ismaelg

Hello, Stop the press! Drop everything! I'm so excited I'm running out of breath! It's finally here! My most anticipated kit in a loooooooooong time. Danica Patrick's 2005 Indy ride. I might be the minority, but I absolutely love the look of today's IRL cars. Low, wide, uncluttered and LOUD! Looking at it evokes images of going flat out thru Indy's turn one! I love them. I was blessed with the opportunity to be in the 2005 Indy 500. I saw Danica become the first woman to ever lead the Indy 500 race. Besides, she is the best looking race car driver I've ever seen This is a Jorgensen kit. The only game in town for this and many other Indy subjects. While it has the main components, scratchbuilding is still needed to complete it. The quality of the casting is average. Far from perfect, but still workable. This is not for the faint of heart, but it is a great challenge and a great opportunity to do something really nice and not very common. I'll write a short review soon and of course, you'll see it's progress here so stay tuned....... Thanks,

WOW! They are all absolutely GORGEOUS! The 312 is one of my all time favorite F1 cars! I wish there were more of these cars in 1/24 , 1/25 scale.... Thanks,

Hello, I know this is way OFF topic but last night's total lunar eclipse was awesome! Anyone who has ever tried to take a picture of the moon knows how tricky that is. It has been almost an obsession for me ever since I first tried about 20 years ago. Last night's eclipse was a great opportunity to practice. Here is a link to the fotki album I did. fotki album to lunar eclipse pictures Thanks,

That's looking GREAT so far! Looking forward to see it done. I never thought seriously about this kit but now I see it's potential. Thanks for sharing. Regards,

Wow Jim! That looks great! I love everything but the hinges and the wiring details really stand out. About the dual pivot hinges: I'm curious about those. What? Why? How? (When and who) Thanks,

Resin parts can be sanded, drilled, painted and handled like any other part. The main difference is the glue. Plastic cement will not work. You can use superglue or 5 min epoxy. The only problem with superglue is that you only have one chance of positioning the part correctly. Epoxy will give you a minute or two for adjustments. Resin parts sometimes have flash or excess material that can be carefully removed with a sharp blade. If the part has any pinhole or imperfection, you can fill it and sand it before continuing. Like any other part, make sure it is clean before working with it. Sometimes in the resin process release agents are used and the part must be cleaned before further work. Check with the manufacturer for details, as there are many different types out there. Hope this helps. Thanks,

Ohh, very nice Len! Love it! I'm waiting for a Jorgensen Indy car I ordered..... Thanks,

Ahhhh, hmmmm, ehhhhhhhh That was in the APRIL's issue. That was an April's fool joke..... Sorry

Hello, Continuing with the philosophy of treating every sub-assembly as a model in itself, here is the front wing..... Added alum clips. Lost count of decals used Thanks,

now that's wild! Do you plan on using the F1 decals? If not, let me know.... Thanks,

The rusty hacksaw attacks again!!! This time, the victim was an axle. The designer of this kit did not thought we may want to paint it. So it's designed to assemble everything first and paint it later. This lump of plastic is supposed to be the engine But don't worry. Also, the solid exhaust tips won't cut it. Thanks,

Hello, The Feria de Autos (Auto Fair) is Puerto Rico's biggest auto show held every year. This is a 2 day fest with hundreds of cars from classics to exotics, from Model Ts to C6 Z06s It is huge! I went today and when I left there were still cars coming in. I estimate there were well over 600 cars on display. Here is a link to the few pics I took in the time I had. http://public.fotki.com/tatocorvette/feria-de-autos-2008/ Thanks,

Wow! What a nice set of historical cars! They are all great, but the Sunoco 512 takes my heart Thanks,

Hope I don't mind?! That's the ultimate compliment a modeler can receive! Inspire others! Thanks!

Hello, As you may notice, after the Gurney Eagle I still have the open wheel racer kick. While the Corvette GTP is still my main project, the FW19 F1 is moving along, I have Michael Schumacher's 2005 F1 Ferrari on deck and I also started this: 1988 Porsche powered March 88c Indy car, driven by Teo Fabi. This is the old 1/24 Monogram kit. OK, so the car was not very successful. It finished 30th at the Indy 500 (the embarrasing loose wheel incident) and during it's 3 year program, it only won 1 race: Mid-Ohio 1989. BUT... as a teenager at the time, I had a poster of this car in my room and the combination of the names "Indy 500" and "Porsche" was (and still is) appealing. Now I know why you don't see these built very often. While not exactly crude, the kit needs help. It's heavy molded and the parts don't fit very well. But I see that as a challenge First order of bussiness: Following David Thibodeau's advice, my good friend "Rusty Trusty" took care of the cockpit floor. Notice sink marks and gaps been filled. After a lot of putty, sanding and primer, it's looking much better. The fit leaves unacceptable gaps, so I had to add material here, there and everywhere. Strategic steel pins and holes will keep everything in place, and help make bodywork removeable And after a LOT of work, it is starting to look like something halfway decent. Of course having removeable bodywork means I need to add details inside like radiators, wiring, plumbing etc. These are not the final wire/tubes to be used. Just mock ups for placement planning. It will not be a super duper detailed monster. Just enough to give it some life. What do you think? Thanks,

We can fill an encyclopedia with this topic, but in a nutshell, resin provides the means to duplicate parts (usually modified or one-offs) not available in plastic. Resin parts can be sanded, painted, drilled etc. However, you can not use glue for styrene on it. Glue melts the plastic to make the bond. Resin in inmune to this glue. You must use either superglue or 5 minute epoxy. Once a resin part is cleaned you can use your favorite primer on it, and from that point it can be painted like any other regular part. The process of making the parts is very manual. While not overly complicated, it is time consuming and the materials are not very cheap. Molds don't last long and they need to be replaced frequently. I would suggest to start using commercially available resin parts so you can get a feeling for them, before venturing into casting your own. That's pretty much it in a nutshell, but as I said, there is enough on this topic to keep going forever. Hope this helps. Thanks,

Ready for clear.... Thanks,

Yes, and stance is a big part of accuracy. They are not mutually exclusive.......

Thanks Brendan! No I haven't done anything yet with anything other than the body. Actually I was joking with a friend yesterday that I forgot the model was more than just the body Thanks,

In the category of "Worst Stance right off the box": My vote goes to the AMT Corvette ZR-1. With a stance any 4x4 Jeep would envy. Not to mention, are the wheels supposed to be centered in the wheel well? Stance is arguably the most important aspect of a model next to the paint job.

Hello, I've been quite busy lately so not as much progress as I would like. But the silver was masked and Cobra Colors Ultra Black applied. Just like the movies when someone gets a face surgery and they remove the bandages to see if it worked or not, once dry to the touch I'll take all the masking off. This is nerve-racking. It will be either a great triumph or a catastrophic failure... Thanks,

In the category of "Execution" , my vote goes to the AMT Sink Mark Special Concept Camaro. I've never been that close to set a model on fire in public.

AMT '62 Corvette....

Cool! Thay are all nice! but that blue Sport Phaeton has some serious presence and character. What a beautiful car! Thanks for sharing! Thanks,

First ever? You are a natural! That is looking very good! Keep going! go Go GO!! Thanks,