Casey

I sent Michael a PM on this subject, but we should all look through the backpages of the Resin section and see which topics are locked. That will give anyone a good idea of what to expect.

I removed the inaccurate framerails and picked up some ribbed styrene sheet which closely matches the 1:1 cargo floor, so after some measuring, cutting and test fitting, the new ribbed cargo floor was glued in place. Both the upper and lower layers are now permanently joined, which added some much needed strength: The bottom side, now smooth and sans framerails. The glue squeezeout will be sanded off, the round hole plugged, and new rectangular framerails will be added: I still have to reattach the front piece of the lower floor at the correct angle, so I will probably do that once the final floor-to-body fit is fine tuned, which means I need to add the roof and side wall ribs first. The vertical ribs above the rear wheel houses will help establish the body-to-chassis height at the rear, and the grille needs to be in place before the front chassis-to-body height can be established.

NaOH, sodium hydroxide, or lye as its more commonly known, is the main ingredient in both drain cleaners and Easy Off oven cleaner in the yellow can. It does a great job stripping chrome and paint, as well as the clear undercoating which is found underneath the chrome plating on most model parts. As with any chemical, precautions should be taken to protect yourself when using them. Follow the label directions and suggestions.

I think a sub-section dedicated to all paint and painting related topics would be a good idea, too, and maybe we could expand the "Modelling Q&A" section to include tools, too?

I love watching that show, and don't even like heavy metal.

What are the numbers (xxx-xxxx) cast into the sprue tab?

I can't say for sure if they are the same, but the last(?) reissue of the Rat Vega kit as the "VEGA MINI-VAN" has 200-S wheels fore and aft: The original issue of the Rat Vega has the American Torq Thrust style wheels (shown on the Boss A Bone box art drawing), as seen on this build: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=40185

I can't think of any other Monogram kits, other than the Badman, which used the American 200-S rear wheels. The original issue "Poison Pinto" also used the Starfish big 'n' little wheels and tires: ...as did the Rat Vega kit, but not the original issue: The original issue appears to use Torq Thrust style wheels (at least up front) as on the Boss A Bone box art:

Finally, the '74 version with a correct roof.

I think the Fire Iron's wheels are the same, except the fronts are much narrower: The Baja Bandito/Beast or Firebomb kits are probably your best best for a complete set of big 'n' littles: I don't know if the Boss A Bone actually included the Starfish wheels or not, but the box art shows what look like American 200-S "Daisy" style wheels:

Photobucket has an Advanced Photo Editor which has many of the image editing options Photoshop offers, and should be enough for most web images. Try uploading them there and modifying them as necessary.

Here's the topic about the '77 Pontiac Cam Am from RMR George mentioned above: http://www.modelcars...showtopic=40233 And another on the same offering: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=36153 Not the best starting point IMHO, as you're still totally scratchbuilding the nose and rear end, interior, etc...

It's the spelling of JO-HAN which always gets me...won't get it wrong from now on. I wonder if anyone took similar photos of the Monogram factory in Morton Grove, IL, before it was razed to make way for some condos?

There was a really good Johan topic somewhere on the forum, but I can't seem to locate it. A European member had actually visited Detroit and the Johan building in the '90s IIRC, and maybe posted some pics of the inside? The ending was typical., though- the building was razed years ago and is now a parking lot. Google Maps confirms it.

The Monogram/Revell kits are well done, and I don't recall having any fitment issues on the 4th gen Firebirds and Camaros I built. IMHO, the mid '90s was a high point for R-M, with some very nicely engineered kits being released. Go with the Revell/Monogram kits. You won't be disappointed.

I think part of the appeal of Johan kits lies in their "independent" status, at least compared to AMT/Ertl, Revell and Monogram during the '80s. Johan made their kits in Detroit, in a small buidling, with outdated equipment, and I think a lot of people wanted to see them succeed just based on their underdog status. The history of Johan is similar to that of AMC, the last of the independent automakers, in that they were always the little kid on the block, trying to make due with outdated equipment and older products, and never being able to come up with enough money to invest back into the company. It seems they were always playing catch-up, but were never quite able to do that.

Sounds like a good idea for a new topic.

I think that's what I tried to say. Nice work on the body so far, Tom. This one is going to make a lot of people happy when it's finished.

Send a PM, please, when inquiring about cost.

Try searching the Under Glass section using the key words Chevelle, Nova, and Monte.

I kind of like the larger spokes from the '85 Monte SS kit. The Cutlass has big enough wheel arches to allow big tires/wheels to work.

Thanks for the kind words. 1:43 scale isn't that much more difficult than 1:25, but there are fewer readily available parts and kits to use as donors. Sometimes that's a good thing. There were a few versions of the 1:50 scale A-100 in the (now defunct?) G-Machines/Custom Classics line, but the tires are extremely lo-pro- probably even too low profile for a Pro Touring vehicle: There are some nice Minilite style wheels on some of the other vehicles, like this '70 Sam Posey Challenger knock-off: The '41 Willys gasser also has a decent set of five-spoke wheels and nice slicks which could pass for 1:43 scale, and some of the Monster Machines also have oversized rear tires which could work.

I moved the progress-specific posts from the OTW thread back to here, so everything is in one place. It probably should all be in the OTW section, but it's good for others to see how a resin master is created, and this one is certainly looking good so far.

Where is it warped? I hope you don't mean the nose, as it's supposed to be that way on the Bugaboo:

I think Lindberg made both a Grand Prix and Grand Am in their 1/32 scale line of Mini Lindys. Someone posted the Grand Prix in "Under Glass" last week. The only bi-scale '73 Grand Am I know of is the one built by Juha Airio a decade(?) ago and featured in Car Modeler magazine. I know he has mastered a few resin kits for AirTrax in Europe, but I don't think they did a resin kit of the Grand Am.