Ace-Garageguy

Excellent points a couple of you make about the right way to measure a rim, but the problem, in my experience, is that's an area the kit manufacturers seem to be all over the board on, and it's sometimes almost pointless to try to second-guess what they intended. Very few of the kit tires I have will fit rims from other manufacturers, no matter what scale diameter they're 'supposed' to be in 1:1. I've taken to simply measuring the OD of kit rims and subtracting a scale inch or so. There are some models where getting that last 1/2 millimeter makes a visual difference, and some where it doesn't. Snake...I have one of those Caddy 4-carb parts-pack intakes and the carbs if you want them also, and a set of three-port short headers from the same kit. Let me know.

One of my closest and oldest friends had a minor stroke a few days back. He woke up in the morning and noticed he was having trouble finding words, but his balance was OK, so he got on his motorcycle and rode to work. 8 hours later, he rode home. His wife noticed he seemed a little off, they talked about it, and she took him in to urgent care. They kinda freaked out, and took him by ambulance to the large hospital here. Seems the carotid artery that the VA didn't clean out a few years back was 95% blocked. Long story short, he's doing fine, at home, and we talked on the phone this evening. He's still a little off, but he says he feels function coming back rapidly. He's a good guy, and I'm really glad he's not a vegetable, or dead.

Only if you want the right answer.

It's interesting that Revell changed the tooling, apparently multiple times. The first-issue wheels are 15" and different from the "Sundance" issue (which are staggered), and you guys' rat-rod issues are different again, being all the same size. I'm sure I have some good-looking '60s 5-spoke 15" mags I'd be happy to send Snake, if he needs them.

Measure 'em, divide by 25. Get a factual answer that doesn't rely on opinion or possibly incorrect scaling by the manufacturer. Just a thought.

I guess it didn't occur to anyone else to measure the wheels in the kit. The fronts in my issue measure out to be roughly 15" diameter. The rears measure out to be over 17". 17" is just flat wrong for an early '60s car.

First version... Later version... ...which appear to be the same ones on the chrome tree in this rat Rod version... The "Studebaker" / Halibrands were featured on the '30-'31 panels... ...first appearing as the optional wheels in this kit (below)...

Oopsy doopsy. I wasn't quoting Jantrix, but the "quote" function still seems to have a mind of its own sometimes. I WAS quoting Spex84..."skeleton interior...inverted the detail! Everything that is supposed to be indented is raised..." One of the things I'd elected to not mention until I had the kit in-hand. Must be another one of those different language / deadline or financial constraint / different culture / different time zone things again. Or maybe the Chinese characters for "innie" and "outie" just rook too much arike?

If I remember right, Romeo Palamides (became American Racing) introduced a line of cast-alloy wheels, including 16" ones, in 1956 (I have a magazine here with an ad for them, including 16" diameter). The first ones were solid centers, built on patterns made by Rolla Vollstedt. By '57, Palamides had modified the patterns and spokes were coming in, still available as 16-inchers. A LOT of tires were available still in that diameter, so it's realistic to assume mags would be built to fit them. 15" became the norm fairly quickly though, and the 16s were phased out by mag-wheel makers. This is a shot from the October '57 Hot Rod mag, with early Palamides 4-slots. These look like 15s, but it's hard to say for sure. Slicks were definitely available in a 16" diameter, as many were recaps, molded on production car carcasses. American introduced their signature 5-spoke in 1960. I know this isn't a definitive answer to your specific question, but it gives sufficient background to have a believable story to go with your model. EDIT: Here you go. Note the small-print "other sizes of 15" and 16" wheels also available". If American Racing was making wheels in 16" diameters, it's a pretty good bet the competition was making them too.

It's very common to have to modify the width of wheels, or swap or make new backs, to fit specific tires. Sometimes it's even necessary to shave the inside diameter of the tire as well. You're probably not missing anything. Trust your judgement and do what's necessary to get the look you want.

1) if the paint doesn't match as-sprayed, no amount of polishing and clearing will magically make it change. And you're absolutely correct about sanding and polishing bare, non-cleared metallics, pearls and micas. Sometimes you'll find a paint that will let you get away with it, but more often than not, you disturb the metallic particles, uncover them unevenly, and end up with blotches and streaks. 2) It's a pain, but just like on real cars, you shoot the jambs and edges first (being very careful to avoid dry overspray on the body and parts), then hang everything together temporarily, and paint the whole body in one go.

Yes, it's a separate part, but from the factory it's quite literally nailed in place (to the wooden body framing), and forms the front edge tacking-strip of the soft roof insert. A lot of guys weld them in, but that makes it a real bugger to ever work on the wood framing again, if necessary. EDIT: I have to believe that body is still made in at least two pieces (and is simply displayed assembled) as it's just about impossible to mold something like that, especially with the visor shown as it is, in one piece with conventional tooling.

This is a common problem with paints that include mica, pearl or metallic particles. It happens on REAL cars too, and can be frustrating...and expensive... if you don't expect it and fail to take precautions prior to the problem. In order to get exactly even color on every part and panel with some of these, you HAVE to paint the parts assembled. For instance, tape the hood in place when you shoot the body. When we shoot REAL cars with these special-effect paints, we HAVE to shoot the body with the doors on, and the hood and decklid in place. Look carefully the next time you're at a car show, and you'll see plenty of cars with minor color mis-matches from panel to panel, because the painter shot the parts NOT assembled. The coverage of Testors Fiery Orange isn't really "one coat", so to get exactly even color with it, you MUST paint everything put together, not just at the same time. I speak from experience. Look close, you'll notice this "Fiery Orange" car has a mis-matched decklid...because I had a problem with the primer crazing, got in a hurry to make a deadline, and shot the deck with the same paint, from the same can, on the same day, at the same temperature, but with the deck OFF the car.

Great thread, still going strong. Kinda surprising we got 16 pages of English lessons on how-to-not-sound-like-a-moron on a model car forum. Love it. "Step foot" drives me up the frippin wall too.

Most everything on the test-shot pix looks great. There are a couple of things I'm not sure of that look a little...hmmmm... but I'll withhold comment until I have the kit in hand...and I WILL be buying several.

Resin or styrene? Either way, the technique is about the same. Run the part under the hottest tap water you can stand and GENTLY and CAREFULLY reshape the part with your fingers. You may have to do it several times, fitting to the car body as you go. You may also have to bend the part FARTHER than you actually want it to go to compensate for 'memory' as the part tries to return to the bent shape...if it's been in the bent position for a long time. I've brought a lot of badly warped parts back using this technique, but work slowly, gently, and carefully.

http://www.caglue.com/US-1-bSuper-Solvent-2ozb-debonder-for-CA-glue-will-remove-super-glue_p_35.html US-1 Super Solvent 2oz debonder for CA glue, will remove super glue

Sorry if I seem like an ass, but anyone who tells you don't need to wear a respirator while painting needs to sign a certificate of responsibility to pay for your medical costs in the future. Home-made booths rarely work 100% efficiently, and a $30 respirator that will last for several years with good maintenance is really cheap insurance. If you CAN build a good booth with effective fume extraction, and you NEVER smell anything, you're OK with no respirator...but why risk it? But hey, it ain't MY problem. Just FYI: The last shop I worked in had an industrial bead-blasting cabinet with huge air-extractor fans and filters, all vented to the outside. It had pneumatic seals on the doors and protective gloves that inflated when the box was evacuated. I ALWAYS wore a respirator while working on that piece of equipment too...because on the days in the beginning when I didn't, I'd get home and be blowing black snot out of my sinuses and have a scratchy throat...and I never smelled anything. God only knows how much silicon and other toxic dust went in my lungs. Got a respirator, no problem.

If you spray indoors, you DEFINITELY need some kind of extractor fan. Period. And you ALWAYS need to WEAR A RESPIRATOR. Period. Unless, of course, you're blessed with unlimited medical insurance coverage and a source of cheap new lungs. The solvent vapors can cause a wide range of other serious health problems. Just like smoking, some people can be exposed to paint and fumes and suffer no ill effects...but you won't know until it's kinda too late to prevent the problem. This type of organic-vapor respirator with replaceable particulate pre-filters is fine for model use. Some of these are intended to be fully disposable, but if you take care of them and replace the pre-filters when they load up, they'll last for a long time doing model work.

Thank you, gentlemen. Got it, start Monday. Beautiful Arizona sky shot too, Ed. I really have to start planning to move out there. Man, that's pretty.

Good looking rig. Did you have to open the hood on the JF COE, or does it come that way?

A member WAS building an AMX/3 to be resin-cast. Beautiful work, but unfortunately, most of the photos are gone for some reason. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/87848-amc-amx3-scratch-build-kit-project/?page=1

Great idea! It looks like you're almost there to me. At this point, I'd try cleaning up anything you don't like with riffler files, the edges of sanding sticks (cut to shape to ease getting into corners), or the corners of folded-over sandpaper. Real bead-rolling is difficult to do with sharp corners because of the way the sheetmetal has to be turned in the dies during rolling, so it might be wise to try to round them somewhat during application of the stock. It might also ease your work if you started with half-round stock, but I see the wisdom of sanding the top straight after forming the bead, as you did here, too. What you have looks very good, just needs a little fine tuning to be great.

Wow. That's some nice, tight, clean custom work.