Tcoat

OK, so I spent hours and hour spraying two coats of super gloss black lacquer, then clear coating and polishing to Concours level shine, took the body back up to the bench took one long look at it and went back to the spray booth. It was a beautiful shiny black van but it was not MY black van. My van had a 6 year old enamel paint job, never saw wax at any point while I owned it and was washed with a brush at a U-Wash booth when it go washed at all. It needed to have a fully intact but bit scruffy and mottled shiny finish. I sprayed a coat of Tamiya semi gloss black over it but that was not shiny enough and far, far to smooth and even. Next step was to spray a light coat of Future over the whole thing. This brought the gloss way back up again so I used some Windex to remove much of it leaving it more uneven with some areas less glossy than others. Then I took an 800 grit sanding stick and added (GASP)swirl marks and light scrapes. It is now perfect and looks like the real thing not a garage queen show van!

Nobody noticed that Taxdude hasn't logged in since the day after he posted this 2021?

Been doing this since the '70s! 1001 uses.

Did you use the exact same paint as he did? I can't get that paint here and tried three other types but could not get even close to his results so went back to stippling liquid cement. Your results look perfect!

Sweet! Good timing in the cat. I had to pull a steering column and wheel out of the cat's mouth just last night.

I am new to this forum and car modeling in general (been doing military for 20 years though) and as much as I am in awe looking at all the customs, hot rods and street machine builds my heart still belongs to those basic real life vehicles that "normal" people drive and own. My "usual" builds will all be along this sort of theme although as I build skills I may venture into the custom car at some point. Right now I still struggle to get a decent gloss paint job though!

This is one from my "Cars From My Life" list as my mother had a rather hopped up '66 in the mid '70s so I will be joining the list of followers.

She is a beauty and the build thread was a fun ride.

I would have a whole pile of them in the center.

For sure! Nice even spacing. As long as it is well secured so it can't wiggle on you it would do the trick nicely. Be handy to have for many things actually.

Those grooves are a bit too obvious to leave out. I would cut some Dyno tape as spacers to run a scriber down and go to town.

Well depending on where you lived maybe. Car theft was actually a much bigger problem back then than it is now. Page 15 https://leb.fbi.gov/file-repository/archives/december-1968.pdf

I can't keep a slot car on an oval track. I would be DOOMED!

You want mice and roaches cuz' that is how you get mice and roaches!

A white (normal now but rare then), six cylinder Camaro with the optional console, wheel covers and radio delete...

Nothing. I would just leave their door open and a note reading "Found it. It is mine now"

Oh some are already here. More of their stories will appear when Under Glass. Did you say "64 Impala"? In stash I have 1966 Covair - Mine 1970 Coronet R/T - Mine 1977 Ford van - Mine 2014 Scion FRS - Mine 2020 Toyota GT86 Hakone -Mine 1965 Chevy Stepside - Dad's (in picture above in the snow) Still looking for kits that I know were/are made 1964 Kahmann Ghia - Mine 1962 VW Van - Dad's (also in picture in snow) 1964 1/2 Mustang - Mom's 1966 T-Bird - Mom's 1976 Gremin - Wife's 1976 Pacer - Wife's Ones I have little hope of ever getting but may be able to convert something: 1991 Eagle Talon TSi - Mine 1974 Chevy Cheyenne Dully - Dad's 1973 Datsun B210 - Wife's 1958 Ford Custom 300 two door - Mine 1992 Geo Metro convertible - Mine (very customized)

Thanks! After decades of military modeling I am just starting on cars. My original plan was to just do cars that I actually owned (that I can get) but that has branched out into more of a broader "Cars That Impacted My life" project. This means that most will not be nice shiny showroom cars but more "real life" versions which will include background stories. And boy will some of them have stories!

It was funny because when you asked I didn't think it said anything on the decal. Close examination resulted in a very clear but scale tiny 390. The badge decals on this kit were exceptional and I wish all the manufacturers provided them.

They say 390 which is much more realistic than one of the 50 427 ones built.

It is a 60's Ford so that hint of rust means it is factory fresh!

That is a picture of my grandfathers actual car. I dug through hundreds of photos and that was literally the only one. I expected more since that car was like a child to him! Most of the existing pictures of may parents cars also involve snow. Obviously pictures of cars in the snow runs in the family and I continue the tradition!

Thanks. I think my new plan will be to pick up another kit and do this scene with the truck. Be a much larger diorama but the truck and the figures will be the focus with the plane wreck secondary. Way down the to do list though so I could change my mind 100 times.

The level of detail in this is going to be amazing. Don't forget lots of gum under the seats!

Your beautiful build and the resulting award shows that those "old" methods still work.There is much to be said for all the "new" techniques but the old ones works for many years and still have great results.