MrObsessive

No, the 1:1 pics of the Magnum are from Fotki.............they're the first two pics on page 1 of the album, with the corresponding URL's. I haven't moved the album into another folder......................the only thing I did do recently was to adjust the pixel size within Fotki to a larger resolution. Maybe that's the trouble..............

Okay, I was about to run a latest update of what I've done to the Magnum (On The Workbench) and the previous pics I posted of what I've done so far, are not showing up! Only the two pics of the 1:1 are showing on my end.....................can anyone else see the progress pics on their 'puters?? My pics are hosted through Fotki, and they're showing up there................. I'm off to bed now for work tonight.....so hopefully if I have time, I can post something and see it.................otherwise.......well I dunno! Anyone have any answers to this mystery??

Jeff, you can post pics one of two ways..............like this...... (img) your url here (/img).............Brackets instead of parentheses, and no spaces. Or, you can click the pic icon on your message box and paste the URL in the window that shows up. It's pretty easy once you play around with it. The only thing to worry about is that your pics have to be hosted somewhere on the 'net..........and it's best if they are in .JPG format. HTH!

A couple of us asked that question on another thread...................I don't think you can with the new board setup unless there's some change to the software later.

Good mini review Peter! Don't worry about being "too critical" here about a kit.................there are no "kit police" on the board! I forgot about the chassis details being so bad...............I have the kit, but it's packed away. I just very plainly remember the out of proportion body (almost seems too short for 1/24 scale) and that TERRIBLE roofline! I thought about "shrinking and stretching" the body on mine and reshaping the roofline using ERTL's '58 Chevy roof...................but that's too much work for now.

Milt, you know the old saying........."if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" As was mentioned, if you're happy with the result, don't bother it. Generally I don't clearcoat solid colors as there's enough inherent gloss in the pigments to rub out and polish to a nice shine. However, metallics I always clearcoat as polishing disturbs the metallic flakes which can lead to a mottled, splotchy appearance. This '58 Chevy I did for instance, has no clearcoat as it's a solid color................but was rubbed out with a polishing kit and waxed with Meguiar's Car Cleaner Wax. What did you paint and with which color and brand BTW?

Vince, why not the chassis and running gear out of the '06 Magnum? Or really get crazy and use the engine and tires out of the new Viper?! That'll get some attention..............definitely a "What if?" kind of conversion!

I haven't built this one yet either..........but looking at the kit it seems the way to go would be to shave the trailing edge of the pan back a bit until it sits right in the front end. Should be an easy fix. That's one of those "How'd they miss that??" things that makes more work than needed. The front bumper should need no work as it was the pan that made it look like a battering ram!

If these are the '58 Cadillac Eldorados, (coupe and convertible) save your money! They are nowhere near as nice as the box art represents IMO. I was very disappointed when I bought mine years ago as no one has done a proper '58 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz or Seville in plastic. The proportions are off, particularly with the coupe..................the coupe has a separate roof section, but it's shape looks as it was lifted off a '59 Rambler! There are some other issues but needless to say the models aren't worth it no matter the cost if they don't look right.

Welcome to the board Jamie! I have to say that taking apart a diecast and repainting them and then reassembling them is just as much work (if not more) than building a standard kit! So no need to feel put down! As Ron mentioned............using an etching primer would be a good idea as you don't want the primer, thus the paint to pull away from the metal surface. You can probably get away with using Testors, just be careful that there's not a lot of handling..............and make sure the paint is thoroughly dry! Testors can be notorious for their long drying times! Take a trip your local music shop and ask if they have #11 guitar string.........that's what I use for antennae on my cars.

Ken, I frankly can't remember what I used for the trunk mat! IIRC, I believe it was some sort of fabric that I had that matched the photos I was using back then. I do remember using something called "No Fray" which can be had at the fabric stores to keep the edges from fraying when cut. William, I've found that Elmer's glue can be good for gluing things in such as head/tailights, but for something such as windshields, you'll need to use something stronger such as a two part 5 min. epoxy. This is especially the case for scratchbuilt windhshields made from acetate such as the Nova. The only thing acetate likes to do is remain straight! So something with some good bonding strength is needed to keep even the slightest curves where they need to be. You wanted to be nowhere around me when I was making the windshield for this! ............. Daunting for sure...........but with practice it can be done!

Okay, 1/16 is a good size........but as I mentioned with much smaller scales I've used putty on, (1/43) I have used a toothpick. The Dynatron I use may be of a different consistency..............but it is a Bondo product so it's pretty much all the same. Yes, you want to scuff up the area a bit to give it some bite.................it could be that you don't have your mix quite right and in some spots it didn't cure fully. When I've used putty in the past, I try to go with whatever the product says the ratio should be. In my case with the Dynatron, the color should be a light greenish hue-----then I know it's fully mixed.

Jody what are you using to apply it? I generally use popsicle sticks (They can be had at the arts and crafts store) or toothpicks depending on the area and spread it on in somewhat thin coats. I know of no way to thin it down...........that may not be recommended insomuch that you may reduce some of the putty's effectiveness. Yes, if you spread it on too thick, it can be a bear to sand down.........not to mention all the dust that it leaves behind. I hope you're wearing some type of mask or respirator btw--------you wouldn't want to keep breathing those dust particles in but for so long.

Thought I'd post pics of this since it's so old ...............I built this one during the late winter into summer 1998. I still think this kit was a benchmark for ERTL back then! I remember the early kits had the molded on rear view mirror------there was such a howl of protest that ERTL changed the mold to eliminate that mirror. (Are you listening Revell?? Re: 1970 AAR Cuda!!) I got one of the early ones....so when I built it, I used acetate for the front and rear windows instead. The model is beginning to show it's age..........if I were to build this again (I have another unbuilt original) I'd make some changes such as not making the seams for the vinyl roof so obvious and routing some of the chassis fuel and brake lines better. I'd also make the doors fit a scooch more flush with the bodywork when closed, but that's why I'm Mr. Obsessive. I built this before I thought of using a shop manual for detail-----Now I know! The model has also lost some PE emblems such as on the grille and front fenders. More can be seen here. Thanks for lookin'!..............Any more details needed just ask!

Amen to that Billy! I've got soooo many kits right now and a ton of models that I could rebuild...............at my build rate I'll still have many left over long after I'm gone! Just as Tom is evolving his business..........the hobby itself is evolving. Demographics are changing in this hobby as well, and will continue to do so. As the old Bob Dylan song goes........"The times they are a changin'!"

Scale keys can be found by the Model Car Garage............he usually puts them on his photoetch sets for a particular car you're doing. He sells them IIRC on another set I believe separately also. Here's a couple pics of models I've done with the keys in the dash............. My '64 GTO which I never quite finished.............. And a '57 'Vette that has the keys in the dash......although the steering wheel is blocking it somewhat. I have no link for MCG.......maybe someone out there does? HTH! Edit: Okay, I found a link.................. just click here!

Nice execution Peter! I thought about hinging the doors on my Magnum (the conventional way ) but decided against it for time's sake!. Good to see you attempt this. Thanks for the heads up about the windshield...................did the problem come up because of the change in the cowl, or is this the general fit of the kit? I'm thinking about using clear acetate for the windshield because as per usual kit molding...............the surface has that "wavy" look from the outside which drives me crazy! Thanks for the kudos about the hinges and struts BTW!

Doing a test to see if the poll is working.................might use it for real down the road!

I see no poll Craig................at least on my screen, and I'm running Mozilla. Edit: Okay, I see it now! I vote for the '72 GMC Pickup!

Ditto! Would be nice to keep MY mind on track!

Hmmm..............I never noticed a chassis difference between the '59 and the '60! What other changes besides the elimination of the wheelwell did Chevy make for '60? I intend on building the '60 sometime....... Thanks for the compliment about my '58!

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS!! I always thought that the roofline that Revell did for the '60 is exactly right as the one they did for the '59 was too "flat". Did you have much trouble with the windshield? That seems to be a common complaint I've heard from others that built the '60.

Milt, here's a tip that may come in handy when trying to get rid of mold lines and whatnot. Simply sanding away the mold lines may not be enough to keep them from returning later when you start to paint. The reason for this is because plastic has a "memory" and whatever was molded onto it previously, will resurface once a solvent such as paint hits it. Having said this, the thing to do (I learned this from Ted "Chopper" Lear............another excellent builder!) is to sand away the mold lines as you would normally do............then brush over the mold lines with some sort of liquid cement. Be it Testor's or Tenax, or whathaveyou. The mold line will reappear because of the solvents in the glue and the memory in the plastic as I described................Once the cement has fully dried and the plastic is not soft, sand the area again with 400-600 grit sandpaper. This time when you paint the over the mold lines or engraving, it should not reappear as you've sanded away the "memory". This will apply whether you're using enamel, or acrylic, or lacquer paint as they all have some type of solvents in them. This beats a lot of times grinding out the plastic, and filling in with putty, etc. I just did this method yesterday with the engraving on the Magnum Wagon's chassis, and it works like a charm! As Izzy mentioned this will go a long way to making that next step easier and getting good results in the long run. HTH!

IIRC, the Focus Coupe coming out WAS to originally be a no post 2 door hardtop..............of course the safety nazis probably nixed it and we're stuck with a IMO a bland post coupe whose styling just doesn't look right from certain angles unlike the hatchback. If Daimler and a few others can make a pillarless coupe that meets the rollover standards................why can't the US ones??.......................Folding hardtop convertibles don't count.

I had to do a double take to realize that Hey!.............That's a '55 front on a '57 car! Actually, back in the '60's that was probably not to uncommon for a someone who punched the front end of their '57 to replace it with a '55 front clip................the cars weren't worth a whole lot then and no one thought much of it. Very convincing conversion you got!