Dr. Cranky

I haven't heard of any activity, not even in South Florida . . . if you want big time action, the NNL East is the place to go and have your eyeballs explode out of their sockets!

Just a few more . . .

This one is done, I think!

I don't mind at all, buddy. It's a forum, we share ideas here . . . I get all my watch parts on line through Ebay. A few years ago I bought a few pounds of the stuff. Yes, you heard right, a few pounds.

Oh, another thing is I am using medium temp reducer which seems to be the perfect match for all this Florida humidity. If I were working with marbelizers, then I use a slow temp reducer . . .

Good observation. I get my HOK stuff from either TCP or even better www.coastairbrush.com. Yes, you can get your clear in small quantaties and it already comes reduced, though I sometimes put a bit more reducer in there to make it flow better. Coast Airbrush sells the paint in either 2oz or 4oz bottles, and they have color kits too!

Thanks, buddy, I will. I think I will be able to finish this sucker today if all goes well. Stay tuned in.

Jim, SG-100 by HOK is an "intercoat" clear that is mostly used to seal in graphics and kandies between coats. I think of it as an insurance policy on every step of the painting process . . . for example with the water drop F/X, you want to use intercoat clear to seal in the paint after the water evaporates. This is a perfect clear for the job, although I use DuPont spot clear in rattlecan for to do the final clearing and buffing.

Here are a few more pics . . .

All right, maties, now that everything is shiny and dry, final assembly can begin. What I love about the Replicas & Miniatures of Maryland chopped 32 body is that it comes with a well-fitting etched windshield and clear acetate. You glue the windshield the acetate and then cut around and it drops right into the frame groove. Perfect fit! I still have to add a few details like hoses, licesence plate, etc, and this one will be done . . .

Thanks, Bob. Yes, that's the idea to bring down those mask lines and tone them down so that everything looks in harmony. I think once I clear these two, they will pop. Stay tuned in for more progress . . .

Beautiful work, Bill. That dash board is spectacular.

Here are a couple of more shots . . .

All right, chaps . . . I shot some of the kandy just to get the right Giger look and feel (that purple/sepia look of his paintings!): I think I gotta shoot the white highlights for the smoke again!

Thanks, maties . . . I shot some kandy a minute ago and I think I got just the right look, that Geiger type of darkness . . . I hope . . . stay tuned in for progress pics . . . tomorrow I shoot some flakes and then clear these suckers. Then is off to build the rest of the model!

Thanks, gents, I really appreciaite your kindness. Harry, although I like the canvas, I really did working on 3D subjects.

My take on painting is that ALL painting is about practicing. Every model is one step closer to getting better . . . so keep on doing it.

Norm is still in business. I just saw him in Alabama. Sweet man, and he has a lot of great stuff. I'm sure he will continue to go to shows.

Oh, I love the color. Great job so far. Keep it going. Nice.

Yeah, buddy, the intercoat clear works beautifully to seal in different coats, and it is extremely tape friendly! Thanks for all the comments. Now I have to figure out how and where I'm going to lay down the kandies. As much as I want to make these two monochromatic, I still want to add a little bit of color to it.

Watch parts, buddy. I know I sound like a scratched record, but I always use a whole bunch of watch parts! I guess it's a stylistic thing with me! Stay tuned in for more progress.

Here's the other one . . .

Here are a few more pics before the kandies go on . . .

After all the preliminary basecoats go on, then it's time to unmask the bodies . . ..

Using over-reduced black and violet, I go template-ing and adding more detail and interest . . . You begin to see how the texture really adds another layer of interest . . . underneath . . .