Hawk312

I'm not a sprint car guy, but that is pretty cool. I hope it comes with those wheels. They look slightly different than the ones in the old kits?

I'm excited about the Aar. I know we were all suspecting it, but it's cool to see it is going to happen. I also like to see that the TA is back, and will have to get one of those. I really like the box art!!!! Is that sprint car coming? I might want to get one of those.

Is this the color scheme you speak of? I really like this one:

Thanks for the very kind words everyone!

Thanks guys! 1/16. It has working head and tailights.

This is it for me. From an original Trophy Series MPC kit:

I * think* this is the one I considered way back when and gave up on:

Couldn`t agree more!! And I am kinda surprised by the responses here. I have been waiting for 30 years for a decent `69 kit. I could not get past that awful, horrendous front end on the Revell kit. And the AMT kit was awful all around, IMO. The corrections needed in this one are minor in comparison. And how often do I look into my built models in my display to look at the door arm rests? If I really need them, I will just scratch build them. $.02 contributed.

I`ve been able to get acceptable results with Duplicolor:

I have all mine, and yet time remains elusive. I`ve had most of these for 10 years or more.

Thanks Ace for taking the time to post all that detail! I using Duplicolor from the can, just because the base coat had to be a specific paint code. I think that is one of the more susceptible brands....I haven`t had the issue *as much* with Model Master or Tamiya lacquer. I am a little worried about the Duplicolor base "pulling back" from the edges though if I try one of those on top. Maybe I just need to break down and buy an airbrush for this?

I know there have been posts previously regarding this issue. And I have experience battling this for the last 25 years or so of building. But I have recently moved to a very humid climate. Just for example, the dew point will be close to 80 degrees today, and has been since early spring. A day where the dew point is in the lower 70s is rare. So, when I was up north I would spray in humid weather and I would get fogging, etc....everything that you would expect painting in humid weather. But it wasn`t a big deal if I was patient and waited for it to gas out. I have even had finishes that were supposed to be black but looked like gray primer immediately after spraying clear, but dried and polished to a deep, mirror shine. I am trying to spray my 1/12 `73 Trans Am I am currently working on, and water droplets are forming on the surface while I am spraying. Needless to say, the paint is dull, which I can live with and polish out. I had this problem up north. But I also noticed that clear from parts I sprayed 3-4 weeks ago, after a cut and polish, simply stay dull no matter how much elbow grease I put into it. I have tried spraying day and night, indoors and out, even in climate controlled area, with the same results. What are you guys doing that live in tropical climates? I noticed some mention of food dehydrators, but that gets interesting when working in 1/12 scale. I`ve also seen people buying dehumidifiers, but I would like to know if this has been effective or of there are any issues setting one of these up in, say, a garage. Thanks!

I`ll second this!

Great work. That looks real! These kits build up to be very realistic. I used this kit and the `81 kit to build the Alpha car, and I think they proportions, except for the tires being just a little bit too big, are right on. What paint did you use on the wheels? The color and texture are very convincing! I am looking forward to see pics of the engine if you are able to get them up.

This thread is very encouraging to me. This is what I have been thinking. I mean, my first kit I bought at Kaybee for $4.99 back in 1983. Yes kits are 4 to 5 times the cost now. But as someone who remembers kits from the 80`s, I have no problem paying that price now. I have built my share of kits with engines where the starter, oil filter, fuel pump, water pump, and oil pan were all just "bumps" on the block, and a long block and transmission were just 4 parts. Or front and rear suspensions that were one piece with the exhaust molded in. Not too mention the flash everywhere and flaking chrome. Compare that to the Foose truck I am working on now which is detailed, proportions are excellent, molding is super crisp, and all the parts would probably fall into place just by shaking the box since then engineering is so much better. I have no problems paying a little extra for this kind of quality. And, there are always the snap kits for those who are just entering the hobby or want something less expensive.

Nevermind. I swore this was a hardtop kit:

Ohhh, that makes that kit interesting. A convertible SS...hmm. If I recall, Lindberg and AMT only offered the SS in hardtop form originally. Hopefully round2 eventually does the Firebird kit with the Firehawk parts.

That`s what I`m thinking. I have the 1/16 MPC kit, and probably will buy a few more. It`s decent, but I would much, much rather have the big Monogram kit. The detail and proportions are excellent on it (I have the `79 and Turbo 1/8 kits as well) plus it`s twice the size. What would really be nice is if they would re-release it and back-date it to a `77.

One thing I noticed with the Rustoleum is that the colors take a really long time to dry. I painted a corvette in black, and even after waiting weeks it was still tacky. I noticed that with several colors. However, the clear seems to dry rather quickly. So I always follow the color with several coats of clear and I can usually rub it out within a similar amount of time compared to Duplicolor.

All the 1/8 scale kits from the 80`s please. And if not all of them, just the `79 and `81 Trans am kits. They have been going for a fortune for decades.

Thanks Slusher and jchrisf! Thanks! Yep, that is Rustoleum Painters Touch Clear believe it or not. I don`t really have any secrets other then my typical wet sanding and rubbing out with compound. I would say it rubs out just as nicely as Duplicolor. It actually seemed to take less effort to wet sand and rub out the Rustoleum. If I remember correctly, I picked up the engine enamel at Advance Auto, the Marigold and clear at Walmart, and the Valspar paint at Lowes. The Valspar is actually the exact color used on the 1:1 Lowes stock car.

I have been using Duplicolor for probably over 25 years now. Its nearly impossible to get a run with that stuff, and rubs out nice. But I`ve also used some Rustoleum with good results. It dries rather quickly and rubs out nice from what I have seen. It will be interesting to compare the durability. I have cars in my case painted over 20 years ago with Duplicolor that still have a glass smooth deep finish. Here are a couple builds with Rustoleum finishes. The Wheaties car is the engine enamel orange. The Lowes car is Valspar (some shade of blue) and Rustoleum Painters Touch Marigold with Rustoleum Painters Touch Clear over the whole thing.

I am sooo glad to see that `69 Mustang. I REALLY hope it makes it to daylight. And Mustangs are not my thing.

What GMCMAN52 said. Pretty cool concept. Never saw that on a `77/`78 car. BTW, if you are not sold on the `77/`78 front end completely, you could build a `79-`81 version of the car in almost any scale. Off the top of my head, we have good kits available to us in 1/8, 1/16, 1/20, 1/24, and 1/25.

Am I the only one having trouble finding wire that will adhere to CA glue?