mrmike

Thanks guys! Now that I'm retired, I have the time to forge ahead and finish these abandoned projects. I started inon the Mercedes this morning with working on the interior. The interior door panels were painted and assembled. I applied the decals to the grille. More to come...

WOW!!! I started this build nearly 4 years ago and I never finished it because of paint issues. I have been staring at this model sitting in the stash for some time now and I think I should finish it, so the Merc is coming back out and onto the bench for completion! Here is where I am at with it... More to come...

I just found out that Mannix star, actor Mike Connors has passed away at the age of 91. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mike-connors-dead-star-mannix-was-91-969213 In remembrance, here is the theme to the TV series that mde him famous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7TdnvEpgl0

Thank you Tom!

Thank you Dave! The one thing I have been avoiding...wetsanding! For me, it's up there with BMF as far as using it. Now I have heard from both camps on wetsanding metallic paint and I just went and did it. My reason for wetsanding was to remove as many flaws and dog hair as I could. When you own (and love) two dogs that constantly shed, the hair is everywhere. I did succeed at removing the majority of the flaws and have a nice smooth surface so I can repaint the body and hood. The body and hood will be heading back into the paintbooth when they are dry. More Mopar to come...

Thanks Joe! I'm really happy with how this Belvedere is turning out. Now I have to turn my attention to the body and start wetsanding for a smooth finish.

More work done on the engine bay and the chassis. The interior is done for now. More Mopar to come...

Thanks John! Well, yesterday I loaded up the Belvedere for transport to a model playdate with several Club members. All went well until I got home and unloaded my gear and models and found that the left rear tire had broken off. The mount on the rear axle was fractured when I mounted the backing plate and the rear tire and rim. The solution was simple...sand the axle end smooth and drill a hole for a piece of styrene rod, making sure that the rod is straight, trim it to the proper length, and remount the rear tire and rim. More Mopar to come...

More progress on the Belvedere. The chassis is nearly complete. I just need to paint and install the rear shocks and finish the interior. More to come...

At this point, the chassis partially assembled. The clips are holding the K member on until the glue dries. I still have to add the exhaust system and the rear axle. The rear axle with the riser blocks on the springs. More Mopar to come...

Thanks Joe and David! I was examining the rear suspension and noticed that the rear springs and axle were molded open and that didn't sit well with me. I decided to add some styrene strips and fill in the voids. I filled the ends of the rear axle with parts sprue after filling the springs with styrene. While this may never be seen, I feel better knowing that it was filled in. I had started to try an form a top to the rear differential, but that wasn't working out for me, so I added some styrene pieces and will sand them later when the glue has dried. If this doesn't work out, I may just fill the void with Bondo and shape that instead. More Mopar to come...

This afternoon, I did some painting on the Belvedere. I painted the exhaust system and the chassis pan. I had some Model Master Insignia Red left over from other projects and I stretched that as far as I could by painting the floor, side panels, seats, and steering wheel. I will have to stop at the local hobby shop and get some more so I can paint the headliner. More Mopar to come...

Thank you guys! I have this sitting on the shelf with the Mannix '68 Dodge Dart GTS convertible.

I got the engine wired complete with ignition coil. I still have to fit the air cleaner and add any decals. More Mopar to come...

Ron, I'm not surprised that your body was warped. This kit is packed really tight and the possibility of a warped body is evident, even mine had a slight warp to it. I was able to straighten mine out rather easily. I have been scraping the joints on this plastic and the Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and the Model Master Liquid Cement seem to be able to bond with the plastic now. Clearly the glossy smooth plastic is the culprit and scraping the surface of the plastic is the way to go.

Thanks Joe! I say, go for it! That Belvedere is a hot looking car! I have been investigating on how to raise the suspension on this model and I can simply invert the front spindles and add blocks under the spring mounts for the rear suspension.

Thanks Chris! The hood scoop will fit just fine once you scrape the bottom edges of the hood scoop and area where the scoop will be placed on the hood. The kit I have was made with a hard plastic that my model cement doesn't penetrate well. Scraping the joints and "roughing" up the plastic will give the cement a better surface to bond to.

Thank you Oscar! Since I've been retired, the pain in my back is not as severe so getting around and doing what I need to do is not as bad. This morning, I assembled the carbs, valve covers, distributor, and the fan belt assembly. The distributor has been drilled out for plug wires. I noticed that there is no fuel pump, so I'll have to scratch build one, steal one from my parts box, or add an external fuel pump. My wiring supplies are at the ready. The ignition coil is being held by a pair of tweezers. More Mopar to come...

This is my Mannix '72 'Cuda Convertible built with the AMT/ERTL Snapfast Plymouth 'Cuda. I painted the body with Duplicolor Forest Green Pearl with a Semi-Gloss Black interior. The hood and bumpers are from the Revell '70 Hemi 'Cuda and the wheels and rear view mirrors are from my parts box. And for your viewing pleasure, the Mannix theme song... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hM3vxbesg1A

I was approached via PM that there are errors on certain parts in this kit. The person involved had to be told that this kit is being built the way I want it and that I didn't care if that person thought that there are errors in the kit. If that person thinks there are errors in the kit, they should take the issue to the kit manufacturer, not me. I am building this kit my way and on my time schedule. Obviously, this person has no respect for me and his agenda was to get me to build the kit his way. I will not reveal this person's identity unless an Admin asks for it and only then will it be done via PM. I want to be clear on this...this kit will be built my way and on my time schedule. Nobody elses. I do welcome any and all comments made on my builds. Thank you.

Thanks Seth. If you do get this kit, just be aware of the hard plastic. I painted the body and hood again and I also painted the other body parts that I had forgotten. More Mopar to come...

Thank you Oscar! I appreciate your kind words.

John, I just searched my kit and looked through the instructions again and there are no headers in this particular kit. You might be thinking about the Melrose Missle Super Stock kit put out by Moebius/Model King. This particular kit has the unique "upswept" exhaust manifolds instead and the exhaust system has cutouts for racing. I believe I do have some CA in the shop here, but not exactly sure where it is, but that is something I usually leave for resin. I have started washing and scraping my parts with the hope of better adhesion and will pay closer attention to that as I proceed with this build. Now that I have retired, I will have more time for my model projects. I have worked too hard for far too long and now I am paying the price for my labor with joint damage and pain. My fatigue and pain has lead me to taking some shortcuts and just plain putting off some things I need to do. Hopefully the future will be better for me.

Yesterday, I sanded the edges of the hood to remove some of the excess paint that had built up and repainted the hood with another coat of paint. I noticed some trash and a few dog hairs in the paint and threw the hood into a container with 91% alcohol. Several hours later, I removed the hood and scrubbed it with Dawn detergent and a scrub brush. In the process, the hood scoop came off which I had expected it to. I sanded the hood to removed any leftover paint and reattached the scoop. I'll repaint the hood later. I checked the body and found a small paint run on the passenger door. I'll sand this spot a bit and add another coat of Tamiya TS-18 Metallic Red to the body. More Mopar to come...

This morning, I got to spray the Belvedere with Tamiya TS-18 Metallic Red. I got a little heavy-handed with the paint on the hood. I'll let this dry more before I decide on how to proceed. More Mopar to come...