sjordan2

Very nice work, and the paint doesn't have the oversize metalflake look of most metallics at this scale. What paint did you use?

A truly expert and beautiful piece of work. Do you have any interior shots?

The plaque with the engine at the museum says it's the Robert Mitchum engine from "Thunder Road." That's all I know.

I don't know anything about using fiberglass for scale models, but I do know about laying up fiberglass hulls and decks for full-size boats. In that case, the chemicals that have historically been used can be highly toxic, so see if you need to use a respirator. The boat builders have upgraded the chemicals in recent years, but I don't know what's available for small jobs. All I can tell you is that if it has a very strong smell, watch out.

If you have a clear lens, why not find a suitable photo of a headlight and make a clear decal out of it to the proper size? The white highlights would show through to any chrome below. You might be able to make a clear lens by using the Squadron Thermaform process for duplicating clear parts (originally intended for duplicating aircraft canopies; also works well for copying windshields and other glass). http://www.squadron.com/reviews/review-sq9003.htm PS: You can do the same thing with almost any thin, clear sheet and you can use a heat gun. This process isn't foolproof for anything with fine detail, though I did make a reasonable reproduction of a quarter.

Did a little Googling. If your model is the 512 S LeMans/Sebring/Daytona car (chassis 1026, judging from the #28 on the model kit versions issued by Testors, Heller and Union – that was the number on the 1970 Daytona car), you can find some interesting history and pictures here: http://www.imca-slotracing.com/Ferrari%20512S.htm Also, an interesting note from finecars.com: 1026 was a 512 S Berlinetta and used by the Scuderia Ferrari in 24h Daytona (3rd OA), 12h Sebring (1st OA), 1000km Monza (4th OA), 1000km Spa (4th OA) and in the 24h Le Mans (acc). During the filming of the "Le Mans" movie the car was destroyed when driven by Derek Bell. Today the recreated (Spyder) car is owned by Nick Mason. In the movie, that would be the #7 car. Here's the footage from the movie. No telling how much of this was staged and/or re-shot to enhance the sequence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUY_CwTj1UM

Are you talking about the 512 BB or the 512S race car? Here are some decent shots of the 512S: http://atspeedimages.com/search.php?s=1969+Ferrari+512S You might also find this to be of interesst: http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/2181/Ferrari-512-S.html If you're talking about the BB, Michael Sheehan's ferraris-online.com is one of the best reference sources for detailed pictures of Ferraris. Scroll down on this page and you'll find galleries of a few 512s; just click on the appropriate images to access the galleries. There are several more on the page after this one. http://www.ferraris-online.com/pages/sold.php?pg=7 Valve covers of both cars look to be silver gray in the pictures I can find.

That is just bloody awesome. Superb paint and detail work, and an answer to a pet peeve of mine: The plug wires are right on scale. Kudos. The dash looks great from what I can see; do you have any tighter shots? PS: Very professional photography.

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Shabo thin whitewalls appear to be in stock at Detail Master. (Scroll down on the page.) http://www.detailmaster.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=detailmaster&Category_Code=SHA

Okay, I have a 1/25 Monogram Maserati 3500 GTi. • The kit wire wheels are molded in one part, though nicely done for what they are, but they stick out way too much. And there's no way to depict brake drums and calipers because the wheels are molded in one solid piece with no show-through behind them. • I bought Model Factory Hiro Borrani PE wire wheels, which say they can be used for both 1/24 and 1/25, but they're too big for 1/25, even though I bought thinner Satco tires. Further, this set is apparently intended for the Ferrari 250 GTO, with bigger rims and tires in the rear than in the front. I'm building a road car with the same specs front and rear, not a race car. Is there a source I can find or a kit for bashing that has a more realistic wire wheel set-up at 1/25, not 1/24? jimnohio, I noticed that you have a Cobra Roadster in your inventory that has some pretty decent looking wires, plus the steering wheel I need for this kit. What is your opinion of those wheels? Are they 2-part or one?

The first one is very cool. Is that an Auburn Speedster grille & headlights?

Harry doesn't Photoshop any of these things. What you see is the way he found it. In this case, as in others, I found his source and no modification has been made.

A success for Chrysler, a low point for discerning consumers.

Speaking of landmarks in automotive history, I think we should acknowledge the low points such as the cookie-cutter trend that gained speed in the '60s, reached its worst notoriety with the K-car and persists to this day.

Bill – what paint did you use on the Mustang? It's very low in metalflake prominence. (Sorry to diverge from the subject.)

Absolutely. Start with Google Image and eBay motors and you can not only get excellent up-front info, but also leads to a huge world of further information.

This area is by far the most expensive part of my hobby. Fortunately, I concentrate on only a few cars, such as the Mercedes Gullwing. For example, for this particular car, I have continually gathered visual reference from all of the online sources mentioned above (thousands of images), plus purchasing original factory owner's manuals, shop manuals, parts manuals, press releases, original brochures and flyers, 1:1 restoration logs, model builders' journals, buying diecast versions, built-up kits to see how everything fits together, plus occasional 1:1 parts such as a real steering wheel, hub caps, carpet samples, grille star assembly, factory paint, etc. (in this manner, I become one with the car, and it is good), and it gets sicker and sicker. It would be a lot easier if there were a 1:1 car in my area that I could go look at, take photographs and make notes. This is particularly key to finding out where all those tubes and wires and hoses come from and where they go on rare cars; I would have no hesitation finding an owner, telling him I'm working on a super-detailed build, and asking for a few minutes of his time. You'd be surprised how many people are willing to cooperate – I've gotten excellent response to my inquiries from auto collections and world-class photographers such as the superb Boris Schlegelmich, who posted a dozen new photos on his website to help me with my 1928 Mercedes SS cabriolet. I had no previous communication with any of these people except through e-mails.

Even though she wears Army boots?

That's awesome. Here's the IBM logo printed with 35 xenon atoms. http://www.nanomedicine.com/NMI/Figures/2.25.jpg

The BMW E28 should be a 5 series car. The only kit I know of is a 1:24 Fujimi of a later model than your example. http://cgi.ebay.com/FUJIMI-BMW-M5-1-24-MODEL-KIT_W0QQitemZ160415321280QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_ToysGames_ModelKits_ModelKits_JN?hash=item25597f8cc0 Here are some other people looking for the same thing you are, with an interesting overview of what's available: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bimmer.jp/minicars/mc932_m5.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D55139&usg=__JKpZAjBcJr6JIh69VRcpqtIiPQA=&h=480&w=480&sz=82&hl=en&start=5&itbs=1&tbnid=oezSpb0n0iodRM:&tbnh=129&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dauto%2Bart%2Bbmw%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1

I just saw a pretty amazing story on CBS Sunday Morning. Next time we get nervous about dealing with teeny PE parts or painting fine detail, think about Willard Wigan. He creates sculptures and even diorama scenes with a microscope, using a fleck of gold or a grain of sand to build his pieces, which he mounts on the head of a pin or in the eye of a needle. His sculptures can be as small as 5 microns. • He uses a hair from a dead fly as a paintbrush. • He sculpted a figure of Charlie Chaplin on the tip of an eyelash. • While creating the tea party scene from Alice in Wonderland inside a needle's eye, he accidentally inhaled Alice. • To remain steady, he has to lower his pulse rate and work between heartbeats.(Not a bad tip overall; when precision is needed, like firing a rifle, inhale and hold your breath for a second.) If this all sounds a bit odd, consider that he gets up to $150,000 for a sculpture. http://www.willard-wigan.com/ http://www.dailyartfixx.com/2009/04/29/micro-sculptor-willard-wigan/

I needed a good smile today and you delivered! As a former Texan, I love everything about it. Your next assignment: The Cadillac Ranch. http://www.nationalroute66.org/photos/046CadillacRanch.html

Very, very slick and a classy color combo. It would be nice to see some sharper pictures.

Though I have zero interest in rat rods or any kind of rod, I think this is spectacularly cool and stunningly done. It's got a nearly human attitude, a strong personality, and I love it. I'd be very happy to have it on my shelf. Kudos.