Monty

There have been a handful of builders on here who have used them, although IIRC, mostly for painting interiors. If you're going to be airbrushing these (or most other acrylics) you'll need to learn what to use to reduce them as well as what to use to keep the acrylic from building up inside your airbrush. Type "apple barrel" into the search box toward the upper right of the page. Are you anywhere near a Hobby Lobby or a Michaels?

Casey, I'm familiar with the high quality of work that you, Daniel & Crazyjim do, but I don't think I've seen any of Ian's stuff. Do you have a website for him?

I'm trying to figure out what you were thinking when you grabbed a can of house paint with the intent of using it on a model. The same WalMart where you bought that can probably had racks of Krylon spray cans that would've been easier to use (along with an appropriate primer.) While Krylon paints aren't necessarily made for styrene, we've had a few builders on here use them successfully. Most WalMarts seem to have gotten away from carrying automotive touch-up colors, but auto parts stores (NAPA, Auto Zone etc) usually carry Duplicolor or Plasti-cote paints. (Lots of modelers think Plasti-cote's T-235 primer is the best ever) These paints are lacquers and will require proper application techniques, but when done correctly, they often result in spectacular models. Take that can and your thinners back and start over.

I'm sure every city has its share of automotive ignoranti. Whoever created those Buick-esque portholes has made a fortune in the Dallas area alone. I've seen them on everything from '80s Lincolns to camo-painted Hummers. Here are a couple of my funniest memories of I-have-to-stick-something-on-my-car owners I've encountered: 1) A riced-out Solara with Honda VTEC badges on the fenders. Owner had no idea why people were laughing. 2) An '83 T-bird whose owner tried to create Duesenberg-type fender exhaust pipes using flexible metal conduit.

I've heard of acrylic clears being used to install model headlights & other "glass", but I'm not sure I'd have much confidence in its ability to hold beading wire in a semi-contorted shape as shown in the 1:1 picture I posted. Are you suggesting the CA glue might cause a problem?

The beading wire solution popped into my mind about 10 minutes after I posted my question because one of my projects needing this chrome trim treatment has seats that've been painted for years, and I doubt that glue (even Tenax 7) would get Evergreen to bond without marring the paint. Can I assume that CA glues will make the wire adhere to a painted surface? (I rarely ever use CA glues, so I don't know their full capabilities).

Interesting! I was not aware that Tenax 7 was that much better.

I've noticed that many GM muscle cars have a chrome strip incorporated into the sides and back of the seat, as seen here: I want to replicate this on my models using some of the smaller gauge Evergreen half-round stock, but I've never tried to make it go around corners before. Some cars seem to have wider chrome strips, so any tips on getting various sizes of half-round to conform tightly to curves as seen on this seat would be greatly appreciated.

After seeing that car, I'll be rooting for the zombies. This kind of behavior has been going on for years, and is usually excused as someone having more-money-than-brains syndrome. The best cure is public mockery by those who didn't make their cars look like something that got past their balloon knot.

Model Rectifier Corp made some killer Keystone Klassics*, but their tires were kinda iffy. As you might be able to tell from the box art, the wheels slip in through the back side of the tire while still giving the impression of an outer wheel lip. I'm hoping someone on here has found more accurate model tires that will work with these wheels. Please post up pics if you've found a solution. *I'm told their Cragar S/S wheels were dead-on as well, but you can hardly swing a dead cat without hitting a kit with good Cragars.

I'm truly sorry to hear this will be your last factory stock effort, as you definitely have a gift for getting the details correct. Outstanding work! A couple questions: 1) Where did you get the shock tower top assemblies? 2) What all did you have to do to make them fit under the hood?

Interesting...that hadn't even occurred to me, but it makes sense. Diolch yn fawr!

Junior, the carnation's a neat touch! I hope your friend appreciates the sentiment behind it. Also, when you get a chance, you may want to correct this post's title since that's not a '68.

I did this to a Mopar kit back in the early '80s using rattle-can enamels. I sprayed the car black, let it dry fully, then masked off the stripes which were painted undercoat gold. With the masking tape still in place, I waited till the undercoat gold was dry and then applied light coats of candy red till I achieved the hue I was after. Long story short, the colors looked beautiful together, but the paint ridge that built up along the sides of the masking tape kinda looked like a vinyl top seam, which detracted from the smooth look I was trying for. So now I have the itch to try this again, following the same basic pattern of dual stripes from the back edge of the trunk, over the roof and down to the front of the hood. I wonder if I'd be better off spraying the undercoat gold & candy red first, letting them dry, then masking the stripes and shooting the black. I'm trying to avoid build-up along the edges of the masking tape. Fortunately, I now have an airbrush, so I don't have to limit my choices to whatever's available in rattle-cans. I look forward to seeing your answers. If you can provide an answer and show your work, it'd be greatly appreciated.

Yes you were. In fact, Harry already gave you a warning point.

Hmmmm, how do I say this tactfully? How attached are you to that new user name? One might say it's a bit... ms-leading

Now I know you're pulling my leg. Next you'll be telling us you've actually seen dry Testors Chrome Silver. J/K! Given your mastery of MM paints, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but as you said above, there aren't many of us who are big fans of the stuff. I assume you reduce it with lacquer thinner too?

I happened to read this on another modeling site several years ago, but the person who wrote it never provided pictures of the results, so if it's wrong, I hope somebody points it out. Anyway, IIRC, you start out by using a Dremel with speed control and a ball grinding bit to carefully remove the molded-in headlights and create 4 hollowed out spaces. Then, using the 4 baby moon caps from the AMT '56 Crown Vic, invert them and glue them into the holes you created with the Dremel. Finish up by using canopy glue to attach 4 clear headlight lenses from a donor kit ('57 Ford?) to the inverted baby moon caps.

You're correct, surface prep is everything. That said, does all that polishing eliminate annoyances such as low spots? (Think late '60s/early '70s AMT kits).

Obviously it's hard to argue with your results, but I'm curious why you spray solid colors directly onto bare plastic instead of using a primer. If nothing else, primers have helped me spot body flaws I might've otherwise missed.

Thanks, Marcos! That red-n-black combo is kinda hard to beat, and the subtle abrasion on the air cleaner is a neat touch!

Marcos, that paint is just beautiful. Is this enamel or lacquer? Any chance you could post up some engine and chassis shots?

I think he ended up doing six shows related to the toys of his youth. IIRC, they were about Legos (had an actual house built with them), model airplanes (full-sized plastic Spitfire buit by kids), Slot cars (loooooooooonnnnnggg track), model railroading (track ran between cities), an Erector set type of toy that was used to make a bridge across a stream (?) and something to do with modeling clay.

You've got some absolute gems in that little collection! The paintwork alone is outstanding. All you need now is a '67 Shelby GT350 & a '69 Shelby GT500...just for "diversity". Would you mind telling us what paint you used on the '67 'Vette?

Your paint guy knew his stuff! Here's a real '72 Olds in Saddle Bronze.