Jump to content
Model Cars Magazine Forum

Claude Thibodeau

Members
  • Posts

    5,797
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by Claude Thibodeau

  1. Hi! Great mash-up! The defunct "Fast Mustangs & Fords" magazine featured a 1/1 satin black 72 Torino that looked a bit like yours, years ago. You nailed it! Bravo! CT
  2. Hi! The stance is absolutely perfect, bravo! Did you wire the spark plugs in a dark colour of wire, or is-it just me not seeing it? Just curious... CT
  3. Hi! I moved away from any plastic type of containers/stands, because under certain weather conditions or humidity ratio, they will conduct electricity, and static then pulls-in all the dust floating around. Wine bottles (glass) with long necks and twist caps (not cork) are ideal: a looped piece of duct tape holds the undersdide of bodies/parts solidly, the glass creates no static charge due to air friction against the styrene body (even when using Tamya's lacquers), and their weight makes them very stable. I usually store the bottles and painted parts under a wooden shelf during drying time. The long bottles put the bodies just under the shelf, which means virtually no dust will settle on the wet paint during curing time. Good luck with your projects!
  4. Hi! If you aim to do a good volume of work with your AB, you might want a DUAL ACTION, like a Badger or other good brand. A bit more money upfront, but much more versatile once you get the learning curve behind you! Brand names AB usually have a good service network if you need parts/maintenance later. Many cheap auto-parts compressors for airbrush have no air tank! It means they start every time you pull the trigger... And odd paint speckles will occur at the beginning and end of every stroke. Not good with metallic or candy paints! I bought my first AB spending more than I had expected. I saved on the compressor for 2 years, using a junk truck tire and wheel bought dirt cheap at a scrap yard, and a small brass adapter to screw on the tire valve to connect the air hose of my AB. It took 50 lbs of air at the gas station air pump, and since it was a big truck tire, it had enough air inside to last for a couple of car bodies. Empty? Back to the gas station for a free refill. That's how I saved the money to buy a better AB, and put money aside over 2 years to finally buy a good compressor at a later date. Even I couldn't tell which car was painted with the "truck tire" versus the later regular compressor! Have fun with styrene! CT
  5. Hi! Interesting project! I used the same 65 Chevy roof on a 70 Monte-Carlo, to recreate a Nomad concept penned by the great Steve Stanford. That roof is a good basis for adaptation on many mid-size cars. Keep going! CT
  6. Hi Mr. Boyd! Your winning car was very advanced for the times. No surprise it won back then. And your resto job is world class. Come to think of it: If Barrret-Jackson can run auctions for mega $ restored seminal cars of the past... why not do it for notable models? The old guys out there (of which I must confess I am!) would gladly unfold some money for those prized icons. Just the sight of the cover of Model Car 1970 brought me back to my teens... Nostalgia: Priceless! For the rest, we all have credit cards, don't we? Regards, CT
  7. Hi Sir! A stunning demonstration that great chefs can do world-class cuisine from leftovers... Bravo! Another of your stunning creations. Please, keep them coming, it's an inspiration! CT
  8. Hi Eric! Thanks for the tutorial, it is much appreciated. On a side note... your scale building is VERY creative... and your 1/1 work is truly World Class. Keep on with both! Regards, CT
  9. Hi! Very creative "monocoque" construction! What exactly is your plotter and structural material? Just curious... CT
  10. Hi! Very nice mash-up. Creative! Do you plan to scribe a line in the side of the cowl, like on a model A, at the junction of the gas tank and side of cowl? Usually, this very line was the extension of the hood-side top edge... That would make this very car look longer. CT
  11. Hi Ray! Well... you certainly cleared any "uncertainty" regarding your ability to build a body! Brings back the 60's! CT
  12. Hi Ludwig! Great built! I had one of those in 1974, and your interior is so "real", it brought back memories of my time behind the wheel. Bravo! CT
  13. Hi! Had no source for a "snorkel" type air intake to put on a Pro-Mod. So, I built one out of 3 sections of angled sprues, with round tubes and butterlies. throttle shafts, barrel valve, distribution block & al. Even the AN connectors and braided lines are scratch. As you can tell, most of the car is also scratchbuilt: chassis, roll cage, interior, seat, etc. Hours of fun with styrene! CT
  14. Hi! If you are positive they are promos, I suppose they are made of the same "mystery" material. Of course, the Johan glue kits were styrene, as I can testify, because like many of us, I've built my share, both back then (early 60's) and nowaday. CT
  15. Hi Snake! That, I haven't tried. Who knows? Is there a chemist in the room to guide us? On a side note, that Javelin you mention is the exact same car I made into a Pro-Touring. See the before and after pix below. Good luck with your project! CT
  16. Gentlemen... If I may... Since I happen to have seen many of Francis' exquisite creations firsthand, and having discussed with him about his "production pace", may I suggest we settle for the term METICULOUS ? Time is not of the essence in those circumstances, isn't it? CT
  17. Hi Christopher! Yes I did, both acetone and MEK... But to no avail. Still a mystery to mer! CT
  18. Hi Snake! Thanks for the supplemental infos. Much appreciated. A few relections based on you latest posts: Yous are right, most promos are NOT styrene. I built a Pro=Touring out of a 68 Johan Javelin promo, and upon opening the hood by cutting with a scriber in the "seams", I broke the cowling at the base of the driver's pillar. NOTHING could glue it back! NOTHING: styrene, super glue, epoxy, whatever: dud. I finished my built, and decided to mount an exterior shift light (scratchbuilt) to hide the hairline crack. It worked, judges commented on the "nice shift light", and never saw the crack. Go figure... Yoy may see it in this pic, if you look closely... Finally, Molotow is not a PAINT, it's technically an INK. That explains why it remains fragile and easy to mar later on. CT
  19. Hi! Your idea of the flares is great! It will make it even more distinctive of the Deora... If not already! Did-you use a second kit, or more likely upon looking at the pix, with simple styrene sheet forming? CT
  20. Hi! Thanks for the infos. You stated you used it without any primer. However, many kit manufacturers spray a "clear" coating on their parts about to be vacuum plated. It shows when you remove chrome with, say, Easy Off. It is the yellowish stuff that remains in some corners of the parts after the removal chemical is done with the shine. I read somewhere that they go to the expense of doing that clear coating to provide a "smoother" surface for the vacuum chrome to "flash" on. Therefore, my question: would your excellent results be even more chrome-like if you first "cleared" the parts with a light coat of a clear compatible with Krylon Foil? Presumably Krylon glossy clear? Curious... CT
  21. Hi Joseph! Thanks for the comment. Actually, the fuel system almost drove me insane while building the car. But I survived! CT
  22. Hi Snake! That Krylon Foil seems very convincing. How many coats would you say you put on those bumpers? Light dusting or medium or heavy coats? Just curious... CT
  23. Hi! Speaking of moving things around... tried it on a Stude Avanti, I called Avanti INVERSO. Hours of fun! CT
  24. Hi Mark! Having been an advertiser for a few years in some street-rod magazines, I was always puzzled by their sales "tactics". Every year saw a reduction in pressed copies (net press run), and SOLD copies. However, to be able to INCREASE their advertising rates and hopefully maintain their revenues, most editors claimed that "yes, we are selling fewer copies of each issue, BUT, we estimate (?!?) that each copy is read by MUCH MORE DISTINCT READERS... ". Therefore, they claimed that it was logical to increase rates for advertisers. Now, I want to be a "faithful believer" in the strenght of certain brand names (let's say Hot Rod, for example)... But to claim each issue is read, ON AVERAGE, by many HUNDRED of readers simply defy intelligence. So, in the face of declining copy sales, hence readership, and ever increasing ad rates, it is not surprising that many household names advertisers put their ad budget elsewhere. Faced with shrinking markets, editors do some research, and determine that SOME of their titles still enjoy enviable "brand recognition". Hot Rod is more of an icon than say, Custom trucks. That explains why they put their bets and promotion money on the remaining titles they deem the most likely to "survive" in the current environment. Like it or not, it's the world we live in... CT
  25. Hi! An acquaintance of mine told me that he simplifed his finishing or "smoothening" af 3D printed parts by lightly (emphasis on LIGHTLY) air-brushed them with pure acetone in numerous successive light coats, and that it "melted" or "flooded-leveled" the surface ridges in a very efficient way. Now, I've never experienced those printed parts, much less the acetone "surfacing". Anyone in the room had any experience with that technique? Just curious... CT
×
×
  • Create New...