Steve Keck

Tamiya Supra race version with street version engine bay and passenger cabin, and Ferrari Modena rear end sectioned and grafted on.

Well, hopefully you won the dare. You sure captured the salt racer look. Have you named it yet? If not, then I suggest Blue Moon

Nice 43'rds, Mark! Great photography as well. Your work stands up to digital photography, the Great Equalizer.

st....st.....st.....stunning. Takes my breath away.

Ya, two fazed

I thought the doors on the original General were welded shut............

Works for me!

Nice, clean build. I like the subtle coloring on the exhausts. It's not too late to add the roof antennae.

That's the best ever Hornet I've seen. Your friend better give you a big kiss on the lips for that one. Bravo!

I like it!

I've seen the real one when I lived in SoCal. I thought I was looking at the real thing ..........until I saw the plug wires. The diameter could easily be a third of what they are. They look more like pipes than wires. With a smaller diameter wire it will be easier for you to get them to sag as they would on a 1:1. Gravity would keep them from hovering over the valve covers.

Thank you! Look for a PM about the decals

This ’79 Trans Am was for a client that contacted my local IPMS chapter looking for a builder. Younger brother gave it to older brother for his 50th birthday. It was his first new car in ’79. The model will be displayed in a clear case with a picture of older brother sitting on the nose of the car along with the original license plate and ignition key. Client had already obtained an intact MPC 10th Anniversary edition Trans Am when we met. I’d never built an MPC kit before and ever again will be too soon. There are few or no locating points for joining parts. The nose was offset to one side once attached to the fenders so two part putty was used to create a proper contour. The leading edge of the dash had to be removed to allow the interior tub to fit. The drip rail on one side was almost non-existent so I removed both sides and replaced them with styrene strips sanded to shape. The biggest challenge was getting the wheels & tires centered in the wheel wells and the track correct from side to side. 3/32” was added to the right side to solve the issue. Separate chrome pieces are provided for the shark mouth openings in the nose. Why chrome is beyond me as they are all blacked out on the 1:1 cars. These pieces had straight ends while the openings had curved ends. I solved the miss-fit by cutting off all mating sides and “floating” them in the openings. The turn signals were foiled and finished with orange colored Sharpie. Seems most, but not all, TA's have black head light surrounds. The photo reference my client provided had black surrounds so I gave it my best shot. Knowing I was not up to masking/painting four uniform surrounds on four different shaped openings I thought I could cut black decal strips and apply those. In determining the ideal width of the decals it dawned on me that the back mounting surfaces for the head lights were canted back from vertical. Just for grins I decided to find out just how far off the kit was. I tacked a piece of Evergreen styrene to the headlight bucket face. I made a unicorn! The kit head lights were chromed with raised cross-hatched engraving. No clear lenses were provided. I was able to fabricate lenses by adding drops of Formula 560 (RC canopy glue that dries clear). A front license plate mounting bracket was fabricated from two part putty and custom license plates from Scale-Master Decals replicating the 1:1 plates finished off the front and rear. The side markers were detailed with strips of BMF colored with orange or red Sharpies. No underside or under hood detailing was to be done – essentially a curbside build. All panel lines were rescribed in anticipation of clear coating. The kit mirrors were rectangular and were trashed in favor of mirrors from a 1973 AMT Camaro. Mylar faced sequins provided the mirror faces. The steering column was void of turn signal or tilt steering wheel levers. It received a signal lever fabricated from styrene and piano wire. Various NASACR kits donated gauges for the dash. Kit tires and wheels were useless. A ’69 GTO Judge kit donated the Rallye II wheels and a ’69 Vette donated the tires. Shabo transfers made them proto-typical. The chrome wheels were dullcoated and the centers were painted with Tamiya German Gray. The 10th Anniversary edition graphics included in the kit were different than regular production cars. Scale-Master Decals provided correct custom decals. Sundance Yellow factory paint under PPG urethane clear finishes off the build. Here it is as delivered: Thanks for looking!

Bob, you exhibit a level of determination that is beyond comprehension. I would have stopped before you started.

Bumping this to the top. Worth another view.

I never really finished it until today

Why not ask them. http://www.scalefinishes.com/ or maybe it's covered in their FAQ

The metal tool box is over kill. I use a Fat Tire beer case with foam cut to fit. It fits under the seat. Check your airline website for their size restrictions. And you'll make lot's of new friends as you carry it down the aisle.

Bill, since you asked for input I feel obliged to answer. In a word “remarkable”. If she saw it on February 1st and finished it the day before you posted it, then she accomplished all in only 12 weeks. Remarkable. The mask line between body colors is way beyond the skill demonstrated by many long-term builders on this forum. There is no paint build up at the tape line. The tape line even wraps neatly around the cowling. There’s not a run or sag evident in the color coats or the clear coat. There is no evidence of bleed under prevalent among her experience level. Not a hint of orange peel leads me to conclude that the clear coat was polished – without any burn through either. The after market tires and wheels are aligned properly in the wheel wells. And, all are sitting on the display base – something not easily achievable by many here. All the parts appear to be free of glue. There is no evidence of glue or finger prints – something many should aspire too - and, she achieved all this out of the gate. Remarkable. Too remarkable.

Thanx! The steering wheel got Tamiya Dark Grey acrylic mixed with Testors Dullcote and shot very dry from an airbrush. The dash got Testors Model Master Black Chrome Trim from an airbrush

The final chapter: HOK Sunrise Pearl under PPG urethane. Thanks for looking.

Another “quick build” that took six months. The work-in-process write-up can be seen here: http://www.modelcars...l=&fromsearch=1 It needed more substantial rubber and better looking wheels so I used the tires and wheel spokes from Tamiya’s Mazda 787B. Of course, the offsets on the new wheels made them unusable, so I turned new beauty rings for the front sides from aluminum and sleeves for the backside from PVC pipe. Parts box seats and the map pockets were covered with Modeler’s carbon fiber decals and dull coated to replicate cloth upholstery. Embossing powder was used for carpeting. It doesn’t reflect light like it does in the photos. The under carriage was painted pretty much according to the instructions then weathered and dullcoated. The kit comes with an engine cover. It was the first thing to go so the engine detail is visible. I added some wiring and fittings to busy-up the engine bay. The mirrors were moved off the doors onto the “A” pillars. Scale Motorsports Hi-Def carbon fiber decals were used on the targa roof and rear spoiler. The side windows were removed for better interior viewing. My only complaint about the kit is that the “A” pillars are about 1/5th the width they should be – makes for some nervous times when handling.

Be carefull with the P/E motor mounts. They make the engine sit too high.

glass eye droppers

I knew it! I just couldn't prove it! I'm glad you finally fessed up.