wgflatliner

thanks for the comments guys. going to be doing some of the clear coat today and see how it turns out.

i'll uhhhh.. get back to you on that.

and here's the paint. tamiya TS-60 pearl green top, TS-58 pearl light blue bottom, and TS-45 pearl white pin stripe. the theme i'm going with is among the types of cars you'd see at a Good Guys car show, sort of a hot rod cruiser look. I chose the colors because it takes what would normally look like a heavy vehicle and gives it a lighter look.

Hey guys/gals. Long time no post. However, i am going to try and redeem myself with a project that i've worked on intermittently. I'm almost done, and only need to do the clear coat and polished, then exterior trim and some other minor stuff. This build has been great so far. Oh, and i need to dust it off as you'll see with the engine pic. for the wood planks, i used balsa wood strips, painted enamel wood, and then topped off with brushed tamiya clear orange. for the strips between the wood planks, i used T shaped styrene strips.

I know i have been missing in action as of late, due to life circumstances and so-on, however one thing has really been eating at me and i just can't hold it back any longer. I write this with a very somber and humble and proud spirit, and hope you all can bear with my rambling. I have had the privilege to live in a military town and meet those who are serving, and/or who have already served. My father was a marine and also transferred to army and retired E7 out of Ft. Carson, Colorado - in which i reside now. Growing up here, i got to witness the thundering F4 phantoms, F16s, F15s and smaller trainer craft like the T38 flying around. Since i was a kid, i wanted to join the air force and be a pilot. I got to watch the blue angels in person, see the stealth fighter as it was unveiled, and walked through a massive C5 galaxy. My room was littered with posters of modern jets. I had the ultimate military plane library in my room. You can only imagine the disappointment, sadness and depression i had when i had reached MEPS to find out that my blood pressure was extremely high and I was medically declined (i won't share the drama as to WHY it was as high as it was). Time moved on and i have grown from wanting to be that fighter pilot for the thrills and excitement, and have matured into the mindset that it's more than the thrills that the pilots and other military personnel are after. In fact, it's a lot more than that. In my line of work i talk to thousands of people monthly, and have talked to a fair share of folks who serve(d). A story that i heard from an elderly man about how he was a tail gunner in world war 2 really touched me. He was talking about how he was enlisted, and 2 weeks later, him and his high school buddies were on planes over the pacific. All of his friends but one had been killed in action. The captain had tasked him and his buddy to be the escorts for their fallen friends, to take them home. When they arrived, the whole town was waiting, cheering and saluting the fallen. The two men did not understand why the town was happy instead of sad over their losses, until after the war had ended. It wasn't mourning their losses, it was the celebration of their life, and what they stood for. I have asked myself why people would volunteer to put their lives on the line and get shot at. I cannot think of any other answer other than for our freedom. Without them, where would our country be? Yeah there may be some stuff that we don't like here in America, but i still love this country. i would like to take this time to thank all of you who have served, and those who are serving now, and those who plan on serving in the future. The things you have done for our countries (and i am including any other countries represented here) are immeasurable and words cannot express how much respect and gratitude i have for you and your families. If you have lost any close friends or family that have served, please take a moment of silence in their remembrance and honor, and as a community lets try to remember and thank your military friends/family. thank you RIP: Shawn Vigil, Marines (you will never be forgotten)

i don't believe i speak for everybody, buuuut...

i got a nice supply of turbos from Shucky! they look good too

68 dart done.

part of a local contest. box stock, with the exception of spark plug wires is the rules. the build up was pretty cool, and despite getting glue on the windshield, it turned out nice in my eyes. paint is tamiya british green TS-9 straight from the can, not buffed out, polished or anything, because we all know race cars can't be TOO glossy. i couldn't find the other fender turn signal thing either plus the other "0" decal exploded upon introduction of the h20. as soon as i find a suitable replacement number, i'll get it on the car. oh - and it's street/track used, which is why i opted for the spare tire. I chose yellow plug wires to go with the whole yellow and green lotus theme. enjoy!

we could use some more car modelers here in my city. CAL - we need to meet up some time. I venture out to Colpar and caboose hobbies every once in a while up there in Denver. if you want, you can PM me your cell number, and we can get in contact. up to you!

i think my second go at the paint will be over a gray primer as opposed to white. i want the pink to be a bit darker

a muscle car isn't a muscle car until it's LOUD! (paint-wise) anyways, some updates on the dart. my first attempt at airbrushing a full body turned out well.. that is until the unfortunate happened. Ya see, if you get the 68 dart kit, the rear wheel wells have scoring so that you can know where to cut them out to fit the slicks. I wanted to go with a vinyl top, so i traded the body out for one of the Mr. Norm's 68 dodge dart that had the vinyl top on it - but after i painted the body, i THEN realize that i forgot to cut out the rear wheel wells. Long story short, it's getting stripped to the plastic and re-done correctly. and yes, it'll be the loud hot magenta color. the best news, i have figured out a good paint/thinner ratio for this paint job. I will get the body work completed and done, and car painted by the end of this weekend, then it's on to final assembly.

picked up a couple things today. Tamiya yamaha YZF-R1 that i'm gonna build for my friend Some tools SMS carbon fiber 1/12 scale for a ducati desmosedici.. Galaxie Limited 1948 sedan delivery (can build as 46, 47, or 48) - took it out of the box to look at it. lots of neat details, and appears to look nice

This happened here in my town last night. there are some adult word moments in here so just keep that in mind (and this is one of the reasons it took me an hour and a half to drive a half a mile).

your dvd set has helped me a lot. i just started airbrushing recently because i just recently got an air brush. my first attempt went really well.. until i realized i forgot a critical step in cutting out the rear wheel wells to get the slicks to fit.. so now after sanding and smoothing out the wheel wells, the paint chipped. well anyways, the car is going in the purple pond, and a re-do is in order, and i hope to do it justice! if it's any better than my first attempt, then i'll be happy. your dvd's are worth every penny, and i hope to one day meet you in person.

Just got the results in from a local contest "winter effects" i got 1st place, "best winter conversion" with this truck! to say the least i was a bit shocked that i won compared to some of the other work that was in the case.

there's a free spell checker available. it's called firefox!

i like it so far. got any more pics of the motor in detail?

points taken and understood by responding parties. yeah, there will be those that get offended if you offer them advice, and that's to be expected (after all, it is a forum). but - there is always a tactful way of offering advice and opinions, and there's ways that you can do it without offending. it's just a matter of choosing words wisely. i suppose i could start offering positive advice to others, and hope it's received positively. Who knows - maybe that will spark a flame (not a flame war) - and everybody will just get better and better. we could use some more eye candy around here anyways. A hint for those who post pics of progress and under glass, and use the phrase "let me know what you think" or "critiques welcome" - please make sure you can handle critiques if you're asking for it.

could this also be taken into consideration about those who pat the others on the back over a butcher shop build? how is that person getting any better if nobody posts any critiques about it when things SHOULD be said? is it the same concept of "if you have nothing nice to say, then don't say anything at all?" in that case, why do people say ANYTHING about those butcher builds, unless they're either delusional or liars? you can frequent some of those folks' builds and you will see they aren't making any forward progress. BUT - "GREAT JOB!" it feels that we spend more time chastising the ones who actually can achieve a somewhat decent build, when it SHOULD be directed to those who need to be chastised. as for me personally, i look for ways to improve my building skills on a personal level. it's kind of hard to do that when everybody gives the ole pat on the back EVERY TIME i post progress pics or under glass. it's not the critiquing that bothers me, it's the response of the builders when being critiqued that bothers me. i can handle being critiqued, however some people cannot. and those who think their models are perfect, give me 10 minutes to look at it and i can guarantee i'll find something to critique - even if it be a mundane thing such as your "shiny factor" and yes, you will be annoyed/mad/bothered that i critiqued your perfect model. and some advice for those that want to critique - instead of just pointing out something that looks bad, PLEASE - offer advice and tips/tricks on what that person can do to get better at whatever it is you're critiquing in their build. if it's a problem with the kit itself, and you know how to fix it, please share it with the builder so they can do it if they want to. if they don't want to fix it, then oh well! it's their model!

one point that was brought up only initially and not touched since: There are those here that BUTCHER models to the point where i almost want to cry when i see what they have done to it. Why are these builds littered with "great job!" and the like when it's blatantly not a great job? For the record i am not going to mention any names of the builders in question - you should know who they are. I'm not saying to tell them they're doing a horrible job, and i'm also saying we shouldn't say things that might get them to stop building models because we should all be here to help eachother out. Why not - in these builds - just offer constructive criticism and be HONEST with the builder with your tips and thoughts, instead of lying to them? I post up builds because i am proud of what i have done, but if there is any criticism, i take it seriously, but only in terms of trying to improve on whatever i've been criticized for. if it's something that was butchered by the company that makes a kit (take the incorrect intake manifold on the 68 dart for example), then i don't care if it's criticized. I like criticism for things that are in MY control. as far as the other subject of "how far is too far" - if you want to be a die-hard realist 100% accurate to the tee, then go for it. If it's not factory looking, then go for it. If you want to rust a car out, go for it. If you want billions of miles deep clear - go for it. It's YOUR model, build it the way YOU want it. The elitist die-hard 100% accurate builder may not like it, but you do, and that's what matters most. if they don't like it, i'm sure they can go to the grocery store to buy a dozen eggs to suck on

as stated before, painting the part the same color as the flocking is a must. i just use elmer's glue, spread it out even, and dump the fur on the wet glue. i then just wait 10 minutes and shake it off. i make it a point to not press it with a finger because that clumps it up and to me it just doesn't look right.

community build. basically a person will start an idea about doing a build-off on the forum with other people, and they choose a subject.. people place entries on (for the most part) new projects. they are not models that have already been completed. it kinda gives the incentive to keep busy building models.

here's my 57 chevy! Added Pegasus rims, disk brakes from another kit (for the life of me i can't remember where), rear seat delete, added rear panel to replace rear seat, added roll cage, flocked tan carpet, candy apple red and tan interior, paint is testor's one shot inca gold base coat with testor's candy apple red top coat, wet sanded to 12k grit, followed up with novus polish. engine wired and plumbed, made an engine cover with intake tubes.. tubbed out the rear wheel wells to make the wheels fit.

yay! i got my 57 done, but i want to post it up under glass.. so tick tick tick!