SSNJim

Wow. Awesome find!

The inside of a 1st gen Camaro without a headliner or upholstery: http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/Cars/Alo...amaro-08-07.jpg . Do you have any idea of what you are interested in building, or are you just scoping out the project? I noticed you mentioned a Fairlady Z. It might be more difficult to find pictures of bare shell tuners and imports than American/muscle cars.

Check out http://www.hotrodscustomstuff.com/construction.html . Not model related, but lots of pictures of frame off restorations on many different types of cars, many of which are replicated in scale. It's a great reference site. I found it because of a car they built. On the Construction page, it is referred to as the Golden Calf, but it is now known as the M-80. The picture on the page is a concept drawing - it ended up looking nothing like it. It is probably the most beautiful custom I have ever seen. I got a MCW 1951 Chevrolet coupe, and am now working on a custom inspired by the M-80. Most of the major bodywork is done with the exception of the lights. I am trying to get the body smooth now, and trying to decide whether to use the M-80's headlights or the stock ones. I think it is doable, and in some ways easier than building a model with opening doors, a flip-front, and opening trunk. Most of the work has been done before in-scale; the hard part would be getting exposed sheetmetal edges thin enough to be believable. Good luck. I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

I was a Submarine Sonar Technician (STS1/SS, paygrade E-6) in the US Navy from 1976-1992. I took a break from building during a couple of the early years, but otherwise I've been building since around 1970. I hope my skills improve soon.... We couldn't build models on the boats due to a lack of space and the fact that most of the paints/adhesives were atmosphere contaminants, but I did when ashore at home or in the barracks.

For comparison's sake, a Tenth Anniversary Trans-Am... Note the wheels and rear side marker lights.

The kit looks much better than the box art, that's for sure. The box art has always scared me away, too. It's the first one I've seen built. It does look like a Firebird with Camaro bumpers. I think those wheels are Firebird wheels, too.

I've got a Stylus also, and it is my favorite of the three that I own. I have a constant-speed corded, a variable speed cordless and the Stylus. I think it is the most comfortable to hold, plus you can hold it "upside down" with the handle pointing away from your hand to give it the feel of a very small traditional Dremel.

I like Testors Model Master Liquid Cement for Plastic Models (SKU 8872). It is carded in a squarish container with a small tube applicator attached. It has worked well for me for years. The "Precision Applicator" works like a charm - you can get just the right amount where you need it without any muss or fuss. It comes in a nontoxic version too, but I have never used that. There is also a Clear Parts Cement in the same package style, that is basically white glue.

I'd leave them be if they are molded ABS on the prototype, which is what they seem to be replicating. I would guess that few manufacturers/fabricators would take the time to smooth out the seams of a molded part to the quality we expect on a model. Sometimes seams are OK... Otherwise, I usually use a one part putty if it is a small part. Careful fitting, gluing and filing/sanding can hide a seam also.

I'm with gbk1. I think it will look squashed. The whole greenhouse seems too short to look good chopped with the large section removed. It looks like 4 to 6 scale inches. If you absolutely must chop it, I would do so minimally - maybe an inch. Personally, I'd lean more towards a roadster/convertible job, and remove the top, but that wasn't presented as an option. Edit: I just went out to your link (after the fact), and saw why a roadster wasn't an option. I'll stick with no or absolute minimum chop.

Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_car . They have a pretty comprehensive list of manufacturers in all scales further down on the page. Some still exist, some are now defunct, but it's a place to start.

I didn't think they were related either; but this page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Sigma_platform linked from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_CTS-V says it's so. I'm no expert on Cadillacs, but I've always kind of liked the CTS. I never knew that they were raced. I like the posted photo - great looking car.

Jada did a first generation CTS diecast in the Dub City line a couple of years ago. It has large wheels, side skirts, rear spoiler, speakers, and a mildly customized interior. Here's a link to a photo and description, but I'm not sure it's available anymore. http://www.toywonders.com/productcart/pc/301.htm The STS and first-generation CTS share the same platform, but there are some dimensional differences as Foxer's links pointed out. Jim Edwards

Ahh, there's some confusion between The Cannonball Run http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082136/ and Cannonball http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074279/ . Both were cross-country races, but Cannonball was more of an action flick. The Mustang was the one David Carradine used in Cannonball after his Trans Am was trashed.

Anything modern (in the last 20 years or so) and American that isn't a Camaro, Mustang or Corvette. I do get all the newer models that I can find, but it is still frustrating to go into a hobby shop and see the same models that have been there for 40 years. At least the model companies give them new boxes every so often. Jim Edwards

Thanks, Aaron. I looked it over, and it looks like it will be a big help. I also found an article in the other magazine about doing almost exactly the same techniques to the same car, but no sectioning. Thanks again! Jim Edwards

I picked up a Model Car World 51 Chevy Coupe resin body today. Nice casting, very little cleanup will be required. I've never used resin for anything, so this is all new. MCW recommends a 2 day bath in Wesley's Bleech-White to remove mold release agent, but I understand there are quicker and less caustic ways to do that. Why the heck did I get a resin body if I have no idea? There's a custom 49 coupe I'd like to try to replicate, but the BelAirs and Fleetlines currently available just aren't close enough - rear fenders, trunk and roof in particular. I'm going to need to chop and section the body, among other things. I have successfully done this work with plastic in the past. What techniques are different with resin than plastic? I guess I'll need a gap-filling super-glue to start with. Should I chop or section first? Does it make a difference? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Many interesting subjects are in resin, but I've never had the nerve to try. Until now.

The front end is looking great. That taillight is weird. All Aero CVs (92-97) had solid red taillights. Maybe you can strip the red off of the new one, and repaint them with stoplight red.

IIRC, the decal sheet for the Lindberg CV has Ford logo decals for the wheel centers - the earlier issue did. I don't know if they're the right size. The sheet should have the Crown Victoria badges for the fenders and trunk, also. Fender badges are used only for 92-95. Trunk badges are the same across all years for all models except the LX. The LX is the same, but reads Crown Victoria LX instead of Crown Victoria. You may want to check out crownvic.net also. There's a scale model forum on there (mostly diecast, some plastic). One of the guys on it is an avid MA State Police modeler. Sounds like it is coming together nicely. Keep us up-to-date!

It looks good. I'm looking forward to seeing this done. It's one I've wanted to do for a while (both 1:25 and 1:1-the nose, anyway), but there are too many other projects (both 1:25 and 1:1). My cage is a 97 CVPI identical to the Lindberg kit. I'm also sitting here looking at a built Taurus model I have. The wheels are pretty close. It wouldn't take much work to make them exact. Oh, boy. There's another project - a 97 CV LX..... Good luck!

I would try aluminum foil for clothing and sheets. It should be thin and tough enough, plus it should wrinkle fairly realistically.

That's awesome. My first car was a 65 Belair wagon with a 283, Powerglide, manual drum brakes and steering, dog dish hubcaps, houndstooth interior and painted the most gawdawful shade of metallic brown. I had a blast in it, but I always wanted it to look a lot more like yours. I'll be watching, too. Nice build so far. Jim Edwards

Most O-Scale (1/48 in the US) railroaders use 1/43 scale cars for their layouts, so it's close enough for them. I just looked up the scales on Wikipedia, and it turns out that O-scale is defined as 1/43, 1/45, or 1/48 depending on where you are in the world. There is a lot of scenic stuff in your LHS for 1/24 scale, also. Railroad G Scale and #1 scale are 1/22.5 and 1/24. There are people and animals (varying in realism from cartoonish to very real) and lots of items for dioramas. Jim Edwards

Krylon had a line of paints called Make It Suede for a while - I suspect they've been discontinued. You may still be able to find them at craft stores. There was no black color, but there were several interior-ish colors. I have a can of blue for my Crown Vics, but haven't done much with it so I don't know how it will look. I think it would be pretty good.