Zoom Zoom

Thanks for the replies! Thanks; the problem w/the letters is they should not be translucent at all. In fact they should be solid red w/a thin white outline, but I'd be happy w/just solid bright red. What's on the model now is rushed for the Anniston show, I'll peel those off the windows when I print out some better decals. Hopefully I'll have this thing finished before the show up in SC next month.

Nice, love the phantom livery

The first time I saw one of these cars I knew I had to build a model of it. Having built a couple of the new Charger police cars, I piggybacked the build of this much-simpler model of the local Dekalb County Magnum police cruiser. I started with Revell's 1/24 scale ultra-blinged out "Uptown" Magnum R/T, as it was not an SRT8. I glued the scissor doors in place, made some door handles, filled in the moonroof, used the front push bar, wheels/tires from a diecast Charger police kit, and one of the lightbars from the new plastic Charger police car. It's metallic black and silver, decals were printed by me on a friend's Alps and a color laser printer. I have to redo the red decals on the windows as I printed them on the laser and they're far too translucent. I still have to add police goodies to the interior, lay out/print a license plate, and add front/rear strobe lights and some antennae. Very fun, relatively simple curbside.

This is a model I built several years ago, and tonight I finally got around to replacing a missing side marker lamp and cleaning it up and getting much better photos of it than the first time around. While a real Mazdaspeed RX8 is a rare sight, Fujimi did an okay job with theirs but like all their RX8 kits, the front end shapes are a bit off. I still enjoyed building it, it's painted in light gunmetal with a cobalt blue pearl overcoat then clear. It's pretty much OOB.

Ebay Motors is a good place to start, and when you do a Google search, if you search for "1965 Mustang Fastback Interior" or "1965 Mustang 2+2 Interior" you find a lot of useful photos.

Ditto. Beautiful model, but yeah...Revell whiffed on the wheels (and generic-sidewall tires). I don't like ZR1 wheels to begin with. Not helped by the fact that 99% of dealers or buyers or whatever think the chrome/polished ones look so good that their car has to have them. Bleccch. The wheels are offered in better finishes, but you wouldn't know it by what is on most of the cars. I have to say this, sometimes an undersized wheel doesn't look bad (of course I'd much rather it be right), but the ZR1 wheels just look especially small especially if the model is built w/the OOB stance. There really is no excuse in 2011 with new models coming out with newly-tooled wheels and tires not to get the diameter correct. I guarantee there are still kit designers out there that have no freaking idea that a 19" wheel when measured across will be about 20.5" because of the tire retaining lip. Why they continually make this mistake is beyond me

Looks great, I like your extra detailing. Fun kit, isn't it?

Nowadays I'm even lazier w/decanting; I wear disposable gloves and hold the straw up next to the nozzle and spray into the cup. Very little mess, if any, and I shoot in the spray booth itself on newspaper. If I decant more than I need, I save it in a glass jar for the next time (clear, semigloss and flat black I use all the time, so I save what is left if any).

I've already built two of 'em, a third started....and while I haven't taken any beauty shots of this one yet, it was simple/dirty fun w/the Uptown Magnum and parts from the diecast Charger police car, and one of the lightbars from the Charger police car (plastic kit). Home-made graphics...I'm making new "warning police dog stay back" decals for the rear glass, and have a few more interior & exterior parts to install:

That's one 'spensive engine there, Chuck That said, it's nice. Though I might be tempted to do a bit of self-casting to save a few $$ and make more than one

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of polished wheels. I'm pretty sure the LFA wheels can be silver, polished, gray, or black.

Alternating is good, but I don't use many of the grits on final polish. I use the heavier grits (1500-2400) for primer, and 3200/4000 for getting out dust nibs, but w/most models shot w/Tamiya clear I buff out after 4000 grit w/Tamiya coarse compound which is made for the paint, works wonders. I like doing the heavy duty wetsanding in the coats beneath the final clear or color.

No It's not like just a second instrument panel will work, there are other parts that would need to be changed as well (I don't have my kit with me at the moment). I saw the first LFA that was delivered in the US the morning after he brought it home. LFA #003, the guy ordered it in 2005. If the model were a US version I'd build it like the local one...but it is "only" silver (like 80% of all Lexus?), but still looks pretty wild. Black/red interior. I took tons of detail shots of it, too big a crowd around it to get overall shots. I'm happy to have the model, but I'd be buying multiples if it were a Ferrari 599 GTO or Lamborghini Aventador. Just sayin'....

Got mine a couple weeks ago $85 in the US full retail.

If anyone else is going to build the model, here are some detail shots I took of the car last year:

Correct. I even did a spoon test to prove this and show it to club members at our last meeting. Real cars painted in metallics/pearls have a dull finish before clear. It's okay if the paint is reasonably smooth, the clear is what adds the gloss. If you want smooooooth, wetsand the color and then shoot a thinner coat of the same color through an airbrush, then apply clear.

Nice That's the first built kit I have seen of it; a friend of mine has the same kit. I have the builtup version that was offered many years ago; the parts all seem to match between it and the kit. Very unique piece, and I'm glad I've been able to see the 1:1 car at both the Blackhawk Museum and the Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance a year ago.

Nope; I was just visiting...Tim Kolankiewicz should have that list.

We missed you for sure! Hope your recovery goes well and quick! Congrats to Trae; the Astrovette is just pure awesome

Here are my shots from the show, fun day! Greater Birmingham Classic 2011

To actually answer your question, yes...Formula 560 is water soluble after it is cured. I found out by accident, had some windows pop out from a body that was washed, then realized it's a great "feature" to remember. If it stays dry, it's almost as strong as epoxy.

You were dreaming. It's a very basic curbside, generic chassis shared w/a Mercedes 190, and a terribly rendered body with a chopped and too-flat roof. I think there may have been some kind of aftermarket resin body made to correct that, but not sure. The Fujimi E30 is a very disappointing kit.

All the ones I saw seemed to be lacking that cover as well. The holes in the top of the intake plenum (for the optional cover) need to be filled.

I'm pretty stoked w/these kits. There could be a bit more detail/information on the lightbars, and perhaps some sorts of antennae, but considering all the parts it already has, and all the variations possible w/aftermarket support, we're just splitting hairs over a few minor issues here and there.

You don't need those pins, they fit rather loose and sloppy...just get some styrene rod or whittle down some sprue to fit. Unless you just have to have the wheels roll when you go "vroom vroom" on the kitchen floor...