geetee66

It's finally done! It fought me quite a bit, but I learned a lot from it. I tried a lot of new stuff: ProTech lines and fittings, a lot of Photoetch, a few scratchbuilt items (Fuel blocks, battery/tray) This was also my 1st candy paint job and I'm quite pleased with it. I'll do some more in the future.. Enough chat. Here are the pics: I hope you like it Thanks for looking

Ok, here it is. Finally finished. It wasn't an easy build, by any means. There's still a lot to like about it, though. I'd recommend it to anyone who loves nostalgia drag, as it has a lot of great details. I know some of you experts will see glaring mistakes, but I admit to only a basic knowledge of Drag cars and I just wanted it to 'look' right. I bought the Polar Lights version of the Hawaiian, which is identical in almost every way to this car and what I learned from this, will make that build a doddle. Anyway, enough blah blah.... Here are the finished pics: Thanks for looking!

This is kool as ice! I wondered about getting this kit. I like the wheel/tyre combo The contrasting blues work very well. Top-notch stuff, Jim!

I got the headers fitted today I think that's all for the chassis, I just have to finish the tinwork and the chute rope and it'll be done I'll post some 'under glass' pics with the body, tomorrow. Thanks for looking

If I could have half your skills, I'd be happy. It's work like this, that drives me to improve my own builds. Fantastic. Really looking forward to the end result, but the progress is fascinating!

You're right...we don't see many of these Nice to give yours some daylight, it deserves to be seen, not hidden away. Great stuff

A real nice clean crisp build.. I dig the colour and the decals look spot-on, too. You still have the skills, Ace. Keep 'em comin!

Cheers Carl. I'll do my research next time to avoid building a nonce's car..! You're absolutely correct, Nick. The candy coat must be applied progressively, evenly and not too thick, or the base colour will lose its effect. I'm currently fiddling with the tinwork inside the body, so hopefully finished pics will be added in the next day or so.

Well, that's just great. I've built a sex offenders car. If I'd known this about him before I built it, i think I would've changed the paint job to something different.... Gene Snow. Scumbag.

Really!? I didn't know that Maybe I should've printed some decals, so it says 'Scumbagtious' down the side of the car! What did he do, to get a reputation like that?

Here's the latest... I found some tyre decals in one of my other FC kits. Good job, as I ordered a sheet of 1/16 decals from Slixx in error. I dulled the white down a bit with pastels and a bit of spit and added a tyre valve The chute pack will have cords connecting it to the body, but here's a shot of the release pin I made I also made a throttle-return spring and finished off all the hoses etc. I scratchbuilt the battery, rack and clamp. I think it turned out ok. I used some PE bolt heads to spiff-up the clamp Not a brilliant photo, but it's from my phone.. Here's the screen with boltheads It's nearly finished. I'll post more soon Thanks for looking

Very crisp build. I've never seen one of these before. Seeing how yours turned out, makes me want to get one built!

Thanks everyone, the build has been on hold for the past week, due to work/exams, but I'm going to put some of the PE bolt heads on the various chassis/suspension parts. I had a go at using Protech lines and fittings on the oil pump and I like the results. They seem quite easy to use. I've got a problem with space between the inlet manifold and blower. The rubber fuel lines are interfering with the fitting of the blower. I'll solve that problem over the next few days. Mitch, I used auto touch-up paint. The clear red was bought on eBay. It's called Canbrush and seems to be made in Malaysia.. I don't use any fancy equipment, I just stand in my garden, hold it at arm's length and spray it, even on windy days (If I'm feeling impatient)! I started by making sure the primer coat had no crud in the surface, then I warmed the gold rattle can paint in a jug of hot water. Give it a good shake for 2 minutes. I always begin spraying in difficult areas, like wheel arches, front and rear roll pans, engine bay, then move onto the larger panels. I only give it a light coat. Don't try to cover the primer completely at this stage. Let it sit for 10 mins. Warm the paint again, shake the can for 2 minutes A slightly heavier coat with the can about 10-12" away from the car. Move the spray fairly quickly and don't linger in any area, to prevent runs. Make sure all the underside edges are covered too, but inverting the car. Let it sit for another 10 minutes Warm the paint, shake it for a couple of minutes, then hit the body with closer spray, moving the jet of the spray at a slower speed. If I see orange peel, I go back over the area quickly at close range. Keep the spray at 90 degrees to the surface. So the sides don't get runs I tend to do them with the car tilted over, and spray downward to them. This way I can pile on some thickness without gravity messing it up. Let the side you just sprayed 'gel' a bit before turning the body over to do the other side and it will help stop the paint running. When I apply clear over metallics, I always hit it with a dryish coat for the first few passes. This helps bed down the metallic flakes and stops them floating off in the clear and pooling in recesses. The go wet. Your clear MUST be warm. Give it up to 5 coats, more if you need to bury decals. I hope this helps

Looking good! I fancy building one of these...so I'll be watching for updates Keep the pics comin' !

That shade of blue looks really good on it. You did a great job. Clean and well finished. The de-chroming and dullcote work well. I MUST get one of these. I have the pickup version, but the smooth body lines on this look a real joy to polish!

Today I got the decals on... Brett, you were right about the decals. Even though they're made by Slixx, they're 14 years old and had a few cracks. The long scripts broke up and needed a little dab of microsol, then re-aligning with a wet brush. I think I managed to save them.. more pics soon

Here's a few of my '60's Lo-Lo's Sorry if the wheels offend you...I was young and didn't know any better 65 Lincoln Contiwagon It's the right decade and it's low. Does it qualify? 66 Buick Riviera 65 Pontiac GP I've got a 58 and a 59 Chevy, but they're not the right era, are they?

I lack the vocabulary to adequately describe how much I like this. These cars are real beauties and yours is even better with that amazing paint

Apparently the coldest place in the universe is a Bose-Einstein condensate...(or something like that. I'm no astrophysicist..) I think this is even cooler than that! I keep thinking about doing stuff in brass and maybe having a go at the PE/real wire wheels, but those kit parts look pretty good. Looking forward to more pics as the build progresses.

Nice job Alan Stripes put fear into me. Getting them straight always seems to be the main issue. I have found that hitting it with clear before the colour stripes are laid down, helps eliminate creep under the tape. Got any chassis pics yet? I'm curious about JoHan kits. I haven't ever found one cheap enough on eBay. I'll be watching this thread Cheers

Krisp and kool! Very tidy work. I noticed you cut into the decals for the shut lines on the doors. Some people forget to do this, but as your build proves, it makes it much more convincing.

Thanks for the comments, everyone! Al, I used rattle-can paint (I've not got around to investing in an airbrush/compressor yet) The paint is Rover Tara Green Metallic, from a store here called Halford's. I topped it with clear and wet-sanded it, before giving it a jolly good rub with polish. I stand in my back yard, hold the object at arm's length and hit it with warmed-up paint. 4-5 coats of colour at 15 minute intervals. First couple of coats are light and the final one is wet. Same with the clear. I find this reduces orange peel quite well.

Here's one I built a year or two ago. It's basically box-stock, with a PE harness, steering wheel and Dzus fasteners.. I decided to match the box-art and when I build the SoffSeal 57 Chevy version which I have waiting for me on the shelf, I'll add a lot more detail. I hope you like it And an alu tube driveshaft..

Did you just hear a loud thud? That was my jaw hitting the floor! Truly amazing skills. I wish I had the know-how and ability to make a kit at least half as good as this. Splendid stuff.

I take my hat off to you sir! This is interesting to follow. I love all the reference material and input from the rest of the guys I'm enjoying seeing your builds take shape Thanks for sharing your pics and stuff