sjordan2

Lenses and buckets for sure -- as long as the lenses don't have mounting pegs in the middle like many diecasts.

You can't go wrong by following Alex Kustov's build journals for the particular model you're building (scroll down below the fold on this link). http://italianhorses.net/ My experience with finding Alfa Romeo rosso corsa is somewhat spotty, since there is such a wide variety of shades, from darker and cool to hot Ferrari red. As mentioned above, the shades changed here and there. It's sort of like "British Racing Green" and "Bugatti Blue." No two are alike.

We're going to paint, aren't we? Gray and white should be the molded colors. Kits in any shade of red or yellow present a lot of problems, but I would see no problem with black, using the proper primer color.

Can styrene sheet be used as a seam backing instead of fiberglass?

I don't know if the ITC Mercer is related, but a 1/16 was issued in Entex and Fuman/Bandai packaging, perhaps other labels as well (check Harry P.'s excellent job). I believe the Aurora 1/16, like their Stutz, was a curbside with much less detail.

...But it can only make right turns.

Great engine detailing, very authentic. Are you going to add the heat shield under the exhaust manifold?

THX 1138 wasn't a space movie, but it was a science fiction allegory in the distant future with robots resembling Star Wars storm troopers, etc. It was originally a student film made by George Lucas at USC film school, then re-made with financing of a major studio. "Dark Star" was a whole other deal that was actually more influential. This entry from Wikipedia is a hoot: Screenplay[edit] Director John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon wrote the screenplay. Six years later, the basic "Beachball with Claws" subplot of the film was reworked from comedy to horror,[1] and became the basis (along with an unpublished story about gremlins aboard a B-17) for the O'Bannon-scripted science fiction horror classic, Alien.[1][3] Filming[edit] Working on an estimated $60,000 budget, Carpenter and O'Bannon had to make production design from scratch. In the "elevator" sequence the bottom of the elevator is actually rolling on the floor. The device used to roll the elevator base was a Moviola camera dolly normally used on the small sound stage in the old USC Cinema building (a former horse stable). The steering arm of the dolly can be seen in the "elevator's" underside. Talby's starsuit backpack is made from Styrofoam packing material - probably from a TV set - and his spacesuit chestplate is made from a muffin tray. The double rows of large buttons on the bridge consoles are ice cube trays illuminated from beneath. Sergeant Pinback's video diary is an 8-track tape and the machine he uses to read it and record it is a microfiche reader. O'Bannon also starred in the film in the role of Sgt. Pinback. Special effects[edit] Much of the special effects seen in the movie were done by Dan O'Bannon, ship design by Ron Cobb, model work by O'Bannon and Greg Jein, and animation was by Bob Greenberg.[citation needed] The bombs are made from an AMT 1/25 scale semi-trailer kit and parts of a 1/12th scale model car kit; "Matra", the name of the car brand, can be seen on some parts in some shots.[4] The space suits are made to resemble the space suit of the Mattel action figure "Major Matt Mason", which was used in slightly modified form as a miniature for effects shots. Cobb drew the original design for the "Dark Star" ship on a napkin while they were eating at the International House of Pancakes. The film featured the first hyperspace sequence to show the effect of stars rushing past the Dark Star vessel in a tunnel-effect (due to superluminal velocity) which was used in Star Wars three years later.

Super impressive. I just wish the images were larger so I could blow them up more to see all the fine detail.

Boy, has this thread taken a U-turn. Unless someone knows if Rob Ford has been sniffing electricity from a school using a thermal straw.

That's certainly of interest, and I'm sure it's not uncommon. But I'd just add this -- this ain't Canada, where malls and other public places make electricity available in parking spots for people to plug in their engine block heaters in environments reaching 40 below, which I've seen over 30 years ago. Electric cars in the USA are something like a thirsty man crawling across the desert, who may need to take water from a farmer's well. Water and electricity are where you find it. We still don't have the infrastructure to deal with electric cars.

Yeah, I'm really drawing a distinction between what's good art (and I think I identified my opinion of the beautifully creative Heller kit boxes, and RoG has some great ones) and what's good packaging that's of best use to the modeler. So "best box art" depends on one's perspective. But this is like the most horrible question ever asked, "what is art?" Anyway, I personally would rather have box art photography that shows what's possible with the kit inside the box instead of a pretty painting of a 1:1.

I recommend the Pantone fine tip, which is probably the brightest silver "chrome" in a paint pen. Good for small detail work like dash bezels and minor chrome touch-up, but even a paint pen requires a steady hand for fine details.

THE INFLUENCE OF PACKAGING. Good art vs. good graphic design vs. intelligent packaging. This painting is an okay depiction of the kit. Based on the colors on that package, this is what the builder thought the color scheme should be. This is a little off the subject, but, as you can see, the car from which the kit was made had quite different colors (doesn't matter -- I wouldn't paint the kit in this color scheme anyway). I like the very professionalgraphic layout of this packaging, using excellent photography of the car in the box. Better built that what I could achieve. But I think this has decent graphic design and most accurately shows what's in the kit without hiding too many sins. This approach is what I prefer.

I'm against any box art that misrepresents the contents of the kit. But the title of this thread is "Best Box Art Ever," and I stand by my judgement about what's good painting and what isn't. Or are you talking about photography showing the 1:1 real car or the real model? The latter was what I was talking about. If it's an artistically taken photograph, fine. Most of what I see is strictly mundane tabletop photography taken merely to represent the contents. Art it ain't, and it doesn't have to be - I still prefer box photography of the built model to even the most beautifully executed painting, so that the box contents can be analyzed instead of romanticized. If it's a photo of the real car that is front and center on the box, I totally disagree with that because I think it's misleading about the kit inside. I think this is a beautiful painting, but it's copied brush stroke by brush stroke from a photograph of the real car. The only advantage is that it has very crisp detail as a building and painting guide. But it's not what's inside. This next one of a 1:1 car is pure deception because it represents nothing of the piece of junk that's in the box -- horribly inaccurate body and everything else, and these beautfiful Borrani wheels aren't in the kit -- the wheels are inaccurate Campagnolo alloys. I've covered this ground before, but just to complicate things: This painting of the first release of the Revell Ferrari kit above looks like it was done by someone who never saw a 275 GTB --but it is totally accurate to the kit contents.

38 pictures here. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/cg/5728/Ford-Mustang-GT.html

Maybe you can find some inspiration here. (preferably royalty-free stock art) http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&q=santa+in+hot+rod&gbv=2&oq=santa+in+hot+rod&gs_l=img.12..0.1914.5943.0.9752.16.12.0.4.4.0.292.1455.7j4j1.12.0....0...1ac.1.24.img..0.16.1467.n8U3DvobFVc

Saw this on the Today Show this morning... A jewelry store employee just divulged that in 2004 Paul Walker anonymously bought a $9,000 engagement ring for a young couple, the male fiance just having returned from a tour in Iraq. They just now found out in the wake of his death. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/couple-finds-paul-walker-bought-engagement-ring-article-1.1537567

This is what my 6-year-old printout looks like today, though the scan makes it look yellower than it really is. The splotchy blue line is part of an experiment using T-shirt paint to replicate piping. Works well -- just mask the area that abuts the pattern for the proper line, then cut off the outer excess. This also helps reduce fraying around the edges, which can be a problem.

Mine is pretty much like a typical cotton shirt. I just took a look at a piece I printed plaid on 5-6 years ago, and it appears to have yellowed slightly over time. A spray of artist's fixative might help. Here's one thing I don't know about it: Since I only used it on seat cushions that were separate from the seat shells, and wrapped the fabric to the back side, then glued it there, does glue leach through the fabric and become visible? I have since learned that the preferred adhesive is Aleene's Tacky Glue. All of which is worth a spoon test. Double stick tape might be viable. I have not tried it on pleated seats where there would need to be burnishing or scoring in the seams.

CNN just reported that the Carrera GT is disappearing at a rapid rate because people don't know how to drive them. For example, they say there were initially 15 of them in Las Vegas and now there are 6.

It has everything to do with the model car community and everybody else. With features like this on that show, we can see more and more people become involved, very quickly. As the technology becomes more adopted throughout the culture, it certainly benefits us by raising the level of technology and bringing down the cost.

I don't know what happened to my latest post, but I said the following: Awesome, as expected from you John. I don't know what your finishing plans include, but one area of accuracy that would be greatly enhanced is adding the 300 SL roadster horn ring to the steering wheel. Just my 2 cents before the build gets too far along for modifications. You said you didn't have a lot of reference, and I'm happy to pipe in with answers to any questions you may have. The truck includes many Gullwing parts (tallights, trim, headlights, carpet, etc.), which is my specialty.

I see you plan to put the Stirling Moss SLR on the bed of the truck. Here's the only picture I could find of that set-up. Both vehicles have the same plaid seat material. Looks like John has everything figured out, but for those who would like a little more detail, the truck's engine is pretty much the same as a production 300 SL Gullwing or roadster (so there's only one valve cover ), and sits directly behind the cab. The cab's rear window shape looks odd, but it's designed to accommodate the nose of the car it's carrying.

I say "why would you include kit photos?" in response to the subject of great box art, which is the subject of this thread, and which I'm taking literally. On the other hand, I am totally on the side of photography showing a built kit so you know what's possible. I think that is the primary way to go and should indeed be required. Beautiful box art can be quite misleading. Photos of a real car, such as on Revell's Ferrari 275 GTB kit, are inexcusable. While that kit has pictures of a built kit on the sides of the box, they are carefully lit and cropped to hide the kit's shortcomings.