Bill Anderson

I went to the garage to spray a '67 Corvette, using a new rattle can of Testor's #1152 Metallic Red. I shook the can for some time (producing a solid rattle) , and gave it a test "squirt", and it seemed fine. My first pass was the underside of the hood, and suddenly the can is throwing out blobs of paint. I re-shoke the can and tried again, and the blobs continued to shoot out. I managed to clean the paint off with some thinner, and then threw the can away in disgust. I've been using spray cans (for all kinds of stuff) since the late '50s, and this never happened before. I just ordered a can of similar color from Tamiya, which should be fine.

Thank you! That looks like the best way to go.

That color sure looks right, but I need a "rattle can" and that is what I prefer. So my question remains, what paint would be closest that comes in a spray can?

Hi, I have the kit and will be replicating a '62 Vette from my JC years. It was "gold" in color, similar (same?) as what the Pontiacs had back then. I think that was called Sahara Gold, but that is questionable. Anyway, my question is, what Testors or Tamiya rattle can paint will come closest to the color I am after? Thank you all for your input! Bill Anderson

Ok, I put the Ford GT back on the shelf and started the Revell '67 Corvette 427 Roadster. It's a pretty nice kit and "normal" as model car kits go. The color will be metallic red.

Thanks all for the input. Yes, I've done the YouTube videos and gotten some insight. But I confess I'm just not sure I can do it justice. I think not having a one piece body is a big part of my concern, but the instructions (at this point anyway) seem a bit intimidating. Funny, the only other model kit that I've had (since the late '50s) that "scared" me was a large wooden Constitution ship model. As I recall, it frustrated the heck out of me and I scrapped it.

Finally finished the Revell 1965 Ford Shelby 427 cu. in. Cobra today. Ha, I was 80 when I started it and I'm now 81! Here are a handful of pics, and I continue to be amazed at how the high definition camera highlights all my goofs. Honestly, it looks better in person. I made two mistakes with the model - one is obvious and the other only an old time Ford guy would see. The center stripe came out pretty nice on both the body and the hood (done separately), but the hood stripe is a bit out of alignment with the body. The other mistake was that I put the intake manifold on backwards, thus forcing the distributor to be located at the back (rather than front) of the motor. By the time I realized my mistake, the thing was solidly glued in place. I've tuned many a pre '70s Ford, and always appreciated that the distributor was up front and easy to work with (set points, etc).

I've found that Dawn (the blue stuff) dish soap works very well. Hey, if it can take petroleum oil off of birds, it can sure take mold release off of plastic.

Hi, I just completed the Revell Ford 427 Cobra kit (pics are in the works) and it looks like next in line is the Tamiya Ford GT (#346). In reviewing the instructions and parts packages, it is obvious I've never built a car/kit like this before. Since my first car models in the early '60s, they have all been front engine, rear drive, typical American vehicles (thru the '90s or so). So to be really honest, this kit looks pretty difficult and I'm questioning whether I can do it justice. I've seen the "real car" at Planet Ford, and it is one of the most beautiful vehicles I have ever seen. So obviously I wanted the kit, and it looks like it is my next project. Of course my question is, has anyone built this kit, and what was your experience and do you have any advice. Thank you all !!!

I was under the assumption that automotive lacquers would attack plastic. It sounds like this is not a good assumption. Can anyone elaborate on that, or on paints that would possibly attack plastic?

For most of my 70 plus years of model building, I've almost always used Testor's or Model Master's enamel paint. But since my "come back" to building auto models, I've used Tamiya and Testor's lacquer a few times - mainly because they offered the color I was after. While I used some acrylics on model railroad cars and structures, I have not used them on model cars. So my question is, what drives you to use enamel, lacquer, or acrylic paint? For me, its been the choice of color, but I'm sure you all have other reasons. Thank you!

I have not built this kit, but have seen my share of 55-57 Chevys back in the '60s. The black model looks pretty good to me, except for one thing. No one would put a cheap looking scoop like that on their car. Even a box shape would look more suitable. Hey, just my opinion, but what do I know - I've always been 100% Ford!

Wow, and I thought I had a lot of paint!

I have a wood two level shelf unit (48"x6"x 4" deep) that sits on the back edge of my work table. It's worked great for a number of years but gradually became "crowded". The paints are intended to be organized by base color. This has helped quite a bit. That said, I know there must be a few dozen bottles I've never used, and even some that are dried up.

Usually, I'll remove the chrome plating at the attachment point/pin, and the scratch the surface of the painted body where the part is to be attached. Using ACC sparingly, this has worked out well in the past.