charlie8575

Bill, interesting idea about clearing over the foil prior to painting. Did you find that the water-based material stood up acceptably to the automotive paints? That green looks really nice on it, by the way. Gives me ideas for my own builds of similar vintage. Charlie Larkin

Ouch. Dr. Cranky, though, is right about the most important thing. Everyone got out okay and nobody was hurt. In the meantime, if you have some good locally-owned shops, give patronage to them. Charlie Larkin

Nice work with this one. Attractive scheme, too. Charlie Larkin

That outdoor shot is stellar. It reminds me of what could be a little gas station sitting at the bottom of a hill along Rt. 7 in Vermont or off Rt. 3 in New Hampshire. Keep us posted on your progress. This will be a beauty when it's done. Charlie Larkin

Very nicely done. It has a quiet dignity and somberness to it. Much like that day forever should. Charlie Larkin

I like that. I like the little bit of 3-D building you did to add depth. This would look nice in a display case. Charlie Larkin

Another way might be to use N-scale ballast, sprinkled out in the outline you want to follow. Then, using a mixture of white glue and water (50-50,) spray down the ballast. Some people also like to put a thin layer of glue on the base for extra adhesion. Allow it to dry THOROUGHLY. Then, using Floquil or Polly S Engine Black or Grimy Black, paint the simulated Macadam. Follow this with washes of flat black, and shades of gray to suggest used hot-top, or, if you want to model used hot-top, use Polly S Concrete with a little black added in, followed by washes of various shades of gray, black and white, and if, you'd like, some squiggles of black to suggest patches where cracks occurred. Charlie Larkin

I met Norm very briefly at NNL-East this year. I found him to be a very nice guy, his products are every bit as good as they look, and he patiently took the time to explain to me how some of his products were intended to work with their plastic mates. I would buy something from him with no hesitation whatsoever. Charlie Larkin

Hi, Michael. Detail painting, from my experience, is best achieved with small paint-brushes and toothpicks, for things like lettering on dashboards. A good starter airbrush set is made by Testors. It includes their Mighty-Mini compressor and a basic internal mix airbrush; they seem to go for between $75-100. I'd upgrade the airbrush is short order, personally. The Testors compressor will work with Testors/Aztek and Paasche airbrushes, and Badgers with an adapter hose. For the airbrush, I use an Aztek A320 (about $45-50,) and it's not a bad airbrush; its only real drawback I've seen is that being all-plastic, it's a bit fragile, and where I tend to be a bit ham-handed, I'll probably be moving to a decent, inexpensive metal airbrush, like a Paasche VL or H, which are basic, simple airbrushes that work well. I also have a Badger 250, which is a simple, inexpensive external-mix airbrush that works well and is easy to use. Those run about $20. Another good possible source for an air compressor might be Craigslist. It's worth checking. Just make sure it either has a pressure regulator or buy one to put on it. I agree completely with Harry- get a compressor as soon as you can. If you need to use cans or a tire for a short time, do so, but the compressor will lead to greater satisfaction in the long run. Like Gregg and Mark, I also use spray-bombs a lot. Be sure to warm your can a little, especially if it's cool or cold in ambient temperature. To do this, place the can in a small amount of water (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups) in a small saucepan and turn the heat on the stove to medium. When the can is warm to the touch, take it out and shake thoroughly. Wrap it in a paper tower to keep it comfortable to hold and to absorb the water. DO NOT overheat the can. I managed to do that once, and the bottom of the can pushed out from over-pressurization. Use some caution when doing it. Generally, I warm the can all the time, even in warm weather. The warmed-up paint generally flows better and has better gloss. Charlie Larkin

I'll admit...real wagon wheels have a certain degree of cool to them....but really! Javier- massive improvement. No car deserves to be abused like that- real or model. Charlie Larkin

I'd skip the skirts too, Phil. I don't think they'd go well with the rest of the car. Nice color choices, I'll look forward to watching this one get done. Charlie Larkin

I keep notes, but I don't log hours, and most of my notes are in my head. I do some research and dig up as much as I can to make my models the best I can make them. The whole idea to me is to make something that looks nice. I don't kill myself doing it, but I try to make my models look like something that reflects the time, whatever it, that I put into them. On average, I'd say with all related activities, I'll spend 30-40 hours on a model. Charlie Larkin

Nice job, Sam. Dominik, this kit was first issued in the mid-1960s, and it's a real tough one to get to come out well. This is a great example of what the finished product can be. Charlie Larkin

I've think I've seen some of your builds at this past NNL, Chris, and if that's the case, they look great in life, too. Very nicely done, and I'm glad this one got drudged up, because I missed it the first time. Charlie Larkin

Very nice job with that, Brian. Charlie Larkin

Very nice job on that interior. It looks fantastic. The final product was a good as the progress promised. Charlie Larkin

Proof that despite the occasional issues, this forum is so big because it's so good. There are so many great builds, great ideas, and great discussions here that it's well worth having a part of. Congratulations on your success. Charlie Larkin

Using the tags from your Photobucket account, you can post pictures directly from there. Charlie Larkin

While an Internet search will yield locations, the best source of actual information is to ask the modelers themselves. Charlie Larkin

In ten years of teaching junior and senior high school, and then, being back in college for the last year in an effort to change career directions, I have seen what happens when people are unable to speak, write, and otherwise communicate in a clear, concise manner. Disturbing doesn't even begin to describe it. I was enrolled in the paralegal program. You would think that the students there would be able to write reasonably, articulate their thoughts verbally and otherwise conduct discourse in an intelligent, reasonable manner. You would be mistaken. We have moved so far away from being able to write clearly (and I'm not just talking about penmanship, that's another matter altogether,) speak clearly, and otherwise communicate. You would be mistaken. Instead, we've concentrated on bubble sheets, computer "literacy," which, ironically, seems to encourage lack of literacy in other areas, and other things that, while, to a degree, are important, are not as important as communication, critical thinking and the ability to be a whole, functioning member of society, within the scope of your ability. Now, I don't think a minor spelling gaffe, the occasional misuse of a work (e.g., its vs. it's,) and other minor problems are grounds for stopping someone from posting. I don't know if anything really should be short of blatant rudeness, harassment and the like. Those unable to communicate intelligently will simply fade to the sidelines. The sad part is many of these people probably are quite articulate, but, for whatever reason, can't communicate via the keyboard well. To those people, I suggest perhaps organizing your thoughts in WordPad or another word-processing program, and then simply copy and pasting your text. In short, if your basic point can be understood, I think that's the most important thing. I wish more of our youth could (re)learn the basics of communication, however. It will make life much easier to deal with if we can understand what it is you're trying to tell us. Charlie Larkin

Jim- where did you dig up that Lakewood? Even if it needs some massaging, I'd love one. Charlie Larkin

Late September-early October, Lee. Trust me, I'm drooling over this, too! Charlie Larkin

Looking forward to some better pictures. Great conversion. charlie Larkin

Art has been baiting me with this thing for nearly two years. I was throwing my shoe at the TV when it wasn't going to be out on time. All I can say is...INCREDIBLE! I've spent a lot of time around Hudsons. Until about two years ago when my financial meltdown occurred, I belonged to the Hudson-Essex-Terreplane Club. I did my bachelor's degree capstone paper on the Hudson Jet. All I can say....this is a fabulous, well-executed model that is very faithful to the real car. The tan/brown interior is very nice, and the Honey Cream/Mist Green is a nice combination. The depiction of the optional red/white and blue/white vinyl interiors is also nicely done. I'm really looking forward to these hitting the shelves. Once I have a little more money, I will be buying at least one of these, and will be buying the several proposed stock variants. Charlie Larkin

This is coming out very nicely. The Supra is one of the few Toyotas (or any Japanese cars, really,) that I wouldn't mind having. Your build is very well-executed and nicely thought-out. Charlie Larkin