RickRollerLT1

Sucks hearing about the paint as dat Maroon looked really boss! Rustoluem is Enamel Lacquer and it looks like the clear reaction in the door creases were spots that weren't dried or cured all the way. How long did you let the paint cure before the clear coat? I've had real bad luck with clear sprays in the past, those old Testors enamels were the absolute worst! No matter if sanding down, waiting for low humidity days, or waiting months to cure they're widely inconsistent. Next time you clear, I'd recommend ether Pledge Future/Revive It (if you can find it now as it's OOP) or Quick Shine Multi-Surface Floor Finish (which I'm hearing works well as a replacement for that OOP Pledge product). I've had good results with Pledge Revive it and it can be brushed/dunked on or sent through an airbrush. One tip I'd strongly recommend is having the body fully cure between 7 days for lacquers/acrylics and up to 3 weeks for enamels before application, as the Pledge can react to uncured paint and cause what is called "Spider webbing".

Not today, but on Tuesday Hobby lobby not only got new stuff in and had a 40% off sale, but... They finally got these suckers in! Walked out the door $44 for the two! Then on Friday after helping out GF, I went to another HL on my way back and grabbed another two of these before the sale ends! One of them was opened missing wheels & tires and the cashier did it 60% off. No more paying Evilbay prices for original issues! Surprised I didn't see any of these new issues up there (yet).

This also shares guts with their 78-81 Pontiac Firebirds. This tool was last seen in 2006-7 as the 1979 Firebird Street Machine (green car on box). I remember building the Firebird issue because of the crazy widebody kit on the box, but seeing the chassis and motor, blegghhhh!!!! I remember 14 year old me hacked up a dirt cheap C5 corvette and used it's guts and frame underneath the Firebird. Granted my execution 2007 era was, shall we say "not the best", but I had the right idea. Basically, if one has the skill and parts they can create iced tea lemonaid out of moldy teabags and rancid lemons.

Is this the Revell '67 goat! Looks great overall! The "flatness" you experienced is due to the paint reacting to the plastic. Many kits starting from the "Made in China" era are molded in plastic that is very susceptible to reacting (and sometimes melting) with certain solvents. Using a good enamel/lacquer primer underneath will (in most cases) not react with the plastic surface and allow you to use any type of paint you want over it. The Tamiya paints are really good, but they tend to be very hot on modern plastics so you must use a good base coat with primer underneath. Also helps to have a flat or gloss black base coat (over the primer) before the metallic finisher coat of your choice. This will make the metallic highlights pop better than just putting the main coat over grey primer or just the bare body alone.

Revell/Monogram #‎2965 (glue version) fresh off 'da bench! Added Ram-air style scoop comes from a '98 Firebird Formula, adapted well to the '93 hood with some filling and such. Scratchbuilt Pro-charger setup using parts from a Revell Saleen Mustang Speedster. Wheels are from the Revell 'Vette Agin with the backs and tires off a Revell Ford F-150 Lightning. Exterior is a Metallic Maroon custom mixed using Tamiya Mica Blue and Clear Red, cleared with Pledge. The aim was to replicate Midnight Purple and the results turning out Maroon I was not happy with originally. But the Brown interior helps it go well and grew on me after a while.

Hopefully next week is a 40% off week so I can gets me two or three of those MPC Supras!

Finished back in May. Built from a started (quite sad) Revell original 1992 issue. It was quite glued up in places, the frame and hood were badly warped, and parts of the body and fender flares/side trim were cracked and (sloppily) reglued together. Sanding and filler took care of most of the heavy glue and broken joints on the body and cab, and an old '92 S-10 builder raided for parts had a pristine hood and a much better frame to work with. Unfortunately, the V6 and 4WD was so badly gunked up with glue and not only a motor swap was in order, but a conversion to RWD also needed. Front suspension was taken and modified from a C5 'Vette, and rear suspension modded and extended from a AMT '95 Camaro. An LT1 was also sourced from the AMT '95 Camaro with a custom Vortech supercharger setup made from an old turbo and curved sprue. Valve covers and headers came from the 350 in the AMT '34 Ford Coupe. The stock exhaust was badly glue smeared and in pieces, so a custom side exhaust was made using mufflers and stuff from the spares bin and sprue. Other parts like radiator, seats, steering wheel, came from the spares bin. Brakes, wheels are from an old X-mods set sitting on the rear custom tires from a Revel MCM '02 Camaro. A 2011 issue of the Syclone had extra decals from a leftover build and were used to replace the badly water damaged ones in the started '92 issue. Also had spare Coca Cola decals from a AMT Ford Pinto, so figured why not use those and make a CC Syclone! Exterior is Tamiya TS-74 Clear Red over Rustoluem Aluminum, cleared with Pledge. TBH, the red and black are true Coca Cola colors as the whites are only accents and not used on interiors like R2 tends to do.

Fresh off da bench! Unlike the Orange Californian and the Johan '70 Toronado, this one went for a more stock approach as a break from heavy duty customizations. While certain goofy features of the Californian were toned down or omitted, this one went on more of a lowrider/donk style considering the original had some bling to it. Since the stock frame was being used, I wasn't crazy about the molded in junk but seeing how HPI guy did his box stock one, decided to do his methiod of keeping the frame basic with silver detailing. Changes made were: Adding driveshafts from a cut up FRWD driveshaft, a major upgrade from the metal axle promo leftover. Extending front suspension torso bars as the kits pieces didn't go all the way to the frame Added custom air cleaner from the AMT Restorods '69 Cougar Disc brakes from a Revell Saleen Mustang Wire wheels and tires from the Revell '86 Monte Carlo Exterior is Testors Color Shift Blue Galaxy, cleared with Pledge.

Fresh off the workbench! This old (and quite rare) Johan '70 Olds Toronado started out as a sad looking 5 buck gluebomb find at a swap meet. The motor was all glue smeared together (though the chrome transmission came off with ease) and the chassis was almost welded into the lower interior tub. The body (despite having gallons of red and silver brush painted on) was complete, though the chrome on the bumpers were all worn. Glass was a major issue as the stock pieces were all caked up with glue and fingerprints. This project was nearly scrapped since anything Johan related is hard to come by, at any price. After digging through the spares bin and projects graveyard, it was discovered the front and rear glass from a scrapped AMT '66 Buick Rivera work perfectly since the shapes were really close (and 1:1s were on a similar platform, though the Rivera obviously was the standard FR setup). When another 1990 Ford Thunderbird frame and LS7 motor were located, the project went full steam ahead from there. All the mods done here are similar to the ones performed on the Orange MPC Toronado Californian. The interior tub floor was rebuilt with styrene, glue, and filler, and added a center console to allow for a driveshaft. Several parts come from a Mustang Super Stallion, a Z06 C6, the spares bin, and sheet styrene for things like exhaust, driveshafts, suspension, brakes, radiator, etc. Wheel & tire combo are custom units from the Revell California Wheels '69 Corvette. Exterior is TS-52 Candy Lime Green with two coats of TS-65 Pearl Clear (to give it an enhanced luster in certain angles of light), cleared with Pledge.

Ditto!

Love the color! Is that Lime Green Tamiya?

Celica Supra and the '32 Ford Vicky resto mod gots my names on it! The MPC Celica Supra is a very nice kit and leads to great customizing opportunities with the AMT '95 Supra. Just finished a '83 restored from a gluebomb here

Yes, it has those separate panels as an option. Mine were already glued in when I got to it.

I have seen 1:1s with the RB26 swap, it's not that unusual. What IS unusual is seeing a 1:1 '76 Pintostang with a Flathead V8. That to me is strange.

Fresh off the workbench, in anticipation of the upcoming Round 2 reissue! Gluebomb resto, with leftover parts coming from the recent Round 2 reissue of the Bomex/F&F Supra. Stock motor went to a different project, so a resin copy of the Tamiya 2JZ Supra motor by TheGameBoyCustoms was used. Exterior is Tamiya TS-53 Deep Metallic Blue, cleared with Pledge.

Fresh off the workbench! Built from the body of a gluebomb AMT F&F Veilside Supra, with most of the guts from recent Round 2 reissue of the Bomex/F&F Supra. Rear bumper had cutouts for a dual exhaust setup, so a new setup was made from parts from the spares bin. The 2JZ lent itself to a different project, so a LS block/transmission from a 98/02 Camaro/Firebird V8 was used with leftover LS7 parts from a C6 Z06. Vortech style supercharger was made from a old turbo and parts from the spares bin. Wheels+tires are custom units from the Revell Acura Integra and Revell MCM '02 Camaro SS Exterior is Tamiya TS-72 Clear Blue over Tamiya TS-58 Pearl Light Blue, cleared with Pledge.

Completed in August. Built from the recent Supernatural of the AMT '67 Impala tool. Was going for a light custom take on "Baby", but the stock-ish hood was very ill-fitting. It was soon discovered parts raided from a junk '67 SS were a much better fit and the build went a different route from there. I figured "a 4 door Impy SS would be different and not just another Supernatural car". The SS hood needed to be sanded down on the sides and underneath, especially by the hood latch. The SS front bumper was a direct fit and looks much betterer than the stock piece. Wheels/tires/brakes set are the custom pieces from a Revell '62 Corvette, and a air filter comes from the spares bin. Exterior is Tamiya TS-73 Clear Orange over Rustoluem Aluminum, cleared with Pledge.

Completed in August. Built from the 1997 street machine issue of the AMT kit. Was missing some parts like wheels/tires, the LT1 style intake and air filter. Those were supplied by the custom wheels/tires/brakes set from a Revell '65 Chevy C-10, and a new custom made intake from an exhaust muffler. Exterior is Tamiya TS-97 Pearl Yellow, cleared with Pledge.

Completed in May around the same time as the '89 T/A Indy. Built from the AMT/MPC kit. Did this one as a similar color scheme to mimic a what-if phantom had Pontiac run the '90-92 style T/A at the Indy 500. A Monogram Buick GNX donated it's 3.8 V6 sans turbos, with V6 headers coming from an unknown source.. A supercharger setup was complied from parts from a SVT F-150 Lightning and a 1992 Ford Thunderbird V6. Like the '89, wheels & tires were sourced from a Revell Acura Integra, and disc brakes from the spares bin. Exterior is Tamiya TS-45 Pearl White, cleared with Pledge.

Completed in May. Built from the AMT/MPC kit. Decals surprisingly went on well considering the age of this kit and the box being in sad condition when purchased. Only modifications are adding a K/N style air filter and better wheels & tires from a Revell Acura Integra and disc brakes from the spares bin. Exterior is Tamiya TS-45 Pearl White, cleared with Pledge.

Yep, the Skyline's muffler was the right shape to fit over the 4.6's intake manifold. Pretty neat idea influenced by the setup I saw on a 1:1 twin turbo '04 Mach 1 once.

Completed in April. Built from Revell kit. A simple, box stock build (extremely rare from the likes of myself, considering the amount of changes I do to most of my builds). Front glass was a major PTA to put in, warpage I guess. Overall, not one of my most spectacular, but a quick slump buster. Exterior is Tamiya TS-92 Metallic Orange (I guess a close enough match for GM's Atomic Orange), cleared with Pledge.

Finished in March. Built from Round 2 reissue of the AMT 1967 Mustang GT. Obviously, no trace of AMT's own abomination of the TD car was even used here. This attempt was to get it as close to the movie car as possible. RB26DETT swap and exhaust came from a Tamiya Skyline R32 Nismo. Front grille opened up and mesh added. Parts like radiator, intercooler, ect comes from the spares bin while suspensions come from a C6 corvette and a Datsun 240z. Tires from Revell and AMT pieces, wheels come from the Revell Acura Integra with lips from a set of Aoshima wheels. Stripes are the AMT '67 GT decals. Exterior is a custom mix of Tamiya Clear Orange over Mica Blue to replicate the metallic green of the 1:1, cleared with Pldege.

Finished in October 2021. Built from Revell Snap-Tite kit circa 1992. Only modifications are the custom wheels and tires coming from an Acura RSX, and a custom built single turbo setup (hard to see in pics, not that the 1:1s were anymore spacious in the engine bay). Exterior is Color Place Fire Red, cleared with Pledge.

Finished in October 2021. Built from Revell/Monogram Ford Mustang Shelby Hertz GT350. Lots of customization done here, ranging from new suspensions, exhaust, 2JZ swap, too much to list! Exterior is Rustoluem Metallic Grey, cleared with Pledge.