mr moto

First, I have to say THANKS to everybody for all the compliments. Helps make the trouble worthwhile! As for the air cleaner, screwdriver, etc., I had to think up some way to keep from covering up both of those great looking Carter AFB's that I got from Fireball Models. Fireball's stuff is really killer!

You'll probably laugh but I use Microsoft Word. Notice that most of it is just text and that's what Word does best. Everything else is made from images "captured" on the net and pasted into Word where it can be cropped, re-sized, etc. until it fits. The Champion Spark Plug logos were done that way even though I could've gotten plenty from leftover kit decals. The ones done in Word are much sharper and fine lined than the kit decals.

That's the one I had in mind.

There's nothing I know of that's quite like that but the AMT speed boat with all the customizing parts is probably the best place to start to make your own.

Yes, a good wash with detergent is usually the easiest cure. Also, Tamiya makes an anti-static brush that works very well. I think it's a little pricy, almost $20 IIRC, but a good investment.

This has been my favorite super stock for a long time and the stars finally aligned in such a way that I could build it. Sure, Moebius makes an excellent kit of a later Missile and this build gave me so many headaches that I wondered why I didn't just get that one and build it out-of-the-box but a long time itch has finally been scratched. This is a mash-up of various Johan and Lindberg Mopar kits: 1963 Plymouth, 1964 Dodge (Lindberg and Johan versions) and 1964 Plymouth. All the decals are home made including the nifty 60's style upholstery. The end result came out okay but it was a beast! Hope you enjoy.

Thank you, everybody, for all the great comments! Actually, it has a few glitches in the paint job that don't really show in the photos. It's a "social distancing" build - looks great from 6 feet away!

Great looking build and definitely not a subject that you see very often!

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Blue Demon (El Demonio Azul) - a big star of Mexican Lucha Libre wrestling and also star of many low budget 60's/70's low budget films. In the films he usually saves the world by defeating monsters/aliens/gangsters/spies, etc. by using his Lucha skills. For some reason my twisted mind decided that AMT's 1957 Bird was just asking to be decked out in a Blue Demon mask. Almost everything in this build can be found in the box of the very early releases of the '57 Bird. The steering wheel is from a '59 Imperial and I can't think of anything else that's not out-of-the-box. Anyway, here it is!

That's doll house carpeting. I'm not sure where I got it anymore but I think it might have been from on-line seller Oakridge Hobbies. It's available in many colors on the net. You can find lots of cool stuff by sort of "crossing over" to other hobbies and their suppliers. That's just how I thought about this build. A high schooler (with a few more bucks than I had!) or a young working guy who fixes up that old tub his uncle had under the shade tree into his dream ride. But, wait a minute, those aren't warts - they're beauty marks!

That's a clever way to give some new appeal to the old show rod kit. Great job!

This is the phaeton version of AMT's ancient '32 Ford tooling. It has a number of accuracy issues that have been talked about a lot and the engineering is primitive but when it's done it looks pretty good despite itself. The engine id the Ford FE that came in the kit with a three carb manifold from the parts box and air cleaners from the '36 Ford kit. The instrument cluster is also '36 Ford. Taillights and hubcaps are '50 Ford and the steelies are from the '53 Ford pickup kit. No radical changes - just a few homemade details. Like I said, basic ol' skool hot rod. I hope you like it.

Yes it is a lacquer. It's part of their line of auto touch up paints that most car parts stores sell. I've never had a problem with it but another poster did. Like all paints, proceed with caution until you learn what to expect from it.

First, that's a beautiful build and a great concept! You're to be congratulated on finally making one of those ideas that we all have floating around in the back of our minds but seldom get around to building. Great job! Secondly, a few words about the paint issue. There is more than one kind of Duplicolor clear - at least two and I think possibly more than that. These two cans of paint are NOT alike: The one in the blue can is the one that Ferbz says he used. It is VERY hot and easily cuts through other finishes including Duplicolor. It must have a useful purpose for those who know the correct usage but I recommend staying away from it for painting models. The "Perfect Match" clear (in the can on the right) is an old standby and I've used it for years over various finishes and as a decal coating. There's never been a problem that I didn't cause all by myself.

Strange but TRUE!

Testors bonder works just fine. That's what it's meant for. I've also used clear Krylon and my current favorite is clear Duplicolor.

Steve Earle has a number of great songs with cars in them. Copperhead Road: Sweet Little '66:

Wherever Duplicolor is sold. I usually get mine at Pep Boys but Auto Zone, O'Reilly and other car parts stores carry it in this area, also.

Two coats of this... ...worked on decals made in 1959.

It started when VHT paint came out and you'll notice that many of the early drag cars with white headers also carried VHT sponsorship decals. It came in a number of colors but if you want to draw attention to your product paint the headers bright white!

Holy Moley! That's paintin' it! You say you have a long way to go but I think you did a great job. Nice work.

First, thanks to everybody for the compliments. Feels good to be appreciated! The nerfs (and the side molding) are made from half-round Evergreen styrene. Very simple to do! The side molding is there mainly to emphasize the horizontal for the center section of the body. I've noticed that on a lot of 1:1 sectioned Fords the overhangs look too shallow compared to the center section of the body so I used the molding, the flares and the paint fade to emphasize the horizontal in the center and the vertical at the ends. I do have some WIPs of the build that I can post later. Didn't take as many as I often do, however.

This is the AMT '49 Ford coupe (great kit, I think) sectioned about 3/16". Back in the 50's, the shoebox Fords were probably the most frequently customized cars and definitely the most often sectioned. It turns out to be a lot of trouble - even in 1/25 scale but the low look is worth it. Paint is Duplicolor Metal Cast decanted and shot through a Grex. The grill is from a '57 Chrysler 300C and front turn signals are actually the stock taillights re-purposed. Hope you like!

WOW! That's thinking outside the box. I just love it!

Really excellent work. Did you scratch build the airbox on your Stude R3 or is there a source for that part? It looks very authentic. I built an R3 replica a few years back and scratch built the airbox but mine didn't capture the look of the real thing like yours does. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/111013-1964-studebaker-avanti-r3/