Ace-Garageguy

I have come to rely on the Bondo 2-PART "Professional" polyester spot and glazing putty, #801, available in auto parts stores, for the majority of my filling work these days. 2-PART means it has a catalyst...it's basically a VERY fine-grained "bondo", and mixing it takes a little practice to get it right every time. It will easily fill deep work, up to 1/8 inch or so, in one application WITHOUT SHRINKING. IT IS FULLY HARDENED / CURED, READY TO SAND IN 20 MINUTES, if you mix it right. It adheres well to 180-grit sanded plastic. Click on this thread to see it in action. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/96942-dry-lakes-scratchbashed-29-fordardun-chassis-sept11/?page=1 I also use ONE-PART lacquer putties, like Squadron Green or Bondo #907 for VERY FINE pinholes and scratches. These products DO NOT HAVE A CATALYST. You don't want to use them for thick fills, because they WILL shrink as they dry, they take a long time to dry-through because the surface dries first and inhibits evaporation of the solvents, and they're sensitive to solvents in primer and can swell or shrink even more.

All the Revell kits that are derived from this original issue have the Riley 2-port. That includes all these...

You already have the Winfield setup. If you want a Riley setup, i can post the kits that have it.

The Winfield head is in that kit, not the Riley...if I'm not mistaken. See above edit. Basically the 1/25 Revell '31 Model A kits have the vintage Riley setup, and the 1/25 Revell '29 Model A kits have the Winfield setup (and this is the OLDER Model A pickup, not the recent '29 Model A). It gets confusing with Revell, because there are Revell 1/24 Model A kits that have nothing whatsoever in common with the 1/25 kits.

Most of the derivations of the old Revell '31 kit had a Riley "2-port" head option, with an Ansen side cover, twin downdraft carbs, etc. There's ONE version of the basic tool (I THINK...I used to KNOW this...it's the '29 Pickup) has a Winfield head. One of the AMT '29 truck or woody kits also has a Riley OHV head setup. EDIT: Yup, I checked. The Monogram '29 truck "rat" you have is derived from a much earlier kit, and it's the one with the Winfield. The Winfield head is still a flathead like the original Ford 4-cylinder, but it's aluminum and has a higher compression ratio. The Riley 2-port head has overhead valves on the intake side, two per-chamber. The Riley head in the kits looks like this... The Winfield in the kit you have looks like this, more or less...

Great save, Rob. Stance is right on, Stude hubcaps are perfect for it, and the interior work is inspired. Very nice.

Nice work on the OP's truck. Getting everything square and fitting right really makes a big difference. Nice window correction too, and I like your choice of interior. And @ astroracer...man...that's about the best looking take on this particular truck I've ever seen. Fine, fine, fine. The proportions are absolutely perfect.

I like the overall look of your design here, and I also really like some individual elements of it. There are some of us who do wild stuff from time to time. Here are a couple of mine in-progress. You may have to scroll through the build threads until you get to the developed ideas... http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/58969-orange-hauler-ii-radical-custom-truck-wild-trailer-nov-11-update/?page=1 And one I actually finished...

It's a film. Google it. From Fox: "Michael Bay (the film's director) says his action-packed film “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” has nothing to do with politics."

Here's a pinned thread on airbrush recommendations... http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/73170-buying-my-first-airbrush-questions/

I used toothpaste when I was a kid to try to get some gloss on old Testors enamel. I had tried my father's DuPont rubbing compound, and it cut down to the plastic in no time at all. Speaking of fisheyes and silicone and Armor All...Long ago I worked in a shop that had an old-school booth with the filters in the doors (open to outside). I was shooting the last coat of clear on a '36 Bentley and the whole entire coat exploded in fisheyes. Turns out our new idiot kid had pulled a car for delivery right in front of the doors / filters, and started spraying Armor All on the tires and interior. Fans sucked it right through the filters. Took a LOT of effort to fix it...and of course I had to fix it for free.

I've used it in the past, and it works better than sandpaper. However, once I thought of the Comet deal and tried it, I'll never go back. I've looked at surfaces prepared using both methods under magnification, and the Comet is superior in my judgement...but don't take my word for it. Actually, I started using Comet because I was stripping a lot of gluebombs with EasyOff oven cleaner, and I needed something that would scrub the sometimes soapy residue it left behind. Comet did the job, and I reasoned it would probably remove mold-lubricant contaminants from virgin kit parts as well. The alcohol was insurance....and a carry-over from techniques I use painting real aircraft. Few things will ruin your day like getting a 20-foot streak of fisheyes down the side of a fuselage.

Ebay works very well if you're smart. If you're not in a hurry, you don't pay stupid "buy it now" prices or get caught up in idiotic bidding wars, and you learn how to shop on the site, you can save a lot over many other sources, usually. I've bought my last few '49 Ford kits for around $8, around $15 including shipping.

I know you said you don't want to go aftermarket parts, but I KNOW Replicas and Miniatures has the S.C.o.T. blower, other finned heads, and I seem to recall he also has some tallish artillery wheels specifically aimed at the rat market. Modelhaus lists 18" artillery wheels too, I believe. (edit: #T-640 Bernard Kron photo) And I THINK these are Modelhaus generic 15" artillery wheels. Too many spokes, but in an 18" sleeve, they could look good... A pretty decent S.C.o.T.-looking blower is in the old AMT '57 Chevy kits. It doesn't have enough fins, but it looks pretty good. These Shine truck wheels started life as '32 Studebaker, by the way...

This one ?? No Navarro heads in any kit I'm aware of, but I could be wrong. Those wheels are close to the correct definition of "artillery wheels", but again, in that diameter (looks like around 18" to me), there's nothing in any kits I know of.

You're right on about these being tough to chop and get right, but it looks like you've nailed it. Nice proportions and roof-line.

...unless you have piranhas...

Yes, great pix. It's a fun event, but I'm glad to see shiny is making a comeback. Last few times I was there, it was almost all rats and fake "patina".

Did he swallow he rest of the pieces?

The solid colors used without a clear will never develop the same gloss as they will if cleared. They are soft, they can be polished gently, but it's not the same effect as you get with a clear topcoat. Basecoats generally dry somewhat flat, and for that reason, they make excellent paints for interior parts...if not cleared. It all depends on what effect you want, and what you consider to be good enough results.

The no-name "piecrust" slicks in the second photo (they're called piecrust because the sidewalls look like...crimped pie-crust) came in the vast majority of early AMT hot-rod and customizing kits....'32 Ford, '36 Ford, etc. The Firestones pictured above came in a hard compound in later AMT kits, and a soft compound for the AMT slot-car racing sets. One kit that had the Firestone slicks in the first issue was the Barris Surf Woody.

You can easily strip the chrome plating from parts using household chemicals. I prefer Easy-Off oven cleaner, followed by a scrub with Comet, hot water and a toothbrush.

Prep and primer as you would for any decent paint job.

Scroll down to the big blue "Modeling How -Tos" header. Then click on "Model Building Questions and Answers". Your thread is currently 12th from the top.

You beat me to it.