robertw

I agree with you on the abysmal build quality of the IMC G40 kit kit. I built it back in my youth, long before I had anything else to compare it with so at that time thought, "ain't this great, opening doors etc". Somehow the thing survived all these years so I don't have the heart to throw it out but it does sit at the back of a model shelf, all but out of view. The most poorly fitting kit that I ever built was not a car but the AModel kit of the Rutan Voyager aircraft. A pound of putty, multiple sheets of sandpaper and a whole can of primer before it was ready for paint. robw

Let your imagination reign. Homebuilt tractors have always been common and this is a well done example of what might have been. robw

Built that little beast this year as well. It was a quick and fun build. Check references since the missile carrying ones seem to carry a different antenna and while the box claims that any Predator can be built the s/n don't come anywhere near present day. The only problem I've found is that I'm afraid to take it off the shelf for fear of breaking the spindly landing gear. robw

Saw a reference to the Tamiya reformulation a few days ago. That article claimed that it was to make it compliant with all the latest EEC requirements. The article went on to state that the work was done, that the paint was better then ever and shipping of the modified product would begin immediately. Surprisingly it appears to be in good supply here in western Canada, usually the LHS are on backorder. robw

I like the two color paint scheme. A recent issue of Forza showed a 599 painted with the same red / black colour scheme and my first thought was, I gotta build that! You beat me to it but I still think I'll try to build it next year. Good job on your build! robw

A quick and easy way to add a split window look to a newer Corvette, good thinking. Well done model, I like it! robw

I would recommend at least a primer for this color and make it a very smooth and blemish free primer. Mica red is a very thin paint and will show color blemishes if there are any underneath. I learned this from experience. I've also used it over top of Tamiya Silver and was very happy with the results. robw

Love the stuff. Sprayed directly out of the can it goes on well. Decanted directly into the airbrush bottle and it goes on perfect. While I've never had bubble problems with Tamiya I have had that trouble a couple of times with the Testors lacquer but as has been suggested distance appears to be the factor here. As one poster suggested the Tamiya nozzle is the best there is, I've never had one clog up or spit paint. If Tamiya were ever to discontinue their line of synthetic lacquers I suspect I'd give up car modelling and go back to aircraft. robw

As long as you've got the money you can have a Ferrari in any color you want. Just consider yourself a very rich Ferrari owner. Beside this two tone finish is a very sharp look. I look forward to seeing it finished.

I always do valve stems using either stretched black sprue or if I want to be fancy flexible electronic solder for that chrome cap look. robw

Nice job ! Built the same kit a couple of years ago. If you're not a fan of Tamiya car kits before you start, by the time you're finished you will be. This kit just falls together. robw

I like the color you've achieved. Have something similar to this on the bench right now. I started with the Dagon BMW M Roadster,the under coat was Tamiya Gold with an overcoat of Tamiya Clear Red. Both paints were decanted and sprayed through my airbrush and my results look a lot like what you've achieved. I'll start adding clear coats this weekend so that I can eventually polish. I look forward to seeing your finished Audi. robw

Your Astro project project is very interesting looking. Now that you've gotten back into it I hope you'll be able to finish it this time and post the results. From one Vette owner to another, welcome to the forum. Save the wave, robw ('88 coupe)

Ahhh...shucks. I just finished building an East German Trabant as a convertible. It fits the compact category but isn't on the list, LOL robw

Ahhhhhhh......my favorite Ferrari. I've done both the conv & the coupe in this serious and have the targa and Challenge in the stash to finish someday. Glad to see that someone else likes the looks of this rampant stallion. Your effort looks very nice and you've done a great job of getting yellow to lay down over that Fujimi red plastic. rob w

I buy my promos from Bobs Promotional Cars, he has a website. I have nothing but good things to say about Bob Reck and his service. robw

Did the same conversion myself a few years ago but used the then new AMT kit. Do love how yours turned out. While the C2 gets all the attention as the most beautiful Corvette the 56-57 has that classic roadster look. Well done. robw

Here in western Canada the true bmf can also be hard to find and its hard to determine how long its been sitting on the shelf. A fellow modeller about a year back introduced me to a duct tape that he'd found at Princess Auto (an auto supply / hardware chain). It's a brand, made in China so he felt the quality wouldn't be as good. He was right. It's a bit thicker then bmf but not to the point that it can't be used on curves. It's a lot more sticky then bmf but I've lifted in and laid it back down with no damage to the paint underneath. My only problem is that being a little thicker it is more susceptable to pressure marks and a little harder on ex-acto blades but he even turned me on to using circular cutters that can be found in many craft and even dollar style stores. A rolling round blade seems to cut easier then dragging the straight blade. robw

I know that curbside kits are looked down on by some modellers but they are a quick and good way to get the plastic juices flowing again and with a little work make very nice shelf models. When they quietly released these two new ('09 coupe & '10 conv) C6 Corvette kits recently I ordered a couple of each. Here is a quick review of the two kits which are identical except for the cv or cp body. Bodies are molded in white and look quite accurate except the front edge of the side coves seems a little shallow. Hood and front/rear clips are separate pieces that fit well and the chassis plate is very similar to the earlier Revell curbside kit. The interior tub comes with separate inner doors and 2006+ style steering wheels, the only drawback being the hard vinyl seats similar in material to those we saw in the Challenger curbside kit. Unlike earlier curbside kits the brakes are very nice looking cross drilled units which will look great behind the kits '09/'10 five spoke wheels (the latter have not been available in a kit before). Beside the windshield the clear sprues contain headlight covers, turn signal lights and tail lights. Side marker lights and rear back up lights are on the decal sheet as well as various interior decals and external emblems & GM logos. Decals are also water slide and duplicates of each decal are provided on the sheet (a great idea Round 2, thank you). These two Round 2/AMT kits are labelled as Showroom Replicas and a write-up on the side of the box suggests that we'll see more cars in this simplified series. I look forward to them. Now to clear the workbench and build one of these kits. Rob W

Check out Hobby Link. I emailed Kevin (Strada Sports) about them a couple of years back and he provided some very valid reasons why he does not carry their line. Unfortunately they do produce P/E for some models that are not available anywhere else. I had no trouble getting what I needed from Hobby Link. robw

Already have the three 2008/2009 on my display shelf and the two 2010 ones on order they are supposed to be here around the end of this month). If you're interested in the first ones hunt them down fast as I understand that they're not being done in the huge numbers that were done in the earlier days. Yes these are plastic and carry the Round2 label on the bottom. The kit is of course a curbside and I would say its fairly good (not quite on par with the Revell curbside kit but close. It also comes with the post 2005 steering wheels and wheels which were not available from the Revell kit. I read somewhere that Round2 were suppose to be bringing it out as a curbside kit sometime this year and I hope so (a great source of parts). The seats appear to be made of the same vinyl that was used to do the Challenger ones a couple of years ago. As one of the few promo collectors that appear to be left I'm very happy to see these back out. Don't have a photo hosting site so can't post pics of them but take my word they're quite nice and besides how else are you going to get a plastic 2008 Indy Pace car to put on your shelf. robw

David, While you've had a couple of good replies to your questions I'd like to add a few additional comments. As mentioned Tamiya paint comes in two forms, bottle based acrylic (water based but I'd recommend using the Tamiya brand thinner, it comes in large plastic bottles) and spray cans of a synthetic lacquer. I've used these cans a lot either spraying directly from the can or decanting the paint and spraying it through my airbrush. This lacquer is excellent for a car modeller since it sprays well, goes on smooth, dries quickly and can be polished to remove orange peel. When painting with this it is best to be using a respirator, doing it outdoors or using a spray booth as the fumes can be a little potent. The new Testors spray cans are also a synthetic lacquer and are called One Coat. This line has some very nice metallics but personally I still prefer the Tamiya line. Both the Tamiya & the One Coat line have very nice clear coats that will add that extra shine to their paints. Many modelers also use duplicolor automotive paints that can be found at most auto supply stores. Your question didn't refer to primers. Some modellers swear by them others don't use them, I'm in the former group. My favorite is Fine White by Tamiya and I use it on nearly every part I paint. The commonly used ones are Krylon, Tamiya & duplicolor. They should always be used under Lacquer paints to protect the plastic. As was mentioned the small square bottles of paint are by Testors and are enamels, they also make Model Master paints. The square bottle paint is probably been around longer then any hobby paint (it was around when I started in this hobby in the late '50s) As mentioned it dries slowly and is a softer paint. I'll use it for detail work but never as a body finish. Enamels can be air brushed. I'll use lacquer thinner to thin my enamel paints as it helps speed up the drying slightly. If you ever need to remove a coat of paint from a model, and we've all been there, most of us use Castrol Super Clean (what we refer to as the purple pond),Easy Off oven cleaner or brake fluid. Others may have their own favorites. A key thing to remember about learning to paint or using a new brand is to practice before using it on your body. I'll usually have an old body or two around that I can practice on until I feel comfortable. I hope I haven't bored you too much with this long winded explanation but paint is the most important attribute of a nice model. robw

I only got a couple last week and you've already got one built, ###### unfair. When I do get around to building one I just hope that it turns out as well as yours did. Good work!!! I hope Revell sell enough of them to convince management to do up a model of the new Grand Sport. robw

Finally able to get one of those kits last month and looking forward to building it next year. One might have thought a white DBS would look bland but yours is a killer, must have something to do with your excellent build and the inherent beauty of the car. robw

My Vette, it just begs to be driven faster.... and.... faster.....and.....faster. And you know what they say, SPEED KILLS. LOL robw