Claude Thibodeau

Hi Bruce! Thanks for the compliments. You are right: In this day and age, salt lake racing may be the last "amateur" motor sport. To me, it is certainly part of it's appeal. So much styrene, so little time! CT

Hi Glen! Thank you for the comments! CT

Hi Ismael! Thank you for the compliments. Rest assured that I'm no expert myself as to SCTA rules. Just some basic research and some fantasies allow me to have fun with styrene and concepts. Go ahead: create your own racer, and share it here! CT

HI! This week, paid 13.99 CDN $ for a 100ml can of Revell's spray clear, and 23 CDN$ (!) for a large (180ml) spary can of Mr.Hobby clear. Granted, my LHS is a bit on the pricey side, but at least, is well stocked and offers brands that he is the sole provider for locally. Oh well... CT

Hi Paul! I will forward your good advice to our friend Jay, who actually started this thread. I just chipped in two days ago, and various "conversations " ensued. Keep modeling! CT

Hi Steve! Imagination at work here! You are right: it is very "believable", indeed. Bravo! CT

Hi Steve! Thanks for the info. I naïvely assumed they were of the same wheelbase. although longer overall. Now we know why they called them "chrome barges"... CT

Hi Mike! Well, I removed the "floor" of the Eldo interior bucket, and made a new floor to surround the driving shaft tunnel that was molded to the Riv's floorpan. Voilà! CT

Thank you Paul. Happy you like it! CT

Hi John! The Classic Plastic event, hopefully, will return this coming october. We'll shure be happy to attend! CT

Hi Greg! I just found that you joined this thread with the blue Chevy pics. Thank you. It looks very shiny! I must say I'm not surprised. I experimented further with the Revell clear this past winter, and I must say I am more and more impressed by it. It seems of lesser viscosity than the Testor's, but logically flashes faster, and in my experience, maintaining more of the desirable wet look while drying. I also discovered that if you limit yourself to two (2) wet applications spaced by about 10 minutes, the "wet" look you get after the second heavy coat stays suprisingly glossy after curing. Which eases the polishing process. All in all, I think it will be my go-to clear for the foreseable future. I also discovered that the stem on the Revell can accepts the Testor's accessory spray caps pack that I bought at Michael's when they clearanced the Testor's line of spray can paints last year. One of the caps (the black one) is supposed to provide a narrower fan (1.5 inch vs 2.5 on the Revell standard white cap). I will test it soon, and report my findings, if they can be of any help to fellow modelers. I also tested MR. Hobby Super Clear AND followed it with their Flashcoat (Top coat). They lost much gloss upon curing, but after vigourous polishing, gave acceptable results. But stlil required more work than Revell's or Testor's Wet Look to attain the same smooth gloss. Keep spraying! CT

Hi Jay! To the best of my memory, yes it was. The wheels are centered, and I only had to notch the firewall lower center portion to clear the transmission. I chose to leave the front inner wheel tubs out, as you see on many modern customs. It also allowed a lower stance with those fairly large diameter wheels/tires. And I made a short extension to the front roll pan, which is more pointed on the Eldo than on the Riv. The paint is Testor's Inca Gold, but with a coat of Tamya's Peral clear to tone-down the big metallic sparkle of Testor's. Other than that... just a regular day at the office! CT

Hi! I used to rely on white plastic spoons for color testing, but I found a better accessory... I use the white plastic "cones" upper section that come with the gel based air fresheners (1$ each) that my wife uses inside cabinets, in the rest room, etc. The gel evaporates over time (about a month), and she throws them away. I junk the lower section that carries the remnant of the gel, and get rid of the stem at the top of the upper section (just push it out from inside the cone) so they can stack on top of each other. . It is white, satin smooth, and doesn't even require primer, handles well, and can't break. It's great for testing metallics, candies, etc. Once your base coat and clear are dry, you can polish it and write the paint codes inside the cone with a Sharpie. They stack on top of each other, are light, don't discolor, and present curves and notches that reflect light in different gradients, just like a car body. Be warned that they are NOT made of styrene like plastic spoons. Therefore, don't use them to judge compatibility of your paint with styrene, but just to test finishes. And those test cones don't lie: whatever the spray can cap shows... you get the true color of your paint here! I have about 50 in my paint area, and "consult" them often to choose color for a build. Just my two cents... CT

Hi Jay! If you ever convert it to rear wheel drive, the 66 Riviera chassis (AMT) is a shoe-in. I did it on a 1970 version. See pix below. The wheels are the alternate version on the Revell Caddy Escalade, but with slighly lower sidewall ratio tires. Have fun with your project! CT

Hi Alan! Thanks for the kind words, much appreciated. Please, show us your lakester as soon as it's done. There will never be be too many members of the FLAT EARTH SOCIETY! Keep them coming! CT

Merci Philippe! I also posted this car on the Koolest kruzers forum of France. I was pleasantly surprised to see they used it in their monthly newsletter as a "subject of interest". You never know... CT

Hi Jim! Very nice, your chassis and paint work are impressive. Keep on! CT

Salut Mario! Thank you for the compliments. Inspiring each other seems the best side of this forum. Keep building: so much styrene, so little time! CT

Thank you so much, Steve! CT

Thank you Trevor! It was, indeed, a lot of satisfaction seeing it come together. Hours of fun with styrene! CT

Thank you Chris! CT

Hi Daniel! Wow, talk about cramming so many details in such a small space! Your fuel system itself is worth the price of admission, and the finish on the headers is so life-like it's hard to distinguish from the 1/1! Bravo! CT

Thank you Carl, I'm flattered! CT

Hi Mario! Very nice, you somehow take me back to my youth. It is "period correct", just as they left the dealership. Bravo! CT

Hi Paul! Very unique and impressive. It is loaded with unique ideas and original thinking. Can you say RETRO-NOUVEAU... For lack of a better definition? Or Forward to the Past? Bravo! CT