bobss396

I did one about 12 years ago in black primer. They are great kits. The blue looks good on it.

Thanks. I have to find some pix that are not zoomed in.

This is made from the old MPC modified coupe kit. I built it late this year in exchange for an old rare kit. I tried out some new ideas on this build like using real springs in the coil overs. Paint is Tamiya TS98 orange, decals by Ace, wheels are from PPP.

IMO, the most crucial part of the build is the glass. If that is off... so is the rest of the car. You have done the car some real justice.

I built the convertible years ago. I put a roll cage in it and made it into a stock car, IIRC at age 11. I have some of the new '64 kits that were released maybe around 1996. They are always a fun build.

Word. I strive to build as best as possible, no matter where the car will wind up. ALL of my builds are contest-quality in theory. I don't let anyone see sub-standard work off my bench. If it shows in the finished model, it has to look good. I have a "few"... cough... cough... models that have gone back into storage. I finished up a '49 Ford that I started in 2008, a '64 Fairlane stock car started in 2010. I have a '60 Chevy wrecker that I put away at 80% completion in 2000. I have reached a burn-out state in the past, not a good place to be. I find myself dialing the detail level back a bit and it gets me past those slumps.

I like Ace Hardware enamels for stock car chassis and cage work. They dry fairly fast (faster in the dehydrator) and hold up better to handling. The Tamiya sprays wear through pretty quickly.

I used 2 pieces of .030 x .188 Evergreen stock and a piece of .020 x .188 to close it up more. I used Tamiya liquid glue and finished it off with thin CA glue, let it set up overnight. Then got out the sanding sticks... it took only a minor amount of spot putty to fix up some low areas. I have to get back into this soon. I'm close to doing the final cage and chassis assembly.

The old Hobby Heaven board was rife with disinformation and bourbon-legends regarding painting. My last visit there was like 15 years ago. Another hobby paint that sprays well from a can is the Model Master Extreme Lacquers. Their clear is also quite good. I have 3 or 4 airbrushes. I'm lazy and have a lack of space to contend with. So cans it is.

She wanted a bonded pair. One other place, too many flaming hoops to jump through. This place was close to us. I was surprised they were not scooped up already. There was another kitten, all over the place and very friendly and playful. For a single kitten, it would have been perfect.

My girlfriend wanted 2 kittens for Christmas. We went all over before finding these 2 sisters. We picked them up today. 10 weeks old. Names are Brie and Blue.

I'm roughing this out for now. Dug an old parts kit out that has 2 busted roof pillars. They will ge fixed once I have the major body work completed. Engine will be the VCG Resins 240/300 straight 6. I removed the front crossmember to make room for it. Based on what I did on the '51 Chevy. I will be using the vent windows, I need more strength for the broken A pillar. Some cars had them, some didn't. I will run a RF safety hub, this depicts a slightly newer F8 build.

Painting takes practice. If I take a few months off, I get rusty and have to be careful when I start again. But it all comes back pretty quickly.

The Chrysler engine is good in that kit. I built one years ago with a 292 Ford engine that looked good. Most Trophy Series engines will swap back and forth between kits. My first I built in 3rd grade, painted it with a brush, Testors yellow.

I did one recently and went to the purple pond, only minimal success. Then to oven cleaner, really not great either. I washed some off carefully with lacquer thinner. I'll try the alcohol next if I have to in the future.

Not sure if a 28 second video will post. Ivan likes to play with his toys attached to the packaging. 20231225_155044.mp4

I'll use Ace Hardware paints for chassis parts. Roll cages too. Easy touch up if it needs it. And it is more durable than Tamiya sprays.

Next up is another figure 8 car. I had this '56 Ford kit forever. It has a broken A and B pillar that has to be fixed. Engine is a 240/300 Ford from VCG RESINS.

I got more done yesterday. I even have a clean dining room table. Body is in final primer, so is the chassis. Most detail parts are painted or in primer. I had to relieve the firewall to clear the 3D printed bellhousing and headers.

This is Chloe from Xmas of 2021, which would be her last. She was happy to claim the tree as her own personal space. The other cat did not dare to violate that.

Orange cats are special, I had a couple of them years back.

Once I open up a kit to build, I de-bulk the contents. Anything not used goes into a little bag that goes into my kit parts stash. Big things like hoods get clipped off close. I eventually move projects into plastic shoe boxes as I slap paint on them.

I have some Hurons we had at work. I would take the old beat up ones home (they were being discarded) and sharpen then with a file. Good for another 10,000 cuts. I also don't cut that close to good material. I'll use a chisel-point xacto blade for that level of plastic surgery. I have been using the same #11 and #17 blades for close to 2 years. I hone them on a Smith's stone when they get dull.

Painting a model with good results should not be a mystery or a black art. It all starts with good body prep and of course a good primer. I started using Mr. Hobby primers 6 months ago, also a Tamiya white that I like for lighter color paints. I still use Duplicolor primer until I run out of it. Then onto the top coats. I detest orange peel. I tend to paint and prime with a heavy hand. Never ever a mist coat, which used to be what every modeler did. I start the initial paint coat with the body held upside down, so I can get the whole inside and the hard-to-cover places like the rockers. The paint itself, I have gotten acceptable results from Rustoleum paint. I did a paint job on a neighbor's kid's #3 Earnhardt car as a favor (including a free 10 minutes worth of body work), that came out great. But with a heavy hand as usual. Now I use exclusively Tamiya, Duplicolor, Black Gold and a line of Mopar touch up paints. I have guys in my club, they monkey around with all sorts of combinations. Like I have always said, like starting the evening drinking with scotch and moving onto wine. YMMV. What some guys call a good paint job would be a trip to the purple pond myself.

I got a new toilet seat for my 1st floor bathroom recently. The old one was scuffed through from cleaning. I sanded and painted that with Ace Hardware gray to match my 2nd floor bathroom color and installed it. Everyone thinks that it is new. Go figure.