Monty

I like what you've got going here so far. Can't wait for the next installment. Thanks for posting the setup pics for the pinstripe. I'm going to copy those over into my "how-to" files. I noticed you have several jars of HOK paint on your shelf. Have you figured out which reducer works best with them? Any pics of cars painted with them?

Thanks Kyle! That'll save me some time.

Funny that you bring that up - it's kinda what prompted the question. I'd been trying to get rid of some mold seams on a pair of mufflers, and it took quite a bit of sanding to accomplish that. To prevent the sides from getting a squared-off appearance, I had to do multiple angles with the sanding stick, which eventually took care of the mold lines but left a different texture than the top of the muffler. To give all surfaces a uniform appearance, I ended up polishing the plastic on both mufflers till it was nearly glass-smooth. I'd heard Tamiya white primer goes on extremely smooth, and I wondered if it might help the Metalizer stick to a polished surface without creating buffability problems.

Those are great. A classic old Ford and a '70s 'Vette. As a Corvette owner, it isn't hard to get me to look at models of them, especially the C3s, but the color you used on that Ecklers version really makes it stand out. We'll take more pics whenever you're ready.

I'm curious if using a primer will increase a Metalizer's adhesion to the part,(sealer seems to change the metal tone) or if the primed surface would be too rough for a Metalizer to achieve its intended appearance (especially the buffable ones). I'm hoping to hear from those who've got some experience with this.

Wow, if Porsche didn't offer that blue, they should have. It really pops on that car. I'll have to see if Dupli-Color offers that shade here. Car looks great so far!

This is a YouTube video of a parts replicator. The process starts by scanning the object, then the replicator produces it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggvzcGdZsTc&feature=PlayList&p=977AA255ACA7E9A9&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=39 If you'd like, you can scan ahead to around 4:00 where they scan a 1:1 crescent wrench. Minutes later, a working plastic crescent wrench emerges. Hypothetically, this endeavor would probably entail buying up the rights to produce JoHan kits, then finding complete, unbuilt kits and scanning & replicating all the parts trees. The scanner/software is only $3,000; I don't know what the replicator costs, but if someone were to get enough good kits produced it should pay for itself. Who's with me?

See post #14.

I want to replicate the car depicted below, but I've never done a halo roof before. Here's what I need to know to get started. 1) What is the correct Plastruct P/N to use for the trim that surrounds the vinyl roof. I'm guessing it should be either 1/2 round or 1/4 round, but I don't have a 1:1 Caddy to look at. Scale size will be important here too. 2) Will the Plastruct bend to make the angles from the side of the roof to the front, or will I have to do this in multiple pieces? 3) Is it better to glue on the halo trim, shoot and mask the roof and then shoot the car, or mount the halo trim, paint the whole car then mask and shoot the vinyl roof? 4) Typical of Johan kits, everything on the grille is chromed, including the turn signals at the leading edge of the fron fenders. Has anyone come up with a better way to do those? Clear resin? TIA for all helpful replies.

Weird - this topic was dormant for over a month then it gets dug up again. As you can see by the original post, my intent was to see if any of the household products I already had on hand would safely remove model chrome as well as the undercoating it adheres to. I didn't get a direct answer about any of those but Marc Nellis recommended the Purple Power stuff, and, as is usually the case, he was right. That stuff works very quickly. It appears that some of today's posters have found alternate means of chrome removal that worked to their satisfaction. If nothing else this thread may provide some help for future readers with the same question.

This was in a recent thread about using clear coats: Bluesman Mark, on 08 May 2010 - 04:01 AM, said: Testors has two different gloss clears under their relatively new lacquer line, Wet Look Clear & Ultra Gloss Clearcoat. Now here's the better alternative, expecially if you're using spray cans: Krylon Crystal Clear acrylic urethane. Get the kind sold at Hobby Lobby, etc., because from what I've heard the other is a hotter formula & less suited to go over certain types of paint. I've used the one found at Hobby Lobby for years over lacquers & enamels with no ill effects & no yellowing. It dries rock hard & with the right gloss. Try the Crystal Clear, & you'll never go back to hobby gloss clear.

"Well I'm back Didja miss me................?" Nope. Try staying away longer. That might do the trick. Oh, and here's a more appropriate avatar you can take wherever you go...

FÃ ilte! When you get a chance, please post some pics of your models.

I found a picture that should settle the issue. This is a tunnel-back C3 ('68-'77) not a bubble-back ('78-'82). If you look under the louvers, you can see the sail panels. Here are the suggestions I made in your other thread about this car: From what I can tell, here's what you're going to need to pull this off: 1) AMT Eckler's Corvette for front fender flares (slight modifications needed) and headlight buckets. 2) 1980-1982 MPC Corvette for the nose piece. The Dragon Vette, which MPC labels as a 1982, will have this as well as the rear window louvers. 3) The rear end cap is definitely from a C4 ('84-96). MPC made a bunch of them and they're generally fairly cheap, so finding a match for this shouldn't be difficult. 4) Rear spoiler could probably be made from the one in the '69 Cougar, or make it yourself (huge sag in middle optional) 5) You're on you own when it comes to the hood. Maybe one of the resin casters has one.

Mark, if I can offer a suggestion, you can make that engine more accurate by painting it GM engine blue (I believe Testors offers this in bottle or spray can). IIRC, 1976 was the last year for orange.

From what I can tell, here's what you're going to need to pull this off: 1) AMT Eckler's Corvette for front fender flares (slight modifications needed) and headlight buckets. 2) 1980-1982 MPC Corvette for the nose piece. The Dragon Vette, which MPC labels as a 1982, will have this as well as the rear window louvers. 3) The rear end cap is definitely from a C4 ('84-96). MPC made a bunch of them and they're generally fairly cheap, so finding a match for this shouldn't be difficult. 4) Rear spoiler could probably be made from the one in the '69 Cougar, or make it yourself (huge sag in middle optional) 5) You're on you own when it comes to the hood. Maybe one of the resin casters has one.

Thanks, Mark! I've been hearing some strange things about the new Testors clears, so this seems like a great alternative.

Nathan, I've had one or two of those cars end up back in the box due to a lack of quality reference materials. (AMT instruction sheets are not infallible when it comes to calling out the correct paint colors for engine components). I hope you'll continue posting as you make progress on this one. We don't get to see many open wheel cars on here, so I'll be eagerly awaiting any and all pics of this one.

Nice job on all of those, Chuck. Did you happen to have an original bottle of Testors Ford Engine Blue or did you use an auto parts store engine enamel?

I gotta agree with the others - that's a sharp build. May I ask what paint you used to get that shade of red?

Wow, I like that. I think I still have the Car & Driver (1988?) where they tested one. I love the color. Was it shot over a dark or light colored primer?

Beautiful subject matter, excellent build. More, please!

It's always nice to see another Shelby! May I ask what paint you used for the stripe?

You guys are overlooking the obvious. The whole point of this appliance errrr, "car" is to minimize emissions while maximizing gas mileage. I say we should take that concept even further. Maybe one of the better kitbashers on here could come up with an Earth Day Special Edition Prius. It should be a fairly easy task, requiring only the chassis from this Lindberg kit and a South Park YouTube screen print for the driver's side window

I started this thread to determine why my listing failed so badly. Now, with feedback from you and a few others, I can see why things transpired the way they did. You had a valid point about there not being a ship-to location listed, however that was more a result of the software changeover than anything. Once I was aware of the problem, it was quickly rectified. Thanks for being candid.