MrObsessive

Just got a nice surprise today as my kit showed up! It's just as nice as the pics I've seen here, and when I first got to see the final test shots months ago live and in person. Now to go and really "grok" the kit, and think of colors and such. When I'll get to building it?? Who knows-----I'm just glad to finally have it in my hands!

I wanted one of these when they were new..............2007-08ish. Unfortunately, I was literally too big for the car as my head stuck above the windshield! .......And that was with the top down, Heaven knows I probably couldn't get in the car if the top was up! IMO, FWD "sports cars" never look right to me. Not enough real estate between the leading edge of the door, and the trailing edge of the front wheelwell. It's one of the reasons I let my Saturn go. As it was a good running car, I hated taking long trips in it. I need legroom (and foot room with size 15 shoes), and my Challenger suits me perfectly. Hopefully as was mentioned above, the new Opel GT will be RWD. Buick hasn't had one for ages and they sure could use it!

Got one on the way as well! In fact, I'll be getting a second one from Ron Bradley if he has them at our next CPMCC meeting. I want a Catalina too when it comes out. One can't have enough '61 cars after all!

I just got this kit at the MAMA meeting this past Saturday, and I have to say I'm greatly impressed! I don't know why I passed on it before, but as Mike mentioned, the level of detail is OUTSTANDING! This one is definitely on my build list in the future------I'm just not crazy about the rally wheels. I'd rather build mine with the regular Monte hubcaps, fender skirts, and whitewalls. It would certainly add to that "sleeper" look with that 454. Time to spend some money on The Modelhaus! I'll have to check my kit as far as the chrome's concerned, I didn't notice anything untoward about it.

Rich, the Stude was scratchbuilt by me starting with AMT's '53 as a base. I started building it back in 1997, and it was pretty much done. It met an unfortunate accident a few years later when my then 22 lb cat jumped on the shelf where it was in a case, knocking it to the floor, and the hood got busted. I attempted to fix it not long after, but lost interest in it for whatever reason. I'd like to get back to it sometime, but in the process, change some things about it that aren't quite right to me now. Here are a few pics of it................... A few years ago, I got a junker Danbury Mint '57 Stude Golden Hawk for its interior parts. My thought is to change this into a '57 (different seat and door patterns) and go with a gold color with an off white in the fins. Danbury's model never quite looked right to me, so it wouldn't be too much of a sacrifice. Of course, the Danbury one is 1/24 while my '58 is 1/25. Not a big deal as I can make things fit by shrinking things here and there.

That is a sharp looking car in that color! I've got to try that paint------it being water based is a plus! What type of clear did you use for the topcoat? Excellent finish!

Ron, like I commented yesterday at the meeting, that's certainly a one of kind wagon! I've not seen anyone else model this with the wood trim. Those mag type wheel covers to me make the car. As an aside...............Signatures can always be turned off if one doesn't like them. I don't mind 'em------spruces up the place other than just plain 'ol text with nothing else.

Hmmm......might be a typo, unless they backdated it somehow.

I could go for the '73 Pinto Wagon! That was just before they started putting those terrible "battering ram" bumpers on the '74 and later cars. I'd do mine WITHOUT the fake wood grain though!

Lookin' Good Frank! That red is really a bright one! Steve, you could always do what I did and perform a "roof transplant". I've never measured them, but it looks like the Revell '60 Chevy roof should fit with some tweaking of course. I ended up with TWO of these kits before I saw how horrendous the roof shape was! One of 'em I'd like to someday turn into a Bonneville 4dr hardtop "Vista Roof" as I have a couple flattop roof sections from The Modelhaus. More work for sure, but it'll look much more accurate than what Trumpeter foisted on us.

While I didn't know Chuck, thoughts and prayers go to his wife and family. Here was his last post, it might explain what he may have been going through.

Jeff, in the over ten years I've been on this board, I've seen just the mention of Reliable Resin turn in something quite ugly and nasty. One such instance was when the owner came on the board and it got REALLY NASTY! Thus my "Rut Ro" comment above. Enough has been said (and unfortunately experienced) by enough folks on the board------all one has to do is do a search on him, and you'll have all kinds of threads show up, mostly in the negative. And yes, practically all of them end up getting locked---------it gets that bad.

Rut Ro!

I've got a '58 Studebaker Golden Hawk I've had 98% done for years, that calls my name from time to time. It was fully built and finished, but a cat I had at the time (early 2000's) knocked it out of its case on the shelf and it got wrecked. The hood got damaged and I've just not had the ambition for whatever reason to fix it. Someday I will, but not without making some other changes as well.

Inspiration. Others have mentioned it, and in my case, it's a thought that will come to mind and go "Hmmmm........I should try my hand at this one!" Of course my "Obsessive" nature takes over, and I'm soon changing this and that. I've already got my next couple builds lined up-------one them will be GSL bound hopefully in 2017 as I'm making plans now to get to that show.

Kevin, as I mentioned in your other thread, this is super excellent work you're doing! I quoted your pics as you've done an excellent job so far in trying to mate up bodies of disparate proportions. I know that type of work all too well, as I'm a big fan of "if something's not quite right, fix it as best you can!" BTW, the panel between the hood and the windshield is the "cowl". And yes, DON'T rush this one! I know what you're making can be quite tedious, and certainly takes time! You're doing a kit in itself with all of the bodywork (I talked about this in another thread), so I look at it as just as much work as putting an entire kit together! Thanks for keeping us posted, and as I mentioned before, I'm definitely following along!

BTW, LOVE that box art! I already have another kit of this (original) besides the built one I did in the late '90's--------gonna get another one though as this car is one of my favorites!

Gotta agree with you both! That was THE biggest turnoff from building mine for years, until I decided to spend some money, and went for Detail Master's now defunct PE Borrani Wire Wheel set. Too bad that set is no longer available as it was quite nice with the turned rims. KA makes a nice set though............I believe you can get them from HLJ for a fairly reasonable price.

Jim I love it! That color is soooo Manx! I have only one "Dune Buggy" kit. The old Tom Daniels Sand Crab which I don't believe ever existed as an actual car. Sure would be fun to build someday as if it were street worthy!

Y'know in all the years that I've been building models, that's something I have yet to do. And believe me, I have a whole BUNCH of built-ups (some real rare ones) that are just waiting to be restored. Maybe that's a project for me for late next year-----just close my eyes, and reach in the box and grab something. It'll certainly be a challenge in itself to get them apart. Particularly those kits that have the glass runners and they've got a whole tube of glue used to attach them to the roof!

If I can throw my 2¢ in------I've learned to treat every part as if it's a kit in itself. If you're opening doors, treat that door and the hinges as a kit. If you're building an engine, treat that as a kit. It helps me stay focused on that one area, and not get bogged down trying to do too many things at once. Sure it gets tedious and it may take longer to get the model done, but sweating the details IMO yields better results in the long run. Now with my last build, I'm guilty of parting lines. I didn't want to deal with rechroming the bumpers (at the moment), and I don't like simply spraying 'em with Alclad or trying to cover them with BMF. To me, that appears "fake" and while it may look nice and neat, nothing replaces chrome with well..........chrome. Not every detail will be perfect, it never is. But the little things can go a long way in getting the desired results.

WOW!! LOVE the Valiant conversion! Excellent Job!! If I might make a suggestion on the body--------the upper corners of the rear window and roof could be a bit more rounded off. You may have already taken notice of that as you mentioned that things aren't quite done yet. I gotta say this is a VERY ambitious conversion as that's not an easy car to replicate. And yes, I hear ya on trying to get things symmetrical! It's not always about measuring this and that--------a lot of it can be trial and error. Keep up the excellent work!

If Google fails you, I'd check eBay Motors. There are tons of Vipers there, and one of those auctions is bound to have pics of the underside on a lift. I've found really good detailed pics there a bunch of times.

HA! I have the same parts! I was going to attempt building it, but then Revell announced the new tool 'Cuda. I could make one from the current kit, but as soon as I would start it Revell will announce that a kit will be made.

I don't know more than anyone else, but I'd LOVE to see a Hemi convertible come out of this tool.