Lobo2me

My Aoshima Aventador kit is on the way. Can't wait!

Perfection! Nice interior and paint!!!

Have fun!

Sure - see pics below of two of my favs, El Kabong ('59 El Camino) and Biggy Rat ('38 Ford Van). I used a “hybrid” rust technique of Elmer’s glue and salt in the following order; 1. Prepped body and applied Mr. Surfacer 1000 primer (gray) 2. Created rust damage and holes with various drill bits and Dremel tools 3. Highlighted holes and rust damage using various shades of dark browns, yellows, and reds and mixed a variety of rust colors then dabbed inside of holes and areas then covered those spots with more Elmers glue and salt to make distinctive layers 4. Sprayed the entire body (inside and out) with Red-Oxide Primer (Ace Hardware) 5. Applied more Elmer’s glue and salt to major body seams and around door panels, holes, spots, and damaged areas. Painted several layers of gray and red oxide in a few spots; some areas even got a sprinkle of fine salt powder 6. Then, I applied what I envisioned was left of the original paint jobs after years of weathering, sun, and DYI fix attempts (see small patches). El Kabong - Sprayed body sections Tamiya Dark Green and Tamiya Coral Blue through vignettes and masks cut in cardboard sections. Biggy Rat – same process but using black instead of green and blue. Also, hit them again with small shots of gray and red-oxide primer in a few spots 7. Removed glue & salt with a toothbrush, used different grits of x-fine sandpaper, and steel wool to highlight areas. Be careful to go through various layers, but not all the way through! 8. Dabbed rust particles made from steel wool & vinegar mix in a few holes 9. Applied custom decals 10. Dullcote over the entire body I hope you found this interesting. I also grew up in the mid-west and saw a lot of road salt damage and rust. All the best, Steve

I think it would be a lot of fun. Joey Lagono seems to have enjoyed his time behind the wheel.

Very nice! Let's make it unanimous. Great paint and superb photography. I've never built an Aoshima kit before. This is tantalizing! Thanks for sharing.

Well done. I think I enjoy building "rust buckets" as much as trying to lay down a perfect fresh paint job. I've come up with a hybrid process using salt and Elmer's glue that works well for me.

Really appreciate the kind comments! Thank you

Fantastic Cobras! What a wonderful tribute and I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your brother. From one prostate cancer survivor to another and to anyone who sees this, early detection is the LIFE SAVER.

Another great job, Claude. Your passion for this hobby really comes through on this baby, and one can clearly see how much fun you had engineering and fabricating every detail and fitting it all into this amazing Lakester. Well done!

Very well done, and thanks for the history lesson. The Mercury GT, well, truthfully, the Ford GT40 is my all-time favorite race car.

Nice! Wholly concept car Batman....BAM, POW, SPLAT!

Nicely done, Steve. I get what you are saying about learning curves and honing and sharpening one's modeling skills. Fifty-plus years after I built my last model as a kid (probably around 15 or 16), I decided to recreate a vehicle that played a massive role in my life. It would require more than one relatively expensive vintage model kit. I found a few online and prepared to take on the challenge. But before attempting that, I figured I had better knock the dust off and improve my latent half-century-old modeling skills. So, before the important one, I decided to practice by building the most significant cars in my life, like a famous car introduced the year I was born, the first car I learned to drive, the first car I wrecked, etc. All that reignited my passion for this hobby, which I enjoy more than ever today!

Nothing "poor" about this bunch. I particularly like the Simca 1000. Well done all!

Very creative, imaginative, and well done! Looks like you could have driven this baby right out of Exner's studio.

Hi David, I feel the same way about "drifting" and am not a big follower. However, I appreciate all forms of racing. You should hear the discussions I have defending the NHRA with my F1 buddies. They don't have a chance! Thanks for the kind words.

Nothing says cool better than a well-done 32 High Boy! Beautiful paint!

Nicely done! I think I like it with the top even more!!!!

A few months ago, I took a deep dive into the parts bin and came up with a 1937 Ford Pickup cab, bed, radiator grill, and headlights. That would be a great place to start my next model project, but what kind of vehicle would it be? Looking for inspiration, I hopped online and stumbled upon several outrageous videos of Joey Logano doing smokey high-speed drifts in his fantastic new Drift Truck. And I was blown away by many other extraordinary renditions of Factory Five Racing’s ‘35 Hot Rod Pickup Truck. That’s it! I’ll build my version of a wild and crazy Drifter. With a few significant alterations, my salvaged ’37 would be perfect. First, I got to work on chopping the roof four scale inches, then shortened the bed by about ten and gave it suicide doors. I constructed the tube chassis with a full roll cage from different diameters and thicknesses of styrene rod, sheet, and diamond plate. Up front, the Indy-style suspension has in-board coil-overs and is posable, and in the rear is a custom four-link suspension. And, of course, this beast has to roll on low-profile, high-performance wheels and tires (from Lindberg’s ’38 Custom Ford Van kit). I returned to the parts bin for an appropriate motor and found a Chevy V8 block. Plug wires leading to Gen V LS ignition coils under vintage valve covers were added, and I put Hilborn velocity stacks on top. Tube headers send the noise rearward, and coolant lines and additional accessories make it look like a vintage drag motor. Interior features include EVO Racing seats with 5-point racing harnesses, a scratch-built shifter and drift brake, and a fire extinguisher bottle nestled between the seats. I modified the kit dash by adding toggle switches and a PE instrument bezel and mounted custom loud, whoa, and snatch (clutch) pedals to the driver’s side diamond plate firewall. Flat sheet stock with simulated tuck & roll upholstery finish off the inside door panels. Lessons learned: I should have taken better photos during the construction phase to capture the high points of the cramped interior. Dual racing radiators (like Logano’s truck) keep things cool even at negative MPH and are flanked by Semi-truck-style exhaust stacks. An Optima battery and a Le Mans-style gas cap are also in the bed. Rear shock towers protrude through the diamond plate bed to provide adequate travel. Various Tamiya and Testor’s paints and other materials and finishes are used throughout. The body is finished in Tamiya TS19 Metallic Blue over TS76 Metallic Silver, topped off with TS13 Clear. Molotow chrome pen and Bare Metal foil appear in a few small places. Custom “High Plains Drifter” Inkjet decals are applied to both doors and the tailgate, complete with Clint’s silhouette holding his trusty Colt revolver. All comments are welcome. Thanks for looking!

Hi Thomas; Firstly, Thomas, I must say your work on the Hasegawa 767B is truly impressive! The paint, decals, and photography are all top-notch. I'm particularly grateful for the tip on the Revell chrome spray. I've already ordered a can, and I'm eagerly looking forward to giving it a shot. Meanwhile, on another note, last year, I got the bug to finally build a tribute to the 1991 Le Mans-winning Mazda 787B-002. I was lucky enough to see it race that year, but full disclosure: I could only attend the first six hours of Le Mans because of work commitments. The Paris Airshow always gets in the way, one way or another, every other year. Back to the build. At the time, I couldn't find the Tamiya model, so I ordered a Hasegawa kit and a set of Studio27 decals. I figured I could make the necessary modifications. But while the Hasegawa was in transit, I found the Tamiya model. When the Hasegawa arrived, I decided to build that as practice while waiting for the other kit to arrive, but with a different made-up paint scheme. It was a good exercise to learn a lot about the finicky decals. Then, it was time for the 1991 winner. I tried to replicate the engine compartment and capture all exterior details accurately. I thought I'd share both here for your amusement. All the best, Steve

Nice interior and under the hood detail! Very well done!!!!

What creativity, imagination, and superb craftsmanship! Well done....and way cool!!!

Excellent! If the blue one took home a 2nd place ribbon, I'd think the Willow Green build should garner a 1st place trophy. Well done!

I had a 1:1 1989 Mk VII, but the paint was Shadow Blue, and the motor was nothing like the gorgeous supercharged DOHC Mod V8 you stuffed in there. However, the stance was similar after the airbag suspension failed... a couple of times! Nice job!

Nice! Your attention to detail (like the underhood insulation) and fit and finish are well done. Good job, and thanks for sharing.