Claude Thibodeau

Hi Barry! Thanks for the comments. As they say: "stance is everything"... There must be some truth to it! CT

Hi John! I read a long article a few years ago about the Monocoque Mustang, and a crew member said that the car was very light, which was an asset as far as pure acceleration was concerned, but... was a liability for handling at the end of the track. The air extractors near the rear tires, that were supposed to evacuate the air entering the "pontoons" was supposedly too small, and the car lifted. It must have been major, because the FC pilots of the day were "fearles", as we all know. The important modifications that would have been needed to experiment and correct the issue were deemed too expensive for the projected life expectancy of the car. Plus, the two other typical Mustangs (the red and the blue) were making a killing, so, the business decision was easy to take. Ultimately, it became a fantastic museum piece. And you gave it a second life here! It's interesting to note that another experimental Mustang, with an almost fully enclosed body, was also running at the time. But it, too, had a short carreer. The problem? Instability at high speed. There's a pattern here, it seems... CT

Hi Big Drag! Tamya's white primer, Testor's white lightning pearl white + 1 coat of clear. The purple effect is Model Master acrylic Purple Pearl, appllied with a plastic "tampon", made from a 1X 8 inches strip of common plastic bag, rolled on itself, and tied tightly in the middle with a rope. (You get an hourglass shaped plastic tampon). Gently tap the end of the roll on a puddle of thinned Purple paint, and randomly cover the zone. Don't overdo it, and don't allow the tampon surface to be too loaded with thicker paint, because it will create large dark gobs that will be difficult to sand or level later. The stipes smaller sprinkle effect was made by the same technique, but with Tamya's clear red, blue, green and some Model Master purple on top. Only, this time, I used shredded scuff pad "balls", for the finer paint carrying surface. Two coats of clear to seal the surface. Then, the metallic green and metallic silver pinstripes to edge panels were done with gel pens. Be carefull, they smear easily. Let dry 2 days, clear. Total: about 15 coats of Revell Clear, 3 per session, sanded between applications, to "level" the whole thing. Voilà! CT PS: see pic below- same gel pens used to create a cobweb effect. You can create many techniques with those...

Thank you Ricky! Indeed, back then, car owners wanted their team to look distinctive and unique... Whereas today, sponsors want the team to look "uniquely theirs". Oh well... CT

Hi Sir! Masterfull work, the level of details is impressive. Bravo! CT

Thank you David! I always liked the styling of the firt generation Cougar, and it became the canvas for a painting experiment... CT

Hi Rich! Very nice build, bravo! See, sometimes we shouldn't give so much credence to the reviewers. Even more so with the level of experience you've gathered over the years! CT

Thank you Michael! It needed many clear coats, but the results are satisfying! CT

Thank you Chris! CT

Merci Philippe! CT

Good! Hope we will both be able to make it! CT

Thank you Ted, happy you like it! At some point, I stopped counting the successive clear coats... CT

Hi Sir! What a great build. You improved all that could be, and then some! I built one two years ago, and I could appreciate how good it was for the era it came out. If only those molds still existed... CT

Hi Jim! Sorry for the paint issue. I suspect the lacquer coat(s) were not fully evaporated, and disturbed the enamel top coats. I know it may sound strange, but If the lacquer had been too hot for the styrene surface (even with primer), it would have wrinkled even before you went on with the second clear 12 hours later. Also, the frosting you report immediately after application of the enamel topcoat seems to indicate either extreme humidity in the atmosphere, or evaporating gas from the lacquer underneath. One old method to detect any remaining evaporation is the "smell test". If it still smells something, then it is not full cured. Finally, even if your two different paints are called lacquer an enamel respectively... their solvent may be so "similar" chemically that the topcoat soaked and re-liquified a not fully-cured lacquer underneath. My two cents, FWIW.... Keep on, that Cad deserves to see completion! CT

Hi Slobodan! Great work, world class finish, really! Keep on! CT

Thank you Christopher. The whole era was cool, so, might as well try to replicate the "groove"! CT

Thank you Ray!. So much styrene, so little time LOL! CT

HI! I'm totally partial to the era of Funny Cars that looked like distinctive creations, not vinyl-wrapped sponsor's rolling logos. So... when I found this Model King 68 Cougar, I decided to create an imaginary late 60's "groovy" funny-car! The kit had a standard Logghe Stamping chassis (the norm for the era), but to my eyes, this very chassis was always "crude". So, from my stash, I mashed the MPC Wild Willy Borsch altered chassis/powertrain, modified and extended to match the Cougar wheelbase, while providing a more "digger style" chassis.. Throw in scratchbuild inner panels, headers, injector, linkage, fuel pump, rear body stanchions, and a few other items. Wired and plumbed. Home made decals, and a paint job that matches the flavor of the era (special effects panels, marbleizer-like textures, purple and lime green tints, etc. Revell clear lacquer, fully polished. Close your eyes, and think of the OCIR Cavalcade of Stars Coca-Cola funny-car events. That was the goal. Hope you like it! CT

Hi Steve! Yes, we had a "planning session", but the fact that I already stated that I intented to attend the last GSL next may have kind of "depleted my credit". So, the Deuce Day may happen, but for 2024 I'm afraid... CT

Hi Steve! Wow, what a great parking spot for your "fleet". Very neat and convincing. I see you even threw in the rear oil seal "leaks" in the various stalls. Bravo! Ah, you lucky west-coast types... barely a few cracks near the rain drain. No east-coast potholes... That's what dreams are made of! CT

Hi Scott! I would never have tought about such a valve. I'll certainly steal your idea someday! Thanks! CT

Hi John! Excellent product, and the foam core allows it to conform to curved surfaces as well as flat ones. The effect is so micro, you will barely see it. But it may get you a more uniform gloss upon polishing. Also useful to refinish model kit clear parts (windows) when lightly scratched. CT

HI! The Tamya black panel accent is actually solvent based, akin to enamel. It flows well, remains fairly dark, but... if you apply too much on a given spot, and want to clean it up, it may easily smear, and / or even "tint" the surrounding surfaces, depending on the nature of the surrounding paint (lacquer is safe, enamel and acrylic may soak it up). Just a word of advice if your panel lines are on a light colored body. On kit chrome, it's mostly forgiving, if you clean-up any overflow quickly before it settles and dries. Speakink of which, it may be a tad slow to fully dry. Good luck! CT

Hi JP! Thanks for the comments. I try to improve the breed with every lakester done. More to come... CT

HI! The part next to the booster and master-cylinder is the wiper motor, and I suspect the pill-shaped reservoir is a vacuum tank, common on certain luxury cars of the era, to provide ongoing action of certain vacuum-operated components when the driver stepped on the gas and vacuum dropped... Ah, the rich Caddy drivers had everything... CT