bob paeth

Above all else, I like the rear fender flares. They are not over-done in size and match, very well, with the type of car you are building. No complaints on the rest of the work either. Bob :shock:

I like the channeling of the body. Just the right amount of "dropping". However, I think you should take at least 1/4 inch out of the radiator shell. Maybe even a little more so that if you were to fit a hood to the body there would be a slight slope toward the front. If you do this mod, then simply cut off the bottom of the chrome grille for fit. Bob :shock:

In his latest posting, Jason Rothgeb mentioned the '49 Olds that never was. Stand by for " The Rest of the Story" ( forgive me Paul Harvey ). Back in ( about ) 1966 I proposed to management of Revell, a '49 Olds coupe. The "bean counters" thought it was a good idea and gave me the go-ahead to start development of the kit. Now, you must understand that in the model industry spying and trying to find out what your competitors are doing is a way of life. I would trade bits of information about Revell for other bits of info from say AMT or Monogram. I always tried to get more than I gave with relative success. To make a long story short, I learned that Monogram was working on an Olds also. In that era, manufacturers had the belief that the market would only support one model of any given 1/1 car. I had no choice but to cancell the Olds kit. Now, flash forward a coupla years and find your self at a GSLIMCC award brunch. Bob Johnson, then head of Monogram was the keynote speaker. I asked him what became of the Olds project at Monogram. There had been more than enough time to produce it. He stated that when he learned, through his "spy network" that Revell was gonna do the kit, he cancelled his efforts. As they say, the rest is history.Neither company produced the '49 Olds kit and our hobby missed out on a great choice of a kit. Bob :shock:

I want everyone to eat their heart out. I have been working on a 1/16 scale Karman-Ghia over the past coupla years ( slow ) ? It was made several years ago by Revell/Germany. It is one beautiful kit. Especially since I made a tube chassis for it and installed a big a-- blown V-8 under the front hood. bob :shock:

Come on Zeb....................it's not that bad here in great Pacific Northwest. Especially when you get used to the webbed fingers and toes. Bob :shock:

Jared, Lets start from square one: Before you apply your first coat of primer, make sure the model is free from mold release and that it is dust free. Wash all painted surfaces with a soapy solution, rinse and let dry. After you have applied your prime coat, wait about 30 minutes ( longer if it still looks wet ) and give it a second light coat. 400 or 600 wet/dry sandpaper, when the primer is thoroughly dry will give you the proper smoothness. BTW the color of your primer will affect the color of your final color. A white primer will give you a brighter purple than if you use a flat black primer. When you start to spray the color coat "dust on" the first two or three coats, waiting about 15 or 20 seconds in between each coat. Then after about one minute spray on a heavy coat. The paint should "flow-out" and give you a petty good shine. All this time you have to guard against dust. Dust does not polish out. Let the finish coat dry for a week and then, if you have a "polishing kit" begin to sand. Polishing kits start at 3200 grit and end up with 12000. If you follow the instructions on the polishing kit you will have a "glass smooth" finish. If you have some old bodies to practice on I would advise you to use them. Even a flat piece of styrene will give you the needed practice. Good paint jobs come with practice, luck has nothing to with it. Bob :shock:

Jared, Lets start from square one: Before you apply your first coat of primer, make sure the model is free from mold release and that it is dust free. Wash all painted surfaces with a soapy solution, rinse and let dry. After you have applied your prime coat, wait about 30 minutes ( longer if it still looks wet ) and give it a second light coat. 400 or 600 wet/dry sandpaper, when the primer is thoroughly dry will give you the proper smoothness. BTW the color of your primer will affect the color of your final color. A white primer will give you a brighter purple than if you use a flat black primer. When you start to spray the color coat "dust on" the first two or three coats, waiting about 15 or 20 seconds in between each coat. Then after about one minute spray on a heavy coat. The paint should "flow-out" and give you a petty good shine. All this time you have to guard against dust. Dust does not polish out. Let the finish coat dry for a week and then, if you have a "polishing kit" begin to sand. Polishing kits start at 3200 grit and end up with 12000. If you follow the instructions on the polishing kit you will have a "glass smooth" finish. If you have some old bodies to practice on I would advise you to use them. Even a flat piece of styrene will give you the needed practice. Good paint jobs come with practice, luck has nothing to with it. Bob :shock:

Art, So far as I know there is only one finger that is considered as offending bob :shock:

If a builder wishes to use styrene tubing for headers or exhaust pipes, it is possible. All you need to do is get some solder that has the same diameter as the inside of the tubing. Insert the solder to the area which you wish to make the bend, and, then simply bend the tubing. The solder will not let the tubing kink and the solder will also make the tubing stay in the configuration you are looking for. bob :shock:

In making trailer fenders I inadvertantly came upon the solution for wheel tubs also. After all they both have the same shape, just that one goes on the inside and the other goes on the outside. The process takes a bandsaw or very careful work with a coping saw. All you need to do is find a piece of wood, a 3/4 X 4" X 4" for instance and trace the wheel on the surface of the wood. Then cut along the line. When finished you will have two pieces. The saw blade will give you a gap when the two pieces are put together again. Then take a piece of styrene and "sandwich" in between the two pieces and force them together. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. When the oven reaches temperature, put your project in and give it about 15 minutes. Then, take it out and let it cool. You now have a wheel tub ( or fender ). Repeat again for the other tub ( or fender ). bob :shock:

For those who wonder about the rear window treatment, I do too ! This was supposed to be a "cool" custom idea that AMT came up with. I remember cutting the window open in the first one that I built. Bob :shock:

Deep dish wheels are one of the easiest mods that you can make. All it takes is 2 sets of wheels ( 8 pieces ). Core out the center of the first set so that all you have is a set of rims. take the second set and install them from the rear and up against the "rims". PRESTO !!!!!!!!!!!!! How deep do you want them ? Bob :shock:

Bill Geary is right in his thoughts. I have probably judged more models in my life than anyone, somewhere in the neighborhhod of 15,000. I, too, never build to win. All that leads to is frustration. Complicated model building comes with experience. Box stock is the way to start. After you are satisfied with the results, try something new on the next model. Like it has been said before, neatness is the most important aspect of model building. Most contests have different classes. Box stock is the easiest class to build for because assembly and paint are the paramount things to achieve. With more experience you will then be able to compete in the more extensive classes such as "custom" or "scratch-built". Don't take on the "big boys" with the opening doors and chopped tops yet. This type of building will come to you, you just have to be patient. Compete with others with your type of experince. Remember we were all, at one time, without a clue on building the "ultimate model". Above all, enjoy what you are doing, this is a MUST. I have been working plastic since 1949 and before that with rubber and wood. I still have the enthusiasm that started it all. Bob :shock:

This a rememberance to a fellow modeler who passed away this week. He was not well known except to his close circle of friends in the California "bay area", but I have known him since 1962. He was more of a collector than a model builder although what he did build was GOOD. His collection has got to be the best in the world and I am not kidding one bit. If you needed a kit, he had it. Promos were also numbered in the thousands. He had models that were one-of-a-kind. An example would be the 1/4 scale model of the '48 Tucker or perhaps the 1/6 scale '38 Olds coupe ( he two of these ). I have heard estimates of his collections worth from $300.000.00 to $500.000.00. I would tend to go with the higher estimate. Storage for all of these models ? He had a two bedroom home that he outgrew. He then added a room that was probably 30 X30. There was not a room in the house that didn't have models stacked to the ceiling. This included the kitchen and the bathroom and also all of the hallways. Shelves, display cases tables, everything was utilized to show off the models. His name was William Harrison, better known as Bill. He was proud of his collection, and rightly so. Anyone was welcome to come in and view what he had put together. Even though I only saw him at the most once a year, usually at a car show or a model meet, I still considered him a close friend. HE WILL BE MISSED. GOD BLESS. Bob Paeth :cry:

jsut hnag in tehre ZEBM1. If I cna raed waht yuo wiret any bdy cna. Bob :shock:

I can't even spell arg ........orgat.......ergon.....orgena......aw .............................forget it !!!!!!!!!!! Bob :shock:

There is no excuse for those wheels to be dimpled.........whether the builder has the ability to correct the problem or not does not excuse the manufacturer for this gross result. Sink marks come from running the mold at too great a speed so that the plastic does not have enough time to cool before being ejected from the mold. Running the rest of the kit at high speed, to be economically feasible, is one matter, but, the chrome shot is run at a separate time and speed is not necessary. The chrome shot is added to the kit, after plating, at the molding machine when the shot is placed into the kit box. If the mnaufacturer deems it necessary to run the chrome at an accellerated pace he should core out the back-side of the wheel spokes. This would help aleviate the sink marks. bob :shock:

Bobby, send me a plane ticket ( coach is fine ) and I will be there. Don't worryabout a food allowance, I can eat at Macdonalds. Bob :shock:

If anyone wants to simulate an airbag suspension, in liu of springs, just go to your local plumbing store and buy the "O" rings of the appropriate size for your build. These are the "rings" that go into faucets. Just stack 'em and glue them into place. Bob :shock:

Billy, I have sold most of my collection because I could see that I would never build them, I moved in to a mobile home with limited storage, and the money bought be a nice used car. I didn't sell everything as I still have a few 1/25 that I saved and I have all of my 1/16 scale stuff. I have had my "day in the sun" with model kits after having had over 2 thousand at one time. You are young yet but you will find that as you grow older your values will change as mine have. With the ability to scratch-build parts, I have found that I mostly build straight out of the kit. This saves me money and is every bit as challenging as kit bashing. Bob :shock:

Lyle .................LMAO Bob :shock:

Brian, if this were a contest, my vote would go to you. What a fantastic, all-around experience that you had. I've got a lot of memories behind me but I think you have them all beat. Bob :shock:

Boy, Ron, You picked the right lunchion partner so far as I'm concerned. Marliece is much better looking than skip Foose. Bob :shock:

Anthony, I couldn't have said it better myself. It puts everything in perspective. Bob :shock:

Billy your activities and additions to your collection tire an old guy out. My "grail" is just the opposite you yours. In 2006 I sold the last of my kit collection and am now compiling my list of promos for the same reason. I haven't stopped building nor will I ever, God permitting, but I am slowing down. More power to you and the other members here on the site. I guess my "grail" is to make it through the year 2007 saying ..................WOW, another year "down the tubes" Bob :shock: