Custom Mike

Yeah Bruce, they are. It was one of those weird ideas I'll get once in a while...I gave up on those real quick! Believe me, not all of my insane ideas work out, but every once in a while they do, and I look like some kind of genius!

Thanks guys! This one will be done when I'm finally satisfied with the look, no matter what it takes. I compromised on my Concept Charger and I really can't stand it, I won't make the same mistake on this one!

Another work of art in the making Bill! I'm waiting to see how you make the PE grille "drop-in" place, I haven't tried using one yet, so that will be a huge help for me!

And now a few "overall" shots to let you see how it's gonna look once it's all redone. I like the look much better, but I know it's gonna mean more work and a repaint, but it'll be worth it! And a couple of shots of the passenger side for comparison, I think the modified window shapes will look much better!

Kerry, I'm here a lot, but just not very active, I'm like a stalker around here! OK, now onto the reshaping of the side windows. I started by laying a strip of tape along the top edge where I wanted the windows to be, and a piece at the D-pillar (The last pillar above the tail light). The reason for the piece at the D-pillar was to get the angle of the rear window more in line with the angle of the D-pillar itself. Once the tape was where I wanted it, I used a black Sharpie to color in the areas to be removed/reshaped. I plan on rounding off the front and back corners of the windows at the top edges, but a very small rounding this time around, the shape will be very close to the shape I drew on the top of the front side window when it's all done this time.

Thanks Clay! It's been sitting on the bench staring at me for a few years now it seems, and the Custom Clinic Photo Contest was just the fire I needed to get it finished off. I'm going to reshape the side windows before it's all said and done, they really irritate me to no end! Thanks to the staff at the magazine for resurrecting this great contest!

Since I now have the proper motivation, I decided to do something about the front edge of the hood. A Model Car Garage PT Cruiser PE set gave up one of it's Chrysler "Wing" logos. It's a big help, but I still feel like it needs more....

It seems like the latest issue of Model Cars Magazine has given me a reason to get this one done finally! I've got until May 15th of 2015 to get this baby finished! Excuse the condition of the magazine, the torrential rains yesterday from Hurricane Arthur pretty much did this issue in...but I could read the important part!

No problem Matt, i don't want to see you make the same mistake I made with my first set...I ended up waxing them off the model because I didn't use a Decal Bonder on 'em first!

I've used Keith's decals for years, he's slow at replying, but he always replies, I'm guessing his day job keeps him very busy. I usually have waited about two weeks before the decals arrived, the longest was about a month, they're worth the wait, trust me! But you will want to coat them with a Decal Bonder just to be safe, they're very fragile. I use Testors Decal Bonder myself, it works wonderfully with his decals and Micro-Sol/Set.

Here's one I just finished recently, a replica of my wife Pam's '94 F-150 XL. I started with the AMT F-150 XLT kit, removed all the side trim, wheel-well trim, and opened up the grille, then snagged the side mirrors from Monogram's F-250 kit. I got the wrong side mirrors, but when I got them, she said they were right...too late now, they're on it! I added a diamond-plate step bumper, hitch, and scratch-made diamond-plate tool box. Oh, and Pam's ever present coffee mug is in the cup holder!

Pretty Mike, very very pretty! Once the foil is done, this is gonna be one pretty Chevelle!

Another good looking project!

Or it could be just a simply killer 'Vette! Bring it on Andrew, this one should be fun to watch!

Mike, did those gorgeous Cragars come with this kit? if so, I've got another one to search for, those babies are sweet!

Robin, here's one I built wearing Candy Apple Green. It's a good kit, but the foil work on the rear window is going to be difficult, the trim is barely there!

Sadly Bob, the AMT version isn't even close to the Revell version. It's a very low-end kit in comparison, don't buy it unless you like to fight with plastic to make it look good.

Wayne, the #7 Show Car Glaze is a tan bottle. Wax free and fully paintable! It's a very mild compound, it does a great job on things like this and paint that's pretty smooth, I've used it instead of a polishing kit before!

I really didn't need to do a whole lot of heavy-duty rubbing to get the shine I have on that GTX, the Meguiar's did all of the work, I love that stuff! Yours is looking good so far Mike, give it a bit more elbow grease and you'll have a real beauty!

Mike, don't shoot any clear on it until you try this! Get some Meguiar's #7 Show Car Glaze, and try polishing up the plastic with it. I did that with an old Revell '67 GTX molded in a Metallic Blue that looks close to this color, and it came out beautifully!

Christopher, when i built mine, someone suggested molding the lower cab piece to the body, and leaving the firewall off so the interior could be slid into place. Since mine was already painted, I didn't do it, but I could see how it would work.

I feel like I'm gonna hurl when I use any kind of magnifier, whether it's an Optivisor or the lamp/magnifier combo. Thankfully I can see my fingerprints with out my glasses on, so I really don't need one.

Samuel (And Scott), Testors makes an excellent Decal Bonder in a spray can, I've used it many times with great results. It's the only thing in a Testors rattle-can that I can actually spray and not make a mess! It works great with Micro-Sol and Miro-Set too, get a can and try it!

Carefully wet-sand to knock it down some, but don't burn through the color. Get it smoothed out a bit and apply a couple more coats of clear, and repeat as needed.

Yeah, I'm the goober who didn't read all 10 pages Brett, thanks for the info. The sad thing is, I bought one of the AMT reissued '68's today...that's my luck! I need to pay more attention, don't I?