bobss396

Sometimes you have to make up a more positive locating feature than what the kit gives you. Especially if an item is painted, you don't want to be fiddling with it in final assembly with a smear of CA glue on it. Bob

I had similar problems with other internet model car groups and dropped out of all but a few. Finding this forum was great for me. Bob

Dale would love it if he were here with us. Everyone should keep building DE tribute cars. On 2/18/01 I was painting a Dale Monte Carlo for one of my son's friends. He screwed up the original paint job and he asked me for help. I stripped the old enamel paint off, gave him a free 15 minutes of body work, primed and painted it for him, best black paint job I had ever laid down too. I was so bummed that I never saw the car completed, but his mom said that he did finish it up and thanked me for painting it for him. Bob

I also used something to pin mine, I had some 3/16" long 0-80 allen cap screws that worked out very well. Bob

I don't see any advantage gained from thinning down a filler material. I never liked Squadron putty, it was too coarse and shrunk too much for me. I've been using spot body putties like 3M and Nitrostan. They have a fine grain when they are dry, very sandable and little shrinkage. Bob

Crocus cloth is way too coarse for polishing anything other than automotive crankshafts. But you're on the right track by polishing out the clear. Just make sure you have enough on it, a few coats at least. Enamel s are softer and you'll tend to blow through those, I prefer lacquer products which are more forgiving. Bob

If you were lucky he would have landed precisely enough to serve as one bitchin' hood ornament! Bob

Try home centers for single conductor core hookup copper wire, they got spools of it and you can buy whatever you want. Just slice off the jacket and you have some really clean wire to use.

I promise to check it out later from home, I've totally had it with evilBay. Bob

As long as you use an automotive grade primer, you should have excellent results with HOK paint. I prefer it over the Tamiya sprays, but use them as well. I like Tamiya primer with Tamiya paint, but default to Duplicolor for everything else. Bob

I like solder for exhaust work. I buy the Kester .062 diameter solder, it comes in a tube (coiled up) for under $2. I cut the pieces oversize, since I have no glass around, I roll it between 2 pieces of 1/4" plexi glass, just make sure it is clean. Any lines it may leave can be taken out with steel wool or Scotch Brite pads. As far as attaching it, I either drill deep into the cylinder head or make up a flange for it. CA glue or 5-minute expoy works. For collectors, I'll use aluminum tubing that I "crimp" around the 4 tubes. Bob

Try Scale Dreams and PSF Hobbies, they both carry a ton of supplies and detail parts. If the PSF Hobbies site is under construction, shoot him an email. Bob

Did you use primer on the bare body? This helps to give the paint good adhesion.

I'll color sand between coats to get the boogers out of the finish, also will do the same with clear if needed. I look at orange peel and other surface imperfections as hills and valleys. The coarser grits knock the peaks off the hills, the finer ones get it as smooth as the valley. Also don't sweat it about getting into tiny little recesses or too close to an edge. I've taped things off to keep from blowing through them while wet sanding. Or you can carefully work up to those areas first. Don't be shy about using coarser grits if the 3200 pad won't cut into a harder finish like lacquer. I had a nail polish job that needed to be attacked with 1500 grit initially. I'm also a big believer in Meguairs Show Car Glaze, it is similar to Novus 2 maybe a bit finer. Bob

Nice and low, I saw it on Saturday, deffo a great build. Bob

Jay, you moved out of NY? And you missed the NNL East. The car looks great, the only thing I noticed that the doors of a Belair and Biscayne have an upper door frame. Keep going and post more progress pix. Bob

I did one for a club in-house contest, a '49 Ford coupe. I was happy with the way it came out, even won a trophy at a judged show with it. But did the final assembly with hidden bits of masking tape and Elmers glue in case I ever want to take it apart for some reason. Bob

I use one blade for cutting on the car. I got some of those surgical blades from work, takes very little effort to cut through the foil. If I have to do a long straight piece, along the bottom of a rear window for example, I'll cut the foil edge carefully, line it up on molding so I don't have to cut it once I have it on the car. Bob

Great tutorial on the display case. I had seen one similar to it, except the front plastic piece was made to slide up and down, was held in place with pegs. But definitely food for thought. I have those mirror-backed plastic cases that hold around 27 cars, 3 on a shelf x 9. I believe they are known as dragster cases. I see them online for around $110 and they are pretty good if you remember to keep them closed tightly. Bob

Doing BMF is a challenge and you HAVE to be in the right frame of mind to do it well. Meaning, not being rushed by circumstances or deadlines. Also take human bites, don't try to finish the whole thing in one shot. Bob

I got one and was not happy with the fit of the glass. Looks like I have some major body work in front of me. Also the rear deck lid sort of drops off abruptly, it needs more of a radius to it. At least that involves taking material off. I'm a bit disappointed but will still enjoy building a mild custom out of it. Bob

I saw the Merc at the show, asked them why they did something that has already been done to death in plastic as well as resin. I got no real answer. But I'll still pick up a couple of them. Bob

I'm with Marc Nellis, Mr. Color thinner works for me. I've also used 1:1 auto body thinner, acrylic lacquer thinner. Which is pretty much what all the auto body supply stores carry. Bob

It was a great show indeed! I never saw so many '32 Fords in one event, all were works of art. I met a few new people and should have socialized more but was too busy $pending ca$h and looking at the great models on display. Nice work on all that posted photo albums. Bob