goes for the spray painting to follow. If this is your first model, I would not recommend getting an airbrush (paint sprayer) just yet. Check your local hobby shop for Tamiya Spray paints in a can. For this body, you'll need their primer...its called Tamiya Fine Surface Primer, TS-8 Italian Red, and TS-30 Sliver Leaf. They cost about $7.00 US for each can, and the primer may cost a couple of dollars more. Shake the cans vigorously before using them. After the body has dried off from being washed, spray on 2 light coats of primer. When it dries, look for areas that look rough, and use fine sandpaper to smooth them out. Don't worry if you sand off the primer. Once the surface looks smooth, apply another coat of primer, and let that dry for a couple of days. Next, lay down a base coat of the TS-30 Silver paint. Don' try to cover the entire body in one coat. Keep the spray can about 12 to 14 inches from the surface of the body, and start spraying when the nozzle is not directly pointed at the body, then slowly move over the body and apply a mist coat...this means that the paint that lands on the body doesn't cover every bit of the surface, and you'll have to use several mist coats to completely cover the body. Allow this base coat to dry for at least a week. The vapors from the drying paint need to escape from the surface, and painting over it while this is happening could ruin the finish. Once the body has been drying for a week or so, you'll be ready for the color coats. Use the same method as with the silver paint...build up mist coats until the color completely cover the surface. Finally, your last coat will be a "wet" coat. Don't lay the paint on too thick, or it will drip and run. Again, let the paint dry for about a week. You may notice a couple of specks of dust in the paint, or the paint may not be mirror smooth and have a texture that resembles an orange peel. Don't worry about them. As you build more models, you'll learn how to fix those problems. For now, just concentrate on not getting drips and runs. As for an airbrush, a decent airbrush and compressor setup can run well over $100.00 ...you'll need a couple of models under your belt to justify the expense. Good luck, have fun and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

That paint is SWEET! The interior looks awesome too!

I love that color! I can't wait to see this one finished!

Love the stance and rake.....CHOP IT!

Awesome pics Billy! Thanks for sharing them!

I finally won, but I can't remember how I did it....

Welcome aboard! Nice work on the 'Vette!

The worst part is, when you win, you only have one ball!

Sheesh, thanks Bill, now I'm gonna be here all day! I'm always left with three balls....

Stephen Hawking is still alive.

I won't be able to make it to this one Bob, the doctor won't let me off the couch...I hurt my knee at work the other day. I was going to bring down the GTO I'm working on...hopefully next month I'll bring it finished.

Oh NO! That's my ten year wedding anniversary! Ok, no one panic, we have to form a committee, get our politicians involved, start a nationwide letter writing campaign, circulate petitions....whatever it takes to get my wife to allow me to blow off the anniversary and go to NNL East next year!

Wow! Quite the arsonist!

Sweet! Clean as a whistle! Great job!

I saw it yesterday at NNl East, it looks even better in person!

When I saw that model Kurt, I was instantly reminded of when I was a kid....my uncle had the exact same car! Great job!

Totally awesome!

My world famous Shrimp Cocktail Recipe: Five pounds of "Super Colossal" or "Under Eight" Shrimp (basically, big enough that there are only about 7 shrimp per pound.) I recommend Gulf Shrimp, but get what you can. Make a satchel out of cheesecloth and pickling spice, get you water up to a boil and drop the satchel in the water. Add the unpeeled shrimp. They won't shrink as much if they're unpeeled. Boil until they all float. Remove from the water, peel and devein, then wash the cooked shrimp, chill them on a bed of crushed ice in the fridge. Cocktail Sauce: Eight Ounces of Ketchup (not catsup!) Eight Ounces of Gold's Prepared Horseradish 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce Tobasco, or your favorite hot sauce, to taste The juice of one whole lemon. Combine ingredients, chill in the fridge. Serve on a bed of lettuce and crushed ice, with several wedges of lemon. Enjoy! Now, we can all learn to play nice. If not I'll keep posting recipes. OK, to be truthful, I'll probably keep posting recipes anyway. I like hijacking threads, and this one was ripe for it.

In no particular order: Tim Boyd- I've been reading his articles since I was a kid. Tim Kolankiewicz- his '61 Impala is my favorite model car of all time George Bojaciuk- I've read all of his articles and his book over and over and over again... Juha Airio- he's so good, he can convert a 1/72 scale F-14 Tomcat into a 1/25 Plymouth, and it will be the best replica of that car ever made. Uwe Schützendorf- Some of the cleanest, most detailed models with the most flawless finishes I've ever seen (Where's he been? I wanted to see his 69 Camaro finished!) Lyle Willits- I learned to like different genres of cars just because of seeing pictures of his models. His customs/hot rods are amazing. David Thibodeau- I want to build a NASCAR car for no other reason than being inspired by his work.

I'll be there. I'll have the bride with me.

Awesome work! Love the steelies!

Lookin' good Rick!