Ace-Garageguy

Maybe it's just a little body-English. There doesn't seem to be any other way to steer the thing at the moment.

The '34 had been one of my grail kits for a long time. Then I got one. Serious scale and proportion issues (the body shell is way too narrow, etc.), but the box-art rod looked so good...Again, serious proportion issues. The box-stock build-up produces a car that looks, to me, too long, with an ungainly stance. Oh well. Though I don't have the T kit, the stance of the box-art "rod" is perfect for some of the old-Ford-based dune runners of the '50s.

OK. Disregard everything ever said about logic, reading instructions, paying attention to and recording what works, cause-and-effect, avoiding mixing different materials from different manufacturers, testing, practice, etc. Forget all that useless, silly stuff. Instead, get a chicken... .. and assorted expert helpers... That should solve any paint issues you'll ever have. If that doesn't get it, try a cool hat.

There sometimes comes a point where the cage you want to modify is just too different in shape from the car you want to fit it to. That's when it's time to get some styrene rod of the right diameter and begin learning a new skill...building your own cages from scratch. I've been in the same situation you're in now, and it was frustrating. The idea of scratch-building a cage also seemed like it would be difficult. In reality, it turned out to be not too bad, and the more you do, the easier it gets. There is some great advice and tips on the forum as to how to go about it, and once you try it, your roll cages will always fit. This is a good one to start on, as building just the upper and cross tubes to fit your rear hoop won't be too bad, and it's going to be easier than modifying what you have into something that is symmetrical and looks good.

My office lately has mostly been the '47 Caddy in the foreground, getting a full build with an LS-1, 4L80E, AC, and power everything. This is the view from there...

'50 Olds coupe on the way home... And this '62 Fury, sitting in a body-shop parking lot. Had to stop to get some snaps...

Not a lot happening, but I've about finished the body fill where the fastback roof section was grafted. Using masking tape to control where the filler gets to, to minimize sanding and shaping. This side's about ready for primer, chrome shaved, rear window surround thinned (the AMT kit is really thick back there), and the rear quarter window enlarged to match the Olds. Started opening the rear deck too.

Bo Zolland is a designer working now, and seems to be able to make just about anything look great...

The Ayala brothers were working around the same time as Barris, and built much of this '29 Ford roadster for Eddie Dye. This is my absolute all-time favorite "traditional" hot-rod.

Very attractive model, Great paint, super clean foil and detail work.

Looks to me like you did a fine job. Nicely photographed, too.

Marcello Gandini designed the Lambo Miura, Countach and Diablo, and many notable others. Hard to beat this stuff.

For builders working now, Foose has to be among the best of the best. His 2005 Ridler-winning "Impression" is NOT a '36 Ford; every part is specially designed and hand made for this car. The craftsmanship, attention to detail, and design are as good as it gets, anywhere.

Get over it. The only color that really shows up well to respond to specific stuff inside quotes is red. Try some other colors and see what I mean. Not my fault if you took it as implying anything else. There's no magic with paint. It's a dumb chemical and physical process that responds to logic and practice. Each of us develops his own methods that work consistently, and we do it faster if we pay attention, and learn from those members whose advice is backed up with good photographic results. And even some of us who should know what they're doing by now (I mean me) occasionally have to strip something and start over. And you know why this happens? Not luck, magic, or the phase of the moon. It happens because we try to rush the process, or think "maybe this time I can get away with it". Logic. Experience. Practice. Test first. PS. I'm far from perfect, and anyone who thinks I think I am is delusional. The last 1:1 car I painted, I had to paint 3 times to get the quality the job demanded. I had to sand off the first two paint jobs and start over. Why? Because I didn't think through exactly what I was doing, I was using materials I wasn't familiar with, and I tried to rush the job in too-high humidity and temperature conditions.

Duplicolor green. Shot outside. Approximately 60% humidity, 85 degrees F, in the late afternoon. No clear, no polishing, just exactly as shot. This is what I usually get from Duplicolor.

I have this AMT Ferrari kit in stock, and just took it out to look again. The door lines are scribed, but there is a raised blobular "ring" around the scribe-lines, similar to what you'd see if the body were made of clay, and the lines had been scribed with a dull tool, displacing material to the sides of the cut-line. It wasn't corrected in the posted photos, and does indeed appear to be raised lines when viewed from that angle. The hood is also not opened on the kit body, though an engine is included. The stance of this model is silly high, too. Again, this kit CAN make a very attractive model. Overall, the body is quite pretty, but it needs a lot of cleanup work, and some corrections.

Absolutely. I'd realized that shortly after I'd posted. The body shell would be a good starting point too, I believe. The '31 and '32 are visually similar, with the earlier car being a little smaller overall. I've modified a '32 roadster body shell (in 1/25) into a '31, and going the other way should be easier.

Like apples and wormy apples. There are serious proportion problems. It CAN make a nice model with enough remedial work, but it doesn't look exactly like the subject. One big flaw that jumps out is the very flat lower front fascia, or roll-pan. The real car's is curved forward in the center. The kit wheels / tires are another big downer.

I love the old Dinky, Corgi and Tootsie Toys too. I came across many of my old ones recently during a move. Thought they were long gone, too. My favorite one as a kid, and probably the last one I got, was a Corgi (I believe) '59 Chevy with working spring suspension. These little cars were much more models than toys.

Maybe a little gaudy, but I could live with it. It has an alternate-reality Art-Deco-of-the-future look I really like.

I've seen things so heavy strapped to the roofs of cars, the sheetmetal was buckled and collapsed in the center. I guess the thought was that it would just "pop out" when the weight was removed. Wrong.

Nice upgrade work on a neat little car. I recall seeing these in Europe, but never ever have I seen one in the States. Most of the other, more familiar (to US car guys) interesting small cars we got from Europe (Fiats, Alfas, Opels, Hillmans, Lancias, Renaults, Peugeots, etc.) have, sadly, been recycled into Hondas or Toyotas by now. Seeing your pretty little Panhard really makes me wish I'd kept my Renault Dauphine Gordini (bought for $15, with a burned valve).

Confucius say "How you tell if politician lying? Look to see if lips moving."