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That's exactly the kind of luck I'm having getting this project off the ground. I just traded my Revell '64 Chevy to Crazy Ed so he could use it for one of his Chaparall teams. Oh well, at least the '64 is relatively easy to find still.

Thanks for the head-up Steve. Somehow, I've never picked up one of the '67-'72 GM pickup kits so I'm grossly unfamiliar with their strengths and weaknesses.

Thanks all, this is exactly the information I was looking for! I made a run on an original '76 issue that ended on Ebay tonight. Things must have gotten crazy while I was at work because it ended at $56 + shipping. I've seen the '90 re-issue all over the web for much more reasonable prices but was hesitant to pull the trigger if it didn't have the custom parts I was looking for. I blame all this on this little booger The GMC stepside gets me insanely close right out of the box to do this in 1/25th scale. I'd have to do something about the grille, splice two together to fill in the headlamps or maybe even try photoetching one. I'm thinking the wheels from the Revell Caddy Escalade would look at home and have similiar proportions to the Hot Wheels. I just realized that the underhood goodies (heater core, master cylinder, etc.) aren't present in the GMC, at least according to the instructions sheets on Bob Black's site. I'll have to track down some parts out of a '72 Chevy Fleetside. I'm still debating on (leaning towards) going with a newer frame out of the Revell '99 Silverado or the AMT '90 Silverado Stepside to update the promo-style chassis and an updated motor/tranny. Thanks again for all your help.

My basic question would be what differences, if any, are there between the 1990 re-issue and the original 1976 release. It appears that the wheels were updated in the 1990 re-issue but were any of the custom options dropped? Mainly, I'm concerned with the custom grille and front roll pan. The original issue doesn't seem to pop up very often but the '90 kit comes around all the time so if I can get away with the newer kit I'd be happy. A stepside '67-'72 GM pickup has been on the must-do list for years but I've got the itch to get it done yesterday. I blame it on the Hot Wheels '69 Chevy Custom pickup I picked up a couple of weeks ago. TIA

Wow, she beautiful! Love the Hellas and you definitely nailed the stance

Wow, thanks a ton for the link. That's exactly the kind of site I was looking for!

I got really into Madden '08 for PC when I was away from models for awhile. I'm not a button mashing kid anymore so I played alot of franchise (run a team for 30 seasons) in coach mode (only call the plays, no control over players). There's an equally fervent lunatic fringe for modding Madden PC so there are no shortage of add-ons and utilities that add a ton of depth to the game. I got into creating some custom uniforms and even wrote some of my own utilities. With all of that it kind of developed into a hobby rather than just a game. My custom Chiefs uniforms I use in my franchise Anyways, I was just curious as to what other activities grab your attention.

Made some good progress on the Nova this weekend. I got the color on and then proceeding to screw it up <img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/lobbs611/69%20NOVA/IMG_4569.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> A little more orange peel than I would have liked but the orange clear started spitting on my last pass. She had been sitting on the stand for about half an hour, normally that's long enough for things to harden up enough to move it over to the dehydrator. Of course, I picked her up by the back wheel wells and proceeded to put a couple of finger prints in the paint job. She'll probably be taking a bath and I'll get to do it all over again. I also got the interior painted and ready to detail. I went with Tamiya light sand with Testors Light Tan for the carpet and inserts on the seats. <img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/lobbs611/69%20NOVA/IMG_4570.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> I'll probably jump to another project for awhile because it'll be couple of weeks before I can make it to the hobby shop that carries Tamiya paints (I only get to go when my wife has a Dr.'s appt. that puts us on that end of town).

Sweet!!! I constantly find myself picking up Hot Wheels that are similiar to what I'm working on in 1:25th. I eventually want to do some mini versions of my builds. Any good sites to check out to get started?

That thing is gonna be sick!!

Man, I love seeing everybody's take on this kit. Are those steelies with dog dish caps? Great work as always Tom.

Gorgeous build, Lyle. Everything about her is just on target.

I've been watching this one since day one and it's coming along great. Have a good trip to Iowa, I don't get back nearly as often as I should.

Looking good, I've been wanting to do a '67 Elky for a while from the '66 which is essentially the same tool as the wagon. I've been wondering what issues to keep an eye out for. MJ, where did you find the cowl-induction hood for the '67? All the ones I've been able to find were the wild Outlaw style.

This is just a quick heads-up for the LSx transfitters. The T-56 in the Revell Camaro SS/Firebird is huge compared to the 4-speed in the kit and takes quite a bit of fitting to get the engine/tranny to sit level. You can keep the stock crossmember is you completely remove the round mounting nub. I ended up sanding away about half the thickness off the underside of the tranny tunnel and taking a little off the profile where the bellhousing butts up against the tranny tunnel. From there, it's a matter of filing away on the top side of the tranny aft of the bellhousing until the engine sits down on the engine mounts without picking up the floorboards. I tried to get some pictures but the changes were slight and hard to photograph. Hope this helps

Alright, I need an opinion. I'm up in the air about the interior color. I'm torn between Tamiya German Gray and Tamiya Desert Sand w/ Flat Earth inserts in the seats. Here is Dave McGowan's Silverado which inspired the color choice for the Nova. I've seen cars in a similiar color with either tan or gray interiors and both look equally good.

Another amazing build, keep them coming

Work has been insane lately so I'm just now getting the Nova in primer. The body has been given a full shave and haircut. The emblems, fender louvers, fender turn signals and vent windows in the doors are gone. I also filled in the door handle dimples and the door/trunk locks. I love how primer always makes every little defect pop so I'll have some clean up to do before she gets some color. I also decided on the wheel/tire combo. They're gonna be modified MPC Motorsports Chevy Ralleyes that I've been holding onto these for years waiting for the right project. They fit the tires in the Revell California Wheels series. I'll be stealing the kit's center caps and trimming down the back halves of the California Wheels '69 Vette wheels to use as the beauty rings.

Here's my version 3.0 that I've been using for a few years now. It's a downdraft style booth with a Dayton blower I ordered through my old job and takes a 14" x 25" filter below the stage. It's way overbuilt from 3/4" MDF. I just realized I hadn't cut the hole for the fan in the first pic, it's centered in the floor to hence the down-draft design. If you're thinking about building your own, I highly recommend this article by Klaus Raddatz. It was a godsend in designing mine. Klaus' article on airbrush booth design

I know alot of guys are looking to put an LSX motor in these things so here's the combo I came up with for a good LSX crate motor. <img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/lobbs611/69%20NOVA/IMG_4465.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/lobbs611/69%20NOVA/IMG_4467.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> I started with the LS motor/T-56 tranny from the Revell Camaro SS/Firebird then added the top end and front engine cover from the Revell '01 Z06 Vette. I didn't see any interfence fit problems with the Camaro/Firebird set-up but I liked the look of the accessories on the Vette cover better. The oil pan on the Vettes and Camaros is way too shallow in my opinion so I stole one from the '99 Silverado. It's nearly identical in depth and pickup location as the '69 Nova pan. I also had to bring the oil filter and starter over from the truck kit. The Vortecs and LS motors are all basically the same architecturally so it's a reasonable swap. It's way too late to risk the compressor coming on and waking up the wife and kids so I'm hoping to get this all in aluminum tomorrow. Here's a hint at the body color on the smoothed engine covers. MM Dark Bronze under Tamiya Clear Orange (thanks gowjobs I told ya I'd find a use for it someday). I've got to wait and do a final color match to the body before I can clear and polish these out. <img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh211/lobbs611/69%20NOVA/IMG_4469.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" /> Now, if I can finally get the clear undercoat off the replacement grill Revell sent me (I swear they laid down the clear with a trowel), I can get the body in primer this weekend.

Sweet looking Mopar, Marc. I got kinda worried when I started reading back thru the last year on the board and didn't see any posts from ya. It's good to see ya knocking them out again.

The dust is made when the guys have to DA sand out mismatches between cutter passes and appears to be every bit as fine as what settles out of a jar of paint that has sat for awhile. I would already have to sift it with a fine screen to the remove bits of the broken down sanding pads.

I had a eureka moment at work tonight and I'm trying to figure out how difficult it'd be to follow thru on. I'm a QC inspector at a tool and die shop doing aerospace work. My hands are pretty much a shade of perma-gray from handling aluminum, titanium and stainless parts 12 hours a day. I have to wash my hands at least a half dozen times a day or my wife won't let me anywhere near her when I get home. As I watched the gray water swirl down the drain it occurred to me that I might be able to make use of this mess I deal with every day. To make a long story short, we make a whole lotta metal dust at work and I don't like spending $9 an ounce on Alclad metal paints. Would it really be as easy as stirring up some aluminum dust into some clear lacquer to mix my own paint or is their more involved? If it goes on an airplane, we machine it so I could come up with pretty much every type of aluminum, titanium, stainless, brass, copper, etc. known to man. If not clear lacquer what would be the recommended medium to use? I'd like to be able to use Tamiya's rattle can clear if it's possible because I know it's properties. Thanks in advance.

I had forgotten about the Revell '68 Firebird. I've picked one up off the shelf before and given the box a once over but never bought one so I'm not sure what would be involved in converting it to a Camaro. I'm still holding out that eventually Revell will come around and do one right. It worked on the Nova . Ultimately, I want to do a build to pay tribute to this. Mark Stielow's '67 Camaro, later dubbed the "Red Witch". It single-handedly changed my thinking about how muscle cars should be built. Prior to seeing this car, I was all about drag racing like most of my high school buddies (she was built in '96, I graduated in '97). Stielow is a genius and pulled off many engineering feats modifying the original suspension on his Camaros for maximum handling more than a decade ago. Now you can buy a 1g+ kit off the shelf for nearly any classic iron.

I know I've seen this discussed in the past but I can't for the life of me remember which kit it was. For some reason, the '67 annual sticks out in my mind as the one to track down. I'm ultimately wanting to combine the distinctly '67 elements with as much of the better detailed Revell '69 kit as possible. TIA