Monty

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.

I don't think I've seen that model presented on our board yet, but I found a review of the kit by Bob Downie (a big name in the car modeling world). Bob's an accomplished buider, but his reviews are fairly staightforward in pointing out a given kit's faults. Fortunately, he'll also show you what he did to fix the issue. http://new.acme-ipms...a-by-Weinberger It doesn't sound like you've done much model painting yet (What are some tips I can get for making great paint jobs?...I'm going to be spray painting for the first time.) so I'm going to recommend that you check out Tamiya's site where you'll find instructions on how to get great paintjobs from their lacquer rattlecans. That's probably your best option at this point.

Based on what I've read on the hobby boards I belong to, the vast majority of people who built this car were more than satisfied with it. What part(s) on yours needed to be double checked for proper fitness? I notice you're going to be using Zero paints. Are they lacquers? The copper looks like a shade Oldsmobile had back then called Persimmon. Beautiful color. Looking forward to seeing your progress.

The colors I saw in your link resemble some of the paint options (Emberglow etc) & colors typically offered by US auto mfrs in the '60s & '70s, so that's a positive. If they're cheap and you already like their Pearl Ex powders, why not try some? Slightly related: A friend of mine built this Freightliner daycab a couple years ago & achieved those colors by airbrushing Pearl Ex powders in clear instead of using paint. HTH.

I loved the look of the IMSA cars back in the day. Too bad most of the IMSA models were so mediocre. Yours turned out well, especially considering what you had to work with. Lots to like here, but the modifications you made to the wheels are impressive, to say the least. Can you elaborate on what you mean by "two Humbrol pearl clears"? I'm pretty familiar with the enamels they offer in the small tins; are these pearl clears something from their rattlecan line? If you have PNs, I be interested in seeing them.

I don't think it's the first time we've seen a fastback Cougar conversion on here, but this one is truly impressive. It appears you used Revell/Monogram parts to upgrade the chassis and engine, and I think I spy the Boss 429's hood scoop, louvers and rear spoiler, on the body. Looks like you found a way to improve the engine bay with a few Revellogram parts too. This is kitbashing at its best! I look forward to seeing more of your work. Couple questions: 1) Did you also use a Revellogram Mustang interior? 2) Did you have to do anything special to get that lowered stance.

Soren, I can tell you put a lot of effort into making your engine stand out, but I couldn't help noticing the condition of the injector stacks. The missing chunks from the openings indicate that these parts were twisted off the sprue tree rather than being cut off. If you don't mind a helpful suggestion, always use some type of sharp blade to remove parts so you don't end up with chunks missing out of them. Hobby knives with a #11 blade are usually fairly cheap, and I've heard very good things about the Tamiya side cutter P/N 74035. Is this an MPC/AMT kit? If so, how would you rate it as far as quality of engineering / fit of parts etc?

This is a 1980 Corvette It's almost identical to the one I owned for twenty years. Doesn't the model box tell you what year yours is meant to represent?

I haven't seen him on any of the forums I'm on in months. If you're not familiar with his work, take a look at the link in James's post. He's a prolific and talented builder and he can lay down some killer smooth paint.

My apologies in advance to the OP for the quick hijack, but I have a question for the Mopar experts: Did Mopar actually offer 5-slot steelies like the one on the OP's Challenger? I remember Ford's argent 5-slot steel wheels... and Chevy offering the steel 5-slot rally wheel... but I can't recall Mopar offering a steel 5-slot wheel. Anybody got pics of the 1:1 items?

He's only got a few wheel listings on the page I saw, and none of them were the "starfish" or American Racing designs discussed above. http://s544.photobuc...o Parts/Wheels/ If he has cast anything newer, I'd be interested in seeing some pictures.

I love watching That Metal Show. They continually strive to get the most sought-after guests their audience could wish for, and Eddie's near-encyclopedic knowledge of hard rock/heavy metal information make "Stump the Trunk" one of the best segments of the program.

You are indeed the master of Monogram model minutiae! (I had never even heard of some of those). If I begged you nicely, would you mind using your extensive knowledge to answer the question I stuck in toward the end of post #3? (Have the Boss A Bone's front American Racing 200 wheels ever been used in any other kits?) I'd love to have that full set of wheels too). Thanks!

I've found that pushing myself to try new things adds to the enjoyment I get from building, especially if realism is enhanced. I'm glad to see you tried some new stuff which resulted in a sharp build with nice detail and an eye-catching paintjob. Now, can you tell us about the burgundy pickup in this picture? I'd love to know what paint you used on that one. What's your next project?

Modified Pulp Fiction reference: "Look at the big brain on Casey!" Good stuff! I'm not that familiar with most of Monogram's older kits, so your listing of the Baja Beast and Firebomb may prove highly beneficial. My (mis)information about the wheels on the Boss A Bone came from another modeling site. The stylized top box art kinda gives you the impression that it's equipped with the "starfish" wheels, but the photograph on the side of the box obviously shows otherwise. I recognize those rear A/R 200s from the Badman '55 Chevy; have the front A/R wheels ever been used in any other kits? I'd love to have that full set of wheels too.

The available literature back then referred to them as Starfish wheels, although I don't recall ever seeing them and Google didn't seem to have any info on them either. Nonetheless, Monogram offered them on their Son of Ford kit... ...as well as their Boss A Bone kit I think they used the front wheels from these kits on the Badman '55 Chevy kit, but I'd like to have a matching front & rear (big & little) set. I'm guessing resin is my only option because the kits are ancient and, to the best of my knowledge, were never reissued.

On the off chance that those turn out to be less than satisfactory, here are a couple other solutions http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58515&hl=

I agree with the general consensus that AMT really dropped the ball by omitting the shock mount top assemblies. Would you mind sharing your source for the resin units you have coming? I'll be interested in seeing whether you'll have to sand some material off the tops of the shock towers so that the resin pieces won't affect the way the hood sits. It doesn't look like AMT left you a whole lot of space to play with. Please post pics when the parts come in.