charlie8575

That came out nicely. Pacific Blue is a nice color. Charlie Larkin

The tone-on-tone decals are a nice touch. Nice, clean build. Charlie Larkin

That came out nicely. Charlie Larkin

? Oh, just a bit! I spotted one of the new Ford Bronco Sports at one of the local Ford dealers yesterday, and this was "bright" for most of January. This was about 3:00 P.M. Charlie Larkin

That Jaguar is gorgeous. Charlie Larkin

In our part of the world, it's winter, and a rather dreary one. Winters in New England (northeastern U.S.) tend to be rather grey and cold. There are supposed to be a couple of nice days towards the end of this week, so I'll see if that can be arranged. Charlie Larkin

I can only imagine what you've ended up dealing with! I can see where last year would have been incredibly difficult for you. Let's hope 2021 is a little nicer to everyone. Charlie Larkin

Especially with the BMF not cooperating. Molotow helped out a lot.

Very nicely done. I like the color. Charlie Larkin

I seem to remember a lot of Tempos around the streets of Massachusetts and New Hampshire with trunk-racks and aluminum wheels when I was around 11 or so (that would've been 1986-'87). Is that the package, as I'm assuming NE means the North East? Tempos, for whatever reason, didn't really catch on here until the redesign in 1988(?), then they were all over the place. They seemed to be a very tough sell against the Grand Am and (especially) Olds (later Cutlass) Calais. And yes, that Road Runner is gorgeous. Charlie Larkin

Very nice work. Charlie Larkin

Depending on what you're using, you can thin out red paint. If it's acrylic, start with three parts thinner, one part paint, and dilute until you get the clarity you want. For Testors/Humbrol enamels, I'd start at four parts thinner, one part paint. Red food coloring in Future is an interesting idea, too. Charlie Larkin

The Jag and BMW are interesting. All are well-done. Charlie Larkin

I really like the T chassis and bumper car. Everything is very nicely-done. Charlie Larkin

I have to start building my Ts, but I was absolutely floored at the quality of the moulding. When I was working in a hobby shop, the military guys LOVED ICM kits. Uniform excellence. I wish they'd start doing those 1/35 Packards in 1/24 (or even better, 1/25). I'd buy one of those without a second thought. I'd also like to see them start doing more cars, period. Charlie Larkin

Superb. Charlie Larkin

Some really nice builds, Kurt. The Triumph motorcycle is very nice. I also like the Bronco and Continental. Charlie Larkin

Good tip on the wood-grain. What did you use for the chestnut interior? I have one, too, and plan to do mine in Oxford Blue, and yes, the kit itself is outstandingly good. Charlie Larkin

That Renault is 1/24? I'll definitely have to grab one. ICM's Model Ts are beautiful. Charlie Larkin

Very nice work. Charlie Larkin

2020 was a multi-level disaster for most of us. Between losing my place to work, my work (as in paid employment), and general distraction and distress, I got a few started, and almost had a couple built, but paint problems cut it down to one. This 1959 Imperial Crown Southampton in Factory Highland Green. As soon as I can figure out where I put my index cards, I'll be printing out the license plates, make a couple of small paint touch-ups, and then it'll be done-done. My plan is a minimum of one/month for 2021. Charlie Larkin

Very nice. Charlie Larkin

One tip I was given was to use the Testors brass paint, followed by a topcoat of transparent yellow. I tried a little on a piece of sprue, and it looks good. Just be sure the brass paint is nice and smooth first, so you might want to give a pass with some 1000-1500-2000 sandpaper first if you have brush-marks, or airbrush it. I now want one of these. Charlie Larkin

The engine is beautiful. Well worth the price of admission. About the only thing they didn't get was the E-400 decals for the valve covers. No issue has had that, and my graphic arts skills (or manual painting skills) are good enough to make them. As far as proportioning, I'm not sure where it's off. A real '58 lives not too far me, and by doing an eyeball comparison, it looks decent. Perhaps a smidge narrow, but once the car is together, I think it looks pretty good. The worst part of it, and one of the things slowing me down is figuring out how to do the outer ring of the center grille. Unfortunately, they moulded it, and the grille itself, integral with the body, and I've spent the last several months puzzling with it on how to detail it without ruining the paint. Charlie Larkin

With the re-constructed tools, 3-D design and scanning, and rapid prototyping/manufacturing processes (look up ProtoMold in Maple Plain, Mn. for an example of a company that does this well), all of these can happen very easily. Which is why I'm saying this is exciting. Charlie Larkin