Hawk312

Thanks again everyone. For those of you who haven`t seen it, here is the real car on the auction block. It was an exciting moment to watch. I believe up until that time, it was a Barrett Jackson record. It was a 1 of 1 red on red L88:

Thanks again everyone!

I finished this one up. Completed thread is here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=98150

Thanks everyone!

More pictures:

I started out trying to replicate exactly the $3.5million `67 L88 Corvette that sold at Barrett Jackson last January. Did I pull it off? It`s hard to believe, but this project started way back in March of last year. I started my work in progress thread on this forum last April. So I am finally calling this "finished." There was plenty of modification on this build. The wheels were fabricated and cast. As far as I know, there are no other 1/12 scale versions of the `67 style rally wheel, die cast or otherwise. The exhaust from the manifold to the exhaust tips was fabricated using metal tubing and one-off cast resin mufflers. And of course, the L-88 intake, overflow reservoir, and radiator were all fabricated or modified to match the 1:1 car. The typical (for me) coolant hoses, alternator wiring, and relay wiring were added. I am not sure what that square box is on the drivers side inner fender, but it was scratch built from sheet styrene and hook-up wires. Chassis markings, auction stickers, and the battery labels were printed based on reference pictures I have of the 1:1 car. I had a really hard time capturing the red color on this one for some reason. i must have taken over 100 washed out, blurry pictures until I got some decent ones. So let me know what you think.

Thanks again everyone! I do do that on my 1:1`s, but not on the models. I make sure I have way more clear coat on it than I`ll ever need to make sure I don`t rub through.

Thanks everyone! I really appreciate the comments! Ok, so here are a few teaser pics. The weather isnt`t cooperating tonight as it`s overcast and dreary, so it will probably be a couple days until I get some good pics. In the lighting, I am really having trouble capturing it for now.

Ok guys. I had to go back several pages to find this thread, cause it`s been so long. Believe it or not, I have been working on this one pretty much the whole time, but mostly trying to get the wheels right. As many of you know, I usually use the `68+ style rally wheels on these builds. I was determined to make a `67 style wheel and cast them for this build, cause I wanted everything perfect. Well, I think, after 4-5 months, I finally have the process down. I have a complete set of these now ready to go on. What do you think? As for the rest of the model, here it is with the turbine and `68 style rallys. It still needs a little polish and the 67 wheels put on:

Thanks for the response futura. I'll add it to my bottle and see what happens. Thanks!

I am experimenting with the dyes for Alumilite resin and a couple questions came to mind. First, is this stuff supposed to be as thick as molasses? I was squeezing the bottle just trying to get a drop out, and the pressure forced the nozzle off! (and made a nice mess in my kitchen ) It has more of a gel consistency than a liquid. Secondly, it says to add this to the "A" part of the resin mixture. The color I am using I am planning to use for all casted parts in the near future. Can I just add the dye to the entire "A" bottle instead of adding the dye each time I cast a part? Or will it have adverse effects after sitting a while a few weeks/months like this? So far from my testing, though a little difficult to work with because of the consistency, it is doing exactly what I hoped it would do btw. Thanks!

Very nice work!! Excellent work with the interior. That black plastic can be hard to cover with a light color!

Nice!! Looking forward to seeing what you do with this! You want the stock ralleys?

Thanks guys. I have heard the new "Black Magic" version of the Bleche White is not nearly as strong....very watered down or a new formula which is why I was hesitant to give it a try. Do any of you have experience with the new Black Magic stuff? Man, so many uses for Future. It might be tricky wic`ing them, seeing as how the wheels have places where it can pool up. Maybe I will just try turning them upside down. Interesting idea though. Do you have any experience having the parts chromed after doing this?

Thanks for all the advice and details guys. I am using the alumilite kit, both their resin and casting silicone. I would like to try having them plated after a coat of lacquer, but is that even possible? They are perfectly smooth after some primer. Thanks again.

Some of you are familiar with my saga, trying to get my resin casted wheels chrome plated. I have sent them out three times to a reputable plater, only to have them return with tiny bubbles all over them each time. In my latest effort, I created the master, created a mold using no release agent on the master, casted a dozen or so wheels with no release agents used and heating the mold, removed the parts from the mold, mounted them, and shipped them off to be chromed. I have been using the Alumilite mold silicone and their casting resin as well. Both have been purchased withing the last six months. I am able to spray paint the resin castings without any issues, perfectly smooth. I can also use products like spaztix and have it come very close to chrome. However, the chroming always fails with the pitting, yellowing, and tin pin holes in the chrome. I have been thinking about this, and have been searching the forum. Even though from start to finish I am not using a release agent, do I still need to use some type of degreaser on the parts before having them chromed because of the silicone mold? I see many people mentioning Wesleys bleche white. Since this is no longer available, is there something else I can use? I really need to get this working. You guys who are getting your resin castings chromed, what is the method of your success? Thanks.

Thanks again everyone! Thanks! I have been looking through m past posts, and realized alot of my Corvettes haven`t been posted yet in Under Glass. Maybe I will compile them all and create a completed builds for the past decade.

Thanks everyone! Glad to see some like that Mustang.

Can enamel paint really be chromed plated? And if enamel, what about lacquer? I am able to get these nearly perfect, at least as far as texture, with duplicolor primer. That`s a simple fix if it can be plated over.

I use duplicolor clear almost exclusively. I try to avoid all others whenever possible. The big scale beauty car was all Duplicolor from memory: Now I have had fogging issues, but only when humidity is high, and it also tends to diminish when I let it cure inside the house. This Willy`s actually looked primer gray (not an exaggeration!!) after spraying about 5 coats of clear. After a couple weeks of curing in air condition, and after a good rub down, it looks like this to this day: Go easy on me with the graphics. It was built 15 years ago, and I was "experimenting."

Thanks everyone. Life has really gotten in the way of building and posting lately. Last week, I managed to get some better pics of the black Mustang for a contest I am entering. I`ll just post them here quick:

I haven't yet because this guy, after reading the comments on here, seems very reputable. Also, the bumper that came from the kit that he chromed for me looks almost perfect. . Maybe I will start looking at other players though. Anyone have recommendations besides chrometech?

Well, I just got the parts back from the platers, and I think these are worse than the 2 prior batches. I am really at a loss. Some of them look like flat aluminum. Some of them have the bad pinhole issue. Some of them appear to have a yellowish tint. I looked at the backs of them, and the rack that I mounted them on, and the chrome on them seems to be decent. So I dont know what to do, except for maybe start this whole process ever again, fabricating a completely new master from scratch. If anyone has any ideas, I would appreciate it.

Thanks Monty! I have the help of several 1:1 owners who help me with originality etc. One of them is giving me a hard time because he doesn`t like the shade of the tie-rod ends. :D But, as best I can tell from pictures of the real car, it is close. I`m not sure I`ll undertake another one of these without the sidepipes. The kit only comes with the parts for the sidepipes, so everything from the exhaust manifolds to the tailpipe ends had to be fabricated. It was fun trying to bend everything and have everything line up perfectly and mate up with the tailpipe ends that must go through the center of the outlet in the body. And those bends right over the rear leaf springs are tighter and more complicated then they look.

Thanks everyone! It is the Revell 1/25 GT350H kit from memory.