Darin Bastedo

Geez is it possible I'm agreeing with you twice in one year? I think you are right a custom paint job is enough to call the car a "custom". I think where people get hung up is they each have a picture in there mind of what a custom is.

that sounds right to me but my memory isn't what it used to be either, or is it? I don't know perhaps Andy will chime in.

one other problem with the 56 t-bird is the interior and engine compartment is too deep and the frame rails of the chassis are visible below the rocker panels. this shouldn't be the case. the bottom of the frame rail should be even with te bottom of the rocker panel.

Someone at one time did a resin body for that also.

Point taken, I guess I mis-spoke, the point I was trying to make was even though it is completely stock bodied a whole lot of work went into the body. BTW those really cool scratch built side-pipes I spent hours scratch-building.... Completely Wrong! Screwed up bad and didn't do my research!... There are no holes in the sidepipe covers the black is painted on. I could have used the stock pieces and detail painted them! Also apparently from this photo, my bodywork is non-prototypically smooth too.

You can see that in person, I do three shows a day at sea-world.

What's so funny? I got married in all black Converse High-Tops! BTW I'm not really that fat...The camera adds ten pounds, and there were at least a dozen pointed at me, so that's what? 120 pounds?

Speaking of Photoshop, Here is some fun I had with a picture of My Daughter and her boyfriend before their winter formal... With this in mind, what us to stop someone with similar skills from entering a photo contest like the Revell/Gearz contest and using photo shop to fix a glue mark, over-spray or other slight imperfection on their model before submitting the photo?

Let's not forget that a killer custom paint job on a model can take as much if not more effort and time as chopping a top or other mods... I've got two weeks worth of bodywork and paint into this box stock single color 'Vette. The body was black sanded to smooth out the the imperfections in the kit body as well as leveling the transitions from panel to Panel to make the reflections in the paint as straight as can be. then the body was polished with 6000 grit cloth,painted and polished. Now imagine if on top of all that doing a flame job or some sort graphics. That kinda puts a different spin on "he just painted a model without modifying it"

Man if one was to start an organization like that, would hate to serve on the committee that was tasked with setting the standards. Just look at the difference of opinion here, and only a handful of us are involved in this thread.

Here is my take on the subject: cus·tom·ize (kst-mz) tr.v. cus·tom·ized, cus·tom·iz·ing, cus·tom·iz·es To make or alter to individual or personal specifications I take this to mean any car altered from it's stock configuration is customized. To the extent to which it is customized, and in what manner seems to be the bone of contention. To me a custom paint job is enough to call it a custom. Will it compete well with a car with modified bodywork/ usually not, But too often my builds don't fit any model building category perfectly anyway. If you goal is to win awards, then by all mean tailor your build toward what it takes to win that award. In most custom classes that includes well done body mods, killer stance and perfect paint. If your goal is like mine, which is to fill your display case with Models you enjoy looking at then build for yourself. Take my Sam Hollingsworth Nomad. This is considered an iconic custom, but is too close to stock to win the beans in the custom class of most contests, and is too modified for stock class. It's not as wild as most street machines so it won't do well there either. So I will enter it in a the custom category, because that is where I believe it deserves to be, but it will only be to give the entry fee to support the host club, and to show it off to my friends and possibly meet new ones. In the end that is my main interest in the hobby. To build models I like and to meet people and make friends. it doesn't take a $2.00 trophy to show that my work is appreciated, the Compliment I got on it earlier in this thread means more to me than a trophy ever will.

actually having seen the competition at the GSL I'd have to say my work would do just as well in any class. It wouldn't place.

Thanks I hope to have the nomad done soon. But on to the question at hand, you said that the Nomad isn't custom because it had a stock body, yet Watson's T-bird has no body mods other than a few tacked on accessories, and it is a custom? If I added some dummy spots and changed up the taillights on an otherwise stock 1969 Camaro, it would be a custom also?

so Watson's 58 T-bird isn't a custom?

Is this a custom? How about this? Or this... These have all been "Customized" with "Custom" paint, If I built a model of one of these would it not belong in the custom class? In the case of the bottom one I would have to Un-chop the kit to build it. In the case of the top one... I had to modify a sedan into a stock nomad to build a replica. would that not qualify as custom bodywork in a contest?

I think you are missing the point Harry. In the contest "Custom" is used to denote the type of car the model represents. Much in the same way that the street rod, and street machine categories have nearly box stock Revell 32 Fords and Camaros that have kits supplied superchargers and slicks installed. On the other hand the Factory stock categories are often filled with models that had to be extensively modified to appear stock, such as a Revell 32 Ford 3 Window built stock. A well informed judge will judge the cars accordingly. In the end the quality of the work not the quantity should always prevail.

Harry could your Monitor be out of adjustment? On my end, I see every detail of his Model clearly, and your adjusted photo looks washed out and over exposed.

Nope it's pencil drawing scanned into Photoshop and then painted in the program. I also used modified photographic elements for the background.

I don't know How "next level" tis is, but I've always thought adding some color to the back ground either contrasting or complimenting, the color of the model adds an interesting dimension to the photgraph. Here is a shot taken on the hood of my truck... Here is an experiment I did with using poster board in the same color as the model. I was trying to go for a similar look to the 90's BF Goodrich posters. In this one I went with a more extreme angle and added some Photoshop to it...

Actually it's harder to pick which models are best as there are so many I really like. But it's easy to pick some that are just plain garbage.

I was inspired by an F-Bomb once when I was a kid. My mom washed my mouth out with soap!...Actually that is a cool Idea. I can't wait to see it progress.

Muscle car is a term used to describe a factory performance car, usually an intermediate size car with a big engine. A street machine is a term often used to describe a modified car built for the street based on a post 1948 car. 1948 and earlier modified cars are usually called street rods.

Companies like Replicas and Miniatures company of Maryland have tire stencils too.

It wasn't in the past ten years but my money is on the 1966 GTO

That sounds like a reasonable balance. I think that answers my moral dilemma. Thanks.