Zoom Zoom

Thanks for all the comments

Just two? How about three? It was interesting how easily this Challenger/Camaro/Mustang trio melded together...

Thanks! I have an '06 soft top, it's a really fun car and lots faster than my previous '96 NA, and more capable after I did suspension work. I love the style of the RF but I have heard that wind noise is an issue w/the open top. I guess I have to reserve judgement until a drive. Not an issue with a model

Thanks! The ride height is 100% out of box. This is one of Tamiya's best kits ever for fit/finish. The Plamoz wheels and front Brembo brakes fit the kit like they were made by Tamiya. As they should, the two conversion kits were not inexpensive. There was some issue w/the decklid/C pillar piece, I needed to use some styrene strips to optimize the fit on the sides and at the very back, so that the removable top piece would fit properly and the panel lines would look uniform. The MX5 body I had carved up previously to try a different hardtop, which failed, but I had left enough material to do the RF conversion when it became available, so it was completely salvageable at that point.

Tamiya MX5 + Plamoz RF & Club Edition conversion sets. Custom mixed TS paints, Alclad black chrome finish on the BBS wheels. Have worked on this off and on (mostly off) since June. Debuted yesterday (Nov. 4th 2017) at the ACME Southern Nationals.

Thanks Tom, it was great seeing you and I/we really appreciate your coverage of the show! It was a great show, lots of fun, and a lot of happy modelers.

LOVE it!

Gemini? Why not a BMW 2.8, 3.0 CS/CSi? Y'know that 2002 is great, but...a Gemini??? Isn't this what always happens when something new gets announced? While my apathy for the Gemini is real, perhaps some of you can amuse me with a 24 Hours of Lemons group build of Geminis ...and Porsche tractors.

Gorgeous! Great stance/rake.

There are countless places on the web to buy/sell models. Why clutter up this site? I'm an admin on my club's Facebook page and we do not allow buy/sell/trades; too much drama, too much babysitting, too much clutter would be the result if we allowed it...and there are countless buy/sell/trade pages littering Facebook already. Our hobby sadly seems to be way too focused on buying/collecting/selling/trading vs. actually building.

Ted "Chopper" Lear built one of the resin Fords in metallic orange. I have the unbuilt kit in my stash...it's amazing.

Excellent; that means time over holidays to work on Civic, Turbo, and hopefully the Ebbro Honda Jet (they claim December...).

It was great to meet him and his crew at the NNL East this past spring; his work has inspired me for decades. I'll be building the Marauder X100 resin kit he mastered soon. His eye for both design and detail is amazing; his customs are really cool. I won't be surprised if they're a yearly fixture at NNL East; they sold a ton of product this year and it easily covered their trip expenses (Airtrax resin from Juha and Tapani Rauramo, and Eero Kumanto's Highlight Studio etched products mainly for vintage VW's).

Completely understood, I was more venting than anything with my previous comment. It's sad that only a HK based company seems interested in tooling plastic kits of modern-ish US trucks primarily for builders outside of the US. The US companies are showing us all how much interest they have for the subject.

Hopefully this time next month the Civic has landed, and I'll combine shipping w/my pre-ordered 2002 Turbo.

Well, there are experts, and there are experts. Any interest in plastic kits of modern American pickups is falling on deaf ears. There's far more of a pulse in diecast and RC at this point. Pic for attention: Quite probably the last modern pickup from Revell that has anything close to detail that might satisfy an adult builder. Thankfully my interests are broad enough that there's always plenty to buy and build when companies are asleep or worse, and my 100 year backlog is available as long as there is paint and glue and my vision and dexterity remain. Personally I can't wait for the Ebbro 1/48 Honda Jet to hit my workbench.

And the upcoming 2 door Wrangler...when the Wrangler Unlimited sells 3:1 vs the 2 door, and judging by the popularity of modified Wrangler Unlimiteds at local gatherings, I don't think Meng has their finger on the pulse of the US market at all. Revell can't be bothered to do any new trucks beyond the two snap Raptors, the latest the kiddie Build 'n Play. Meanwhile Maisto has a far nicer Raptor in 1/24 diecast, true to scale...as well as a Wrangler Unlimited. Hate to say it, but people wanting modern truck kits better get used to the fact that if they want a model, they're going to have to rip apart a diecast...because the plastic companies have no interest, just apathy.

To answer your question, the 1mm is my go-to for fine detail work, it's more of a pen tip and not a felt tip like the 2mm and 4mm. If I want to rechrome a bumper I use the refill and run it through the airbrush. The 1mm is great for mirror faces, door handles, door locks, lug nuts, window cranks, raised dash details. Use it "wet into wet" and you can chrome smaller parts with ease, just make sure to let it dry 24-48 hours and try not to handle too much. It's far stronger than Alclad and it doesn't require any special surface prep or base color. Window/side trim is still far better served by using bare metal foil. The 1mm might be a bit much for fine lettering style emblems; though if you have refill or take the pen apart to access the reservoir, you can use the chrome ink with your tiny detail brushes. It's more like paint than ink when it comes to brushing or spraying.

.030" half round is what I use.

Excellent advice; I've been told Tamiya developed their lacquer thinner specifically for their acrylics so they would spray and lay down on the surface like traditional solvent-based paints. Mr. Thinner/Mr. Leveling Thinner can be used for the same jobs as Tamiya lacquer thinner. I use Mr. Thinner products all the time to thin decanted paints and when shooting flat acrylics I use on interiors, and thinning Mr. Hobby solvent-based bottle paints. X-20A just for occasional panel line washes.

I don't know "a" Bill Stillwagon, I know "the" Bill Stillwagon. Incredible, talented modeler, and a really nice guy too. And he's been known to go to the CKM show in Clemmons, NC in August where you can meet him and see his models up close and personal.

Glad to hear they have addressed the droopy front end issue; wonder how much new tooling is involved? Really happy they didn't gloss over the misshapen front end on the Boss.

It's Revell. I seriously doubt they'll fix it. And if not...no sale. It literally ruins the entire model having such a disfigured face. *Edit* : Glad to hear they have likely fixed the shape issues. Great news!

Amazing and inspiring; such a beautiful car to begin with and you've done it proud with the upgrade.

Word of warning! I restocked late last year U-Pol Power Can Clear and it resulted in 3 failed clearcoats. It cracks...badly...over time, unlike the previous cans I used. A friend had the same bad results. He got some of the pricey UV-resistant stuff and it hasn't cracked. I've since reverted to mixing Gunze solvent-based clear and have been given an old can of U-Pol clear by a friend who likes using Gravity Colors clears.