64Comet404

I bought a '65 Barracuda at the pre-Toledo parking lot sale one year. Complete glue bomb with box and parts, but I knew I could get glass out of the Hemi Under Glass. It was dirty, so I threw it in the sink, and all the glue on the kit dissolved!

I have heated tires by placing them in a cup of water, and then microwaving them.

Interesting idea, can't wait to see where you will go with it.

This is the latest model off the bench. One of the clubs I belong to has a kit build challenge, where members bring in a gift-wrapped model, and you have to build the model you choose from the pile. I had a GSX on the build pile, but the kit I won came moulded in white; I didn’t want to build another yellow one. It’s pretty much OOB, but I used Shabo transfers for the tires, some wire valve stems, and a set of 1970 Ontario plates from the decal bin. It was a challenge to paint a white car with black trim, and not have it look too stark, so I used nearly every dark grey hue in my paint rack to provide some contrasts. It did put up a fight, but I’m pleased with the results.

I would definitely buy some Javelins and AMX's if they were available. I've always liked the design (especially the 68-69 cars), even though I don't remember many of them on the roads when I was younger; probably all victims of the road salt that used to be endemic to Ontario.

I use a slightly cheaper version of the electric toothbrush idea. I use a hole punch to make a pile of sandpaper circles. I then use Gorilla Glue to attach the circles to the eraser end of some cheap, unused HB pencils. They work well for sanding down any raised pin marks; for recessed pin marks, I use CA glue and accelerator to fill them, and putty to finish.

Remember to only get your red plastic from the Beelzebub, and not from some other garden-variety demon! Accept no substitutes, and get your almost-impossible-to-cover red styrene from the Lord of the Flies himself... I'm currently working on a kit I believe is 'jinxed', the Revell/Monogram '70 Buick GSX. I manage to assemble the chassis and engine cleanly, and test-fit the body, interior, and running gear together. Upon disassembly, the engine breaks free from the mounts. All the small parts are painted, and ready for assembly, so several of them disappear! (I don't have a cat, so I can't blame it) I find a parts kit at the NNL, rob it for the needed parts, and sell it at the next week's contest. Since I have sold the parts kit, I can no longer find the rear bumper! Considering how nice the overall kit is, I wish it would stop fighting and submit to assembly.

There was also a 1/16 scale Cortina Mk.I 4 door sedan, first produced by FROG in the early 60's. All the FROG car kits are hard to come by, but you never know.

Just a reminder that the Kingston contest will be taking place on May 5th, and we are looking forward to seeing everyone who attends!

It's a Matchbox mold, they did some really nice 1/32 car kits back in the 1970's. Enjoy it!

I know that they were available in plastic at some point, but not certain about aftermarket. Any help appreciated, thx.

Looking good! I built one of these for a client years ago, and have thought about getting another one for the stash.

The car looks great, and I am glad that Aoshima finally included the Rostyle wheels with the kit. I had a friend who owned a '75 MGB, painted bright greenish-yellow, and he asked me to find him the kit when it was first issued. The wire wheels and rubber bumper combination never looked right, IMO.

The light is reflecting off the mesh stone guards over the headlights. I built a replica of the Lotus 7 years ago, and it is a fabulous kit. I even had a set of the Elan wheels (from Mini Exotics, IIRC), but I couldn't figure out how to properly mount them on to the model. Techniques and skills have definitely improved in the decades since then.

Pontiac did build some cars with the 409, but it was a really small percentage of production. Most Canadian Pontiacs of the era were equipped with a 261 c.i. six or a 283 V8. I have seen pictures of a '63 Strato Chief 409 which ran in the NHRA Stock division, so there were some out there. I really liked this build. I had a neighbour who owned a '60 Strato Chief when I was young, and I have appreciated the styling since then. P.S. I couldn't get your question to quote here Cliff, but there is a photo-etch set which has those scripts. Okey Spaulding used to sell them as extra detail for the JoHan '55-56 Pontiacs. If you're planning to go to Kingston, PM me, and I'll bring them down so you can see them.

It's pretty much the same shape as the misshapen one on the "65 Bonneville kit. Fortunately for me, there's only one kit that is getting my attention (the Datsun 240Z). I'll consider the Tamiya Mercedes if they ever do the purple and white Wynn's livery from this year's IMSA races...

Cool! With all the talk of the GarWood over the years, it will be nice to see actual proof of its' existence (even as a wood master)

Looks like a really clean build, Matt. I really should start building my stash of Airfix cars.

A good source for photo etch and aftermarket parts is the Hobby Centre In Ottawa (www.hobcen.com). They do a lot of mail order, and they get in a lot of aftermarket from collections, which means if you are looking for something discontinued, they may have it in stock.

IIRC, I think the Leal cars were Ford Poppy Red, so you could try Testor's Chevrolet Engine Red, or even Hugger Orange, and adjust to taste.

I want to see the Cheetah offered in a 1/24 double kit, alongside a Gee Bee R2 airplane. Both subjects seem to share the same design philosophy!!!

The Voodoo was always a favourite of mine, there were always so many variations on the paint schemes on the Canadian units. I remember passing the display unit at CFB Uplands many times when I was a teenager (used it as a navigation aid for making the turn to get to my girlfriend's house). One of these days, I will build one, but will leave the Matchbox one for the collectors.

From the references and real life examples I have seen, the basic block is black, while the heads, rocker covers, and sump can be either black or natural metal. I have seen one painted maroon, and it was intended as.a training aid for mechanics IIRC.