Monty

I'm familiar with the majority of the semi-gloss and flat blacks offered by the hobby industry with the exception of most of the black paints in the Polly S & Poly Scale lines. Does anyone know of a black hobby paint that dries to an eggshell finish?

Túlio, thanks for the tutorial!

I've had the MPC-derived AMT 1974 Plymouth GTX kit sitting on my to-be-built-eventually shelf, but I'm trying to find a way to make it look more realistic. The headlights on these kits are molded in with the bezels, so I was wondering if someone offered hole saws for modelers that would allow me to make a thin cut around the outside of the headlight, creating a slight bit of separation between it and the surrounding bezel, just like on real cars. If nothing else, it would allow me to cut all the way through and replace these with a better reflector bucket/clear lens combination. Thoughts?

I'm hoping some of you can point me to some YouTube videos that show engine detailing tricks such as washes, metal abrasions (think paint abraded off the edge of a valve cover, exposing bare steel) & anything else that might be helpful in creating an engine with quite a few miles on it. I recently tried to find this stuff myself using titles like "model engine detailing", but didn't find what I needed. TIA for any links pertaining to the detailing issues I mentioned.

I always look forward to reading your posts because I know I'm going to see some great detailing and incredible paint, and this one with its mirror-black paint is absolutely magnificent. You mentioned getting two cans of Tamiya gloss black for this project. Why? Are you spraying multiple coats and rubbing them out? Any other tips you can share regarding achieving this kind of finish would be appreciated.

One for summer, one for winter, stylish driving all year 'round. Did it hurt that much to do a GM car?

Spectacular work!

Just the fact that it's a C3 was enough to get my attention, but there's so much to like about this build. Zora Arkus-Duntov would be proud. Any chance we could get a shot of the chassis?

I happened to see Helix's '69 Riviera on here (if you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth a look) and I remembered that I have this kit stuck away on my back shelves. I intend to build it using one color for the body with a contrasting color for the vinyl roof. The problem is the ventilation vents at the base of the rear window. Whether I try to make a vinyl roof using masking tape or use the method where you spray an adhesive for texture followed by color coats, it seems these vents are doomed to be obscured if not completely covered up. (Keep in mind that they're 1/25 scale vents) So...any ideas how I can pull this off?

First, congratulations on a fantastic build. I love it when someone demonstrates how sweating the details pays off big. Kudos also on your clean building technique (assembly, paint and BMF). Lastly, great choice of tires*. Just giving yourself an option to the standard polyglas tires makes it stand out even more. PS Just for clarification, are you saying you shot the scoop with standard Testors silver and got that shade? I'm asking because it looks like pewter in the picture, which would be correct. Again, great job on this build. Can't wait to see what you create next. *For those of you who aren't aware, Fireball Models offers two pages of waterslide tire decals, so you've got a very good chance of being able to replicate quite a few different manufacturers' tires from the past (at least via sidewall). What's even better is the guy behind fireball Models is our board's own Chief Joseph.

Glad to see you addressing all the kit errors and adding all that detail. Between this and your Peterbilt, we're seeing some impressive work.

I see a lot of incredible scratchbuilding going on here. The engine's going to be fantastic and the cab hydraulic cylinders will be a major improvement over the kit pieces. Can't wait to see this finished. When are you going to show these guys the scratchbuilt 1/16 Detroit engine you built?

Given all the aftermarket wheels the kit mfr had to choose from, I'll never understand why they chose the ones they stuck in the kit. That design always looked like it was made for custom vans as opposed to street machines. The chrome reverse wheels you've changed over to are a much better choice for this car.

Ford-itude!

I always enjoy seeing what talented modelers can do with some of these older, simpler kits. Between the lowered stance and the nice paintwork, this turned out very well.

What a fantastic collection! This looks so much like small-town America in the '70s, and the "gravel" really lends to the authenticity of the diorama. Glad to hear you have more great ideas for 2014.

Since all the good superlatives have been used, I'll just say congratulations on one of the finest model paint jobs I've seen in years. Remarkable work.

Congratulations on such a prolific year! I enjoyed seeing these and look forward to seeing what you come up with in 2014.

Great variety of subjects and fantastic work on each one! Like so many others, I seem drawn to that Ambassador.

What a great array of cars, Andy! Can I talk you into telling me what paint was used on the Studebaker? That's incredible.

If there's another hobby paint that you think would look as good or better than a Metalizer for this purpose, please post a pic & state the name of the paint.

David, thanks for sharing the pic of your Charger with the Modelhaus tires. They appear to be the the exact size I'm looling for.

I'm looking for wider redline tires than the ones Revell included in the '69 Charger kit. In this instance, I'd also like to do this without tire decals. I'm pretty sure Modelhaus still offers a tire like this, and I think someone else big in the aftermarket industry (Replicas & Miniatures?) does as well. I'd appreciate a couple pics showing the width of the tire. Not looking for huuuuge, 'cuz it still has to fit in the stock wheelwells, just something bigger.

Impressive work!