Claude Thibodeau

Hi Ludwig! All the class of the vintage Caddy is reflected in your built. Great color too! Bravo! CT PS: Who doesn't have a soft spot for vintage Johan kits?

... and "hot" OEM lacquer spray cans from the auto parts store that almost melted the car body... CT

HI! In relation to the post I entered yesterday (see above), I just learned that I was mistaken as to the identity of the talented man from St-Jean Port-Joli who repaired old neon signs (among many other creative activities). His name is not BOURGAULT as I speculated, but rather EDDY FOREST. He originally came from North-Bay, Ontario, and also was involved in Pierce-Arrow automobiles. My thanks to LANDMAN (Pat St-Martin) for setting the record straight. Sincere apologies for my error. Also, looking at other pictures on the thread, we can see a 33 Ford Cabriolet being serviced by the car-hop, and a 35 Ford in another pix. The main picture at the beginning of the thread is a bit more difficult to "date". Forensics anyone? CT

Hi Jay! Thank you for the comments. To your point about the wheels: I agree! I much prefer deeper wheels, But the Jag XK220 IRS was too wide for that. That explains why I settled for more "contemporary" late model, high offset wheels, alas... The only other option would have been to flare/widen the rear quarters... But I felt it deterred too much from the original design. CT

Hi Raymond! I scrolled trough your post, and it is a fascinating project. I live 30 miles from St-Jean Port Joli, the little village refered to earlier in the thread, where a sculptor was also repairing old neon signs. It must have been Mister BOURGAULT. Their whole family is well know for that kind of art. In the opening picture, there are a couple of 1930 Ford sedans, identified by the one-piece splash apron that ties the runningboard to the lower body. Therefore, I'd guess it was taken at least in the fall of 1930. The same picture shows large "nets" hanging from poles far away in the background skyline. What are those? Keep on! CT

Hi Jerry! Funny you should ask, because I'm currently building this kit too. Mine is the '70 Ram-Rod version (post Gene Snow licensing deal). You are right: it's easy to loose the front bumper, cause most builders did not glue it. Actually, the flash in the front panel slots held the bumper tabs in place reasonnably well, so that may be why most skipped glue. Mine was still in the bag of parts that came with the kit. No trace of glue in the usual spots. This is a great kit: the panel tolerances on the inside shrouds and bulkhead is incredible for a kit of this era. The only snafu I noticed in the instruction is the rear disc brakes/hubs must be mounted in such a way that the brake discs sit under the brake calipers, not against the rear wheel flanges as instructed... Good luck with your search. If I see one, I'll get back to you! CT

HI Dave! You are right about HOK Show Klear Urethane: I use it on my 1/1 cars, and it is world class: medium thickness, great flow, extreme shine, but... Once catalized and fully cured, mucho difficulto to polish to perfection. On a steel body, no problem, you just rub or polish harder. On a flimsy styrene scale body... a gentle approachj is needed. Ultimately, I guess we are a bunch of hard to satisfy fellas... LOL. CT

Hi Dave! Thank for the detailed reply, Just what I wanted. Actually, my technique is the same as yours, except I never used the Duplicolor clear. And I use Farecla rapid cut compound. But, you are the second person I know who achieves great results with it, the other being a friend here in the Great White North. So, I guess I'll give it a try on my next model. I am a fan of Testor's Wet Look clear: easy to apply, virtually never runs, and the perfect viscosity to achieve a glass look even before polishing (at least, in my experience!). Alas, Testor's is going out of the paint market, and my reserve is drying up slowly... Tamya's TS-13 is fine, but much thinner, hence more coats (hello orange peel) and even at that, sometimes prone to rub-trough at polishing time (don't ask me how I know...). The new Revell line is good, but somehow, it is even more "thin" than TS-13. So, Duplicolor experiment, here I come. Here's a pic of Wet Look on one of my built... CT

Hi Phil! Thank you. And to say that I never cared for baseball... I should have! CT

Hi Paul! Thanks for your comments. My only aftertought is: should I had enlarged the rear wheels openings, raising it higher? The whole car might have seemed less heavy... Next time maybe! CT

Hi Francis! See, you start to have an influence on me... I find myself building Mopars more and more. I even have a real 1970 Challenger 440 6-Pack under resto in my garage. Besides, I always wondered what SRT meant... Now I know! Thanks. CT

HI! Thanks for the reply. I also have some of those, from MIchael's. In my case, the brand is Jacquard, if I remember correctly. Good product. I bought a quart of their powder directly from the factory two years ago, and used it with great results on a 1/1 car. CT

Hi Dave! Wow, great inventory! Luckily for us, you found some time to "unpack the gems". World class! Your mastery of paint application and finishing is clear. Can you expand a bit on your clearing and polishing techniques? I ,for one, could benefit! CT

Hi Russell! Great rescue indeed. Bravo! Now with the question: you mention pearl in the clear coat. Did-you mix and airbrush it? Or used Tamya's Pearl clear as an intercoat before the final clear? Just curious... CT

Hi Sir! Thank you for your care and dedication. Our hobby would not be the same without people like you. CT

Hi Tim! There must be something with guy named Tim... Maybe the Styrene Fairy visited them in the crib? Who knows... Thank you for the kind words. As you know, scale modeling is a formidable way to explore ideas, concepts, and techniques... and still do no harm! Where else can you built strange things without raising the fear of a paying customer or Department of Transportation inspector? For a while, I had the chance to work with a very creative and successful comedy writer. He was always coming up with bits that we did not expect. Pressed on it, he would say: "It's easy, when everebody is staring in one direction, I force myself to look the other way. So, I'm just the first to notice something that's in plain sight". I cannot claim his mastery of that technique, but I try to give it a shot as often as I can. That may explain some of my experiments... CT

Hi Sir! Thank you for the comments. I followed such contests back then, if just trough the pages of the 2 model magazines that I was subscribing to. You know, a a time when only the cover and back page were printed in colour, and the paper inside was of the newsprint type... I still have a few slightly worn copies in my collection. I look at them once in a while, and I can see the almost outworldly originality of the vehicles that retained the attention of the judges. They pushed us to experiment and try to do better. Many among us returning to the hobby, after often long hyatus, now enjoy more time and means that they can spend at their bench. And I, for one, can't see the end of it! CT

Hi Tim! I'm just an old guy with too much time on his hands, as my wife often says. So, I persevere. This morning, I was browsing trough your latest book (excellent!) and I read your comments about Johan's Gene Snow Challenger F/C. I agree, and the more so because I'm currently building one. The fit of the body panels that shroud the driver is UNBELIEVABLE. And it was just the 60's! I was lucky to buy a lot from and old friend, including this Challenger, the Javelin F/C and the long nose Mustang. Talk about nostalgia. I built those back when I was a kid, but this time, I'll try do do them justice! If you've got the time, I'd like your critique of the 68 Charger that I recently posted in the cars section of this forum. Hours of fun with styrene! regards, CT

Hi Sir! Speaking of the Latham blower... I know there's one (or very similar) in Johan's 1970 Cadillac Eldorado. I saved it for an eventual rod project. You don't come upon one very often. Do you know of other sources still available today? CT

Hi Tom! I had no idea that from all acessories that the aftermarket offered for the PT, scissor doors were part of it. When I look at the PT, the first thing that comes to my mind is not exactly "sexy italian supercar". Go figure... CT

HI! I don't know much about spaceships... but the minute details of your printing technique are fine! CT

Hi Jim! Thank you. I'm certain your mind can. It's just a training process. And as you know, sometimes we try and hit the wall, or strike gold if the gods of styrene are looking upon us! Besides, we hardly ever truly innovate. We just rearrange ideas that made a strong impression on us, consciously or not! CT

Hi Francis! Masterfull work, bravo! Your idea to use the thin aluminium from a disquette is clever. Those a rare nowadays, but I think my wife may still have a few stuck somewhere. I'll find them, and thanks to you, I can already think of some uses for them! CT

Hi Paul! Thank you for the compliments. Much appreciated. To your points: Here in the great white north, some strange substances are indeed legal. But I'm a non-smoker, and always have been. Back when my friends started with cigarettes, I was stubbornly refusing to blow my money up in smoke, choosing instead to spend it on... styrene! Look where it got me... Seriously, I build 1/1 cars as a day job, but models allow for more experimentation at a tiny fraction of the cost, as you know. As for running with the new Vette... The big coke-bottle shaped Charger is nice, but remains very heavy. Who knows... After all: "This thing got a Hemi" as they say. CT

Thank you Jim! Coming from a guy who goes by the monicker RestoModGuy, and has a Charger picture in his profile (if I'm not mistaken?), it is quite a compliment. CT