Scale-Master

Only one problem... While it is always a pleasure to hang out with those listed, I did not attend that convention, or that Keckster BBQ. Must have been a great party though if anyone remembers me being there...

I did a little of both, decanted some and airbrushed the tight and more delicate areas while utilizing the can for the larger parts and final coats. And thanks everyone!

You got me. Total fabrication, story and model, I thought... Makes me wonder if there was maybe something like it now with some of the responses... All in good fun...

You got your UPS in my FedEx...

You didn't mention what kind of paint it is, but if it is long time cured, no matter what it is, you should be able to safely use the cheaper 70% rubbing alcohol to soften the BMF adhesive. That with the aforementioned tape trick should help. And as for the residual adhesive, back to the same alcohol...

New unopened bottles go from the store to the fridge at my house, unless I need it right away... Wait for it to become room temp before opening the bottle. Moisture is the enemy. If you live in a humid area the life of a bottle can be compromised. If you want to store an opened bottle in the fridge, seal it in a zip-lock bag first. Again, let it acclimate to the ambient temp before opening the bag.

The Turbo-Jet Z/28’s name was derived from the label applied to cars powered by Chevrolet’s Big Block engine and a jet aircraft theme was also incorporated. The inclusion of Z/28 moniker was purely due to the meteoric rise and current popularity, including new race heritage of that option package. One of GM’s more bizarre creations, (but then consider the era), this Camaro based car included such oddities as a faux jet turbine intake in the grille and an afterburner exhaust between the taillights. Since it appeared to have standard dual exhausts, it is highly doubtful it did anything functional, not even as cool as the Batmobile (which it was arguably inspired by) in that regard…. Even the tail lights looked cheap being only the transparent red parts of the RS units with no chrome trim or even provision for back up lights. While it appears to be made from a second generation Camaro at first glance, in fact it was built from a base model 1969 Camaro convertible. If you compare the “sheet metal parts†that look like a ‘70 Camaro with an actual one, you’ll see the shape and proportions are different even though the styling is similar in a somewhat warped fashion. Even the headlights are not set into the bezels as a ’70 would be. In reality, it had a fiberglass body except for the stock ’69 Camaro deck lid. The front clip is a seamless one piece unit. It has been suggested this was made by using an early F-body mock up version, or a fiberglass lift of a clay exercise intended to be an attempt at the second generation Camaro. The dash is also styled similarly to the second generation Camaro, possibly to give a glimpse of things to come, or leftover from the styling studio. Furthermore, even though its name indicates that it had a Big Block (plus the Z/28s were all Small Block powered,) and the literature of the day claimed it did have an L88 427, most involved with the project say it was no real secret it was powered by an anemic 283 Small Block with a two barrel Rochester 2GV carb connected to a Saginaw 4 speed. It didn’t even have true dual exhaust, just a Y split off a common pipe. The interior is also aircraft themed to some degree. The floor panels were perforated ostensibly to allow water to drain out due to it being a true speedster indicating there was some forethought to actually using it? Who knows… The entire interior was finished with an industrial gray/black Zolatone epoxy finish. The door panels mirror the floor design and mimic aircraft dive brakes, (literature stated from a Dauntless dive bomber) and the steering wheel sports an aircraft yoke-like configuration. Plenty of large gauges also give a nod to the aero look. A T.V. monitor in the console said “futuristic style†for the day. The headrests were said to be inspired fighter planes, as was the anti-glare panel on the hood. The rear spoiler was made of rubber and looked just like a 1969 unit. The windshield was made of acrylic or poly carbonate, not known for sure, but subsequent scratching as it progressed through the show circuit makes it very unlikely it was glass. The car also had no seat belts and the only door actuators were buttons inside the silver door panels. The traditional floor high beam switch location was actually where the start/stop button for the engine was located and no keyed ignition was used. The Model: I reworked the front of a ’70 Camaro and grafted the top and rear of a ’69 together. The dash is from the ’70 kit with gauges made from brass. Interior details, as were the unique “Turbo-Jet†parts were machined from aluminum. The wheels centers are fronts from the Revell Landy Charger with machined outer rims and backing plates. Graphics were copied and printed as decals. Testors Panther Pink looked to be a close match to the “Turbo Ma-Jet-A†color originally used.

Happy Birthday my friend. It is a good ting (intentional spelling) you weren't born one day later. Otherwise you might be..... Wait for it.... An April Fool! Mahalo buddy!

Not to steal Ron's thunder for a very well done job... But you can get 'em here, from me... http://scale-master.blogspot.com/

There's a lot of variables. You need to factor in kit and materials cost so you know what it will take to break even. Plus to what level are you building? What does the client expect? The time you spent has to be tempered with the results as the client sees the end product. Even if you spend say 500 hours building a relatively straight forward kit, if a die-cast looks better, it's a hard sell.

Found another of me, I apparently don’t take too many pictures of myself. That’s a Long EZ if you are wondering…

Not turned, glued 'em straight ahead to address the bad toe issue. Don't turn to roll either. Glued 'em on too. Would have destroyed the front suspension using the kit mounting hardware for the wheels, the rears needed to be, I'll just say repositioned from suggested kit locations so they could reach the ground. Not a stellar kit...

It wasn't just the parts not being rendered or fitting as well as the Tamiya "parent", but the plastic was overly brittle and there was some silicone in the plastic too.

Old Academy copy of the Tamiya 1/20th JPS kit. As far as the quality of the kit composition, something was lost in the translation , but it worked well enough for this project. Decals are from the 1994 IPMS National Convention, (printed from my artwork). Tamiya TS-8 and TS-11 for the body colors. Mostly out-of-the-box except for the addition of the injector lines and replacement of the rear wing plates and re-shaping of the side pods and skirts. Link to “On the bench†http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=42246

It's supposed to look like a baked potato... with a seam...

Actually I have seen Mr. Taylor at model contests. In this case I think he really could care less...

Got my room reserved too.

I have been collecting the parts for my first car for years. 1973 Vega Kammback. Get to cut up two relatively rare drag kits for the body... Done the same compiling of kits and parts to do my '73 Camaro too, I was waiting for me to stop changing it before starting on the model, I think it has been the same long enough for that. Procrastination paid off for that one since the AMT '70 Camaro came out during the compilation period. I started and got more than half way through a model of my '72 Chevy truck, but the real one out rusted the model while I was pondering adding the shell to the model or just removing it from the real one. Guess I'll just have to weather and rust up the model now because I am not going to fix the real one. I would really like a model of my '68 Vista Cruiser, but I doubt that will happen... I did finish a model of my daily drivers '94 Camaro and '98 Corvette at least...

Making steady progress…

Or a cream/off- white...

I'm glad I am building mine just out of the box so I can blame any spring rate errors on the people who did the research for the kit. Doesn't one of the cottage aftermarket companies offer the correct springs? Or maybe if you just paint them the correct green color it will look close enough? Either way the build looks really good regardless of the level of accuracy.

The decals have been applied; BMF was used for the fillers. The detail engraving is very weak so I decided to foil them prior to clear coating. The wheels and tires are done… The tire lettering was “soft†so I opted to make decals instead of hand painting them. The bottom of the chassis/body…

You'll know when it has gone bad... If it hasn't gone hard, it might be in a gel state. Once there, it is very rare to rejuvenate it even with lacquer thinner. Often they will separate and get thick and usually that is the last step before the point of no return. If you find one in that state, add lacquer thinner and mix thoroughly.

You can make anything you want for yourself without fear of reprisal from the powers that be. You can even give it to someone without worry. It is only when you offer to sell those items a case of infringement can be made. I too speak from experience as a professional decal artist...

Anyone know the suggested retail price?