Monty

Phenomenal work!

Adam, these are great examples of what can be done with proper weathering. I like all three, but I really like that VW. Would you consider sharing your weathering techniques and materials in our Tips, Tricks and Tutorials section?

Choosing that kit as your first build was a ballsy move, but it looks like you succeeded in getting it together nicely. Just a word of warning: Tamiya makes well-engineered kits that go together like you'd expect, while that decades-old Revell kit may surprise you with part fit issues. I see one builder has already warned you about the suspension height and what to watch for when attaching the rear panel. You may want to ask about other "issues" and solutions so you don't get surprised. Lastly, welcome to our board! It's always nice to see new, enthusiastic people join us in this hobby.

Looks like all of these are, or will be, nicely done. I've generally ignored 1/32 scale kits in the past because most of the ones I've seen aren't terribly accurate and seem to be lacking detail. That Mercedes, OTOH, looks like it'd make any builder proud. If I read your post correctly, it sounds like you're having trouble with the glass on the 1/25 AMT Nomad. I don't recall having any interference issues when I built mine, but that was decades ago. What are you encountering that's holding this project up?

This is great - a wide range of subjects, all well done. Glad to hear you're back at it. I'll be curious to see what all you create in 2016.

Other modelers have shown that there's a lot of reference material about the 1:1 car that should be useful for making yours as accurate as you can. I look forward to watching your progress.

I'm currently unemployed and looking to sell off some classic HO cars, mostly Tyco type II (2-button pickup shoe setup). The cars are all in good shape and they all run. If I wanted the best results from sales, would I be better off listing them on ebay or on HO enthusiast sites? TIA for all helpful information.

I wonder if I'm the only one who's disturbed by this trend where modelers are becoming more and more accepting of curbside kits, especially when they're expensive and come from model companies known for their great kit engineering. Yeah, I know the counterarguments: 1) "Ya can't see the engine most of the time anyway". 2) "I'm just happy we got something that looks like..." 3) "We're modelers - we'll add engines if we want them" I only build car and truck kits, and even though the engine can't be seen at all times, it is an essential part of any car, and one that I feel should be replicated in scale. There's also the fact that some of us are enamored with motive power in many forms, and think a well-detailed engine adds to a model's overall display quality. If you're willing to pay higher prices for less of a kit, I hope the manufacturers will throw in a tube of KY jelly. In the meantime, I will continue to vote against curbside kits via a closed billfold.

I assume you meant their respective fans. This goes back to what I said in my last post: It's hard to draw fans with mediocre (or worse) teams. The Rams haven't had a +.500 season since 2003, while the Raiders haven't had once since 2002. The Chargers, OTOH, have a much better record over the last decade or so, but I have my doubts as to how well they'll be accepted in another city, especially if they're sharing a stadium.

My poor Raiders are supposedly considering a joint venture with the Chargers at a shared stadium near Carson. I hate the prospect because so much of the Raiders' identity is built around Oakland, not Carson or Irwindale or, God forbid, San Antonio TX. I don't know much about the team, their fans or the organization, but I have to wonder how well the Chargers will do away from their SC fan base.

Harry, my answer is based on something I read in Sports Illustrated a couple decades ago. The article basically said that the LA Rams had a hard time filling the stadium because there's so many other things to do and see in and around the area. In addition, a team will generally draw more fans when the team is performing well. The Rams allegedly want to move back to LA, but they haven't had a +.500 season since 2003, so I'm not sure the "draw'' is going to be there. As someone else mentioned, there's also the prospect of sharing a stadium with the Chargers of Raiders, which I would think would further dilute the fanbase.

This obviously isn't the most eye-grabbing thing you can do as part of your detailing, but when striving for a more realistic look, it can make a big difference when done correctly. I'm curious to see what materials you guys use, how you make details like pleats, and how you work around kit glass that attaches to the inside of the body. (Assume that any clear styrene runners the mfr molded between the windshield and the rear window have been trimmed down to the edge of the "glass") I'd love to see pics with any commentary you post.

When he first posted the WIP pics some time ago, I was amazed by the color so I asked him what he'd used. IIRC, it's a Revlon nail polish called Valentine.

I agree, that's a fantastic color so I'd also like to know the specific paint you used.

Wow, I haven't seen one of those in years! IIRC, both Lindberg and Airfix offered them (same molds) back in the early '80s. What specific silver paint did you use on yours?

I think I can help you and Steve get all the BFGs you want for a lot less money. We've got a member of this board who put a lot of time and effort into creating possibly the most accurate scale Radial T/As you can buy. He offers a number of sizes in flexible black resin, and a couple in hard white resin. In addition, he's got a couple other performance tires (a brand new '60s-style redline and some very nice '80s-style Goodyears for Buick GNXs, just to name two), a couple sets of wheels (you gotta see the Dukes of Hazzard type wheels with separate lugs) and if you want to replicate some RWL tires from back in the day, he's got 2 1/2 pages of various tire mfrs' sidewall lettering. He's a great guy and easy to deal with, too. http://www.fireballmodels.info/index.html

Impressive work on your Chevelle! You guys nailed the miles-deep black paint, and the engine bay is packed with nice details. Glad you were able to find some Radial T/As. They just seem to be the best tire for muscle cars. Couple questions: 1) What is the goldish item on the passenger side of the firewall? 2) Any particular reason you chose Pontiac wheels over the standard Chevy wheels?

Woo-hoo, another sweet C3! Kudos for your paint, decal work and clean assembly work, not to mention overcoming the short-shot hood issue. I wasn't aware of the shape-'em-yourself inner fenders, so thanks for letting us know about them. Guess I'll have to look my AMT 'Vette instructions over more carefully before diving in.

Interesting. In all the years I've been involved in modeling I've never even heard of this particular mfr, but it looks like it has all the stuff to make a nicely detailed kit. Does anyone know whether it's a clone of another mfr's work (Revellogram, Fujimi etc)?

The paint says "sleeper" but the engine says "keeper"! Nice work. You know those poor little polyglass tires are never gonna hook, right? If I could make one suggestion, take a look at the 3rd picture from the top. It looks like the BMF on both A-pillars, especially the passenger side, is kinda crinkly. Sometimes that's the result of uneven paint underneath or hurried application. If you care to address it, it shouldn't take much time or effort, and your eye-catching build will look even better.

As far as chassis upgrades go, I'd think most of the stock late '60 - early '70s MPC units would work, as there weren't a ton of visible changes to the 1:1 chassis over the years. These chassis feature poseable steering, dual exhaust, separate IRS and half shafts, and some decent molded-in hard lines that aren't all that hard to detail. As has been mentioned, you'll need to backdate the disc brakes to drums and I'll let these guys tell you where to find the best 327 since most of these MPC kits had big blocks.

Congrats on finding a bargain and getting it to turn out so well. Your paint and wheel choices really complement the car and the stance seems perfect. I'd wager that most of us aren't familiar with that kit, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who's curious what the engine and chassis look like. If you have the time, would you mind posting up a few more pics for us?

Can you give us some examples of what you're talking about?

Wow that looks sharp. I see poseable wheels up front, so I know you've done some mods on this. Any other (engine, chassis, interior) pictures you'd care to share?

Outstanding work on that old Kenworth. For some reason, the orange paint you used on the cab really strikes my fancy. Do you happen to remember what specific paint you used?