LL3 Model Worx

I would maybe suggest using a peice of clear frisket film? Use a paper cutter to measure and cut a perfectly strait edge and then just mask off and spray away... I've never had frisket lift any paint on me... (But now that I've said that, I'm probably in for it)

Nice build!

That looks like an excellent job you have one there. Wish that were parked in my garage!

Another fantastic build!

Very nice Donn, the paint job is stunning!

You are welcome... I hope they help out. You can absolutely blame me, I'm used to it (married).

Very nice Goat! If I had $5 for every one of these kits I ruined as a kid, I'd have probably 30 bucks...lol!! Always liked this car, just haven't tried my hand at this kit since my return to building. Maybe I'll add one to the stash.

Oh, I intend to do just that. My Daytona project hit a pretty nasty snag, so it's been shelved until I can gather the mental fortitude to trudge on. Bout to start work on a very very special build. Hoping to really nail this one.

Oh yea, it's not easy by any means... But, I'm glad thinning the paint worked out well for you. It truly makes a massive difference in the quality of paint application either sprayed or brushed. Another rule to remember is always paint light to dark... with your colors. Paint your light colors before your darks as the dark colors cover the light colors more easily and in less coats, making for neater/thinner coats and thus more definition and sharpness. Another thing I learned is, "it's easier to paint a broad straight line, than a narrow one"... so like say on door panel trim (if you aren't foiling) it's easier to paint the trim first where you can afford to be "sloppy" and then come back and do the surrounding area in your base color... Lots of ins and outs of brush painting, that you will learn by trial and error. Keep pushing and you can achieve great results, just keep at it!

Doesn't look too bad... I've personally done ALOT worse at one point. If you are spraying paint either can or airbrush.. tape off what you can. And that will help with cleanliness. If you are hand brushing, thin the paint well and paint in multiple light coats, and use the appropriate sized brush for the part you are working... Alot of times people think they need a real small brush, and that's not the case at all, large brushes usually work better because they hold more paint so they don't dry out as quickly and they tend to flow better because the amount of bristles and paint. So the finish result is usually smoother. Then, practice, practice,practice. I painted figures for a long time and that helped my brush skills quite alot.

Love it! More pics please.

Bad news.... I'm gonna have to completely rethink the interior on this one... the Dimensions are so far out it's going to be a major operation to get everything to somewhat work... the seats are 100% out both front and back. They are far to large. Burned out on this one for now... I still plan to get the body and chassis finished, but the interior situation is gonna take a while.

Yea, those guys are fighting hard for peanuts! Lol. Like somehow HL and the coupon is a secret... that and the 50% coupon that can be had at Michael's... even though they have very few kits, still not bad for a quick stash addition. I went on a streak there for a while where I went by HL every day of the work week and got a kit a day... using the coupon. Then to Michael's once a week for 50% off... then to Ollie's weekly to check for new stock... I racked up a stash QUICK... My wife really hated that lol! But then I learned (same as guitars) just wait until she is gone or asleep to sneak them in the house.

Wasn't until I posted the pics of the VW that i noticed I forgot the vanity plate decal and the antennas...

I have that same 05 Chrysler kit I just opened recently... and ironically I'm trying to fuse it together with the (horrible) Daytona. Also got the Merc Snapper... Wonder if any of it had anything to do with Ollie's buying out all of Toys R Us inventory? I don't remember if they had kits or not but perhaps? I also wonder if Round 2 had produced x number of these kits and didn't sell them immediately to regular retailers... so they just fire sold them to Ollies? Or perhaps they just wanted them off their books before tax time? I'm waiting on a restock at my Ollie's, now all that remains is the regular ships and planes and anatomy models... and a bunch of Corvette promo style kits.

You can't count for his time separate from the profit... his profit is for his time and his time is for his profit. You don't pay yourself and then see how much profit you made... lol We had several mixing machines... I operated them and mixed for my father for many years. Those machines are usually not bought, they are kind of "loaned" usually. Ours were Sherwin Williams... we sold paint that they carried so we had their machines. And they ARE buying gallons of premade paint... what do you think they are mixing with? They are also likely using cheap thinner...to keep it relatively safe for plastic. I agree the quality of auto paint is fantastic in most cases. I have sprayed 100s of gallons of it that's for sure... I even sprayed a few kits with it years ago when I was around 12 or so... still have the models. I take no issue with the pricing or the products... If there is any issue I have it's all these companies Zero, Gravity, Splash, MCW, Scale finishes etc... all claiming their product is somehow different and better than the other guys... when they are all practically the same. But when alot of people are fighting over a tiny share of a tiny market that's to be expected... Its just like when some resin caster gets upset when someone else copies their piece that they themselves copied from a kit... It's like "Its ok to rip someone off, as long as you are the first to do it" mentality that I have seen a fair amount of in this hobby. I see the same thing in music gear...

Oh yea, fully agree on safety awareness! In fact, I know someone personally who had a lung collapse because of catalyzed paint. I personally still prefer Testors enamel for plastic models... and also enjoy Lacquer. But the 2pak stuff for me just isn't worth it on plastic... I have 2 kits painted with the stuff from when I was real young and they do look good, but it's just not worth it for me.

I do understand where you are coming from for certain Steve. And I don't really think model making is gonna go anywhere, at least not for the foreseeable future. Alot of the reason some of the aftermarket places are going belly up is because competition nowadays seems to be pretty fierce! Much more so than years gone by.... I mean now instead of just Pro tech and Detail master, you have how many countless other "companies" pedaling the same type stuff? The market isn't declining I don't think, it's the market share that's being spread to thinly in certain areas. Enamel doesn't dry...it cures. The solvents evaporate over time. Some automotive enamels are not catalyzed and take time to "gas out" The old stuff that you are talking about is not commonly used for anything anymore. Modern urethanes have taken over in the automotive world. Lacquer is practically obsolete paint tech also as far as automobiles are concerned. As they are harder to apply, less durable, with not near the impact or wear resistance of modern urethane.

I agree with you Steve, those guys are filling a needed role, and they should absolutely be making money doing it if people want the product. I do not begrudge them a living at all, and it is priced right for a conveniant niche application for sure. I was just illustrating the basic economic break down of that particular "cottage industry". For factory correct colors in a convenient package they can't be beat, no one can deny that. Heck even though I have access to practically any automotive paint in any color I want, I still prefer Testor enamels for models. Call it Nostalgia...l or me being an idiot... whichever lol

My guess would be urethane...and 2k clear. Then again, its probably stuff from Zero, or some other similar thing.

Looks very nice! I think the tail lights are my favorite part... they look PERFECT! Definitely a "backdoor beauty"

Nice! I feel you on the glue blob! I have a batmobile that I would consider pristine... except for the spot of superglue I dropped right on the paint! Incredibly heartbreaking... broke my will to finish the build!

That's a good lookin model. Not the biggest fan of yellow in general, but I gotta admit, it looks great on this car!

Thanks for the kind words. Being inside that place isn't all its cracked up to be let me tell ya.... It's pretty cool for the first few minutes because it's a real spectacle and you feel the power of 100,000 screaming people inside a giant bowl... so that's cool. But sitting literally shoulder to shoulder with everyone is not my cup of tea... you literally feel packed in tight. Unless you are I'm in a skybox I'm not doing it again lol. And who would have thought we would go bowling this year.... not me!! Lol

Thanks! A few of the pictures make it appear as if there is stuff stuck in the paint... but that's just my phones camera lense... (its busted) and I can't seem to get the dirt specs out of it... Also forgot to add the white wall decals (but I was really afraid of them) and the antennas. I should have used BMF on the trim but I was experimenting with molotow... (product is nice but I hate that thing, the tip clogs way too easy) But oh well the wife was happy so that's what matters.