beefheart22

Body is just about done, save the spoiler, airdam, window louver, side mirrors... all the stuff that is going ot break off when I'm trying to do finish off the engine compartment and wheel assemblies, grill, panel. Used a Tamiya paint marker. Great tool. And if a guy messes up, just polish it off.

Great choice -- the RX-7 is probably my favorite Japanese sports car. Red is always a solid color, but I always thought white looked the best on the earlier models.

I see at least two red herrings.

I have to agree with everybody else: ebay is probably your best bet. If you have that many items, it will be a full time job, even if you do sell multiple items per listing. Do a search on ebay to see how similar items are selling. If your searches come up with few listings with high bids for a particular item, it is a good indication that it is in high demand, will sell well and should be sold on its own. If you have that many items, it will take a months to auction them off. You should list only as many items as you can ship on a weekly basis. I made the mistake of selling 20 items at once and nearly went made trying to sort out who bought what, combined items to one address and waiting for payment from others let alone packing and mailing the items. With that said, it may be better to sell your collection a little bit at a time to keep from going crazy!

I never got into transformers, more into GI Joe myself. Don't have any left though, they all met their fate when my brother and I discovered that strapping firecrackers to them, or torching them with lighter fluid increased their level of fun more than spring loaded plastic projectiles ever could. These days, I play nicer with my toys. My other hobbies include collecting diecast airliners and NASCAR. Don't know if fishing is a hobby, but that's how I pass many lazy summer days when I can get time off work and get the heck out of the city.

Looks well worth the sleep deprivation. The window net looks very convincing and the and fuel cell details look great.

You, sir, are insane.... and I love it! This project is incredible!

Finished the interior, polished the body, laid some decals, started the undercarriage. Not bad for a weekends work. Starting to come together.

Just finished assembly of the engine. Still needs the decals. After all, a BOSS 302 just ain't legit with out the emblem. The body should be cured enough that I can mask. finish painting the back panels. I missed a part and may have painted a part that should not have been.... Minor details. Can't wait until I get to polish it. I tried experimenting with the headers. Gold and metallic brown with some chrome silver over top.

I hear ya! "Relaxing" I find too once I start nitpicking too much, or make one major error, things just start going down hill. I took a break between stripping the body and painting it just so I could attack it from a fresh, new angle. If we're on the same page, guys like us are just too stubborn to give up, no matter how bad it gets! I used to use enamels, but since living where I am now, all the hobby shops push the Tamiya spray and acrylics. I haven't looked back since. I find the primer, polish, tape, paint markers... everything just seems to be quality, easy-to-use stuff... it's the price that sucks.

That iridescent nail polish makes for a cool effect in your finish.

That color and finish is perfect! That is a sweet build.

That is a killer Challenger! Love the orange (whatever people want to call it) and the showroom shine. I'm working on a '70 Boss Mustang the same color. Tamiya "Brilliant Orange".

The Prime Directive specifically states: Blood shall stay inside the body. So stop splitting yourselfs open. The above posters have a good point: sharp blades always cutting away from yourself. I've got a nice scar under my left thumb, seven stitches, from using a dull box cutter at work. I'm thankful it missed the tendon. A lot of lessons were learned. The paper work I had to fill out was horrible. Almost worse than loosing a pint of blood while somebody searched for the first-aid kit. Getting back to the point of the thread, I use a small pair of trimmers to remove parts off trees. I find it makes things much easier and a lot less DNA left on your tools and work space.

Looks like you've got lookers. But let me say that the engine is looking phenomenal and that dash looks like it was yanked from an actual Winston Cup car. Keep them updates coming!

After stripping down the body (used SOS pads and some drugstore alcohol), I primered the whole thing gray to cover up the traces of paint I couldn't scour or sand off, then sprayed on the white primer over top. Sanded that smooth, misted the TS "Brilliant Orange", wetsanded, coat, sanded, coat, sanded sprayed the trunk semi-gloss black, masked the trunk while I gave the rest several clear coats. Now that's startin' too look like grabber orange.

As an avid collector of many things, I've learned that its all based on supply and demand. If these are high-detailed, limited run diecast, keep all of the original packaging. If they are not limited, they are not collectible at all. You may have to do some research, but they key is very limited runs. Bottom line, as long as your diecast is kept dust/sunlight free, you can display it out of the box. Keep the original packaging in good condition in storage. I've still managed to sell limited runs for top dollar with the diecast displayed out of the box. I have tons of 1/24 and 1/64 Racing Champions still in new condition, original packaging from 15+ years ago, but not worth a penny because there is so much surplus inventory that is still in freight pallets, cluttering wear houses world wide. On the other hand my 1:400 airliners can fetch double the retail value within a year based on productions of 1000 units or less. Hope this helps. Careful with collecting, each little trinket is like a hit of crack..

Those four look great together! I think that's a collection you can hang your hat on.

Hey Fuj, I like your idea of the clear coat over the flat-black seats. Definitely makes them look legit. I might have to try that my self... Finish is looking good too. That clear coat really gave it that sheen! Doors look good to me.

Holy smokes, the flawless, mirror like finish on that Porsche!

For me, I am a huge collector of a lot of stuff. 1:400 scale airliners, NASCAR diecast are my prized collections. But I found that once I paid a wad of cash and put the diecast in a cabinate, or left it in the box to preserve its collectible value, the thrill was over. But with model cars, getting back into the hobby since I was a teen, not only do I get the thrill of the hunt looking for the kits I want in my collection, but I keep it going with the build. Then the satisfaction of knowing I built the model makes it worth more to me than the diecast I have hidden away and forgotten about. Still love collecting diecast though. Had to streamline my airliner collection to make room for more. But it still is not nearly as rewarding as building a model car myself!

Another work of art!

Hey man, I hear your problem with masking. I've ran into a similar situation recently that you have with your engine bay. I am to understand that many well experienced builders use liquid masking agents to get in those awkward spots. I haven't tried it my self so I can't tell you much about it. What I did with a recent project was I masked the area off the best I could and after spraying I touched up the over sprayed parts by hand with the same color from a bottle. As long as you keep your application as thin as possible, you should get a decent result. Any areas where the touchup contrasts with the spray, try lightly sanding the touchup part with very fine paper to smooth out any stroke lines and blend it in. I wouldn't recommend doing it on any highly visible areas, but something to try if you need it in a pinch.

Those wheels are looking good. Can't wait until you start putting this bad-boy together.

Love your work. All your builds are replicas right down to the last detail!