Claude Thibodeau

HI! I use the refill of Molotow, shake it very well, pour 2 or 3 drops in a spoon, and apply qith a blunt fine brush. My experience is that you get best results when you really "soak" the part, just a the limit of having it to run, and most important, NEVER go back to do a second stroke on the surface you just applied the Molotow to. If you do, it creates a surface wrinkle, and the smooth even "chrome" look is marred. Let dry a full day, and THEN recoat if needed. The intake cross-tube in this pic is done this way. One coat only. For you to judge. Good luck! CT

Hi David! Well, I beg to differ with you. Your brasswork is proof that you ARE smart enough to buil more "complicated" parts. Fine work on the coupe and the Impala! CT

Hi David! Here's my typical scratchbuilt system, on a 61 Impala (Lindberg body). Hours of fun with styrene! CT

Hi David! Another beauty, bravo! Your hood hinge system is very simple, and very clever! I'll try it on a future build... CT

Hi Steve! Wow, first glance at this beauty for me... I'm late to the show! Very nice, the stance is great, and the space under the hood must be as scarce as in downtown Vancouver. It gives full meaning to the word "packaging". Bravo! CT

Hi Sir! Tremendous workmanship. bravo! Having bent some tin on real 1/1 rod projects, I know how capricious it is when the issue of heat dispersion arises trough welding sheet metal. I can only imagine the added complexity of doing it in scale. Your metal surface is small and very thin, but heat is heat, whatever the scale of the work piece. Truly masterfull, really! CT

Hi Francis! World class work, as usual, bravo! But now, I'm seriously worried about your mental health, my friend! Let's see: you machined a fabulous metal tank, in a hobby that relies mostly on PLASTIC, and now, you will paint it in a way that make it look credibly like... PLASTIC? Help me God, there is something I don't get! Dr. CT, Psychiatrist. PS: Just pulling your leg here...

Hi Mr. Woodruff! Thanks for the great pix. I'm very surprised by the large amount of "track cars" ( Le Mans, rallye, euro-racers, etc.), that show a superior level of detailing. And that large-scale 32 lakester (obviously heavily scratchbuilt) is world class! Bravo CT

Hi Pat! I assume you are talking about my "Rot 'n Roll" sedan? Thjs is the AMT's (née MPC) 32 Chrysler roadster, the Connoiseur Series in-line 8, with a few mods mind you. But a great engine, perfectly suited for long and low slung rat rods. Details are fine out of the box, and you can easily detail up. CT

Hi Guys! Who doesn't have a few waiting in his stash? I do. So much styrene, so little time... Here are two variations I built in the last few years. CT

Hi Mike! Great build. This kit IS a very good and well detailed kit. Just the engine speaks volume. To your point about clear: lately, I've been experimenting with all sorts, and lo and behold, my new favorite is MR. Hobby (Japan) super clear. Lacquer based, marked smell, but flows and flashes very well. They have a second variety, called Top Coat, that I tried also, as a "flash coat" after 2 medium coats of the former, and it flashed very well, and was easy to buff to a mirror shine. More expensive than, say Tamya's, but you get your money's worth. Just my two cents, FWIW... Good luck! CT

Hi David! Both cars are great, and the color palette is in tune with the "luxury" status of those cars. Bravo! But even if they roamed the streets in the same era, one can tell the TBird more "slanted forward" lines are more futuristic than the squarish "formal" look of the Lincoln. If only we saw more of those big luxury cars "in the weed", for one, I'd like it! Regards, CT

Hi Patrick! Really nice ensemble, and the weathering is superb. Bravo! Are those wheels the extras that came in a Maisto Dodge Challenger? Their shape and color look the part... Just curious. CT

Hi RRR! Very nice, and that 60's flavour is really spot-on, Bravo! Now, that driver will be in a noisy working space with such exhaust pipes. Ear plugs anyone? CT

Hi Francis! Wow, even the milling swirl marks in the first pix have been polished or "brushed" away. Very impressive! I assume this is 12 volts, right? CT

Hi Thomas! What is this thing with us "retired" people? I guess they are right when they say it's a hobby for greybeards... LOL. Welcome aboard, and be ready to enjoy gret support and tremendous imagination. It prevails here! CT

Hi Steve! The first set of wheels is my favorite (very contemporary), but... the smoked chrome tint of the second set get me to think of the overall "matteness" the car wil project once completed, and it might enhance the ensemble. Maybe easier said than done? You are the judge. Just my two cents. It's gonna be great whichever way! CT PS: The shrink story is real.

Hi Ray! Cool, beautiful simplicity, and your paint blend/shade is great, world class. Bravo! CT

Hi Steve! A friend of mine is a shrink, and he once told me why the 300 was so popular with men: squarish chiseled look (very angular, appeals to men), exagerated main features (grille, wheelwels, large wheels... makes you want to play with it like a Tonka), and a high belt line that makes the greenhouse appear almost "chopped" in stock form. Throw in a badge that screams HEMI, and voilà, it pushes all the right buttons for a typical guy! So, rest assured, you are as normal as any styrene nut can be, my friend. And look who's talking here... LOL. CT

Hi Steve! Great work, as usual I should add! Bravo! Just curious: have you considered making it a hard top (no central post at all... just a slim chromed edge at the front of the quarter window) ? The low "chopped roof" look of the OEM design would look even more so. The longer "daylight opening" on the side of the car would therefore make it look longer too. Just my two cents... CT

Hi Gary! Another of your signature super paint jobs... In smaller scale, no less. Bravo! CT

Hi David! Another great color combo, with perfect execution. The engine bay is surgically clean. Bravo! CT

Hi Gentlemen! For my part, just like Snake, I use small sst washers, but I make the calipers by slicing 1/6th of the small plastic "snap cap" bases that hardware stores sell to encapsulate screw heads on furniture. There is the colored cap (usually brown or white) that we don't need here, and the clear base with the hole in the center to clear a size 8 typical screw. The flat side of the base becomes the piston side of the caliper, and the vertical wall of the cap becomes the section that straddles the disc. A drop of superglue, drill for hose, paint, and voilà! The only real benefit of this technique is when the caliper is truly visible trough the windows of the mag wheel. It appears less flat, has more heft to it. Just my two cents, FWIW... CT

Hi Les! You are right. Out of lazyness, I guess, I use the "Rapid cut" grade, but for polishing by hand on my models. It works well, and I've never went trough the clear or paint so far. Followed by Meguiar's Scratch X for glaze, and voilà! CT

Hi Patrick! Ah, the challenges of international branding. Remember the Chevrolet Nova? In some contries, it meant the car "did not go". Talk about a blunder! To your point about toothpaste for polish: it makes sense, since it IS an abrasive after all. Kind of a "micro-compound". It will also work to dull the shine of some vynil tires. I know that for a fact! Speaking of compounds, my go-to for polishing paint jobs is FARECLA, a formidable british product. It's a small world... CT