crowe-t

I've found that the automotive paints that Gravity Colors uses(BASF) are a lot less hot(solvent) than Model Car World paint which is PPG. Gravity Colors paints seem to be almost as mild, if not just as mild as the hobby lacquers. Maybe since BASF is made in Germany they are made with a less hot solvent due to environmental laws. Are Splash paints as mild as Gravity Colors paints? Do you know what brand of paint Splash uses?

So just apply some liquid cement after the the mold lines are sanded? Is Tamiya Extra Thin cement good for this?

I've been using Gravity Colors for a while now but I haven't tried Splash Paints yet. Splash Paints does need to add more automotive colors, especially US car colors.

I'm curious how these paints compare to Gravity Colors paints. Has anyone compared them?

Thanks guys!

Thanks guys! Tom - The canon's shoulder supports go almost to the end on the Jeeps on the show. The pictures I took are making the shoulder supports look like they go right to the end but in person it looks less so. The alien or shooter's shoulders go inside those supports and he/she stands right at the end. Some friends of mine actually built a 1:1 replica of a Laser Jeep and the supports go almost to the end.

Thanks Matt! It's listed on the Auto World web site. I guess this kit's name is another take on the Country Charger kit. I'm glad to see Round 2 re-releasing this kit. For a snap kit it's actually very nice. If this snap kit's body is combined with the glue kit's chassis it can really be built up nicely.

It does say Ford Cruising Van on Steven web site. I hope it is this one in the picture above. AMT PLASTIC MODEL KITS AMT-1108 1/25 1977 Ford Cruising Van $31.95 TBA

Thanks Dominik!

Thanks for the nice words guys!

Brian, Thanks for posting these 2 pictures. I know exactly what you are saying. I downloaded pictures that Repstock(Tom Ellifritt) has in his Photobucket showing what needs to be cut and moved to make a correct 133" bed. He shows a good way to lower the wheel arches. I'll remove the bed tool box too.

Does anyone have pictures of a regular(133" wheelbase) 8 foot inner bed from a 1:1 Ford Pickup?

Maybe I'll try this conversion on one of the cheaper kits first so I don't ruin the old kit. I'm planning on building he old AMT Matchbox kit but the newer released kits will be good to practice on.

I think the current kit is 4 wheel drive so it'll need some work. I only paid $40 for this older kit and then I'll have to buy the current kit. It's not worth the extra money.

The resin prop has a lot of details so it can't be rubbed out. It's painted black and gray. Duplicolor doesn't seem to make a regular gray, only gray metallic colors so I used Tamiya TS-67 IJN Gray and Duplicolor Perfect Match Universal Black. Since I used the Tamiya lacquer for the gray I had to spray a clear coat on. I wish Duplicolor sold a matte clear in a spray can. I might have to buy a quart of the Duplicolor Paint Shop Matte Clear for this.

I had a sheet of BMF New and Improved Chrome for about 6 years and kept it in a bag in the refrigerator and never had any problems with adhesion. A few months ago I bought a new sheet of BMF New and Improved Chrome and it doesn't stick as well as the old stuff I had for years.

Does anyone use Duplicolor Paint Shop Clear Matte Clear Coat? Is the finish chalky or does it have a nice sheen? I need a good durable matte/satin clear for a resin prop. I used Duplicolor Perfect Match Clear but it's too glossy. A friend suggested using Duplicolor since it's durable and better for handling.

Thanks Mike for all this information. I don't have the kit yet so I didn't know what length the bed is. Other than the location of the inner wheel tubs, are the details inside the bed in this kit correct?

I picked up this AMT Ford Ranger F-350 kit today on E-Bay. I'd like to make it into an F100/F250 with an 8 foot bed. I'm pretty sure this kit has a longer bed than 8 feet. How is the length of the bed determined? Is it measured from inside of the tailgate to the inside of the bed’s bulkhead?

Thanks guys! V is one of my favorite shows and I've always wanted to build one of these.

I built these 2 Jeeps as the Laser Jeeps used by the alien Visitors on the 1984 TV show 'V'. These are Monogram Jeep CJ7's. These models represent a 1977 Jeep with the front roll bar loop mounted straight up and on top of the wheel wells. The Jeeps used on the show were from the early 80's with the roll bar main loop slanted back with a slight curve in the middle of the top and go down to the floor. I scratch built the roll bars using 2mm rod. I also scratch built the handles above the glove compartment doors and the ignition coils. The distributors are pre-wired from MADD. The laser cannons are scratch built using mostly various styrene tubes and rod. I posted some pictures here in the TV and movie car thread but these are updated with the side mirrors attached and I included a couple of progress pictures. I'll be keeping 1 and the other is going to a friend.

A friend made those a while ago.

Great job on this one Anthony! Thanks for starting this thread.

Thanks Anthony! The only difference between the Eckler and Riviera wheels is the the Riviera wheels have the built in posts for the axles. Apparently the Riviera doesn't have wheel backs. I just cut the posts off and filed the rear of the wheels down to fit with the MPC wheel backs and tires. I started with an MPC General Lee kit but I spliced in parts from a Revell '69 Charger chassis and it has the full front and rear Revell suspension and rear end. I also used the Revell firewall and radiator/support. I have a couple of the Revell '69 Charger kits that I plan on building as LEE 1 and LEE 3(2 of the original Georgia General Lees). The Revell kit builds up real nice but I first wanted to see what I could do with the MPC kits.

Thanks Jeremy! A friend made me the decals a while ago. The early Georgia General Lees with the cross flags are my favorite look for the car. The early cars had the darker saddle tan interiors and the smaller front push bar. I didn't like the later cars as much with the light cream interiors.