Scale-Master

This turned out to be a lot more time consuming than I originally thought it would be. But it does make for a unique 1/43 scale model when done. It even has some chassis/suspension detail on the underside, but I am not going to risk the wings to try to capture it in photos…

This might be of help too: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12193&hl=%2Bdon%26%2339%3Bt+%2Byou+%2Bhate+%2Bit+%2Bwhen&fromsearch=1

My '67 had the push down lock levers too. Makes for a clean look, but I like the pop up style better .

I see you used the same technique I used on my Mustang a few years ago. Works great on fenders like those...

They are molded in on this one, (as are all the underhood details). I just painted them.

The engine bay painting is mostly done, time to move on to the suspension and other assembly details…

In some cases the original and / or early issues are a better choice due to less wear on the molds, therefore cleaner parts.

I wondered how an AeroVette would look like this, (to go with the Corvette Indy I did in a similar fashion). Thanks for showing me what it looks like outside my imagination, and without having to do anything. I like it so far...

The dash is done and installed. The wheels are on and all touch the ground…, now. There are some alignment issues, but since the rear wheels and tires are so small, I think the eye will be drawn to that problem and I doubt the other issues will be all that visible.

The chassis is getting close to being ready to accept the wheels…

The Tamiya Lexus LFA is pretty damned impressive for fit. I'd say as close to a 10 out of 10 as you'll find. And the glass fits perfectly.

The instructions make this kit look more daunting than it is turning out to be. I am almost out of parts already. This won't bump my Seven out to be my avatar Monty. The tubing and wires are too big, and sloppy looking. Replacement is a good idea, but as I have mentioned, this one is to see what happens if it is built out-of-the-box. (I only machined the rims to replace the damaged kit parts. Everything else is straight OOB.) Time to attach the engine/rear suspension assembly to the tub. I built quite a bit out of sequence and added as much of the vinyl wiring and plumbing as I could beforehand since it appears many of the mounting points for them are obscured if following the instructions to the letter. The vinyl does a very good job of making a model look like a pre-built die-cast. I applaud the thinking outside the box, but I wish these parts were made of styrene. Cleaning up the flash is next to impossible, and they don’t fit well. Even trying to use just the fittings and replacing the hoses & wires is not worth the effort for me on the next one. But that is part of what I wanted to find out by building it as intended…

This might explain a few things...

One of my Super Sevens took 2 years and 7 months of nearly full time work. That certainly has the most time invested of any model I made. A Camaro I recently finished spanned about 14 years. Most of that time it was effectively on blocks. I have done many one day models.

Great stuff, as I expected when I saw it was you... Good to see you are back to building.

Wheels and tires are almost done; I just noticed some silvering on the lettering, too much handling no doubt… Now for the fun part. I started with a base of dark gray. My plan is to paint the deeper stuff and back my way out. Still plenty more to do. It is slow going as I need to let each layer dry before building on it.

Most contests allow for addtional and different decals in Out-Of-The-Box. I have never encountered one that did not allow decal freedom. But in this case I'd recommend checking Revell rules before doing so.

The engine is coming along and there are fit issues. Rather than fix them all, I am going to see how it goes on this one. I found it easier to install many of the vinyl lines to the sub-assemblies before mounting them to the engine. In some cases it looks like it would have been impossible to install the lines if I followed the directions verbatim. The body has the decals on it and has been cleared.

My screen name is simply the name I have been doing decal art (and other marketable model related tasks) professionally under for most of my life. The odds are that most of the builders here have used decals I drew, even if the sheet did not have the logo on it. Most of the artwork I have done was for production kit decal sheets, and quite a few aftermarket sheets. While cars are my passion, I also do aircraft. I also create the art for tampo printing and paint masks for production die-casts (of all sizes) and the AFX slot cars. It is in no way a commentary on how I view myself or my modeling. The avatar is a shot of my most comprehensive build to date. The “Superb 7”.

Well, I have been doing the decal artwork and instruction sheets for production kits for many of the major manufacturers and quite a few of the cottage industry compaines since 1981. I have been building box art models for most of those same companies since 1978.

Can you take a good picture and post it? You know it's worth a thousand words. Maybe shoot it at an oblique angle so no one can just "copy it".

Looks like the doors and engine cover open? Any detail shots?

That is pretty cool. Is it still a Dually?

I'll reserve responding to the "nightmare" comment (I have heard it too) until I get closer to finishing it other than saying that there are some issues. The decals don't go over the louvers, they go around them, I hand painted them after I applied the decals.

The main decals are on. Still doing some minor touch up of the lightning bolts and adding sponsor decals…