Howard Cohen

I decided to work on this Monogram 1955 Chevy issued in 1963. It was built when I got it many years ago and I just started on it. I am doing a '60s style street custom using the Continental roof, front and rear roll pans and I don't know what else. For those who think I should build it stock, I already have one stock and one custom

I started this kit a few years ago to give to a friend, Gerry Nimz. Gerry had bought the car about 1971 to take to shows in Canada and Europe. Sadly Gerry passed away while I was building it and I put it back in the box. I got back to it this week and painted it, Tamiya Bright Red, TS49 (not a good photo from my cellphone) and Clear, TS13. It should be fun trying to do the decals as I want to build the original version, not the later clone, which has different graphics and colour. The original car was red while the recent clone has pearl in it. My guide is the original ChiTown Hustler from when Gerry owned the car, as seen in the photographs that I took when we cleaned the car and did some minor repairs.

A few more models on display including some special metal cars...and a sticker above my work area...

New facility, new modelling area

You are old...not as old as me, but old

I am in the process of setting up a new build bench and new storage area, so here are a few shots of some cars and kits. There is still lots of arranging to be done but I have to keep building while I am sorting things out

I have been working on a new display area and here are my first photographs. This is not final, I will probably move things around Yes, the car is the top right is Dave Puhl's Illusion, scratch built that I got from a collection many years ago. Next, 5 vehicles from the collection of the late Bob Gaudard, who loved pullers and hand carved his own tires and made many of his own detail parts Finish with my original Uncertain T and the trophy it won in 1966

So, you can't get to a model show because they are cancelled or postponed? You want to see more models? Okay, here is a link to my online model collection that includes models I have built, kits, diecast, projects, etc.. Oh, the small numbers on the cars are my inventory numbers. Enjoy https://public.fotki.com/HowardCohen/model-car-collectio-1/

Bare-Metal Foil Application While there are many types of foil products on the market, the one I prefer is 'Bare-Metal' foil. I find it the easiest to work with and very accessible. Here are a few hints for using foil products. If you have never used foil before, take an un-painted body and practice. Wash the body and then follow the hints. If you make a mistake, you can easily start over without ruining your paint or body work. When using a self-painted body, make sure the paint is fully cured. While your paint may look dry, it may not be dry enough to handle and work on. I let paint dry about a month, thereby making sure the surface is ready to work. If you are using a pre-painted body, the paint will be cured. Whenever possible, use a bare body, one without windows, interior or other parts or trim attached. It is easier to handle and allows you to trim closely and to trim the inside. Put a coat of NON-SILICONE wax or polish on your paint. This will give you a smoother surface to work on and protect the paint from any adhesive residue. The non-silicone finish will not deter the adhesive from sticking. Any silicone-based product will fight the adhesive. I use ‘Novus’, ‘Bare-Metal Plastic Polish’, 'Treatment Model Wax' or 'Meguiar's Professional' series marked 'paintable'. Dedicate a handle for foil cutting and mark it. Use as light a handle as possible. Too much weight may cause cutting problems. Use a new blade. Don't try to save money by using an old blade. It's not worth it. A good blade will last 3 or 4 models. Then change the blade and put it in your cutting knife. An old blade may tear the foil or tear into the paint. When cutting the foil to apply on the model, cut straight strips. They are easier to handle. Compound curves are more difficult to handle but can be easily overcome with a series of straight strips. Apply the foil as straight as possible, making sure to allow excess foil to straddle your trim. Press the foil down onto the trim, first with your fingers and then with a soft tip, like a Tamiya stick or other such tool, until you can see all of the detail under the foil. On a long piece of trim, start from one end and work to the other or start in the middle and work towards the outer ends. (some people like to use a Q-tip to press down the foil, but I find that the strands may come loose and get stuck to the foil) You can also try those neat little ‘Microbrush’ glue applicators. They fit into many nooks & crannies and don’t leave strands. Cut with a very gentle hand. You are not chopping wood or driving nails. You don't need a lot of pressure or strength, just the weight of the handle. Make sure you have cut through the foil, but not the paint. When you have made your cut, use tweezers to remove the excess foil. Some times you can re-use the foil for smaller pieces of trim such as door handles. In most cases, just scrap it as the adhesive will be lost and may fall off when you least expect it. When you are finished applying the foil, go back and get your NON-SILICONE wax or polish and apply another coat on your model. Use very little pressure. Now, how does it look? Satisfied? If not, peel it off, clean it and start over. Like it? Good, you're done. See how easy that was! If you have been watching the clock, and you shouldn't be when you're building a model, you may find you have spent up to 3 or 4 hours foiling a model. Don't worry about the time, it doesn't matter. Only the results matter. Howard Cohen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

I bought some of those last year, 4 cans, not one can sprayed, they all spit out paint...

Motorama Car Show is on this weekend in Toronto...here are a few photographs for you to enjoy.... https://public.fotki.com/HowardCohen/motorama-2020/

I was at the Autorama Friday morning early with my media pass, took about a half ton of photographs of the cars and trucks...and then took about 100 photographs of the start of model contest...enjoy https://public.fotki.com/howardcohen/detroit-autorama-2020/

I started this today as part of the annual 24 Hour Rolex build...Revell Foose Cadillac Eldorado...all parts have been primer and painted after major bits were assembled. I will let everything dry while I nap for a few hours.

As I sit here waiting for the start of the Rolex 24 Hour Race from Daytona, I have finished up a small diorama titled, 'The Bachelor's Modelling Pad', based on a 24th scale Japanese doll house kit that I found online.

..also makes an interesting police sedan...

Several years ago one of the decal guys made up a few sets of decals for this car with proper lines, you may be able to find a set.

Nothing on display. I have seen a few pictures.

What to do on a quiet Saturday...how about a trip to a car museum? Only 2 hours from Toronto, the Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum is worth a visit. I have been there twice before but another visit is always good. One of the highlights is a new donation to the museum, a 1904 Pierce (before the name change), fresh from a private collection. There are about 100 cars plus bicycles (Pierce built bicycles and motorcycles before cars), hub caps, gas pumps, period clothing, models, the 'Frank Lloyd Wright Filling Station' (no Goober at the pumps) and much more! I took a few photographs and added them to my album listed as .December 2019', enjoy https://public.fotki.com/howardcohen/pierce-arrow-museum/page4.html

I am not sure what the kit is but it looks larger than 1/24th.

I took these shots at the Fleetwood Country Cruise in London, Ontario in 2013, they should help with a few details

These are all plastic kits

People keep asking me where I find this stuff...it's easy, I open my eyes and there it is Okay, I look online and I give out lots of cards at shows and they sometimes call me with items for sale. In the past few weeks I have picked up two collections, one of 19 cars and the other of a dozen trucks and a few cars. The trucks went to a friend's home as he collects them. I am keeping the cars for myself for now. Sometimes I go to buy a few models and I end up with a few dozen as they want to get rid of everything at once, so I oblige them Here are some of the built models I picked up...and no, they were not free

I have not seen it yet but some guys in my racing club did and were able to pay a few extra dollars to get 'movable seats' that moved with the film and drivers and cars...they said it was worth it! A few weeks ago I watched the docudrama 'The 24 Hour War' on Netflix about the same theme, Ford vs Ferrari, about LeMans and some endurance racing added in. It was done more as a documentary with interviews with real racers and builders. It was very good, although a little sad when they showed the Mercedes accident at LeMans, some real crashes, talked about '1 in 4' drivers in the 60 had a serious crash. Watch this and the movie and compare the two.