Monty

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.

I would suggest adding a tinlet of Humbrol #85 (enamel) to your paint stash. I'd say it's closer to a flat black than satin and in my experience it provides a subtle difference in an engine bay, especially when other black shades are used (NATO black, tire black, Testors original flat black etc). Assuming "satin black" means the same as semi-gloss black, Model Master (you might find some on eBay) and Revell both offer enamel semi-gloss paints with roughly equivalent sheens, while Tamiya semi-gloss black (acrylic) has a higher sheen.

Hadn't thought or heard of that as a means of darkening paint but will definitely try it. Taking it to "cranberry" range is intriguing. I generally prefer to undercoat my candy reds with gold, but have seen silver, copper and bronze used to great effect. IIRC you're one of the people on here who've mastered the use of Wicked paints. Some stuff I've read about them suggests a steep learning curve, but the results speak for themselves.

Nice build! Thanks for providing a pic of your work. To a novice like myself who hasn't used these Tamiya LP paints yet, the dry time you posted seems long, but I'd guess this probably provides a better prepared surface for masking. Also, as I've said before, it's hard to argue with good results.

Just the one Humbrol user? I always found it interesting that they offered tins of clear red, clear orange and clear green but no clear blue. Fortunately Revell's got that covered for us.

Their clear orange is a distinctly different shade than Tamiya's, but I think that gives us choices as not all turn signals are the same. Curious what you meant by the Tamiya clears looking "less dirty".

Kinda hard to argue with those results. How many coats did it take to get that shade? Same paints for the tail lights?

My go-to paint mixer is my trusty Badger There shouldn't be anything left unmixed after using one of these. OTOH Barbatos Rex (my hobby hero) has used your approach, but with hematite balls. I'm old-school and still love enamels so I'm thinking of exploring the MCW line. If you get a chance and can find the car you used their clear red on, I'd love to see it.

I've heard nothing but good about the Mr Color lines and I've seen some of your work with acrylics (IIRC a Cutlass for one) so I'll keep these in mind as well.

I’d like to confine this discussion to hobby paints. As for usage, anything from detailing chromed tail lights to candy red paint jobs. Over the years a number of these have been readily available-in fact Testors once offered two clear red spray paints. I was disappointed to discover they both had a mild pinkish tinge to them and haven’t used them since. In my limited experience with Tamiya acrylics, their clear red paint seemed to lean a little toward orange unless you buried it in multiple coats. Humbrol clear red seems to work well for painting over chrome tail lights but I have yet to spray it over a larger surface like a car body. I know there are all kinds of new paint lines out there. Whose clear red do you like? Pics would be great if ya got ‘em.

Kinda. When I lived in Dallas I attended a huge model show where tons of people were selling kits. I came across an open box JoHan '74 Javelin which was complete inside and priced somewhere between dirt cheap and extremely reasonable. If this hobby teaches you anything, it's to never assume the item you want will still be there later, so...Snag! In the bag. I ended up finding two other kits I wanted at good prices as well as a few resin parts etc and decided to call it a day. Upon arriving at home, I took the Javelin body and interior out of the box and put them together (unglued) to see if another chassis I had would work better (not a fan of most JoHan chassis). The experiment wasn't a success so I left the tub and body on my model table with the rest of the JoHan parts still in the box. The next day I decided to take another look at it but found the body and interior tub missing, while everything else was still in the box. I asked both housemates, but neither had seen anything. One is an amazing model builder (used to post here as PurePMD), but specializes in semis and has never had any interest in Javelins, plastic or otherwise . The other had an incredibly creative mind and could've been a great modeler but had no interest in building any. No one else would've been in the house. I still have the box of parts but given the price of JoHan stuff will probably never be able to source a body and interior at anything approaching a reasonable price, so it sits in storage.

Looks like your memory's pretty good. It appears Humbrol had to retract their enamels due to the presence of Methyl ethyl ketoxime (MEKO) in 2022. There were lots of rumors, mostly on British hobby sites, that that meant Humbrol was over and done, but apparently they came up with some other formula that allowed them to continue. That said, I'm guessing this reformulation played a big part in the issues my friend encountered.

A longtime modeling buddy just contacted me regarding a recent purchase of some Humbrol enamels which disappointed him. Unlike the Humbrol enamels he'd used in the past, these exhibited vast differences in tone and quality. Example: Years ago he built a semi in their Baltic Blue (posted on here) but was currently out and needed more for an upcoming project. Long story short, the five tins he bought weren't even close to the shade we'd been used to for years. He also stocked back up on some of their Metalcote paints (think Model Master metalizers) but was unpleasantly surprised by the extended drying time, which he said was like original Testors silver. This builder is a long term enamel fan who has airbrushed Humbrol and other enamels and achieved remarkable finishes, so changes in tone or performance are disconcerting to him. Is anyone aware of any formula changes at Humbrol? Anyone else experiencing this?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, try being a Raider fan over the last 20 years. You'll wear out all your shoes kickin' rocks. Here's some fun topics: 1) Draft pick reaches - Great moments in sports comedy. There was a time when ESPN couldn't wait to see what we'd pull out of our dorsal orifice. Their biggest concern: "Do we have tape on this guy? I've never heard of him." 2) Coaching carousel - No experience? You might as well apply anyway. Are ya busy today? 3) Last Super Bowl? We try not to tie it to a specific year and just say "It was a generation ago." 4) Leadership? But I'm not bitter...

These are hard-to-find components of the ill-fated G.I. Joe pirate's adventure set. The hook plugs in at the end of either arm and the other piece is meant to depict a device used to capture small to medium sized artillery rounds. Those who already had the G.I. Joe with the Kung Fu grip were disappointed to learn that their action figure would not release the shell catcher, leaving their miniature hero to drag his metallic man-purse along on every mission. OTOH, using the Kung Fu grip and the hook, G.I. Joe could extract his Jeep from the deepest quagmire.

It used to be that certain certificates could open doors for you at some upper level companies. At Boeing, it appears that being a DEI hire means you'll be inadvertently opening doors for others.

Nice build! Thanks for tipping us off to the textured paint for vinyl roofs. That's gonna help a lot of people here. May I ask whose gold paint you used? (ex: Model Master #1614) Also, if memory serves, this kit doesn't come with poseable front wheels/tires but your pics show that you pulled it off. Can you give me the basics of how to do that? Thanks!

I don't know how to do a still photo capture off a video but :08 seconds in there's a picture of the Boss 429 emblem right on the fender.