Ramfins59

OK, this is a '48 Ford Woody I built about 10 or so years ago. I used Testors sand, wood and leather paints to do the Woody framing, and then cut pieces of cigar wood/paper to fit the insert panels. I trimmed the wood/paper to the size of the kit supplied decals so they would fit perfectly. I glued in the wood/paper with thinned Elmer's glue and once all was dry, I brushed on some enamel clearcoat over the wood/paper. The wood/paper comes in packaging for some cigars. The cigars come in aluminum tubes with a piece of the wood/paper wrapped around the cigar, but the wood/paper is curled up and very dry and brittle. Wet the wood/paper and lay it between the pages of a thick book (like a phone book) until it dries and then it will lay flat. Then you can cut it to whatever size or shape you need using either very sharp scissors or an X-Acto knife. I personally don't smoke cigars, but my cousin does and he saves me all his wood/paper. Sorry for such a long-winded description but I thought this would help, especially due to the fact that nothing really looks more like wood than real wood. This wood/paper can be used for interior, dashboard panels, door panels, etc...

I'm a transplanted New Yorker from Long Island........ WoooHooo.... the Giants won....!!! Now that I'm living just north of Pittsburgh.... Too bad the Steelers lost, but.... oh well.... After all... It's only a game right...??? Wouldn't it be nice if we all made the kind of $$$$$$$ that those guys get for playing a game...??

Yeah I sometimes use the little alligator clips, or a pair of hemostats, or a clothespin (depending on the size of the part) but i usually use a pin vise to drill a small hole in the part (where the hole won't be seen later) then dip the tip of a toothpick into some CA glue and stick it into the hole. I can then hold the toothpick and paint the entire part. When finished painting I stick the part ot fhe toothpick that I was holding into a small block of styrofoam until the paint is dry, then remove the part from the toothpick and install it whereever it goes on the model.

I understand your pain and your loss, having lost 4 GREAT dogs over the years. It is losing a member of your family and it hurts A LOT. Please accept my sympathies. Some people say the best thing to do is to get another puppy and hopefully the grief will fade and you will have that love for your pet again, but with a new pet. I, however, chose not to go that route because I really don't ever want to go through that grief again.

Let's see... bought 5, started 6, finished 2. Still have about 125+ in the unbuilt herd... and that's after thinning it out a few years ago.

It's NEVER sacriligious for a BUILDER to cut up an old kit.... maybe so for a COLLECTOR... I'm sure most of us here are builders so I doubt we have any issues on cutting into old plastic. My old, dear friend Dave D. used to proudly wear this button which exactly stated his feelings about plastic...

Yeah, I do the same thing. I save the red, amber and some clear sprues just in case I need to make an odd shaped or custom lense. I've also made taillight lenses from a red toothbrush handle, but it was a lot of work, even though worth it in the end.

Yeah man. I doubt if there are many of us who DON'T have several projects in the works at the same time, or, started projects just sitting waiting to come back to front & center again. I can think of at least a half dozen that I have, plus who knows how many that I forgot about when they went back in their boxes. Gotta keep those creative juices flowing no matter what the subject matter is.

Yeah the tape thing works great. I've had good luck using a very small pair of curved nail scissors (like for trimming babies nails) and cutting the P/E pieces from it's sprue... obviously holding on to the part you're cutting off. I use a dot of clear enamel to glue the P/E pieces where I want them to go. Dried paint makes an excellent glue. Ever have trouble opening a jar of paint that glued itself closed with glopped up paint...??

I would use a Dremel and grind away the back of the grille until you reach the recesses and THEN clean them out with and X-Acto. You can then touch up any scuffs or cuts from the back side with chrome paint.

I started this model about 6 months ago and put it away when the interior was giving me problems. I envision it in White Pearl, with Blue pinstriping and a Baby Blue & White interior. Wheels will be Chromed reversed on wide whites. Engine will be a Cadillac engine from the AMT 49 Ford Coupe kit. Headlights are frenched, front & rear rolled pans smoothed. Lake pipe shrouds (for shortened Bob Dudek lake pipes) and skirts added along with a sunken antenna planned for the driver side rear behind the door. The grille is the DeSoto tooth grille from the Revell chopped 49 Merc kit. The taillight blisters were sanded off and I opened up new custom taillight housings after these photos were taken. I pulled it back out, deciding that I want to finish my started projects from 2011 before I attack the unbuilt herd for another new project. I have 2 of these kits so I think I'll raid the 2nd kit for the interior pieces and start over on it. Hope I have better luck this time.

Absolutely gorgeous models. I love the "traditional" Custom look, which is what I also try to do with my Customs. I love the sunken antenna and the subtle pinstriping. Your chassis and engine detail is outstanding. You are definitely a talented modeler. I'm also gonna look for those fabric snaps for hubcaps. My daughter has been trying to get me to go with her to Jo-Anne Fabrics to look at stuff I might be able to use for models...... Now I'll definitely be going there with her. Great work Clifford.

I'm voting for the T-Bird too. After seeing this build now I wanna build one too.

OK guys, It must be because I am half Polish (the half that I sit on... LOL) but with a little help and encouragment from my daughter (I'm not really computer illiterate... I just need a little help sometimes) I finally opened a PhotoBucket account and am herein posting a Link to my Customs file. Please feel free to look and comment... All comments and constructive criticisms are welcomed. Sometimes us older guys need a little help and guidance with all this "new-fangled technology" stuff... I don't know which freaks me out more sometimes... Collecting Social Security, or becoming a grandfather for the first time, or having to file for Medicare in 3 months...!!! At least I still have all my plastic projects to console me. http://s1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa454/ramfins59/

Yeah, Duplicolor spray paints are great. As recommended above, be sure to use a good primer/sealer as Duplicolor paints are on the "hot" side.

Yes, I also have been using Scalecoat as a paint remover for years and the stuff is great. I've left a body submerged for a month (inadvertently) and it did not affect the plastic at all. I also keep mine (2 bottles worth) in a tupperware like container. My LHS carries it here. Yeah it is a bit pricey but to me it's well worth it considering that it removes enamel & lacquer paints very efficiently.

A few years ago, I stole an idea from a now dear, departed friend (Dave Dickash)to store my parts in a rolling storage cart with plastic drawers/bins. I have wheels & tires in one drawer, engine and chassis parts in another drawer, interior parts in a third drawer, chrome parts/trees/ doo-dads in drawer # 4, clear parts (windows, lenses, taillights and clear and red sprue pieces) along with some clear acetate from Christmas Card box tops in drawer # 5, and the bottom, largest drawer has spare bodies and body parts. It is sometimes time-consuming to pick thru the drawers for just the parts you want, but at least the parts are separated by "category". I keep all my aftermarket stuff (aluminum, photo-etched, resin) in a large shoe box. All engine parts are held together with large, labeled binder clips, as are interior stuff, lights, wires, hoses, etc. Keeping all the related parts clipped together makes it easy to find what you want quickly. Pretty much all my modeling tools (X-Acto's, files, saws, tweezers, drills, small clamps, etc. fit into a plastic box with compartments, similar to a tackle box. Years ago I guess I did what most everyone did... throw ALL the extra parts into one big box... What a horror story to find pieces you wanted.

I would like to wish a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and Prosperous New Year to all my fellow modelers out there in Plasticland... May we ALL build the BEST killer models we've ever built in 2012. Please ALL stay very well.

This is really cool. Reminds me a little of the flying car that Juha Airio from Finland did a few years ago that was featured in SA. It's a lot of fun, not to mention the work, to make something this wild. You did a great job. I tried something along these lines with 2 '59 Dodge promo bodies and the '58 T-Bird bubble. Mine has wheels though. As soon as I get around to opening up a Photobucket account I'll post some pictures of it along with some other Customs I've done.

Welcome back to car modeling John. I hope all is well with you and Amy. Maybe we'll run into each other at the NNL East in April. Stay well buddy.

You're right Gregg, the magazine is getting better and better every month. There is usually something for everyone in every issue. As far as the delivery schedule... Hey, we're paying for a subscription for 9 issues per year... As long as we get all the issues who cares when they arrive. Let's see all the complainers do it any better and meet all the deadlines, etc... Keep up the good work. I'm hoping that your back gives you less trouble and pain in the coming New Year. Stay well buddy.

Yeah I'd also like to finish at least 3 of my started projects... '50 Ford Convertable Custom. '56 Chevy Nomad. '58 Plymouth "Christine" Then I hope to move on to building at least 3 other models not yet started. Trouble is... There are just so darn many in the 100+ unbuilt herd to choose from... Plus the brandy new stuff I got for Christmas ('48 Ford Chopped Coupes, '53 Hudson & Tall T Double Kit) which were added to the herd. So many models... So little time...

I think you can reach Norm at...........NormanVeber@AOL.Com

Back on 12/8/11 I posted 12 pictures of some of my Street Rod builds. Today I tried posting some pics of Customs that I built (in the Under Glass section) and it is telling me that the file for the pic I'm trying to post is too big...!!! The pics I posted on 12/8 and the ones I tried to post today are all the same size JPEGS. Can someone please tell me what is going on...?? Is there a problem with the site...?? Thanks for your help.

No I used Duplicolor gray Primer/Sealer on both the body and the hood. If you tape the hood to the body from underneath to paint it all together, then how do you paint the edges of the hood and the lip the hood sits into over the engine bay...???