john sharisky

I filled the black areas of this '67 Impala grille with non-waterproof black ink. It has the consistency of water. So each flat area of the part needs to be held flat and level until the ink dries. Any errors can be cleaned up with water (of course). John

I bought a 2018 Ford Focus Titanium hatchback at 12 months old with 11K miles (former Hertz RAC). Crazy loaded. Trouble free. The trick with the automatic transmission was to accelerate HARD. Every time (it even said so in the owners manual). Traded it four months ago for a 2025 Toyota GR86 (base, stick).

Yeah - I held my airbrush at a 90 degree angle to the chassis plate. John

Update: the silver pencil in the above shown Prismacolor set did the trick. Nothing dramatic. Just a little highlight on the fuel and brake lines. Thanks for all the suggestions! John

I have the Micro Mark kit. I bought it about a year ago. Haven't used it yet. At one point in the instructions is has you sort of "developing" the image (onto the metal plates) under the UV light of a standard light bulb (I don't have those any more) or in direct sunlight. I live in New England. Strong sunlight this time of year is unreliable. I thought I'd start using it this past summer but things got in the way. It's a comprehensive kit. I'm glad I bought it. I recommend that you sign up for notification when it's back in stock. I see there's still a bad link on the MM site to the instructions. If you'd like a PDF copy, please feel free to contact me. John

Great idea - thanks! I forgot I had this set. Metallic Silver and Gold included. John

I'm working on the Revell 1970 Ford Torino. The fuel and brake lines are so nicely engraved it seems a shame to leave them in the Tamiya red primer. For whatever reason I've never detailed these before. Is it as simple as dry brushing? I'm thinking a solid color (light gray for example) might be better than a color with metallic bits in it (copper, silver, etc.)? Wide brush - pointed brush? I guess that would be dictated by how close to another component (frame rail, etc.) I want to get? Thanks for any help! John

I ordered a $119.00 part for my GR86 from Japan. UPS sent me an invoice for $80.60 tariff and brokerage fee.

Steve, Does this work on vacuum formed clear also? John

All of the pieces that you mentioned are separate. I just disassembled a promo convertible to restore. I noted that the two (each) headlight mounting "pegs" - and the holes in the body - are different diameters. So there is an "up" and "down" orientation to them.

Since you mentioned Maine, try the Maine Classic Car Museum in Arundel. I went there in July (68 photos on my Facebook page). Terrific. It's worth booking and paying extra for the VIP tour (Louis was my docent). I got to look under the hood of and sit in cars that I've only seen in magazines. Maine Classic Car Museum

This style wheel for the 1/24 Monogram Packards: ...I forgot to show the sidemounted wheels with this disc wheel.

Still a Road Runner grille (with the bird emblem). I picked this up on eBay years ago.

I have a small snag: all the windows were engineered to snap tightly into the body (molded in silver metallic). After my primer and paint, they won't snap in. Too tight. It isn't just the mounting tabs. Looks like I have to sand the circumference of all four window glass pieces.

I know it really doesn't help you but I have the Missing Link Resin Grabber kit. That rear spoiler was cast as part of the body.

Yes I did use Tamiya pink. The photos from my spray booth are under a warm-white fluorescent light which throws things off a bit (I should change it to LED). The photos post-polish are on under cool-white fluorescent lighting.

Thanks! It was the availability of these pieces that prompted my decision to buy this kit and take it in a direction that Revell maybe didn't intend.

Coming along nicely. It has the look that I wanted. The kit headlight lenses have a center mounting lug and two smaller protrusions that fit into the chrome bucket for a correct vertical orientation. I replaced those with ones from the parts box with Molotow dabbed on their backside. Another item(s) not indicated or called out on the instructions are "stock" lenses without the mounting lugs. I just wanted to use lenses with the fluting on the outside. I forgot to mention before that I did open the left and right intakes on the lower front valance. Without the rear bumper the muffler-to-tailpipe clamps are a bit oversize and obvious. I replaced the kit tires with ones that were a little wider and with smaller ID and slightly smaller OD. These tires hug the USCP wheels better (they're no-names from the Polar Lights '64 Pontiac GTO kit).

The Revell Aston Martin DB5 snap kit that I'm building sort of "stock". I like the no-bumpers look. Also, no radio, antenna or outside mirrors. Both stock and "Bond" center consoles are included but I'm not using either. I filled the ejection seat hatch and bullet proof shield with kit parts (the top part of the shield only). The hole for the rear license plate was filled with Evergreen stock (same for the under-dash radar screen). The seams for the front and rear valances were meant to be covered by the bumpers. I made the front parking lights/machine gun mounts less obvious (they stuck out too much for a stock look). The green putty is Evercoat Euro-Soft. After priming I used Tamiya white for small dings and divots. Exterior color is 1965 Buick code R "Flame Red" lacquer by MCW (because I had it...). The color isn't as bright as it looks in these photos. I'm still painting it at the time of this post. I don't plan a clear coat. Wheels, spinners and open front grille (all by USCP) were coated with Molotow (I brushed it on the exhaust tips). Not called out on the instructions at all but included is the emergency brake lever. The interior floor has holes to mount the pedal assembly on the left but no LHD dashboard is included. I just received the Tamiya Aluminum Stickers that I want to use for the window trim (molded on the clear parts themselves). Not Tamiya quality but a fun, not high detail, project so far. Thanks for looking!

GM is no stranger to some photo re-touching:

I have good luck with non-waterproof black ink.

Received this today:

One or both of the old MPC "Gangbusters" '27 and '28 Lincoln (Roadster/Touring Car) has a two piece bag with clubs. They're vintage looking clubs (not modern looking at all).

A few weeks ago I saw a Facebook post by a guy who used the Revell spray on JoHan '64 Dodge bumpers. He said he then overcoated them with Future Floor Wax on a Q-Tip. They looked fantastic.

I recently had multiple trays of mixed media parts plated by Little Motor Kar Co.. I sent a mixture of styrene, resin and 3D printed items and am pleased with the plating and service. I'll use Dale again. I made mistakes in how I mounted some of these parts. I'll do better next time (I more fully explained this on my Facebook page). As for the results, they look a little better in these photos than they do in real life. Chrome Tech used to advise on their site not to use anything more course than 1500 grit or else the scratches will show through the plating. He's right. The Olds and Pontiac wheel covers are "3D printed resin" by Fireball Motorworks. While the results are not mirror-like, the plated results look very 1:1 correct with a slightly stippled finish. The Air Trax resin Mercury wheels came out not so hot. But that's a result of the poor quality casting. The Corvette alloys and knock-offs are resin but I forget by who. The Parts Box items are for their '58 Chrysler New Yorker trans-kit. The Replica and Miniatures of Maryland caps are from their stock parts kit for the Revell '66 Chevelle wagon kit. The Pontiac disc brake wheel covers came from eBay. I forget who did those. I hope this helps! John