mr moto

Thanks, Everybody! I'm happy that you got some enjoyment from my work. It was fun for me, too. Here's a little trivia quiz to lighten your day: What's the significance of the license plate in the photo below? I know some of you will get it!

Built this a few months ago but never got around to posting it before now. This is the first issue kit from 1962 that came with a ridiculous amount of custom parts and I tried to use as many as possible. Most of what you see here came in the box in one form or another - some parts were modified but the original instructions even encouraged you to do that! The wheel covers came in the first release (also 1962, I think) of the 1934 Ford pickup and the upholstery is courtesy of Hobby Lobby. Interior console is from the 1953 Studebaker kit. Enjoy!

I have and I find it's too hot to go over most paints including Duplicolor Perfect Match and HOK. Duplicolor Perfect Match clear has always been very well behaved for me but I've never had a good result from the acrylic.

I have that same kit made by a Czech company called Smer. That is probably who currently owns the molds but, of course, things change without keeping me in the loop!

I find that soap leaves its own film behind. To be safe, always use a good dishwashing detergent (or something like Super Clean) but never a soap.

Welcome back! I've been in the hobby long enough to have built those kits when your dad/uncle did and they are still among my very favorites. Good decision to hang on to them!

I would think twice before setting a styrene model out in the bright sun. Once I had one get a severely sagging roof from sun coming through a window. A UV lamp of some kind would be a good idea.

Tamiya clear acrylic works well for gage faces and it's also available in three different gloss levels.

How about DeSoto's cigarette dispenser built into the steering wheel? It was offered from around 1940 until sometime in the early 50's.

If you ever owned a turntable or record player that had a 16 rpm setting in addition to the usual 33 and 45 that was for compatibility with Highway Hi-Fi discs. The discs weren't 7" as you can clearly see in the photo. The problem was that Highway Hi-Fi could only play the special 16 rpm records made for it and the selection was very slim!

BUILD BETTER!

Green car with yellow fenders....might be multiple years!

Try naphtha (VM&P). Available at any hardware or home store. I've never had it harm any paint though I usually use lacquer. Guitar makers use it to clean the finishes on their work.

I wonder if anybody makes a 1/25 Bo Diddley figure?

Here's an update. Still needs a little cosmetic work and a paint job.

Thanks for the explanation of the header! Total surprise. Anyway, I'm already in the process of customizing that custom guitar. It's being converted into a Gretsch Jupiter Thunderbird.

Looks like you nailed it! Thanks for satisfying my curiosity. There's probably no explanation for the exhaust system attached to the guitar.

I got this from Ebay in a batch of old doodads like AMT used to include in many old kits. It looks a lot like a Gibson or Gretsch thin hollow body except that there's something that looks like an exhaust pipe where the lower cutaway should be. It's definitely a styrene kit part but I don't think it's from the Monkeemobile or Raiders Coach (not sure). Anybody seen this before?

The classic luxury cars like Lincoln, Packard, Duesenberg and even Chrysler were immensely larger than Fords and other affordable cars of the time. Many of them almost seem to be locomotive size. I took these pictures at the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum (a bucket list scale "must see"). Some of them might be able to show how these cars compare in size to normal human beings (and people were smaller back then). The bodies were so well proportioned that it's hard to get a sense of their size without something to compare them to.

I don't know the problem but something is very wrong. That's been my main primer for many years and it dries in 15 minutes not using a dehydrator. It should also be 100% compatible with the sandable primer. All I can think of is that it's just defective - a bad can.

I wish I could find my source on that but I believe it was an article in MCM. It said that Palmer had carefully copied the AMT kit as best they could. I have no insight into any possible MPC connection.

The Lindberg '40 actually was originally a Palmer tooling. However bad that kit is, it's probably the best thing ever done by Palmer!

The bumpers on the Revell Merc look like "DeSoto style" bumpers but not actual '37 DeSoto's.

Thanks! Looks like I have my answer. Last year I built a '40 sedan delivery. If I can find where the leftover parts are that should be it.

What kit (I'm thinking old AMT Trophy Series) has '37 DeSoto bumpers in it as a custom option? I'm talking about the ribbed bumpers that were popular on customs in the 50's. Like these: I could swear I have some in my stash already but I can't find them and don't remember what kit I saw them in. THANKS!