David G.

Thanks for the luck booster but unfortunately things didn't quite work out according to plan- well, at least not my plan any way. I decanted enough paint to shoot through my airbrush thinking that I would have more control over the thickness and smoothness of the paint layer. Just to be sure, I even did a couple of test shots on some plastic spoons and things looked pretty good. I decided to paint the underside of the hood as a start and I was satisfied with the result so I started painting the body. That's when everything went to rubbish. The airbrush immediately started spitting and spurting. Needless to say, I was a bit upset by this. I probably should have stopped right then and there but I thought, "Well, it doesn't look that bad, maybe it will flatten out as it dries. At the very least, I should get enough paint on it so that I can smooth it out... again, if I need to." So I kept on and this was the result. The photos are a little dark because though the glare was necessary to show the texture, I had to cut it back to keep from blowing out the image and obscuring the texture. After I felt that I had splattered enough paint onto the body, I tore down my airbrush for cleaning. That's when I discovered the likely reason for the entire misadventure. The needle adjusting sleeve was not only loose but only threaded in about half way into the barrel of the brush. It seems that the last time I cleaned the airbrush I hadn't completely reassembled it. Oops. ? So from now on, there will be a preflight on the Ol' AB before each session. Though I had to set it aside for a few days to let both the paint and my attitude cure a little, I plan to smooth it out and polish this weekend. It's not any more work than I've done on it twice already. If this is the worst problem that I have to deal with in my life for the rest of this year, I'll be doing great! David G.

How tiny those mirrors were! The cars were much bigger though so maybe they balance each other out. Spectacular work on this Geoff! David G.

Amazing work on this one! I'm well beyond impressed. David G.

Beautiful work on this! David G.

Thank you Geoff, I do feel like I could use a little additional luck on this one. Thanks Greg, I wanted this build to be "over the top" to try to capture the feel of the era. I think I got it. David G.

After a couple of hours of sanding and polishing, I finally have the paint smoothed out. Yeah, I actually had to burn through the paint in several locations just to get it smooth enough. It's time to get masked for the second and hopefully, final coat of pink. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Nicely Done! David G.

Sweet looking engine! I'll have to remember that tip regarding the belts. Thanks for sharing it. David G.

Thanks for your comment Bill. Now that you mention it, I remember learning of you doing this as I followed your WIP on the diorama build. What an excellently clever idea! I ended up using museum wax to hold the oil ad gas cans on the shelf and double-stick tape on the back and base of the heater to keep it in place. Great looking diorama BTW David G.

Thanks Pat. You have a lot going on there visually, looks great! My plan is to eventually build something like you have there and use all these little bits to "clutter up" the scene as a photo setting. Thanks Brad. I have a lot of red going on already. What I was thinking about was a way to make a manufacturer's stencil in black or dark blue. Something like this. I may or may not pursue this- it's just sort of bubbling on a back burner somewhere in the kitchen of my mind. Thanks for the ideas and feedback. David G.

Let the madness begin! David G.

Hello Tom. I don't have a paint booth, I paint on my back patio. The Phoenix climate is great for painting outdoors for about ten month out of the year. I do hose the area down before I paint to keep the dust under control and I try to pick times when the air is still and the temperature is between seventy five and one hundred degrees. For the most part that works out pretty well. I have considered a paint booth but my workshop is also my home office where I keep my PC and I have concerns about the effect that paint mist/particulates may have on it. Let's hope so David. I sure do miss their Metalizers though. Best regards to all, David G.

Very cool! David G.

Looks great so far! There's nothing like getting the "Best of both worlds", eh? David G.

Thanks Roger, I agree. Like I mentioned in an earlier post: I plan to let the paint cure for a couple more days before I start color sanding. After I finish after I finish smoothing out the paint I think I'll follow my own earlier idea and decant enough paint to use my airbrush to lay down the top coat. Thanks for your comment and compliment David. Trust me, I need no encouragement in using paints that are formulated for plastic. I currently have three cans of Rustoleum, this one and two cans of primer which I use for chassis work. The rest of my paint stock includes around thirty cans of Tamiya and about a dozen cans of Duplicolor, which until recently worked very well with a good primer under it. Tamiya's pink just wasn't what I was looking for and I happened to find the Rustoleum by chance at Walmart. I should have known better but it had been a few years since I used Rustoleum so I talked myself into giving it another chance. The rest of the story you already know. Hello Gareth. My wife and I both have breathing issues so no, we don't have any aerosols in the house. Rustoleum is the only paint that I consistently have this type of problem with. Rarely do I have any trouble with Tamiya that I myself don't cause. I'd love to find a way to work with Rustoleum because they have such great colors but is all the extra bother worth it? Thank you all for your comments and compliments. David G.

It just keeps getting better and better! It looks like it could have been an excursion/companion vehicle for the Ark II from that Seventies TV show of the same name. "Join us for the next episode where the Ark II crew goes club hopping in their newest custom cruiser!" David G.

One of my all-time favorite cars, very well done! BTW the background you use for your photos, is that a diorama or an image? It works very well and adds a bit of realism to your photos. David G.

Very Cool! It looks like a Lambo concept car in that color and still kind of works as a Batmobile. More of a Saturday morning cartoon show Batmobile but it still works. As is said in the Film and Photography industries, it kicks light well. David G.

Hello everybody! I'm working on some of the final phase test-fitting and I wanted to make sure that the glass was going to play nice with the body and chassis before I went much farther. Also, I finally got some color on this car and I wanted to see how it looked as a whole. Pink is not one of my favorite colors but I believe it suits this car and the time period it was designed and built for. Though I'm happy with the color, I'm not pleased with the way the paint went on. This is exactly the reason that I avoid Rustoleum paint. This is the worst spot but most of the rest of the car has similar issues. I can fix this but I'd rather not have had to. Also, please feel free to offer any tips or advise on what causes this and how it may be avoided in the future. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and please feel free to comment. David G.

Good looking van! You got very lucky with those decals. To such large decals go into place properly and look as good as you got them to look is no small feat. As was mentioned by others, I may have considered masking and painting the stripes but I think I would also like the challenge of making the decals work. In either case, you made it work. David G.

Smooooth and Deadly. Nicely detailed too! David G.

Nicely Done! Excellent color combination and great looking paintwork. David G.

Still watching, still impressed! David G.

Thank you for the compliment Trevor. I remember when I was in school we had Metal, Wood and Auto Shops as well as Band and Home Economics. That was a long time ago and most of those are gone now. Here in the States a majority of public schools have long since done away with Shop Classes, do schools in Canada still offer Shop Class? David G.

I can't wait to see what you do with these. This should be an interesting ride! David G.