Daniel Peterson

Bitchin' rod, Matt! Me thinks you just sold a bunch of those kits! I wouldn't have considered buying one before seeing what you did with it...as if I could do as nice a job. :roll:

Man...if that's an average model, I'm in biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig trouble! :shock: I love the color, as it reminds me of Project X from PHR magazine. I loved seeing the staff take whacks at it doing different drivetrains and so on. Your '57 is just gorgeous!!

Oustanding work on all of them! I really like the Hemi Dart! I see you are having a little difficulty with posting in English, but dont' worry...the photos of your work lose nothing in translation! Wow! You and your son are both very talented builders! Welcome to the forum!!

"Protar model kit for 1980 Bianchi Specialissima 1. Squadre Campione Italiana Campagnolo Super Record road bike. Size 1:9." At least that's the text from the 'bay auction that has since closed... It is referred to on the box as model no. 23174 My brother, 42 and now getting back into competitive road racing (...as in bicylces, you know, like Lance Armstrong and all) also built models as a punk kid. While looking for "real" bike parts on eBay, he found this kit and decided he wanted it in the worst way, albeit a little too late. Does anyone in the States have a line on where he might find one? This was sold out of Switzerland, but he's hoping to score one on this side of the Atlantic. If anybody has any ideas, please e-mail me at your convenience. Thanks!!

I echo everyone's comments about the build! Nicely done! I drove a couple back in the 80s, and I really enjoyed tooling around in the car. Anyone who has owned them seems to agree that the last year of the Fiero GT was the best year, benefitting from all the painful lessons learned since its introduction. Typical, huh? Get it right, then get it gone.

Okay, now that's just sick! (Meaning I love it!)

All I can say is "WOW!"... :shock:

Not bad, if you like that sort of thing. 8)

Gorgeous!! I once read the Pintos were more aerodynamic if turned around...but it's still a nasty looking little racer! I always loved seeing them in magazines back in the day.

I'll take a stab at this, but I am by no means an authority. My basic process involves getting the model painted and then laying down several good coats of clear. The clear is really important I usually use metallic DupliColor lacquers, and they don't really "hit their stride" shine wise unless that clear top coat is on there. Plus, polishing metallic colors can lead to a blotchy appearance because in doing the polishing, you are removing paint, and no matter how careful you are it will be at an inconsistent level, at least microscopically. The clear gives you a top barrier that protects the underlying metallic finish, while taking a really bitchin' shine if polished properly. Then, I use a series of polishing cloths to get the "orange peel" toned down. Polishing kits are available from a couple places. They are not cheap, but they are priceless if you dig a really slick finish! You start with the coarsest grit, and progress through them to the finest grit cloth, which to the touch actually feels like leather, but trust me, it's taking paint off. Sometimes you don't need to use the coarser grits if your paint job laid down really smoothly to start with, but knowing what finer grit to start with will only come with experience. Lots of times, the really gifted guys can polish to where there's no waxing necessary. I am not that good, so I always go to the next step. Once I am sure I polished the paint as good as I am going to get it, I use a good car polish/wax and rub the daylights out of it. I don't let it haze and buff like a full size car. I rub it until the wax is gone, then literally buff it with a clean, soft rag. I seldom use many decals, but when I do, I wait until after everything that's getting polished and waxed is done. Some guys clear over their decals, but you have to be really careful what paint and decals you are using because not everything works with everything else. There's a knack to using the polishing cloths, but the results are really outstanding. Here's a cleared, unpolished hood... This is the polished roof panel from the same car...

Lyle, FYI...your link takes me to the jalopy photo, but not your whole album. I shot some photos, too. Here linked to they are http://public.fotki.com/DanielP/scale_auto...s/cpmcc-2-2007/

Just make sure the "one day" is always the second Friday of any month, otherwise you'll be really disappointed, my friend. :wink:

Funny you should ask...if a Charger is close enough... Taken at a local dealership a year ago...only the very slightest hint of overspray, if at all. This shot shows a little more "patina" than the shots in Darin's album... And here's the link to some more photos. http://public.fotki.com/DanielP/shared_aut...6_hemi_charger/

Interesting... I pretty much ask myself a similar question. "Would I want to drive it in real life?" Perhaps that explains the style I generally build in. The models would be driveable in real life. Doesn't matter if it's a drag car or a street machine. Taking it a step further, "Would I want to be seen driving it?" There were a handful of technical tidbits recommended to me at various points since I was a kid that overall improved my work...BMF, lacquers, polishing kits, sanding seams, and so on. They helped, but were more a subset of the overall approach.

Just make sure you get the wiper motor right on this one, 'kay, Geary? I dont' know if I can take all the drama that will ensue if you don't! This build may just be the highlight of the year to watch in progress. And I can't wait 'til you bring it to a meeting once it's done and spool up that turbine!

Great...now I can't look at it without seeing the Mustang roofline. Thanks a lot, buddy.

That's Mr. Wuss to you, kid...

Looks like DupliColor Maui blue...I think that's the name of it. 'Course, I'm in Minnesota right now where the wind chill has it feeling like a skin-crackin' -8 degrees...could be affecting my mental capacity. At least now I have an excuse... 8)

That's, well...amazing! :shock: I'm blown away by what I've seen done with these chopper kits!!

I loved watching that model through its progress. I hope you can dring it Saturday! I gotta get some photos!!

Having seen your recent bike builds, including this one, I honestly can say pictures (even good ones like these) don't do them justice!

Now that is going to a winner! Verrrrrrry clever.

I couldn't have said it better. Imagine his modeling powers being used for good, and not eeeeeville. Simply amazing work...sadly, that's way too much effort to get a brand new tool to build up the way it should. If it hasn't been sent to them already, Trumpeter ought to get a gander at the work that had to go into making the kit look like the car it was modelled after! :shock: And for cryin' out loud, if they were stuck on the idea of tooling a GM car from the dark automotive design decade that I prefer to forget, why couldn't they have given us an 80's Malibu instead... I've already decided that if I don't hit the lottery and buy a FoMoCo muscle car, I'm going to find one of these and build it up. Parts are out there, and the lines are very clean, responding well to a little rake, a cowl hood, and some conventional street machine rolling stock. Not all that imaginative, but just "reet" for cruise nights and going to the local Dairy Queen with the kids.

You do realize that's not a Corvette, right? :shock: Oustanding work, and though it takes a while, it's worth eyeballing the photos for a minute or two to see all the attentive little details. Nicely done, Sir!!

That's just what I was going to suggest...depending on the color of the light and manner in which the fibers were cut, you might have a pretty spiffy looking visual effect.