retired & glad

Thanks Rich and Jim I can now see that this could turn out to be a never ending project. I have built mostly plain-jane models and now want to start by adding my own ideas and using spare parts ( when necessary) to make them a little different. Rich, I am building room and storage poor. For me, under the bed would be a disaster. My dog would have them from one end of the house to the other. She is all ways at my feet when I am working on one and just waiting for me to drop something.

Thanks Jim That's a good start. I am writing a list and then will make labels for them. Thanks Richard

Hi all. I have been building for a few years now and have gotten to the point of organizing spare parts. I have a couple of plastic pull out trays storage units from another hobby that I now don't use. I need, if anyone has a few photos of what to label the spare parts, to organize them. The storage is not the problem but what to put on the trays to identify them. I've built a lot of the 2 in 1 kits and have a lot of spare parts that are still attached to the parts trees in boxes and I want the room they are taking up for some more kits. Any photos would be appreciated. Thanks Richard

Thanks Tommy I'll see if I can find some of that. Where do you get yours?

Thanks Frank I'll look into those brands. I know Tamiya makes good acrylic paint but they are a little pricey for my wallet since I can get the brands I use at walmart. I think the matt and glossy are below $1.00 and you get a lot for the money. I'll eventually find something that will work with out taking a loan out.

Hey Frank I mostly use Apple Barrel gloss and matt. I use a lot of FolkArt acrylic enamels also. I like both brands but I (mostly my wife) can't take any bad odors from spraying anything. I have a spray booth but it isn't vented out doors. After I paint anything other than the body, I handle the parts a lot to make sure everthing fits and then glue after painting. The enamels have a semi-gloss when airbrushed but can't handle much without spot painting again. Any suggestions????

I have been using acrylic paint for a year and I only use Future to seal and make it a glossy finish. I need to know what to use to seal the frame and other parts but don't want it to be glossy. I have been mostly using a acrylic glossy paint and it doesn't get real glossy and that is what I want but I need to seal it with a semi-gloss or satin finish to protect it. As of now, if I handle things without a final coat of something, it will wear the thin coat of acrylic off the part. I airbrush thin coats and can't use anything that smells since I airbrush indoors. Can I use anything with the Future to cut the shine down some? What does anyone use to protect the finish??????

Very good paint job. I also like the storage of parts you showed in the firsts photos. I have a couple of these and have been wanting to set them up for parts storage and get rid of the boxes I have been using. No better time since it is 10" of snow outside and can't get out .

Thanks Jeff I am going to build the new kit motor and use it in the '55. I don't build for exact duplicate of a 1:1 model. It doesn't have the place for the filter and at least that would be the correct motor for that year. Thanks all for the knowledgeable info on a chevy motor. Richard

Well, I guess the built motor I have didn't come from the '57 chevy that I took back apart. It has a place for the filter but the filter isn't on it. In my teen years, I had a '56 chevy but I can't remember anything about a filter. I know I would have changed the oil myself but this old brain won't work on remembering that.

Now I remember which motor the one I have built came from. It was a 57 Chevy. It has the front mounts and a oil filter on the side bottom. The '55 has no oil filter on the kit motor. Thanks all for the info. Lots of knowledge on this forum.

Thanks Bill and Mark I didn't think external differences would show except for maybe exhaust systems and model years. That cleared up some confusion on which was what. I am starting a 55 chevy bel air and in real life I had a 56 chevy bel air. All ways wanted a 55 though.

Is there a difference between what a chevy 265 and a 327 looks like in a kit motor? I have a couple of motors that I don't know which kit they came from and have thrown away the kit instructions for reference. I had started and finished a few over the years and took some back apart because I didn't like the outcome. Boxed up a couple of motors and now I am starting another new kit and the motors look the same including the transmissions as the new one. I thought I would just use an old motor that is painted and complete but not sure if it is a 265 or 327. It wouldn't make any difference to me but if I decide to post some with the old motor in it, I would like to know if there was a difference between the two. Any help would be appreciated. Richard

I think the only reason I don't build the Nascar kits is because they change colors and styles of paint at every race and no way could I keep up with the changes. One of the nascar kits I have is Davey Allison and I don't think I would ever part with or build it. In those days he and Dale Earnhardt Sr. was the ones I would cheer for and follow. Happy building. Also air brushing is very good. I don't brush much except on some interior things that I don't want to set up and clean the airbrushes. Take your time on airbrushing and practice, practice and practice some more until you are comfy with the system.

Welcome Stan. I am in Morganton, NC. I know about the extra time now. Been retired for a number of years and started back to playing ( Hacking) golf and have been building models for years. Went to Radio control back in the 60's and did that for years and years. Now, there aren't many fields to fly at and plastic models have taken over the days of casual living. Back in the 80's I was given some Nascar kits that I still have unbuilt and this last year I have completed 8 models. Still have the Nascar kits but no desire to work on them since I don't follow the race circuit anymore. Hope your days of building is as much fun as I have had.

Hi Aaron What I use is at the Walmart and I am very satisfied with the acrylics. They have these in the craft section. Apple Barrel gloss and matt and folkart enamels. All are acrylic and dry pretty fast. I use a homemade drying dehydrator to fast dry them and also a heat gun to dry really fast. They aren't very durable without something to protect them. I use Future floor shine to make them glossy. I use the enamels a lot since they seem to be better to withstand handling the model. These are the only ones I use since I am limited to spraying into a booth indoors. I haven't tried any other brands and can't say anything about them. There seems to be a good supply of different colors with these. Can't say they are same colors as the original paint on the 1:1's but I don't paint for exact colors anyway. To me if it is red then I'll use a red acrylic and it looks very good. I use airbrushes and some brushes for the interiors. Always airbrush the body. I thin the paints with auto windshield washer fluid ( the blue color ) and have not had any problem using this. Hope this helps some and show us something later when you try them.

Thanks Bill I have completed a number of models this last year and your advise on treating each part as a seperate build has just hit home. I am not working on this kit but am finishing up a 37 ford panel delivery. I can see if I had spent a little prep time on getting parts to fit better, it would have made the final project a lot better looking. I've been used to throwing glue and painting, then swear-under-breath that is didn't look or fit right. I guess I have been thinking the kits were cut and glue without testing first. Thanks for the good advise Richard

Great job on this truck. I am going today and get some rods and work on mine again. I am glad I am not the only one with this problem. I thought my kit was the only one that had a bad windshield. Thanks for posting this and showing what needs to be done to correct the fit. Richard

I have 2 chevy trucks with sixes in them. Not sure if this would help but one is a 1941 chevy and the other is a 1950 texaco. Don't really know what they are but to me a 6cyl. is a 6cyl.

Thanks Bill and Bill. That's the way I'll go. I'll find the right size rods or angle stock and foil it like the photo. I knew there was a very good way of making it work. This forum is great for answers on a problem. Thanks Richard

Thanks Bill. I had thought about doing that but didn't know if it would look right. I really enjoyed building this kit but when it came to that part, well, it went on the shelf until I could find a cure. Thanks a bunch and hope the New Year is a good one for you. Richard

I've had a AMT 1957 Chevy Stepside truck on my started kit shelf for a good while. When I was working on it, I got a lot of body parts and frame, motor and running gear painted and made. I didn't dry fit anything since it was going together pretty good. The body is primed and I thought about checking the windshield fit and dang-it, it won't fit at all. It is too small width and height. It just falls in and out with no proper fit. I need a few suggestions on what to do to get it to fit. I thought about chopping the top a little but that won't cure the width problem. Maybe I could chop and heat the windshield and spread the curved part out. ????? The kit was looking good until this came up. HELP PLEASE Thanks Richard

Very good start on this truck. I built one this year and made it very stock without the decals and extra stuff. It went together real good. Wish they all were this good for fit.

Hey Frank, I have never tried the Badger airbrushes. On the paasche H, I use the #5 (1.067mm setup) and I like it better than the VL. On the VL I use the #3 (0.73 setup) and it works very good on small parts. The only thing about both that I don't like is the cup hangs on the side. I'll check out the Badger stuff and see how it looks. I guess it all depends on what you have and get used to using. I started out years ago with the VL and just last year bought the H. I used to paint with lacquer and even tried the rattle cans from the auto supply stores but last year I changed over to only acrylic since I spray into a booth inside the house now. I use only Apple Barrel acrylic thinned with auto washer fluid and then Future for the final gloss. Can't say they are color correct for models but I don't try to match year colors anyway. Thanks Richard

I have both the paasche H and VL series airbrushes. I use the H for large areas and the VL for the smaller stuff. I have always wanted a Iwata but haven't pushed the button yet. I am not real crazy about the 2 I have but they work. I use water based paint only and they do a good job. Since I haven't used any other brand, I won't comment about each brand. It takes a little while to get the right pressure and how thin the paint is to get good results. Practice, practice and then practice some more until you get it to flow right. Good luck on your venture.