edward smith

This is great work on a difficult kit, I tried putting one of these together last year and ended up putting it right back in the box, specially when it was time to install the engine to the chassis. These are really challenging kits to build. Have you had any issues up to now? I mean, these things are terribly designed.

Thanks for the heads up on this, I think I will be trying it some time.

Doesn't matter how many times it has been talked about here, I still would love to hear what some people are doing with the panel lines. I have seen some really nicely done ones and also some really bad ones, almost to the point where they are almost drawn on.

All very cool models, had to go with the Caddy, thing looks too real. That tan colored Nova looks awesome too. Wish we had more photos of each car though.

Just purchased a set of Model Car Garage Stromberg Carb photo-etch detail set and would love to know if any of you guys has put one of them together. They look very difficult to build specially because of all the small linkages that have to be added. Please help!

Sorry for copying off of you but I am going with that color on mine also, hope it turns out half as nice as yours. I will have to contact you on some painting advice so that you may help me out.

Well guys, as the thread starter I want to say that at no time I regret asking the original question in reference to this topic. It has done exactly what I wanted, well, better yet, it has exceeded by miles what I wanted to actually hear from everyone here. It was by no means my intention to make people deviate from the subject or to stir controversy simply by asking what I still consider to be a legitimate question. I say it and I will repeat it, to my understanding, there is nothing closer to simulating a real paint on a model than to actually follow the same steps you would on a 1/1 car. I am by no means a professional painter, again, I am more of a collector and I consider myself to have a very keen eye when it comes to scale realism. You can choose the Lacquer or Urethane route you want and we can be here discussing the subject for the next 100 years but the truth is that you cannot beat true scale realism simply by dumping paint on a model, specially that much paint when using Urethane. You must always remember that you are working in scale. Even the smallest tip on an airbrush is out of scale when working on a model, that's why I believe so much on the wetsanding methods used by 1/1 cars and models for that matter. Again, I am not picking on the "urethane" guys or their talent, i really admire the shiny paintjobs but when it comes to deciding which one looks more real, well, you know how I feel. The simple truth is that I brought this subject to the table, it was and will continue to be discussed and I am more than happy that we have and will continue to have diverse opinions on the subject. That's exactly why I love this place.

Nice house and trees, now you have to make sure to capture the model.

Sweet looking details my friend, looks like a nice and busy engine bay with the little extras you added. The black wash really brings everything together.

What's CBP?

Great start, looks like it will be a terrific project. I will be following this one for sure.

I have been a member of this forum for quite some time now and even though I don't build much (I am more of a collector) I do and have gotten inspired by a few good people in here to actually start gluing and painting a few little things here and there. My question is, who inspires you the most in this forum? I am not asking who is the best, I don't think is relevant to my post, I just want to know which guys here inspire you the most. Could be for their talent or for sharing their work with us or anything else you might think. I think it's time to recognize a few of our members here and thank them for their time in sharing their talents with us. I have my personal favorites but I would love to hear which ones you guys chose, I will tell you of mine later.

Oh man Cruz, excellent work on this beauty, I think you chose the perfect color for it, then again, I am partial to green on any car. May I suggest something? If you cut the decal in half, lenghtwise, you should be able to make it look more correct, I think this is where the problem is. It would be a little more tricky placing them at the end but it would yield better results because you will be able to thin the decal to the correct thickness from the middle out. The very thin lines should work okay, no need to alter them.

Cruz, that's what I'm talking about, the GTO? Just awesome man, thing looks too real!

Relax and chill man, no one is bashing anyone here, this is merely an observation on my part. I am a collector and the reason I am saying this is simple, I collect diecast models and I also buy built models from a member here whose paintjobs are way better than the diecast models I have purchased over the years. I have come to this conclusion after admiring his work and comparing it to my diecast collection. I have also studied the various different methods that guys use to paint their models and I have have learned to appreciate how real a model can and should look when you go above the details. I have seen beautiful paintjobs throughout the forum but I believe I have a very keen eye when it comes to building a model to look like the real thing. It doesn't have absolutely anything to do with bashing, it has everything to do with striving to get better at modeling. I personally don't consider myself to be a great or even a good modeler by any stretch of the imagination, nor am I here to bash anyone, God knows that 90% of the people here will build a better model than me anytime. Like I said, I have a very good eye for realism when it comes to a model and it's just something I wanted to point out.

I have been admiring some of the paintjobs done in some of the models here and other forums and I think I have come down to one conclusion or better yet, question. How shiny should shiny be? I ask this because I have seen some cars that are just way too shiny to the point where they look like diecast or others in which the paint has been dumped on so heavily that even the panel lines have dissapeared. I have also seen that the ones with the most shine are the ones with Urethane finishes, to me I think those are the ones that look the shiniest but also the most toyish. What do you guys think?

Wow, the Catalina and Gto look so real, great work.

Anybody? Would like to see some.

I am liking this a lot already, nothing beats the look of real metal, specially on rims. Where do you get your Pegasus sleeves?

I love the way that rear curtain type window looks in the back, the colors chosen really compliment the overall look of the build. Once again my friend, you hit it out of the ballpark with this one. Everything is so clean and correctly done. What do you use to glue your photo-etch emblems?

Cruz, that is just awesome and unique, do you have more pictures of the actual model? I saw that it was published in the last Model Cars Magazine annual car show edition but no photos of the rest of the car.

Hi there guys, I am planning on building an AE86 Toyota Trueno Fujimi kit. Have any of you guys build one or several? I would love to see some pictures for ideas and inspiration.

That's funny. Specially after such a great job on the paint. Question, is that a urethane clear? Looks fantastic.

By the way, which color is that? Looks great.

Surely glad you are starting on this project since I have 2 of these kits and always wanted someone to build it just to see how well it goes together. The work on the rims really turned out well with the valve stems and the photo etch emblems in the middle. Thanks for sharing this, I will be very busy following this build. Oh, by the way, the color you chose is much better than the bright color Mr. Kustov decided to go with, I know you will do just as good as he did, you guys are great modelers and there is a lot we can all learn from you.