rhs856

I got a 10 MB camera for my birthday. Yeah, they're kinda big. Since the page shrinks them, I didn't tihink about making them smaller. I'll have to do that on my next post! Thanks for looking!

I stepped up my game a little with this one. For starters, I made my first tilt front end. It didn't match up perfectly, but not bad for a first try! I also wet sanded the paint and clear coat, used scratch x and wax, and to show off the gloss, I made a photo booth. Enjoy!

Body is Testor's One Coat Firey Orange and the interior is Diamond Dust. I didn't mean to shoot for the box art but I had a spare can of orange and I think it fits. Everything is "out-of-the-box" except the engine wiring and BMF. Thanks for looking! (PS Don't worry, I laid that fin on the front end down after the photo session )

This was made as a quick and simple build to take my mind off of a bad paint reaction that happened on another model. I gave the Detail Master distributor another try and it came out well. Exterior is Testors Lime Ice, interior is Krylon Satin Black.

I did clear coat it - and that is what messed up the paint. I gave it some time, considered my options, and decided that this would be a great time to make a 57 that was" kept in grandpa's barn since he passed away in 1989." Sometimes you decide what the car will be, and sometimes the car has a word in edgewise. Time to scour the forum for weathering tips. Also, having a surefire way to put a dull aged clear coat on a car isn't entirely a bad thing! Thanks for everyone's help.

It was crystal clear, now that you mention it. Perhaps I'm the exception. Thanks for the tips.

It was enamel. Its all I ever use, and I've sprayed the clearcoat a day after painting without problems. Its a 57 Chevy, easy enough to replace. Its just the time put into prepping...

Testors orange and white. Cured for a week (orange) and 3 days (white). Krylon clear. The cracking was almost immediate ; as soon as it hit the paint, I could see dark splotches and cracks.

I was spraying on a clear today and noticed that it didn't look right. I stopped and watched as it cracked and dried to a dull finish. Short of rerouting this build to a "barn find" to explain the dull coat and light paint damage, is there a way to fix this? I have used this clear coat before with no trouble. :-/

Edit: It looks like I accidentally dredged up an OLD post! Hopefully it helps anyone interested! I have used the "back of the hobby knife" method as well, but since I picked up Bare Metal's Scribe Tool, I haven't looked back. The number one piece of advice I can give for cutting out doors, trunks, etc. (and for building models, in general) is to take your time. Doors with curves require you to go slow, otherwise, you won't be happy with the end result. The door jamb will need to be sanded/filled to ensure a proper fit. After the door is out, you'll probably want to cut out the door pad from the interior (Otherwise, your door will open to the outside of your interior tub). Take your time. At this point, I paint and finish the door and door pad separately, then build the edge of the door and the hinge. When you attach the door pad to the door and finish it around the edge, it may not fit exactly where it's supposed to. Test fit everything and mock things up with tape or Elmer's before you commit to CA or cement. You have to make sure that the hinge fits with the rest of the interior, the door opens and closes properly, and the door pad fits back into the interior when the door is closed. Long story short, everything that I cut off of a car adds 2-4 hours onto my build time(Your times may vary). Opening two doors and a trunk can easily double the time I spend on a model. I don't say this to discourage you, but to give you an idea of what it can take to make things right. You have plenty of resources in these forums if you run into trouble! Some pictures from my '66 Impala: Hinge view. This was my first, so I didn't paint before I glued. I ended up having to do a lot of masking. Now, I paint first. Pic of the edge filler. I used sheet styrene and careful cutting/shaping. This gives the door a finished look and the support to hold the door pad in the correct place. Finished trunk. Finished door. Links for hinge building that helped me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEiImNaNgFY, Found the tubing at my LHS, and I used Household Amazing Goop (Kmart or similar) to attach the metal to the plastic.

@Wheelman (or anyone that knows) What is that hideously-beautiful pink monstrosity pictured above?

If I can find a way to make the grill, I will definitely make a model of my 1:1 and post the process.

I know , I have a 2002 ZR2. The grill is one of those "really noticeable exterior things," and unless I can find a 98-2005 kit, it's a decent starting place.

Does anyone make a replacement grill for the AMT 96 Blazer to make it a 98-05?

This is really handy. Thanks!

Well isn't it handy that I just picked some up! I can't wait to give it a try. Thank you!

Thanks for the words, Mike. I am only 27, but good gracious, I feel like these parts add 50 years! Fortunately, the distributors come with doubles and triples of the tiny stuff (I wondered why when I picked them up... Now I know.) and I bought 3. I think I need some smaller tweezers, and some CA with a needle tip that doesn't dry so fast. For magnification, I have a couple of helping hands units and a set of jeweler's lupes that I picked up at Harbor Freight. I can see the pieces, I am just having a hard time manipulating them and getting the right amount of glue where I want it.

It could be static. I think I need smaller tweezers. These photo etched parts make a toothpick seem like a tree trunk!

So I found some DM distributors and I thought it would be cool to try one out. Long story short, it isn't cool. I have sealed everything that I didn't lose to the miniature black hole on my desk in a bag and am attempting to quell my frustration by coming here to ask for guidance. What specific tools and glues do you use for items bordering on microscopic? PS. Why are these things attracted to magnets? PPS. Why is every other piece of metal on my desk magnetized? !?

I tried some new things on this one (new for me anyways). I detailed the interior, wired the distributor, and blackwashed the grill. I also learned how awesome Micro Set is, and how much I need Micro Sol. Some of the stripes wouldn't lay down!

Thanks for the welcome. Making the door and trunk open was a lot of work, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought. (If anyone hasn't tried it - give it a go! Just take your time... ) I think I may take a break from it for the next couple of models, though.

It is gold, but it does look green in the pics! Interior is a spray bomb called Oiled Bronze, black with bronze-colored flakes.

First of all, I want to thank everyone in these forums. This hobby began again for me on a whim, but seeing the passion, detail, and helpfulness that all of you have really got me into it. It seemed that I would keep running across techniques and modifications that I wanted to try in the Tips and Tricks section, and 2 more hours were added on to my time. =-) Anyways, here she is. My dad has a 1970 Impala Custom that was the inspiration for this (the gold color anyway). The forums were my inspiration for using Bare Metal and for cutting open the trunk and the drivers door (I didn't do the passenger door; after the driver's door, I knew I was in over my head!). I used styrene stock to make the filler on the edge of the door and the hinges are made from brass tubing. Next up, a 1964 Ford Fairlane that will be converted into a gasser. The moon tank is in the mail!