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gman

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Everything posted by gman

  1. Nice save- good looking model that preserves the style from when it was first built.
  2. It's beautiful. Where did you source the wheels and tires from?
  3. http://www.trainshack.com/browse.cfm/atlas-snap-saw/4,4115.html ^^ I find these (combined with a masking tape guide and a steady hand) are good for starting straight and in-scale door lines when they have to be scribed or corrected. Start with the saw, finish with a scriber or even a new piece of sandpaper inserted into the door line to clean things up and remove fuzzed up styrene from the door line.
  4. For small to modestly sized repair areas, I use super glue and baking soda...the baking soda catalyzes the glue and causes it to set almost immediately. It is slightly harder than the surrounding plastic to sand when fully cured, so it is best rough it in with course sandpaper or files in the seconds after it is applied and it is still curing. Apply the glue with a toothpick, sprinkle enough baking soda on the glue to fully cover the glue and work almost immediately with sandpaper or file. Superglue/baking soda areas will take primer and paint very much like bare plastic will, and worked areas will rarely stand out under primer and paint if you have finished them properly with the same grits as used on the surrounding areas. Most solvent based putties can soften plastic and will shrink over time- while sold for hobby use, the old Squadron green and white putties (and other hobby putties of similar composition) are famous for shrinking, cracking and sinking below the surface of the repaired area over time if you have to use a relatively thick putty layer to accomplish the bodywork you have in mind. Automotive single-part putties are usually solvent based with even bigger chances for adverse effects when used on plastic if enough putty is applied without allowing those solvents to "gas out" completely before re-coating with putty or painting worked areas with solvent based paints...this can take several hours depending on how thick the puttied area is and requires building up thin coats of primer to cover without reacting with the putty. For larger repairs it is hard to beat 2 part polyester putty (Tamiya makes some, but automotive products like Evercoat are much cheaper in bulk) as they cure quickly, remain stable when properly mixed and won't soften underlying plastic as there are no solvents involved. They also blend or feather extremely well into surrounding plastic if you've roughed up the entire area to be worked with a course file or sandpaper prior to applying your putty. Areas covered with 2 part polyester putty will take primer much like the surrounding plastic and once you get the hang of mixing the ratios and working the putty at the magic moment before maximum hardness is achieved, and is actually easier than using single part putty considering it can be sanded and covered with paint in mere minutes after curing.
  5. Also true- I never got really specific 'cause I couldn't remember exactly when it was that Revell went bad. I started building in the early 70's and remember being overjoyed when Revell got their quality back on track (some time in the late 80's)...I always liked the subject matter of the back catalogue but left them alone for awhile based on those late 70's to early 80's unboxing experiences. To date I've been reluctant to pick up recent releases of some of those gasser models I built as a youth, so this section is a godsend to those who want a look under the shrink wrap before spending today's prices on re-issued kits from the dark days.
  6. ^^This. These kits were a bad period for Revell in that they were re-issues of once great kits with new box art, but once you got the box open you were treated to poor quality moldings, lots of flash, chrome trees that had thick plating with runs and even hair in it- the same could be said for the later "Hot Rod" branded releases as well. I remember buying three of the Model A roadster pickup kits to make up one build-able example . The 80's was not a good period for Revell kits, and the current "rat rod" issues are far superior in that the chrome trees and other sprues have finally got the care and attention they desperately deserve. I think you'll find most of the value from the "Happy days" kits will be in the box art and not as build-able examples of kits available today.
  7. The difference is that in many late 30's and early 40's products, Ford Motor Co. offered different trim levels in any given model year, with lower priced models typically utilizing trim styling cues from the previous model generation's Deluxe version. Your photo and the early AMT kit depict a '40 Deluxe Coupe, while the Revell/Monogram Coupe new tool depicts a '40 standard grill rather than Deluxe. http://www.motaa.com...40fordshore.jpg http://www.relicsand...d-Howardson.jpg In these two images the Standard Grill is on top, Deluxe on the bottom. The '40 Standard grill is very similar to the '39 Ford Deluxe, while the '39 Ford Standard is closer to the '38 Ford Deluxe. http://www.cruisenew...Feature-Top.jpg http://www.cruisenew...rdCoupe-Top.jpg
  8. http://modelexpress....757-300x298.jpg ^^ It was almost exactly like this (without the "Fat Fendered" logo).
  9. If you follow directions with the Spazstix chrome I think you'll be pleasantly surprised- use light coats over a smooth black base coat (they also sell their own base coat black in aerosol) and you'll get chrome-like results, comparable or even better than Alclad. Use too much in heavy coats and the results are more like Testor's chrome spray, so keep it light. http://public.fotki.com/grdeyed/model_cars-1/chrome-test/ ^^ Not my link- posted by member sjordan in another thread on chrome (Alclad, Spazstix).
  10. Older DupliColor comes in two varieties- lacquer that doesn't require a clear coat, and base coat lacquer that does (usually denoted by a "CC" on the can). With care and effort, these paints can polish out beautifully- both can exhibit surface texture and blush if spraying conditions aren't ideal. I have primarily used the ones not requiring clear coat and will polish the texture and any blush or milkiness out of the paint as soon as it has cured enough to do so. ^^ This is DupliColor Nissan Cherry Red Pearl over DupliColor red primer. This paint job had a little bit of blush/haze from humidity as well as a fair bit of orange peel texture that was knocked down with 1000 grit sandpaper. The paint was re-coated in thin spots and then polished with Bare Metal plastic polish on a flannel rag- no clear coat- it is all in all a beautiful product to work with and is pretty forgiving. I have been meaning to try the newer DupliColor lines to see if they are as nice a paint as the older auto touch-up aerosols this paint is from.
  11. "Erwin's Kustoms...mit Surplus"- now that is funny .
  12. After looking through the Fotki album for step by step progress shots that illustrate all that was done, all I can say is "amazing". Great job.
  13. http://www.spazstix.com/xcart/10009-ULTIMATE-MIRROR-CHROME-AEROSOL-3.5oz.html ^^ Use this over the aerosol black base coat from the same manufacturer...those without access to an airbrush will get results similar to Alclad II with a spray can. It's a pretty good finish, though there are some that say the airbrush method with Alclad offers superior results.
  14. That's about one of the coolest original designs I've seen, executed beautifully.
  15. Never...it's a "phantom" model that never was, but maybe should have been based on the looks of that resin cab .
  16. It is Revell's own...I have a few of the IMC/Testors kits and they don't hold a candle to the Revell offerings (plus both of my IMC/Testors kits- coupe and convertible- came with broken parts in the new, factory shrink-wrapped boxes).
  17. I think the American Racing 5 spoke big/littles with tires from one of the Revell '32 Fords would look sweet on that, properly painted in the centers of course.
  18. Love it- a nice sleeper look when you consider the Ardun under the hood.
  19. If you're talking about mixing Testors Metalizers with other brands, I'd say "not a good idea" so you don't get a congealed mess of paint clogging your airbrush if you have an adverse reaction, but mixing various colors within the same line is fine. I routinely mix Metalizer brass with various other colors of Metalizer to simulate the plating on master cylinder boosters and carburetors. The buffing varieties should only be mixed with other buffing varieties if you intend to buff the finished product, but if you'll be leaving it as-sprayed then it doesn't matter so much as it will be mostly used as a tint. Mixing these colors is a great way to add different tones to metallic surfaces and make them stand out. I've never had a problem mixing these paints and often use an eyedropper to put a few drops of different color in with remnants in my airbrush's color cup to add just enough tint to get some variety on surfaces meant to represent dissimilar metals side by side. Some people do this to get blended "heat stains" on exhausts that are more realistic than just overcoating with the second color. I suspect you could mix various colors from Alclad's line as well.
  20. I have used Duplicolor with decent results- it polishes out beautifully and makes for a durable finish that stands up to some handling during assembly when it's fully cured. I'll agree that you want to use their sandable primer (in light coats) over plastic, and will say you want your color coats to be light as well. If the photo attaches correctly, this one wears Duplicolor's Nissan Cherry Red Pearl. What I liked most about the color is the metallic particles are more "in scale" than most hobby paints.
  21. I built the original in the 70's and put together a few of the modified re-issues as well...pretty basic kit with a simple interior tub, generic ladder frame. It shares many parts with the MPC '57 Chevy gasser and the Datsun wrecker from the same period. The built-up kit looks OK and the earlier version with the slicks has a better stance than the re-issue with the low profile BFGs and spoked mags.
  22. 1st post on the forum (great forum BTW)... I've done some casting previously, but not an expert by any means...simple 1 part molds to duplicate small 2 dimensional parts. I'm aware of some techniques for 2 part molds, and was wondering- I've purchased a vintage kit (for far too much $$) of the first car subject I built (in '75) and wanted to make copies of the wheels, exhaust and blower scoop to complete a re-issue that was recently released, with vintage box art but minus those original parts shown inside. My plan was to use the putty on the back side of the original pieces, pour the RTV over putty/master in the mold box, then eventually do the back side of the mold over the cured RTV and master, with a suitable mold release in between. Some of these parts are chromed, and I was wondering if the mold making process is likely to damage the plating on the originals, or whether the plating is likely to survive contact with RTV, putty and mold release. Is it worth chancing without having to send vintage parts out for re-plating afterwards? Any brands of RTV (or other suitable mold making supplies) kinder to masters with delicate finishes? I'm part-way into building the re-issued kit, and was really disappointed to find it was missing the period pieces shown on the box art- the way I built the kit the first time. I've raided some other re-issues for the required front and rear tires, so they're not a problem. My hope was to cast some copies of the missing parts, chrome them with Alclad II, then keep the molds and masters intact so I could either keep or build the original kit at a later time without doing any damage to it. I wouldn't need to make a whole lot of re-pops, but wouldn't mind a few spares should I get the urge to build another one of the re-issues as well (loved that original kit). Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated.
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