Dr. Cranky

Tim, it's a .13, and here's a picture. I thought I had already posted it before, but here it is again:

Thanks, Glenn. I hope get going on these as soon as I finish the two or three 41 Willyses I got in the works.

Bobby, I don't recommend mineral spirits. Use either water, Windex, or a combination of . . . Which brings me to why I use VALLEJO MODEL AIR COLORS, they come ready to go, used with the airbrush!

It looks like the perfect diorama.

I posted this over in the Enamels Win thread: Black paint job alert! I finally got my Chevelle in black, EXCEPT I made a dumb mistake and used Semi Gloss Black for the base instead of the regular Gloss Black. Well, I've learned to embrace happy accidents, and come to find out the Semi Gloss Black dried over night and I was able to sand and polish it to a smooth black coat, and then shot about 5-8 coats of clear, a little on the thin side . . . now I am looking at an onyx mirror on a model. But I have to confess here that I am a little nervous about such a beautiful, glossy paint job getting a single spec during it's 3-4 day curing . . . Donn, can you tell me where you got your metal cabinet, you know the one you use to gas out your paints? Thanks, buddy.

Black paint job alert! I finally got my Chevelle in black, EXCEPT I made a dumb mistake and used Semi Gloss Black for the base instead of the regular Gloss Black. Well, I've learned to embrace happy accidents, and come to find out the Semi Gloss Black dried over night and I was able to sand and polish it to a smooth black coat, and then shot about 5-8 coats of clear, a little on the thin side . . . now I am looking at an onyx mirror on a model. Of course, I am waiting for the whole thing to gas out and depending on how it finishes, I might not have to buff and polish at all. Stay tuned in for more.

Dave, mine arrived in a little case with an ampule or a cartridge and I just screwed it in and the ink started flowing. I am assuming it can be re-charged again. I know a couple of stores in Miami, or I can always send it back to Dick Blick and have them recharge it for me. Dick Blicks an amazing and wonderful Art Supply Store. Harry P. is lucky to have it in his town. Dave, I remember using them in the 9th grade to trace over technical diagrams on cells . . . and then you can color the other side and end up with some very cool renderings.

Off to a great start. So you are putting on the trim and the skirts only to smooth everything down to a flat panel? Is that the idea? End up with a nice and smooth custom vehicle. I have to say I like it.

Thanks, Glenn. It took me a while to find all the right decals, although I just got the two sets of Vintage Racing Decals that SLIXX sells. They are perfect, but I had a few others I wanted to use first, including a bunch of John Mazmanian decals. Of course, I wanted to make up the name and well, you know Doctor Cranky had to be the driver. The other one is going to be all EYEGORES!

I think it will be a nice addition to the hobby.

What a beauty! That thing must be worth a mint!

John, it's quite obvious your level of styrene addiction and fever is totally out of control, which is great for us, your fellow inmates here at the House of Styrene Insanity! Keep up the great work.

Folks, just to be clear, the contest will start this coming January and I can tell you that you will have to build something completely new!

Oh my, Damir, that last vehicle is AMAZING. Can you post more pictures of it, please. I don't think I had seen it before. Thanks. Derrick, I think that's part of the fun. Please keep us posted, and I think when you get these figures ready there'll be a long line of people waiting to get ZOMBIEFIED!

Michael, are you talking about decal flames or painted flames that you can do using the AB and templates?

LOL, Weasel! Most of the time he is busy looking for new hydrants to make his own! Jim, I believe you can get cartridges for them, and I hope if that's the case that they are cheaper than the pens! What I like about them is that if you work with a moist piece of t-shirt and you go outside the line it cleans up like nothing happened.

Case in point, with a balled up piece of Scotch tape, I removed the offending decals from the side and replaced them with another . . . The other wonderful tip that floored me was to buy (they are very expensive at 27-32 dollars) a .13 Rapidograph pen to darken up all my panels and grills with. I have to confess that all of this has made a child out of me once again! I haven't felt this young since my rejuvenation surgery performed by none other than EYEGORE's uncle: DR. OTTO VON UUGGLY!

Nice color, and wonderful details. It's a truck you don't see built too often. Great job.

Cruz, it sure is, but it also opens the door to continue experimenting, which is something I feel I need as a builder. I need to feel like I can keep learning and moving forward. It's always easy and safe to fall back on those techniques you've already mastered, etc . . . although finally what counts are the great results, and your results are always outstanding. Cheers, DC

Tim, no, I am following Donn Yost's DVD recommendation to never clear my decals, in particular with these phantom racing subjects. There's really no reason too. He also says that with a little piece of Scotch tape the decals are easy to remove, so if you don't like something, it could be removed. I feel like Mr. Yost's DVDs are the best investment I've made for my modeling in recent years. And NO, he's not paying me to say that. They are just chockful of great information and amazing tips, not to mention the easy, laid-back style he uses as a teacher.

Looking forward to seeing how you do that frame. Keep it going.

What is working for me is misting a little bit of water on the floor and around the space where I am spraying because I too was getting debris into the paint . . . and you know, enamel is somewhat forgiving, but a little finicky.

Here we go, you knew I could not resist getting at least one of these suckers starter . . . Doctor Cranky's very own phantom gasser. BIGGEST STYRENE ADDICT driven, of course, by Doctor Cranky . . . you kind folks will let me know if it doesn't look right . . . The big A/GS decals on each side were old I think because they are a little pasty . . . I can always remove them and try something else.

Lights and all, it looks real good!

I used Testors clear in a few of these, and DuPont clear in a few others! Thanks for he kind words!