Monty

Yeah, the rest of the country could choose between the L-48 with 190 hp/280 lb ft or the L-82 with 230 hp/270 lb ft. I found out it's very difficult to find an L-82 with a factory 4 speed, and the gov't-mandated 85-mph speedometer was a bit of a shock. My 1/20 Corvette kits are stuck clear at the back of my storage cabinets. What do you think of the Monogram kit as far as accuracy is concerned?

Having owned a nicely modified '80 for 20 years, you know I'll be watching this build. I happened to luck out a few years ago when I found this same Monogram kit as well as an MPC 1/20 '80 'Vette dirt cheap. The Monogram kit seems to have a slight edge on parts accuracy, but I still plan to use the MPC kit's poseable steering, just because I like it as a feature. If you think yours was hot inside, try driving one with mirrored t-tops in Texas. Apparently Chevy wasn't aware that the Scandanavians had already invented the sauna.

Best four years of my life, and not necessarily for the pop culture reasons that spring to most people's minds. First, going out of state helped me put the cliques and social castes that are part and parcel of a small town high school way behind me. Second, I had a little more incentive, thanks to my dad's wisdom. He co-signed for my student loans, but emphasized that any forthcoming loans would depend on the previous year's GPA. Since I had worked for a few years after high school, I was old enough to live off campus with two friends for all for years. Long story short, where I had occasionally done enough to get by in high school, I thrived in this atmosphere. As far as models, I only built two during those years. This one, which we were required to buy and build for an art class. I kept it "box stock". and this one. I met a very pretty girl there whose dad ran a Chevy dealership in the western part of the state. The funny part was, she loved classic ('65-'73) Mustangs, and I had a '73 fastback at the time. I couldn't find a model of mine, so I built this one for her. Painted it Testors Sapphire Blue with a nicely detailed engine bay, interior and chassis, not to mention the four perfectly done white outline letter tires that came with the kit. You guys would've loved it. She, OTOH, wasn't exactly overwhelmed, but she did keep it on one of her shelves till I lost track of her a year or so later. Go Pokes!

Here's the most recent example that I can think of. This model cannot be built as depicted on the box art by using only what you find in the kit. I bought one, naively assuming that it would have MPC's Cragar SS wheels and that the decal sheet would have two or three different colors of stock Mopar stripes (black & white, possibly red). There are no Cragar SS wheels and no stock Mopar stripes. The kit did have some nice Centerline-type wheels, but the decal sheet was mostly made up of ugly blue & green custom/street striping. Assuming someone like Keith Marks even made correct GTX decals, they'd probably cost at least $10.00 plus shipping, so I wasn't terribly happy with AMT/Round2/whoever.

Yeah, yeah, nice tires. Now go crank out a bunch and put 'em on your website. My credit card's been kicking holes in my billfold ever since you made your announcement, so get a move on! Sincerely, Bob the .gif thief

Sweet paint, Shane! It looks like you took one of those pics on the hood of something interesting. Have we seen this 1:1 vehicle? Open question for the board: Pardon my ignorance, but what is the greenish thing between the rear axle and the gas tank?

Well said! The best example of this is the amount of input Moebius sought in order to get the Hudson correct vs all those expensive automotive subjects Trumpeter released that ended up needing lots of plastic surgery.

Chris, my compliments to you for pulling off such a nice build out of a 1/32 slot car. The Mk IV is one of my favorite racecars of all time, and your version with its carbon fiber etc blends modern technology with classic styling for a remarkable look. lillakev, as far as the driver goes, I'll see your Tattoo and raise you Dr Miguelito Loveless from The Wild Wild West.

I normally don't deviate much from using Testors and Humbrol enamels, but some time ago I came across some Gunze-Sangyo water-based acrylics at a hobby shop and I was impressed with the selection of colors they offered, including some we might consider off-beat. Upon taking them home and trying them out, I found that they sprayed nicely and I had no orange peel to deal with afterwards. Here's where my question comes in: Recently I read a discussion about aqueous acrylics on here, and it sounds like it's not just a matter of letting the paint dry, then masking and shooting the next color. One poster, who I assume knows what he's talking about, said you need to "set" the paint with a hair dryer so the masking wouldn't pull up the previous coat of paint. Is that true? IIRC, the discussion was about WalMart aqueous crafts paints. Can we assume the same rules apply to Tamiya & Testors acrylics? It wouldn't be a big deal except that Gunze pulled these aqueous paints from the US market a couple years ago, so I don't have much margin for do-overs. Long story short (too late, I know) what all steps do I need to follow to mask and shoot a two tone paint job using these water-based paints?

My compliments on the tires. I can't even fathom how you did that P/E tread, but it's good to know I'll finally have some BFGs to put on my street machines. Once we've been given all the necessary ordering information, I'll be buying mine in sets of 4 same-sized tires. Quick hijack: What paint are you guys going to use on these tires? I've got an airbrush so I can shoot about anything. I think the military guys like Tamiya's acrylic NATO Black for tires, but I'm wondering if Testors Semi-Gloss black enamel might look more like a street tire that had been Armor-Alled about a month before. Hmmmm...

Art, can you give us the name of an acrylic lacquer primer you'd recommend for this? I may want to try this paint, too. While I'm at it, what's the best clear coat to use on this paint? TIA

I'm going to have to get this kit. It seems to turn out well for everyone who builds it. Yours certainly looks good in red, Ray. What challenges did you encounter, and what did you have to do to overcome them?

Mike, in regard to the kit wheels - you can do better. Do a search on here for SEL's resin Pontiac wheels. If memory serves, they make verions with and without the trim ring. I don't recall anyone who has purchased them being disappointed.

Welcome to the board, Simon! I think you'll find that the majority of members are fairly helpful when it comes to answering modeling questions, so it's quite possible you could be improving your skills in a relatively short amount of time. Our search engine isn't the greatest, but by just searching "Pontiac" you should be able to come up with pics & descriptions of various Poncho builds, including the Trumpeter Bonneville & the more recent AMT Catalina kits. Most of us build in 1/25 scale, but since Monogram offers some nice 1/24 Pontiacs, you'll see those too.

I'm uncertain about Heisenberg...

Geeez, Drew, I wish I could open some old boxes and find well-built, ready-to-finish kits like yours. For some reason, you just don't seem like the type of person who'd get a model that close to being finished & then put it away. Glad you found this one again! I've gotten used to seeing your name associated with various race car models over the years, so it's nice to see you apply your talents to a street machine like this. Well done!

Remarkable work, Andy! What paint did you use to get that incredible shade of green?

I don't have the numbers to back up my statement, but it seems like more than half of the people who try and get into this business run into situations that eventually cause them to shut down. I'm fortunate that I've never been stiffed by one, and we as a board are fortunate to have several reliable casters among our members.

I agree. The VL was my first 'brush and I thought it could really blow some paint....then I bought a Crescendo. I remember thinking it was like going from a Holley 600 cfm carb to a 750 Double Pumper. I seem to like the fat-body 'brushes better, so I probably won't be buying anything new for awhile, but your new one sure looks enticing.

Thanks for answering my questions. If you like it better than a VL, I'd say you've found a great airbrush. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.

Just out of curiosity, what made you choose this airbrush over all the other dual-actions out there? (Again, not arguing with your choice, just curious).

Nice job on the paint and interior, Paul!

Here is a list of things you should do to make that build look better: Shiny rules!

So, Tom, other than rendering silk purses from sows' ears, what else do you do during the day? You've taken a mediocre kit and turned it into a very attractive shelf model that you have every right to be proud of. I love the fact that you did it up in period-correct colors (looks like Chianti Red and Designers Cream) I'm still astounded at the lack of effort that Revellogram put into the underside, but your gap filling and weathering techniques made it much more authentic.

What do you guys think of this package deal? $110.00 for 3 airbrushes and a compressor, and everything ships for free. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Pro-3-Airbrush-Air-Compressor-Kit-Gravity-Feed-Dual-Action-w-Hose-Filter-/221076092650?_trksid=p3284.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%26otn%3D21%26pmod%3D320698039964%26ps%3D54 I'm happy with the airbrushes & compressor I have, but this looks like the ideal setup for someone just starting out. From what I can see, the compressor seems to have a built-in water trap, which is nice. I'm kinda curious whose airbrushes they're using...