Ramfins59

After posting something on a thread just now, I noticed under my picture that in addition to the total # of posts that I have made, there is also a note: "0 Warning Points". Does this mean that " I am a good boy and haven't broken any rules, or gotten any moderators P.O.'d......???

Yeah I have a rolling plastic type cart with 5 drawers; 1- wheels & tires. 2- engine parts. 3- chassis parts. 4- clear parts (windows, headlight & taillight lenses, clear & red sprue pieces. 5- the biggest drawer, for bodies & body parts. I have my aftermarket stuff separated and clipped together with binder clips by category; Bolts & fittings, Brakes, Engine, Exhaust, Hose, Interior, Lights, Sets (for specific cars), Trim (Chrome trim pcs., skirts, Lake Pipes, etc..), Wire. I used to go through the horror of throwing everything into one BIG box and got really tired of digging thru it all for a specific part. It's much better and easier to find stuff when organizing things by category... less frustrating too, and also helps the project at hand move along a little quicker. Jar and rattle can paints are also organized by color. I find it much easier to work on something when everything is all organized....... I know... organization is a sign of a sick mind...... but it works for me.

Hey Jonathan... It's a MODEL CAR...!!! Do you think anyone really cares if the distributor & spark plugs are wired in the correct firing order...!!! I'm guessing then, that there is no air in the tires (no valve stems), no antifreeze in the radiator, no oil in the pan, no dipstick, no tranny fluid, no rear end grease, no fuel or brake lines, no brakes, no secondary electrical wiring, the gauges don't work, no seat belts, interior visors or dome light, etc... etc... etc... If you built this model to put in a contest where the judging is THAT picky, then I would say to wire it using the correct firing order, but otherwise... don't sweat it. I don't even think Harry would pick on you for it. Harry should be happy with it... you've got inside & outside mirrors, although I can't tell whether or not the alternator is "just hanging there." LOL You did a great job Jonathan... be proud of it.

Great looking truck Jonathan. I love the diamond plate bed floor. I've been wanting to try doing that on a pickup too and now that I see how good it looks I may definitely go for it on my next pickup truck project. What's wrong with the engine wiring..??? Looks OK to me, but I'm not an expert.

Hi guys. Well I answered my own question from the other day. I put a piece of resin into my tub of Scalecoat (the support piece that gets cut off for the windshield frame on the convertible Merc body) and left it in for about a half hour. No problems whatsoever. Soooo I gingerly dunked the convertible body into the tub and after 15 minutes I was able to scrub every bit of paint and primer off using a toothbrush. Washed it all off with mild soap and lukewarm water and no ill effects on the body at all, anywhere...!!! Whew... am I happy. I wasn't looking forward to having to spend another $55 for another convertible body. I'm letting it air dry completely and I'll wait for a nice, clear, humidity free day to repaint it.

I've used stuff called Frog Tape to mask off a couple of parts and the stuff works really well. You have to burnish down the edges really well (I used a toothpick) and you get a perfect separation line with NO bleeding.

Hey guys. I need some help here. I' working on the resin convertible conversion kit from Replicas & Miniatures of MD for the Revell chopped '49 Merc. Everything else (chassis, engine, interior) is done, except for painting the body. A little while ago I sprayed the resin body & plastic hood with Duplicolor Storm Gray Metallic, over Duplicolor Primer Sealer. Well... I guess I was being just a liiiiiittle too impatient to see some color on this thing... I didn't warm the can of paint (#1)... and I painted it in my closed garage which is kind of cool from my central A/C system but.... I guess some humidity crept in from outside... (#2). The paint on the plastic hood blushed a little, and the paint on the resin body ran on one side and spit little bubble like things on the trunk... I have had excellent success over the years using Scalecoat paint remover, but I've never used it on resin, only plastic. Has anyone used it to remove paint from resin, or, does anyone know if the Scalecoat will attack the resin in any way...??? Nothing on the bottle says it will harm any surface but I'd like to be sure before I dunk the body... Any help on this will be greatly appreciated.

Yes Rich, I originally joined the LIARS Club back in 1992 and am still a member even though I don't live there anymore. I still keep in touch with the guys and occasionally write for the Club's monthly newsletter. You can contact the LIARS Club's "unofficial official", Rich Argus by email and he will be more than happy to give you all the info that you need about the Club. His email address is: R.Argus@Juno.com The monthly Club meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month, from 6:30 to 9:00 PM, at the Henrietta Acampora Senior Center on Montauk Hwy. in Blue Point.(Next to King Kullen)

I use Duplicolor a lot and it is great paint. I usually also use Duplicolor's Primer-Sealer, and Duplicolor Acrylic Lacquer clearcoat which is also great. At least 3 or 4 coats of clear over the paint and you usually won't have to worry about polishing thru to the paint. I use Novus 2 to polish my paint jobs as I found it does a good job. The polishing cloths are good too but They get kind of worn out after awhile. I've used the Testor's One Coat lacquers too and I love their color selections. However I've had issues with the paint "bubbling up" on the bodies, even though i was very careful to NOT put the paint on too heavy.

I do believe that I will be attending your show Greg. I've finished up a couple of new models recently and will most likely be entering them. I went to the 3 Rivers Show a couple of years ago and had a great time. I even got lucky and won some awards. I'm looking forward to the show.

Great model. i'm Jealous... Back in May I visited my friend Tom Valenta in NC and we went to a model show in Simpsonville. At the show a vendor had a Johan '62 Dart for sale for ONLY $45. Well, I had just spent a truckload of $$$ at the NNL East and hemmed and hawed about picking ujp the Dart. I opened the box (OK'd by the vendor) and was kind of turned off by the turquoise plastic. I walked around the vendor tables about 5 times and finally went back to get the Dart, but it was gone...!!! I'm sure I'll NEVER run across another one for sale that cheap... Oh well... I learned my lesson. I should have bought it.

Hey... great looking model Rich. I'm an ex-Long Islander myself... moved 5 years ago because it just got too darn expensive to live there. Have you joined the L.I.A.R.S. Club yet...???

I'd like to say that I build for myself, but, as Harry pointed out, I'd probably be lying to myself. Yes I build the cars that I like and that appeal to me, but I always seem to go a little overboard with the little details. When I joined the LIARS Club in NY 20 years ago I started entering contests. Of course I went home empty-handed after the first few, but I examined the cars that won, spoke to the builders re how they did this and that to their cars and slowly learned over the years how to build a successful contest model. I honestly just love competing. I find that I learn so much from other builders which helps me to make my models that much better. I haven't really been to any shows, other than the NNL East, in quite a few years, since I moved from NY to PA (5 years ago). Most of the time I just wind up adding lots of details to my models because I enjoy doing it. I especially enjoy doing extra work on interiors which is why I usually go crazy when I build convertibles. I don't build every model to go in a contest, but most of the time i wind up doing a little extra detailing just because it makes me happy doing that. That's what this hobby is all about isn't it..?? Building stuff that makes you happy..

Thanks for the responses guys. I did omit the tubes and yes,this will be more of a show car Custom. That engine compartment is so tight that I used the spaces where the tubes were for the new battery (with cables) and master cylinder/booster (with brake lines). It all looks pretty good, but crowded, as I also added a windshield washer motor to the firewall (with a line coming from the washer fluid container), and heater hoses. I installed a chromed Caddy air cleaner (Modelhaus) which looks really cool. The radiator has an aluminum cap and an overflow line. As I said earlier, I hope to be able to post pictures of this project and 2 others that I recently completed soon. Now it's on to the small body mods I want to do, then paint, etc... Thanks again for your replies.

Hi guys. I'm currently working on the RMCoMD convertible body conversion for the Revell Merc. I'm pretty much done with the chassis, engine & interior and am about to move on to some bodywork. My question is regarding those air tubes that attach to the firewall. Forgive me if this may be a silly question, but, are these air tubes supposed to be for bringing air into the interior...?? If so, since I'm building a convertible, I'm omitting them, thinking that they wouldn't be needed to bring fresh air in a convertible. I'm adding a master cylinder/booster to the firewall on the driver's side, and I'm putting a different battery on the passenger side. As has been pointed out regarding this kit, that engine compartment is TIGHT...!!! I removed the molded in battery and patched up the hole with sheet styrene. In that spot I added a small windshield washer fluid container that I robbed from another kit. I added a cast metal alternator in place of the kit generator but had to remove it to get the engine to fit in and then reinstall it afterwards. I hope to be able to post pictures of this and my other recently completed projects in the not-too-distant future. Thanks for your help with my question.

We should never be afraid to at least look at new things... Maybe even try new things... You never know... You may actually learn something new... It's fun when you can learn something new every day.

I've got about 150 unbuilt kits. Like everyone else I just keep buying new issues like the Revell '49 Merc, the '48 Ford, the Hudson, the '55 Chrysler... This year I bought a couple of resin kits at the NNL East. I know I'll never build them all in my lifetime but I've got the same styrene addiction we've all got. It's fun ain't it...???

I've got about 6 started projects that wound up back in the box for one reason or another over the past few years. I usually only work on one project at a time until it is finished. I've been on a roll since returning from the NNL East this year. After not working on anything for several months, so far I've completely finished 2 models (a '53 Ford Pickup & a '58 Buick from The Modelhaus). I'm currently working on a '49 Merc convertible from RMCoMD which is about 2 weeks or so away from completion. I'll be posting pictures of everything as soon as I get my old computer set up again. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've been so productive and successful in building models.

Way cool color combo Larry. Very sweet looking model. Great job.

The Modelhaus makes some nice resin, chromed, outside mirrors. They have square ones (50's style) and round ones (60's style).

I'm in Cranberry Twp.... roughly 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.

Both the Boot Hill Express and the Lil' Coffin kits come with 1/25 scale skeletons. I don't personally know if anyone sells skeletons, but if they're out there I'm sure someone here will chime in and let you know.

Since I don't know what your friend's interior looks like, I can only suggest that if you are trying to replicate a vinyl finish on seats, door panels & dashboard that you use either a semi-gloss paint, or, if you use a flat paint, after the paint is dry, rub your face with your fingers and then rub the painted parts to transfer some of the oils from your skin to the paint. This will give the flat paints a bit of a sheen which will kinda look like vinyl. For plastic panels I would suggest clear coating after painting. For leather, I'd use Model Master leather paint. A general rule is that interiors are usually NOT very shiny, so try to stay away from high gloss paints. Don't forget to flock the rugs, or, use the new stuff... embossing powder (which I actually haven't tried yet).

Hey Michael... I think your truck looks a lot better in person... LOL. I finally finished the one that I painted while I was down visiting Tom and you back in April & May. I'll be posting pictures of it, and the '58 Buick that I finished, as soon as I can get my new computer to cooperate and load up the pictures from my digital camera. Stay well buddy.

OK... If this is for real, where might we find these '47 Chevy coupe kits...??? This is the first I've heard of them, and no, I don't live under a rock... LOL.