MrObsessive

James, here's a thread that was ran a while back about making headlights more realistic. Some of my pics aren't there anymore due to Fotki changing the URL's, but the info is pretty valid.

Sure Brian! Just follow the link here. Thanks for the compliment!

Hemi Orange body color is not the same as the color painted for the engine. The closest match I've used was OSHA safety orange which can be found in some hardware stores. Here's a Magnum engine I painted with it a while ago................ ...........And on my '69 Daytona........... Hope this helps!

Very nice!........And I love the color! That's one of my few favorites of the '90's-------it's too bad they're seldom seen today for whatever reason. I've always thought that was a classic and timeless shape.

Or delete the .JPG links in the post...................Yeah that's a good idea as it won't take the page so long to load. Especially for those guys still on dialup!

Very, very sharp as usual Lyle! You keep showing these beautiful street rods and it's making me want to break out of my shell and try building one!

The '58 Impala pictured below in my signature is probably one of my favorites, because it was a first in a couple of ways. I hadn't before been able to build working windows in scale. Another first was detailing a interior with homemade decals as the multicolor seat patterns are. I was very impressed by the October 1986 SAE article written by Ken Hamilton on roll up windows. I knew someday I'd have to try that feature but at the time my skills were just not up to par. I did try them when I was building my '55 T-Bird in 1999............but they just weren't right so I let that go for the time being. I ran into Ken Hamilton at the 2000 Mid Atlantic NNL and talked with him for quite a while about working windows. He drew a diagram for me right then and there, and I kept it as I knew that I'd try it on my next factory stock build. At the time I was building my '69 Daytona and was quite along with it and didn't want to slow the build down. By the beginning of 2001 I started building the Impala and still had Ken's drawing............that was a big help as the car being a convertible had hardtop glass and Ken gave me a tip for keeping the frameless glass in place in the regulator. I was able to finish the model-----(sans the bumpers and wheels) working windows and all, and showed it off to the guys at the CPMCC meeting which was at Craig Turners home that particular Saturday. How do I remember all of this? Well the date was September 8th, 2001..............we all know what happened 3 days later. BTW, nearly 8 years later------everything still works! Working windows and all!

Very sharp and beautiful custom Paul! I'm glad the article helped you out.................the hood hinging looks perfect!

BTW, I've decided on a color for the Cougar.......... I ran across this pic (I think someone else posted it here)......I really like this color! It's a great contrast with the brushed stainless steel top. Any suggestions guys for a close match?

Ed, I use Fotki mainly for posting pics here..............maybe because I find it a bit more user friendly for pics. However, when I want to send a video I made for someone, I'll use Photobucket because I find it a bit more reliable for things like that. Hope this helps!

Well, I got my new computer bugs worked out which kept me kind of tied up last week to post any updates. Ain't 2009 technology grand?? I recently got a new laptop which I want to use when I travel from time to time...........it wasn't cooperating with the router which is hooked up to my desktop. I got the two to play nice and now I'm free to do some model building! Last week I got some more bodywork done on the Cougar, mainly getting the doors to line up properly and getting the large gaps closed in. One of the bigger hangups with this kit is the body creases don't quite line up with the separate doors, so some work was needed there as well. Well here's what we have so far.............. I needed something for the hinges to slide into, so I made these pieces from C-Channel plastic and added some strip plastic inside to minimize slop when the hinges are slid in........ I glued the hinge retainer for the door in with liquid glue and likewise the hinge retainer for the body door jamb, which'll trap the hinge permanently now. The hinge slides in easily with a little movement, but once the hinge is epoxied in the door this should eliminate any up and down movement. Once I was satisfied with the hinges and door movement, I noticed this big gap in the lower front corners of the doors...................this just won't do! So I glued some strip plastic to the front of the doors, and I let it set until fully dry............. Once the contours of the doors were back to where I wanted them, I took to making the creases line up properly. Here you can see where I laid masking tape across the body creases and took a sanding block to line things up. Working carefully so the body doesn't become to "flat", I lined things up as best I could. You can see above that the gaps are now more acceptable...........I'll tweak them a teensy bit more to allow for paint------but the gaps are more in scale with the model. Next, I'll move on to the flip up headlights.............I can't figure out why IMC didn't originally make them fully functional. I remember losing one of the headlight lids years ago when I built this because there were no retainers for the pins on the headlight lids--------I have a remedy for this as you'll see. Thanks for stayin' tuned!

Hmmm..........I wonder if that's where J. Mays got the inspiration for the last generation T-Bird??

I like to use epoxy to glue my hinges in. That way it gives me some time to align things and whatnot. It's a good idea to make sure the door is fully (and stays) closed while your glue/epoxy is setting up. That'll ensure the door opens and closes without scraping or binding. If this is your first time doing this, don't get discouraged if it takes several tries to get it right. Opening and hinging doors can be more about trial and error than anything-----it might take a few models to get through before you feel you've got it down pat!

Nice! That brings back some memories as a teen in the '70's when I saw those alot!

No, that's a misunderstanding by a lot of people..............the LX platform is a stand alone item. It uses some bits and pieces and items from Daimler's inventory, but it was not a strict platform formerly used under Daimler's luxury stuff. Daimler would have none of that!

To echo what Bob said, weigh very carefully what the maintenance costs for each would be. The one thing about certain European cars (Porsche and Mercedes in particular), is that they can run for a long, long, long, time without anything major happening to them. When something does go wrong however, be prepared to shell out BIG $$$$$ to get it fixed! Having owned three different Mercedes in the past (a 240 D, and 280 SEL, and a 250 S), I can vouch for how expensive certain things can be!............and I was particular about getting regular oil changes, trans checkup, etc. The Porsche will hold its value a lot better in the long run than the Challenger IMO.............but I'd be cautious of a second owner Porsche unless I knew the owner well. Then there is that nagging feeling that Chrysler might not survive................. You've heard the saying---------------"Caveat Emptor"!

I've talked to Steve personally and he's a real nice guy! He shows a couple '59 Cadillac hearses listed in his Jimmy Flintstone Section, but I'm not sure what they look like or if they will adapt to the Monogram '59 Cadillac chassis. HTH!

Your quite welcome Brian! Without going into a long drawn out explanation................1970 Chrysler products all had their doors turn inward inside the fender. What you'd need is a support structure that would run from the bottom of the A pillar down to the rocker, unlike what I did in the '55 Chevy article. I have a link here of the '63 Turbine Car I built months ago which shows this type of hinge. Some of the pics have text and some don't. Your construction will vary as a '70 Roadrunner is quite different from a Turbine Car........... But you'll get the idea in the basic construction. Hmmm...........sounds like maybe a part 2 on the hinging? BTW, if I don't answer back right away, it's due to a new laptop which I have along with my desktop and I'm trying to work the bugs out of it. It's not cooperating with the router at times----although I think that might have to do with my next door neighbors cordless phone. Nevertheless, I won't be back on probably until tomorrow evening if you have any more questions. HTH!

WOW!! What a neat project! I'm gonna be watchin' this one John as I've got two of those X-EL promos and never did anything with 'em. Where did you get the interior, or is this an original kit? I'm tempted to kitbash one of them with the '58 Plymouth kit...........

Wow! That's a real downer Jody! I've been there so I know the feeling of being let go with short notice. At my job we had a memo sent the other day that we were getting no C.O.L.A. (Cost of living adjustment) due to the sagging economy. I knew that 3 months ago even though I just recently got a good review a few weeks ago. I even told some of the guys there that if we're all here 6 months from now I'll be pleasantly surprised------we have work now, but I can see things slowing down right now, so who knows? My how times have changed! I worked in a hospital back in the '80's when they were literally begging for nurses! In fact, I remember the hubbub about new hires getting something like 2-3 bucks more per hour than the other nurses just to get them in the door. Just goes to show you nothing is "safe" anymore these days!

Dave as I mentioned, Aurora tried to change things midstream (or so I've heard)-----so it really is neither. At least it looks like no Ferrari I've seen, but a hybrid of the two. I built one long ago, and while it's not a bad kit as far as construction.........it doesn't represent any Ferrari as far as accuracy goes. At least that I have seen............. :D

Sigh............ That was a period of time when you could close your eyes and KNOW what kind of car was startin'! Mopars, Fords, even Corvairs had a very distinct starter sound to 'em. I was a third grader when '69 Chargers were new, and remember the starter sound even then! Juergen, keep up the super work! That's one of Chrysler's finest (and one of their finest moments) and I know you'll do it justice!

Hi Jeff! Good to see ya back! Nice lookin' Impala! I ditto what Lyle said------that worked for me recently when I had modeling slump. I built a simple little 1/43rd kit which was sitting for years........in fact, I'd like to make simple builds a part of my routine in the future.

Will, that's lookin' pretty fine so far! I have this kit also (Protar), and IMO it has the nicest set of wire wheels available in plastic! As Gerry and others have said, the model is based on a GTO that was hit in the rear at one time, so it is very accurate for that car. It can be built into a sharp model if time and forethought is taken with it. The kit blows away the old Aurora model as that one is so misshapen as a 250 GTO it's laughable! I had heard the kit was supposed to be at first a 250 GT SWB, but somewhere along the line, the powers that be at Aurora changed their minds and tried to redo the tooling as a GTO. Thus the odd proportions and shape...........

Rudy, that paint stand is a Tamiya item...........I have a set also, and it's excellent for painting as it's adjustable for different bodies. You can check out the link here to take a look at it.