LoneWolf15

You will be fine with the Testors ! I cut it with cheap, hardware store variety laquer thinner . I cut it at a 2 to 1 paint to thinner ratio with my regulator set at 32 psi . Remember ! A multitude of light mist coats are far better than just a few heavy ones !

Being that I work with gloss on a consistent basis , I scare myself daily ! Kinda wish Virgil did , though ! One glance in that gloss reflection of what he looks like in that jumpsuit would do it . He'd run right outta the shop screaming at the top of his lungs , right back to his wardrobe ! My eyeballs are still suffering from the searing they took after seeing that ompa lompa attire ! Lmao !

I decided to use the Revell ' 48 Ford tires and wheels on my chopped Merc build . When it came time to slide the body over top , I had tire rub on the front , so , back to the drawing board , Dimbulb ! When I disassembled the wheels and tires , the steelies edges were all sticky as were the wheel backings . Now , I know for a fact that the parts were flashed out when I initially assembled them , so that is surely not the cause . I do believe that a chemical reaction occurred between the Testors enamel and the tires themselves . The edges on all four wheels had a black sticky residue that only could have come from the tires themselves . The tires in this kit are a work of art unto themselves , it would be a crying shame here if my suspicions prove to be correct ! Anybody else run into this ?

Brett , Outstanding use of ladies perfume ! Lol ! That is beautiful . I just can't figure out what that thing is in the roof's reflection holding a camera to it's eye ! Lmao !

Yeah , Doc ! It would be mine too ... Seems that Kathie has no sense of humor when it comes to that ! Lol! I quit working at the shop at my house , my ex's feline fleabag decided that she was Super Cat one morning . She leapt from the sunporch window sill intending to land on the work table . Instead , her front paws hooked into one of the traveling boxes , thereby launching 5 of my show cars 4 ft up in the air which then came crashing down onto the table ! Needless to say , I wanted to take out all of her nine lives at one time !

Working steady 3 to 11 can be a royal pain at times .... That being said , I can get alot of work done on a regular daily basis . To be honest , the only distraction I face each day is when Bailey the shop dog decides that it's time to go out !

You sprayed from too far of a distance from the body , you need to move in closer with your airbrush !

Don't know about the ' 48 Ford , it's gonna be close ! I will , however , have a ' 49 Merc you might like ! Along with a few other new ones , we'll see if the '48 joins the crew in time !

If he is , either or , methinks Mike needs a new pair of eyeglasses or an eye exam . I , however , have not be photographed in public in a rest home's version of a footied sleeper ! My eyes still hurt from that image ! Wait up , Mike , I'll go to the eye doctor with you , mine have been seared by a horrible vision in a jump suit !

If I could ever keep it out of the brake fluid long enough to get some paint on it , I would ! Lmao! 4 trips so far , Murphy is in the back pocket on this one , little stupid things , but none the less , that's the situation ! I'll get there !

As I stated before , Virgil , a model has to flow , colorwise . I use a basic 3 color system on all of my cars . Aside from the body color , there will be 2 others throughout the build , under the hood , in the interior , and on the frame . This is also incorporated with the decals . Again , this is only my opinion , but I've noticed that alot of other modelers use the same approach with their builds , so I don't feel that this is unique or strange . I've seen more than my share of drag , pro mod /street builds , etc , that were a clean build overall but used every color known to man under the hood . Way too busy ! Kathie refers to them as Easter basket builds . Example ... A pro mod drag has been painted red metallic , whole lot of wiring and plumbing to do , right ? Okay , red car , me ? I'm going to use various shades of red , black , orange , and maybe some gray wire to do the job . Why ? Because each color compliments the other without appearing garish or overdone ! Hence , the word , " Elegant " , it all flows together ! Decals ? Same thing ! Red car , I'm going with gold or silver lettering with a black outline . Sponsor decals will have orange / gold or silver lettering . Motor , orange , maybe the color of the body , shock towers will match . The last thing that I'd ever do is put a mishmash of color all over the place under the hood or on the body of the car . Next time you are at a show , watch the judges faces when they go to judge an Easter Basket ! I've seen frowns , grimaces , bared teeth , and shaking of the heads ! My opinion , clean build has to be combined with elegant colors , tastefully applied throughout the build to put it over the top .

Many different subjects back in the day were often described as having clean lines . In other words , the shape and design seemed to flow smoothly and were pleasing to the eye . Aside from the basics that I'm sure will be mentioned , choice of color completes what I refer to as an elegant build . Far too many times a work of art , buildwise , is ruined due to colors that do not match or are garish in appearance and simply don't fit that particular car . I not only look for a clean build on the tables , it has to have that certain color scheme that brings everything to the forefront without overcoming the overall build itself .

Come to think of it .... We both did ! Except for the drunk that almost turned over the table ! Being that I'm older , taller , better looking , more modest , etc , I declare that it is your turn to buy ! Failure to do so will result in sand being sprinkled into all of your jars of paint .... If I can even get into the doorway of that disaster you call a shop ! Lmao !!!

Well I'll be .... There IS someone shorter than Krenn . You were probably wearin' your shoes with the lifts huh ?

Yep ! The laquer scent would be for the ladies ! Oh oh , did I say that in my loud voice ? Bwahahahaha !

Big difference between an old man and The Old Man , Virgil ! Lol ! You're quite welcome , and hopefully we both will continue pushing the proverbial envelope !

I believe these are put out by Badger . Part number is 50 - 0053 . As to using my name , he refers to me as " Guy " or " Young Fella " when I enter the shop . Dunno if mentioning my name will help ! To him , I'm just the nutjob that cleans out his paint rack on a semi - regular basis , nothing more , nothing less ! Lmao !

My local hobby shop carries them , Esther's Hobby which is located outside of Pgh . Phone number is 412-821-2415 . The owners name is Bob , a grand old guy who is still zipping along at 80 some years young ! He does sell them by the box . If this falls through , let me know , I will buy them for you and ship them to you myself . I apologize , I just now realized that I dropped the ball on this one for you! Donn

Mike , You are wrong ... And right at the same time ! The light source plays a big part with paint work . What appears in the photos at times is not what you will see when it is sitting in front of you , especially with enamels ! Enamels are a reflective paint , not only do they have an outward gloss to them , it comes back to your eye through the paint surface itself . Metallic and pearl colored enamel paint have a gloss and life of their own . Add a clear gloss over top of them , now you have color and light spectrums dancing all over the place ! This is where the problem lies with the photograph , it doesn't capture a true image , it only picks up certain angles of the paintwork's gloss which are angling off of each other through the gloss and the paint color itself . Sound crazy ? Uh huh ! But it's true ! You'll be able to see for yourself , firsthand , in Columbus on the 25th . I refer to this as an obstacle illusion , the photo creates something which does not exist when the subject is viewed up close and personal . Strikes me as funny that you didn't bring this up at the tables at last year's show . As for where you are correct , the hood needs to be leveled . The edges need a buildup , being that they are so sharp , otherwise I'll suffer burn through in half a heartbeat . Another way to tell if the paint is too thick ... Check the thickness of the trim that has been bare metal foiled . Too much and the trim appears to be unnaturally thick . If you'll notice on the Impala and Camaro , the foil is razor thin where it's supposed to be . As Gasser pointed out , the vents are wide open and not filled with gloss or mishappen in appearance . This is another area that leaves a tell tale sign that too much clear has been added . See you on March 25th ! The Old Man

The Testors Dark Red in the 1/4 oz bottles ? Perfect color for what you're looking for . I put the Stop Light Red on a Charger for a customer and I fell in love with it , hence that particular suggestion . If you do try the Dark Red , be sure to put it over top of a white base ! Anything else , it turns maroon .

The Stop Light Red Metallic shot over a silver base is a fabulous color , try it , you'll be amazed with the results ! As for what you have right now , overlay it with Bright Gold Pearl X mixed in your clear coat . You can also alternate it with coats of the Russet Red Pearl X , I know that you like to play with color , hence the suggestions !

The purple is a custom Testors mix called Jaime's Jam with a Pearl X Violet overlay . Color just walks all over the place under the light . Subtle flip flop , not garish , instead they provide a very elegant appearance .

What impressed me the most about them , Virgil , was the size of the flake and the ease in which they lay down . Simply change the shade of the base coat , let alone the color , and you have a wide range of colors beyond the imagination ! I've discovered more by accident rather than design , believe me ! I will be sending you more pictures of some of the other pieces in a day or so . Working on the Mustang today , replacing a header gasket , it sucks ! Rather be in the booth today , but gotta keep up with the big toys too !

Guys , Thanks for the compliments , they are greatly appreciated ! Tony , the Hudson belongs to a customer , the colors were what he chose . When I first painted the car , I wasn't too sure about the combination. The jury was out until I applied the bare metal foil , wow , it simply brought it all together ! As to foiling the Hudson , sheesh ! What a project ! Several of the cars had the Pearl X powders used on the top coats , I can't praise them enough ! They are a pure joy to work with , and I'm having a blast coming up with new colors and variations . I recommend them to anyone and everyone !