Lone Wolf

Well done Sir.

Isreal, I'm glad to help. Headers, can be very tricky with model kits since most resin's are "generic fit" not meant for any specific chassis or kit. This is why you might have seen people making their own out of solder, because it's soft and bends easily, but they can be difficult to assemble and glue (CA and/or epoxy, usually). If carburetors have you mystified, other than the accelerator pump(s), which compensate for the additional volume of air that suddenly goes into the engine when opening the throttle (blades), which would otherwise cause the engine to bog or "fall on it's face, " without them squirting extra fuel in, there is no internal "pump" inside of a carburetor. All of the "other fuel" used by the engine is drawn in by the vaccuum an engine creates (by the pistons going down on the intake strokes). In simple terms, excluding the accelerator pump(s), engines suck in the fuel they need, so there's no "pump" inside of carburetors (just an external electric or mechanical fuel pump, feeding the carburetor float bowls). I hope this helps.

Ismael, Great work and detail sir. Please don't take the following the wrong way, I'm just offering some technical details for future reference, in an effort to help, not to criticize you. The 67 Impala was factory available with a big block engine option. In fact I once had a 67 SS-396, 4-speed, (12-bolt rear), Impala. Yet, I can understand you had engine fitment issues with this kit, with the oil pan possibly? Although Holley double pumper carburetors do have 2 accelerator pumps, one on each "end," the split fuel line technically goes into, and feeds the Float Bowls (which then feeds the accelerator pumps & everything else). As a former 67 Impala owner, I really like where you're going with this build, and I'm looking forward to seeing the completed project.

peteski, I don't know what your problem is, and honestly don't care, but I refuse to respond to you any longer. The reasons are below, since it's obvious you'll be demanding them next if not provided. Initially you brought into the conservation, an unrelated product type that I never mentioned, implied, much less recommended (the canned, brush-on version), which was essentially a "subject change" (which in my personal experience online, has been a very annoying and common "Trolling Tactic" of most internet Trolls), in what obviously was an unprovoked and intentional "attack" on me and the accurately described helpful advice I offered. Additionally, you made an unproven "jump" from the canned versions tendency to change colors, and applied it to the spray can version, without evidence, further adding to the uncalled for and unjust attacks. I see this additional line of attack as a very desperate "grasping at straws move", in your further attempts to discredit and/or attack me, especially since I didn't post anything wrong or untrue, that was a "legitimate target" for attacks in the 1st place. Then you "implied" that I'm either a liar, or an idiot, with your comments on the colors of my "test project", which obviously called into question my honesty, intelligence, and integrity. It's common knowledge that a light color under a clear is a necessity in order to properly test for potential color changes. There's never been a need to mention such unnecessary details because it's always been implied, which is rarely ever questioned. I find it extremely odd and very annoying that you're the first I've seen to question this. After that, you made the completely false claim that I said it "does not yellow ". The facts clearly show what I said is: "which I chose only after doing research for "the least likely to yellow urethane" ", followed by "that's now several years old, and so far it has shown no signs of changing any colors". It's plain to see that I've made no such claims to the effect that it "does not yellow". I've made no implied or expressed claims beyond the fact that it hasn't "so far" and that my search results showed this specific product is "the least likely to yellow".

You're not questioning a young and inexperienced idiot, who's not aware of the obvious need for white to make the statements I have. Although 5 sides of the jewelry/nick-nack box are black, the top consists of an edge to edge, day-time taken image of a wolf in the snow. The wolf is a mixture of mostly lighter colors with a slightly off white chest and under body. Put differently, the project has more white than necessary to evaluate any potential yellowing or other color changes.

As stated, I tested using the 11.5oz spray can. Which I chose only after doing research for "the least likely to yellow" urethane gloss clear spray. I do have a (not model related project) I used it on, that's now several years old, and so far it has shown no signs of changing any colors. Obviously, people can do whatever they please. I was just giving them an option that I know for a fact works safely, that won't wrinkle acrylic 2X colored paints, among others.

Yes, the interweb can be a disaster in many cases as it turns out. One example I see almost daily on my Facebook newsfeed are posts about Sacsayhuaman, those magnificent megalithic stone zigzag walls up on a mountain top, which has massive stones. I did a little research and found out that the government hired some legitimate scientists who did detailed analysis of numerous random stones, finding them to all be 100% natural stones. Yet, every day almost several different (new) people will claim it's concrete, geopolymer, was heated and softened, etc, etc. For a while I'd post the saved link to the scientific study and Correct them. Even after roughly a month, they were still at it, posting lies. Not all, but much of what I was seeing with those urging more of the failed 2X paint jobs was 100% Intentional. They somehow get their kicks from other people's misery, which they caused most of. Since I can't even begin to relate to such insanity, I'll just pass on a somewhat related story my late father used to tell us... "There's 3 kinds of people in the world. 1st, you have the Leaders. Such as those born to Lead. 2nd, you have the Followers. These are actually good and needed people, who generally make up the workforces of the world and the military members. 3rd, you have those who Can't Lead, Refuse to Follow, so they just Get in the Flipping Way!" I see those online who intentionally spread misinformation, propaganda, and lies, as those #3 people... BTW, For anyone with an already bought "supply" of 2X paints but don't want to throw them all away, I have a proven solution for gloss clear coating the acrylic 2X colors. I found (by Testing) that Minwax Indoor/Outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane gloss clear works Perfectly, even over Faskolor acrylic paint. Mostly Green 11.5oz spray cans, my local Home Depot carries them..

Steve, I hear and understand you 100%, and you're right. From what I understood, from people in certain FB Groups, they were using the 2X paints mostly because of how cheap they and the paints are (compared to tried and trusted products). Obviously, you get what you pay for. In the things I saw, so many times it almost drove me crazy (& I left the groups because of it), after the 1st wrinkled mess, soaking & stripping it, they'd go and do it again, sometimes over and over again several more times, each time with failures. All to supposedly save a buck? To make matters worse, "certain group members" would encourage them nonstop to try again, but to let it dry longer etc. I couldn't take seeing certain people intentionally giving bad advice that way. Which is mostly why I wanted to share the facts about the incompatibility here. Where good and honest people come, to give and/or find good advice.

Although this is an old thread I felt compelled to put my 2-cents worth in. I've heard lots of horror stories from people using the 2X line of R-paints. Their problems usually started when they shot 2X Clear over the color coat(s), but sometimes even before the clear. After a lot of digging online I discovered that the primer is usually Enamel, the colored paints are usually Acrylic, and the clear is Enamel. In many or most cases, if you put Enamel over an Acrylic you run the high risk of having paints that won't dry, or could take "forever" to dry. Even worse, and more often, you'll end up with the dreaded Wrinkled Mess nightmare, which requires stripping and starting over. I've heard people tell them; they sprayed it too thick, didn't let the previous coat dry long enough, and other inaccurate stuff. The simple fact is, with the 2X paints (and many, but not all, others), you just Can't put (their) Enamel over (their) Acrylic. What I feel made this such a major issue, for some, is the fact the cans aren't labeled as to what type of paint is inside. Even when I was researching what was what inside the cans, different answers came back, making it very difficult to find the correct answer. Notes: Some people have been able to get away with using a 2X enamel over an 2X acrylic, but usually only after letting the acrylic dry for weeks or by using a dehydrator, AND by starting the enamel top coat(s) out with ultra thin layers, combined with very long drying periods. This method doesn't change the fact that most acrylics can't have enamel sprayed over them, because the chemicals in them just aren't compatible with each other, in many or most cases. There are some exceptions, but the average model builder doesn't usually know what those exceptions are.

Steve, Wow, that's too bad on the damages, but the prices were reasonable for complete usable kits. I got my pair of Avenger kits in that general time period, in that same price range. If you aren't aware of it, model window glass is fairly easy to repair, which if you have enough parts otherwise to build another car, might help you? Let us know, we can get the repair information to you easy enough.

Steve, cool car & story. I do have a question for you. Did you ever happen to check the gas mileage on the Avenger? I'm asking because a cousin (who was both busy & "social", out driving around a lot) bought one (VW powered) and said she routinely drove it for a full month, between refueling stops.

Mark, you've got me sitting here laughing at myself wondering "what center support strap"? With what little I've done, fitting the lower front piece and making a front spoiler template, I apparently never paid any attention to the rear glass. I'm glad I have some (Metalglo) metal polish and lots of wet sandpaper to remove mine with. Yours is looking good and moving along nicely.

This IMC Avenger model has been out of production for a long time. If you're able and willing to spend the money for one, they occasionally show up on Ebay, but not very often these days.

Mark, excellent work to date. Is it safe to say the black you painted the headlight buckets with is flat black, or is it an optical illusion and gloss in reality? Please forgive my detailed interest, the Fiberfab Valkyrie has always been my ultimate dream machine, and the direction I plan to take with my Avenger kit.

OK, got you. I don't normally use decals and was planning to offer some, old like yours.

Pretty close match sir. Do you have and plan to use the (lower side stripe or ?) decals?

Scale-Master, you're doing a fantastic job, very impressive. Thanks for the useful unintentional-tip on the headlight repair- modification (I have one of these). If you ever need an original part to create a mould, for a resin copy, feel free to ask, mines not going together anytime soon. Good luck with the rest.

Mike, I've no idea what's up with Car Crazy 81, but hope (you're) - he's OK and doing well. I was really looking forward to him possibly reposting his original photos but that may not happen? I'd post some of mine but after 10 months since my post above, I've only made minimal progress on it (health problems). After not touching the 85 Caddy for months I actually started working on it again earlier this morning. As for it being a typical pro-street machine, it's really more of a "sleeper semi-pro-street machine" with no hood scoop or other noticeable racy external features, other than the wide rear tires, mounted on polished aluminum tubing rims with Johan 70 Eldorado centers (hubcaps), tucked up under it. I'm going for the look of a "professional working man's sleeper street machine". Something that in real-life would fool other street racers at stop lights, hopefully. Edit - Note: This Revell model kit does not represent a true factory Cadillac. The model year is a 1984, not a 1985. I researched the 84 and 85 models, and the 85 is a FWD, the 84 a RWD. Additionally the 84 has smaller side by side rectangular headlights, not the larger single lights. The 84 also has a smaller (shorter) grille. That said, it was an actual "lowrider thing" for builders to use the larger grille and single headlights from certain later (90's) Cadillac's for a unique look.

Thanks for the input guys. I hadn't even thought about trying their enamel bottled paint, until now. I may have to bite the bullet so to speak and try a smaller "test order" of both?

Thanks for the reply, and I hear you (especially about the quality Japanese paints, which is one of the reasons I've been switching over). That said, I'd love to hear from some(one) who's currently using the bottled Tamiya LP Lacquers, please? I also forgot to ask in my original post, if these Tamiya lacquer brush paints cover better than the (very thin TS-14 gloss black) spray lacquer I've used recently? My instincts are telling me they should cover better, but I don't have 100% accuracy when guessing.

I'm interested in trying out some Tamiya bottled LP Lacquers (for brushing on small parts) but am curious how well, or not, they apply, go on, or "lay down" compared to Testors bottled Enamels or Lacquers? For me, the Testors enamels go on fairly easy and smooth. Their lacquers have given me mixed results, where the less than ideal results are likely from me not loading the brush heavy enough (I know lacquer paints in general, dry faster than typical enamels)? Are the Tamiya bottled lacquers also "sensitive" to quick drying, also requiring heavy brush loading? Are there any other issues with them you've noticed? With none local to me, I'm planning (unless told otherwise) on ordering a qood selection of colors, yet don't like wasting money. Thank you.

Like the OP, I too have very high regards for: Fireball Model Works (best, highest quality & highest detailed carburetors I've ever seen). Morgan Automotive Detail - MAD Modeling. Calgana Castings. All three make great, high quality, Cast Resin products! Please alway remember, making cast resin parts normally takes significantly more time than 3D Printed parts, so expect & allow roughly a month, sometimes more, before pestering the sellers with "when are my.." emails. Such emails only slow these often very busy "lone wolves" down. The better known and more popular these guys are, the more likely they stay swamped with steady flows of orders. The smartest move you can make, imo, is to do your best to plan ahead, and order enough parts for several (or more) future builds, so you'll have what you need on hand, as you get to each build up. That said, larger orders could easily add to the completion & delivery times, so patience helps. I always tell them to take their time as I'm not in any hurry, besides I'm slower than molasses at building anyway (due to numerous health problems).

I'm well aware this is a now ancient thread, but, wanted to throw some related information out, in the slightly rare event someone (else) comes across it while seeking "custom rims"... Although I've recently made some wide, 17mm od (X 15mm id) rims (aluminum sleeves), they're for wide pro-street rear meats on a custom (85 Cadillac) build, still in progress. But, I also needed Super Swamper sleeves, which (in my case, are later BNL made, of a somewhat flexible black rubber-like resin) and require a 20mm od tubing, and mine came with an 18mm id (in addition I needed a 2nd 12" long piece for an unrelated hobby project). What I did was Google 20mm od X 18mm id aluminum tubing. I ended up finding several Ebay sellers offering them, but all were in China. Having no other options, I picked one, selling 3 pieces about 12 inches long, each. Although it did take "forever" to arrive (1st shipment got lost making it take even longer...), they finally showed up. For my custom Cadillac rims/sleeves, I measured the length needed and marked them. I used a small tubing cutter (2nd smallest typically found - 1 size above the smallest model) which worked great. I then used a Dremel rubber-sleeve sanding drum (largest of the 3, I think) with a thin plastic cap slid over it (my cap came from small brass fittings, as thread protectors, but some tape wraps might work) to hold a cut sleeve in the Dremel. You only want about 50% engagement of the drum into one side/end of the sleeve. At low speed, I held one end up against a short (about 3.5" long) hand held, 3-cutter 45° blade, deburring tool, to taper and smooth the inner edges. You can use the same drum to sand, then polish the sleeves, one side at a time. I dug up a random metal "axel" to fit some kit (70 JoHan Eldorado) wheel centers - wheels - hubcaps, to spin-sand the outer diameter (to fit inside the sleeves) with the Dremel as well. This was also at a slow speed with 400 grit, as I only needed minor outer diameter removal, and I also didn't want to lose any wheel detail. 2-part epoxy will be used to hold both the wheel centers and the vinyl kit tires in place, after roughing up the outside of the sleeves first. Using this, admittedly time consuming method, does give you the option for almost any wheel width and offset, you could possibly want, or need... If you're using tires with some other inner diameter (smaller/larger?) you might get lucky and find some (as I did with the 17mm X 15mm tubing & a "spare" 5/8" od piece) aluminum tubing made by a US supplier (K&S Metals, as one possibility), or possibly a supplier in what ever country you're in. You will need to pay close attention to the wheel od and tubing id, in addition to the tire id, tubing od.

As mentioned previously, Bondo/3M has a 3oz or 3.5oz tube of 2-part glazing putty (complete w/smaller tube of catalyst/hardener). You can find it by Googling "bondo 801". I believe they also have another one under #807, possibly #907? But I don't know the differences between them?