Steve D.

Howdy , I've been on "spray bomb" kick lately and have been using a lot of Tamiya's acrilic lacquer spray with great results . When using thier clear over a solid color , either wait until until the paint has "gassed out" (here in Mass in the summer with humidity it's six or seven days , winter no humidity TWO days . You must remember to take humidity into consideration when spraying any lacquer . ) or you can do what I usually do . Follow up your finish coat with a good coat of clear , I belive Tamiya recommends spraying clear within 24 hours or waiting untill completely dry. As far as decals go , again you must wait until the decals have completely dried ( 24 hours is plenty for decals) as they are moving until dry . Then you can go ahead with your clear coat (s) . Applying Clear :When spraying on your clear coat you must resist the temptation of trying to cover the model with one (heaven forbid !) or two coats . Although you might laugh this clear is so good that might be possible . But.....RESIST and dust on one light coat and wait 10 minutes . Then dust on a second coat and wait 15 minutes NOW COMES THE IMPORTANT PART . Dust on the third coat and toy will notice the model is starting to look really shiney. STOP NOW And let this coat set up for 15 to 20 minutes . Alot of Builders say this is enough and turn the third coat into the finish , but trust me . (or of course experiment on your own) The fourth coat is the charm with this stuff . Dust it on just like the previous coats , and the finish is truly amazing . As far as decals go I've only had one case where the decals wrinkled a little , and that was when I tried to clear freshly laid decals for a contest TOMORROW as I am wont to do . The thing to remember with decals is do not let the clear puddle on them . Dusting on a bunch of light coats is the way to go !!! Hope this helps, See you around the clubhouse, Steve D.

Decals by Gooche also makes a set for this kit , but like the kit decals there are no sponsor decals on the sheet . There are plenty of photos available on line but its still a pain , that and the fact you have to raid other decal sheets for sponsors . www.decalsbygooche.com See you around the clubhouse , Steve D.

As usual , when I get ready to start a project , I go off half cocked , you know , gather up all the necessary stuff , but have the wrong story !!! Anyway "Olds" nailhead ?? yikes , sometimes I swear my Brain and fingers are not connected ,at least when it comes to using thi s dang computer !! My understanding is they used an OLDS Rocket with the Hillborn injection and the familiar "Gasser" style injector cap . And yes I'm afraid I do have A.D.D. see you around the clubhouse , Steve D. THANKS AGAIN

Having acquired a bunch of the newly re-released Revell 41 Willy's kits , I would like to build a couple of versions of the "Swindler A" . The kit includes decals for the "Pearl Blue" version and the Black version . The blue car which ran from 1961 until the beginning of the 64 season with the vunerable "nailhead" . Beginning in "64" the hemi came into it's own and the rest is drag racing history . Anyway before I lose my train of thought , wasn't there a nailhead in the old AMT Willy's combo kit ? The one you could build as a pick-up or coupe kit . I'm not sure , but I do remember someone made a pretty decent version of this historic mill . I remember staring at it and thinking it must be molded incorrectly , until my mechanic friend enlightened me . Those nearly verticle valve covers are what gave the "Nailhead" it's nickname . Also , what type of intake did it have ? Did it have the same type Gasser style made famous by the 392 hemi. i.e. like the one in the Revell kit . I have the sense that this is the same type injection used on both engines . Well Thanks in advance , and I'll see you around the clubhouse ....... Steve D.

The newly released version with the slick Cartograph decals . It is made out of new soft plastic and will craze when Tamiya Lacquer is sprayed on directly , that is , without priming first . ( I have sprayed TL on many bodies without priming first , so this is the first time it has happened to me . ) If you use the Tamiya primer , either white or gray , and dust on three or four light coats , crazing should not be a problem . Having built three of these kits , I know Plasticote primer and Tamiya lacquer ( unprimed ) are too hot for this plastic . I'm not sure about the new Model Master lacquer , as I have yet to use it . I just wanted to give everyone a heads - up about this particular kit and its soft plastic . Take care and see you around the clubhouse , Steve D.

One thing to keep in mind , try to use the same companys thinner and paint together . Sometimes when mixing types , the paint will just turn to jello and be unusuable . If you try to use cheap generic thinner to thin the paint this is OK as long as you don't return this mixture back to the bottle . Use what you need and throw the rest away . I keep a can of Model Master thinner just for mixing paint , but I also have an old mustard jar (plastic squirt bottle) full of the cheap stuff for cleaning my airbrush and brushes . I keep a bottle of Lacquer thinner also as I paint a lot of lacquer . Lacquer is great for cleaning dirty brushes and airbrushes . One word of caution about lacquer thinner , it will eat away the rubber "O" rings of airbrushes if left in the brush . Always after cleaning your airbrush with lacquer thinner flush it out with regular paint thinner...the cheaper the better!! Hope this helps , any questions just ask , See you around the clubhouse , Steve D.

Well I just returned from the local hobby shop , and initially I was pretty excited because they did indeed have the "new " Hemi under glass kit . Riding home I could barely keep myself from tearing the box open , to check out this "new' kit . The box art shows an early cuda painted gold on the top with white sides , hmm , I thought the "Hurst" cars were always gold and black . Not that I'm an expert or any thing , it just seems strange I don't recall ever having seen it . Also clearly visible is a Hillborn type injection unit with the tall stacks , which I believe the real car had . Another thing is the nose , I loved that early "cuda" nose . Not the one it looks like it shared with the Valliant fastback , but the next one that had two distinct pieces . Upon opening the kit I was disappointed to find the same kit I had just completed . The old AMT/Polar Lights kit , even the decals were the same YUCK . This is one of those kits where the contents don't match the box art , not even close ,oh well , back to the drawing board :cry:

Dear G&J, I just completed building the Polar Lights /AMT Hurst Hemi Under Glass kit . I thought this was a "66" but AMT has just re-released another "Hemi under Glass " kit . This one is also suppose to be a "66" but it has a different nose, more like a late sixties cuda . The P/L AMT kit has the "Valliant" looking nose from , I'm guessing , the first Barracuda . My question is , what years and variants of ths cah were there ? I seem to recall seeing a "69" type of front end , almost like the one on the new re-release from AMT ,I don't belive there were any after this style . Also any idea's where I might find some photo's so I can fill in the sponsor decals , whats up with that ? I'm pretty shure I can come up with the correct decals from my spares box , if I only knew what they were!! As an aside , issue #110 was pretty amazing , I really loved the stock car comparason , and I don't build Stock Cars!!! BUT ISSUE #111 has to be the best ever !!!! WOW , keep up the great work , hmmm Top fuel eh? See you around the clubhouse Steve D. :? :?