Scale-Master

That looks to be the nicest OOB stock car kit I have seen built so far. Yes, super clean work. That style of building appeals to me a lot more than throwing a bunch of aftermarket stuff at it. What kind of paint are you using for the body?

Modern Tamiya kits are in my opinion some of the best out there overall. When it comes to engineering and fit I'd say they usually are the best. But that doesn't mean the Revell/Monogram and new Round 2 stuff isn't in many cases very good too. Right now I am extremely impressed with the Tamiya Lexus LFA quality of molding, fit and ease of assembly.

If the work is not up to par, even if there is more work done, it should not get a "pass" over something that was done well overall even if it is deemed "easier". Should be about judging the overall finished models, not the attempt. Agreed! And if the model represents a car with an exposed engine and open top those elements should be included in the judging. I took a Corvette Indy to a show and entered it in Curbside. I was told I need to choose if the judges judge the engine OR the interior since they can't judge both. ???? As far as moving parts, it may be a tipping point when all other things are equal (how often does that truly happen?). But I don't think extra credit should be given in a static model contest for moving parts.

How badly was wrecked it Steve? Is it possible Art saw it repaired or restored? Or maybe it was a clone?

That is a great concept. I like it better than the notchback GT500, but I might have done the same just to see what it would look like.

Well, I won't make you send it to me to autograph, I can send you a decal of my signature...

I saw pictures of it in an old drag racing magazine. (Drag Racer maybe? Lots of B&W pics. Had Thumper II in it also, on one of the two color pages.) It’s how I was able to replicate the decal graphics when I drew it for this Revell kit. I didn’t have any pictures showing a license plate though. The plate used on this build is from another buddy of mines’ original unrestored California 1968 H.O. street car. Sent all the reference material back to R/M when I finished the job, so I can’t post them. I heard it was involved in a track “incident” but I didn’t know it was totaled.

Greg's post illustrates part of my point/opinion. Two '69 Camaro's. One stock, one "Hot-Rodded". (Or is that "Street Machined"? Doesn't sound right to me.) But to me the non-stock one is still a Muscle Car. Modifying it didn't remove it from being a Muscle Car, it added another descriptive to it.

I'll agree with that. I called it a Canyon Carver before Pro-Tour or G-Machine were coined. But for the sake of discussion, how do those terms fit in with Muscle Car and Street Machine? I see a lot more overlap than individual specific types. You could have a "Tuner" / G-Machine couldn't you?

The terms have become so nebulous I don't think there is a clear definition or line where one type becomes another. I recall a discussion about a Rambler being the first "official" muscle car. Or the '57 Chevy with fuel injection, which clearly existed long before the term was coined. I have a 1973 Camaro (post, or is it late Muscle Car year/era?) with 4th generation Corvette suspension (Sports Car?) powered by a bored and stroked roller Small Block from a 1970 Camaro (Street Machine?) What is it? Some of or all of the above?

Hey..., I know the driver!

No problem Dave. Your description of the way it chipped is indicative of the first issue you can have without the paint for the decal to adhere to. Even if you succeed in getting the decal on well, (without paint underneath) unless you seal it with a clear coat, odds are quite high it will chip off later. Any decal, not just C/F.

As soon as a figure is added, it can either make the model look like a toy or give it some life. That is mostly in the skill of the figure painter. To me if there is a figure in the car, then the car also has to be painted/detailed in a way that makes it compliment and go along with the figure. A figure moves the model from a stand-alone to a vignette. And I personally like the mechanical side of the machines over the addition of figures. Much like I left out the figures of Batman and Robin when I recently built the Batmobile. With them, it looks like a toy, without them, it looks like a replica. I think they went away when the manufacturers realized they were no longer a big selling point. They came back to some degree after small action figures had become popular.

No worries on my end. Looks good to me.

Yes. Decals are intended to be applied to paint, not plastic. In this case just a light coat of white purely to aid in adhesion.

Dash is done… And installed into the completed interior… Valve covers are done and the decals have been applied to the calipers… Some underhood details too… And the rear wings… One for “up” and one for “down” positions.

Looks like a 69/70 Impala dash to me.

I have a model of that old beast that I started about 25 years ago. I sold it recently but still intend to finish the model, maybe now closer to the way it was when I bought it. I shelved the model due to how agressive the rust became. I'm comfortable doing a little surface rust, but it was way more than that. Flintstone mobile bad...

Years ago I helped a friend paint his garage floor in Phoenix with epoxy. We wore respirators and used rollers, thought we had all the precautions taken care of. We both had real car painting experience, but apparently my respirator had never been used this long at one time and in such a confined space and I found out the hard way how long it could filter. At least his respirator held up and he was able to finish the last 20 or so minutes. I had a paint buzz almost the whole day. Took a few beers that evening to get rid of it.

I was lucky enough to be able to use my own plates on many of the decal sheets I have done. Fortunately almost all the companies want at least one California plate on any given sheet. Unfortunately most of my real cars don't have model kits to represent them...

Don't mean to drop a fly in your ointment... Still a great idea to use a cycle engine in this, but isn't that an air-cooled engine? A liquid cooled cycle engine would have been my choice. It's my understanding Mini's run warm with the radiator tucked under the fender, anyway. I guess if you can get the air flow to and over it... Your paint work looks great!

I recognize that license plate... TSN 662. It's the plate from my real '67 Nova. I'm guessing you pulled that from the R/M '67 Corvette Coupe kit.

I weather and force the contrast of details on just about everything I build. But I don't care for the heavy handed dirty look usually. It often looks like (and sometimes is) a cover up for poor work underneath. I think part of the trick to pulling it off well is to not make it the focal point, but just an accent. Even the nearly brand new LFA I am working on has some level of weathering/shading on most of the pieces.

I used some Strip Kleen lacquer thinner to cut the TS-45 Pearl White when I was airbrushing the body. The white on the hood came out of the spray can only. But it turns out the thinner is no longer crystal clear, but has a slight amber tint to it, enough to change the color. As you can see, the hood is whiter, and truth be told it is what I would have preferred, but it's easier by far to adjust the tint of the hood. I knocked the clear on the hood down with 1200 and mixed a new batch of pearl white by eyeball with the “yellow” thinner and airbrushed it. Then clear coated it. I really thinned the clear out this time. 3 parts reducer instead of 2 like the rest of the car, the clear doesn’t even need reducer. I put on four light coats with 20 minutes flash time between them to get a thin yet deep enough look. Only a little one day delay. Now I am back on track…