MrObsessive

This is lookin' mighty impressive Harold!! Now I gotta see how you handle that crazy looking windshield!

Could be worse! How 'bout the Ford Excuse since they were so enamored with "E" names!. How 'bout the Cadillac Crash?

That's a good thought Craig! I was wondering though if the Avanti was more of a reaction to Chevy's upcoming 1963 Corvette Sting Ray. The Avanti was originally to be intro'd in the fall of 1961 as a '62 model, but Studebaker ran into problems with the fiberglass, and production was held up for nearly a year. By that time buyers were stunned by the all new Corvette putting the Avanti as an also ran. Too bad, because I think the Avanti is one of the more beautiful cars of the '60's.

Aaah! Now this is my kind of build! ............And a car of the '50's with fins no less! Y'know Bud, if you have a '58 Plymouth kit, you can raid the interior out of that as a starting point for the Dodge. Even it's engine and chassis can be used IIRC as they were pretty much the same from '57-'59. The '57 Chrysler 300 I figure its wheelbase is a bit too long. Thanks for the kudos and I'll definitely be tuning in!

Absolutely stunning Bob!! Harry, I think the top photo is a black and white one.

:lol:

Click here for what you need for posting pics.

Aaron, good reference photos are always a super plus when wanting to replicate something in scale. As far as cutting and shaping the plastic, some good sharp scissors, an X-acto knife, and some decent files and several grit sandpapers ought to be a good start. Practicing on the '65 as well as making a template for the window is a good idea too, I always recommend to ones who are treading into uncharted waters, to test out what they want to do first on a junk body instead of prized project. Be it painting, or body conversions, or some other new technique-----in never hurts to practice, practice and practice again.

Hi and welcome! I would try to fit the hood and front end to the AMT '60 Chevy pickup as they were built on the same platform. I'm not up much on truck kits, but this would give you the wraparound windshield you need, (minimizing breakage of those) and you could kitbash the rear bed from the '65 to the '60 as well. I think the '60 also has the large window-----I would fill that in with sheet plastic for the smaller configuration. As far as the Testor's Putty-------------Bleccchhh!! Stay away from that junk! Get yourself some automotive putty such as Dynatron Putty Cote, or Evercoat Glazing Putty. Others here might recommend other brands which work well for them. A well stocked hobby/train shop should have the sheet plastic such as Evergreen or Plastruct stryene for what you need. I would start with a .020" thickness sheet for starters. Just as and aside, so we know who we're talking to here------one of the rules is to have your full name in your signature area. You can just go to My Controls>Personal Profile>Edit My Signature> then you can put your name in the signature area which will show up everytime you post. Hope this helps!

Ed, that is one sharp dioarama! I'd love to make something like that-------I'd have to put it someplace where it could be cat proof though! My dream diorama would be a late '60's Gulf station with period cars from new ones to the early '50's. The building would have a pitched roof which could double as a kind of tire rack.

True! The coupe and convertible were early 1965 models (advertising called them '64 1/2's but your title said 1965), and the fastback was intro'd just in time along with the other 1965 Ford models in the fall of '64.

:lol:

Change the proportions of that first gen Barracuda and it might have done better against the Mustang. Too much real estate behind the doors, not enough ahead of the doors. Not to mention those low rear quarter wheel wells. It's almost like one type of car sitting on top of another------and like the others said, the Mustang was lookin' good right out of the box with just the right proportions in the right places.

Another one I got from Danbury Mint recently................... I don't think you'll find a more detailed '54-'56 Caddy anywhere!

Now that's a nice GTX!! I too remember when these were new, although as a little kid I didn't know quite what they were------but I certainly heard them! Quarter window detail is slick too as Mopar had a thing about putting the weatherstripping on the front glass, as opposed to the quarter windows like everyone else did. Your Dad would certainly be proud! Are those Keith Marks decals Tommy? Those look very nice and solid!

Metallics can be very lightly sanded------note that's VERY LIGHTLY! I've seen folks trying to rub out and polish metallic paint only for the paint to have a swirly, uneven look to the paint. That's because the metallic flakes are not evenly suspended in the paint, so when you rub out a metallic you're not hitting the flakes evenly-----kinda shaving some of the flakes at their "edges" so to speak. Now I have rubbed out metallics in the past-------my '69 Dodge Daytona Charger which was painted Hemi Orange (posted in another thread), was rubbed out and polished with no clear-coat. The difference is that color has a very subtle hint of metallic (gold flakes) so I was able to get away with that. So yes, if there are any dusties in your metallic paint, very lightly rub them out, clear-coat, and then rub out and polish. As I mentioned in another page of this thread, the only exception might be paints that have some pearl in them. Putting clear-coat won't cover up where you sanded (it can change the hue)------you'll need to very lightly spray that area again and then clear-coat. How many coats of clear? I can't answer that as there can be too many variables to what you're using...............type of paint, color, method, etc. One of my strong recommendations when someone is fairly new to doing this is.......TEST, TEST, TEST, and Test again! Too many builders try something new on a project when they're a novice and end up frustrated because they haven't got the skill down pat yet. Hope this helps!

Hey! I just realized I only have ONE muscle car built to my name! I need to build up a few more! You all have seen this one.........hard to believe it's almost 10 years old!

Thanks for asking! Feel free to ask any more questions if you'd like!

Charles, if you have a Pep Boys check them out. That's where I got the paint for my Cougar II build a while back.

Bill, you've tackled a somewhat dubious kit and turned it into a real gem! Excellent paint and detail as usual!

First thing I do when I come here is click on "View New Posts". When I don't see anything else that interests me, I also click "Mark all posts as read"-------that way when I come back later, there will be fresh posts showing.

That is some VERY realistic looking rust! Looks a LOT like Mopar's late '50's cars I used to see rusted up like that as a kid in the late '60's! They were well known to start rusting even before folks were finished payin' for 'em!

George, if you're on Mozilla (works for IE also), hold your CTRL button down-----and move the scroll wheel on your mouse up or down. That will shrink or enlarge the text and pics on your screen. I do this all the time on the board when someone's signature pics are a bit too big without scrolling back and forth.

John, the more I see this car, the more I like it! I didn't care for the "blades" on the sides at first, but now I can see where it wouldn't look right without them. Beautiful job as usual! I may go out and buy this kit (as if I need any more!) now that I've seen some really nice buildups.

Ryan, (and for others) here's the whole lowdown on the '68 Green Hornet I found on Motor Trend Magazine. 1968 Shelby Green Hornet EXP500