charlie8575

I think any NNL should be People's Choice awards only, with the possible exception of best in show; too many times that'll go to something that's all sizzle and no steak. Best of Show should be judged by a group of known, experienced modelers, announced prior to the show, with exact criteria posted. To that end, I think the idea of setting up a uniform judging standard for judged contests is a very good idea. Each club can add/delete to meet their needs, but a generally-accepted base set of ground rules would help out a lot. The only problem I could see is getting everyone to agree on those. This has the potential to make the Constitutional Convention look like a bad night for the home team at a bar. Any such adaptation, at the minimum, must be: 1. Fair. 2. Easy to understand. 3. Transparent. 4. Something that can be applied uniformly with little or no modification by any club. Charlie Larkin

I'm using the acrylic paints. I don't have enough projects to really justify the spray. Airbrush is a Aztek 320, which is pretty good. I like the idea of the clear coat mixed in with the paint. I might try that to see how well it works. Thanks. Charlie Larkin

Nice work, Marcos. I agree, Revell needs to do something with those tires. I use them simply because I lack the resources to get other ones, but if they're going to cheap out, they either need to figure out how to make good-looking no-name tires or perhaps at least for older cars, go with tire companies that no longer exist, like Fisk, Sonic or Armstrong. I wonder if anyone ever thought of approaching Cooper or doing one of the gas station brands, like Sigma or Dayton? I can guess licensing would be very cheap or maybe free. Charlie Larkin

I've had similar ideas for building things like this, Sam, but your execution is very nice. I might "borrow" ideas for my own work. Charlie Larkin

This kit must be VERY new, I haven't seen mention of it on his Internet site yet. From the pictures I saw in Jon's album though, it looks really nice. I've started to find I have a little bit of a liking for the last of the big Cadillacs. I wonder if it can be built without the sunroof? Charlie Larkin

A lot of their kits are complete. With the ones with open hoods, you might need to supply an engine, but that's about it. Others are transkits, made to work with other kits. Charlie Larkin

I really hope you're still coming to MassCar Art and bringing this along. It's really starting to shape up into something spectacular. Charlie Larkin

Generally speaking, I find I like to prime small parts on the trees, and in some instances, paint the parts on the trees to help keep them in place. If I need to do a little touch-up, that's done later. Large assemblies in one color, like engines or some interiors, depending on how parts are molded, are assembled and then primed/painted as a unit. One tip I found for assembling engines so they look nice is use a heavy bead of liquid cement on the block halves and then squeeze them together TIGHTLY. You'll get a little bit of ooze, and that's exactly what you need. When everything dries (about two hours,) you can gently sand the bead with fine sandpaper, and the block looks like it was molded in one piece. Welcome aboard. This is a fun hobby and you'll enjoy it. Charlie Larkin

I started to play with my Valiant a little more and the plan is to help cover some flaws in the window unit. To do this, I'll be painting it with Tamiya clear green to simulate the old-fashioned Solex tinted glass, which was like a light green bottle glass. The paint, however, seems to be rather heavily pigmented, and not that transparent. Has anyone used this stuff before and do you have any ideas on thinning it out for the airbrush? The objective is to make it light enough to be believable, while still keeping the material viscous enough to spray properly. Anyone? Charlie Larkin

Interesting idea. Have you tried this stuff on resin bodies? This looks like it's a good solution and replacement for a lot of the crummy fillers and putties that you can get now, and at a very good price to boot! Charlie Larkin

Nice engine detailing. I'll be watching this one. Charlie Larkin

I generally prefer to see cars restored to as-close-as-stock as is possible, or nice originals preserved in a manner that befits a car that survived a long time in good shape. The Buick Club's "Archival" class is a good example of what I'm talking about. When a perfect restoration isn't possible, "close" is better. For example, the proper upholstery isn't available for most Step-Down Hudsons, so people get it as close as they can, or make a mild custom interior As to mods, as long as it's something that's reversable, or nothing too major, I don't object too loudly. If a car is really clapped out, sometimes a modification is the better route. For example, I saw a '59 Ford a few years ago for sale very inexpensively. The car was a mess, but complete. My thought was to drop a 302/AOD in it, and keep the original engine-transmission, and use it as a daily car with the modern driveline and some small suspension upgrades, but not destroy the character of the car itself. Over-restoration is silly. I think it's destructive to the car, and to the hobby as it promotes impossible standards and grossly inflates prices. Charlie Larkin

Yesterday, I picked up some Dupli-Color DSGM 302 Lt. Blue Met., which is within a shade or so of 1965-66 Code D Fontaine Blue. I might still do this as a two-tone with Nightwatch Blue, just for something different. Charlie Larkin

Yes, 1977-79. VIN K. As evidenced in my 1977 Buick Estate Wagon. Charlie Larkin

I was more interested in paint than primer, so I grabbed a can of GM light blue, which I needed for my GTO. At $2.75 a can, I wasn't going to argue. I did find the color selection was VERY limited, though. Auto Zone is still selling the 5 oz. cans at regular price, though. Apparently, Advance is getting a new packaging to replace both the truck and car touch-up cans. Charlie Larkin

Wow, Art. That looks great. If you're still coming to MassCar, I'll certainly look forward to seeing your progress on this. Charlie Larkin

I think it would be easy enough to make Briggs & Stratton engine out of a piece of balsa for the block/head with a little filing on the head for the cooling fins. The rest of the shape can be carved to form. Look at some old lawnmowers next time for a basic idea of the shape of the block. And yes, if this was cast, I'd consider buying one or two for myself. Charlie Larkin

Excellent paint job and very nice custom features, too. I personally prefer stock/mild customs, but whatever you do with it, it'll look pretty good I think. Charlie Larkin

Upon being paid next week, I might go grab a couple of cans of paint for my various projects. Thanks for the heads-up. Charlie Larkin

Heal quickly and take care of yourself! Charlie Larkin

I want to know what they framed that wall with if they can hang a car on it! Thought- giant vacuum-form or resin/plaster casting? Possibly the world's largest piece of balsa or basswood? Charlie Larkin

When building, I like either light jazz or classical on. I find it helps my mind function better and concentrate more. When I had my apartment, I built in front of the TV set, so I'd build/watch, and do the delicate stuff during the commercials. Sometimes, I'll put on an Internet station. I like WEIB in Northampton, Ma., which is a nice smooth jazz station with an excellent Internet broadcast- it doesn't balk, scramble, stop, fade, etc. Good thing, because eastern and central Mass. don't have smooth FM anymore. Charlie Larkin

I'm guessing relocating to Chicago would be required? Hey, if I can work internet with the occasional trip, I might be interested. Right now, though, I'm in no position to move that far away. One thing I did see that might be a deterrent is the laundry-list of qualifications. There is such a small number of people truly qualified to do this job with all the restrictions, that they might be excluding the best-qualified. A problem that most companies now create for themselves, whether it's deliberate or not is another matter. I don't have the job experience, but I do have common sense and thrity years' building all kinds of stuff, which should help the cause. I think passion, experience in a building hobby and the ability to think and apply information is far more important than degrees and work experience. Hmm...perhaps I will apply anyway. What the heck, maybe we'll both be pleasantly surprised. Charlie Larkin

That's coming out very nicely. Over the years, I've seen some very odd color combos come out. Among my favorite "insta-puke" blends are silver with a tan interior and blue with red, which never looked right to me. Beige or brown with a gray interior looks pretty sickly to me, too. Charlie Larkin

What a sharp model, Mike. It's nice to see a non-Hemi/Big Block E-Body, too. Charlie Larkin