Cato

Excellent link-thanks for posting.

I was thinking of Future as a 'carrier' or vehicle for the flat base. More base, more flat, etc. But I can see what you say to be true, it may not 'homogenize' well with Future. Can't get to experiment just yet, other stuff going on. Thanks for the primer tips-will look into.

Syd, Please post an update-over 2700 views so obviously a lot of interest in the final (or partial) outcome. Hope you didn't park this to go onto another project...

Very helpful-thanks all.

Thanks guys. I specifically want to try various blacks and grays to suede and thinking about mixing with Future for clear flats and semis. Dullcote is good for certain apps but not very flexible. Should I start mix ratios about 1 part base to 9 parts Future or do you guys wing it and just add drops 'by eye'? I'm talking air brush only.

I realize we're not military modelers on here but a dead flat or mixed semi gloss can have it's place on four (and two) wheels. I have found Tam's X-21 difficult to handle and get good results. Either mixing with acrylic color or various clears, I can't get satisfactory results. I know you're only supposed to use small amounts or it will flat white-out everything. Anyone got the secret to this finish?

Thank you too Agent. Excellent idea and results. It helps that I love Deuce 5-Windows! Are '34 5-Windows suicide doors or just 3-Window? Am I jacking my own thread??

Well thanks John for a very thorough explanation and the great links. Glad I didn't just squirt my 935 to try! I like weathering but confine mine to race car stuff like brake dust, rain streaks and general rubber and bug build-up. The aircraft and ship guys are very good at making their stuff look battle-damaged, faded and war-weary. I just do 'race-weary'. Yes, please post your work with hair spray.

I did a search before asking and found 200 posts with the word 'spray' and one with the word 'hair.' Not what I'm looking for. Is anyone using it as a finish coat, base, primer or any such combination? Is it a weathering technique? I hope you guys know what I don't or I may be forced to experiment on my own...

All of the above solutions are really excellent. My favorite method which has worked well for decades (and I used in that Bentley as an 'in-case') is cotton batting-the kind in your medicine cabinet. Just pull off a thickness to fill the tire width and guess at the length. Pack in and trim as needed. Also works great in bendable hoses that won't stay-like the Trump GT's brake duct hoses.

Syd, I found two views that I hope will be of use to you if you haven't completed these areas already. The first is a clear shot of the windshield surround and the under-side of the rear clip. I know you had trouble with the foil there and the real car is rather sloppy under here. Like the gold part I showed you above. It's just raw glass with a tin panel riveted around the engine area. Also note the taped-on foil-like insulation on the bulkhead. Oh and some guy named Henry is leaning on it-he could because he paid for ALL OF THEM. This view clearly shows the oil and fuel plumbing and the distributor cover 'shelf' under the rear window. Sorry I didn't find this sooner when you were doing the fuel pumps: Please show us your latest progress-or are you away on vacation?

Ron, Sprinkle some 'Rustall' on it, put a SBC with the intake and one head removed in the front and spend the time making a nice junkyard diorama. The model part is about done.

Syd, Please post the GT when finished or close to it.

OK-as promised. Thank you for inviting me to post in your thread Syd. My bad, I'm posting more than one snap...But I realized I haven't even LOOKED at this model since I moved here 3 years ago, so I unpacked it and it felt good seeing it again. Then I shot these fresh snaps with its new 1/12 'stablemate'. Built between '87 and '89 and my skills haven't progressed much since then. No PE or fittings in those days so I made fakey-do stuff to suggest things. I had/have excellent reference though so that helped. Did the usual, wired the fuses, plumbed the various systems and added fire system lines. I intentionally deleted the aero covers on the 19" rears-but forgot to 'brake dust' them! Made it snotty like a racecar going 130MPH average through the French forests for 6 hours. Those are bug spatters and chips on the nose and w'shield and a ton of tire snots everywhere. Maybe I overdid it? The photos of the 1:1 show the car was a mess-maybe worse than this. The clear over Testors white yellowed with age and I took a polishing kit to it in the late '90's-still yellowed but I always liked this 'vintage' race look. You are right-it looks amazing with the GT.

Man-it's not like it's worth waiting for. OK. Between tonight and tomorrow. Got to dig stuff out...

Here's the cockpit of 1015 as raced today by owner Brian Mimaki. Only differences to the Exoto are shift knob, fuse panel surround, fire extinguisher, door mirror and protective aluminum switch panels. All the rest is near identical. Here's the car during the race in '66. I'm weathering my model much like the car is here late in the race. The nose is lifted from acceleration: And here's that fateful split second finish, 1046 ahead of 1015:

Dude you rock! Have to say 'thank you'. Five minutes after reading your post I got out the Mothers and did a test strip. NOW it looks like chrome! Also tried 'Mr Buffer' which I use on magnesium. Same brilliant shine. And you know? It should have been obvious to all of us-it's METAL foil right? Metal takes polish-but you were the guy to put it together. That's why I feel like a dummy sometimes...

Syd old Kid, Many thanks for sharing these 'heads-up' tips. I am woefully behind your progress and will know to look for them when I begin again. I have been making 1:1 noise and terrorizing the highways. I decided to bring out the big guns and show you the Exoto 1/10 GT 1015-the car that 'won' '66 LeMans but finished second. The model is diecast and China-built but as such it blows away the GMP 1/12's and lesser scales. I'm glad I have it and I think it's OOP now. They're still building 1046 (our Trump kit) and they're asking twice what I paid for 1015. It truly is a great reference as it compares to material I have on 1015 perfectly. This model shows you what and where we have questions on the Trump car. I regret that this car can't disassemble easily as there are minute changes I would make (mostly finishes and foils) but I do not want to lower it's value. I just built a pair of old fashioned jack stands to better display all the suspension and opening pieces. The seats are real fabric which simulates black nylon weave and the whole interior is 'correct'. I love it. It is also a strong and durable structure-mine is about six years old and I display it open like this all that time. I built this base and a glass case and the interior of the base is 21" long to give an idea of scale. As you can see, I make prop rods from steel wire to hold open the rear and front clips. I just don't trust dinky chains. With the nose open you can clearly see that aluminum overlap panel in the wheel well and the very well done suspension-it's accurate AND solid-plus it all moves. If you wanted to see some particular detail, when I've got time I'd shoot some macro close-ups. I just can't disassemble like the Trump kit. Enjoy.

Christian, That's 'glass-half-empty' mentality. You should be proud! Englishman Eric Broadley's brainchild became a benchmark that-in some ways- hasn't been surpassed in 40 years!

Actually there's only 10 years difference-1966 to '76. The important thing to remember is the GT was a Prototype and the 935 was a production based class. The Ford raced with about 490HP and the 935 made just under 700 at full boost. The GT was very ahead of it's time. I might post a snap of my 935 because I built it in the '80's but in the same style I'm doing the GT-'as-raced' condition. I referenced the Dijon France winner of '76. It looks like a truck compared to the GT but remember, it's production based. This was before Porsche built the Prototype 908's, 910's and 917's.

You got me by a decade pal. Uncle Miltie and Hoppie was my time. The rear clip is complex and not pretty. I mocked-up the parts and saw that mylar was a no-no. Making a template would surely work better. You can remove the sticky with isopropyl and start again. I think that Trump just randomly added some 'tinsel' to jazz the model up. My plan is to ignore it (it burned to a crisp in no time on the cars that had it anyway) and do the whole underside german gray. I will make a tin-can sheet cover with ribs for the carb area under the backlight. Here's an unrestored clip off 1016 showing black on the raw 'glass. You can also see how flimsy the whole clip is for lightness:

Syd, Since you're leaving it unpainted, did you forget to sand off the mold seams on the nose, cockpit sides and rear clip? There are also some sink marks inside the front hood and cockpit roof.

This is the absolute true statement about GT's for any modelers. Perfectly said.

Syd, Found yet another fuel arrangement. This shot taken back in the day at possibly H-M or Shelby shows an engine going in. Note that two pumps are vertical-can't see a third. You can see the filter routing. Only proves that probably, only a few cars were built alike even in the same year and Mark. I don't know if Sharpie will be opaque enough on the smooth plastic surface. It will be shiny too-not like rubber. A little masking tape and a light mist of flat black will do it-c'mon Syd! Pete, I have to differ with you this time my friend, regarding the dry sump. Here's a shot during THE race with the front tank AND required spare in place. Now this is 1047 which was driven by Gurney and Grant, DNF'd and was a Shelby car. (I think Carroll is third on the left in the foreground) Maybe we're both right-H-M did the rear tank (I have not seen any race evidence of that) and Shel did the front one. It only points out how hard it is to find data as the cars were changed so much THEN (to race at Daytona, Sebring, Neurbergring etc) and changed years later in restorations.

It looks good on the roof eyebrows and louvers Syd-can't tell about the nose. That part is a little blurry. What's your plan to do the windshield black gasket-mask and spray? I see you have the glass in already. I found it easier to do the gasket without the glass.