David G.

I occasionally use balsa in some of my model railroad projects. I rarely use it because it's so soft and porous that it soaks up water based liquids like a sponge and is marred or dented way too easily. I can't even imagine putting any kind of car-like finish on balsa. It would be like trying to polish a paper towell!

Holy Cow! That's a LOT of work, what scale is that?

I had planned to take some today but I had to go out and buy a washing machine instead. I'll try to take some sometime over the next couple of days.

Wow! With all that, it might just be easier to modify the chassis plate that came with the kit. It looks fairly close to my 1:1 but the front and rear suspension and exhaust are molded on and somewhat different than what's on my battle barge. Forgive me if I seem too picky, but I've been looking for a model of this car for more than ten years and now that I've found one, I want to do the best for it that I can. This is also my first resin car kit, so if anybody has any of those "I wish I would have known that before I started!" moments they'd like to share, please feel free. Thanks for the information, and your patience. David G.

Great looking build. The design itself is a work of art and your build does it justice. The wheels, are they Western Smoothies?

Steve, Wow, thanks. That answers a lot of questions for me. The chassis that came with my resin kit looks very similar to the Wildcat chassis in your picture. The '70 Impala is a lot closer to what I'm looking for. If I can find a kit, the front bumper's yours man. Thanks for the photos! David G.

Hi Everybody, I just received a '71 Delta 88 resin kit from R&R Resin, and though the kit is very nice, I'd like to put it on a more complete frame. My question is should any B-Platform, a Buick Wildcat chassis for example, serve this purpose or are there differences major between the 1:1 production models despite the common platform. Once I get the kit, I could tell by looking at the chassis plate if it's close enough. I could even hold it up next my car and compare But it would be nice to know ahead of time if there are any big differences. There are lots of 1970 Buick Wildcat kits, but no Impalas or Catalinas that I could find. If a Wildcat frame will work, that'd be great. Thanks, David G.

That came out nice. I think a gasser is a much more natural look for a '57 Chevy than a low rider. Also, I really like the gas station diorama set-up. I may have to build myself one.

Thanks for the suggestions everybody, I've got some things to look into now. I was hoping to find a 455 in resin, independent of a kit. But if I can find a kit that has an option between a 455 and 350, I wouldn't mind spending the money on it. Otherwise, $20 to $25 is a bit too steep for an engine and a resulting parts car. Charlie, The kit comes with wheel covers, but I run my 1:1 with black painted stock steel wheels and chrome lug nuts, so I would like to find some of those. I also want to convert it from a 2-door hard top to a town sedan, like the one I drive. Also, thanks for the link, but I already have that same sales brochure... and owner's manual... and build sheet... yeah, I'm kind of a fanatic. I just ordered the kit yesterday, but Dukefan69 has one he's working on. That's how I knew that one even existed. Still, I'll let you guys know what I think when I get it. Chris, That AMT '66 sounds like the way to go. Not only having the engine and AC, but it's likely to have the stock steelies, though they may be 14"rs. Hmmm... options, optoins, options. Thanks again guys!

I have ordered a '71 Delta 88 from R&R Resin and Steve there said I would need an engine and tires (wheels too?) to complete the model. If anybody could help by recommending a source for these items I would appreciate the assistance. I'm not lazy. I could search, but I believe in taking advantage of the knowledge and experience of others who are willing to share it. Thanks, David G.

Randy, Thanks, it's nice to know I'm moving in a good direction. Mr. Mike, That is flippin awsome! I looked at the other pics on Photobucket and was a little disappointed not to find some build progress shots. I learn a lot from those progress shots and I was hoping to see how you did some of the body modifications. Do you have something like that here on the forum for that car?

Thank you all for your kind words. Ed, thanks for the tip on the magazine, I'll see if I can find a copy while I'm out today. As always, I appreciate any suggestions, critiques, observations or comments. I'm kind of in uncharted water with some aspects of this build and I'm always open to new ideas. Thanks, 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.