Arjay 396

+1. The Polar Lights Coronet has a pretty decent body shape but the chassis and running gear aren't very inspiring. Eg: the distributor will only accommodate six plug wires (!!!). The interior could use a little help as well. I pepped mine up with a set of MRC Keystones and M/T rubber......

Lacking proper tools, that "first kit" will likely end up looking just as one built some forty-three years ago. I've been building models for fifty-nine years and I surely wouldn't expect to assemble a kit today as I did as a six year-old. And the fact of the matter is, only a few of the implements I mentioned would be strictly limited to modeling uses. I use my "tinkering" tools for many tasks. Granddaughter broke the hinge on her glasses -- yep. Wife needs a clasp repaired on a favored necklace -- yep. Repairing the lid on her crockpot -- yep. Broken sprinkler -- yep. All kinds of uses unrelated to modeling. So while my hypothetical three hundred bucks may seem like a lot of money, it's actually been amortized by the multiple tasks that the tools I bought with it accomplished. I'm done here.

As will Testors Glosscote and Dullcote, both of them lacquer-based.

I agree that we seem to be SOL when it comes to models of US-spec Japanese vehicles -- both as kits *AND* die-casts. These cars and trucks have been a mainstay of American roadways for close to fifty years now but aside from a few Nissan "Z" cars, a couple of Hondas, and the oddball Mazda or two we really don't have much of a selection. Personally I'd love to have models of our 2005 Pilot, my wife's 2009 TRD Tacoma, or my 2016 Frontier 4x4 -- either as kits, promos, or die-casts. If ever there was a gold motherlode just waiting to be mined, this is it.

That's something you don't see every day. I like!

......airbrush and compressor, variable-speed dremel tool with various cutting, sanding, and routing bits, jeweler's files, razor saws, clamps, pin vise and hobby drill-bit index, sanding block set, various grades of sandpaper and polishing cloths, a good modeling lamp or two, opti-visor (optional). Somebody thought I was kidding about three hundred bucks. But I ain't. Precision work demands precision tools.

Another broom-and-dustpan job as I try to animate an otherwise stock and inert model. Molded originally in Monza Red, a previous owner had re-sprayed it Marina Blue. I started by painting the rims argent and running a Payne's Gray wash into the slots, which really provided a nice contrast and rid them of their all-chrome toy-like appearance. After cleaning up some flash and visible sprue gates on the body I started "chroming" the appropriate details with a Molotow pen. I'm still trying to work up the chutzpah to do the fender grates and I need to pick up the larger 4.0 mm pen to do the rocker panels. But for a twelve-dollar Ebay orphan it's not turning out too badly. I have the LT-1 hood stripe decal on the way and need only a proper Corvette mirror to finish the car.

+1, Mike! Follow the advice offered in the links he's provided. Put a three-hundred dollar bill in your pocket, go to your local hobby shop, then buy nothing but tools. That will get you off to a good start. Hone your skillset on a few cheapie kits before tackling those 2- and 3-level models (snappers can be a very inspirational experience). When in doubt, ask questions. There are plenty of folks here with decades of accumulated experience who'll be only too happy to help you along.

According to the builder/owner (he's since sold this car) he used two two-door sedans and one four-door wagon to create the vehicle, and the construction took some six or seven years. I would've chosen different colors for the exterior but he lives on a ranch and wanted it suitable for a cowboy. Here's a couple more views......

This "Nova-mad" belongs to a fellow in our local club.

All great tunes thus mentioned so far but my vote goes to (drum roll please)...... "SS396" by Paul Revere & The Raiders. Of course I've been known to be a skosh biased.

You ain't lyin' there, Michael. I've been flogging this plastic pee-tee boat for the last ten years -- I don' t know if I'll ever finish the thing!

Thanks for the kind words, Richard. Actually the Welly Challenger already has plenty of "Cuda company"......three First Gear die-casts in Lemon Twist, Sub-Lime, and Plum Crazy. I'm thinking of a special display for my plastic promo cars. I just need to find some wall space for it, ha ha!

That might be true, Ron. But the hockey sticks are a de facto hallmark of the 'Cuda and do add some interest to the model. I still need to detail the side marker lights.

I haven't tried airbrushing the ink but IMO the pens alone are a game-changer, at least for me.

Indeed, Steve! Back then, I'd trade them in when the ashtray got full. My '70½ Z28, my '72 Demon 340, my beloved '70 Challenger R/T, my '74 Roadrunner, my '67 Chevelle SS396...... If only there'd been an adult working at the base credit union to tell me, "Look pal, don't be a jerk".

Your results look incredible, Simon! A very convincing set of alloys.

Thanks, guys. I have a few more of these mid '70s Mopar promos on hand, plus a '75 Mustang, a '70 Corvette, and a '69 Chevelle. The latter three are now "in progress" and I hope they turn out as respectable as the 'Cuda.

More progress to report. The back end is now complete, with a 'CUDA emblem, a license plate, and chromed exhaust tips (drilled out to give them some dimensional depth). And I carved up a miscreant mirror from MPC's Dodge Dart Sport into an acceptable Mopar configuration, painted it, then affixed it to the driver's side door. Mercifully, Testors Chrysler Engine Red is a near dead match to the model's molded Rallye Red color. Some hockey stick graphics for the rear quarter panels and it'll be done.

Great tips from everyone! I just painted the license-plate frame on this 1970 Corvette promo model last night, with a Molotow 1.0 mm pen. It's just as shiny as the model's chrome bumperettes......

Good Lord, your honor......I'm guilty as charged. I mixed up a bottle of blue using various Modelmaster colors to approximate what I thought was a credible match for Chrysler Engine Blue. I see now that I need to throw some green into the mix. Thanks for the tip!

Will the sails be rigged or furled?

+1 I heard news reports that a significant number of counties in Georgia have already implemented orders to evacuate. I hope they make it to safety, sir.

Lotta work on those belaying pins...... "It's not just a job, it's an adventure!" Anytime I see a sailing vessel or a model of same I recollect the music video that accompanied Jay Ferguson's "Shakedown Cruise". What a great song. A tragedy that the wooden pins you ordered didn't work as planned. Still, it's turning out quite well.

Good call for the colors though I think FS 36081 (Euro 1 gray) might be a skosh dark for a GM wheel. Testors flat aluminum is also a pretty close match to Chevy's "argent" as used on the old steel Corvette rims and the paint that Chrysler used on its rallye wheels.