Misha

Thanks David, That's very useful info, I'm going to try the Tamiya products. Good hint about using the masking tape to protect the sanded tread whille painting. So fitting the rim in afterwards works without damage. Thanks again, Misha

Fresh from the paint shop! All set to polish out after the paint cures. I mentioned before the trepidation I usually feel about painting, yet it is getting better. I seem to be getting much better results spraying bodies with the Tamiya rattle cans than I have with the airbrush. Still use the airbrush for detail and metalizing finishes and unique paint colours not available from Tamiya. Also have been detailing the interior bits, building the small block Ford, and working on the tires. Have a question in the other category about how to deal with whitewall decals. Began another project also with a 409 W in a 30 Coupe, based on an upcoming theme "Car Songs" for the March 25th Vancouver show. Be posting it soon... Cheers Misha

Have a question on applying wide whitewalls with decals. Remember someone mentioning the use of Testors Clear Semi Gloss on the tire, then applying the decal. Is this the best way to handle this? I also imagine that one would fit the rim in after spraying and before applying the decal. In regards to the decal itself, I'm using the 5 window Deuce kit decals and they have very little carrier film showing beyond the white. Should I trim as close to the white colour and is there a risk of cracking the white ink if I cut into it? Is it fine to use decal solvent and will it work on tires with raised lettering? This is the wheel combination I'm using on the Chopped Phaeton WIP. Swapped out the centres with Parts by Parks Baby Moons; they sure look sweet! Thanks for the help and hints! Cheers Misha

Sad news for the Hot Rod community... Treasure my copy of the film The California Kid autographed by Pete Chapouris that I picked up at the SoCal shop in Phoenix. Misha

Have it marked on the calendar! Hope to be there again this year as last year was such a great event. Medical issues have kept us back home on Vancouver Island this winter, so hope to make it down by the beginning of April. Cheers to all involved inplanning the DSC this year! Misha

That is so sweet looking! Did you do the body or is it resin? I have a Johan in my stash and it would be so tempting to try. Hurst colours will really make it. Cheers Misha

Wow Bruce! I just stumbled across your thread, this looks so sweet in the primer, all smoothed out. Then the modern air splitter off the rear, whoa, that takes it in a neat direction. I'll be following... Cheers Misha

Thank you for the comments, it seems that the red and canvas is such a traditional hot rod look that I couldn't resist! Great memories Eric. Thanks for the B-Day wishes Bruce, the years mount up. Be spending this cold westcoast day (it's snowing here!!!) at the workbench and a local hockey game in the afternoon. Cheers to all, Misha

Getting more colour on the Phaeton! This morning I began to paint the Phaeton's body, fenders, hood, and rad with a rattle can of TS . First coat is on, looking not too bad. The underneath is particularly striking with the shift of gloss red on metal to the flat red wooden floorboards against the overall chrome of the chassis. Still a lot of detail paint to be done on all the bolt heads and then the fender stays will be chromed to match the chassis. The top is nearly done with a couple more treatments on the wooden bows and the brown canvas straps underneath. Door panels need a couple more coats of Vallejo Fire Red acrylic to complete the leather look (I'm a big fan of this paint line for interiors which is perfect for brush applications, plus doesn't require q primer coat). Hope to be done the body by the end of the weekend and then head back to working on the drivetrain using the small block Ford out of the Revell Deuce kit. Cheers Misha

Thanks for the great response to the build. Getting Evergreen shares would be a good idea at this point, as its getting close to restock time ?. The chopped top is included with the kit, can't take credit for that... AMT provided a single camvas top with optional parts, stock or chopped C pillar and windshield. Actually very slick and the fit is very good. My focus has been on the interior and getting parts to the stage of applying the colour coats. This seems to ve the toughest aspect of building for me, the Paint Job! Have a few more small parts to wash and primer, thereby delaying the inevitable spraying, either with the airbrush or rattle can. Perhaps tonite I'll get the first coats of the Ferrari Mica Red on... In the meantime I have finished buiding the new door panels... Cheers Misha

Happy New Year to all! Been able to sneak down to the workbench over the holidays to do some work getting the body ready for primer and further work on the interior. When doing a final dry fitting of the body tub with the fender unit and the hood, I noticed that it didn't quite line up, especially along the lower body line that runs along the hood and tub. That resulted in the top of the hood riding somewhat higher than the cowl. Also the body was crooked when sitting on the fender unit. Looking underneath the crookedness was apparent in one of the body rocker runners I had added on the tub. By raising the front of the tub with spacer blocks on the fender unit, it was possible to line up the body and hood correctly. Also went over the door panel lines with a scriber to deepen them. Finished the detail on the canvas top by running half round section around the perimeter of the underside. I'm wanting to include a flip up rear window, so added an attachment pivot to the window frame using small plastic tubing cut in half. The top now has the first few coats of colour. The seats have received their dark red leather colour, and the construction of the door panels is underway. Body is in primer, looking good, ready for the red to be applied. Happy New Year everyone! Cheers Misha

Congrats Jay! Been wanting to comment on how much I enjoyed the look of your build... Chevies Rule! The overall matte look is spot on. Cheers Misha

Thanks Jesse, Mike, Rob, and Dennis for your comments and your involvement with the CannonBall. A very welcome feature of the forum is the community of builders and the imaginative sprit that is displayed in events such as the AussieBall. Big thanks to Jonathan for organizing us and looking forward to Bill's return to the Brock Yates Memorial 10th Cannonball Dash... Thanks to all who voted and followed along, plus a big hand to all fellow competitors! Cheers Misha

Congrats Bruce on a well run race! The result is most appropiate as both vehicles were well built for the job. This was my first CannonBall and I had a blast! Cheers Misha

I do admit it was a thrilling end to the AussieBall. It was neck and neck as Bruce and I swapped leads, yet there is a sense of fair play and taking care that is a common Canadian characteristic, and we both crossed together at the finish line. It was a thrilling build and competition, congrats to the participqnts and fellow racers. Now is the time for celebration! Cheers Misha

We're headed for an exciting finish! After following Bruce's taillights in the dust we managed to overtake him! Now its a clear road ahead, yet one never knows what may lie around the next curve. Cheers to all! Misha

Those are amazing photos of your car... So where's the model??? Seriously, that is beautiful craftsmanship you've displayed. The Nova looks real in every sense, from the gorgeous pint finish on top, to the weathered portrayal under the hood and chassis. Very realistic all the way through. Congrats, Misha

UPDATE FROM THE INSIDE OF THE OUTBACK Its been a close competition, thankfully all of us are in the running though judging by the chatter on the ole CB there have been close calls with roving herds of kangaroos. That has held up some of the contestants on the route. Must hand it to Belugwrx and Jake's building skills in putting together a real fast entry, the chassis just floats over the terrain at top speed!!! Been close on his tail, eating his dust all the way! Thank goodness for the snorkel. It's been a battle between two Chevies and two Canucks all the way... Though I suspect Jake's doing all the driving ? We're getting close to the finish line, so it's very crucial that we all get that extra kick to get us there. If you haven't voted, please take a moment to do so on the voting thread. Cheers Misha

Great build Erik! The six cylinder really makes it stand out along with the entire craftsmanship. Congrats, Misha

Congrats Phil! Great lineup of deuces. This summer's gathering for Deuce Days was an automotive hilight for many of us, thanks to you and your committee. Also looking forward to the Vancouver March event. Wishing you and your family a Merry Xmas, Cheers Misha

Thank you for the interest in this project, it's great to have a number of you following along! The AMT kits of the Vicky, recently re-released in a great combo of added features, restored parts & an excellent decal sheet, and the Phaeton I'm building, have a lot going for them. (Below is a photo comparing different treatments for the chassis between the "Deuce Days" Vicky I built this spring and the current one.) The luggage rack is built, ready for primer and Alclad Chrome. The trunk itself is my only remaining piece from the MPC gangster series back in my kid days. (The 32 Chev Panel is a holy grail kit for me.) So happy to find a new home for the trunk after all this time of it kicking around in the parts department. Thank you all for your comments and wishing all the best for the Holidays☃ Cheers Misha

Count me in! More involvement the better! Cheers Misha PS If you haven't voted... What are you waiting for???

Thank you for the positive comments! The Phaeton's interior, like the Vicky, is so basic as to be unusable. The plan is to rebuild it, salvaging the seats and dashboard. Most of the interior tub has been cut away, saving certain pieces as patterns for new door panels. The interior door panels exhibit no detail except for a few scratches here and there. By carefully cutting them away a pattern for the new tuck and roll panels can be made. The only part that was previously painted in this unbuilt kit was the rear seat in what can be best described as hardened black shoe polish. Nonetheless, by sanding and filing it can be made serviceable. To enhance the interior detail centre door posts were created and will painted in the exterior red body colour. Half round strips were added around the rim of the body opening to complete the rolled metal edges to the interior. The dash board was mounted directly under the cowling. The fit between the tub and chassis is actually better with the floor being removed. It also allows the rear passenger foot wells to be seen. In addition to the centre door posts, the front door leading edge post has been added and a new front floor board built. In the photos it is easy to see the added areas in white plastic. The front seats in the Phaeton are a bit of a conundrum, as in the early days of modelling detail could be quite loose. In this case the kit shares the same front bucket seats from the Victoria stable mate. In the actual cars the rear of the front seat appears to be an integral part of the body structure, bracing the centre door posts. As this is a custom hot rod I'm building, I wanted the similar look of the big cushy front seat in a Tub! Modifying the seats to more closely resemble the look was done with sheet and structural plastic. A centre bolster was added to make it more of a bench seat, it was raised up in height, and a plastic sheet was added to the rear to represent the body structure of the original. An assist rope/cord will to added to the back piece. The colours will be a two tone white/red leather made into tucks and rolls. Next step for the interior will be the creation of the door panels with the tuck and roll upholstery. Also looking at adding a fold down luggage rack in the back. Thanks for checking in! Cheers Misha

AMT Deuce Phaeton The AMT Deuce kits from the early sixties still offer the current modeller an interesting alternative in 1/25 Fords from the excellent Revell offerings. In particular the recently reissued Victoria kit and the Phaeton are the only options for these styles in this scale. They offer an interesting challenge for the kit basher and scratch builder. I had recently finished the fenderless Deuce Days Vicky for the gathering of the 1:1 scale rods in Victoria and for the scale contest being held. I also picked up the AMT Phaeton kit from one of the vendors, having had such a great time building the Vicky. Originally AMT released the roadster as the first offering, followed by the Vicky and Phaeton. As such, the roadster had a one piece chassis with the rear drivetrain molded in. For the remaining Deuces this was modified so that the rear axle and suspension were separate. Otherwise the three kits share a lot of the sprues, and by utilizing the more recent Revell kits a very decent rod can be built! For this project I've chosen to construct a fendered Tub with a chopped ragtop with an overall red on red colour scheme. The photos show the added detail to the inside of the ragtop and the modifications made to the body with spacers being added, installing the Revell gas tank, a new front splitter, and removal of cross pieces not required. To provide reliable power under the hood a late model small block Henry will be used from the Revell kit. In addition the front suspension is based on the later kit, with the original wishbone being split and mated to the front axle. Using the original 32 axle, the wishbone was removed and a modern version of split wishbones was constructed, using part of the original ones as corner reinforcements. As this is also a show vehicle it was decided to have the chassis and suspension chromed! All kit chrome was removed to aid construction and then was treated to the Alclad system. A complication arose in attempting to shoehorn the small block Ford and automatic tranny into the chassis. New crosspieces were devised for mounting the assembly, yet the original heavy crosspiece (Henry's secret to keeping the stamped steel chassis in one piece) interfered with the tranny. The solution was to cut a vertical section out of the case at the spot where the interference was. In the photo you can see the rear section of the housing connected to the drive shaft and axle. The other area that has required a lot of attention is the interior, which is very basic in the original kit. A complete rebuild is in progress with new door panels, detailed front seat, and a better fit overall being the goals. That's it for now, thanks for following along! Cheers Misha

I'm already looking at doing the following as a tribute to Brock Yates as the originator of the Roadrunner concept during his days at C&D.