CA Whitecloud

That is so kind of you to offer. I would actually take you up on that if it's not a hassle. This build won't win any contests and I rarely have anyone see my work but me. But I'm the one that will always know it's missing a rear view mirror. I've never transacted over this forum before if someone would like to show me the ropes. Again though, I'm pretty much done with this kit so it all depends on timing. I could not bring myself to spend $6.99+shipping on Ebay.

I had a crash course in manual shifting for the first time driving my new-to-me Celica home from the used car lot. No pun intended. ?

Thanks all. Lots of great info here. My takeaways: I need a smaller dia. wire or brass Create a divot with a HEATED needle Invest in better quality pin vise drill set. (any brand suggestions?) Glue inside the body We'll give it another go!

If you can tell in the pic above, I tried to get a hole started for a .45mm wire but quite before I hacked up the pieces.

Any secrets to share for affixing the fiddley bits? Obviously you just glue them on and all is well, right?

All things gluing the unglue-able and attaching the un... well you get it.

Moving on. Trying not to get discouraged.

I lost the rear view mirror. ?

Added some aircraft to the stash. I haven't built a plane in some time. Older kits from thEbay.

Foil went down well. I used Hasegawa Mirror Finish. I find it more stretchy and sticky then BMF. But I didn't want to cut the curve under the windows with a blade, so I tried Molotow. Made a mess.

I would not know where to start if I wanted to lower it. I've been wanting to try that on a kit for a while.

After wet sanding I attempted to add some detail to the body. Probably used the wrong glue for the PE on the paint. And my Vallejo transparent orange wasn't very.

Spayed a clear coat. It was an older can of Rustoleum. I'm not sure if that mattered. Came out fairly rough.

Things were going fine, but whether it's planes or cars panel lines are my nemesis. I can never get Tamiya liner to flow right and I tried a Stadler 0.2 paint pen. Came out too heavy and uneven.

Coming together. Odd mounting for door panels.

Fit is good. *Damn cat!

Weird issue with the interior fit. The steering wheel was too low. I couldn't see where it was my error, so...cut and paste. Also the gauges are clear plastic so I made do. I have decals just didn't feel it on this one. *Back in the day, I had the same 6x9's on the back deck.

Did I mention this was the first car I bought by myself. Mine was orange (ick), so I am trying a 70s yellow scheme. I went with what Tamiya rattle cans had to offer. *Bad lighting.

Window parts came out of the box very clouded, even against my dirty windows. Polishing is required.

Some color variation to the chassis and prep on the body. Really nice detail on the bottom with the wiring and such. I didn't feel like going for that level of detail.

For wheels, I tried gunmetal paint on the black kit wheels to match the box art but they're not the same design. The Molotow came out OK, but I decided on the kit chrome spokes.

I left this post hanging. Apologies. Just for posterity, I'll throw in some process pics. I did not expect a curbside kit but that's cool. I'm not prepared to light this kit but perhaps on future builds. It does have active suspension which reminds me when Matchbox cars had springs Hot Wheels didn't. Is that right?

No engine? WUWT?

*Supplemental.

Thanks to everyone for the support and comradery. I'm pretty pleased with this build. Certainly an improvement from my last project, but there's always things you want to do better. Things like a last minute mishap with the windows. I had trouble with the front end. Everything test fit great , but then ended up with a big gap b/w the hood and grille. I manipulated it with a lighter but scarred the chrome plate. I did use foil at the rear, but I used a metallic Sharpie pen and Molotow on the trim. Top of the front window trim crept up the roof a bit. I'll probably leave it. I ordered some aftermarket hood pins from Ebay for decoration and still waiting. I like the window decals for the color, but they just seem a little big to me. Got lazy about seatbelts because it was 1964. Good times. *I had fun with my first attempt at "diorama" photos. I finding I get a kick out of setting up the photos.