mrmike

Jonathan, I usually don't have as much time to build during the week as I once had and my job takes a lot out of me so I am quite tired when I get home. I try to do what I can in whatever time is allowed me during the weekend. The snap kit seems more toy-like in appearance than the glue kit is. The body is sturdier and thicker than the glue kit body and the differences between the two kits requires more engineering than just being able to swap out the two bodies and then call it a day.

I once drove a B210 Honeybee from New Hampshire to Montreal, Canada and back and I swore that I never would ever drive that tin can again. The owner crashed it two weeks later and the car was totalled. Goodbye tin can!

I painted the chassis from the '10 Mustang GT coupe. The snap chassis will be used under the GT coupe body at a later date.

Well now...I am doing a similar job on a '10 Mustang GT convertible, just not making it into a Shelby. You are off to a great start and keep up the good work!

Jonathan, it does seem like a lot of work, but the end result will be a '10 Mustang convertible with a full detail engine and chassis. And, another McNally story for those who are interested.

Thanks Jonathan! The Story It is another morning for ADA Scotson as she drives to work. Caitlyn is starting to get a little nervous as she sees a silver sedan following her, several cars back. It dosen't matter if see tries to speed up or slow down...the sedan still keeps its distance. She turns into the parking lot for the District Attorneys Office and notices the sedan drives by the lot entrance and keeps on going down the street. She feels relieved and parks her car in her assigned spot, grabs her purse and briefcase and walks inside. The Build I have determined where to make my cuts on the interior platform. My original plan was to cut off the back seat and graft the convertible seat to the coupe interior platform. Instead, I have decided to cutoff the "doghouse" or inner fenders from the interior platform and glue it to the convertible interior platform. A mockup of the interior and chassis. I mocked up the chassis, interior platform, and the body to see how everything fits. The front of the chassis hits the front of the nose and even bows the crossmember. It also pushes the chassis back into the body where the front wheels will not be centered. I'll use a sanding stick on the chassis corners and round them until the chassis fits better. McNally will return...

The Story It is another morning for ADA Scotson as she drives to work. Caitlyn is starting to get a little nervous as she sees a silver sedan following her, several cars back. It dosen't matter if see tries to speed up or slow down...the sedan still keeps its distance. She turns into the parking lot for the District Attorneys Office and notices the sedan drives by the lot entrance and keeps on going down the street. She feels relieved and parks her car in her assigned spot, grabs her purse and briefcase and walks inside. The Build I have determined where to make my cuts on the interior platform. My original plan was to cut off the back seat and graft the convertible seat to the coupe interior platform. Instead, I have decided to cutoff the "doghouse" or inner fenders from the interior platform and glue it to the convertible interior platform. A mockup. I mocked up the chassis, interior platform, and the body to see how everything fits. The front of the chassis hits the front of the nose and even bows the crossmember. It also pushes the chassis back into the body where the front wheels will not be centered. I'll use a sanding stick on the chassis corners and round them until the chassis fits better. McNally will return...

I have some photos, but I haven't loaded them up yet. Maybe later today.

I work in a warehouse servicing my "internal customers", the technicians who see to the needs of their "external customers" out in the field. I always try to greet my customers with a smile and a cheerful greeting even if they are having a difficult or bad day and get them their parts and components quickly. When my customers are happy, hopefully their customers are happy, too. I give and expect the same type of treatment when I go out to a restaurant or to a store and I always keep in mind that these people are human too, and they should treated accordingly with all due respect.

The Story McNally drives out to the address on the printout that Maggie gave him and he parks just down the street to observe the residence and watch the people milling about including the owner of the Malibu, a young man named Jesse. He had hoped that the house would be empty so he could look around inside, but not today. A metallic red Lincoln limousine with oversized chrome wheels and tires pulls up to the house and he recognizes the limo as belonging to Big Tommy T, a local crime lord. Jesse and the others get into the limo and the limo drives away while McNally slouches in his seat so he wouldn't be seen. After the limo passes, McNally pulls out his cellphone and calls Reuben "The Kitchen Sink" Sinkowski as he is going to need some backup on this case. Meanwhile, Caitlyn Scotson feels like someone is following her while she drives from her condo to work at the DA's office and the feeling is not sitting well with her. The Build The engine is complete. The suspension pieces have been detail painted and are drying. The chassis has been detail painted. I have been unable to find any chassis pics of the 2010 Mustang, so I took a llittle dramatic license and painted the chassis as you see it. McNally will return...

The Story McNally drives out to the address on the printout that Maggie gave him and he parks just down the street to observe the residence and watch the people milling about including the owner of the Malibu, a young man named Jesse. He had hoped that the house would be empty so he could look around inside, but not today. A metallic red Lincoln limousine with oversized chrome wheels and tires pulls up to the house and he recognizes the limo as belonging to Big Tommy T, a local crime lord. Jesse and the others get into the limo and the limo drives away while McNally slouches in his seat so he wouldn't be seen. After the limo passes, McNally pulls out his cellphone and calls Reuben "The Kitchen Sink" Sinkowski as he is going to need some backup on this case. Meanwhile, Caitlyn Scotson feels like someone is following her while she drives from her condo to work at the DA's office and the feeling is not sitting well with her. The Build The engine is complete. The suspension pieces have been detail painted and are drying. The chassis has been detail painted. I have been unable to find any chassis pics of the 2010 Mustang, so I took a llittle dramatic license and painted the chassis as you see it. McNally will return...

I told you it was going to be shiny! Thanks Jim!

Thanks Charlie! It's a really great shade of green. I jumped onto polishing the Nova today. In the back of my mind, I want to finish the Nova with the hopes of maybe taking the finished model to the MASSCAR show this Sunday in Taunton, Mass. I still have much to do on it. I started with a soft cloth, a bottle of Meguirs Scratch X 2.0, and my last bottle of Sam Adams Winter Lager. Spring is just around the corner, you know. I'm not sure if I am going to clearcoat the paint as the finish looks quite good to my eye. Next up, BMF! More to come...

Thank you Greg!

It sounds to me like you have the rear of the chassis above the license plate indent instead of below it.Try repositioning the chassis as you insert it into the body.

Everyone I know has raved about this kit. Well, I guess you can't please everyone. A quick cleanup of the body and hood this morning and it was back into the paintbooth for another coat of paint! I'll let these gas out and then start the foiling stage. Fortunately, not much foiling is required. More to come...

I'm liking the progress on your E2, Jonathan. Keep up the good work! I have made some progress on Caitlyn's Mustang. The Story McNally has what he was hoping for...a license plate number! A trip to police headquarters to see Millie in Records got him the name and address of the owner of the Chevy. But, on his way out of Records he runs into Det. Steven Darvell. Det. "Waddle" as McNally calls him for his size and the way he walks, grabs his arm and says, "This department is for official Police business only." McNally responds by saying, "Technically, this is Assault, do want to go for Battery?" Det. Darvell lets go of McNally's arm and he leaves the building, but not before saying, "See Darvell...you can make a smart decision." The Build Tonight I started working on the engine. At this point it is only partially assemble while wait for other parts that have been painted to dry. McNally will return...

Nick, at this point, I doubt that my McNally stories would ever be released as a book...digital or otherwise. I do appreciate the responce I have received from builders so far and I do enjoy writing them. But, then...who knows what the future has in store... The Story McNally has want he was hoping for...a license plate number! A trip to police headquarters to see Millie in Records got him the name and address of the owner of the Chevy. But, on his way out of Records he runs into Det. Steven Darvell. Det. "Waddle". as McNally calls him for his size and the way he walks, grabs his arm and says, "This department is for official Police business only." McNally responds by saying, "Technically, this is assault, do want to go for battery?" Det. Darvell lets go of McNally's arm and he leaves the building, but not before saying, "See Darvell...you can make a smart decision." The Build Tonight I started working on the engine. At this point it is only partially assemble while wait for other parts that have been painted to dry. McNally will return...

After leaving the hood in the purple pond for a week and a half, I cleaned off the hood and then after this picture taken, I gave it a light sanding to remove the extra left behind paint. I got the wheels and tires mounted. The chassis is now up on four wheels! More to come...

Thanks guys! This shade of green really appeals to me, so that's what I went with!

The story behind my screen name starts with watching the original Saturday Night Live and the Mr. Bill Show. On Monday at work, a group of us would call each other Mr. Cliff, Mr. Rick, Mr. Mike, etc and we would all go about our jobs saying, "Oh noooooo..." My avatar is of the late Robert Urich as Spenser For Hire, my favorite TV detective. I am still a big fan of the show and of Spenser's creator, the late Robert B. Parker. I have all 3 seasons of Spenser For Hire on VHS tapes, but I wish Warner Brothers would release the series on DVD.....sooner than later! I also have many of Mr. Parker's Spenser and Jesse Stone novels.

Thank you for the kind words Charlie! I have often wondered about expanding my stories and trying to get them published. I usually write out a much longer and larger story so I can get an idea of how I want the story to go and then "edit" the story for posting on the forum. Remember that the story is kept short so it doesn't overwhelm the build and is only to illustrate what is driving my build. I have a friend who is a freelance automotive journalist who has written a novel, currently at over 80,000 words. He got an agent and all he gets from publishers are rejection notices. I have read his manuscript and it is far and above anything I have done or attempted to do. I would definitely have my work cut out for me if I decided to pursue a literary career, so for the time being, I will be sticking to what I do best...build models. I plan on going to the MASSCAR show on the 18th. Hope to see you there.

The Story A 1980's Chevy Malibu 4-door sedan slowly drives by the machine shop that McNally is watching and returns a couple of minutes later. He gets out of his Charger with his camera to get a picture of the license plate when an explosion in front of the shop goes off. The Malibu speeds away while McNally quickly snaps a few pictures before the car rounds the corner and disappears. He calls the fire department on his cellphone and waits for them to arrive. After the fire is out, the fire inspector and police arrive and questions McNally. He must get home to view the pictures on the larger screen of his computer and maybe, just maybe, have a picture of the Malibu's license plate. The Build I made a template of the engine bay so I could remove the excess plastic from the convertible body. Out came the Dremel with a cutting disc and I started cutting. There are two mounting studs under the cowl that I removed in anticipation of removing some of the extra plastic from the cowl. McNally will return...

I used Tamiya X-23 Clear Blue on the inside (underneath?) of the bottle, being sure to cover the edges on the bottom.

The Story A 1980's Chevy Malibu 4-door sedan slowly drives by the machine shop that McNally is watching and returns a couple of minutes later. He gets out of his Charger with his camera to get a picture of the license plate when an explosion in front of the shop goes off. The Malibu speeds away while McNally quickly snaps a few pictures before the car rounds the corner and disappears. He calls the fire department on his cellphone and waits for them to arrive. After the fire is out, the fire inspector and police arrive and questions McNally. He must get home to view the pictures on the larger screen of his computer and maybe, just maybe, have a picture of the Malibu's license plate. The Build I made a template of the engine bay so I could remove the excess plastic from the convertible body. Out came the Dremel with a cutting disc and I started cutting. There are two mounting studs under the cowl that I removed in anticipation of removing some of the extra plastic from the cowl. McNally will return...