Chillyb1

I'm in the same boat. I used a short bit of a guitar string to jam down into the dispenser tube. When I went to pull it out the other day the whole metal tube came out of the bottle! So, now I have a nearly full container of the stuff and and wondering where to store it. For now, I've been pouring a little bit of glue out the the hole in the brown lid (where the metal nozzle used to be!) and using old microbrushes to apply it.

Yes, Kane, you really need to lift those standards. Uhhhh, the flaws in this build are legion and glaringly obvious.... But seriously, that is a spectacularly awesome build. The three-color scheme mimics the real Ducati version perfectly. And all the other colors, shades, details, washes, et cetera combine to bring the bike alive.

I've used the Testors/Model Master clears (gloss, dull, and semi-gloss) and prefer them to their stuff in a spray can. I've always mixed them with regular lacquer thinner and had great results. If you are used to shooting through and airbrush, or just prefer it, then you shouldn't have any problems using the bottled stuff. But I can also recommend the Rustoleum lacquer clear from a can. It is very easy to use and forgiving, and dries to a super glossy finish.

I probably don't have to add my comment after those above, but I will anyway. Strada Sports is an outstanding purveyor of scale automobile modeling stuff. Great products, great prices, great service. I order more from Kevin than from any other retailer. I usually keep a list of what I want and wait till I've got enough to take advantage of the free shipping offer. But he has very reasonable shipping rates if you are ordering smaller parts like photoetch sets. Put your mind at ease. Strada Sports will not disappoint.

Good luck, Simon! I'm sure you'll come home with some awards. Make sure to take plenty of photographs for those of us who aren't able to make it. (And so I can see whether any of my models were entered without my authorization!)

What a cool idea, and well executed too! But now I have to go back and look at these much more closely.

I got this all the way from Japan... AN EMPTY BOX! There was supposed to be some photoetch wipers but the tape apparently split on the edges, both top and bottom, and the parts decided to escape somewhere en route. I've written to Hobby Search and hope they'll send a replacement.

This just might be the very coolest model I've ever seen on this or any other forum. I'm eagerly awaiting your every update.

Skip, I went the Retromobile show two years in a row when I was living in Paris. It is truly spectacular. Not just the cars but also the related ephemera extend as far as the eye can see and then some. You can get old car magazines, advertisements, postcards, models (kit and diecast), 1:1 parts, et cetera. It is a total immersion experience.

Very nicely done. I love these Tamiya Peugeot kits. Great detail painting. What is your seatbelt material? It looks really good. Now, how are those decals coming along on the body?

It is an amazing color. I found it in a run-of-the-mill AutoZone with all the other Dupli-Color paints. I think I still have the can and would be able to look up specific name and color code if you want. When I was looking for a suitable color for this build my eye went to that paint right away. It looks good in scale for a metallic. And the clear coat really makes it look deep, if that's what you are going for.

Behold, Xerxes the Magnificent: He isn't very interested in anything model related and he rarely gets into boxes, but for whatever reason he thought he could fit in this one.

This is AMT's 1965 Pontiac Grand Prix. I built this from an original issue of the kit that a friend of mine found in a thrift store. It was already built at some point and was in a state of disassembly when I got it. Some parts were missing and there were no instructions, but I made the best of it. The paint is Dupli-Color lacquer and I think it is called light turquoise metallic. Clear is Rust-Oleum lacquer. Polished with MicroMesh and then Novus 2 and 1. Interior is Tamiya TS-7 Racing White. Dash is detail painted; chrome is Alclad; brightwork is BMF and some aluminum tape. I didn't add much; I installed door locks because that spot is so visible that it seemed to call for them. Also a prewired distributor is installed, but I didn't really do much of anything under the hood. Chassis is detail painted because everything is molded in place. I had to make the windows because those parts were either missing or damaged. I'm happy enough with the result. I don't usually build cars like this one and I don't usually build old AMT kits (nor Revell, Monogram, and the rest for that matter). Enjoy. This is what I started with: And here it is in its resurrected glory:

Skip, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess Mustangs. But, of course, I could be wrong.

Thanks for the comments, everybody. The interior color is something I mixed but I can't remember what colors I used. The mesh is difficult. The kit comes with plastic inserts that you are supposed to cover with the provided decals. I used Studio 27's photoetch for an earlier build of this model and it was very hard to work with because it is really thick metal. On this build I used Scale Motorsport's mesh included with their photoetch set. It is much easier to work with but not a walk in the park by any means. I used the kits plastic inserts as a kind of buck and tried to form the metal around it, then I further refined the shape by using various diameter dowels to get the right curve. I crimped one edge but wasn't really able to do so all the way around the opening. Anyway, I think this looks pretty good.

This is my latest completed build. It is Tamiya's excellent Porsche Carrera GT kit and it is mostly out of the box. I intended to use Scale Motorsport's photoetch set but ended up using only the mesh for the engine cover (I'm saving the rest for my next Carrera GT build, which will be more detailed than this one). Exterior paint is Duplicolor Seal Gray Metallic (I think that's what it is called) with Rust-Oleum lacquer clear. Interior color is something I mixed using Tamiya lacquers, with black and dark anodonic gray metalizer accents. Several varieties of carbon fiber decals appear here and there; some is from Scale Motorsport and some from KA Models. These pictures aren't great but I was anxious to get a couple photos tonight after I finished it up. I'll try to take better photos with natural light tomorrow. Enjoy. Comments, suggestions, criticisms all welcomed. Some more pics here: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v230/ChillyB1/Carrera%20GT%202011/

All true. Once I apprised the organizers of the malfeasance, and after they investigated, I was awarded the plaque and my name was entered into the records! But if we modelers ourselves, collectively and individually, don't have the honesty and integrity to compete fairly then this sort of thing will happen again and again. And now, back to what one does with completed builds....

I ran into this problem too when I started building again about five or six years ago. I gave some away as gifts then started selling them on eBay. And I've been selling them ever since shortly after I complete a build. These sales provide funds for further kit and supply purchases. And one of my models made its way to the GSL show and took second place! Hurray for me even though I was not the person who entered the model.

My experience has been the same as Dave's. I have had several terrible reactions with this paint both on bare plastic and over primer. I don't know what accounts for the variety of experiences with this stuff, but I've sworn it off forever.

That's a really cool car, Juergen. I'm working on this model now also. Do you have the Model Car Garage photoetch set? If not, I highly recommend it because it includes all kinds of crucial upgrades. Have you checked the fit of the rear piece (whatever it is called, where the taillights go)? Mine was thicker at one end than the other. This was the case also in the one built up in Scale Auto where the poor fit is clearly visible in photos. Anyway, keep us posted. This is a cool build of a cool car.

I'll be watching closely. I've tackled several of the Fujimi Enthusiast Porsches and I know you'll do a magnificent job.

My suggestion would be to use a hair dryer. This is something I've gleaned from other modelers and I was astonished at how well it works to snug down those pesky wrinkles over larger surfaces.

I think it's cool that you are trying seriously to improve your modeling skills. If it takes the "embarrassment factor" to do so, then so be it. This kit is one of the first things I built after getting back into the hobby and I thought it was great. I recall everything going together easily. I experimented with several things on this kit: I hollowed out the molded-in door handles; split the front bench seat; added seat belts and engine wiring; for reasons I can't recall, I removed the side trim (I think I couldn't bear to try BMFing it again); and used a two-tone paint job with my own special mix of green. Anyway, it presented no real modeling challenges and built my own modeler's self-esteem considerably. Good luck with the project.