Lone Wolf

IMO, the not stock Revell tail-light panel kills it's "body design". This is where the AMT Chevelle is better. That said, I like the rear suspension better on the Revell 67 (it looks more realistic). The Revell's engine is "split down the center" (it's made in 2 halves), including the molded in oil pan, which I greatly dislike. True, the AMT engine is also split in the center, but has a separate oil pan. Here the AMT is better again. In the end, it's a series of different trade offs, boiling down to what you prefer better in the details.

I'm just "Throwing This Out There" in the event it might inspire you, or someone, to "Go Big" on a future build. No need to spend big bucks on a whole big rig kit, just to steal & use the wheels and tires. FWIW, These are far, far Better than the JUNK Revell supplies with their big rig kits! BTW, Model Round Up has these tire sets, Minus the box(es), for about $12 currently, a great way to save even more...

With your talented imagination, I'm sure it will turn out really nice too. Thank you for the compliments on mine. I have several more El Camino kits as well, with an assortment of builds planned for them, including a clone of my 68, and at least one 4X4. I even bought another 65 in hopes of re-doing the black one above, minus that hood scoop due to it's rarity.

Very nice concept and execution. You have "that (vision) ability", to see something in your mind, then create it. A rare talent these days, from things I've seen. It's a shame what happened with the paint, my heart breaks for you (I know exactly how that feels). We live, we learn, then move on, with the lesson learned to test "unproven paint combinations" on scrap, in the future, right? Your build caught my attention due to a 65 El Camino model I built many decades ago, and the fact that I currently have a 454/4-speed/4:11's (real, 1 to 1) 68 El Camino in the garage. On the 65 model kit, I used big-rig axels and (highway tread) tires/chrome wheels, with dual tires/wheels on the rear (RWD only). It was based on a real life (Ford F-250, 4WD) Welding truck, built to get into difficult locations, but it didn't have the pretty wheels (it used "home-made" welded up steel wheels, Ford centers w/big-rig outer rims). Anyway, thank you for bringing back those good old memories. Edit: I can't believe I found this, an ancient Polaroid color photo of the old 65 El Camino model that I built ages ago. It looks better than I thought it did, especially given my marginal building skills at the time. I was mistaken earlier, it is/was a 4WD build (the model vanished decades ago, likely tossed just before moving across the country to shrink/lighten the load?). I also forgot that I had molded a Motown Missile hood scoop onto it. I'd (almost) Kill to have a few of those scoops now, I have some future builds I'd love to put them on. Speaking of forgotten things, I made a pair of front to back, frame rails from square brass tubing, added some pairs of square mounting plates, which have the brass-tube rear trailing arms screwed to them with tiny jewelers screws and nuts. The paint is a black metal flake from a spray can...

For the record, yesterday I saw a note on his website stating he's moving and will be temporary shut down. This should only be for some or most of April 2023? I did place an order roughly 2 months ago, and got everything in the mail weeks ago, so he's still in business, but like others have said, he stays very busy. Patience is the key when making inquiries or orders, he's so popular due to his highly detailed and high quality products, that it does take some time for him to respond. Like the others have said, it's well worth any delay or wait. Please remember, he's just one man, making detailed products for the masses, he's not a robot run production line in a factory with hundreds of employees helping... Edit: Below is the note I mentioned above: " UPDATE MARCH 28, 2023 We are in the process of moving back to North Alabama! I am shutting down for about 3 weeks until the middle of April, and then I will resume operations. I will answer emails when I can until then. I still have a few orders that I wasn't able to get shipped before I took my shop apart, but they will of course be the first ones to go out when I get back to work"

Revell's big-rig tires, even done right, are Horrible IMO. They're even using this garbage tire system on some of their car models as well, or did? I'm not sure if the mid-20-teens Camaro kits (pre-painted), I have these on, were made by the now defunct USA branch or what? I know they're helping Moebius Models sell plenty of their aftermarket big-rig tire kits (I've bought several)! This has made me question if Revell owns Moebius?? Whatever the case, I wish Revell would STOP this!!!

If you don't have a file cabinet, there is a thin cardboard "portable" (accordion style, that expands as it's filled) file/document holder, with maybe 12 or more sections, that you can organize the sheets in. They have a fold-over style top, held in place with a wrapped on the outside - rubber band closure (possibly a string you wrap around a small circular disk?), to keep things inside. Look in office supply stores for them. The clear plastic sheet holders mentioned above, can also hold sheet material, then be put into a three-ring binder, or several. For now, I'm using a plastic shoe storage box, roughly 12" wide by about 18" long by about 4" deep (from W-mart?), to hold my plastic building supplies...

This is slightly off topic (?), but I feel it's close enough. The next time you visit your dentist, ask if you can have any broken dental tools, or ask for them to save them for your next visit. I got one tool I use for spreading putty, an almost sharp at the tip, long curved-side, thin flat "spoon" piece (for detail work), with a wider, straight-sided, kicked-up near the end section, at the other end (w/rounded corners), which is good for larger jobs. In addition I got a nice assortment of sharp, straight and curved, single & double-ended "picks", all in stainless steel. Being damaged or having broken tips, they all required some minor work, but costing nothing, it was well worth the time to fix them up. I use them for all kinds of repair work, from my cars, to electronics, to models. The price can't be beat!

I came real close to trying the Dolphin product, but stubbornly went for the more expensive Evercoat brand, mainly due to the numbers who raved about it. Like I said earlier "that's not saying other polyester putties won't also work good". I would have first tried the much more affordable Bondo 2-part tube putty but couldn't find a source who'd mail it out, and no one stocks it locally. Bondo is Loosing Sales due to it's lack of a better distribution system...

The 66 ambulance kits are currently $168 to over $330 (& I already spent small fortunes on hearse kits). I do have two 1959 ambulance kits (2 different Ghost Busters Ecto's) which I also hope to do similar work on, along with a Flintstone chopped 59 resin hearse body, provided I live long enough (but not all of them, 1 or 2 possibly). I actually really like the vinyl top texture on the 66 which is why I want to preserve it. Maybe I'm too stubborn or hard headed to give up on that idea? I know I'll figure out how best to chop it once I put my mind to it, and actually start working on it. There are times I enjoy a good challenge...

If (ANY) 1960's Cadillac model kits were plentiful, and reasonably priced, this may be true. Johan kits are Insanely Expensive, if you can even find them. The last known 66 Cadillac coupe kits, by Hasegawa (which are "curbside", no engine, no opening hood) were discontinued a while back, but I managed to snag one from an overseas source a few weeks ago. It's going to be made into a BBC powered "Street Machine" or "Pro Street Machine" once I get started on it...

I've had a tube of Squadron putty (the green stuff) for decades (& is likely 10% to 20% hard now). In addition, I bought a small tube of Tamiya (white) putty a few years ago. These are great for small imperfections such as deep scratches and other minor flaws/modifications, but are nearly useless for large repairs or heavily modified projects. I got the Evercoat putty for larger flaws and (potential and/or planned) future highly modified jobs as these polyester putties don't melt plastic (or shrink) the way the solvent based putties do. For those not aware, many modelers (including some who've wrote for magazines) over many years (decades?) have been recommending Evercoat (2-part) polyester putties as "the best" for doing large jobs. That's not saying other polyester putties won't also work good, it's just that the Evercoat name was used the most often. I believe it's also the most expensive, sadly. For doing body work on diecast cars, Evercoat's Metalglaze is a great choice.

Car Crazy 81, I recently started this exact same model, with similar intentions, but will be keeping the stock "furniture" inside (if I can work around it). I can't hardly believe it, but I also happened (by chance) to grab the same Revell 67 Chevelle Pro Street kit for back-halfing the Cadillac model. For me, it was due to the rear suspension looking more realistic than what's in the AMT 67 Chevelle PS kit (i bought several of each, on sale, for parts bashing). I have to ask, do you still have copies of the photos you originally posted, and would you be willing to upload them here to this thread? Have you done anything else to this kit, or did you move on from it? I'm not knocking you if you moved on, I've had a long standing bad habit of doing the same thing, more often than I like. I'm finally trying to break that habit, but only time will tell how that goes? I suppose once I get a little further along (assuming I stay with the build?) I'll need to start a WIP thread on it?

I was also concerned about this, but being cheaper it won't hurt as much to replenish, as compared to the putty. I'll have to find a quality (sealing) glass bottle to store the tube in, near the putty, it appears. Thanks for the heads-up!

Thank you for the response Sir. Yes, I was intending to decant the putty into the jar. This was even before I read in this thread about the separation issue, as the glass jar is the only viable container I had on hand that I thought would work effectively. Now I have to decide if I should wait until my first use of the putty, to transfer it to the jar, or just do it ASAP due to unopened package air infiltration?

Gentlemen, I had a thought on this subject, thus questions. Has anyone ever put the putty (of a 2-part polyester putty) into a Glass Jar? I just got a 16oz pouch of the Metalglaze putty (w/tube of catalyst/hardener) and have a 16oz applebutter jar, with a 1-piece lid (similar to a canning jar minus the multipiece thread-on lid) that has a fairly soft seal, which looks to have been "machine applied" originally as a "thick liquid". My thought, and hope, is that it would seal airtight, thus allowing the putty to last year's, which is likely to be how long it'll take me to use it all up? What are your thoughts on this potential waste of time?

If one was to ever show up (a Haulin Hearse), it would have to bring in well over $100 at a minimum! I don't remember which version of the Hearse it was, much less where it vanished to, but I'd once built a hot rod Hearse complete with a molded in Mowtown Misslie hood scoop, blown "w/2-fours" BBC engine, covered in black metallic paint. I badly wish I still had it, along with a Haulin Hearse stable mate to display beside it! That said, I've splurged ($$$) on a couple of Hearse kits (Heavenly & a Gold Cup Series) to modify/build, if I live long enough! In wanting to shorten & chop one, it's going to be incredibly difficult (while trying to not ruin the "vinyl top texture" in the process) due to how the body tapers in, as it goes up. It'll be extremely challenging but the only "simple way" I can see doing this is to cut the roof off at the top of the fenders/doors, then add a "shelf" along each side (inward along each fender top) for it to sit on (after shortening the roof around the bottom edges where it was cut off)...? Whatever is necessary, it's going to fully test my skills and patience! The only other option I see is to cut the car right down the center (minus the roof section), front to back, then narrow it as needed, to where the lower portion of the chopped roof would land where it originally was? Edit: In contemplating how much to shorten and chop the Hearse kit, I scanned an image from the box side, printed it, cut it up into a few pieces, then taped it together (close to how I want it to turn out) as a guide to follow. I feel I need to add some taper, higher in the rear, lower roof-line at the front, once I actually start cutting on things.

nitram22, I can't tell if you're still around, but, I hope you are, and are doing well! I just had to stop in and THANK YOU!!! ...for scanning and posting these Great Memories!!! Minutes ago I was thinking about these catalogs, that I use to cherish, the AW company, and "what could be", had they "survived the transition into the modern age", fully intact? I can only imagine the vast array of kits and parts they might currently carry, had they made it? Kids today have No Clue what we had to do in order to get things! Even the "later days" of dial-up internet access, after prior decades of "manual letter writing for catalogs", and so much more... Granted, things aren't perfect in this modern age but, getting models and a substantial number of aftermarket parts, has never been easier, if one can afford them!

Chris, Although I had nothing to do with the original measurements request, I still wanted to Thank You for posting them! I got some of the 64 & 66 Revell truck kits in order to recreate the (1:1) 66 long bed I once had and this information will be very useful!

Sorry for taking so long to post the results of my little "Bona Test" but it's "been one of those weeks" for me (& my many health problems). For starters, I changed my original (simple) plan to include shooting some Krylon Flat Black, Rust Tough Enamel paint on one half of my test part (a early 90's ZR-1 Corvette hood from a no engine "parts box"). Feeling lazy (or not very good) I didn't first wet sand the somewhat rough flat black paint (but, it makes for a Great "undercoating" or "chassis paint" with it's mildly rough finish, which is all I've used it for prior to this test). I quickly discovered the Bona clear didn't want to "lay down" on the black (a little like oil and water, some major "surface tension" action happened, but not on the unfinished plastic side). So I got out some 800 wet sand paper and smoothed out the black side, then re-washed it in Dawn and warm water for a 2nd go at it. Although the results look slightly better, there was still some noticeable "surface tension" where the Bona didn't want to spread out smoothly like the white half did, and as I thought it should. Hopefully this is something that only happens with this flat enamel paint, but I really have no idea? I do know on the white, unpainted side, the Bona went on smooth as can be, and besides the dust and dirt that landed on it, it came out looking Great, IMO (especially for crudely brushing it on as I did in a hurry). As far as the "viscosity" of the Bona clear, it's somewhere between water and milk. I honestly don't know how it feels to brush paint milk on something, even though I drink/use milk daily. I guess I'm trying to say you wouldn't have to thin the Bona to airbrush it on and you'd also have to be careful to avoid spraying it too heavy to avoid runs. Since I haven't airbrushed very much, and not at all in the last several years, I never got around to opening the (pre-"Revive It") PFC (Pledge Floor Care) that I have, so I can't compare them. At the rate things have been going here, it could be a long time before I open the PFC? FWIW: I had to "push" the Bona around with the small (average model sized) brush to get it to "lay down". Note: In rushing to do this testing I failed to take a photo before sanding the black side. Image #1: First Bona test (after sanding the black side, with Bona applied to both sides). Image #2: Second test with more Bona applied to black side (only).

I know this is an old (just over a month) thread/topic but I wanted to chime in. Pledge Clear (Future), by what ever name(s), was officially discontinued in January 2022. Yes, if you're lucky, and willing to pay the price, you can still find some here and there, but they're costly and only going up. Thankfully there's the Quick Shine shown above as a replacement. I've had a bottle for well over a year or several(?), and still haven't tried it, but there may be another possible replacement for the Pledge products and it's under the Bona name brand as; "Hardwood Floor Polish, High Gloss". I just read at the Bona site this morning that they also make a product that supposedly has an even more glossy shine, which is called "Hard-Surface Floor Polish". Both product pages, at the bona web site, have a list of the chemicals in them. They're similar but do have some slight differences, and both have things listed that are beyond my knowledge. Edit: I almost completely forgot, the Bona floor polish products I mentioned above are both "Urethane Acrylic Blends" and "have no waxy buildup" according to the manufacture... Edit #2: When I've made multiple edits, it means a lack of sleep. Anyway, I washed a "scrap part" earlier and intend to test the Bona polish later using a brush. I'll do my best to photograph it and post the results here sometime after it's dry.