Monty

Congrats on another great build! That may be one of my all time favorite shades of gold. Question: I looked up these HOK paints and they're way out of my price range. Even the 4 oz bottle is over $35.00. Is there a cheaper way to buy these or do I just need to suck it up and save up?

I guess I see the list I'm looking for as being similar to 1:1 hot rodding, which more or less started off with people modifying flathead engines up to the point where American car companies started offering OHV engines. Now, if I understand it correctly, you can buy 1,000 hp cars ("Corvette and Mopar) off the showroom floor. Yeah, T-Jets weren't the fastest HO cars ever, but what, at the time, was faster? Maybe a Tyco with better rear tires? Just like the original small block Chevy, Aurora Magna-Traction cars could be "rodded" (properly matched and shimmed magnets, better armature etc) to absolutely fly, but just like the 1:1 cars (LS V8 engines), better things evolved. My knowledge of the hierarchy drops off after the late '70s and the advent of the first series of G-Plus cars. I guess I'm wondering if anyone knows the stairsteps from that point to Wizzards.

Thanks guys! Gotta love a cheap, easy solution!

I'm one of those people who've gotten to the place where they really detest chromed molded-in headlights and want to replace them instead of trying to doctor them up with paint etc. The biggest issue I've run into is finding a rounded, concave item to attach the lens to. Example: I've heard of people using the "baby moon" hubcaps from AMT's '56 Ford for this, but I'm hoping to find something more readily available. Any ideas? If you have a source for appropriately sized lenses with correct-looking striations I'd appreciate a link for that as well.

MCW probably offers Indian Fire Metallic in a lacquer, which I know you prefer. They also have it in enamel https://www.ebay.com/itm/225214195940 That said, it sounds like you solved the puzzle by identifying the period-correct color. I posted my answer just in case yours wasn't readily available.

The Gaahleri Swallowtail comes with .28, .5 and .7 needles. Review:

Steve, if you or he can't come up with that paint, how close is Ford's Indian Fire Red?

I've been away from HO racing for a couple decades now but I occasionally check out some YouTube videos and eBay listings just to see what's out there. Growing up, I was aware of the Aurora Vibrators series, but never owned any as the T-Jets had replaced them by the time I started. At some point ('71?) Aurora came out with the slightly larger-bodies A/FXs, while Tyco had the Tyco II (2-button pickup) chassis. Aurora's Magna-Traction cars were my favorites (fast and easy to work on) while the G-Plus cars (late '70s?) were a whole 'nuther level of fast, but not as easy to work on. I don't know the specific timelines but Tyco had the HP7 and 440X2s out, and they seemed to run decently, but after buying a Marchon set, racing was almost boring (tons of speed, perfect magnets - never lift). Shortly after, I kinda dropped the hobby and pursued my 1:1 car interests. I see now there are replica T-Jet chassis (with or without a traction magnet) X-traction cars (Magna-Traction twins that are slightly less powerful), Super G-Plus, Mega G-Plus, Wizard, Bulldog (best?) and probably a dozen more I haven't heard of. How would you rate the various chassis that existed and/or now exist?

I'd heard that Tamiya panel liner could damage enamel paint jobs* because it's based on enamel reducer. This is a concern to me because 95% of the paint I use is enamel. Any truth to this, and if so, what would work better on enamels? *I did a little research on my own & came across some Brit modeling sites where this was being discussed because it was eating their paint (Humbrol enamels) or in a few extreme cases cracking the actual plastic on their gundams.** **Don't know if that's the correct term and reeeeeaaallllyyy don't care.

I don't know much about this aspect of our hobby but I wondered if there might be a market for what I'm going to propose. 3D printing seems to be the new path to obtaining cars and parts that were previously unattainable, but (speaking for myself) not all of us can afford the printers and some (me) seem to suck at technical things. My question was whether I could buy a file and send it to someone to print out and ship to me for a fee. I've seen a few YouTube videos of models that were 3D printed that no model company is ever going to tool up, but I can't swing the buy-in on the printer. If what I'm proposing is already available, I'd appreciate any article you can provide that explains the process and maybe who to use.

Every bit as enjoyable as the last one you posted. I was curious about something though. Why do you think there were so many intentionally misspelled words? For example, look at the wording on the front of Santa's rocket sled. It's not like they're trying to avoid copyright issues 'cuz those wouldn't come into play here.

The show existed before the lineup of Clarkson, May and Hammond but wasn't anywhere as entertaining. The best and final version may have resulted from a change in writers and producers, but the final product was some of the best television I'd ever seen. (The memory of 6'5" Jeremy Clarkson driving that tiny Peel P50 through the halls of the BBC just popped into my mind). By contrast, after giving it a chance, I felt the American version of the show was nothing short of unwatchable and best reserved for repeated airings in the holding cells of death row prisoners (Yeah, yeah, 8th amendment, I hear ya).

Leon, glad to hear you're pleased with your new 'brush, especially when spraying enamels, as they are almost always my go-to paints. Some say the optional fan cap (+/- $25) makes the whole process even better.

IMNSHO, MPC wasn't known for going the extra mile detail-wise on most of their kits, but like JoHan, their classic cars are a whole 'nuther matter. Kudos for clean assembly and great paintwork.

They've issued Goodyear Polyglas and Firestone Wide-Oval tires in packs before, so we know it's possible. While these are convenient when sold this way, more often than not the tires are all one size & usually not that much bigger than stock. That's where sidewall decals from Fireball Modelworks and the Dutch guy come in.

Thanks for chiming in. That's good to know. Nice to see a little more variety in the tires offered in kits. If I'm not able to score a set on eBay I'll see if someone here is interested in doing a trade.

A friend of mine just told me they're probably sidewall decals from our favorite Dutch guy, Xrayniner (?) who happens to sell that design among others Unlike the 1:1 tires, these aren't likely to be recalled 😁

Saw these on one of Just Jim's posts where he's got them on a '79 Nova. They'd be period-perfect for something I've got in my on deck circle, but was wondering what other kits have them?

I've seen a number of YouTube videos about MCW enamels and, if memory serves, almost all highly recommended mixing in MCW's hardener because it helps create an incredibly glossy coat without clearcoats etc. (Results did look impressive) Nothing against MCW paint, but I've already got gallons of hobby enamels, mostly Testors/Model Master. Just curious if I could add the MCW hardener to them to obtain similar results.

Just presenting another option. I thought this might be of interest because it doesn't require an airbrush to apply.

Part of the reason I posted the video. It can also be applied with a paintbrush or daubed on with a clean cloth. Examples shown of each.

This video just dropped and I figured you guys would be interested in the subject matter, especially the options for application. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcbNlbwULlU

Just curious if anyone offered these decals in 1/25? IIRC the C/E version was only issued by Monogram (1/24) and was more or less a snap kit with stickers instead of decals. Bonus question: Really reaching here - any decals that could help replicate the seats and door cards in 1/25?

Let us know when you get a chance. My kit (1-3721) definitely doesn't have it.

The '84 engine offers a number of detailing opportunities, but it will require some of your Model Master Metalizers or equivalents thereof. Done correctly, it can really stand out. Depending on your skill and inclination, you might also be able to fab up some of the basic lines seen above. Private side whine: every C3 kit MPC made had poseable steering, but when Chevrolet rolls out a 'Vette that can do 1G...nope.