MrObsessive

Actually Chris, I do have a Vac-U-Form-----but I remember you have to have certain kind of sheets to use because of the fixture. Years ago I bought one of those clear sheets off the 'Bay, but the end result was so hazy and cloudy looking, it was unacceptable looking to me. Is there a source of of some really clear plastic (Not styrene) to use in that? I know how to make a buck for the windshield and backlite if need be.

Your body work looks great, but man I'd be real nervous about those thin dogleg pillars! I'd try to get them built up with the door jambs as soon as possible! Keep up the good work!

Now that is one nice Lincoln! .........And I learned something new------I didn't know 1:1 Lincolns and T-Birds from that era shared floorpans! I have both those kits (two of the '62 T-Birds) and that makes it good to know I can use 'em to kitbash parts with.

Just a quick mini review of what's been happening the last couple of days. I finally got the toughest part of the build under my belt!..............And that ain't no easy task! I finally got the front and rear glass in using clear stencil sheet. In an earlier post you may have seen templates I had drawn on 3x5 cards......these were traced on the clear stencil sheet and cut out. After numerous fit and trim sessions, I felt confident enough to go ahead and place 'em in. Here's what we got.............. One drawback of doing windows this way is the sheet can only be bent one way--------either vertically or horizontally. So the only tiny nit I have with the rear glass in this side profile is there should be a very slight curve in the rear glass vertically. Not worth trashing the model over, but someday, I'll get a handle on vacuforming my own and then I can make this type curve if needed. The major benefit of using this method for me is that there are no ripples or waves unlike what's in a lot of kits today. That's been a pet peeve of mine for years, but there are certain kits where I'll have to swallow it and use the kit glass...............(1959-60 GM cars come to mind........). I also am very fussy about large gaps around the perimeter of glass, so I try to make the glass fit as flush to the bodywork as humanly possible. I've judged cars in contests in the past where the builder did a decent job, but the glass was so ill fitting it took away from the entire model. Just my 2¢ worth in this regard. The front glass was not as difficult as the rear................with both front and rear glass, I'm going to simulate rubber weatherstripping to hide some of the epoxy joints that can be seen in a couple areas. This'll add to the realism too. I can now finish up the rest of the foiling job now that the glass is in and firmly set in place. Here's a view from inside where the channels I had made to hold the glass can be seen. I originally thought about tinting the glass before installing, but my epoxy jobs are so messy with wraparound windshields that I wrote that off. It took a bit of alcohol and wax to get rid of the residue and give the glass a squeaky clean look. Now that this part is done I can focus on getting the rest of the foil on, getting the dash in, interior door panels on and the downhill slide (I hope) to final assembly! Stay tuned and thanks for lookin'!

Lookin' good! I take it that's the Revell '64? You don't see those often for some reason. Yeah, that car was built when GM knew how to style a car! Hard to believe that '64 is basically a '59 underneath with different sheetmetal! GM could learn a thing or two from their history.

AHA! Great minds think alike !! I think it was your idea I saw somewhere years ago on this. I did this very thing to my now stillborn '64 GTO years ago, but I scratchbuilt the hood hinges which unfortunately have since broken............... Someday, I'll get back to getting the GTO all together and ready to show, I may try to find those hood hinges from M.A.S. since those were PE and sturdier than the ones I did in brass. But it worked great though while it worked..............you just touched the lever and the hood popped open like the 1:1!

Unless he's got a scanner..........but that's just as much work if not more! I used to be against digicams years ago-------but once I got one I couldn't live without it! Especially when needing to post progress pics on message boards.

Phil, the paint job looks good to my view! Good job on the rear wheel radii also! Were the lines scored underneath or did you freehand that? Yup, I will only use Tamiya Tape for any separation of colors now..........Never have had any trouble with it!

That's funny Bob! Around here in PA I can't find Evercoat! In fact trying to find Evercoat is what steered me to Dynatron. I stopped by a local auto body supply store one day years ago thinking for sure he would have it------he didn't, but he raved about Dynatron. I was curious as I didn't want to traipse all over town looking for Evercoat--------and I've been hooked on it ever since.

Great work Izzy! Love the tight shut lines on the lid too! That's pretty clever using those "snaps" on the lid to test the seat!

Here's a very mini tutorial I lifted from a post I did months ago when I was building my '59 Buick. Other folks may do it a bit different, but this is what works for me............ The floor needs some flocking..............I had no copper colored flocking, and it was really nasty and stormy here today, so no trip to the hobby shop! I figured if all else fails.........go with black! I like to paint my sections one square or so at a time......this will ensure that everything comes out even and not mottled looking. After I paint the section, I very gently pat down the flocking and then blow off the excess. I recommend if your sensitive to flocking dust.................wear a respirator! This is what I use to "sift" the flocking.......a simple kitchen strainer! Costs about $1.50 in the store. I recommend you find one that has a tight mesh................otherwise the flocking will come out in clumps and add to your frustration! Okay, she looks all nice and even.............maybe a touch up here and there, but the front seat will cover up most of the floor. This'll be set aside for a spell to dry thoroughly. Lately, some guys have been using "Embossing Powder" which come in all sorts of colors, and can be found at an Arts and Crafts store. You can apply it the same way as above, but some folks have used Elmer's glue instead of paint. HTH!

Yup! I swear by Dynatron Putty-Cote! It feather edges terrifically...........Less than ½ hour and I can work with it! I apply mine a bit different though-----I primer the surface to be puttied, let the primer thoroughly dry, then put the putty on. I found the putty seems to bite better this way, at least it's worked for me. About 98% of the body work that was done on my '55 Ford was done using Dynatron. One other thing I like about Dynatron, is it has a bit of plastic in it, so if you need to put on side trim for instance (Like my Ford) it'll stick right to it (using liquid glue) and bond with no problem.

Welcome Ed! It's great we got another replica stock guy! Since your in PA, maybe you could visit our club in York (south central PA) sometime. It would be a ways for driving from Pittsburgh, but you'd enjoy the meeting as there are a number of rep. stock guys (including myself) that go.

Nice and clean job Eddie! Those stripes look great! Yeah I just went through the twice around painting recently so I hear ya! Glad I did though as it turned out better this time around.

Thanks for the link Mark! That's the first I've seen of those. I wish there were bigger photos of the hinges to get a better idea of how they're engineered-------the hood hinges particularly look interesting. I was wondering what happened to M.A.S................I had heard they closed up shop but apparently not. Jairus, I don't worry too much about the length of time in building a model anymore. If I'm really into it like the '55 Ford I want it to be as good as possible, because I gotta live with it forever! To get rid of the doldrums, I might get into "quickie" builds like the few I did last year, but now I'm back into the superdetail mode again! As far as opening doors in convertibles..........it was a must as my big 'ol fingers woulda had a hard time rolling the windows down if they didn't!

A good example of that would be Protar's 250 GTO. A kit made of a restored car that was wrecked, and the restoration was incorrect.

Wow! For a group build that came out fantastic! George I totally agree! GM needs a clean styling direction and refresh of most of their models..............Think 1961 versus '60, or 1965 versus '64. That '61 BTW shows how innovative and clever GM was with their styling------all 1959 thru '64 full size GM's are basically the same car, just different sheetmetal changed from year to year. Underneath and inter structurally they are the same cars. Instead of hanging on to the same 'ol ugly car for six or seven years, they should be updating at least every four years like the Japanese and now Koreans.

Cruz, you've seen my Turbine Car in person...............Although it had texture molded in, I used Polly Scale Engine Black for the roof. It has just the right sheen of vinyl and you can even brush paint it on if you want without showing any brush strokes. I don't know if any hobby shops carry it in your area......I happened to pick mine up at Tommy Gilbert's Hobby Shop in Gettysburg. He's mostly a train shop but a lot of his stuff translates into models.

Wow! That is VERY impressive!! I do have to agree with Harry though............'tis a shame to do all that work only for it to be hidden by the head, hood, etc. No, I won't be trying anything like that anytime soon!

To add what Mark said, I have a sure fire cure for "ghosting". This is especially good if you don't have access to putties and such------first sand away the script, trim, etc, like you normally would. Next, after you've sanded what you want away, take some liquid glue and brush over the spot you sanded clean. You'll notice that the spot you sanded has now "reappeared". The hot solvents in the liquid glue has made the plastic regain it's "memory" of what was once there. Now, after the area has thoroughly dried where you applied the glue, sand that area again. What you're doing now is erasing the rest of the memory from the plastic. When you go to paint, the area shouldn't reappear because the paint you're using does not have a hot a solvent as liquid glue itself. This is especially true even for the hot paint you used previously. This tip will come in handy even for pesky mold lines as they can reappear too, even after you've sanded them away. You can test this by applying the liquid glue again to make double sure. I've done this on recent builds...................not the '55 Ford though as the initial bodywork was started over 2 years ago. Give it a shot as I highly recommend this. I've got to give big kudos for this tip from one of the bodywork masters out there---------------that's Ted "Chopper" Lear! HTH!

Nice start on what you're building Bryan! I second what Larry said about the Revell Charger..........probably one of the best 440's out there for kit bashing, and the chassis is second to none for updating old B body Mopars from Johan Superbirds to your project there.

Hmmmm.....................all I'll say is that car looks veeeerrrrry familiar! :lol:

Interesting and nice build Peter! Chrysler shoulda done that! I suspect with $4 gal. gas prices (only to go higher ), those types of "trucks" might make an impact. Pontiac has one coming shortly (really a modified Holden) and you may see others follow suit down the road.

Mr. Stillwagon..........your work never ceases to amaze! That is one beautiful gem.......and I'm not a custom/street rod kinda guy!

Thanks Frank! The sad thing about it is I've been using BMF since around the late '80's.........it's not 'til recently that their quality control has just been plain sucky! Case in point: I've got a sheet of their "Matte Aluminum" that I know I've had at least 5 years................there is nary a crack or fissure in it. I don't use it as I'm just not crazy about the finish since the intro of Aclad and such------but if that lasted that long with no problems, what the heck's going on now? ...............and we're not the only ones complaining about it-----there's others I'm sure. BTW, the Detail Master held very well without "lifting", so I know the adhesive is good.