Tom Geiger

Thanks Jeff. It's actually quite simple. Just like you said... light gray primer over the plastic, then red primer on top of that. Then your gloss red paint on top. All from rattle cans. Let it dry. Then do some wet sanding at the sink. I used automotive sand paper. I cut it down to small 1" x 1" squares. I believe I used 320 on it. Maybe touched up with 600, you want it rough. With the body wet, just gently sand until you get the effect you want. Check frequently by putting the body under the running water. The effect on the door is from sanding in a circular motion. Anywhere you have gone back down to plastic is a high point. Those I hit with the rust! There is Testors Dullcote sprayed in an uneven pattern so there are still some shiny spots in the paint. Sometimes I just do the top surfaces and let it rain down on the sides so the sides still have a bit of gloss. I've never done the salt method.

Cool build. A very typical American work van. A bit of a Norman Rockwell view into our everyday life!

Here's weathered red. Start with a dark base color, I have dark primer red under the paint. And there's primer gray under that for the sand through effect. Once painted, I wet sanded the whole body with different grits finishing with 600. Then I hit it with Dullcote and added the rust with pastel chalks. Everything used (other than Testors Dullcote) is Duplicolor automotive paint.

Ah procrastination scores again! I've always meant to do the conversion from a 2CV sedan and never got around to it. Now we merely need to buy a couple. Hmmm... there was a pickup version too?

I've never built a model for anyone, other than the box art build of the '79 Ford pickup I did for Model King. And I wound up with that one back after the photo shoot. I've had people ask, and I politely decline telling them that this is my art and some of my models have 100 hours into them. I have helped people get diecasts of cars they are interested in. I've even put Acme generated license plates on some of them! Having a car with a custom personalized plate on it seems to satisfy most folks!

I hear you! It's like making a flea necklace! A bit much for these ole eyes!

Wow John be careful! We have too many friends that aren't here anymore. We are the same age and I have a good heart but am a type 2 diabetic. And I need to get better at it. Billy Kingsley, in his mid 20s, wasn't feeling well at NNL East and wound up in the hospital with diabetes. He is home now, and he'll have to change a lot of his ways.

Very cool pair! I just love the work and attention to being correct for the era. Old trucks like that are so much a part of the American story! Building them is very Norman Rockwell! And great job on the watermelons! I can almost smell them!

I would always use a shiny base for Alclad. They recommend black, but I've seen a slightly different tone using Duplicolor medium blue under it, probably the difference you are looking for. You can also take some extra parts and try some other undercoats. It's fun to experiment. Another avenue for metallic tones is the Testors Metalizers. I have the full set in spray cans just to be able to give under hood and chassis elements that difference in color to set them apart.

and you guys are having your show, The MidAtlantic NNL on May 11th. I will be there!

Hi Brian- As everyone has said, the good part is that you, your wife and your dog are alive and well. Everything else is just stuff. You need to look at this as a new beginning. You can build a house to your own design and specifications. There had to be things about your old house you didn't like, things that needed work or painting. Now everything will be all new! And as everyone has said, I'd be happy to send you a couple models when you are ready.

Ah, one of the mysteries in life. I've held the tubes next to each other at the hobby shop and the text is exactly the same. I wouldn't be surprised if it's the very same stuff, with the green being for military modelers and the white for lighter color models, just for the reason you state... easier to paint.

Brett, this year I did the 24 Hour Build with Gary Kulchock and a bunch of other modelers around the country. This was in February and it has a Facebook page for communications. Gary and two other guys had a group at their house, but there were a lot of us building along by ourselves. We all posted progress photos through out the build. We started at noon on a Saturday and had until Sunday at noon to finish up. I learned an awful lot about how long it actually took to do some of the steps, like cleaning up and priming parts. That lasted until 6pm! The time constraint made you work systematically, such as looking at all the parts at once. I had everything cleaned up, primed and went about painting everything systematically. Normally I would work on some small area of the model to completion and wouldn't even have looked at the rest of the parts. I pretty much finished up my model by 5am and stopped with the final details because I was getting goofy and dropping parts. I abstained for about a week, then spent an evening or two finishing up those little details. Of course you need to carefully pick the kit you are going to build. It has to be something you have extras of so you aren't so focused on not screwing up your one and only. And it has to be something not all that complicated. I did the old Revell Miss Deal Funny Car. It was a kit I had 3 copies and always wanted to build. All in all, it was a good experience. It taught me to think more systematically and build faster. Other guys have done weekend builds where they work both Saturday and Sunday (but sleep!). So I'd recommend something like this just to get you going!

Marko- If you would like a model car t-shirt from NNL East in the USA, please send me a PM with your shirt size and mailing address.

Very period build! Keep going, it looks great!

Why would you brush paint engines when there are cheap sprays that can do the job quicker and with better results? I mainly use spray paints for everything. I prime everything after I clean up the parts. Then I'll attach the parts to strips of masking tape, onto toothpicks stuck into foam blocks etc., to get that thin and brush stroke free results. I use a lot of automotive paints. I found Duplicolor large can truck colors on sale at Ollies for a buck a can. I bought 25 cans. Then I'll experiment with different cheap sprays from Home Depot or Walmart. I have a selection of blacks, gloss to different flat and semi-flat tones, some of which are 99 cent cans. Tonight at Home Depot I bought Rustoleum summer squash yellow satin paint for $3.99 to try for a look I'm hoping for on a truck project of mine. If you need to do some detail painting, all you need is a box of the Dixie Cup small bathroom cups. I spray a little bit into one of those and brush as I need.

I also agree. Testors Dullcote is my favorite color! I use it on most of my builds. I use to to seal in weathering chalks and other weathering and rust type activities. If you want to leave a primer color as your final color, Dullcote is a good sealer so it won't get dirt into the surface.

From the geniuses at Premier.. Multi-piece 61 Falcon all stripped and ready for assembly. It's too tall, too narrow.. I was going to build it to modern standards as an April Fools Day build on another board.

Nothing wrong with you Tamis. It's the guys who had to make fun of the Prius I wonder about.

I hope you nailed them good in their feedback. Absolutely clueless sellers! I once had a seller put a built Johan '63 Chrysler convertible in a bubble mailer. Of course the windshield and frame were smashed. I emailed the seller and he said his responsibility ended when he put it in the mail! Maybe if he had packed it right! I nailed him in his feedback.

I'm with Roger, I use the Squadron green putty for most everything. The key is not to apply it too thick. I will do a thin coat and let it sit over night. Some of the work I've done, like blending panels together on a custom, will take a couple nights to get the putty on in thin coats and sanded. Now does anyone know if there's a difference between the green and white?

I get it... I started both of these as club build projects. Not a kit I chose, and not something in my usual build area.... and now they are two of my favorite models!

Oh Virgil, we're in trouble now. You've inspired me to start cutting plastic... watch out!

Hmmm... does Bill know that?

I spent last evening down in the model vault doing some sorting. Since I moved, I've had all my kits in kit cases. When I did the move the cases were filled kinda random since I thought they'd be unpacked quickly. Recently I sorted them into cases by car make. Last evening I sorted the Chevy and Ford boxes down to eras. That's when I found that I had 6 or more of many kits. I took several of each kit and put them aside to sell. I took the sealed kits first since they'd sell better and I plan on building what I have. I wound up with a huge pile of kits to sell. Then I went upstairs to watch a bit of TV. That's when my mind started to wander as to what I would do with those kits. By evenings end I came up with enough ideas to justify keeping them all!