Bainford

Thanks Francis. I didn't know the center was removable. Great tip. I too like to use everyday things in my model projects. I rarely buy aftermarket parts. I much prefer to make my own, if I can.

Beautiful Olds. Great paint work, and the colour is gorgeous. Well done.

Wow! fantastic work on a difficult kit. The IMC kits are cool, but man, they're tricky to get together cleanly. You have done a marvelous job on this one.

Cool old modified. Nice work.

Thanks for the heads up. I figured I would have to widen it anyway, so It still may be a usable starting point. I'm a ways from starting on the 43 yet, many projects in the books, but when I do I'll dig deeper into the research and hunt for parts/kits. When I do start, I'll post it up. In the mean time, keenly watching your project.

Cool project. Looks like a great collection of bits. I'm watching this one.

Those hinges are ridiculous! Absolutely nuts.As awesome as all of the work is on this build, this is the bit that impresses me the most. In addition to working and creating such small parts, the geometry of the hinge assembly will be tricky to get right. Incredible work, excellent result. I would be interested to know a little about how you wound those springs. Cheers.

Wow! What a beast! Clearly a test of skill, but you are certainly up to the challenge. Very well done.

Lots of great advice here. I agree. it must be stripped and start over. Try using 91% or 99% isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol), and if that doesn't work, brake fluid will remove Tamiya lacquer, but it is messier to deal with. Dump your stripper into a container and submerge the whole body. With that much paint, it may take a few days to strip. As mentioned, the paint has been applied much too heavy and too close. Two cans of paint on one little body is a lot. Apply your first coats by just dusting on a layer of paint, then let it set up for a few minutes. Don't even try for full coverage on the first coat, just get a thin coverage. Then shoot a second coat, also misted on though you can go a bit heavier then the first coat. Then apply your final colour coat a little heavier, making sure to get full coverage with nice gloss, but don't over do it. Once the colour coats have cured fully, you can shoot your clear coat, but again, don't overdo it. As has been mentioned, practice on plastic spoons to get the feel of the spray qualities I have this same kit on the bench, so here's a couple of tips; - As you may have noticed, the body is very thin, especially the 'A' pillars, which are paper thin. Go easy when handling the body during stripping and sanding, etc to avoid breakage. - Once the paint has been stripped, glue the lower, front body piece (splash pan) and rear window surround body piece in place before repainting. - Test fit the deck lid before painting. Mine fits quite tight and needed sanding on the sides to improve the fit and account for the added thickness of the paint. Good luck.

Another vote for Tamiya clear red and clear orange. You may have to lay on a couple heavy coats to get the colour saturation you want. I have been using these in acrylic, but I am anxious to try Tamiya's lacquer version of these colours.

Thanks for the link. I've emailed through the Testors site, but have not received a reply. I tried the link from my work computer but but alarm bells and warning lights went wild when I clicked on it. Likely due to corporate net nanny. I'll try again from my home computer when I get home.

Not sure how I missed this one. Nice work this curious Lotus. I have a 43 project in my project book as well, waiting its turn. It is my understanding that Lotus modified a 38 to create the 43, so my plan was to start with the old IMC Lotus 38, though it is hard to say how much of the IMC kit would get used. Especially since I want to build in 1/24 and the IMC kit is 1/25. Diligent measuring required. I have one in the stash waiting patiently, but I'll be watching your progress to see what I can pick up. What I really want to do is just scratchbuild the awesome H-16, the car merely being something to put it in. I think I may have to build two engines, so I can display one on a stand next to the model.

Excellent work, Josh. Nice save on the steering wheel. It's a pain to deconstruct an assembly in order to make a repair, but almost always worth the effort in the end. Also impressed with the other interior details, especially the wear & tear on the various components. It looks very realistic. The body painting looks top notch, especially the stripes and roundels. Great work here, worthy of such an auspicious subject. BTW, what paint did you use for Guardsman Blue? The colour looks right on.

How do you know? I would like to get the right answer to this. Unsubstantiated and unverified one-line statements all over the internet say"Testors is gone", but I can't find an official statement saying so. The-sky-is-falling types all over internet forums and facebook are saying so, but I can't find an informed and trustworthy source making this claim. Testors own website is useless, still promoting Model Master products.

Love it! Nice work on the old JoHan classic. I really dig the hod/roof/deck lid graphics. Very cool.

When I say the paint is 'too hot', I'm not referring to temperature of the paint, but of the chemical aggressiveness of the solvents that make up the paint. I can't tell for certain if it is crazing without seeing photos in better lighting. Crazing manifests itself as a rough texture in the finished paint, but it is actually the plastic itself that has developed the rough texture. The 'hot' paint attacks the surface of the plastic and causes the surface to go grainy and pebbly. This can be avoided by proper preparation of the plastic before painting (which involves a learning curve) or by sticking with paints and primers formulated specifically for plastic models. Or, pretty much any acrylic paint will be safe, too.

Nice colour, but it appears the plastic might have experienced crazing. This occurs when a paint is 'too hot' (chemically speaking) and it attacks the plastic. Would need to see photos of the body in better lighting to tell for sure.

Are you certain about that, or just speculating based on internet buzz? There seems to be conflicting information on that topic.

lay it down in strips.

I would say that $5.95 for 1 oz. is cheap.

Very cool! I like the style and the colour is perfect.

Wow! That looks fantastic. Now that's an engine suited for such a stunning build. It's a shame about losing the ARDUN script, but the rocker covers look great. Excellent work! As you say, a Lincoln v-12 with ARDUN heads is a fantasy, but not beyond possible to fabricate from existing v-8 parts if one were very keen, and if someone were to do so, this is how they would look. Very well done!

Man, that thing is looking great!

Beautiful Maserati. You have done a lovely job on this and rendered a great replica of a great car. Excellent work.

Cool modified. The tires & wheels improve the appearance quite a bit. Nicely done. I loved these MPC Modifieds and Super Stocker kits when I was young. They all went together well and made for great looking shelf models.