David G.

Well stated, I really should get out more

Yes, I don't think I'll waste my time with that other stuff I bought. I'll order some BMF for the trim on this one Thanks george, That's part of what is taking me so long with this one, I not only get to make stuff up, but then I have to figure out how to do it. I've also never built one with modifications this extensive. There's a pretty steep learning curve for me, and I end up doing many things multiple times. I think, my next one will be a bit more "out of the box."

Somebody else on this forum recommended practicing on plastic spoons; they're made of the same plastic as most of the model cars. If you're unsure of your skills, start with an inexpensive kit, even a snap-together and work on painting that. And worse comes to worst, paint is almost always removable. I usually prime most of the larger items to be painted, body, chassis, etc., but the smaller bits, I just usually brush or spray them without primer. Just make sure you wash everything you want to paint with warm water and mild dish detergent. I use Dawn with a soft tooth brush and scrub them thoroughly. There are many different painting and finishing techniques that can be used in nearly endless combinations. Your best bet is to browse the "Tips, Tricks and Ideas" section of this forum or search "Paint" "Primer" "Sanding" "Finishing" "Polishing" or any other related terms. This forum has many talented and skilled contributors who just love to share their knowledge.

Hello Everybody! Finally, I've got some painting done that I can be mostly satisfied with. It ain't perfect, but it don't look bad from here. I am very impressed with the Tamiya paint, it's almost like an airbrush in a can. The masking work came out fairly well. I think next time I'll work the lines a little differently though. I need to come up with some ideas on what to do with this bit back here. I think that the chromie thingy on the back looks a little too wheel-like. And then there's the tail lights. As always, any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again, thanks for taking the time to look. David G.

I recently tried Tamiya sprays for the first time and I must say I'm very impressed. I found myself thinking "Wow, this is like an airbrush in a can!" The only complaint I have is that they don't seem to have the spray-can colors in available bottles. If they do, I haven't been able to find them.

Excellent work! Great paint and detail, I too thought for a moment that I was looking at pix of a real car.

I'd like to vote no on the skirt issue. Here in Phoenix, there aren't many of these left, and of the very few that are, most are kept intact because they are much more valuable that way. I've seen convertables go as high as $40,000 with some of the two-door hard-tops in the $20,000 range. I'd also like to get one of these kits if at all possible. I've owned one of these beauties for about the last 20 years and I've been slowly working on restoring it. It would be great to have a model to go along with it. As far as the engine bay, here are some photos that may help.

I read yesterday where some of the other forum members have received the current issue of MCM. I subscribed online at the publisher's website on Dec. 15th. My question is: Does anybody have an estimate on how long the processing takes? How long should I wait before I run out to my LHS to buy a copy off the rack? This is, in my opinion, the best publication of it's kind available today and I don't want to miss the next issue by waiting too long. I'm sure you all understand. Thanks, David G.

Congratulations! I'm glad to be a part of it all.

It's coming along nicely. Will there be a big "bass box" (um, a sub-woofer, not a fish cooler) in the rear hatch area?

They should take away that person's Mustang and give them back the Honda that they traded in on it. Maybe that's because VW hasn't had any great cars like that in a long time.

That is just wonderfully bizarre!

Good choice, those colors work well together.

That's awsome. You really know how to set a scene, and you have excellent scratch building skills. Your photography is very good too. What camera and settings are you using?

There was no snow, the roads were wet with just those little slush piles between the lanes. That was the only vehicle I ever had such a problem with. Apparantly those old Camaros aren't even supposed to be driven on wet roads at 60 mph!

diymirage, That car looks bad, did you come out OK? That was cool, thanks for sharing it! I miss my Bugs One of my earlier Bugs (I've owned four over the years) had a dealer-add-on gas heater in the front... mounted right above the gas tank When I described it to my Volksie mechanic, he said, "Get that damned thing out of there!" I asked him why and told him it seemed to work well, he said "You've got an ignition source above a gas tank that is notorious for leaking fumes. If you don't asphyxiate yourself first, you're gonna blow yourself up!" The couple of times I did use it I got some funny looks sitting at a traffic light with exhaust billowing out from under the right front fender! I never had much trouble with the heater boxes on the engine, it was the channels behind the running boards that always rotted out in NE Ohio.

I had a transportation company in the early 90's and we used CV's for our VIP sedans. We bought them with a police package that had beefed-up suspensions to increase weight capacity and improve handling. We got the idea from Super Shutle's Execu-Car branch and bought them from the same source. I'm not entirely sure what Ford did to beef things up, but I could absolutely tell the difference when I drove one without the police kit. Without the police package, the CV's seemed lighter and more "floaty." They also bounced a bit more and didn't seem to corner as well. As the company was based in Phoenix, I can't comment on snow drivability, but they did seem to do better in the rain than the vanilla CV's. I could also tell the difference by looking at the car from 20 feet away. The ones with the police kit seemed to sit differently, they were just a bit higher than stock and had more of a "square" or solid look to them. On the fun side of the cop cars topic, a friend in high school had a '72 Plymouth Fury that was retired from the OH Highway Patrol. The speedometer went up to 140 mph and I believe the car would probably get at least close to that. One night in the early '80's at the "Stop-Light Derby" a couple of guys in a new IROC-Z started revving next to us. Before the light changed, my pal started power breaking his Fury. Instead of peeling out, the big Plymouth began to shudder and the body lifted up about six inches on the suspension. The eyes of the guy in the Camaro widened like saucers as he looked over at us. My friend side-stepped the brake when the light changed and the mighty Plymouth launched foreward leaving the Camaro lagging behind in the growing cloud of white tire smoke. When they caught up to us at the next light, I leaned out the window and yelled, "Dude, you just got beat by a motorhome!" Ahhh, fun times!

The worst winter driving car I ever owned was a '74 Camaro. Long ago on a winter morning in north-east OH (snow belt country) I tried to back it out of my driveway. The gas tank sloped upward from the rear axle to the bumper just enough to allow the snow to pack under it and actually lift the rear wheels off the ground. I was able to pull it loose with my '71 Pontiac Ventura. Later that same winter, I was driving the Camaro to work on the freeway. The roads were wet and had those slush piles that accumulate between the lanes. As I made a lane change at about 60 mph, despite having snow tires, the car began to fishtail as it crossed the slush pile between the lanes. The back of the car swung to the right and the to the left as I began to correct for the skid. It must have slid for more than a quarter mile at an angle that had me trying to slook around the A-pillar to see where I was going. The car eventually encountered a dry spot on the road that pulled it straight. That was the first and last winter I drove that car in the snow. Over all, I'd have to say that that Camaro was the least road-worthy car I've ever owned. The best winter driving car I've owned was a '71 Super Beetle. If you've ever owned a Bug and drove it in the snow, you know just what I'm talking about.

Pinky.

Looks like the real thing. Did you work from movie stills or memory?

Very Cool! It would look great in black.

I put my vote in for a white and/or off-white interior. For the scoop maybe some "428" or Cobra Jet" decals on the sides to set it off, and/or a chrome strip or paint stripe edging the opening. You've picked a cool color for the body, I can't wait to see how the whole thing comes out.

Very clean and an excellent color choice. I seem to remember seeing cars of this period in movies painted similarly.

Have you had a chance to work with the Bare-Metal Foil, and is it noticeably better than the Testors? Once again, thank you all for the kind words.

Very cool, nicely composed.