MrObsessive

The FI manifold setup looks good so far Barry.........the colors you've used look prototypically correct for a '57.

Jared, to further add to what Bob said............when you spray your model------and I have to assume you're using an airbrush, always start to spray before moving the airbrush across the body and stop the airbrush after you pass the body. Never start or stop on the body! This can lead to a blob spitting on the paint, which will make more work for you to get rid of. Also make sure where you're painting is dust free! Banish all animals (cats, dogs ) from the room............your best bet would be to paint outside on a breezeless day, if it's not too cold where you are. I'm not familiar with Boyds paint color you're using, but if its a metallic, you may want to be very careful about rubbing out any metallic paint! Rubbing out metallics can "change" the flakes imbedded in the paint, and lead to a splotchy, mottled appearance. For metallics, it's a good idea to very lightly rub out any dusties, (I use 3600 grit sandpaper) and then clearcoat the paint. Once the clearcoat has thoroughly dried, you can rub out the clear per normal. Sometime down the road, you may want to invest in a paint booth which will definitely minimize the dust that can accumulate when trying to paint. My past experience with enamels is that they need at least two weeks for them to sufficiently dry before trying to rub them out. Model Master paints are a little better than Testors but just the same------the rule of thumb is if you can no longer smell the paint from the body, than it should be safe to rub out. I myself get a little impatient with waiting for paint to dry.........I went to Wally-World and bought a food dehydrator which when set to 105°, should dry enamels within 8 hours. (Less time for acrylic enamels). As Bob said though-------the best advice is to Practice, Practice, Practice! Paint has no prejudice to what it lands on, or what gets in it!

I'd be a little worried about the aloe leaving a film behind on the plastic. To be on the safe side.......you might want to pick up some Soft Scrub and a cheap toothbrush to thoroughly clean the model before painting. The Soft Scrub will "rough up" the plastic somewhat so the paint has something to "bite" into. It also gets rid of any mold release. However, I like to go over the plastic with 600 grit sandpaper just the same. Nothing's more irritating than to get a fisheye in your paint because of some oil (or other such thing) left behind! :shock:

Nice job Harry..........your paint jobs are clean as a whistle! That's another one of those kits that has faded from the scene------you just don't see many built on the tables anymore.

Looks cool with those wheels Andy! Nothing beats good 'ol fashioned American Mags for a muscle car IMO! 8)

AAAAAAACCCCKK!!! Someone please make a kit of THAT car, or I'll threaten to hack up a '64 Corvair Spyder and do it myself!!! I just LOVE those European Type 3 Ghias!! And yes, they were gray market cars as I remember seeing only one or two here in the states when I was a kid in the '60's. Heck I'd even settle for a (cough, couuuuuughhhh.....) diecast!

Second one is definitely an early '50's Cunningham with a Chrysler Hemi. I have no clue what the first one is................rebodied Bugatti??? :?

Barry, other folks will have their preferences.........but after 12 years I still swear by my Badger Crescendo! It's held up very well, and the only maintenance I've had to do was to replace the nylon bushing in the body of it. They tend to get weak after a while from removing and reinserting the needle after cleaning. Cost??..................Well circa 1994-95 when I bought it, price was around $75 at the time. Of course they're more expensive now.............but you don't want to get something that's gonna give you trouble in the long (or short) run. I'd rather pay the money for a good airbrush than go on the cheap and get a piece of junk that'll sit and collect dust! :shock:

You can try Zonealarm which is designed to run on XP. They were supporting 98 SE which I'm still using, but they stopped supporting the software as of the middle of last year. I'm gonna have to bite the bullet this year and get a new computer with an up to date OS! :shock: When I had it on my OS, I never had any trouble with it and you can upgrade to better versions of it.............of course the deluxe versions are not free. :shock: Click here to check it out. Hope this helps!

That's my favorite color for Superbirds!! I also love the detailed Hemi you stuck in it! One of the rarest of the rare!

Well.........If I needed to add contours to bodywork that's missing, I might do it the same way as B did. While you can add plastic to give you some definition to what you need to build up, putty might still be needed to smooth and "feather edge" out the contour. Simply sanding and blending across the strips would leave a trough.............while it may not be noticeable in primer, it'll probably show up during color coats. :shock: BTW, what type of putty are you using? Everyone's got their favorites.................Mine's Dynatron Putty-Cote for large areas.............Tamiya Putty for the small stuff.

Nice job Luis! That's much, much nicer than any of my builds in the first ten years of my building models. I wish I still had the first model I built.........it was Monograms '57 'Vette and it was TERRIBLE!! :shock: But it's nice to look back and see how far we've come.

Yeah, the Magnum does resemble that front end! Like the saying goes......."The more things change, the more they stay the same". :wink:

'77 Chevelle Laguna Stock Car?? Hooray!! I can turn that into one of my favorite cars when in high school back then!! The 1975-76 Laguna S3.......... Minus the side stripe of course....... Hmmm.............I feel a '73-'74 Pontiac Grand Am comin' on too! :wink:

Nope! If it's thin enough to come outta the can's nozzle...............it's thin enough to spray in your airbrush! :wink: Post pics if you can of the finished engine!

AAAAHH I see!! 'Cuz they make great extra small diameter stainless steel tubing..........good stuff for making three stage model car antennae's!

Greg, my wheels were handlaced wires from CMA (Creative Miniature Associates). Unfortunately, they're no longer available..............I originally built this model back in 1996-97. Detail Master makes some excellent Borrani wires as shown here on my Italeri 250 SWB........... Wheels could use a little cleaning..............but the model is 9 years old now!

Chris, I mentioned in another post how I hope AMT's tooling can find a happy and suitable home. AMT has soooooo much history, it'd be a crying shame to let it fall by the wayside...........having said that I hope that whoever gets them..............they are real hobby enthusiasts and not just out to make a quick buck. That'll surely spell doom for AMT.

Hmmm...........I thought that M.A.S. was out of business......yet they still have a website up. :? Anyone know for sure if they're still in business?? :?:

Oooohh....check out that shine! 8) That's one nice thing about Tamiya paints.......they level out very nicely without too much need for rubbing out. Cruz, what kit number is yours?? I tried to find the kit on HLJ Japan, but couldn't find it. I'd like to buy this kit and have some slick ideas for one. :wink: Thanks!

Jared, I don't know what to tell you, 'cept to say that the problem may be the alcohol is not compatible with the Model Master Acryl paints. I have some of the MM Acryls and here's what they state: "If needed thin with Acryl Thinner #50496. If paint dries in airbrush or on tools, clean immediately with Acryl Cleaner #50498 I would highly recommend that those instructions be followed..........seems as though the paint is not formulated to accept any other thinner except theirs! Just like Tamiya Acrylics, I guess they wanna make money off their thinners as well as their paints! Lemme know if this works out for you..........Don't give up! :wink:

Nice!! That's something you don't see built up anymore! Great job on the doors too Jeff! :wink:

Sounds like a great idea Ayatollah! I'd certainly be interested in something like that! Now that's funny!!

That's lookin' mighty fine Brian! I was gonna suggest you might want to paint the stripes a while back.............I had sorta the same issue with my Mustang. Some decals no matter how hard you try, just won't cooperate! Did you use Tamiya tape for masking? Anyway, the stripes look terrific! 8)

Gee, you work fast! Nice to see that old model brought back from the dead! I have an old Pace Car that needs restored, but it wouldn't get done nearly as fast as yours------not to mention, it was not in as bad a shape as the one you're doing. :shock: