Nox

Looking good, really makes the two-tone pop!

Also while I'm thinking about it...in regard to sanding after the primer coat. I know the body will definitely get it (will probably give it a second primer coat, after inspection it appears a little thin especially on the bottom edges and around the fenders), but is it recommended to do it anywhere else? I'm planning to spray the frame and floorpan, but I may start detailing the engine and whatnot tonight. Is there any additional prep I should do prior, or should they be fine as is. The primer can't be scratched off with a fingernail, so I'm assuming it is cured. Thoughts or suggestions?

Geoff, that thing is a masterpiece. I have been following your progress on it and was anxiously awaiting seeing the finished product. I am currently working on the special edition model of it, so I've been using your posts as a reference. That thing looks incredible, and much deserving of the magazine spot.

I got the primer coat done, left a lot of the pieces still attached to the sprue sheets but will most likely touch them up by hand if needed once clipped. I don't have any holding clips (on my list of things to get), but the primer dried so quickly that I could flip everything shortly after spraying one side and hit the reverse sides without leaving any marks. Overall I'm pretty satisfied with how it's turned out so far. Also, I think my wife is about to kill me for doing this in the basement...spray box definitely needs to go on that list of things to get.

Been a minute since I've been able to do much on account of working a lot and last week being tied up deer hunting. I did get an order together and now have at least some proper items to work with. I have a designated modeling mat, utility knife with multiple blades, various tweezers and forceps, assortment of wet/dry sandpaper (120-5000 grit) and some Vallejo plastic putty. I got Tamiya spray cans of fine gray primer and TS-6 matte black for when painting begins. I'm also going to try (this may have been done by someone already) using the purple Scotch delicate surface painters tape when taping off. I know people seem to swear by the Tamiya tape, but I kinda wanna see firsthand how this stuff does. If anyone has already tried it, feel free to share your own results, but I kinda wanna see firsthand results on my own as well. Due to cold weather, and not having an indoor painting area, I'm going to be left with the old "spray cans in a pan of hot water and quick shooting the parts outside" painting method. Probably going to hit the frame or interior first since they are less noticeable if something doesn't go well. Hopefully will have some more to post within the next week.

Thanks Tom. I've already learned enough to effectively make me realize I had no idea what I was doing years ago!

Good to know, guys. I will definitely put an order in.

I think I'll just try to polish it up for now but I did see some sweet custom springs made using coiled wire on another build. Definitely something I'll consider going forward. Steve, I should have clarified earlier, I'm using Testors model cement, not actual "glue", per se. But I do understand what you're saying. I will definitely pick up some of the clear parts glue prior to the glass going in, as I've heard there can be a lot of unsightly issues if done using the wrong thing. I also know I need to get some type of CA though as I don't currently have any, and I know from experience application of model cement to painted parts gets ugly fast. In the past I had always tried to keep an unpainted section of the various parts I was attaching and just hoping for the best with the cement. Since using anything other than cement is a knew arena for me, is CA the way to go with painted parts, or would an epoxy be a better choice? I'm holding off on further "building" until I get some base layer painting done on the groups I already have put together. Just looking for ideas moving forward. Yeah THAT could have been a problem!

Yeah I work nightshift and got home at 5am, decided to stay up and play. That's what lack of sleep gets you lol. I didn't even notice that this morning hahaha.

Okay, first model in over 20 years (literally since I was a teenager) and also my first true post on here. I'm super excited about this build as it is kinda breaking me back into the hobby. Before, I had never really taken the time to do things the right way (like throwing the whole thing together with a glob of glue and drowning it in paint) so let's just call this my first legitimate build...ever. Decided on the Chevelle because my dad had one as his first car, and I've always had a thing for them as a result. There's a lot more to that whole story but for now, we'll stick to the build. Also, if my pictures turned out awful, I don't have an actual camera so they are the best I can do using my phone. Any and all criticism is appreciated and encouraged. I'm here to learn, don't worry about hurting my feelings. I started piecing it together the other night with some makeshift supplies...nowhere near what I needed. I was a bit heavy-handed on the glue in a couple areas, mainly the engine block halves as they were the first components I fitted. Not too overdone though, at least nothing that can't be knocked out with some sanding. So far I have only glued a few partial component groups which will all be getting sprayed as individual units (suspension, radiator, engine block, etc) with detail work being glued individually/hand-painted. Also due to poor tool selection (better supplies coming this week, will be better equipped to do further work at that time instead of just using "what I have on hand") I ended up snapping the rear sway bar. I managed to piece it back together with a minimal seam, and plan to very gently scrape/sand the slight glue seam. The repair seam is visible just under the tweezer blade. I thought I did a decent job at repairing it, but I still want to try to knock that out before painting. I dry-fitted the groups together to see how things looked. More to come!

Hopefully I can leech some of that knowledge off of you as well. Not to downplay anyone else's skills, but your builds are extremely impressive, and I will definitely heed any advice you share. Great to see how helpful everyone is here though. Definitely a friendly community and glad I joined.

Southeast Ohio. It's not a bad area, just not a lot of selection for most things other than the local Wal-Mart, unless you wanna take a pretty decent drive.

Thanks Rich, I figure it will take me a bit to work out the kinks, as there seems to be a bit of learning curve I'll be battling starting off. Also, I've looked at several of your builds and I can only hope to someday be able to pull off what you can do. You are definitely very talented individual. Thanks Dan! I will definitely post my progress, but I feel I'll be doing a LOT more reading than posting. I'm actually kinda floored at the amount of info I've found on here so far. Larry that's awesome, what kind of LE is he? City, county, state, fed? I am a deputy sheriff in a pretty rural county, so LOTS of driving . Your '70 Challenger is awesome, by the way! Thanks for the info, Bo. Yeah, I think expanding my supplies will definitely help things. I would love to get into airbrushing, especially seeing some of the paint jobs on here. I spent a few hours the other night working out plans for a DIY paint booth (I can't justify spending $80-$100 on something I can throw together myself for way less - I also am very frugal). Having no experience with airbrushing though, I would benefit from input from a veteran prior to jumping in headfirst and not having a clue what I'm doing. I actually ordered a few of the Tamiya spray cans (primer and flat black for the frame and other large part groups), a tube of Vallejo plastic putty (I read it was great for seam work and applies very easily), assorted pack of wet/dry sandpaper, a cheap hobby knife kit (yes, it was probably a little too cheap, and I may have to replace it later, but you should see the nightmare I'm working with right now...) and an actual cutting/work pad. I could have gone back to Hobby Lobby (again, only "local" shop) and gotten most of those things, but it's literally an hour away from where I live so it's hard to make that trip only for a few hobby supplies. Amazon Prime is a lifesaver for me in most cases. I have a designated pair of side-cuts as well, as I was trying to cut pieces loose with the "nightmare" knife I mentioned. I accidentally snapped the rear sway bar doing so, but luckily I was able to cement it back to a nearly perfect state. Also, loved your '66 Nova project. That was awesome. The reason I am doing the '68 Chevelle is because I like the car, but I was actually planning on doing a '66 for my dad. It was his first car and he loved that thing. Unfortunately, my mother decided it was not a family car and made him sell it for the '84 Cutlass Calais T-Top (which my brother decided to wind test on the interstate when he was little...those glass panes are expensive apparently). I have a very poor quality picture of the Chevelle (it's tiny, like a 1x2" picture which is pretty faded) but I want to re-create it for him if I can. So I'm doing the '68 as a sort of "practice run" before I start into the one that has a lot more meaning. My mom also had a '75 Cutlass Supreme we used to call the black widow, it started silver but got a half-cocked re-paint and somehow ended up mostly primer black, and sold shortly after. I can't elaborate any further on that because I don't actually know the whole story, nor have I ever been able to get it out of her. Would love to find a kit for it and try to re-create that piece of childhood nostalgia as well though. So as you can see, I've got some ideas, just need some help getting them implemented. I appreciate the info you've tossed out though, and don't be surprised if I hit you up for some advice. Thank you, Steve. I will try to get something posted up on the workbench within the next couple of days. And the detail on your current Olds build is amazing! I will gladly take any advice you can give when it comes to those little extras.

That looks fantastic. Spared no detail, including the hat and patrol rifle in the front seat I can see, and the shotgun hood stand cracks me up. Very nicely done, great color as well!

Hello everyone, My name is Logan, I'm 34, I am in law enforcement, married, and have a bunch of dogs. I just recently moved out to the country, with no cable and limited (satellite) internet, so I find myself with a lot more free time that needs occupied. I've always been artistic (was practically teaching the art classes at my high school) and was pretty good with paints and a canvas back in my earlier years. I have a love of creating things and seeing the finished product. I like to build things and do things with my hands, whether it be putting together a shelf from IKEA or cutting/building/staining a cabinet by hand. Also, it should be noted, I love cars but I am in no way a car buff in the sense a lot of you are. I change my own brakes and oil, small things like that, but those are things I've taught myself how to do (thanks YouTube) over the past five years or so. I love working on my vehicles myself, but I am very limited in mechanical knowledge. I don't know the cubic inches of every classic muscle car or how the fenders were supposed to look from one year to the next. That was initially the only thing that made me hesitant about making an account on here, but after looking around for a bit, you lot don't seem the type at all to make fun of someone for something of that nature. Which brings me to how I actually got here... I found this forum because I recently picked up a 1:25 Revell '68 Chevelle SS 396 kit at our local Hobby Lobby (AND ONLY LOCAL HOBBY SHOP PERIOD). This will be the first build I have done since I was a teenager, so I was looking up similar builds to see how others have turned out. I found Geoff Brown's work in progress post on here and probably spent a solid three hours last night reviewing his photo progress. Mine is the special edition box, but appears to be identical to his in nearly every way (I believe my kit has four or five additional pieces...so I'm assuming it may be something optional/cosmetic in nature). Since the last time I built a model, apparently a lot of things have changed. I went with the old tried and true Testors enamels I grew up with and planned to hand paint the entire thing...because that's all I've ever known. Turns out they make spray cans now and airbrushing is a thing, who knew??? So after a few more hours on this forum (at 6am I called it a night) I discovered I actually know nothing about this hobby anymore. I have gained an overwhelming amount of knowledge from this forum in the past day alone, but it definitely seems to be where I need to be to keep learning and improve my techniques (and probably make things a lot easier on myself, too!) I know I most likely need a better work area, because right now I'm essentially using my computer desk and sitting with my keyboard in my lap while building the car. I probably also need to re-evaluate my equipment ("$4.99 Model Brush 4-Pack", rubber cement, retractable blade utility knife I've already cut myself with while removing parts, a pair of my wife's tweezers, some form of well-aged paint thinner that looks like milk...). No primer, no putty, nothing other than paints and the items I listed above. Not the most ideal setup. I've decided (after research on here) I am going to spray the body and some other main group items like the engine block and suspension, but will continue with hand painting everything else. It may look like a trainwreck, or it may look perfect. Regardless, it's going to be my creation, and I'm gonna have fun with it. So I look forward to getting to know everyone, and definitely look forward to expanding my knowledge. I am also going to try to post my progress on the workbench, if nothing else than just for me to be able to document how things are going. I take criticism like a champ, so please feel free to chime in and nitpick about anything and everything. Suggestions are always welcome in my book, especially from those, like yourselves, who are WAY more experienced than I!