Fat Brian

That was an interaction between two incompatible paint types. That's why the decal didn't wrinkle, it protected the paint underneath from the clear.

Instead of trying to form the whole thing from one piece I would make it from three thinner strips. Make the center strip first and get the roof level and the shape down then add the outer strips.

That's actually not bad, this and the reissued W900 are still cheaper than an original kit.

It can be done, some aircraft guys do it for bare aluminum finishes. The biggest issue will likely be going over curves and corners. It might help to look at a bare car and see where panel lines are, particularly in the roof to C pillar area since that transition is pretty radical. You might end up having to cut along sharp edges like the top of the fenders and try to work two pieces together.

I paint outside. Get a bit away from anything you don't want paint on, over-spray can travel a long way. I bend a wire coat hanger to fit snuggly inside the body so I can hit it from all angles. As for how many coats, it really depends on the type and opacity of the paint. Some have better coverage than others while some build up in thick coats that can obscure fine details. Experience and practice are important. It might help to get some junk bodies or even a pack of clear plastic cups to practice on.

Thanks for posting this, I was going to ask how many had completed their entry.

You can get good results from cans with practice. Honestly, the painting is only half the battle of a good paint job. The rest is surface prep before painting and polishing afterward.

Thank you, I'm glad it turned out alright.

You're best bet now is to get one of the 71 Cyclone stock car kits and use one of the Revell 70 Torino kits as a donor to un-racecar it. That's my plan when I get around to doing it.

Does anyone make Alps printed Bandit style gold Trans Am decals for the 1/24 Monogram kit?

Thank you, I think it turned out pretty well.

Well, I'm calling this one done. It's built basically kit stock except for the light bar and Aoshima wheels and tires.

The Starky & Hutch Torino has a 351 that would be good for that car.

I built that for Kris Morgan at MAD, I'm not sure where he is with the rest of it. I started with a broken Galaxie body and cut notches in the fenders where the A pillars and vent windows attached. Then I cut the roof and deck lid off leaving just about 1/8 inch of trunk lid and the rear vertical part over the bumper. Then I added the entire top, A pillars, vent windows and all, and the deck lid from the 66 Galaxie. Then I sliced off the 66 rear windshield and added a modified piece from a 69 Thunderbird. I used sheet styrene to fill in the from side of the C pillars and strips to make the drip rails. Here is a pic without paint that shows how the cuts were laid out.

This was an amnesty build, I started it around 15 years ago and decided to finish it up recently. Nothing special, straight out of the box with decals and front wheels from the more modern issue of this kit.

Keep at it, he can get pretty busy.

The AMT kit is the 73-79 body style. You just need to find the early grille from a resin caster. The AMT kit is also a Camper Special so the rear wheels are moved back another six inches from a normal long bed and it has tool box built into the passenger side of the bed. I believe Kris Morgan has a correct standard long bed in resin.

I would love a first gen Ranger but I'd want it to be 1/24 scale for what I want to do with it.

Is your build going to be period correct or a modified current day version? For a current day build the Revell motor from one of the 32 Ford kits is the way to go there are a bunch of intake options and a good automatic with overdrive. For a vintage build I would go with the 70s AMT Ford van transmission, it's a c6 with the correct small block Ford bellhousing. The Starsky & Hutch Torino is another option for small block automatic.

That's what happens when you check by wikipedia.

These came stock with either the baby straight six or a 260 v8, the six might be hard to find but a small Windsor block v8 should be easier.

It wasn't awful, it was just not what you want a Firebird to be. The Firebird also has about 1k pounds on the Cavalier and was automatic. It was also about 16 years old with over 250k miles when I had it so it's good years were behind it.

Are you wanting to buy one or do you have one and want to know if you should build it or not?

The Monogram Fiero has a 1/24 scale 2.8 v6, that engine made the rounds in a ton of GM products and even a few non GMs. Early XJ Cherokees could have the GM 2.8 instead of the 4.0 straight six. I had a 2.8 in an 86 Firebird, it was pretty lackluster in such a heavy car but would be fun in a little pickup with a good tune. It will bolt to standard GM transmissions, I believe the Firebird had a 200R4.

It's really going to depend on the paint, you'll have to test it to know for sure. One thing to consider if you gloss over it is you'll turn all your panel lines shiny which probably isn't the most desirable look.