1967 MPC/1966 Revell Pontiac GTO

[heptoman]

Hey everyone.

I'm getting really frustrated with this fender. Here is the state of things:

Upon closer inspection you can still see that stupid seam.

(Easier to see in real life).

And the driver's side, which was almost perfect? Back to BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH again!
(edit: really??? Censoring Cee Arr Ayy Pee???)

I'm at wit's end - about to trash the whole thing.

Are you going to use sealer? You might get ghosting lines if not.

If, by sealer, you mean clear coat after the body color is down, then definitely yes.

Edited January 23, 2015 by heptoman

[Belugawrx]

If, by sealer, you mean clear coat after the body color is down, then definitely yes.

I think wrenchr means a primer sealer like Duplicolor primer sealer before paint does a pretty good job hiding ghost lines

You could always try spreading a little A/C glue around the areas,..then sanding

I've had good luck with that.

Good luck

Cheers

[heptoman]

I think wrenchr means a primer sealer like Duplicolor primer sealer before paint does a pretty good job hiding ghost lines

You could always try spreading a little A/C glue around the areas,..then sanding

I've had good luck with that.

Good luck

Cheers

Okay, I think I'll give it a shot. HOWEVER - if I do, is it like clearcoat with "no going back?"

[Fabrux]

Something I've recently tried for the first time is melting some scrap styrene (like little pieces of sprue) in liquid glue (like Tamiya Extra Thin). It will turn the styrene to goo and you can apply it like putty. Once the glue evaporates, you can sand it just like the surrounding plastic and the "filler" becomes part of the structure. I was having a similar problem as you with the roof on a 33 Willys kit. I plan to strip all the putty off and try the melted sprue instead. YMMV.

[Belugawrx]

Okay, I think I'll give it a shot. HOWEVER - if I do, is it like clearcoat with "no going back?"

This goes under the paint (primer/sealer)

[heptoman]

This goes under the paint (primer/sealer)

This I know....

Once I seal the primer it cannot be modified???

[Custom Mike]

Topher, Primer Sealer is what goes down under the paint, just like normal primers. It just creates a barrier so "hotter" paints like Lacquers can be used without ruining the plastic body. It also does wonders sealing those seams so they don't ghost back up like that. Go to any auto parts store that carries Dupli-Color paints and grab a can, it'll set you back around $8, but it's a big can that will last for at least three models. Here's some shots of something that has multiple lines in it from a pie-cut section being removed, and you can't even see a sign of the work. Dupli-Color Primer Sealer is my best friend!

[High octane]

I would also scribe the trunk line in before doing anymore priming or painting.

[bisc63]

Cement may be your problem. I get fewer ghosting problems using thick CA (super-glue) and baking soda to do seam-work. Definitely getting some good advice to use a sealer/barrier coat between primer and paint. Ghosting may also be coming from dissimilar plastics, soft styrene from Revell against harder formula from R2/mpc. Don't let it whip you, it's just plastic and you have the skills and tools to make it happen. Good luck!

[Belugawrx]

You can always sand,.....anything

before colour and clear

[heptoman]

Update time! I'm sorry I've been slacking on this but I've been working on it anyway.

I'm done with the fender. It took me long enough, but I finished it and am sort of pleased with how it turned out. I just had to keep sanding the filler the right way. Anyway, I scribed the new trunk line, hit it up with primer sealer, and started the body color. I forgot to snag pics of all that process, but here it is as of a few days ago. I've since added a couple more coats of green plus some wet sanding.

Rear view:

Side view:

Plan: final mist coat today, wet sand tomorrow, first wet coat Tuesday, wet sand Wednesday, final wet coat Thursday, decals on Friday, clear coat on Saturday.

After that, it's details - Alclad, vinyl top, windshield wipers. I'm getting pretty close (finally).

[heptoman]

Quick update but no pics. I dropped on the final wet coat and it looked really nice.

Then I did the first clear coat, and then it looked REALLY nice.

Then I did the final clear coat, and got a speck of SOMETHING on the trunk deck, even though I had it covered to cure!!!!

Not happy!!!!!!

[Roadrunner]

Looking real good so far, I'm sure your father will be pleased.

[heptoman]

What now???

There was some clear coat ghosting on the passenger front quarter panel, I've already sanded it out.

But here is the killer: that awful "dust" spot on the trunk. I use quotations because I think it was dust but it was huge! I sanded it down but now what??? Do I have to re-sand the whole vehicle to make sure the base color and clear coat are equal???

[Bob Ellis]

Looks nice.

[jacoballardtattoo]

Your project may be driving you batty but its coming out amazing! I'm familiar with the MAC kit, it is junk! I picked up the same kit as I love the GTO line, it was my second model since I was like 10 or 11 years old. This kit has made me want to scream and has been picked up and put back down tons of times due to me wanting to beat the poor craftsmanship of the kit but not have much patience with it.

I love what your doing here granted your build is more Revell then MPC but it's nice to see someone improving the horrible MPC kit.

[heptoman]

Thanks, everyone. I hope it comes out fine. I haven't touched it in a while though - I still don't know what to do with that stupid dust spot I had to sand out.

[bobthehobbyguy]

Nice work so far. I would suggest shooting another coat of color. If you use your airbrush you could shoot just the trunk, roof, and hood. What paint are you using?

[Roadrunner]

Nice work so far. I would suggest shooting another coat of color. If you use your airbrush you could shoot just the trunk, roof, and hood. What paint are you using?

I had to do the same to a Challenger I'm working on. Some color misted onto the too light areas, coated with clear, then wet sanded, and it looks great. You should have no real problems with small touch-ups like that. Good luck.

[heptoman]

Thanks for the pointers. I'm using Model Masters Fathom Green spray and it is THICK. I'll probably just sand down the whole thing AGAIN and try over.

[RAMBENNA]

lookin good

[heptoman]

What's up everyone. I know it's been a long time since an update but I've been slowly working on this, more so the past two weeks.

If it's not one thing, it's another - I am so ready for this thing to be done, not because it's radically overdue, but because I'm getting so angry with it.

I sanded down the dust spot, reapplied a coat of green and clear coat (Testors 1261 Clearcote), came up with this: really pleased!

Another view:

And I finally removed masking from before I started this whole paint mess:

Then disaster struck as I prepared to mask for detail painting (engine bay and chrome trim).

More to come once I have more pictures.

[heptoman]

Point of clarification - yes I know the clear coat coverage on the roof is not the same as the body - I am adding a vinyl top so I am not worried about it.

[heptoman]

So here's my disaster. I use Tamiya masking tape - which, unfortunately, doesn't play well with Testors clear coat!

I masked everything up to do the engine bay and wheel wells (which you'll see in a second). I painted, then pulled off the masking tape to reveal NO MORE CLEAR COAT!

The tape had pulled it off! (And I had let it cure for at least three days!)

It is hard to see in the following pictures but here are some anyway (once I figured the damage, I continued to strip the clear coat, as it would need redoing, obviously):

It even "worked" on the roof:

Pictures of the damage in action:

Remove the tape:

See the tape? SEE THE CLEAR COAT STUCK ON THE TAPE?????

Edited July 15, 2015 by heptoman

[heptoman]

Never knew tape could be so successful at stripping clear coat. (cheap clear coat that I'll NEVER use again!)

Post tape stripping (as usual with this project, one step forward, THREE steps back):

Side view. Here you can see my engine bay detail work:

Engine bay and wiper vents: