Scale-Master

I planned to build them straight out of the box to see how they build up, but I decided to add simple ignition wires for fun. The engines were built the same except for the different frame color of the Sunoco car on the motor plate and the added ignition wire colors. I know the wires are not routed correctly for these cars, but then with the other inaccuracies of these kits it seemed like a little artistic license was warranted. After all they are reconfigured Fords with a few new parts.

The rear window could fit better than it does on my earlier built up. I shaved a good bit off the front and rear edges of the three rear windows. The windshield fits pretty well but they were also shaved around the edges to compensate for the paint. The first round of painting is done on the insides of the windows. The lines are not molded crisply and they are not symmetrical so I drew up masks and cut them on my plotter so they would all look the same. The vertical straps on the windshields are on the insides and they are on the outsides of the rear windows. I just used masking tape for the second round; more time consuming than I expected…

I thought I'd get the wheels painted early on so they could be totally dry when I got around to installing them. The wheel details are molded on the soft side where the centers meet the rim making masking tough. The chrome is very weak too, not only poor coverage but it wipes right off even with the most careful handling. So I brush painted them. It took four kits and all sixteen wheels to get twelve acceptable rims due to the bubbles in and poor coverage of the chrome.

After reviewing the previous built up I recalled the hood/fenders and front fascia didn't have a positive fit to each other. And the fascia is supposed to be cemented to the chassis with the hood & fenders setting on top and removable. To remedy this I installed magnets and made steel brackets to force the fascia and hood seam into alignment without any cement. I also added mounting bosses to the rear of the fender section and bored corresponding holes to the body.

Hot Wheels, Rain-X and Sunoco Liveries. I meant to build each of these Revell kits as they came out, but never got around to it except for the one I made as a what-if street machine painted like our real '94 Camaro back in '98. I built that from an extra Sunoco kit I pulled the decal sheet from to archive and was curious how these kits went together. That one had a warped chassis and a very poorly fitting rear window along with other fit issues I'm guessing I'll need to contend with on these. (The license plate is off the Galaxie '48 Aerosedan sheet and is the actual plate from our real Camaro. Gary Schmidt let me include that when I designed the decal art.) The gummy residue on the yellow Rain-X body will have to be cleaned up. It is from the test fitting of artwork I designed for the Sunoco kit. The blue one is the Hot Wheels car and the white one is the Sunoco. I started these back in February of this year (four months ago) and have been documenting my progress, but am just getting around to posting; so they are "mostly done" at this point and I'm catching up. The hood of the Hot Wheels car was attacked by the tires in a half dozen spots. Those melted spots needed to be filled and smoothed. The Sunoco car also has an "R" divot from the tires in the nose.

Thank you Monty! It's done now...

Starter 1/43rd scale. I'm calling it done. It was fun. WIP Thread:

Thanks guys. It's getting close to being finished. Too many projects at once (11 on the bench and two in CAD) put this one on the back burner for a couple weeks. The rear wheels stuck out a bit more than I would have liked. (To be fair, in some photos it appears they did stick out somewhat.) But I milled 0.025 inches out of the backsides of the wheels so they tucked in a little. The material the kit provides for the roll bar braces is about twice as thick as it should be. I used aluminum rod to replace them. The engine cover still fits without interfering with them.

All the decals have been applied and I shot the clear coat.

The stripes also went on well which was a little surprising as one of the stripes had a slight fold in it and I fully expected to crack at that point. They also conformed quite well to the contours including the louvers front and rear.

I waited until the decal was mostly dry; about 30-40 minutes, but still a little pliable where it spanned the slight gap. I used a sharp X-Acto knife to slice them and then rolled the four tiny flaps on to their respective edges. I cut wet decals often and it is not too difficult to get good results with a sharp blade. You only have to cut the decal, not what's under it.

I used BMF instead of the kit supplied Mylar for the sides. It didn't feel like it would conform as well as foil. I started with the roundel & number decals. They went on fine.

The engine and rear suspension is pretty much done and much of the cockpit has been detail painted. The wheels are built too. The engine cover still fits so it is time to paint the body.

The screw holes in the front section of the body that attach it to the chassis & engine were reworked so the chassis could be moved rearward to compensate for the material I added to the leading edge of the engine cover and make the fan line up with the opening. I started painting the engine and surrounding area, but there are still more parts to fit and they don't fit positively or symmetrically.

Yes you were. Mine predates Randy's by three years.

Care to share a link to it here?

Starter 1/43rd resin kit. Not without its little quirks and problems, but a fun build of an iconic car; and one of my favorites. WIP Thread:

Would you appreciate someone who doesn't know what they are talking about giving credit to someone else for building one of your models? And when you correct them they say, "Well - at least i complimented the work"? Way to be classy Andrew. You seemed proud to give credit to the wrong person/people for creating the artwork as if you knew firsthand (whether out of ignorance or wanting just to sound relevant to the topic, I don't know) but you can't even admit you made a mistake when it is brought to your attention by the one person here who actually was involved? As for the Camaro; I assumed you knew which one it was, being such an insider at that show and in that area.

That artwork was not "done by some local members". Did you not notice the Scale-Master Decals logo on that sheet? Have you not noticed my screen name and avatar? It's no coincidence. I run Scale-Master Decals. My Dad and I did that sheet. That is why I have the artwork on file. I'm not sure where you got your information, but it is incorrect and I would think a lawyer would get his facts straight. I was there too, in fact I won Best Automotive at that convention with my '69 Camaro.

Mine too. I have the artwork on file and maybe some of the printed decals from the IPMS Convention sheet. But I don't have any plans to build it in 1/24th.

The main painting and decals are done and the windows are installed. Some detail painting needs to be done before final assembly.

The engine cover does not fit well; I guess they figured most people would display it off the car (on the included stand). The panel lines on both sides look about like this, but at different angles… and the sides are much narrower than the tub. The leading edge had to be addressed too as it didn't line up or allow the opening for the fan to be centered over the fan. (Shifting the chassis is an option, but I figured getting the body set first was the better option.) I used sheet styrene to fill in the needed material and modify the panel lines. Even though I raised the engine cover when I widened it so that the leading edge matched the body, I still had to add material to the top of it outboard of the fairings so the body would flow smoothly. First coat of white primer to see how it looks.

1/43rd Starter resin kit. WIP Thread:

The blue and gold is done with the original decals from the kit. They responded well to a hairdryer and solvent but I had to be careful around the wing area with the heat. No cracking thankfully.

Ready for final assembly…