Steve_L

Your 250 build tests positive for AWESOME!

These are pictures of my 1959 Buick Elvictamino "Gold Rush," built from a Jimmy Flintstone resin kit that I took a fancy to. I was unable to find a reasonably priced 1959 Buick donor kit, so I decided to build it as a slammer. The resin kit was built pretty much as received, with a Modelhaus front bumper and a 1959 El Camino rear bumper. I used large Halibrand wheels and tires from my parts stash. I decided on another "over the top" glitter paint job and used Rust-oleum gold glitter paint with U-Pol clear. I polished the paint with pads, Novus and Meguires Scratch-X. I finished off with two coats of Meguires wax. I added a vanity tag with "AU RUSH" (AU is the chemical symbol for Gold). Not a challenging or detailed build, but a fun one. Enjoy!

These are pictures of the Maisto 1/24 Scale 2014 Corvette Diecast I received in the mail today. I really dig the 2014 Corvette and couldn't wait to get my hands on a model of it. The quality is neither wonderful nor terrible, just sort of comfortably in the middle. There are some minor flaws in the paint, but the amount of detail is commendable for a diecast, especially with the interior. I plan to enjoy it as a shelf model, until I can get my hands on a styrene plastic model.

Please see my response to Realgone58. You could easily try it on a primered plastic spoon like I did.

The clear I used appears to be a relatively new Rust-oleum product. It has not been on the shelves very long. Because my air compressor was giving me trouble, I sprayed the clear directly from the can rather than with my air brush. I tested the nail polish and the Rust-oleum clear on a primered plastic spoon before using them on the '57. I gave the nail polish and the clear a day's time to dry in a medium to low humidity environment. I also polished the plastic spoon with pads, Novus and Mequires Scratch-X to make sure the whole process worked. You would need to use light coats and the appropriate distance from the model to ensure a uniform clear finish. BTW, my investment for the nail polish and Rust-oleum clear was $4.77 at my local Walmart store.

At todays ACME meeting I heard they were from the AMT '61 Buick kit. I can't verify that, though. They were part of a grab bag of fender skirts I bought at our last ACME Southern Nationls NNL show last November.

Eleventh Completion of 2013 - 1957 Chevy Retro Custom These are pictures of my 1957 Chevy Retro Custom. I was inspired to do this build when I saw that Hendrix Resin came out with a continental kit for the first issue AMT 1957 Chevy Kit. I seriously lowered the suspension front and rear and added long flowing fender skirts. I dechromed the body except for part of the side trim. I molded the headlights and taillights to the body and rounded the taillights slightly. I also removed the rain gutters. The interior is mostly stock and was painted with Duplicolor Charcoal Gray upholstery paint. The seats feature bright silver brocade and I added a floor shifter and 1957 Oldsmobile steering wheel. I powered the car with a 1957 Corvette fuel injected motor and four speed transmission. For the first time, I used nail polish to paint this project. I selected a shade called Sugar Sugar from Sinful Creations. I covered that with Rust-oleum American Accents gloss clear. I polished the finish with pads, Novus and Meguires Scratch-x 2.0. I am happy at how it turned out and as I often say, "You can't have too many 1957 Chevys." Enjoy!

It turns out that I actually used Duplicolor Clear enamel for this project because I have very good history with it. When I saw the gloss level after it dried, I decided not to sand or polish it further. I successfully tried the Rustoleum American Accents Ultra Cover 2X Gloss Clear for the first time on a 1957 Chevy that is not quite finished. It polished out very well and gave me the glossy finish I wanted. Stay tuned for a post on that project.

Here is a picture of the Rustoleum American Accents Ultra Cover 2X Gloss Real Orange paint I used for this project. By the way, I am having really good luck with the Rustoleum American Accents Ultra Cover 2X Gloss Clear that is also in the picture. I got them both at my local Walmart for $3.77 each. Am I doing the happy dance? You betcha! (That's Swedish for 'You betcha!')

That's the stock gas tank, I believe. It's located under the stock seat in the kit. I just cut it out so I could mount it in the rear.

Make that "Tenth Completion of 2013"...

Tenth Completion of 2012 - 1925 Ford "Citrus" T Roadster These are pictures of my 1925 Ford "Citrus" T Roadster. I built it from the AMT 1925 Ford T Roadster kit with some kit bashing. I added hairpin wishbones from another 1925 Ford T Roadster kit to the rear end. I also added the Cadillac tri-power motor from the Revell 1949 Mercury custom kit. The wheels are from the MPC 1957 Corvette Street Machine. The rear tires are from the 1925 Ford T Roadster kit and the fronts are from the Revell 1931 Model A kit. I detailed the car with paint and the motor with a Morgan Automotive Detail distributor and spark plug wires. I finished the body and chassis with Rustoleum American Accents Real Orange gloss paint over Duplicolor white primer. I used Duplicolor Hemi Orange for the engine and interior. The interior got a coat of Krylon matte finish. It was a fun project, largely inspired by the builds from Kustom Rods on Facebook. Enjoy!

Here is a picture of my 1966 El Camino Kustom that went nowhere in last year's Revell/Gearz contest: It was a really fun build, so I got over the disappointment pretty fast. Enjoy!

Bill, Yessir, that was me. I really look forward to learning more about your innovative work with fiberglass for model cars. See you in August, Lord willing. Steve

Super job! The paint work really stands out!

Very nicely done! I especially like the under hood detail and the paint.

These are pictures of my 1957 Oldsmobile "nostalgia" project. It was 1957 and I was a seventh grader who was in process of becoming a car guy. I had started learning to recognize car makes and models. I also was fond of reading the "little pages" Rod and Custom, Car Craft and Custom Cars magazines. I saw plenty of custom cars in the magazines but had never seen one up close and personal. That changed one afternoon when I was walking home from school. I saw this beautiful white 1957 Oldsmobile 98 2-door hardtop stopped for a traffic signal. It was lowered, had 1957 Dodge Lancer spinner hubcaps, a continental spare tire and made a really cool mellow sound when it pulled away from the stop light. I thought it was the most gorgeous car I had ever seen. I decided to re-create my first "custom car" experience by building a model of that 1957 Oldsmobile 98. I bought a Modelhaus resin kit and their 1957 Dodge Lancer spinner hubcaps. I used Duplicolor primer, white color coat and clear coat for the project. The only modification was to lower the suspension. It was a fun project that once again took me back to the "good old days." Enjoy!

These are pictures of my 1/32 Scale Hot Rod Nostalgia Build. I was in the seventh grade in 1957 and started hanging out at the local hobby shop. After building a couple of model ships, the clerk (she was a car nut) at the hobby shop turned me on to model cars. My very first project was a 1/32 scale Revell (or maybe Gowland and Gowland) Hot Rod. I remember having enough money for the kit and a tube of glue. I put it together without paint, but was proud of the outcome. I'm sure I overlooked all of the flaws at the time. I recently saw an identical kit on EBay and decided to build it again, using paint and my improved building skills. It was actually challenging because almost every part had either mold lines or sink marks to remove. The body was two pieces and they did not line up correctly. I kept after it and produced what you see here. The color is airbrushed Testors red enamel and I covered that with Duplicolor clear. I polished the paint with pads and Novus polishes. I did the chrome parts with Alclad and painted the upholstery with Duplicolor Tan Upholstery paint. It was a fun build and took me back to those "good old days." Enjoy!

These are pictures of my Gold 1966 GTO project. I liked the design, detail and ease-to-build of the Revell 1966 GTO kit from a previous project and decided to do another one. The build is mostly box stock, except for the parts box mag wheels and the rubber radiator hoses. I used Duplicolor White Sandable Primer, Testors One-Shot Gold Lacquer and Duplicolor clear. I polished that with 3200, 4000, 6000, 8000 and 12000 pads and Novus 3, 2 and 1 polishes. This is the 1:1 car I would have bought after college graduation, if finances had permitted. However, it lives again in 1:25! Enjoy!

These are pictures of my 1959 Imperial Custom project. I grew up in the 1950's and I have always really liked the styling of the 1958-9 Imperial. When I saw Jimmy Flintstone's new 1959 Imperial resin kit, I knew I wanted to build one. I acquired the body, de-flashed it, soaked it in Westley's Blech-White and ordered the front and rear bumpers from Modelhaus. After a few weeks, the bumpers arrived and I was ready to go. The kit is barebones, which made it an easy decision to build it as a slammer. I prepared the body by sanding it with 800 and 1000 grit sandpaper. I slammed the car to the ground and the large chrome wheels and tires from the Revell 1957 Chevy 2-door gave me the look I wanted. After two failed paint jobs, I got restless and decided to go for an "over the top" look. I primed the body with Duplicolor white sandable primer. I used Krylon Silver Glitter Blast paint and covered that with many coats of Plaid Hi-Shine glaze. If you like the Glitter Blast look (mega-metal flake?), please know that it is messy to use. The spray emits lots of free glitter particles, so I decided to paint it outdoors. The resulting surface is rough and required quite a few coats of the Plaid Hi-Shine glaze. I used my dehydrater after each set of three heavy coats and that worked well for me. It wasn't a detailed build, but it was a fun project and resulted in, at least, a good shelf model. Enjoy!

Here are additional pictures, as requested. Enjoy!

These are pictures of my 1969 Pontiac GTO mild custom. I built it from a vintage (1982) Monogram GTO Judge kit and used the engine, 5-speed transmission, wheels and tires from the Revell/Monogram 1991 Pontiac Firebird Formula. It features a mild de-chroming (including the rear bumper) and molded front and rear bumpers. I used Duplicolor white primer, Testors one-coat purple-licious color coat and Duplicolor clear. I polished it with 3200, 4000, 6000, 8000 and 12000 pads. I used Novus #'s 3, 2 and 1 polish. As an experiment, I applied Turtle Wax ICE detail treatment. The interior is painted with Krylon Short Shots Iris color covered with a coat of Krylon Matte clear. I used Bare Metal Foil and paint to detail the interior. Enjoy!

Bare Metal Foil Phobic (Like me)? These items may help. These are Hobby Lobby Embossing Tools (#625269) which I found to be highly useful in applying Bare Metal Foil (BMF) to a model car today. There are four sizes, each of which is applicable to the BMF process. The smallest size particularly helped me foil the trim around the fender wheel wells. The tools are also useful to further shine the BMF after it is applied. Enjoy!

These are pictures of the Jimmy Flintstone Chopped 1950 Oldsmobile Body. It is a high quality resin piece that came with an average amount of easily removable flash. The body is straight and there are few, if any, defects to deal with. These comparison pictures show both the JF body and the body from the Revell plastic kit. The plastic kit hood fits well onto the resin body, but the rear fender wheel openings may need some work to fit the plastic kit fender skirts. I attribute that situation to my flash removal techniques. Enjoy!

Yes sir, I believe it is. Kevin said its been on the cover of a previous Year One catalog, too.