David G.

I have one of the Testors 1.75 oz paint thinner bottles that I've had since I was a teenager. I've cleaned it out and have been refilling it with a mineral spirits paint thinner. It smells kind of like kerosene, but works well enough. When my current can of mineral spirits is used up, I plan on getting some laquer thinner to replace it. It cuts both laquer and enamel paint and can be used to thin paint for air brushing, when I finally get an air brush.

I haven't made seat belts for any of my builds yet, so I can offer no personal points of experience. But, from what I've read on this forum, masking tape is one of the two most commonly used materials for making seat belts. The other is cloth medical tape. I'm sure others will be able to post more detailed information or even a link to a tutorial. Hope that helps for now.

I strive for accuracy, but I've built both ways depending on the end I want to achieve. For example, the nuclear powered car that I've been working on for a while now; I have very little knowledge of how a small nuclear power plant could be made to power an automobile, but I've seen enough science fiction movies to be able to fake it. At the same time, if I decide to wire an engine, I'll verify the firing order and take the time to do it right. Even the builders who strive for as much mechanical accuracy as possible are doing it for fun. So I guess we all build for the fun of it no matter which path we take.

Well done! I enjoy seeing forgotten, unique or unusual cars modeled, and I think this particular one falls into all three catagories! Thanks for sharing it with us.

I think the styrene is too thick to properly flow into a mold under gravity pressure alone. That's why the kits we buy are "injection molded." The plastic is forced into the molds under pressure. Resin on the other hand can range from water-thin to almost as thick as silly putty depending on it's intended use. What you suggest is an interesting thought, but if it was something that was easy or practical, I think there would be a lot of people doing that instead of casting in resin. If you do try melting and recasting styrene, be careful. It burns readily, gives off really nasty, toxic smoke and fumes and when it burns, it turns into a flaming liquid that can be difficult to keep under control.

Excellent body work. It does have a European look to it, almost like a Ghia design.

The warpage seems to be symmetrical. Have you considered using it as a custom feature? Maybe kit-bashing a grille with a set of those slanted Chrysler Imperial headlights?

Thanks Guys! I can always count on an abundance of information when I post a question here. Autozone came up empty for Duplicolor Chevy Engine Red, so I wound up with Model Master Chevy Engine Red enamel in a jar from the LHS. I've used the Model Master Acrylic in a jar and found it far superior to the old "square-bottle" stuff. I hope the same holds true for their enamel. Though I am really beginning to develop a dislike for most enamel paints, I'll give this an open-minded try. Since I've pretty much decided to swap the stock 255 ci single carb V-8 engine for a 348 tri-power I have left over from the '58 Impala kit, the Model Master C.E. Red should work out fine. But all these little tidbits of information aren't wasted. They lodge in the back of my brain where they wait for just the right moment to ambush me with thoughts like: "Wait, didn't Chevy paint one of their engines green in 1957? Which one was that?" Thanks everybody for the input! David G.

I N V U !!! I would have felt a little guilty getting all that for $10. Just a little, but I would have gotten over it very quickly! Hopefully you also have a three day weekend to play with the new toys!

Hi Everybody, Happy Independence Day to all my MCM friends in the US! I received a Monogram '55 Chevy Bel Air Hard Top as a gift yesterday, and I realized that I don't have a good Chevy Engine Red in my standard "paint kit" yet. In the short time since I've started building again, I have yet to paint a Chevy engine. I would like some recommendations on paints and colors that would work for duplicating that warm red that GM used on their engines back around that time. I prefer Tamiya "TS" type spray cans, but I also use Model Master, Dutch Boy, Krylon, etc. For an engine block "off the shelf" brands like Krylon may even be preferable. As always, thanks for your time and consideration. Regards, David G.

That's really clever, I'll have to try that. I have a number of those foam florist blocks that I used to use for the hydrator in my old humidor back in the day. Currently I have a couple of 1 X 2's about eight inches long around which I wrap strips of masking tape with the sticky side out. After removing the the small parts from the sprue and cleaning and de-flashing them, I stick them to the tape strips and place the board on my paint table across a couple of spray can lids. I found that lifting the board a couple of inches above the table surface seems to reduce dust problems.

I got my August Scale Auto on Thursday, but no MCM yet. They usually arrive within a few days of one another, so I've spent the last couple of days thinking "Today's the day!" as I approach the mail box, then... disappointment. Hopefully, today's the day!

Some folks just aren't used to seeing that much steel in one place at one time.

Wow, if that's their DeLuxe, I'd hate to have to settle for the base model!

Excellent paint job on the '58, but it seems to break up the lines of the car, almost like a camo paint scheme would. For me, it's kind of hard to see the car under the paint.

I guess that would make this one an actual "Rat Rod"! This is probably the only time I've seen kit-bashing and skull-bashing occur at the same place and time! Very well done, the whole build works nicely!

Awesome! It looks like some kind of preditor.

Not quite a hearse, more of a removal car, but cool none the less. I'm just curious, is there a roller deck in the back? If so, to the right person, the roller deck might be worth more than the rest of the car.

The snake skin paint looks good on that body style. How'd you do it?

Looks good, especially for a slap-together build!

That's ok, I'll just continue buying the Dolly Madison Zingers instead. Those metal flake ones would just irritate my thoat anyway!

Very nice outcome on this one. The paint looks super smooth and shiney, and the PE bits always make a big difference. I'll have to try using those some day.

Not necessarily. My wife is a librarian and she specializes copyright, trademark and intelectual property rights and infringement issues. Many of these companies have employees, departments or have hired specialized agencies whose job it is to search the web and any other possible rescource for violations. A few years ago, I made a little desktop wallpaper image for my home PC. I put it together through Photoshop from digital images I took from pictures of my own car. When I put it on my web site, my wife cautioned me that I might be in violation of fair use rules and not to be surprised if I receive an official cease and desist notice from GM. I never did get a notice (though I kind of hoped I would) and have since removed the image. Here's a copy of the image in question: Good luck working this out with the company, I hope they just wanted to get your attention and insure approproate representation and treatment of their trade marks.

I can see why she would like it, it's kinda cute and looks a bit like a shoe! Seriously, it looks really good. One of my favorite things is to build kits for others as gifts, etc. It's a good way to step out of the ol' comfort zone and build for the sake of the build.

Or a planter! If I have it figured right, these cars are about the size of an old Nash Metro, i.e. not much bigger than a golf cart. Your build looks good, I think the color choice is spot on. The one thing that strikes me most is how tremendously plain it seems, which I'm sure is an accurate reflection of the 1:1 car. There's also just a hint of elegance in the styling. For most of us, this would have been a challenging choice for a custom build, and I think you pulled it off well! David G.