Shardik

OOPS!

Howdy, neighbor! Sounds like you and I have a great deal in common: Hiking, camping, photography and art...oh yeah..and model cars. Maybe I'll run in to you on the trails one of these days. Welcome to the forum.

I was going to suggest the same thing. This process is known as annealing, and involves heating the metal to just shy of "red hot" and allowing it to air cool. This works for photo etched pieces that need to be bent to shape as well. One advantage to this is that it reduces or eliminates the tendency of the metal to "spring back". I use a small pencil torch for this, but for a high E or B string a butane lighter should be sufficient.

Oh my. That is pretty!

Nice choice of subject matter. I'm looking forward to watching this take shape.

Nice work, Anne.

This is gorgeous! Paint, finish, proportions, details and over all concept are all outstanding. I would love to see this done full size. I'd mortgage my soul (if I had one) just to drive it.

My vocabulary is insufficient to add anything substantive to the well deserved accolades already lauded upon your venerable skills. I have probably bypassed this thread several times since my interests do not generally include late model cars. I am very glad I decided to, finally, take a look. This has been one of the most inspiring and illuminating topics I have found here. I am now emboldened to finally tackle that frame and suspension that I've been timidly putting off. Thank you for sharing this, and please do seriously consider publishing an instructional book. You are eminently qualified to do so.

Take lots of pictures, PLEASE. I'm going to get started on a convertible soon (Gunze-Sangyo), and I need some ideas.

Beautiful paint and clean build. Nothing wrong with these. There's probably nothing wrong with your camera, either. The pictures look like they were taken in natural light with your camera set for incandescent / indoor lighting. In this mode, the camera compensates for the yellow cast of incandescent light by adding blue. Look for an icon that looks like a child's depiction of a sun.

Like Bill, this is one of favorites from the Ford stable. I built one of these kits for my daughter a while back (in the roadster configuration), and I knew something wasn't right but couldn't put my finger on it. Now I know what to do with the next one. I think I'll leave the top down, though. I don't have anywhere near your talent, and don't think I could get the up top looking this nice. If you ever decide to cast it, let me know. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this one in paint. Got a color picked out yet?

A little StarWars trivia: The actor who played Darth Vader got his start in Stanley Kubrik's "A Clockwork Orange" in the role of Julian, the man servant.

Any chance you'll do a tutorial on that technique?

Daily driver: '39 Plymouth coupe - slightly modified, i.e.: 318 and I.F.S. Fair weather fun-mobile: '72 Karman Ghia convertible; had one, loved it, blew it up . Go anywhere vehicle: '74 FJ40 with possible engine upgrade Babe magnet: 550 Porsche spyder Street racer: Ford GT40 Mk I ; For when I absolutely, positively have to be there yesterday! Current daily driver: '01 Nissan Frontier P/U ; Because it Just Won't Die

Got into lutherie as a hobby, which morphed into a part time business. I also collect Musical instruments from around the world and 18th and 19th century woodworking tools; other collectors hate me because I refurbish and use them! I do some landscape photography, which means a lot of hiking as well. The rest of my time is spent with my tarantulas; Audrey and Lasciel.

I'm definitely going to have to check out your build thread on this one. That chop really gives it a perfect profile, and it flows so well you'd think the factory made it that way. I love the paint combo' as well. Outstanding build. Congratulations on your well deserved recognition.

I just opened up a 1:12 AMT '37 Cord convertible that I got off e-bay, and the color and finish of the body look so nice I actually considered going without paint until I noticed a very slight ripple on the trunk that will need some smoothing. Still, for '60s vintage plastic, it looks amazing. I should post a photo' so you can all share in the wonder .

They must get kick-backs from UPS.

Like many who have responded here, the level of research I do depends on the subject and my commitment to it. However, I always do some research; some of it specific to a certain vehicle and some more general. For example, I have a large file of engine pictures and wiring diagrams. I also find advertising photos for performance equipment to be quite helpful. Some subjects, of which I am particularly fond, get the full treatment with their own computer file full of reference pictures, not only of 1:1 examples but also details on how other modelers have tackled the subject. For instance, I have a GT40 file that contains more than 200 reference pictures... and I have yet to even cut a single part from the sprue . The bottom line is: I want to build models that look like the real thing, not like models. For that I need to know what the real thing looks like and how it functions.

James, Glad to see this finished. Super sharp paint job and lots of nice clean detail. What really makes this one, though, is those decals . Seriously though, I'm happy to have been able to facilitate such a nice build.

VERY nice! I've got one of these in the works which I hope turns out as nice as this one. One question: Where did you get the skirts from? I need some to replicate a friends car, and there aren't any in my kit. Did you scratch build them? If so, I'd appreciate some tips on how to do it.

I assume / hope you're an engineering student. A project like this is a fantastic way to learn about the potentials and limitations of various manufacturing techniques... and have a ton of fun in the process. Well done! I hope we can look forward more submissions from you. By the way, I, for one, would be grateful for a more in depth dissertation on the methods you employed in creating this masterpiece.

The model, especially your execution of it, looks a lot better than the box art, but it still doesn't look like a Cobra to me.

What I really love about this, in addition to the marvelous conception and execution, is the plausibility. Yes, the details are extremely well wrought; colors, patina, texture, technique...all masterfully done, but it wouldn't have the same impact but for the believability. That shows some thoughtful planning. It's like a story rendered in three dimensions. Thanks for sharing this with us.

Nice work on the interior, again. (I really like your Charger.)