Custom Mike

Ira, it'a another beauty, and that exhaust is awesome! I still wish you could have had flames shooting out....maybe next time!

Nice to see you recovered from the tire nightmare, chassis looks good, and so do the headlights and tail lights! But what is the green thing on the trunk between the tail lights?

And here's the fix for the seam, more embossing powder! I masked off the speakers and the rest of the chassis, and laid down a nice coat of embossing powder, the seam is now gone, another problem solved, all I have left now is the foil on the sides and door handles, side windows, gluing the front wheels on, adding the P.E locks, back bumper, and the valve cover bolts and she'll be finished!

And here's the fix for the seam, more embossing powder! I masked off the speakers and the rest of the chassis, and laid down a nice coat of embossing powder, the seam is now gone, another problem solved, all I have left now is the foil on the sides and door handles, side windows, gluing the front wheels on, adding the P.E locks, back bumper, and the valve cover bolts and she'll be finished!

We have our 3rd .030 strip added, let's see how it looks now.... Much better, I can work with this! A bit of sanding to get the strips to match the package shelf... And a quick coat of Flat Black, not bad, but I've gotta do something about that nasty seam!

We have our 3rd .030 strip added, let's see how it looks now.... Much better, I can work with this! A bit of sanding to get the strips to match the package shelf... And a quick coat of Flat Black, not bad, but I've gotta do something about that nasty seam!

Al, i should know all about all the issues that pop up when you shove a pro-street chassis under something it wasn't designed for, I used the same chassis on a '99 Eclipse, it was one problem after anther on that one, but I finally beat it! OK, we have solved the problem with the rear package shelf, and it took all day to get it right! I started out by using my panel scriber to cut a groove at the point where the rear seat and package shelf meet. I got the package shelf to about half it's normal thickness, then ran some Tamiya cement to the groove, softening the plastic enough to bend it downward.... I still had a big gap to the window, so I cut a pair of .030 strips, and glued them to the back of the package shelf.... Still not enough, I've test-fit it about 20 times at this point, I've gotten really good at getting the chassis into the body by now!

Thanks Jonathan! OK, we have solved the problem with the rear package shelf, and it took all day to get it right! I started out by using my panel scriber to cut a groove at the point where the rear seat and package shelf meet. I got the package shelf to about half it's normal thickness, then ran some Tamiya cement to the groove, softening the plastic enough to bend it downward.... I still had a big gap to the window, so I cut a pair of .030 strips, and glued them to the back of the package shelf.... Still not enough, I've test-fit it about 20 times at this point, I've gotten really good at getting the chassis into the body by now!

I couldn't have said it any better than Paul! I would say that the steering knuckle is just unbelievable but after seeing the engine and chassis work you've done so far, I have come to the conclusion that you are some kind of alien sent here to make us all feel inferior....mission accomplished Bill, mission accomplished!

Doc, they say admitting you have a problem is the first step on the road to recovery.....but in this case, I don't think you need to cure your addiction! We need to feed it some more, because we all would love more eye-candy like this!

You're a sick man Virgil, and you have infected many with your disease! Keep it up and we'll all be building '49 Mercs like you!

Gotta agree with Jon Doc, this is a real beauty! The color combo is just perfect, and the new decals look great on it!

This one's not dead yet guys, I just haven't had time to work on it lately. I did find that the back seat/package shelf is up too high, so I've got to find a way to get it back down, and possibly add a bit to the back edge, but I won't be sure of that until I get it at the correct level. Hopefully I'll have some updates on it this weekend, wish me luck!

This one's not dead yet guys, I just haven't had time to work on it lately. I did find that the back seat/package shelf is up too high, so I've got to find a way to get it back down, and possibly add a bit to the back edge, but I won't be sure of that until I get it at the correct level. Hopefully I'll have some updates on it this weekend, wish me luck!

Doug, even with your ten big thumbs, it looks great! The chassis is gorgeous, and good luck on the repairs to the nose cone, I know those kinds of headaches when it comes to body work all too well! Keep at it, it'll finally see things your way!

You'll love that stuff Gary, the biggest problem I have is finding somewhere around me that can keep it in stock. It's used by every body shop around here for door jambs and small touch ups. And you will definitely need a mask or (Preferred) a respirator when you spray it, it is pungent!

Man, that sucks about the rim and tire, I always get nervous during final assembly due to things like that. I had problems with my airbrush and hose too, I spent quite a while in Home Depot with the hose and regulator getting the proper fittings to make it all work..if I only used a standard airbrush instead of a cheapo Testors I could have bought a hose easily and made it work!

Man, that is some pretty paint Bill, and the model's not half bad either!

Beautiful work Tulio, you love for Galaxies shows through in every build!

Who would have thought a Ferrari would look so good in a Mopar color? Great work Gary, I hope I get to see this baby in person sometime in the future!

Man, that is stunning Bill, it's just a work of art, I don't know what else to call it!

Good idea to swap the chassis Brent, the one in the 'ol Henry J is a pain to get together, and the engine is pretty sad. This should be a killer one when it's done!

I use both, but before jumping into an airbrush, buy a cheap external mix one to get a feel for using one. I bought a Paasche dual action and Badger single action years and years ago before I knew what i was doing (Back in the early '80's), and gave them both away because I hated them, I couldn't make 'em work. I use the most basic airbrush you can buy now (Total cost was around $19!) with a Paasche compressor, and I do just fine. I spray House Of Kolors paints, DuPont Nason 2-part Clear, Dupli-Color automotive paints, Nail Polishes, Testors, Tamiya, and pretty much anything that says paint on it with no problems.Here's a picture of the airbrush I use, and the results you can get with a cheapo airbrush and some practice! Nail Polish fade with DuPont Nason 2-part Clear House Of Kolors paint with Dupli-Color Clear

John, you have another work of styrene art! The paint may not be finished yet, but it looks great so far, bravo on another step to completion!

It's what Sam sent me to use, simple answer, right? Marshall, when I did my '71 Daytona, I chopped the wing down, but mounted it to the trunk, Not entirely realistic, but it's not gonna be hitting 200 mph any time soon, so I didn't sweat it. I just wanted it to have the right angle, and to look more like it was supposed to be on the car and not just ripped off a Daytona and slapped on the trunk of a '71 Charger.