Jantrix

Well everything is so aero, frankly the US Air Force seems a no brainer as a sponsor. We'll seen military sponsors in NASCAR, why not LSR? That would also make the color, obvious.

I think this looks great. The sectioning on the hood looks remarkably well done. Looking forward to seeing the new version.

I know some folks don't care for diecasts but don't you think shooting it with buckshot a little extreme?

A tragedy for the families effected. As for the Pontiac, I think that will buff right out.

Yep. It looks like blush caused by humidity. The good news is, it can be polished out.

Holy cow Eric. I have looked at this build a zillion times and some how, the sink marks never got noticed. Sometimes it takes another pair of eyes I guess. I know in most contests mold lines, ejector marks, sink marks and flash are automatic "no-goes". If any of the other things that folks pointed out weren't there, this would still make the judges pass it by. Thanks very much for the honest critiques everyone. I do build for me and I build what I like. But I do also build with contests in mind when it comes to quality or uniqueness of the work. A lot of the styling cues you guys pointed out, I did on purpose because I liked it. The red lip on the rims, the lack of hood scoop, the painted over directionals. I wanted an evil, sinister look and I think I accomplished that in spades. I just sort of assumed that others would see the intent of the styling. Steve, I can't imagine that getting passed by, you must have been competing with some of the best. John Z, I can imagine getting smoked by John T. As nice a guy as he is, you almost hate to see him show up because you know it's now a fight for second place. He's that good. I have competed against builders like that, so I feel for ya. Ed, the only thing that pops out at me on your dio is that it looks like nothing I have ever seen. It's that different. So without a frame of reference on how something like that should look most judges will go with a familiar setting if the work is more or less equal. Thanks again everyone.

I gotta admit I don't care about this kit or it's issues in the slightest, but I sure do enjoy watching good work. It looks great.

Thanks very much to everyone who replied. I appreciate your opinions. The reason this is important is that I'm planning another flat black build, this time a traditional hot rod, and I want to make sure I don't repeat the mistakes.

Most everyone who does contests has that a model or models that they have brought faithfully to contests because they felt it was good enough to compete, but it always get skunked. And with me, I've just never figured out why this particular model gets overlooked time and again. So now I'm gonna post it up and ask you guys to pick it apart. Be brutally honest on what you think could have been done better. I invite anyone who has a similar situation join in and get it judged here. Give us a paragraph on what was done to it and how it looks and post up some pics. This is my Stephen King themed '73 Cougar. It is one of my favorite builds because it just looks so sinister. I had a great time with it. It's basically the stock kit, with the big 427. The intake was modified into a dual quad. Wheel and tire change. Lowered in the front for an aggressive rake. Custom grill. Lambo seats and some darn near flawless satin paint. The vinyl top was sanded off until not a bit was visible. There is no trace of it, and black would show it if there was. Detailed and weathered engine. It usually gets entered in the Street Machine class where it competes with a lot of shinys, but I have beaten shinys before. Okay guys, what could have been done better?

For me? No, not a compliment. And it's not because the diecast quality is bad, some of it is quite good. It's just because most of what I do, a diecast company would never think of doing because it won't appeal to a large market. My stuff appeals to me. Anyone else who likes my work is my kind of crazy, but it's not for everyone.

Very cool idea. I look forward to seeing it.

Thanks guys. Next up is to trim down the door panels a bit and get the interior to fit and the I can start assembly and throw some paint.

I love Pacers. I almost bought a V8 model in '92 but the slipping tranny, 6 inches of play in the steering and the fact that the car tried to turn left when you applied the brakes, made the decision easy. I will definitely be getting at least one of these. They are seem so much like a caricature of a car, that I would come up with all kinds of Pacer phantoms. The NASCAR Pacer, the LSR Pacer, the pace car Pacer, the drift Pacer. The humorous adaptations are endless.

That looks great. Can't wait to see it done.

It looks fantastic. Turned out much nicer than mine. Well done.

A complete explanation is required if you want feedback on this. Without that info, I'm more inclined to say, "Man up. Life ain't fair, get over it."

Amazing replica. Your attention to detail is always a treat.

Yep, I'm going to try some BMF on the center caps. Some paint and primer going on as well as some mesh for the grill.

Gentlemen thank you for your time. I have found a set of round lamps that will look right at home on the side of the grill shell in the ol parts box. Roger, the roadster kit didn't come with the full size lights, and I don't want to steal the ones from the sedan kit.

Alan, I can understand the need to protect your property and thus the watermarks, but when I can't see the work, much less the quality of the work, it becomes counter productive I think.

Exactly my thought.

I want to go with a larger headlight than this comes with. Because of the grill, I'm thinking something mid thirties, like '37 Chevy or '36 Ford. I'd like to hear some more ideas and if you have something for trade, I'd like to hear from you.

Yellow is a notoriously hard color to do. I think you pulled it off well. It looks great.

Ira, can you put an engine next to this for us? It looks like you made it too shallow for an engine to fit.