Ramfins59

IMHO the best pre-wired distributors are from M.A.D. (Morgan Automotive Detail) and they are VERY reasonably priced. http://www.madmodeling.com/store/

Great pictures Greg. Thanks.

Thanks a lot Tommy.

Wow. Christian, is that a 1/24 diecast?? If so, I want one...!!!

Yeah...... This freezing weather is getting REAL OLD...... REAL FAST. I wholeheartedly agree with the Snoopy cartoon above. I'm contemplating going down to North Carolina with my buddy Tom Valenta after the NNL East show...... I wish that was tomorrow. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr...

There are a few //24 scale bikes listed on EBAY. Here are a few... http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-NSR250-STATIC-MODEL-BIKE-SCALE-1-24-SITO-PONS-1988-/190804608771?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2c6cd74703 http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-24-Scale-G-1936-Harley-Davidson-EL-Knucklehead-/201288783721?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2eddbf1769 http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-24-Die-Cast-Harley-Davidson-1968-FLH-Electra-Glide-/191488768145?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item2c959eb891 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heller-Yamaha-YZR-500-Motorcycle-w-Rider-1-24-Scale-/221693154490?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item339df114ba If you search through the Motorcycle listings on EBAY you may find more.

Thanks guys. Dave, you're eagle eye caught that I see..!! Yeah, I'll have to try to fix that at some point.

Nice looking model Al. For anyone looking for it, Model Roundup has the Gunze Sangyo kit http://www.modelroundup.com/product-p/gunze-188.htm

I've had success using Tamiya Clear Blue for washer fluid containers...

Thanks very much Jim.

You got that right...... All other shows pale in comparison..!!

Joe, first of all, look at how the spark plug wires lay in either your own car or someone else's, or look at wired engine pictures on the Internet. What I usually do is, after all my spark plug wires are glued in place, I'll use either a pointed pair of tweezers or a toothpick to gently "force" the wires to realistically drape down from the distributor, over and/or around the valve covers.

Thanks again for your kind comments guys.

Pretty cool details on that car.

I guess it depends on individual preference. Obviously the modern upgrades done on vintage cars are to improve comfort, handling performance, reliability and safety. I've been an AARP member for many years so I get your point. I wouldn't mind seeing kits of vintage cars (30's through 60's) come with both stock and modern engine and suspension parts, to give builders the choice but I don't think that will ever happen due to tooling costs. Upgraded versions of vintage car kits are a good idea and have been done on '32 & '37 Ford kits and a few others. In the meantime we'll just have to continue doing our own scale engine and suspension modifications...... it's a lot easier and cheaper to do it all with plastic.

I thank you all so very much for all of your very kind, encouraging comments. Michael Dalton - The PE pieces I used for the snaps are from an "Every Nut & Bolt" Set that I got from Norm Veber at Replicas & Miniatures Co. of MD. I'm down to my last package of these and I emailed Norm Veber to order more which I would pick up from him at the NNL East show on April 18th. Unfortunately, Norm advised that these are no longer available from his PE supplier . Norm also advised that he thinks that he will only be a spectator at the NNL this year and not a vendor, because he is once again so backed up on filling his orders that he doubts he will be able to make enough stock to bring to the show to sell. I applaud him for putting his customer's orders first, but it's disappointing to not have him setting up his tables at the NNL.

I just finished this up tonight. It started as a partial gluebomb that I got on EBAY back in Sept. 2013 for the bargain price of $36. It had holes and blobs of glue where mirrors, spotlights and antennas were. The windshield frame was split in the center where a glue blob was. While removing the windshield the frame split again in the center of the driver's side visor. I repaired it using a combination of liquid glue and CA glue. Fortunately no skirts were glued on the car, and the body was never painted. I sanded the mold lines, filled all the holes, and sanded it all smooth. I used a polishing kit to get the scratches and glue off of the glass as best I could. Modelhaus supplied a replacement grille and rear bumper. The body was painted with Tamiya Pure White. The wheels and tires are from the Moebius '56 Chrysler kit. It took several hours over 2 days to apply and trim the BMF on this barge. The windshield frame split in the center again while I was foiling it. I wound up having to install the glass using non-fogging CA glue to give the frame some support so it wouldn't keep splitting at that weak spot. The grille received a wash with The Detailer and I gave the headlights a light coat of white acrylic paint followed by a coat of Elmer's clear school glue applied with a toothpick. The taillights got a couple of coats of Tamiya Clear Red. I added interior and exterior mirrors and exterior door handles from my parts stash. The antenna is a cut down printer pin. The interior bucket was first sprayed with Tamiya White primer, then flat, Red, model railroad paint was brushed in in several coats. Holes were drilled for the resin cranks and handles from Norm Veber which were painted chrome silver. Carpet was flocked in Maroon, gas and brake pedals were added, and the dashboard was painted Tamiya Pure White with BMF trim and The Detailer. Clear epoxy was used for gauge lenses. The steering column has pieces of shirt pins for a shifter and turn signal lever. The "snaps" on the convertible boot cover are PE pieces. This was a fun rebuild although I wouldn't look forward to doing BMF work on one of these cars again. Thanks for looking in on this latest "graduate". Any and all comments and/or critiques are welcomed. Now to pick another one out of "the pile".

I built this version of a custom Studebaker back in the mid 90's. I cut off the roof, added '57 T-Bird headlight bezels and custom taillights from the AMT '58 Impala.

Yeah, if it's a new kit I'll open it when I get home and look through the instruction sheet to get an idea of what parts are in the kit. If I see something "special" I'll open the bags to see the actual parts, and to check out the chrome trees and decal sheet.

I bought one of these kits several months ago for my "Class of '57" but I've been reluctant to work on it due to all of the horror stories I've heard regarding the multi-piece body. I keep hoping for a diecast or promo to appear on EBAY but the only 2 diecasts that I've seen during the past year went into the stratosphere price-wise.

I'm loving all of the responses in this thread. Re the fear of cutting through the paint when trimming BMF...... If you apply several coats of good clearcoat over your paint, and don't press hard with your XActo blade, you shouldn't have the chances of cutting through the paint and having it peel up on you. Removing glue residue...... Try using Isopropyl Alcohol on a Q-Tip (not dripping wet)... it won't dull either the foil or the paint. Adhesion problems...... As long as you use BMF sheets labeled "New Improved" you shouldn't have problems with the foil sticking where you put it, although it does stick better to glossy surfaces rather than a part that has been painted with a flat finish. As Steven Guthmiller mentions, the glue on the "New Improved" BMF is so good that sometimes you really have to work at removing the unwanted foil after trimming it. High price...... I guess it all depends on where and from whom you buy it. The most I've ever paid for a sheet of BMF is $8.00 and that was from a vendor at the NNL East show. For the past several years I've been buying at least a half dozen sheets at that show so I'll be sure to have enough on hand for all of the chrome-laden 1950's cars that I've been building. I find that I can do about 3 complete cars from one sheet. I use just about every little bit of foil on the sheet especially for tiny spots on emblems, door handles, vent window frames, dashboards, interior cranks & handles, ash tray covers, trim molding, etc... I hate when you open up a new sheet of BMF and it is crinkled, wrinkled and/or bubbled. Then there is definitely going to be a lot of waste on that sheet because you have to cut around all those crinkles, wrinkles and bubbles. Back when I first started using BMF (in the mid 90's) it used to come packaged with a stiff cardboard backing piece so you never found any wrinkled sheets. The wrinkle problems started when they stopped using the cardboard backing. I assume they did that as a cost saving.

I've seen a lot of Forum members post comments about using BMF. They either love it or hate it. Personally I love the stuff and once I started using it about 20 years ago I never looked back..!! I had success with it from day one. I won't say that it is my favorite chore in this hobby but I am not intimidated by it in the least. Unlike some builders, I don't find that it is overly expensive. You can afford to buy kits, glues, paints and XActo knives, so why not BMF?? Yes, there is a certain amount of waste when using it, but, there is also a certain amount of waste with using spray primers, paints, CA glues and epoxies. That's all part of the hobby IMHO. So, what is it about using BMF that either intimidates you, or turns you off???

I've gotten ideas from magazines and seeing certain cars on the Internet. I usually try to put my own spin on a project after getting the initial "spark" from something that I've seen.

Welcome to our plastic playground George. You'll like it here.

Very nice George.