Ramfins59

I spent this afternoon applying and trimming the BMF on this beast. It came out pretty good IMHO... I also painted the interior headliner Dark Tan to match the interior colors and painted the molded visors in the Leather color. The "bumps" molded into the inside of the B pillars I assumed were for interior courtesy lights, so I drilled a small depression in each and glued in very small, clear MV lenses that I've had laying around, for courtesy lights. I still have plenty left to do on this car. Sometimes it seems never ending. More progress reports as they happen.

It's all about the money that the TV commercials bring in.

Thanks guys. I used a polishing kit on the body while watching the football playoff games yesterday. It came out as smooth as a baby's bottom. Today I'll be tackling the BMF trim work, installing the brass mesh screen behind the opened up side trim vents, and then painting the interior headliner. It's getting there...

I would say that 95% of the time I have a picture "in my mind's eye" of what color I want a model to be before I even start working on that model. Then the chore is to find the paint that closely matches that mental picture.

Love that paint color.

Beautiful model I love it.

Thanks a lot Tom.

What gets me sometimes (?) is that when you ask a vendor if they can do any better on an outrageously priced kit or promo, yeah, they might come down a few bucks, but by the end of the show, on your third or fourth trip around the room, they're still sitting with that kit..!! Do they honestly want to keep singing "Happy Birthday" to that kit or promo year after year?? If they asked a more reasonable price they'd go home with more money in their pocket and have less stuff to carry out and pack up at the end of the day. It's all about greed, just like some of the absurd "Buy It Now" prices on EBAY. Believe me, I'm not against making a decent buck's profit in this hobby, but come on now...... I know... I know... What the market will bear...

Thank you Tom and Buzz, I appreciate your kind comments.

Yep, I agree with all of the above. When working on a model time just seems to fly by yet there is no pressure. It is generally very, very relaxing...... until something like a paint job getting messed up, or, fitment problems at final assembly time cause more than a little grief, despite all the pre-fitting.

Yeah Tom, sometimes it ain't cheap when you run out of paint. You added the $20 for gas and tolls to get your Gray paint. The can of Tangelo Pearl that I ordered online from Black Gold was $15 PLUS $15 for shipping....!!!! Ouch..!! Just to be able to repaint a hood..!!!

Great pictures Tom. Looks like it was a great show. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Oh yeah...... So true... all of it. I can't wait to get to the NNL East show again in April to bask in the odors of those gymnasium sized vendor and show rooms and to fight my way through the packed aisles of the vendors rooms, getting pushed and bumped by endless streams of people. Don't forget about standing in line for 20 minutes or longer to buy something cold to drink at the refreshment counter because the vending machines for drinks are either sold out or don't work..!! Then, be sure to bring and wear your rubber boots to wade across the wet, soaked, paper strewn floors in the rest room...... and bring a clothespin for your nose in there too..!! Try to find a place to sit for a few minutes because your feet are killing you from those endless walks around the vendor and show rooms (Thankfully the show room has the bleacher seating area). Laughing quietly (?) when you see the ridiculously high, 3 figure prices that vendors want for old kits and promos. People watching is very entertaining there too. So many gray haired old guys (I'm one of them), So many really overweight people that you'll see every year who seem to get bigger each year...... who stuff themselves into clothes that are at least a size or two too small..!! (I just lost 20 lbs. -- Yeay..!!) People who stand by their model to talk to anyone who stops to look at it to tell them all the work that they did to it... (Like I really care..!!) I look forward to the fun and camaraderie and seeing old friends and making new ones each year. The Margaritas at the Tilted Kilt restaurant ain't bad either..!!!

I always clearcoat my models. I use either Duplicolor paints or Tamiya paints and Duplicolor clear over all of them. On my latest project I used Black Gold paint and clearcoat and it seems that their paint and clearcoats are a little "hotter" than Duplicolor or Tamiya. I've never had any lacquer clearcoats turn yellow. Using clearcoats over decals does make them look painted on as Niko said above. Clearcoating also gives you 2 other advantages; It helps protecting your paint when you polish it, so you don't polish through, and, it protects you from cutting through and peeling the paint when you apply and trim Bare Metal Foil.

Great looking door panels Harry. The wood is a perfect addition. Also a great job on attaching the chrome strips to the fenders. I'll bet you were nervous about messing up the paint. I also will have to look for that Spaz Stix paint...... where did you get it??

You did a great job on that James.

Thank you Donald. I've always really enjoyed working on model car interiors.

Welcome back Steve, and welcome to our plastic playground.

Here's what the body looks like after being fully painted and clearcoated. I'll give it a day or so more to fully dry and then I can polish it and then do the BMF trim. I also finished painting and detailing the interior parts. The lower part of the dash is painted body color with a semi-gloss clearcoat, and the top is painted Leather with a strip of BMF separating them. I applied the kits gauge decals then added PE rings for bezels and drops of clear epoxy for lenses. Knobs were hit with chrome silver paint using a toothpick, and the recessed lines were given a blackwash with The Detailer. The tops of the side panels were sprayed body color with a coat of semi-gloss clear. The front panel with the door handle & crank was painted Leather as was the armrest. The lower portions were painted Dark Tan to simulate a lighter leather color as was done on the seats. The bottom kick panel areas were flocked in Dark Brown to match the carpets. BMF trims the raised lines and cranks and handles. Now I just have to finish painting and detailing the rest of the engine compartment parts, and wait for the can of paint to arrive from Black Gold so I can reshoot the hood. More to come as it happens.

Congratulations on that "milestone" Jim. You must be in the "TOP 10" as far as the most number of posts.

Thanks for the encouraging words Michael and Tom. I'm never afraid to admit when either I screw something up, or when things just don't go right. I've never built a perfect model and doubt if I ever will. Patience and perseverance usually wins out in the end to come away with an acceptable model.

Thanks guys. Carl, I don't have a second kit of this car so I have to strip and redo the hood. Michael, I'm thinking that, unlike the body, I applied the multiple coats of Black Gold clear to the hood too quickly and didn't give each coat sufficient time to "flash out". I sprayed in my heated basement so the temps were OK. We learn a little something from each model that we build.

Nope...... I'm most comfy wearing sweatshirts and sweatpants around the house. When I go out of the house I'll usually put on a pair of comfy jeans and sneakers. For "holidays" I'll sometimes wear a pair of Dockers slacks and a buttoned shirt. I haven't worn a dress shirt / tie / suit in about 8 years. I have a "Mr. Rogers" type cardigan sweater that I wear all the time that my wife complains about. I take 2 different blood thinners daily so I usually always feel chilly.

OK...... so there's usually ALWAYS a glitch that shows up somewhere right..?? The paint and clearcoat on the body came out perfect. The paint on the hood came out perfect, but the clearcoat on the hood came out kind of wrinkly... not quite crazed, but wrinkly..!! It doesn't look like it would be an easy chore to polish out the wrinkles in the clearcoat. Since I can't squeeze any more paint out of the can, I went online and ordered another can of the Tangelo Pearl from Black Gold. I'll put the hood in the paint stripper tub and when the paint arrives I'll reshoot the hood. In the meantime I can finish up the work on the interior and the engine compartment. A real P.I.T.A. but it's not the end of the world. I'm just hoping that there is no "shade" difference with the new can of paint..!! Gotta love these little glitches right..?? And the beat goes on......

Love it.