Kit Basher

Absolutely beautiful!

The Ford is a nice kit, cleanly molded and well detailed. It fits together well and gives a good result.

I am currently working on one of these. It seems like a really nice kit. Can't wait to see your take on it, and to hear "the rest of the story".

You're right, that decal is a bear to get down. Micro Sol may work, I didn't have any to try. Micro Set wasn't enough. The advice I got on this forum is use a rag soaked in very hot water to push the decal down. That helped a lot, tho I still had a few wrinkles. If I did it again, I think I would cut out the center of the decal (where the wingnut is) before soaking the decal in water.

Can't wait to see it. I learned to drive in a Dart like that.

I'm with you. I can usually paint a car with one of the Testors 1/4 ounce bottles. Nice '53 BTW! I can't resist adding mine.

The one from the AMT '53 Ford Flipnose looks like a Dana 60.

I'm no expert, but I've done a few, so I'll try to give you the basics. You need decal paper, sealer, a printer, and a computer. I use Papilio paper and Krylon Crystal Clear as a sealer. I have Windows, MS Office, and Photoshop Elements.If you have different software, this may not apply. If you can find an image you like online, right click on it, and click "Save picture as". Save it in "My Pictures". If that image is OK as is, the easiest way to resize it is in MS Word. Use "Insert/picture/from file". Once you have the image, click on it and a box will appear around it. If you "grab" one corner of the box, you can shrink the image while keeping the proportions the same. The rulers on the screen will help, but tests are still needed. Once you have the size you want, print it on decal paper with the printer set on "Photo" and "Glossy photo paper". Allow the ink to dry thoroughly, I usually wait a day. Seal the decal. One or two light coats is all that is needed. Too much will make the decal thicker than it needs to be. Ready to cut out and apply. If you have to design your own image, it's more challenging. MS Paint (in the "accessories" section of Windows) is useful for drawing lines and shapes, and some limited text. More options for text can be found in MS Word, at "Insert/picture/WordArt". Photoshop can do amazing things, even for a dummy like me who can barely use it, but that is a whole 'nother discussion! I hope that helps a little. Hopefully folks with more expertise will chime in with better info.

I have to add more mud. In Virginia, the expiration stickers go on the front and rear. Roy, if you want to look at all the Virginia plates, you can see them here: http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/vehicles/#plate_search.asp. You can also copy plates from that site.

You could try a portable air tank. Fill it with a compressor in another location (or at a gas station). Pump it up to 100 psi, add a water trap and regulator. I bet you could do a lot of painting between refills.

Welcome to a fellow Virginian! You'll like it here.

It occurred to me that Roy might benefit by seeing a plate. I suspect this general format is common to all 50 states. Upper left: Month of registration (generally does not change) Upper right: Year of expiration (changes every year or two and shows the tag is current) This would be a specialty plate, for the National Air and Space Museum. Standard Virginia plates are plain white with blue lettering. This would also be a "vanity" plate with custom text (NF4U), instead of random letters and numbers (like ZFT 4793) Hope that washes away a little of the mud.

VERY complicated is right! West Virginia only requires a rear plate. Virginia requires front and rear. Both states have gone to a "permanent" plate that stays on the car until it is sold. A expiration year sticker is added to the plate every one or two years. Virginia is another state that offers a large variety of specialty plates, including a "classic" plate, that is orange with blue lettering. WV even has a Dale Earnhart memorial plate. From the '50s thru the '70s, (my earliest memories) Virginia alternated each year: black with white lettering one year, white with black lettering the next. Trying to figure out an accurate Virginia plate from 1967 is probably more trouble than it is worth!

I am a cabinetmaker, tho I've never played one on TV. Looks good to me!

More power! Uoh, Uoh, Uoh, oh, oh. (With apologies to Tim Allen.)

I don't remember. Considering how fast I work, probably at least a couple of days.

I can't say for really long term, but I have a B-17 that I painted with enamel, sealed with Future, decalled, and sprayed with Dullcoat. It is completely unchanged after about four years.

That's cool! My Dad had one for a while. Only had two front seats, so he hauled us kids around in the back like baggage. I remember going out a road that had been cleared with a loader, snow banks two feet over the Willys' roof. I loved riding in that thing. Beautiful model, and thanks for the memories!

It could be CA. Gorilla glue has several different glues under their brand name, including white glue, in addition to their original polyurethane glue. If it doesn't say CA on the label, tho, maybe not...??? Oops, Ed beat me to it. What he said.

Not automotive, but I would say the Revell 1/72 B52. That thing was HUGE! It included a "jet engine" noisemaker. Brush painted it "camo". I had to hang it from the ceiling because it wouldn't fit on any shelf. Merry Christmas to all...!

Generally, drill chucks are locked on with a screw. Open the jaws of the chuck as far as possible, there should be a screw head at the very bottom inside of the chuck. Once you remove that screw, the chuck will unscrew from the drill shaft. The hardest part is immobilizing the drill shaft and gripping the chuck to unscrew it. Old (and newer) electric drills are also cheap at flea markets and auctions.

Those old hand drills like SSN Jim mentioned can be found very cheap at flea markets and auctions. Nobody wants them. (Except me, I have several ) Unless you have a device to hold the part you are drilling, they require three hands to work them. The chucks are usually 1/4 inch max. I don't use mine much, but they are handy when you need them. Another option would be a push drill, but they can be hard to control.

Really, really, nice! Great job.

Very nice, JT.

Torque, traction, and weight! The JD driver could have put it in four wheel drive, that would have helped. Still would have lost, tho. Cool video!