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I always wetsand (micromesh usually, 2400-3600 depending on what I'm sanding, and how smooth it is) between coats. I sand my primer and my color coats, except any final color coat that's a metallic or pearl. I also usually sand between clearcoats (I generally spray 1-2 primer sessions, two color sessions and two clear sessions). The smoother the base, the smoother the end result. It's nice when I don't need primer and use Tamiya sprays, then I can generally get away w/minimal wetsanding between coats and no wetsanding of the final clear, just elbow grease and liquid compound and I get a mirror finish. Darker colors I'll always put more time/effort into the final wetsand/polish. Steve, thanks for the heads-up on the Zinsser quart cans. It hasn't rusted yet, and I do have a spray can of it (used on a 1:1 chair restoration where it worked just fine as a primer). I don't need a sealer often, but there are times it's mandatory.

Sometimes you have to expect the unexpected:

Yes, it's probably a 40 min. drive between Suwannee and Smyrna. And it's only about 20-25 mins. to Road Atlanta from Suwannee 8)

A quart is somewhere between 8 and 13 bucks, can't really remember, but it's enough to last an eternity :wink: Maybe you'll be lucky to find a pint sized can of it. Again, mix the living **** out of it, it settles out. Home Depot/Lowes have it. I'm sure it's available other places. I'm pretty sure I used 91% alcohol to cut it, I think denatured alcohol will work as well. It's pretty mild stuff, a lot less toxic than enamels and lacquers. But it sure does the job. Avoid the spray cans, unless you want to transfer it. The nozzles are awful, it sprays way too much and way too splattery for a model car.

If everything is smooth before you paint, I suspect it's the paint that is overpowering your primer and causing ghosting. You need to use a sealer to avoid it. Most automotive paints, even Tamiya lacquers, will cause ghosting if the body has had a strong layer of automotive paint or primer applied-once the damage is done, it keeps happening over and over and that's when even Tamiya spray will cause you headaches. Mold lines that you sand away carefully, areas that you fill, details you sand away, all reappear faintly because the solvents in the paint are leeching through and into the plastic, causing it to swell. This problem can drive you crazy. You must use a sealer or primer that blocks the solvents. I had more trouble w/Black Gold clear than I could ever imagine, before I began cutting it with Mr. Color thinner. I'd get the primer smooth, apply the color, looked great, and then when I clearcoated it would blush and cause all the bodywork to magically reappear. Zinsser BIN shellac-based primer/sealer used over a light application of automotive primer should block the solvents and be a sufficient sealer. Dupont Variprime also works if you follow the directions to the T; it must be thoroughly mixed and dried the proper amount of time and you must use a respirator. BIN is much safer, cheaper, and available everywhere. Get a can of it (not a spray can), and mix it thoroughly, cut it w/a bit of alcohol, and it sprays nicely, sands just as powdery as the automotive stuff. It's a white primer. It saved me the problem of Tamiya white primer turning pink on a vintage Monogram kit, and blocked the ghosting of a couple areas that I used filler. Cobra Colors primers seem to avoid ghosting, especially the VX primer which looks a lot like Variprime, but it's not great at covering. Moon Mud covers better. For the low cost of a quart of Zinsser, I think that's the easiest to use w/an airbrush. If you must use a spray can, avoid automotive products or get MCW's primers/sealers in spray cans.

Great! You should come to our ACME meeting as well on Sunday afternoon in Smyrna. We'll probably be at the Petite as well; Kevin from Strada Sports comes to visit every year for the Petite. Should be a great weekend 8)

I'll be interested to know about shipping; if their shipping charges are similar to HLJ's (and ship SAL vs. the pricey EMS) I may put in an order with them. Odd that HLJ isn't carrying the kit. It looks like it builds up fairly decent, for a "motorized-era" kit.

As I mentioned elsewhere, I'm pretty sure this is a reissue, not sure if it originated w/Aoshima or they ended up w/it from a defunct company. If it's not too skeezy I may want to get one, as it was one of the better looking imports from the early 80's. They used to be pretty popular and common, especially in CA. Now if Fujimi or someone would take the Starion kit and give it the wide fenders :wink:

Cool! Looks like a fun project. I'd like to find a '61 HT like that to restore, or a resin. The CV's seem much more common.

Hope you can make it! Should be a fun show this year as always.

Hey Craig! Good to see you here.

And there's a very good possibility the Monogram 308 is "the" 308 GTB that Revell of Germany is reissuing later this year. Nobody knows for sure (except perhaps people in Germany), but seems logical as the Monogram is a GTB and the old Revell/Airfix GTB seemed to become the Magnum PI GTS later on.

That's a great idea!

I too have had my share of models that have fought me tooth and nail, and they too turned out like this gorgeous Biscayne-nobody knows but the builder how bad it was because the model looks perfect to everyone else :roll: Nice work, don't let one sketchy/fussy resin model make you think they're all that way. Many fall together w/o any drama, some are better than your average plastic kit. Ask first before you buy; someone will likely have built model X before and give you some pointers. As I saw on another board, this Biscayne was an early piece for MCW and they've improved their game since this model. I always test-fit body/interior/chassis stack on every styrene and resin kit before painting so I know if I'll have to do much grinding. Doesn't fix every problem in final ass'y, but it sure helps. I'd rather know ahead of time I'll have problems than find them along the way.

Incredible work as usual Dave 8) I'll likely steal some of your wire and hose ideas, they seem necessary for the right appearance.

Is that $15 with or w/o shipping? One ended last night for $15/buy it now, w/$5 shipping and got no bids. One sold earlier in August for $8 bagged w/o box. They're out there if you look!

Looks like a killer project!! You should consider making it look like Automobile Magazine's photoshopped (aka fanstasy) Z07 :wink: http://www.automobilemag.com/future_cars/2...t_corvette_z07/

What's a decent price? They never seem to be very expensive, usually around $15 or so, though I've seen cheaper at shows. I found one at our show a couple years ago for $5 from one of our club members, I was about to buy it when Eric C walked up behind me, he looked interested in it-I asked if he wanted one to build, he said "yes" so I let him buy it instead of me. I wasn't going to let it get away to just anyone for $5 even if I had to buy it myself. It was in good hands and I didn't need another one anyway. You'd think he'd thank me by building it one of these days :wink:

I found pics of 3 of the 4 sets (all but the 16" Daytona rims). They're VIP wheels, only one (Fabulous Velis) looks suitable for a separate trim ring, not sure if it will or not. http://hobbyworld.aoshima-bk.co.jp/scripts...kue.aspx?mk=118

Great! Looking forward to it. Bill and Bob are coming down as well. Here's our website, click the NNL links. If our flyer isn't a PDF yet online, I'm going to smack our webmaster upside the head :roll: Done. Via Email. :shock: :roll: But the basic info you need is there. http://www.acme-ipms.com/

Len, this is a brand-new Revell USA kit. You must be thinking of the C5R. A friend also used Cobra Colors on his C6R and had no problems w/crazing, in fact he's done many "newfangled plastic" Revell kit's w/Cobra Colors and crazing hasn't been an issue for him. Cobra Colors VX primer is actually an excellent sealer, better than Moon Mud, but it's harder to build up a consistent color. VX looks a lot like Variprime, which is touted as a great sealer. I had a slight amount of crazing using Tamiya sprays on my new Z06, but only in the first primer coat. Subsequent coats were fine.

If the panel lines are too faint, I open them up with a pointed scribing tool, and dress them w/a triangular riffler file, then dress any nibs w/a piece of sandpaper. I go fancy w/my panel lines, at least on lighter colors like white,yellow, or silver. I apply black lines w/a .005 pigment liner pen, and paint a few color coats over that to get the panel lines to the right shade. This is always on a second color coat, which generally goes on smoother than the first. I looked at the white/yellow models in my collection and the black panel lines I used to be satisfied with look too bold. I didn't like the results I was getting with a panel line wash on my white/yellow cars, the color/shade was too inconsistent. I find myself doing much less cleanup w/my pen lines prior to repaint than I did with my washes prior to polishing out the excess. I would like to see if India Ink would "sandwich" between coats of paint like the pigment liners. This could solve the occasional problem when a panel line isn't accepting the pen due to the width or depth of the line. Overall I've adapted easily to this method and personally I find it quite easy and effective, though I admit my success w/it under Testors lacquers is spotty, the Testors lacquers are amazingly pigment-rich (very much unlike their enamels).

Depends on how accurate you want your chassis to look, perhaps from a contest perspective. I simply attach the brake rotors to the wheels and then glue those assemblies onto the suspension where they belong visually, not necessarily where Pin A fits into Slot B. Sometimes it requires a snip of a spindle or axle to narrow the track, or a small Evergreen shim to widen it. I set the car on business cards so that the wheels slip into place exactly where they look best. It's utterly simple once you get the hang of it, and nobody has yet gone all freaky (or even commented :wink: ) because my car's wheels aren't always centered on their axles. Or you can shorten the springs by cutting them, shortening, and then using brass pins to relocate them. More work, more chance of the car sitting with one wheel in the air. It's awfully nice when you build a model where you don't have to monkey with the ride height or stance. I used wider aftermarket wheels on my Mustang and I had to grind the living daylights out of the wheelwells to get them to sit inside the fenders. The stock kit tires are significantly narrower than most aftermarket wheels/tires, so beware if you go that route that you'll also be doing more than just adjusting ride height.

I cannot fathom living w/o a dehydrator. I would be lost without it! You will definitely benefit from it.

That's the other one I've used @ a friend's house (we had a veritable dehydrator farm going full-tilt when we had our 24 hour LeMans group build), the heavy lid is difficult to deal with when you've got one hand holding the model and the other trying to monkey w/the heavy lid/cord while not dropping the body. But it works just fine! They're all good at warming paint cans and bodies prior to painting. I also have a small handheld hairdryer at my spray desk/booth, for a quick "blow dry" to help speed-dry flat paints and primer between coats.