Chillyb1

Ladies and Gentlemen, Zombies and Zombettes, I give you The Zom-Beetle http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v230/ChillyB1/Zom-Beetle/

Ladies and Gentlemen, Zombies and Zombettes, I give you The Zom-Beetle

There is a Hobbytown just south of Portland on SE 82nd Avenue. And, because Portland isn't really that big or difficult to navigate, I'd recommend going into visit Bridgetowne Hobbies on NE Sandy. Both stores have lots of stuff for us car modelers, helpful employees, and usually offer some nice bargains.

I think you are right to wonder whether or not you should worry about this stuff because you are new to the hobby. Don't concern yourself with that stuff right away. The fact that you know photoetch and other aftermarket stuff does exist means you'll be paying attention while you get deeper into the hobby. There's a photoetch set out there for a very large percentage of kits. Go to Model Car Garage's website (you can find that easily enough on your own) and try to wend your way through all they offer. A vast panoply of both kit-specific and generic photoetch sets are available there. I use photoetch sets for most of the models I build and it takes some getting used to. When I started building as an adult, some six or eight years ago, I didn't know anything about aftermarket anything. As I built more and figured out what kinds of kits and subjects I wanted to build, I found out about the astonishing range of the aftermarket suppliers to our hobby. And I gradually became more adept at using the stuff. So, pay attention and don't worry about it yet. Spend more time here and elsewhere online and you'll soon understand what's out there and how to find it.

I think I've had to do that only once. Here's an AMT 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix that a friend gave me to rebuild (it was a thrift store purchase): The kit glass was useless and really, really thick. I used some clear plastic that I got somewhere. Worked okay in this case, I think.

No, no, no, and no. Limousine refers to any car having three side windows. It connotes nothing else, not in German and not in any other language.

I try to keep to a minimum how much sanding and/or polishing is done. This body was shot with one coat of Tamiya primer then shot and masked with the color coats (all from Tamiya and decanted for airbrush), mostly built up with several passes of the airbrush and then one sort-of wet coat. The final coat is Tamiya acrylic. I did no sanding or polishing at all.

Why are you "not sure"?

Many of you know that I sell my built models on eBay as soon as I've completed them. I got this really nice e-mail from a repeat buyer and I thought I'd share it with you: Dear Curtis, I am a great admirer of your work. Not only are your subjects outstanding, but the quality and detail is second to none. I look forward to leaving you great feedback as well as purchasing again from you in the future. Appreciatively, -Rudy ----------- Most of us build for our own satisfaction, me included. I just really like building little plastic cars. But it is a very gratifying feeling to know that others harbor a deep appreciation for the hobbyist's arts. Now, get back to the benches!

Skip Jordan knows a lot about this and other 300 SL kits. Send him a message and I'm sure he'll be happy to share his knowledge and opinion. I used to have the kit but sold it. I can say it looked very good with great mold quality.

I'm glad you have the time, patience, and skill required for a build like this because I sure don't. I'm going to enjoy watching all the way.

No, thank you! That is one of the coolest ideas I've ever seen. Bravo.

When I started building as an adult about six or eight years ago, I got into the hobby much as I did when I built as a kid. Soon, however, built models started accumulating despite giving some away as gifts. I decided to try to sell them through eBay just to get them out of the house; I had realized that I didn't want a collection and that I enjoyed the building more than the having. Over the last several years I've managed to sell everything I've listed, built a return-customer base and a good reputation, and seen my selling prices rise. I'm not making a living at it, but this does allow me to cover the cost of kits and supplies in a kind of perpetual-motion machine where I bring in bit of money selling built models and then spend on stuff I want or need. I've said this here before: I'm not sentimental about my built models.

This is going to be really spectacular. Thanks for the show, Dave.

And at least one from the United States. I won't buy this version but would buy a dozen plastic ones if Tamiya would put one out. Yes, both iconic and historically significant in Europe, but almost unknown on these shores. I know a guy in Portland, Oregon, who has one that was once a Citroen garage utility van (he was, once upon a time, the Citroen mechanic in the Los Angeles area and then later in Oregon). It is in the blue and yellow Citroen livery.

I'm not sure that constitutes a thought.

I recall someone doing that but I can't remember who it was. Although it looked impressive the modeler had the windows opening the wrong way, i.e., with the front opening out rather than in. If I can find the model I'll post a link later. And I agree with Jantrix about the head-hurting contemplation.

Better than Palmer but not as good as Tamiya.

Count me in. I also love these Peugeots. I want to see how the Heller builds up. I just finished this one from the Tamiya kit and Studio 27 decals:

Thanks. It is a challenging model to build but I'm pleased with how it turned out. I started this a couple years ago and just let it sit but I finally got around to doing all the little things I needed to do to finish it up.

Here's an unusual subject for you. This is Tamiya's Peugeot 205 T16 rally racer from the 1980s. The kit depicts a Peugeot works car but because decals in my kit were useless I chose this Gauloises livery from the 1985 Tour de Corse rally. [The real version of this car differs in several ways from the kit and I was not interested in making the many modifications that constructing a replica would require. In other words, this is the works version but with different paint and decals.] I had to mix the paint because there was nothing readily available that matches the original; because the scant photos of the car that I could find online reveal a range of body colors in this range, I chose to mix a color that appealed to my eye and differed sufficiently from the blue on the decals. Speaking of decals... these were printed by Cartograf and issued by Studio 27, and they are of the best decals I've ever worked with. There are some photoetch bits provided with the kit and I chose to add photoetch wipers from some aftermarket maker. What else? Mostly box-stock except for some carbon kevlar decals from Scale Motorsport. Some mild weathering, too. Enjoy. More photos can be found here: http://smg.photobuck... Tour de Corse/

Clear will reduce the chrominess (pace Harry P.) if you use semi-gloss or flat clear. But that may reduce it too much for what you want.

They are: 150, 240, 320, 400, 600.

Just a suggestion, but I think you are better off spray painting everything and only using brush paints for fine detail. Seats and engines, as in your example, and other parts of that size inevitably end up with uneven coverage and with brush strokes. Plus it is just time consuming. That being said, I use Tamiya acrylics almost exclusively for brush painting.

I like it. I keep thinking I'd like to try building an airplane so I can try out all the shading and weathering techniques that are so prevalent on planes. How did you get those paint effects? Is it easy? Because it doesn't look easy but I'm hoping it is.