bigmikevee

Hey Jim, This looks just great, I think the interior looks fantastic, paint is SHINY just the way you like it. Is the paint Plastikote too? I like the colorshift, haven't tried it before, but this is inspiring me big time. The wood in the bed is a really nice touch as well, just a sweet and clean build....oh, and did I mention it's SHINY? Very very nice Jim, thanks for posting. Mike

DANNO!!!! Wow, I've never seen one of these just hatched, what do you feed it? How old do they have to be before they can start jumping rivers? When do you weld the doors shut? Wow, so many questions!! Thanks for posting. Mike

Hey Luke, This thing is beautiful, you did a fantastic job, and your pictures look great. Agree with everyone else, no one expected a Nova as a lowrider, but what you did here looks really cool!! Hope things been going well for you, very glad you posted this for us. Thanks. Mike

Hey Daryl, Check out a restoration project by philbass in the diorama section, it will help you a lot, and if you like brick, well then, you are going to get brick....and a whole lot more. Mike

Hey Paul, Very very nice, I like this a lot, and you did a great job on the wood, looks real to me. Thanks for posting, if you get a chance, post some more pictures of the interior, chassis, engine, etc. I like the way this looks!! Mike

Hey Jim, Joining the rest of the gang in sending you some prayers and wishing you all the best, know you'll be back at the bench before you know it. Remember to do what the doctor says, but don't forget to breathe some styrene fumes to help you relax!! All the best. Mike

Hey gang, If anyone is interested, I am selling some models on Ebay, I think I have them priced fairly, I paid a lot more than I am going to get, but I need to thin down the collection. Mostly drag and street rods, all listed under "bigmikevee" in the "vintage" section under models and kits automotive, all in no reserve auction, all well cared for and the open ones are not started, just opened to make sure not crushed, they are guaranteed complete. I also have three 1:16 dragsters at what I think are very good auction prices. Thought I'd share with you good folks. Thanks. Mike

Hey Gang, I asked Santa for both of Donn's videos, hope he thinks I've been good. Dr. Cranky, thanks for your input too, seems like everyone who has seen the videos has something very nice to say, I can't wait!! Oh, I thin with the cheap stuff too, makes a big difference, except I thin acrylics with windshield washer fluid, that really helps them too. Mike

Hey Gang, Darin hit the nail right on the head, if it is making you upset, take a little break, when it stops being fun.....then it is no longer fun.....and that's no fun at all. If a model makes me mad or frustrated, I give it a time out and put it back in the box, because it must be the model, it could never be me, right? (Now that's funny!) Mike

Hey gang, Just wondering if anyone has found pinstriping brushes to use, I have googled, but can't find small ones anywhere. From what I have seen the 1:1 brushes seem to be really long and load up on paint well, so the user can just make a long continuous motion, I tried a little striping with a couple of my model brushes, but they don't make a long line, they run out of paint too quick. Thanks in advance for your help. Mike

Hey Steve, I have the exact same compressor that Geoff posted a picture of, it is an extremely good unit in my humble opinion. It has a tank on it, so when tank comes up to pressure, the compressor stops running, when it is running it is very quiet, it also has a regulator and moisture trap, which are things you will really want. I got mine from TCP Global Paint Supplies, a little pricey, but this should last for years, worth the money, and you don't need to buy additional items (except airbrush) to make it work. Keeps it simple and easy. I really like mine, had it over a year and can't find a single fault with it. Hope this helps. Mike

Hey Nick, Hope you had a happy birthday and had visions of General Lee's and sugarplums dancing....oh wait.....that's Christmas, sorry. Hope you had fun and wish you happy modeling and just plain fun in general, and good luck with whatever you do, I know you'll do quite well. Keep working on your builds, they get better with each and every one, and we are all enjoying watching you and one another enjoy this great hobby. It's so cool Nick, we sure are lucky!! Mike P.S. Oh by the way, one more thing...... DANNO.......LOOK AT ALL THE GENERALS!!!!! THOSE CHARGERS MUST HAVE A LITTLE RABBIT IN THEM!!!!

Karsten, These both look just beautiful, you did such a good job on these cars, they have very classic and elegant lines and form, they just look great. I also love the way you incorporate the background into your pictures, a very professional look. Thank you for posting, can't wait to see what you build next. Mike

Ira, This is as cool as it gets, just looks so good, you did a great job. Love all the little details and extra time and effort you put into Fred and his car, thanks for sharing with us. Bad guys beware!!!! Mike

Hey John, I am not quite new at this painting, but I am no pro, I think I am becoming a dangerous amateur, and that's ok . Here is what I have learned so far..... I have been trying acrylics and future as well, but what I am finding out is the acrylics need a good primer to "bond" with, I have been trying duplicolor with very good results. Future clear is in a class all by itself, I have airbrushed and paint brushed, always good results. Future will dry very shiny, and levels out (meaning high and low spots blend together, especially if brush painted) nicely. Acrylics are very cool, I struggled with thinning them until some good person on the forum (sorry, forgot whom) told me to thin them with the blue windshield washer fluid, what a great tip! They dry kind of fast, if you try them and your airbrush tip clogs, use a q-tip with a little lacquer thinner on it to unclog quickly. I always use lacquer thinner to clean my airbrush, no matter what type of paint I am using. The acrylics dry fast, are pretty durable, polish nicely and have a lot of cool colors to try. I have only used Testors acrylics at this point, but everyone that mentions Tamiya acrylics have very good things to say about them as well. Future goes on acrylics nicely and looks good when it dries. Enamels....take a long time to dry, sometimes weeks, but when they do, very durable and thick, polish well and look great. I used them a lot when younger, but now making the move to acrylics and my favorite by a slim margin...lacquer. Enamel can have anything sprayed over it but lacquer, the lacquer is just too "hot" of a paint and will "craze" the finish in enamel. Crazing is when chemicals, in regard to painting, interact in a negative way and affect the finish of the paint. Lacquer....dries very fast, a thin paint that will not obscure detail like a thicker enamel might if not properly thinned and sprayed, and you can paint anything over lacquer, future, acrylics, enamel, Testors, Walmart, just start with thin mist coats and it will not be a problem. Lacquer looks great with future on it, polishes very nicely as well. So lacquer will accept anything over it. Acrylics....don't spray anything over acrylics but other acrylics and future, evrything else is too "hot" for this paint, and it will craze. Urethane has been mentioned, I have no experience with urethanes, but everything I have read leads me to believe two things..... 1. They will mess up your lungs and body, so proper protection is an absolute must. 2. Closest to a real automotive finish, remember the shiniest look is not always the best look if you are trying to make your models authentic . Urethanes are on my bucket list, but not just yet....... Spoons......great experiment tool....plastic, cheap as it gets, and you can try different things, including types of paints and polishes without risking a model you really like. I have sprayed a lot of spoons in the last year or so, what a great learning tool. Also, use paper to show the width and depth of your airbrush patterns, make little lines, big fat lines, try different settings, distances, and hand-speed just to see what happens. Now, this is coming from a guy that was asking the questions you are just about a year ago, and these are a combination of trial and error....but based on the good folks here on the forums, they helped me, now I am just paying it forward. Get a few jars of paint, learn how to thin and just have fun, make mistakes all day long because that is how you will learn, spray the paper and the spoons, before you know it, you will have something that makes you say "aaahhhh!!!". One more thing, no matter what you read or think, protect you lungs, those little paper masks don't do anything, get a good respirator at either a home improvement store or call around to an automotive paint store, you must protect your lungs. Hope I helped a little bit, enjoy this great place and this great hobby. Mike

Hey Dominik, This looks really good, I like all the details you have added, just looks like a car that gets driven and used for real life, not some pretty shiny car that sits in a garage. I like it a lot, and the interior just makes it look that much better. Thanks for sharing with us!! Mike

Hey Gang, There is a cruise-in by my house every Saturday night, sometimes 30 cars, sometimes 100 cars, saw this cobra for the first time this weekend, was getting dark so pictures aren't that good, just wanted opinion on the ...stripe? Couldn't tell if it was big decal or painted on, the design itself made me immediately think of Dr. Cranky, design is cool, but did it ruin a perfectly good kit car? Was so tempted to run my thumbnail over it to see if sticker or paint, but decided that would be just....rude. Up close, the detail looked pretty good, but I thought it would have looked better on something else. Any comments? Thanks for looking. Mike

Hey Stu, Your results are looking great, for around the windows, just try one side at a time, I see the point Roger made, and quite a good one at that, but if you just make thin strips and make your joints/seams in the corners, you will save a ton of foil, and only Superman ( or someone looking at your car from three inches away ) will see the seams. Keep up the good work! Mike

Hey Stuart, Don't strip the wire, the insulation is what gives it the right look, if you strip it then it will just look like, well, wire. Go to someplace close to you that fixes electronics or computers, take a sample piece with you for the size, I bet they would probably give you a piece or two to try out. Also, try and roll out the wire you have now, get something flat to roll it on and try to straighten it out first, then use a pencil or something to help you shape the curves and bends, maybe a fresh start with no bends will help you use what you already have. There are a couple of dealers on Ebay that sell products for detailing model car engines, try one of them as well. Just take your time trying to bend, you will get the hang of it, go slowly and easy, you will get better. Mike

Hey Adam, This thing is a beast, man, I love it. Just something different, you did a great job, thanks for posting for us. Mike

Hey John, Villa rides again, can't wait to see more of this, know it is going to be very very cool. Mike

Hey gang, This is Mystic maroon one shot lacquer, the color is great (to me anyway) but when I bought the can, it was my first time with lacquers, and I did not know the flakes were in there, has stopped me from using more of the one shot cans, but I'm with Dave, once you discover lacquer it is hard to use anything else, covers great, dries smooth, fast and hard. Flakes jus give this a look that is hard to describe, although taking picture on sunny day really makes it look worse than it is. Mike

Now this is something you don't see enough of, I love it, you did a great job!! Mike

This is from a Testor's 1/6 scale Road King, something different. Enjoy.

These are from an AMT/ERTL 1970 Chevelle SS 454. Mike