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That's good. I didn't mean to misspell the name of these insects but my spell check was fine with it so I just kept going.

Got all the right stuff and I like how you did your tubs inside the bed.

You mention using Future. Something I try to do on every build is to dip the "Glass" and the Chrome Trim in Future first thing when I start a build. This usually protects the glass from getting scratched along with keeping it in the plastic that is usually is in the box. I also take that and the decals and put them in the bottom of the boxes of the model. The kit chrome can also get scratched or rubbed enough to make the chrome thin and maybe even have to spray them with chrome paint to bring back the finish. The black washes for the bumpers I will do before dipping usually.

When I was very young I worked turning wrenches and waiting customers at the station pumps. The owner I was working for at the time was very soft spoken, and a great guy to work for, and never saw him as anything but very open with everyone. He had me work on a late model Pontiac Le Mans and we were putting on new tires and put the best one in the trunk for a spare. He was mumbling in my ear about something in the trunk and to not look around in there and close it ASAP. This is a guy who would look you straight in the eye when he spoke to you so his actions seemed funny to me at the time. I went about doing the switch out with the trunk and spare and the only thing that I noticed, remember I'm told not to look around, was a blanket over something in the center of the trunk floor. Only after the customer left did he ask me if I had seen anything in the trunk. I mentioned the blanket but said he had told me to get in and out of the trunk real fast, not something you would usually worry about. That is when he told me the customer was with the FBI and he had some weapons under the blanket. He had identified himself to the owner when they first met and had shown him his ID and Badge and gave him a number to call at the local FBI office if he needed to verify who he was before he told him what was in the trunk. The guy just looked like any other guy on the street, but I'm sure that is the point.

I would take them up on their offer. Grubbs can do unimaginable damage and you usually don't even know you have a problem until your lawn starts to look like your pictures and they have already eaten the roots of the grass. I'm sure your summer has been much like many parts of the mid-west with little rain also. Without irrigation most grasses will get stressed and turn brown and die back. Once established Grubs can be hard to get reed of. They should treat the yard in the spring also when the larva are starting to feed. This will also stop them from laying their eggs for the next season. We have to put down Grub-X every spring and hope we stay ahead of them. We have a water source so the irrigation is not a problem but 90 + degree days and 20 mph + winds can dry out a lawn real fast.

Chris. Your picture reminds me of our family's '56. Even the snow bank, we lived near Barrington at the time. Our was the Nassau Blue and White with the 6 and 3 speed. They must have sold a lot of those. Dad didn't even spring for the AM Radio. We at least had a heater such as it was. You could die of exposure in the Illinois winters while driving.

My only concern would be maybe getting to much paint with a spray can. But then again the old spruce test may prove to be the beat way to see without damaging the wheels. I don't really know the difference between the Smoke and there Panel Line Accent product, but the accent paint would work best when you're detailing any hub cap parting lines or lug nut details. This paint has a very nice fine brush attached to the cap. This helps to pin point areas that you want done. I use it on many other parts of a build and especially the engine details. I had a much the same problem with a '48 Aerosedan I just did. The chrome or polished valve cover and side cover as well as the carbs. The shinny finish was toned down and the raised fins on the parts were more visible. The carbs. did get a coupe of passes until they looked realistic to me.

Great looking basic work truck. Clean looking trim and the stark basic interior also looks spot on.

The Smoke paint is very thin, but you could always thin it some more. Try an old piece of chrome spruce to practice on, especially if you have a section that has some part numbers on it. This will give you an idea of how it will react in the nukes and cranes where the paint will tend to build up. You want a small part of that to happen since it will give you a sense of depth or even shadows that you would find on a 1:1 bumper. I try to apply a very light thin coat of the Smoke with a fat brush and let it run off to the edges. I'm sure you have some old chrome spruce around and develop a technique that you're comfortable with before you do your model.

Beautiful looking El Caminos. I'm glad you pointed out where you shortened the bed. You can really see it when compared to the stock one in the picture. The Hood treatment also, most just put a Chevelle SS hood on an El Camino and that's OK but GM never did that. They way you worked the '68/'69 style vents look better to me anyway. I'm an El Camino lover and have owned a few. My Avatar is of my new '67. I grafted a Revell Chevelle front end on to a Revell '66 El Camino. There are more differences than there should be in plastic since it isn't that hard on a 1:1. You '66 model looks just like your 1:1 car.

I like your paint treatment. The 1:1 car has very good looking and this kit and the way you built this shows it. All of the finishes are very cleanly done also.

Great looking build, just like the TV car.

You have a very methodical build style that is enjoyable to watch . You mentioned in your post that you were removing the Water Pump. My concern is since this is an air cooled engine what part did you remove. There is a part on the engine that would attach to the two posts facing the rear of the car. This would have been the Timing Chain Cover and be essential for the engine.

Beautiful looking rig. I wouldn't change a thing. Before GM started killing the Pontiac line after they had announced the Holden version of their Ute to be sold as a GTO here. I had a new '05 GTO and would have traded in a heart beat since I had owned several El Caminos in the past and really liked them.

Ford did, it was called Ranchero. Those that owned them loved them. There just wasn't enough people to keep buying them as most had moved on to full size pickups.

If I were to own a '57 Chevy this is how I would want it to look. I my be different, but I think the 210 looks better than the Bel Air. Chrome accent not overload.

Normally the Transmission Pan is just an unpainted thin metal part. The slight oil seepage from the mounting gasket between the pan and the transmission housing is sufficient enough to prevent the pan from getting rusty. After market is limitless as to finish and materials.

Good to know for future projects.

One thing to remember no matter what color you are using is the finish on the Dash and rear Package Tray. These would be a nonglare finish or something very close to a flat finish in OEM anyway. The reason is to reduce glare from the sun. If you have ever driven a car or even a pickup on a sunny day you can see the suns reflection in the windshield and the rear window. In order to minimize this the OEM would have a flat finish on these areas. Think of a car or truck that you have used Armoral on the dash you'll know what I'm talking about.

At almost double the price it had better be good. Have you been able to look at it in person ? Have you been able to hold it up to the light next to any BMF ? How thin is it compared to BMF ? These are things I would want to do before I just went forward and bought this sight unseen. Could be better, but how else are going to know before you buy this instead of two sheets of BMF.

I have used both Tamiya X-19 Smoke and Their Panel Line Accent if you're trying to accent the parting line between say the bumper and a bumper guard. I'm sure there are others but these have worked well for me anyway.

I heard somewhere they were getting their BVDs in a bunch over nail clippers as well.

Your ad for the taillights reminds me of a set I bought for my '57 Ford. Lee Plastics made some interesting looking lenses for most of the popular car lines and they were not expensive and good quality.

Great looking Pinto. You mention this not being a very well detailed kit but with the way you painted and detailed this build it looks great.

Looks great with a really bright yellow finish. The vinyl roof is very realistic looking and I also like how you detailed the engine bay.