oldman23

Hi Guys I appreciate everything you have to say Bob and you too Chuck. I didn't post it to cause a family feud, I thought it was kind of odd though. AMT's first run promo of the 62 Impala SS was a nice model I have several of them I built over the years and if you look at the interior bucket the door handles are correct. I'm talking about AMT before Matchbox and before Ertle. With all the ownership changing hands it seems some important and some unimportant features disappeared and the quality went down hill. I understand that the industry is suffering because of the Electronic age we live in. Like I said it is only a representation of a real car and I could have built it box stock and had a beautiful shelf model. This kit is better then Lindberg's 61 Impala It is over 2 scale inches under size on the height. I could pick apart every model made if all you want to do is compare them to 1:1 prototypes. For the longest time I couldn't figure out what was bugging me about the interior is all I was saying and when I found it I thought I would share it with everyone else. I'm not griping about it I just fix it or leave it alone This model has been released 4 times that I know of and You would think that someone has found this mistake long before I did. The show judges don't care about the door handles being upside down seeing as how many 62 Impala SS convertibles have placed first over the years, so I'm not changing it on mine. I could hack it off and fix it like George said but their are larger and more pronounced mistakes in the model design that need to be fixed and my time is running short. Thank You Ernie

Anybody can take any kit and find a bunch of faults with it. These are only a representation of the real thing. I could have built this kit out of the box and had a great looking shelf model. I started this build to be a representation of mine and my wife's favorite car we owned and restored. I bought the Assembly manual and the drawings used by GM showing the overall dimensions of the 1:1 prototype From Impala Bob's to use for reference when I started this build. When things didn't fit right I started digging deeper and started making some changes. Problem is Once I started I couldn't stop myself. The original promo 62 Chevy had the wipers in the right place, for some reason they moved the drivers side wiper and messed that up. The reason the chrome strip on the door is too high up is the model is too short. From the belt line down on the model it is .060 short. In order to get a halfway descent representation of the interior you have to through out the bucket and build it up from the floor. or else the steering wheel sits almost on the front seat. The bucket sits too far to the left anyway causing a gap on the right side when you install the windshield. In order to fix this I moved the right hand kick panel outboard and added material to the end of the dashboard so it would sit in the center of the car. George this is one of the reasons I've been working on this model for 2 years. Along with all the working features I've scratch built. So the model doesn't look out of proportion I removed the chrome below the door and added .040" to the bottom all the way around then replaced the chrome trim and re scribed the doors before removing them. This is one of the reasons the frame never sat all the up under the model. Adding the material didn't make a difference on the front of the car since the bumper would cover the change anyway. The taillights and trunk section was too short to begin with so the .040" really helped redefine the rear view of the model. I have photos with measurements showing before and after shots of what I done. Being I have nothing else to do except play with my models and get my Chemo Treatments I figured what the heck. I still have 8 other models I'm currently working on but not to this extent. I know the door panels are messed up but I'm not going to do much to them. The main reason is I'm not as talented as Harry P. or Tim Boyd or other great artists in our hobby, But I do want it as perfect as I can get it. Maybe I'm asking to much of myself but so far even under a 6x magnifying glass it looks good. Ernie

Hi Gang I'm working on an AMT 62 Impala SS and while working on the interior I kept saying to myself something isn't right. I wasn't sure so I bought a door panel set from a very good aftermarket company and they didn't look right either. WELL I figured it out The Door handle and arm rests are upside down IT looks like they put the left side on the right door and the right side on the left door Here are some pictures. This is not only a hard or nearly impossible fix but I can't understand why they let it slide release after release. Tell me what you think about it Ernie This is the 1:1 prototype the large side of the armrest is on the bottom It's the same on all Impalas from 61 through 64

Hi gang, Maybe it's because I'm in a wheelchair but This should work for most anyone. Whenever I dropped a small part on the floor like those tiny photo etched carb linkage and such. I would slide out of my chair with my magnifying headgear and a big mag light flashlight and spend the next hour looking for the part. Well now when I drop one on the carpet I don't worry about it right away. I either grab another one or move on to something else. The reason is this When My wife vacuums my hobby room she always starts out with cleaning her vacuum cleaner first. then she vacuums the floor twice in different directions and then she uses the hose to vacuum around everything and to apply suction in those prone areas that your pretty sure the parts fell too. When she is done she pulls out an old white bed sheet and dumps the contents from the vacuum in the middle. Then her and I sit on the floor and collect all the little parts I lost earlier. Now don't be asking your wife to do it this way for you and Please make sure you don't grab a good bed sheet. The only reason my wife does it and I don't is because I can't. I'd hate to hear you where in the doghouse with your wife because you wanted her to do extra work. Then hear you're out "gunnin" for me over one of my Ideas. Hope this helps all of you find that lost treasure Ernie

I still am Ernie

Hey Gabriel, That is nice. I live in Avondale and their isn't any room to build anything in these yards. Heck We can't have anything showing above our block walls. My paint booth is out side so i have to paint early early in the morning. I can't work in the Garage because of too many cars. I guess I'll jump on my golf cart and come over and use yours. HA HA HA ! I LIKE IT, I'M JEALOUS Ernie

Hi Everyone I woke up this morning and fell getting out of bed into my wheel chair and thought I should just go back to bed it was gonna be one of THOSE days. Well It's turned out worse and it's only 4PM. Thursday and Friday are my wifes days off work and on those days we watch our two grand daughters in order to help out the kids so they can work and keep some of the money instead of giving it to a day care center. Well starting today we only watch one, the youngest (She'll be in Sept.) Her sister started Pre-School today. Grandma tries to keep her busy with the usual play stuff girls like. Unfortunately she would rather play with her Hot wheels cars and track. This morning while sitting by my modeling bench having my morning coffee and trying to wake up, she snuck up behind me and scared the coffee right out of my hands and all over my crotch and our gray miniature poodle. ( I had the same thought I had earlier). While trying to clean up the coffee I bent over and hit my head on the vise mounted to my work table. I sat their with my eyes scrunched shut and dropped the cigarette I had in my mouth between my legs and burned my nether region's even more. I flipped out of the wheel chair and flopped on the floor like a fish on the deck of a boat. OK now that I have settled in I took my meds. and started brush painting some detail on one of the models I'm working on. Well my Grand baby is at that age and she was sitting by me asking what's this, what's that, and what's this some more. So I told her I was painting with Green and she said ohhh geen. I put the paint away and started to try and teach her some more of her colors before her and grandma get together for study time. I was using paint bottles and having her repeat the names. Everything went well until I looked down at her and she had a new razer knife carving up the interior door panels of the car I am working on. I panicked and took the knife away from her before she cut herself bad. I should have let her keep it. I dropped the knife and it stuck in my leg, not deep or anything just enough to make me jump in my chair and spill another cup of coffee. I said that's it I quit for the day and off I went to watch some boob tube. about fifteen minutes later I heard my wife yelling in the family room. I went in and saw the disaster. My Grand Daughter had the bottle of Pactra Green paint dumped all over the beige carpeting and the white and gray poodles were now green and tracking the paint all over. My grand daughter told grandma she spilled her coffee just like Papa did but she had one thing right , She called it GREEN not geen. Now the house smells like mineral spirits, the dogs are green, My wife is totally Peed off at me and I have the same thought I had this morning. It's 4:30 PM now and the little one is sleeping The carpet cleaners are called for tomorrow morning, I have a head ache, a burn in a bad spot, a cut on my leg and I'm sitting here thinking isn't life wonderful, I wonder if I'll miss when I'm gone. Thanks to my son the green paint is out of the carpet but it still smells bad though out the house. I can't remember ever having a day like today. God love grand children and my clumsiness I had to share this because it's only supposed to happen this way in the movies. Ernie

Hi Lee Revell made 66 Chevelle Kit number 85-2219. It is listed as a Malibu SS Ernie

How true you are William I will do just that along with the flowers Ernie

Hi Everybody, I have been looking for a pair of Holly carburetors for my 1/12th scale 69 Camaro without any luck. So I emailed Revell and told them the situation and asked if they could sell me 2 carburetors. I received a response that the kit had gone out of production in 2000 and they couldn't help me. The next day Angie contacted me from Revell and told me they found a complete kit in the warehouse that they couldn't sell because the body was crushed. I asked her if I could buy the carbs and she said NO but if I give her my address she would send me the complete kit at no charge. Angie said that after she had emailed the first response to me she felt bad that she couldn't help me out with 2 little pieces. She said she went looking for herself and one of the workers led her to the kit. I thought that was greater then sliced bread. I told her how much I appreciated her going the extra step to find the kit when she had already E-mailed me saying I was out of luck. Well this afternoon I received another E-Mail from Angie and she said the same guy that led her to the kit also found a good body and some other parts in a box they where using to send out replacement parts. She said they emptied that box into the first one and sent it all out UPS today. How Great is that? Ernie

Hi everyone, I was reading up on masking and also a few articles by Mark G. He stated to mask off your details before you even prime so they will not get built up with paint and you loose the detail. I can understand this, My scenario is this I'm building a 62 Impala and I was wondering if I should mask off the side trim with BMF or Parafilm "m", or just use Tamiya Masking tape. Should I change the masking after primer and color coats? Should I not bother The side trim detail is pretty weak the way it is so I don't want to loose the detail I'm using Auto lacquer and 2 part urethane clear Any help would be nice. Also I have always painted with a gun and I just bought a Bagger 360 universal air brush. The one that you can use the cup or attach the bottle to. I was wondering if it's really that great while only using one needle for everything Has any of you used this air brush and if so is it all of what they say it is or not. I don't even know if I can use it yet because I have nerve damage in my spine and it affects both my hands and finger control. I was thinking of trading it off for a cheap Hobbico airbrush with the trigger like a spray gun. They have them at Tower Hobbies for $55. It's half the cost of the 360 and I know I can squeeze that one. anyone interested in this trade PM me Thank You Ernie-p

hey george No These are slicks and real soft ones at that Ernie

Hi all, I have a set of hollow slicks and I would like to know what they came in. They have a set of raised Letters with a circle around them D-5574. No brand name. real small they have the size. 28.0 x 10.0 x 15 Could someone help me identify these Please. If not could you tell me what would they be used on. They are real soft and when mounted on wheels and put on a car they tend to flatten out on the bottom ( Where else would they flatten out?) Thank you Ernie

I checked them out But I don't like using Enamel even if I use a conditioner in it and use a retarder It's like spraying gum I have a booth outside and when it's 105 degrees like it is right now Enamel just don't like being sprayed. I've worked with lacquer for years and never had it fail me even when It's 120 degrees out. YA I live in the dessert in AZ Ernie

Hi Could anyone tell me if Cobra Colors Paint is closed for business. If they are still selling Paint, could you tell me how to contact them Thank You Oldman23 AKA Ernie

Hi Everybody, I know this is Off Topic but you really need to know this. I had a deal go down with Matt LeBlanc where we traded some kits. It was the best experience I have had since doing things like this and that's been awhile. Matt is a man of his word and if you want to deal with him on something REST ASSURED that deal will be better then a good experience you will have gained a good friend along with it..

Their are none anywhere and no decals to check the back sie of either. The box sides are a little rough and it looks like the kit number has been worn off. Ernie

Hi I posted an article in Tips and Tricks called adjustable seats. I am now getting ready to do the actual seats for my model. The seat used in the article was just to see if my idea worked and it does. Please PM me if you are interested and I'll take some nice in process photos and do a better explanation. Thank You Ernie

Hi Guy No I used to work in one. I'm totally disabled with nerve damage to my spine. I'm stuck in my wheel chair all day. A also have the big "C"and the Doc's say it won't be too long before I do the Big Goodbye. Everything I do I do by hand. It just takes longer. Thank you for the compliment. Ernie

Does anyone know when AMT and REVELL were in business together? I found an old one and I was wondering when it was released.It's a nice kit for it's age. Thanks in Advance for the help. Ernie

Try Harbor freight tools or any other tool supply for machine shops. I have a set that if you could see you could find the center on a >032" rod. Harbor Freight J&L industrial tools McMasterCar Good luck I have had mine for over 30 years Ernie

Hi everyone I stared at the seats for a model I'm building for about 4 days then came up with this idea to make them adjustable. you need 2 pieces of angle I used .015 x.060 brass because that is what I had. a piece of flat styrene. I used .030 from my scrap bag a centering block. I used .060 x .080 styrene from the scrap bag. a small spring from an ink pen. cut down a piece of .020 piano wire and a small piece of brass for the spring to sit on. 2 small pieces of sheet styrene edge molding (for doll houses and dioramas) I used .040 edge strip. It is almost like U channel except the sides are squared off. I'm not going to walk through every little step but, I have assembly pictures for ya. Fit the base made from the .030 flat stock to the bottom of your seat leaving room on each side for the 90 degree angle strips. You only want the base to be half the length of your seat, Eyeball it a little less won't hurt anything. If you use the same thickness stock i did you will have to recess the angle pc's .045 inside the edge of the seat epoxy then in with the angle edges facing each other. like shown. The base plate should be below your seat no more then .015" If it's more your seat may sit too high. You want just enough room for it to slide and clear the flocked carpet. glue one edge strip to the the base, slide the other edge strip onto the angle, then slide the base with the strip you glued onto the other angle Once you have it square and the proper height glue the remaining edge strip in place. Eyeball the center of the base and glue the centering block in. use a .025" drill and drill 3 to 4 holes on the center line of the centering Block. Counter sink each hole with a .040 drill just enough to give it a lead in. When that is done it should look something like this It should slide easily on the angles. Drill the piece of small brass near the edge with a .020 drill and insert and solder the piano wire in place. cut the wire off so that just about .050" of wire remains soldered to the brass. flip the brass over and solder the remaining wire to the top of the brass piece. The brass is used to keep the wire from spinning. Solder the spring near the end giving yourself enough room for it to teeter tauter ( Remember riding those when you were a kid). see the picture. another view Now drill a .020 hole in the side of the seat where you want the adjuster to be slide the wire in and adjust the length of spring to your desire and epoxy it to the bottom of the seat so that the point of the brass will locate itself in the holes on your centering block. When the epoxy is dry test out your track adjuster then cut the remaining .020 wire to your desired length. Add a Small piece of styrene of epoxy to the end of the wire. push down the seat releases, slide it until it locks in the next Hole VIOLA !! I used my experimenting seat that I use to form seat and body trim on (that is another story). I hope you understood this I had fun making it Ernie

All you need is a motor and axle out of a Hoppin Hydro car and a push button switch a momentary switch is good. Mount the motor in front of the radiator and mount the bent axle to your fabricated headlight buckets. use only one 1.5 volt battery instead of 2 strip the Hydro car of it's wiring and lights. They have two LED's with a resistor and diode in line, make sure you use them too. Use the activating button from the hand controller and your all done. About a weeks worth of work but they work nice. The Hoppin Hydros are cheap about $9.00 they supply you with everything you need. The reason for only one battery instead of two is The LED's are rated at 1.5v but light up at .6 volts and with the resistors in line all you are doing is slowing the motor down so your buckets don't jump out of the body. Take your time and have fun. If you can't find the 1/25th scale die cast hoppin cars try Tower Hobbies I know they have the Front and Back Hydraulics Kit with the motor and axle for 1/25th for under $15.00 here is the link Tower Hobbies

Well if all else fails you can log onto either Micro-Mark or Model expo. they both sell a center finder cheap. it similar to a 90 degree square other then it is about 60 degrees. they sell a small one and a large one. All you do is lay it against the end of your round stock and make a mark rotae it at least 45 degrees and make another mark. Viola perfect center. They are a common tool in a machine shop and other fabricating shops. Micro-Mark Model expo hobby tools

Hi Harry, My son has an 06 Mustang v6 Manual HE HATES IT He's 36 y.o. He drove me to the Doc's in it and it road like a lumber wagon. When he took off from the light it always seemed like the trans was slipping. It just bugged me crazy!!!We live outside Phoenix and WE HAVE MOUNTAINS and that poor stang can't crawl up them unless it is in second gear, then you better shut the air off. He's trading it in on a new Mustang GT. I can't crawl inside a stang now so I'm happy with our 2006 Dodge Charger Daytona. It's got a set off brass ones and it rides and climbs the hills nice. 5.7L Hemi 3.73 Posi 5 speed auto and every option that was available when we ordered it. It has the number plate on the dash and it's # 1257 of 2000 built and right now since i've been sick it only has 470 miles on it and we have it stored up on blocks in the cool garage. If anyone needs pictures or info on one PM me. Ernie