David G.

Good mix on the green for the stove. It looks like you nailed it. David G.

The body is coming together quite nicely. I'm interested to see what you come up for an engine. David G.

The bodywork looks nice and smooth under the paint. David G.

That is some quick work. It all looks good from here too. David G.

Thank you for your kind words Carl. David G.

That is way beyond cool! Excellent work on all accounts, I especially like the paint effects on the skulls in the smoke clouds. David G.

Cool color! Nice tight looking build. David G.

Looks like it's seen some hard miles, nicely done. The cool thing about an open top vehicle like that one is that the interiors are self-cleaning. Once you get up over 40 mph, all the litter just blows out of the car! David G.

Thank you Bob. David G.

Hello Everybody! I managed to get four builds completed in 2022. Not too bad considering that for the last three months of the year I was unable to get any significant bench time in. First out of the gate was the Polar Lights Ecto-1 kit. Because, who doesn't want an Ecto-1 in their collection? Started October of 2021 and finished in May of 2022 with approximately 100 hours invested. Between the two kits offered (the other is by AMT) this is the more simple of the two. Requiring, in my eyes at least, a bit more work to bring it up to an acceptable level of detail. The rear bumper is borrowed from the AMT kit as are some of the rooftop detail items. I also scratch built a fuel filler. I scratch-bashed the AC fan and added some wiring along with the parts borrowed from the AMT kit. I built quite a bit of detail for the interior including a rack of Proton Packs. I thought it would be a shame to not be able to see all that work once the model was completed, so I also lighted the interior. It's my first attempt at building a lighted model and I'm pleased with the way it came out. Here's a shot of the lighted interior showing the Proton Packs and some of the other delightful clutter I built for added visual interest. The second one for 2022 is the Starsky & Hutch Ford Gran Torino by Revell. Started April 2022 and finished in May with 33.5 hours invested. This was built as a "Seven Day Challenge" which ended up taking me fourteen days. This kit was a birthday gift from my wife. This is the title card I made up for the challenge using PaintShop Pro. I built this one mostly straight out of the box. If I remember correctly, the one detail I added was a power cord I made for the roof light. It's a nice kit and goes together well to yield a respectable representation of the car made famous on the Starsky & Hutch TV show from the Seventies. Speaking of the Seventies, gotta love that rake with the over-sized rear tires! Third is the Batmobile based on the 1968 DC Comics illustrations. Started 5/9/2022 and finished 7/5/2022 with 51.5 hours worked. I picked this one up at the 2022 Desert Scale Classic Swap Meet and Model Contest in Phoenix. This kit comes complete with Dynamic Duo figures. The figures are well cast and paint up quite nicely. Though Batman looks a little pudgy to me, they are a nice inclusion in the kit. This kit is very well done and nicely detailed though the designers made some unusual engineering choices when it came to mounting the rear axle and engine to the chassis. Both of which required some modification to fit properly. Though the directions call for a black paintjob, I opted for a dark metallic blue. It just seemed to me a better option. Also seen here is the nicely detailed interior. I was honestly surprised by how complete and detailed this kit actually is. Especially considering that it's designed and engineered from comic book illustrations done in the Sixties. And finally, The Mummy Machine. Started on 7/5/2022 and finished 8/28/2022 in about 43 hours. This is the Mummy Machine by AMT-ERTL.... and MPC at least according to the logo cast on the bottom of the body tub. Originally released in (I think) 1972, I first encountered this kit around 1974 or 75. So yeah, this is another nostalgia build in which I try to recapture my youth. I don't believe that I ever completed building it as I can remember having the mummy head and other various bits around for years afterward. There was an actual show car like this in the early Seventies. I'm still not clear if the kit is based on the show car or vice versa. In any event, this kit is very basic and offers little to no actual operational automotive detail. I thought about making it more mechanically accurate but opted not to, deciding that the feel of the model was more important to me than its function. There is huge seam where the front and rear halves of the mummy head join that caused me some concern. I think I addressed it pretty well. I'm also pleased with the way the gold paint turned out as gold can sometimes be tricky. I like the detail in the mummy hands. The sculptor worked in what looks to me like a bit of bone in the forearm. I worked in a little added detail of my own on the bottom. A small brass scarab that I found on Etsy. The interior sports a tongue shaped seat but other than that, there's not much to see. I am happy with how the flesh turned out, it has a nice desiccated leathery look. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment or two. David G.

Fabulous looking paint! Congratulations on the well deserved award! David G.

Excellent work on this! All the little details come together so nicely. David G.

The engine, interior and chassis all look great! I like the idea you came up with for attaching the brake and fuel lines to the chassis. I plan on using that some day. Thanks for sharing it with us. David G.

That looks like it could inflict some major ouch! David G.

Those wheels are models in their own right! Nicely Done! David G.

Sweet looking pair! David G.

The finished project looks fantastic! Love the color and finish. The Mercedes emblem on the engine block is a nice touch. David G.

Nice looking chrome! Love the color on the body too. David G.

I built the S&H Torino last year. I thought it had a decent engine. There was no alternator bracket, but other than that, it's not too bad. Regards, David G.

What a cool project! You have a great start on this and some respectable scratch-building skills. David G.

Hello Everybody! I'm in the final stages of completing this one, I plan to wrap it up sometime in the couple of days. I decided on Tamiya TS-53 Metallic Blue as the topcoat color. I think these bits will look great once the model is reassembled. I also have the joining pieces in their chosen color, Tamiya TS-42 Light Gunmetal. I plan to use some Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color to add some depth to them. That's all for now. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to post a comment. David G.

The two aren't mutually exclusive ya know. David G.

Excellent color choice, nice work on the chrome trim, looks great so far! David G.

That's a rather interesting combination you're trying to bash together. There's some real potential to come up with a good looking model in the end. David G.

Excellent color! The wheels go quite well with it. David G.