Detailing Die-Cast Kits?

[bigbluesd]

I picked up this kit the other day at Michael's for 40% off: http://www.amazon.com/Maisto-Assembly-Corvette-Stingray-Convertible/dp/B00G05GD5K/ref=sr_1_16?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1403642369&sr=1-16&keywords=corvette+model+kit

The thing that bothers me about the metal kits is the huge panel lines where doors, etc. open as well as the fact that all of the corners look "soft" to me. Is it possible to strip these and sharpen corners, etc. to make them look more in-line with a plastic kit? I considered sealing all of the doors, hoods, etc. and making it curbside but it seems that even some of the non-opening edges are fairly bulbous (like the edges where the bodies meet the vents. Would trying to fix this be an exercise in futility?

[Art Anderson]

I picked up this kit the other day at Michael's for 40% off: http://www.amazon.com/Maisto-Assembly-Corvette-Stingray-Convertible/dp/B00G05GD5K/ref=sr_1_16?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1403642369&sr=1-16&keywords=corvette+model+kit

The thing that bothers me about the metal kits is the huge panel lines where doors, etc. open as well as the fact that all of the corners look "soft" to me. Is it possible to strip these and sharpen corners, etc. to make them look more in-line with a plastic kit? I considered sealing all of the doors, hoods, etc. and making it curbside but it seems that even some of the non-opening edges are fairly bulbous (like the edges where the bodies meet the vents. Would trying to fix this be an exercise in futility?

From my experience (and 10-12 yrs ago, I was deeply involved in the development of diecast model cars at Johnny Lightning), the biggest reason you see such soft edges and rather fuzzy details on most popularly priced diecast models isn't in the tooling, but rather the very heavy coats of paint on them. Disassembling them, stripping all that paint off often will reveal surface detailing nearly as sharp and crisp as on a plastic kit.

Art

[bigbluesd]

From my experience (and 10-12 yrs ago, I was deeply involved in the development of diecast model cars at Johnny Lightning), the biggest reason you see such soft edges and rather fuzzy details on most popularly priced diecast models isn't in the tooling, but rather the very heavy coats of paint on them. Disassembling them, stripping all that paint off often will reveal surface detailing nearly as sharp and crisp as on a plastic kit.

Art

Thanks Art, that was exactly what I wanted to know. I think I am going to seal the hood and doors and bondo over the gaps so that I can make new panel lines.