Lead City Customs

[Cool Hand]

On 3/11/2025 at 2:54 PM, Steve H said:

Anton, I’m convinced it’s something to do with the gravitational pull in the land down under.😂 That, and …. well, Luke seems to maybe know what he’s doing.
Consistently crazy beautiful paint Luke, it’s fun to watch sir.

Thanks Steve.

Nothing to it, but to do it 🤣, only way to improve is to keep at it and learn with each paint job.

 

On 3/12/2025 at 12:16 AM, NOBLNG said:

Yes beautiful paintwork Luke! And so prolific…do you have a conveyor belt running through your paint booth?

Thank you Greg. 

🤣 No conveyor, just lots of spare time with good planning and preparation.

 

On 3/12/2025 at 4:51 AM, Mattilacken said:

Thanks! I use Tamiya LP clear and same thinner as you, probably on your recommendation at some point! I do have a smaller needle, only 0,2 mm, the last times. I will go through my 0.4 and see if it lays flatter thanks to the width difference.

Wider spray pattern will help, less overlapping passes.

I find the overlap edge is where some orange peel comes from.

[Cool Hand]

New wheels and roughed in the stance again on the XW GT sedan.

 

So good to be able to build these Australian cars.

Now to prepare them for paint, so looking forward to seeing them painted in the colour I have chosen. 

 

[STU111]

I’ll be keen to see what you do with the XW Ute Luke. I’ve ordered the XY Ute. Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet, nice custom or old bush basher. 

[Brockc]

7 hours ago, Cool Hand said:

New wheels and roughed in the stance again on the XW GT sedan.

 

So good to be able to build these Australian cars.

Now to prepare them for paint, so looking forward to seeing them painted in the colour I have chosen. 

 

Drag combo?

[Cool Hand]

7 hours ago, STU111 said:

I’ll be keen to see what you do with the XW Ute Luke. I’ve ordered the XY Ute. Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet, nice custom or old bush basher. 

Ute will be street machine style exactly the same as the sedan, as I mentioned in the ute topic I grew up around street machine styled cars so it will influence the majority of the DDA kits I build.

 

2 hours ago, Brockc said:

Drag combo?

Nah mate,  identical ute sedan combo.

[Cool Hand]

Not the best of pictures, but you get the idea.

[Zippi]

Looking good there Luke.  That's a lot of bodies your getting prepared. 

[Cool Hand]

On 3/15/2025 at 10:02 AM, Zippi said:

Looking good there Luke.  That's a lot of bodies your getting prepared. 

Cheers Bob.

Yeah just a few, once the XW's are painted its build time.

[Cool Hand]

Finally had some cooler weather, so went back to the Ken Mary and gave it a wet sand and polish with the compounds. 

[VanGoGo]

glassy!  =D

 

[NOBLNG]

24 minutes ago, VanGoGo said:

glassy!  =D

 

And classy!😎

[BK9300]

Pretty special paint finishes you produce, Luke!

[Zippi]

Yup...that's looking purdy good there Luke.  Daddy like.  

[Cool Hand]

Appreciate the comments gentleman. 

Pretty much completed the custom Ken Mary Skyline Lowrider build. Just needs an exhaust tip and maybe a number plate. Then a final clean and il take some better pics.

 

@Steve H just about completed one mate 😁

[SpikeSchumacher]

Sensational!

[Mattilacken]

That is a super shiney paintjob! Sweet work! I got my Aston pretty good now, just a rub/polish with compounds and no wet sand and it looks good.

[Cool Hand]

11 hours ago, SpikeSchumacher said:

Sensational!

Thanks Mathias.

 

9 hours ago, Mattilacken said:

That is a super shiney paintjob! Sweet work! I got my Aston pretty good now, just a rub/polish with compounds and no wet sand and it looks good.

Thanks Anton, Tamiya compounds work great for enhancing the shine.

[Cool Hand]

Completed and under glass.

 

[Steve H]

On 3/19/2025 at 9:39 AM, Cool Hand said:

Appreciate the comments gentleman. 

Pretty much completed the custom Ken Mary Skyline Lowrider build. Just needs an exhaust tip and maybe a number plate. Then a final clean and il take some better pics.

 

@Steve H just about completed one mate 😁

Haha!! Excellent. So…. there is smooth paint, and then there is this 👆. Smoother than glass? Fantastic Luke, and I believe possibly your smoothest paint job yet. Looks great with the red interior mate. 

[Cool Hand]

On 3/21/2025 at 10:33 AM, Steve H said:

Haha!! Excellent. So…. there is smooth paint, and then there is this 👆. Smoother than glass? Fantastic Luke, and I believe possibly your smoothest paint job yet. Looks great with the red interior mate. 

Thanks Steve, paint is decent for a wet sanded and polished solid colour with no clear.

I dont think I will ever top the 70 Chevelle I done. That is my best black paint job. 

 

Edited March 29 by Cool Hand

[Cool Hand]

Applied the colour coat to the XW's.

Edited March 29 by Cool Hand

[Zippi]

That's a different color there Luke.  Looks pretty kewl.  

[Cool Hand]

Watched this yesterday.

 

I have always liked Armando's Lowrider Model Cars and his 1:1, and after seeing this video the inspiration did strike, so you got to run with it. 

Dug into the stash and grabbed a kit.

Not the best 65 Impala kit to start with, but it will have to do until I get the Revell version.

Obviously Armando's 65 Impala will be the inspiration.

 

Seeing as it's an average kit Im not concerned with accuracy or going to get too carried away with it, just concentrate on the body and paint job.

[stitchdup]

42 minutes ago, Cool Hand said:

Watched this yesterday.

 

I have always liked Armando's Lowrider Model Cars and his 1:1, and after seeing this video the inspiration did strike, so you got to run with it. 

Dug into the stash and grabbed a kit.

Not the best 65 Impala kit to start with, but it will have to do until I get the Revell version.

Obviously Armando's 65 Impala will be the inspiration.

 

Seeing as it's an average kit Im not concerned with accuracy or going to get too carried away with it, just concentrate on the body and paint job.

take care painting these. my buick and pontiac from the same series both went textured when i tried tamiya primer on them

[Cool Hand]

14 hours ago, stitchdup said:

take care painting these. my buick and pontiac from the same series both went textured when i tried tamiya primer on them

@stitchdup Thanks for the heads up.

When you say "went textured" are you meaning the Tamiya primer reacted and possibly etched the styrene Hasegawa used in those particular kits.

I applied the usual light check coat of Mr Finishing Surfacer 1500 black and seems to be okay so far.

 

 

Edited April 4 by Cool Hand