simonr

Hey Curtis, nice execution on this historic rocket! Simón P. Rivera Torres

I have myself also a Badger Crescendo 175 since 1998 with a great experience from it, specially the lifetime warranty service that is a mayor feauture. I bought the set that comes with the three needles, tips, and cups. This is a great airbrush for those who wants an all around-just one airbrush....but....the last summer I send to Hong Kong for a Gunze Sangyo Procon Boy PS-270. I have to tell that this one is another league, the touch and flow of this one has no rival, it even can do 0.2 mm lines! You guys can see a great review of this one here: http://www.kitsunesuki.com/2007/05/06/gunze-procon-boy-fwa-platinum-02-part-1/comment-page-1/ Simón P. Rivera Torres

Thanks a lot, Dan. It'll be a party of four modelers all the way from Puerto Rico. We can't wait for the moment to arrive to the Phoenix area on Thursday afternoon. Simón P. Rivera Torres

April 24, and like Michael Jackson sang..."I'll be there"... Simón P. Rivera Torres

Thanks a lot, my friend! Simón P. Rivera Torres

Great kits, Christian. Could you share the link fo this mailorder? Simón P. Rivera Torres

I have been in the last 3(2005,2007,2009,) and have plans to be in the next one too. I even had won a 1st place award in the small scale class, plus several 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, but, the most important thing and memories are the friendship and good environment at this event. I also love the city. Being myself in different model car contests along the nation, I had found this city it's the most easy place to drive and to find places even out of Salt Lake City, like in Odgen where I took my compete family to the Dinosaur Park/Museum. And I mean that considering I come from Puerto Rico that it's too different to SLC. I highly recomend this event. If you're thinking about to go to a model car to get everything in just one place, this is the place to go. Simón P. Rivera Torres

Simon Peter River Towers

For the front suspension tubing I painted the with the Gunze Mr color gloss black, but, the steering boots that received the semi gloss black, but, from Gunze not the Tamiya. Everything is mocked up to see how it looks. This parts now will received complete wiring and plumbing detail. Simón P. Rivera Torres

After I checked the steering boots scale, I also noticed that the brake master cylinders also needed some attention. After I measured, I saw that they were out of scale and that instead being attaching master cylinders I was attaching flashlights! Here the face to face comparison. I also did again the chassis part were they will be mounted. How they look from some distance. Chassis received an airbrush coat of Faux Fabric in order to replicate the rust undercoating. Aslo a close up of the part. Here I shooted a coat of Tamiya Semi Gloss black lacquer at night time and with the doors of my garage open to eliminate of some of the high gloss this tamiya spray has. Precisely, I selected Tamiya semi gloss black, because is not as satin as other semi gloss are, it has a little bit more shine and the aston martin undercoat is like this. The cylinders already on the chassis. My favorite part of the chassis, the rear end. I liked a lot how the Watt link assembly being with the so in scale semi gloss from Gunze Sangyo Mr color #92. The rear axle cover was treated with the rare seen aluminum from the mr. color metalizer line. After I shooted Gunze the semi gloss black to the suspension components, I airbrushed a light coat of the same mr color lacquer gloss black to give it the scale look. Everyting during nightime to avoid excessive gloss caused by warm temperatures. The last detailed I give to this section was some Boyd's enamel clear to the springs, I also did the same with the front ones. Some bolts from Galtran and washers for detail. Here can be seen the almost dull effect over thte chassis, but, with some gloss. The whole rear chassis/suspension components together finally. Simón Rivera

Thanks God!!!..We had need this for a loooooooong time...this guy is the man and a better person. Simón P.Rivera Torres

Very, Very, Very, nice!...Porsche..there's no substitute! Simón P. Rivera Torres

Wow, beautifull performance on a classic!...very nice job. Keep posting this kind of work,..specially if they are Porsches...jejeje! Simón P. Rivera Torres

Yes, this is the one!..Here you guys can see the one I told, is running at $155 and has already been started! You guys can find it at the half of the page. http://wherethetoysare.com/vehicles2.html Vaya Mickey, por aqui vamos! Simón P. Rivera Torres

Well, that's the early James Bond DB5 Airfix one, but, this one is one of the most requested among collectors. Is the Aurora Spy car. Obviously, although it doesn't mention James Bond, it refers to the DB5 that even has the Martin-Baker ejector seat from a fighter jet that can be seen in "Goldfinger". In the auction I got this picture from, the model that has bee started is running at $155! Simón P. Rivera Torres

This is a real quick update. Jerry Quick, my good friend from the T.A.M.S. club in Norfolk, VA, give me an important advise in order to get this right. The solder I used to recreate the boots at the steering rack was to thick. I used another that is a little bit thinner and the look changed. Simón P. Rivera Torres

Yes this is the Revel-monogram release. As some of you guys have said the original is an Aurora. Here's a picture of the box art, typical from the 60's. Basically Revell used same art. Hey Rob, I'm still waiting your thoughs about how was this kit received back in the 60's from your experience. Simón P. Rivera Torres

Today I have a quick update. After being working in the rear suspension components, now Im moving to the front. Like in the rear, box stock suspension is OK but, I feel it allow space for something more. I started gluing together the engine bay and cutting the attachment ends to the plastic sway bar with some brass tubing I did a new one. Same method was done with the steering rack, rolling some thin solder around the tube to simulate the boot. The shocks and spring plastic combo also suffer a transformation with some solder, plastic rod, aluminum tubing, and aluminum sheet. I didnt put much attention on the exposed epoxy since it will be later covered by the brake disc and the wheels. Everything was installed and this is how it looks: After carved a bit of plastic rectangle bar, I did a chassis bar where I mounted the scratch built brakemaster cylinders. I also did a tryout to see how they look. Now I just need to shoot some paint to the parts and do final adjustments. Then, I will complete everything with wire and nuts in order to complete the plumbing. Simón P. Rivera Torres

Well, like I said, this model is in a much advanced stage than you guys see here and, that's not exactly what I did to it, but, the scoop in the center of the hood had to be gone and correctly replaced. Simón P. Rivera Torres

Yes, this one it's an example of it. Yes, I hope also to see a soon reissue, since it's not so easy to find around, nor cheap too. I hope to see in the next reissue some improvements, like ...A DECAL SHEET! Simón P. Rivera Torres

Yes, this is the same one, so you should know the good impression it caused me the first time I opened the box. Do you guys know I bought this model to take out the luggage set and use it in the Mercedes Benz 300SL Gullwing I built a couple of years ago already and the discard it, but, Iknew the that this one has it's possibilities later. Could you give us your thoughs about how this model was received in the model car community back in the 60's? Could you also post some pics of the work you did to it then? Thanks to all you guys took from your time to watch this. I will post more updates very soon, due to that this model is already in a real advanced stage. Simón P. Rivera Torres

Now...we have a complete family: Here I even added the aftermarket wheels and they fitted perfectly without any alteration! To be continued.... Simón P. Rivera Torres

Ok, now let's go to do some modeling.... Opposite to basic model car modeling and to the instruction sheet itself, I will start this model coming from the chassis and suspension components going up to the interior, body, ending at the engine bay...What an odd way, isn't it?:confused: Here's a look to the chassis and interior components. Typical from those old days, several parts are used to do one component. Among the several nice features of this model, the seats have some reclinable movement. The chassis and spare tire compartment has been glued together: Moving on now to the underside of this model, since I've been doing a lot of research for this model lately, so I found that the swing link is too large, so, I cutted it, shaved the simulated plastic bolt and glued a real aluminum one. Another alteration I did was in the rear axle cover, were I added more aluminum bolts from R&B Motion, aluminum sheet for the Watt link assemblies connectors, and aluminum tubing for the Watt link assemblies itself. I found that the rear axle cover comes as a separate part and it will be great at detailing paint time, since it's supposed to be painted in a different color than the axle itself and this will eliminate future tricky masking there. Real part: altered part: I taped down everything together on the chassis along with the Radius Arm assemblies..Let’s see how it looks... I like how it being, buuuut, to me something is still missing...I made the road springs out of solder ans its bases from plastic sheet

This will my build on the 1/25 Revell Monogram Aston Martin DB4. Although it's one of the most exquisite sport luxury car of all time, at the hobby stores shelves is almost a none exist subject. Despite being a 40 years old design already, this little 1/25 little friend gives plenty of possibilities and space to our mind's creativity. This is not common on those old days model cars, where were not today's fine standards like the ones from Tamiya and Fujimi, just to name a couple. There have been several releases on this Aston Martin Db4, a couple from Monogram (different box art) and also a couple from Revell itself. Mine is the 1997 one. I'm also including a couple of pictures of the DB5, the real James Bond's car. I found doing my research that sometimes the DB4 is also named as the Bond's car. They are almost the same car, what better identify one from the other are the head lights buckles. Here are a couple of pictures of the art boxes. My goal is to make a high detailed version of it, since there is of the lack of buildings on this Aston, most of them Box Stock with an upgraded wheels set from Tamiya's Jaguar MK II and the Aoshima MGB. The version I selected will be the DB4 Series 5. Although at first sight one can say they all look the same, they have significant differences. Here's a picture of a nice preserved and aggressive look silver DB4 Series 3 and another for the one I selected, a red Series 5 one. To my friends from here that know me well..no...there won't be another red model car!

Nice! Simón P. Rivera Torres