BeakDoc

Just got an email from Hobbylinc.com announcing the arrival of Revell paints.

Been on a bit of a stock build kick lately so I decided to change things up a bit. Since I’ve been sitting on 2 of these kits, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to experiment with one of them. The purist may want to avert their eyes. I didn’t do much more than lower the ride height and slap on some Pegasus disc brakes/wheels and tires. Anything that was chrome or is supposed to be chrome has been treated with Alclad Black Chrome; something else I wanted to experiment with. The paint is Model Master Gloss Black, decanted and airbrushed with ScaleFinishes 500 clear. This was my first crack at a solid black paint job. Looks good from 6 feet away, but I’ve got beaucoup room for improvement. Comments, questions, pointers and critiques are always welcome. Thanks for looking. Namaste.

That is a fine looking Honda! Gorgeous attention to detail.

Beautifully built! I admire your conviction to complete this project.

Outstanding!

That’s spectacular, Rick! Red on white is one of my favorite color combos and it works like a charm on this Chevelle.

Gorgeous.

Nice looking pair! If you’re cold, they’re cold. Bring them inside. LOL

She’s a gem! Great looking build of a great looking car. I love the steelies and caps.

I recently completed the Skip’s Fiesta version of the ‘59 Skyliner. I’ll attempt to chronicle the adventure whilst it’s still fresh in my noggin. As far as the multi-piece body is concerned, to me it equated to nothing more than extra steps in the process. It certainly required more patience, ingenuity, forward thinking and mock-ups than anything I’ve encountered, but I have zero complaints about Revell’s engineering as it pertains to the body. My biggest complaint with this particular version of this kit is the salmon-colored goo from which it is molded. I played hell finding the right glue (more accurately; glue combinations) to hold this house of cards together. Typically one of my first steps in a build is to, at least, partially assemble my suspension parts so that I can mock things up to check the stance and ride height. Luckily, I suppose, this is when I discovered what a headache the adhesive issue was going to be. I glued the two part rear end and axle together with Plastruct Plastic Weld (orange label) clamped it and went to bed. The next morning I found that the Plastruct had reacted badly with the soft plastic and the spring loaded clamps had squished the axle housing into a flat piece of sticky, yet crackly, pinkish goop. (Think baseball card chewing gum exposed to a light spring shower.) I cut the leaf springs off, salvaged the pumpkin and scratched out a new axle housing from aluminum tubing and kept pushing forward. For the engine halves I applied Testors liquid cement, clamped and waited. Upon removing the clamp the two halves, by no force other than gravity, fell apart as if I’d used sugar water to glue them. Tamiya liquid cement (orange label) didn’t bare fruit either. Plastruct Bondene (white label) actually dried but didn’t hold well at all. In a fit of desperation I mixed 2 parts Tamiya Extra Thin (green label) with 1 part Plastruct Bondene (white label) and low and behold it worked great without distorting the plastic. The downside is that it is very thin. In the end, 90% of the build is stuck together with Gorilla brand clear 5 minute epoxy with the thin home brew run into seams and joints where applicable. Also, Tamiya putty seemed to react poorly with this particular variation of styrene. I had much better results with Squadron putty. Where the roof and deck lid are concerned, again, lots of patience and test fitting but no real issues. I drilled and pinned all of the hinge points but that was for my own piece of mind and not out of necessity. Probably the most daunting and migraine inducing step in this entire build for me was the windshield and it’s spindly, delicate, ill-fitting frame. In it’s natural, unmolested state the frame neither fits nor forms to either the body or the windshield. The icing on the cake is that the windshield would either fit the contours of the cowl or the contour of the roof, but not both at the same time, and neither when fitted to the windshield frame. After 2 days of nervously shaving, sanding and using steam to gently reshape all parties involved, I got it to fit with very little forceful persuasion. All I had to do now was affix it to the body without destroying the paint job. In summation, the multi-piece body was the least of this kit’s issues. I’ll say this much, even though the build is far from perfect, I cannot imagine being more proud of any accomplishment in this hobby than when I pause and look at this one on the shelf. And I’m not even a Ford guy.

All of your effort shines through. Great looking build of a lackluster kit.

I’d take that finish any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Great looking Chevy! The go kart looks awesome too.

Awesome looking cornbinder! Great job adding the much needed engine bay details. The lift and meats look perfect.

Gorgeous! I’ve been sitting on a bottle of the exact same color (ScaleFinishes) for 6 months earmarked specifically for the JoHan ‘63 Starfire hardtop in my stash. I guess great minds think alike. Fantastic resto job!

Wow, Keith, that is striking!

That’s fantastic! Clean, classy and elegant.

Awesome build as usual, Jim! I’ve always admired your paint work and finishes, but there’s something about this one, that I cannot put a finger on, that feels above and beyond. Did you use a new (to you) product or technique?

I’d have never guessed in a million years that Fathom Green would work on a Vette, but it dang sure does. Great looking build!

Hot dang, I’m digging this bad boy!! That is one mean looking little AMC. Looks like a bear trap, just sitting there waiting to spring. Phenomenal build! This one moves me for sure.

x2!

Thanks for sharing. That’s sharp!

Yessir. That’s a tasty looking wagon! The color and finish are astounding but, for me, the adjusted stance and choice of rolling stock are what really set it off.

Nice looking Merc!

Everything from the stance, wheels and power train to the paint and finish is spot on. This model is neat as a pin! Fantastic work.

Super cool!