Revell 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A: Done!!

[Dragonhawk1066]

Build #4 for the year is complete. Revell 1970 Dodge Challenger T/A 1/24 scale. Color is Testors Panther Pink Enamel Spray over their gray primer. Interior is done in Rustoleum Satin with wood grain trim. I added plug wires on the engine and used Bare Metal Foil for the trim. This was a simpler kit, I would rate it the next step after the Snap-Tite series, as it had only 78 pieces and really no small intricate parts. The front and rear suspensions were each one piece with the rear including the driveshaft. All of the pieces fit together pretty well and makes for a really nice build. The detailing however gave me fits for some reason. For the first time, I decided to highlight the molded in brake and fuel lines. I used a silver Sharpie for this and just couldn't trace a straight line and also was a little heavy handed and sloppy. Also, of the four cars that I have foiled, this one was the worst job that I have done in my opinion. I just couldn't keep the knife straight while trimming and just had a bad time of it overall. With that being said though, I am overall very happy with the finished product, and continue to learn new things that I can hopefully integrate into my next builds.

[cobraman]

Very well done !

[jefropas]

Nice build and color choice!

Jeff

[jean-lloyd]

I know I'm new to the forums here, but I'm going to get critical. While your color choices are great, and the overall look and feel of the build is great, it's hard to overlook the obvious orange-peel, feathered tape lines and heavy build up of your finish. Also, I see several issues with your BMF application that result in hard/jagged edges that could easily be cleaned up in this project. 

I have dozens of models with the same issues, so it's not just you, for sure, but there is room for improvement. I'm not going to blow smoke up your skirt and tell you that this build is great. 

After being involved in a LOT of shows and such, I've had to learn the hard way about being open to critical opinions and assessments. 

As a quick fix, spend like $12 and invest in a package of Micromesh pads, and you'll be able to quickly cut through that spray can orange peel that you're getting. It's quick and fast to do, especially if you add some wet (water) to your sanding process.

Once you've knocked down the physical imperfections, add some sort of wax, even if it's something like Johnson's paste wax. I'd recommend a good liquid automotive wax to start with.

Regarding the paintline feathering that you see around the engine well color changes, just spend a little more time when you're running tape. Make sure to firmly run your finger or thumb nail across the seam. Also, if you're really looking for a sharp line, run your tape, then spray a light coat of clear prior to running your final top coat.

Hope this helps. Keep crafting, for sure! Your build shows a lot of promise!

 

[Dragonhawk1066]

4 hours ago, jean-lloyd said:

I know I'm new to the forums here, but I'm going to get critical. While your color choices are great, and the overall look and feel of the build is great, it's hard to overlook the obvious orange-peel, feathered tape lines and heavy build up of your finish. Also, I see several issues with your BMF application that result in hard/jagged edges that could easily be cleaned up in this project. 

I have dozens of models with the same issues, so it's not just you, for sure, but there is room for improvement. I'm not going to blow smoke up your skirt and tell you that this build is great. 

After being involved in a LOT of shows and such, I've had to learn the hard way about being open to critical opinions and assessments. 

As a quick fix, spend like $12 and invest in a package of Micromesh pads, and you'll be able to quickly cut through that spray can orange peel that you're getting. It's quick and fast to do, especially if you add some wet (water) to your sanding process.

Once you've knocked down the physical imperfections, add some sort of wax, even if it's something like Johnson's paste wax. I'd recommend a good liquid automotive wax to start with.

Regarding the paintline feathering that you see around the engine well color changes, just spend a little more time when you're running tape. Make sure to firmly run your finger or thumb nail across the seam. Also, if you're really looking for a sharp line, run your tape, then spray a light coat of clear prior to running your final top coat.

Hope this helps. Keep crafting, for sure! Your build shows a lot of promise!

 

As I stated this is only the fourth model that I have completed after a 22 year absence and while I appreciate any constructive criticism, I am not competing in a judged show with builds that have hundreds of hours put into them. If you feel the need to nitpick on someones build this bad, maybe a community forum is not the place for you .

[JerseeJerry55]

26 minutes ago, Dragonhawk1066 said:

As I stated this is only the fourth model that I have completed after a 22 year absence and while I appreciate any constructive criticism, I am not competing in a judged show with builds that have hundreds of hours put into them. If you feel the need to nitpick on someones build this bad, maybe a community forum is not the place for you .

Craig, very nice job. I like it a lot. There are two things I have learned over time. Never steal another man's fries. And I never negatively criticize another builder's work. I know my limitations and frankly know that I will never build a show worthy prize winner. However I build for myself first and foremost and I am proud when someone comments positively about my models. And I take anything that is given as a suggestion and try to apply it with each example I build moving forward. And I do appreciate comments, and suggestions from others on these boards, and others I belong to. In any event great job.

[ATHU]

Looking good, great job!!

[Renegade]

Looks good. I have a Cuda and Duster I'm working on ,also in Panther Pink. Though mostly a Ford guy, may have to find one of the Challengers. Your build has inspired me.

[crazyjim]

Good build with an excellent color choice.

[Jmaracing]

Great looking build.

[jean-lloyd]

On 7/11/2018 at 7:51 AM, Dragonhawk1066 said:

As I stated this is only the fourth model that I have completed after a 22 year absence and while I appreciate any constructive criticism, I am not competing in a judged show with builds that have hundreds of hours put into them. If you feel the need to nitpick on someones build this bad, maybe a community forum is not the place for you .

Yeah, I'm really sorry about that post, I was a bit too far into a bottle of gin the other night, and my inner-arrogant-jerk came running to help me feel validated in the new community, so people would be impressed with my knowledge of hobby skills. It was a garbage post, and when I read what I wrote the next day, it was a shameful facepalm...took me like an hour of searching through all of my posts from that night to find it again.

If it helps, I'm also just getting back into building for real again after a couple of decades (life, marriage, work, divorce, etc.), and, quite frankly, being the perfectionist that I am, my judgement on my own work is much more harsh.

I would delete the original post, but I think leaving it there as a black mark on my account will keep me mindful of future stupidity. 

Friends don't let friends post on forums while drunk. I need more friends, man.

Please forgive the pretentious d-baggery, and feel free to trash the builds that I'm planning to post soon.

Edited July 13, 2018 by jean-lloyd
Stupid booze...

[Dragonhawk1066]

13 hours ago, jean-lloyd said:

Yeah, I'm really sorry about that post, I was a bit too far into a bottle of gin the other night, and my inner-arrogant-jerk came running to help me feel validated in the new community, so people would be impressed with my knowledge of hobby skills. It was a garbage post, and when I read what I wrote the next day, it was a shameful facepalm...took me like an hour of searching through all of my posts from that night to find it again.

If it helps, I'm also just getting back into building for real again after a couple of decades (life, marriage, work, divorce, etc.), and, quite frankly, being the perfectionist that I am, my judgement on my own work is much more harsh.

I would delete the original post, but I think leaving it there as a black mark on my account will keep me mindful of future stupidity. 

Friends don't let friends post on forums while drunk. I need more friends, man.

Please forgive the pretentious d-baggery, and feel free to trash the builds that I'm planning to post soon.

Water under the bridge. I took more of an exception than maybe I should have, it just seemed like more of a personal attack. I will say though, that you were not wrong with your critiques. Most of the issues I had with this build were due to the fact that I just don't want to spend too much time on any one build at the moment (not really an excuse for sub-par work) and am on a bit of a tight budget also (definitely need some tamiya tape). I do have some micro mesh sanding pads, but am still learning on the wet sanding aspect of things (really worried about burning through the paint until I get better), and I didn't clear this one because I don't have enamel clear and don't want to risk it with lacquer clear (heard way too many horror stories).

There are a lot of things that I did not really notice until after posting the pics that I'm pretty embarrassed escaped my eye. We are our own worst critics and I really should have spent a little more time and effort on some of these things (lesson learned to view close-up pics and fix these things before posting as these mistakes are both embarrassing and easily taken care of).

I actually look forward to seeing your work and wouldn't think of trashing it, even out of revenge, LOL.

[PARTSMARTY]

I'm a mopar freak and i think it looks cool !!!

[bbowser]

I really like this.  Foiling on the '70s cars with their ultra-thin chrome accents is twice as hard as the '50s land yachts IMO.  Your underhood detailing looks good as well.

[jean-lloyd]

Also, in my penance for acting like a jerk the other day, I a few more things to add. 

Now that I've had a sober look all all of your photos (never feel like more detailed photos are a detriment to sharing your skills on the community!), I have some positive things to add that should have been included in that first, aggressively critical post.

First: GREAT photos! I know exactly how hard it is to take/convert/post pictures of scale work. Your pics are great, and thanks for posting so many of them. We all appreciate the effort, time, and bravery it takes to post such a generous batch of pics to the site.

Second: looking at your interior, what was your process on the dash/console/steering wheel wood accents? 

Third: Huge kudos on the engine wiring. It is so real looking that I completely overlooked it, and it's fantastic! I'm working on learning how to get outside the box to make great looking engines, and your 340 is looking great!

Fourth: What did you use on your trim? The hood pins look really good, but more importantly, I'm looking at your detail work on the Challenger T/A emblem on the back of of the rear spoiler. I'm terrible at that stuff, and the work is fine enough that it can't have been done with BMF. Did you dry-brush that with silver?

Fifth: Your dash, even looking at pics that are so detailed, looks SO good. What did you use to get the outer rings done with the silver/chrome?

There are more great things with this build that I could call out, but that's enough for now. Screw the orange peel in the pink finish, that's an easy fix. There's a TON with this build that it worth spending more time appreciating.

Edited July 15, 2018 by jean-lloyd

[modelbomber]

The car looks really good and clean If youre not going to put the car in any shows don't worry about little things, the more you experiment with modeling challenges the better you get. 

If you want check out my cars I never use foil on my cars the trim is all by free hand! no masking at all. All of my cars I build are just for me to look at and friends to enjoy. Keep up the good work!

[ChrisR]

Very nice!

[MickeySix]

Looks good man!

[Dragonhawk1066]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate all the kind words and hope to keep learning and improving.

[Dragonhawk1066]

On 7/14/2018 at 11:25 PM, jean-lloyd said:

Also, in my penance for acting like a jerk the other day, I a few more things to add. 

Now that I've had a sober look all all of your photos (never feel like more detailed photos are a detriment to sharing your skills on the community!), I have some positive things to add that should have been included in that first, aggressively critical post.

First: GREAT photos! I know exactly how hard it is to take/convert/post pictures of scale work. Your pics are great, and thanks for posting so many of them. We all appreciate the effort, time, and bravery it takes to post such a generous batch of pics to the site.

Second: looking at your interior, what was your process on the dash/console/steering wheel wood accents? 

Third: Huge kudos on the engine wiring. It is so real looking that I completely overlooked it, and it's fantastic! I'm working on learning how to get outside the box to make great looking engines, and your 340 is looking great!

Fourth: What did you use on your trim? The hood pins look really good, but more importantly, I'm looking at your detail work on the Challenger T/A emblem on the back of of the rear spoiler. I'm terrible at that stuff, and the work is fine enough that it can't have been done with BMF. Did you dry-brush that with silver?

Fifth: Your dash, even looking at pics that are so detailed, looks SO good. What did you use to get the outer rings done with the silver/chrome?

There are more great things with this build that I could call out, but that's enough for now. Screw the orange peel in the pink finish, that's an easy fix. There's a TON with this build that it worth spending more time

Thanks for the kind words. You're being too hard on yourself, too.

1. I need to remember my camera takes really good pics, and view them for any touch-ups or what-not before I post.

2.Because I already painted all those things black, I had to paint over them with beige, and then I used a wood touch-up marker, Walnut to be exact. I do wish I could remember where I got this tip from so I could give proper credit.

3. Thanks, I will say this is the best plug wire job I have done. Due to how the exhaust manifolds attached to the heads, I had to keep the wires tight on the valve covers, which taught me to have a little more patience with this step.

4. The hood pins were just done with a toothpick that I kept dipping in the residual paint on the inside of the bottle cap of silver paint after shaking it. Another trick I learned from a number of sources. The spoiler emblem, thank God, is actually a decal supplied on the decal sheet. No way I could get it that good otherwise. The rest of the trim is in fact BMF. Under the rear spoiler is the only place where it turned out good on this car, Lol.

5. Lucked out on the dash, I used a Molotow Chrome Pen on the bezels and it took a few touch-ups to clean it up, and I used a pencil to do the gauge detail. I actually remember where I got that tip from, Dan's Scale Model Creations on youtube. He's got a lot of great tips.

The orange peel I have to live with on this one, I just err'd on the side of caution not to burn through the paint. I know I can do better and hope it will show on my next builds.

[tbill]

Very nice build , and great color choices.

 

i also want to say, that after reading the whole thread, this is the most adult/mature exchange I have ever seen online in regards to ones comments about a build, and ones response to said comments. This could have easily degenerated into a peeing match, but you both handled it rather beautifully, so in short, hats off to the build, and hats off to both of you for being adults about the whole thing.

[Geno]

Love dem Mopars, it rocks Craig.

[Sam I Am]

3 hours ago, tbill said:

Very nice build , and great color choices.

 

i also want to say, that after reading the whole thread, this is the most adult/mature exchange I have ever seen online in regards to ones comments about a build, and ones response to said comments. This could have easily degenerated into a peeing match, but you both handled it rather beautifully, so in short, hats off to the build, and hats off to both of you for being adults about the whole thing.

Ditto, and I  am partial to Panther Pink Challengers. Great job....to both of you. 

[RAMBENNA]

nice job, looks great

[Fairfax]

Hello Craig. Beautiful work ! I finished it, too. I'm just looking at the photos and putting it in here. I was tormented by the colour, I gave a light green and a bit of decals, too, they were tearing. Nice car and fun kit.