Mr. Show

I started this hobby nearly three weeks ago and I'm still on my first model, mainly because I'm having such a rough time getting the body to look right. I've painted and stripped it 5 times. On the most recent paintjob, now curing, I took my time after priming and made sure every nook, cranny and crevice of the parts were sanded flat. I read up on and practiced my airbrushing skills so there would be no surprises. And yet the finish is still uneven. There's no orange peel since I airbrushed, but there are thousands of tiny bumps on the surface. In the airbrush tutorial videos I saw nobody had this problem. What will I need to fix this in finishing? The finest sandpaper I can find locally is 2000. I have some polishing compound but I think it may be too strong for the enamel. Should I clearcoat then finish sand? These are the things I'm having trouble finding answers on. Anyway, any suggestions would be great. I'm so tired of looking at this thing and want to move on to something else.

That looks great. What did you use for the header[turbo, inlet? Know nothing about turbos] and block?

I did some testing with the gloss black Krylon. It sprayed on as a mirror finish, then after 10 seconds it started wrinkling and turned matte with some orange peel. It did this both with and without primer. Also, not to derail, but how is Plastikote? I read the name around here but can't recall in what context. I saw some today in an old auto parts store but wasn't sure if I should grab some.

Engine paint looks great. Is that Alclad?

Well, I wasn't happy with the Testors one shot lacquer - even after two clear coats it flaked off quite easily on the edges as I was trying to polish it with a cloth. So back in the DOT3 lake it went. All the lacquer slid off like slim within 15 minutes - either my brake fluid has aged like wine or I should have sprayed the lacquer on thicker - it certainly wasn't a primer issue as I used lacquer for both. Also the Duplicolor "chrome" spray paint was a waste of $6. There is nothing I can do to make it look remotely good: gloss black basecote, future, bare, primed, so flat and glossy you can ski down it, etc., so Alclad here I come. Anyway, hours of sanding, smoothing and priming later: All flat (except that shiny blob thing which looking at it now is a drop of water,) but I may give it another coat of primer and sand that before the final coat. It's a tossup between pearl purple and just plain gloss black. I also got a little work done on the engine. I'm not too happy with it and I have no idea what happened with the air cleaner, but I'll just leave it. I'm not trying to make my first build perfect, even if I have painted and stripped the body 5 times. Anyone know if Boyd's spray paint needs to be thinned for airbrushing if decanted? Edit: I'll probably stop updating this until the model is finished or my skills greatly increase and I have something worthwhile to post. These middling shots probably aren't very interesting but I wanted to also keep a log for myself to chart my progress.

Not a kit, but related to modeling. Traded in my compressor (tip: never buy anything branded Alton or Toolshop - they both buy from the same awful Chinese manufacturer and slap their name on the product) for a better brand and model. Slightly overkill for airbushing, but I needed one with a built-in regulator, and I can finally use basic paint guns now for larger projects since I mod computer cases as well.

Still working on my first model, a Dodge 330 with a slant six. I think I've spent more time building a workbench and buying supplies than on the model itself.

Had to take advantage of the HL sale one last time before it ends tomorrow.

Re-chroming is underway. Just have to put on another coat of clear and the final chrome coat.

Got a coat of clear on and painted most of the engine pieces. I had no idea if the slant six was originally Chrysler Red or Blue. Instructions say blue, picture on box is red, all the pictures on GIS but a few are red. Oh well, I could never approximate the red anyway.

This is looking great. I love that shade of green and the paint looks awesome.

This looks great. Hope you're still progressing on it.

When I was still going to paint it flat green I planned to use the black steelies with steel colored hubcaps. I stripped all the chrome parts and planned to do those and the accents steel as well. Now that the finish is different I'm not sure how well that would work. Steel accents would probably look terrible with a glossy/metallic topcoat. May just go back to chrome and pilfer some wheels from another kit of the same era. edit: Anyway, hope to get the slant six parts painted today. It's more detailed than the 383 and has a separate transmission. Some of the 383's pieces are just awful; the fan is unusable.

After hours of prep work that probably weren't worth it, I'm ready to lay down my final attempt at a topcoat. If it looks good, great; if not, I'll finish the build and move on, lessons learned. Color: Primed: No idea where those came from, but sanding should take care of them: And the finished product before clear. It looks much better in person, the reflections look strange in the picture:

Looking good so far. The paint job looks really smooth and even. I also picked up this kit at Hobby Lobby the other day - it's really nice (honestly 50% of my decision was based on the included engine stand ). Since you're building it basically stock are you using the 440 Magnum? And yeah, I think they went a little overboard on the flakes in that, but it should look good after some clear.

Doh, I misread something and thought it said this was your first model. I must have been reading another thread and switched to this one, so my reply probably seems strange. Anyway, I think this looks great - I really like the interior carpeting. How did you do the small details like the silver trim on the door panels?

Nothing beats education through experience. I just picked this hobby up two weeks ago and have made and learned from more mistakes than I can count, and I'm still working on my first model. I've soaked the body in brake fluid for 2-3 days so many times - erasing my previous painting mistakes - that I wouldn't be surprised if it disintegrated right in front me.

Well I thought it might affect the plastic tube or some of the other parts it touches since I assume it's stronger than the testors stuff. It certainly smells worse.

I've been buying the 1 3/4 ounce Testors thinner but it goes pretty fast when you have to thin paint and clean an airbrush. Large bottles of mineral spirits paint thinner are about the same price and contain 20 times more product. Can it be used with enamels, or at least to clean an airbrush?

Today's mini-haul: Charger was 40% off at Hobby Lobby, HoK paints 50% off at Hobbytown.

Thanks. This forum is inspiring - without it I would have given up by now. My last paintjob was ruined by hair and dust since I was doing it outside. I built myself a ghetto paint booth last night so I can attach a fan to the back blowing out a window. Should alleviate particles getting in the paint. Extreme low budget solution. Once I get some free time I'll no doubt build a more complex, over-engineered version, but in the meantime it should work fine once I install the rotating platform and extend the edges with cardboard or something.

The 330's paint is curing and I should have pictures soon. In the meantime, I've started on a Chrysler 300C Hemi SRT8. It's part of Revell's "Uptown" line from 2006. It's a fairly simple kit but looks to be of good quality.

If anybody else is still looking, Menard's is having a sale on Alton oil-free, piston action 1/3HP 1 gallon compressors for $34. I haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it's very portable and plenty for airbrushing. It doesn't have a regulator, but you can pick up an in-line one there for a couple bucks and a water/oil filter for ~$5. They also have 5 gallon tanks for around $20.

Just got the email and coupon. Will definitely be making the 22 miles trek to Hobby Lobby. I get all my paint there since it's cheaper than anywhere else, but the model selection at my local store is sparse and the prices are pretty high. Still a great deal and I wish I hadn't already bought a an airbrush - they have a nice iwata for $117 that would be a steal with the 40% off coupon.

It looks so happy. Should be an interesting build.