charlie8575

Everything James said. And I'd still like a correctly-proportioned '56 Sport Coupe. Now...if the end of this tool's road is here because they plan on re-mastering them and making what are already pretty good kits even better with the marvel of 3-D modeling, and then want to carry these ideas into that, well, I'm okay with that, too. Charlie Larkin

Didn't you mean "Does anyone really know what time it is?" Just wondering. Charlie Larkin

I stopped teaching junior high school for a reason! Charlie Larkin

My battle with my left-over-from high school '65 Riviera, and some commentary I've seen around here and elsewhere got me to thinking... I know, very dangerous. What is the color people like to have their kits molded in? It affects paintability, finish, and all kinds of things. So I'm curious to see what people are thinking. Title with apologies to Chicago. Charlie Larkin

Why can't I find a girl my age like this? Builder, musician...and a very good wood-worker. Charlie Larkin

Actually, I didn't like it then, either! I knew it was terrible work, and those horrible paint jobs only made me more disappointed. That horrid yellow plastic drove me crazy. I also have portions of a 1965 Chevelle wagon in the same putrid color that had similar horrific results from trying to paint it. I'll be probably blowing a coat of primer on that before the end of the week, and we'll see if the newer, less-aggressive paints save me from headaches. Charlie Larkin

I forgot I signed up for this. Some very nice work. And Casey, that Dart is fantastic. I'll probably start poking at my Hudson again sooner rather than later. Charlie Larkin

I remember a nice, clean '68 4-door for sale when I was in college. If I had the money, or could've found a way to get it... Very nice job on that. Charlie Larkin

What he said. I hope you had a good birthday. Charlie Larkin

When my dad was looking for a new car in late 1968/early 1969, he drove a 4-cylinder Nova. NO power at all! And that screwy Hy-Drive transmission- a P/G with the automatic shifting removed, yeah...not a lot of fun. He ended up getting a leftover '68 Charger with a 318/automatic. I think that's his favorite car of everything he's owned still. Lee, this is cool! I'll watch this with a lot of interest. Charlie Larkin

Looks good. Now for a good '89 GT convertible. Charlie Larkin

Aside from the exhaust and Caddy V8, this thing looks stock. Even the ride height looks about right to me, as the Mercs I've seen do sit low-ish. Not Hudson or Nash low, but they're not sky-high, either. Worst case, I'll just build a load for the back and fold the seat down. It is a station wagon after all, and I use mine! The glass-packs are something I have no objection to, and I can scare up a Flathead somewhere, although I hope they'll simply include one to make life simpler. Charlie Larkin

You can always swap the other '57 bumpers for the Connie. The thought of one of those on one of the Bel-Air 2-door sedans, or possibly grafted on to the snap coupe has appeal. I'll probably be buying two, one to build up-top, one down-top. Now to sort the colors... Casey, I hope you're wrong with your prediction. I feel that modelers are due a good '57 Nomad and a correctly-proportioned '56 Bel-Air Sport Coupe; if they really get daring, I'd love to see a '56 convertible, too. Charlie Larkin

Agreed on all counts. Great job! Charlie Larkin

Lookin' good. Charlie Larkin

I don't know where in Vermont you are, Bruce, but there will be a show in Richmond tomorrow. Barring that, there are a bunch of guys that come down from Vermont to MassCar. Perhaps some kind of ride-share could be arranged. Charlie Larkin

I'm always looking for information on my subjects. Where do things go? What colors could I get on a car? What if I don't like the color choices, what can I do with it? How is something wired or plumbed? Although I very rarely add much of anything in that arena, it's nice to know in case I need the information in the future. One of the drawbacks of being an academic nerd like me is that while this might cut into actual assembly time, like any project, research is critical to success, and I'll tend to overdo it sometimes, but I get the satisfaction of being able to say I have at least some idea of what I'm doing. I've found getting good interior shots the most challenging item, and then matching the colors, or at least getting them in the ballpark. Charlie Larkin

That looks great, Art. Charlie Larkin

Well, next week is supposed to be nice and sunny. The color looks great. Charlie Larkin

Actually, Joe, I think I tried to paint this thing silver originally without the benefit of primer (chock it up to my youthful stupidity) as the finish color. I might experiment with a piece of sprue and see what it does. However, where I plan to use the Testors lacquer for this, I'll have to prime anyway. But, it does bring a good question up that'll give me some answers as to its blocking power. Now...what I have heard of people doing is a coat of primer, followed by a light coat of silver, then painting. I'll give it a try and see what it does. I'll probably have to do something like that anyway to provide an even color. I think my hood solution will be coming from The Modelhaus and Don's resin (thankfully!) does not look like that semi-translucent yellow! Charlie Larkin

Matt, this is simply fantastic work. And that color is outstanding. Very nice job on this! Charlie Larkin

Well, twenty-four hours, give or take, later, the body is out of the cleaner tank. There's a lot of shmutz left on the body- dead paint, stains, whatever. It is, however, far, far cleaner than what I started with. Replete in awful chartreuse-yellow "splendor", the body of the Riviera is approaching usable now. How on Earth AMT ever decided to mold their products in that horrid, bordering-on-unpaintable color, I'll never understand. After much consideration, I've started to favor either tan or light blue plastic for raw parts, as that seems to provide the best contrast of primer, paint, and still serve as a good base for future coatings. I have no idea what those holes were poked out for. I might add in a spotlight because they're cool, and for some reason, it looks good on the Riv. I will definitely be putting an exterior mirror and radio antenna on. I'm planning on putting that mess in the Super-Clean after it dries to see if some more of that gunk can be liberated, along with the horribly-painted engine and interior. I will probably end up priming these parts with sealer-primer, given the amount of goop on them. I also think I've decided on a color scheme for this one; more will be following on that soon. Charlie Larkin

Looks like it could use a little touch-up and rust removal. Very nicely done, Pete. Charlie Larkin

You did it..... I don't suppose the thought of crank-operated windows had crossed your mind, as I think those would be more appropriate to the Bentley? Charlie Larkin

I've been to NNL East three times. A scheduling conflict is preventing me from going this year, as is a rather bad, unexpected money crunch. Not that money usually isn't crunched for me, but it's worse. My closest friend- really the brother I never had, lives in Brooklyn, so I can go see him after. For next year, I'd like to go down the night before so I don't have to be up stupidly early for a 4-1/2 hour drive. Now that I have my Roadmaster running correctly, it's a great highway car and actually gets pretty decent mileage on the open road. If things ease in the next few weeks, I MIGHT try to make Mid-Atlantic NNL. GSL and NNL West are on the radar for someday, and perhaps one of the big mid-western shows. Gas is a consideration, the economy is a consideration. $2/gallon gas would make it easier enough to go instead of $3-something/flirting $4/gallon, and the economy speaks for itself. Most knowledgeable financial annalists and economists predict this mess won't turn around globally for another four to six years, and that's only if a lot of people remove their heads from their posteriors....so, a turnaround is unlikely. Charlie Larkin