OldNYJim

The Valpo store has had two or three in the shelf for a few weeks now; they kept putting out a new one once a week and I kept buying it, but I have probably a dozen now so they’re starting to pile up over there ??

Thanks fellas! Tiny update; shot Pearl-Ex tonight to wrap up the main paintwork I had to do on the body before clearing it…first up a coat of copper and burgundy powder (which still needs some more mixing here…) Which got me to this color - note how the red is starting to flip to more of a bright tone now on the highlights: And then, finally, a second mix of yellow and gold which looked like this… …which I laid down three coats of until it hit the orange shade I wanted: If it looks good when it’s all satin-y like this, it usually looks good with a nice glossy finish too…I’m pretty pleased with how it came out! A mostly monochrome-looking paintjob that reveals a bunch of detail to anyone who takes a second look (and maybe a little more at a third glance too…) Whilst I had the Pearl Ex powders out, I shot a little on the underside too so that they can sparkle and shine in the sunlight that they’ll never see ?. Thanks for looking - excited to get a bunch done on this one over the weekend! More soon!

Expecting a DIFFERENT result. Expecting the same result from the same process would be a sane conclusion to come to

Yes sir! Createx clear orange ? Thank you brother! And thank you too! I like your 1:1 - the louvres in the step panels (whatever they’re called in Beetle terminology) are a nice touch! And is that a color-coded fire extinguisher in the interior there? I’d love to see that! That’s a cool idea - I’d rust it up and patina it and make it look like it did a million miles (all within a 20 block radius ?) Spent a few more nights on the airbrushing since the last update - laid down some more ‘reverse’ lines, with black fades and then masked again and did some lighter colored highlights, and THEN did a little airbrushing and some subtle splatter-patterning on the roof and ended up with this: Looks kind of a mess…but the next stage is where all that work pays off…candy coats! My idea here is to bury everything so far under a uniform color to tie it all together and make it look, at first glance, like it’s a solid color but with a bunch of little details to see as you work from front to back. A couple of coats of Createx candy red later, and we’re starting to see some progress finally… Fairly plain at the front: More complex in the middle: And most complex in the rear view: Next job, once this candy dries good and hard (and smooths itself out a little) will be some pearl powder to bring it back towards the orange and gold tones on the highlights when the light hits it. Excited to hit the bench again tomorrow for the next step! Thanks for looking - more soon, soon as I’ve done more!

Five for three bucks Hot Wheels at the local grocery store! Mannnnn they make some cool cars

I had Scale Finishes enamel clear wrinkle their lacquer on a build recently. Took all the proper precautions I normally would with a hot lacquer, and the primer and lacquer coats were fine…but the enamel wrinkled the lacquer. I stripped, reshot and used a different lacquer clear, no problems - but I’ve got to wonder why they’re apparently using such hot solvents in their paint that even careful application could case this to happen. I mean, they’re mixing the paint themselves, why not mix with reducers that are actually suitable for the task? Same, even, with the lacquer color coats. Why mix them so hot that they can wrinkle and ruin styrene if an unsuspecting person doesn’t use exactly the right primer? DISCLAIMER: I know many of you get outstanding results with these automotive paints, and I’ve had SOME success with them too, but it’s certainly not as easy as it could be…

Just cut them on a Silhouette cutter - it’s a lifesaver for custom masks and stuff like this… Thanks for the nice comments everyone! Whilst the intercoat sets up on the body, starter work on the interior. I wanted a bright color, with some fancy floral-print looking fabric on the seats. Tried cutting some masks but the designs I had in mind were too fine for the cutter to successfully cut, so I ordered a bunch of nail art decals and got to work cutting them up: Here they are over a peach base (the final color will be MUCH brighter…) To blend them in and make them look more monochrome, I then shot Createx candy over top, which gave me this: Next up I’ll shoot some intercoat before masking them for the next step, but I’m pleased with the effect so far. Seeing as most of this build involves multiple steps in the painting stage, I’m kinda jumping around a lot so I don’t get stopped too long before I can make more progress…so this afternoon I shot the first color on the chassis, suspension parts and some of the other ‘under body’ stuff too. Started with the same Testor’s color as a base, but added some fades with other complimentary tones, for my own amusement: Overkill? Yep, probably - but I’m having fun ? Thanks for looking - more soon, soon as I’ve done more!

I’d like to see a tradition where we post favorite builds by some of our favorite builders in their tribute thread. Recently I’ve started saving photos of builds by some of my favorite builders who have passed too soon, so that when Fotki/Photobucket/whoever deletes their accounts in time they’re at least backed up somewhere…

Another visit to Cars and Coffee this morning - usual selection of Japanese hatchbacks with farty exhausts, some muscle cars, a nice Rolls Royce and some cool vintage domestic iron. Bunch more pics starting here: https://public.fotki.com/NewYorkSpeedShop/11-cars/car-shows/cars-and-coffee-at/page18.html And a little preview here:

My next guess - Back To The Future-spec Delorean? EDIT: Oh wait - NOT a movie car? Nevermind then…

Thanks for all the comments fellas! Might not come with a cheesecake…maybe a decent dollar slice (now $2 at most of my favorite places…) Shot a couple of coats of orange and pink pearl over top the base color - not a bunch, just a little to give it a little extra shimmer once it’s all clear coated, and then shot intercoat over THAT so I could start some masking and airbrushing today. Laid down some tape around the panels so I can add a little fogging over the lines for some visual interest, and as a base for the other stuff I have planned… Nothing too difficult about the process, it’s just a little time consuming… Ready for the next layer of paint: I wanted a fairly subtle effect, so I mixed some translucent black up and misted it along the tape lines: And some careful unmasking later: Good starting point for some more airbrush-y fun! I wanted to add some vintage door lettering, but nothing too in-your-face so I cut some masks… Shot more black (a darker mix this time, so help it stand out slightly more than the fades I laid down already): And some more careful de-masking…tada! Got plenty more to do, but that that was today’s progress…thanks for looking - more soon!

Good start! And in case you need some inspiration… https://www.instagram.com/reel/CfxmKv5joZ7/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= (Admittedly that’s the Tamiya kit, but it’s a beautiful build!)

I was really sad to hear this today. He lived in my neighborhood in Brooklyn until later in his life; occasionally frequented my local bar and was often at the local Italian cafe on our block. Would’ve loved to have hung out with him but never got the chance. Time for another Sopranos rewatch in his honor… ??

Interesting that you mention that - I went to pick up a few Revell '68 Beetle kits last week and they were all marked at $29.99 except one right at the back of the rack, caked in dust, with a $19.99 sticker. Same kit, just dusty and old and cheaper

I’m waiting for the eBay parts sellers to start splitting these up - I just need the ramp and none of the truck for a Mooneyes hauler replica I want to build

AWESOME save! I actually like the stance like that - looks cool! Can’t wait to see some more progress!

I can easily tell the difference in my finish between 8000 and 12000, and I’ve got a process I like now with three progressively finer polishing pastes and creams - but I didn’t know anyone was even making polishing cloths beyond the ‘standard’ 12000 grit.

I’ll check those out, thanks! Thanks Carl! I wanna see! As far as I can work out, those bumpers ARE right for a GERMAN ‘68, but not an American one. I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong…but I did some research and I think that almost everything everyone usually says is incorrect on this kit is actually because Revell of Germany based it on a German VW and not the equivalent version that we got. All that said, I wasn’t there at the time, and I don’t even begin to claim to be knowledgable about all the variations, so who knows… Very possibly! I did check out some aftermarket sunroof kits for reference and they mostly look like some variation of this so if it’s the wrong…it’s one of those instead! ? Thanks for all the nice comments everyone! Small update, as I’m replying anyway…I‘m going to be practicing some airbrush skills on this one for a definitely-not-stock paintjob, and I wanted a kind of burnt orange color as a base. Did a bunch of spoon tests and got what I had in my head with a dark gray primer and this Testor’s orange metallic: Looks kinda ‘meh’ in the photobooth: But it really pops in some better light! The flake is way too large to be in proper scale, I think, but I’ve got a pretty complex paintjob in mind and almost all of this will have a LITTLE of something else over top by the time I’m done. Actually, including Pearl-Ex laden clear ALL of this will have at least one more thing over top of it by the time I’m done, so I’m happy with it as a starting point. Just a mini update - more soon, soon as I’ve done more!

Oh, you like the fancy stuff huh? Ours is lavender scented ??

I normally clear over about everything, so I’ll use it often as a main color coat yeah! It’s my go-to black for that…here’s a a couple showing how it looks with some clear over top: Lays down super smooth and nice, and you can lower the pressure on the airbrush to get it either completely matte or a semi-gloss if you prefer for fabrics and rubbers and underbody stuff - really versatile and easy to work with. I love the stuff…just not as a primer or sealer. Even the $2 Walmart primer is WAY better for THAT task, when shooting over Styrene. As usual, your mileage may vary…

80000 grit?! Do you mean 8000?

I replied in your other thread (because this one says "Moderator please delete, duplicate post") I basically said what @MeatMan said, although I don't thin the black sealer, personally...

Nice builds! I like the Bugs and the Jeep

Good news is, seeing as they seem to have 3D models of all this stuff, they can print them whatever scale they want, from Micro Machine-size on up. Way cool! I’d like one of those Mercs for my collection