Pictures from the 54 Chevy.

This picture was taken quite a while ago, but it shows the pieces I had to add to fill in the holes that are left when making a tilt front end.

I had to fill in the front across the firewall as well as the sides of the firewall so you could not see inside the passengers compartment with the front end lifted.

You can also see, in the top picture, the hinge for the tilt at the very front of the frame.

Since these pictures were taken, the frame has been channeled, or recessed into the floor pan to lower the car more, and the front end has been radically lowered to improve the stance of the model.

There are some pictures I posted on an earlier post showing the difference between then and now. The frame is about a couple of sheets of paper's thickness off the ground now. I also had to narrow the front end to get it under the fenders by taking a slice out of the k frame and the tie rod ends as well.

Camaro Picture

The camaro is finally painted! It needs some fine wet sanding and polishing, but the paint is all there.







Also the demon got its first coat of primer, and as you can see, it is going to need some filler here and there. I have a lot of work to do on this one, but at least it is getting started.

As soon as I can afford it I think better lights are in order as the picture (indoors) are coming out tan in the background. That background is blazing white and hurts your eyes! it is actually the same color as the camaro shot.

I am not a photographer, so this will be a learning curve for me, and I will post my results once I cure the problem to help others who may need or want to know.

I hope to do the review talked about last time, on tomorrows blog. We'll have to see what today brings....

Until then, keep on building!

Also the demon got its first coat of primer, and as you can see, it is going to need some filler here and there. I have a lot of work to do on this one, but at least it is getting started.

Reviews to Come- GTO's

My son received two models for his birthday, and sooner or later they will be reviewed here. A 1966 GTO by Revell, and a 1967 GTO by AMT. I started looking them over and there is a difference.

The cars look nearly the same body wise (shape and style), but the two kits are a long way apart. I will dig into these in more detail in the future and give a more detailed review.

I was unable to post yesterday, and for that I apologise. I intend to post as often as possible and keep this blog up to date.

It is a beautiful day here today, and the temperature is supposed to get into the 70's. Maybe today will be the magic day that some paint descends on that poor neglected camaro....

I not only failed to post yesterday, but I never found time to work on the models either. A bad day all around. Today will be a better day!

If you have any questions or if you just want to speak your mind, please leave a comment!

Keep on building.

A Short Post

I didn't get much done last night on the camaro. I did manage to work on the engine a while and do some detail painting on it.

It is still pretty cold here, so painting the body may not be an option yet, but there are other things I can work on until the weather cooperates.

The challenger has the hood, front valance panel, headlights and grille missing as well as the rear valance and tail light panel... I'll have to think about that one.

Here is a link to an article I wrote for a beginner. A how to article to help them improve. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1453738/building_a_model_car_a_guide_to_get.html

And another article: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1444500/model_car_building_a_scale_model_of.html


The Dodge Demon is still in the stripping bucket and will hopefully be done soon. As soon as it is cleaned up I'll take a picture of it and post it.

That is all for today, keep building!

Another Picture

I found two more, neither is finished, but at least they are both pretty much in the same condition that I last saw them in.

The figure in the half track is actually a tank commander. I wish I had found the figures when I took the picture of the tanks to give an idea of how huge they are by comparison.

I try to keep my modeling to the same scales as much as possible, using 1/35th for armor and 1/24 and 1/25 for automotive. That way they are all scaled to each other if I want to build a diorama. It also helps when displaying them if they appear to be in the same scale.

I spent some time cleaning up the Challenger yesterday, but it is going to take a while. There are pieces to the model that are missing which I have not found yet... maybe it will get rebuilt, we will have to see.

I put a 71 Dodge Demon body in the paint stripper yesterday. It is a model I have been playing with for years and will be a drag car with a tilt front end when done. I have been hoarding parts for this one for some time and may actually have enough to finish it.

I hope to finish the paint on the camaro today, the body is sanded and waiting for a calm day still. The camaro is first on the list to complete so I will be doing something to it today if all else fails.

Old Builds

I dug through my

"collection", only to find that these four are the only ones fit to show here.

A long move from Colorado to Florida, caused some pretty serious damage to all of the others.

The Tiger tanks shown are unfinished as you can see (Porshe Tiger on the left and Sturm Tiger on the right.) But are in the best shape of other (once) more complete models.

A 1969 and a 1970 Barracuda are shown in the other photo. You can click either one to enlarge it like any other picture on the blog. All four models are damaged, but it is hard to see in the picture.

The rest of the models that I brought with me are going to need some serious TLC or a complete overhaul... lots of parts for future builds and rebuilds.

Oh well, it will keep me busy for a year or ten.

Also, it doesn't hurt to get enclosed cases to show off your models in, if you can afford it. Inserting a finished model into one of the small clear display cases widely available is far better than seeing a build you worked so hard on covered in nearly impossible to remove dust! Of course a display case is better still, but far more expensive.

The Nomad

You can see the camaro in the background, patiently waiting for more paint. It has been windy and cooler here the last couple of days and that is not conductive to outdoor painting.

Someday maybe I will get around to building an indoor paint booth, but until then, mother nature picks my painting schedule.

The nomad got its first coat of primer and surprised me, looking much better than I had expected it to considering the number of scratches that it had. Wet sanding, gotta love it...

The first primer coat is very important, especially on a model you are trying to restore. It will make defects show up that are very hard to see before you primer, and make some disappear as well. There are some defects where the side molding used to be on the nomad that I could not see until after I had primed it.

The first coat of primer is a starting point, one from which you can find small defects and perfect your body work on. Once you get the body close to how you want it switch to a lighter colored primer and re-wet sand it. High spots will show up when you sand through to the darker colored primer below, and you can find the low spots to fill and repair when most of the body has returned to the darker color, but light spots remain.

The use of foam sanding blocks is recommended to keep from creating low spots while sanding. Foam blocks can be trimmed to nearly any shape and conform to contours that a flat block will not. Foam sanding blocks can be found at nearly any hardware store.

All these tips take practice, so if you don't get the results you really want you can try again by either applying them to your next model, or stripping the one you are working on down and starting over. One nice thing about stripping paint, the newer it is , the easier it comes off.

Good luck, and keep building!

Wet Sanding

Any model can be improved with a little effort. Wet sanding the body takes some time, but it is one area that will improve your paint quality and make the model shine.

The trick is to sand with a good quality wet or dry paper of film. Your local hardware store will have it, and most will sell it by the sheet so that you don't have to buy a huge amount to get you started.

Get a variety of grits, from 220 all the way to 1,000 or more if you can find it. Be sure it is the black wet or dry variety as wood sand paper is water soluble and will fall apart on you.

On a new model start with 600 grit and under running water (just enough to wet the paper and wash off the residue)lightly sand the entire body. Be very careful around emblems and small raised detail you want to keep, because they will sand off.

You can hear and feel the sanding working, it will make less noise as it smooths out and the surface will be far slicker than when you started.

Rinse the model thoroughly after each sanding to remove and debris.

Spray each coat and re sand it once dry.the paint needs to be very dry or it will stick to the paper or your fingers and cause you to pull out your hair and start over.

Stick with 600 grit until you near the last few coats and then switch to finer and finer grit as you progress until the last coat you apply. The only reason to go back to courser paper is if you get a defect the finer grit will not remove.

After the last coat of paint STOP! What type of paint are you using? If it is enamel do not re sand it. If it is Lacquer paint you may want to hit it again with the finest grit you have, or, You can let it dry completely and polish it.

Any paint can be polished to shine it up, but it has to be completely dry first. We will talk more about polishing another day!

Remember, every time you sand it paint will be removed, so don't get carried away. Try to avoid over sanding high spots or you can sand right through the paint and ruin your progress. Only sand enough to smooth the paint out.

I began sanding the nomad last night,and it is ready for the first primer coat so I can begin the body work.

The camaro got some serious sanding to remove the defects in the last coat of paint, and is nearly ready for another coat.

Practice wet sanding and painting! It will be worth it.

Build updates

The camaro: I am letting the paint dry on the body before proceeding any farther. There is some bubbling near the bottom of the door on one side. The rear end is cut and the wheel wells opened up for tire clearance. The interior needs flocking, gauge decals and detail painted.

The nomad: The paint is now stripped as far as I can get it, and body work can commence. The frame needs repairing as it broke in dis-assembly, but it is ready to start anytime.

The 54 Cevy street racer: needs some interior work, flocking for carpet (maybe), body work and paint. The frame is nearly done, and the engine needs a little detail work. I also have to figure out how to install the radiator.

The Doge Challenger: is still soaking to remove the paint, and the frame and interior is still in the freezer.

I have a new article out for beginners that can be seen:here

I wasn't able to get much done last night, but I do hope for progress tonight.

The camaro

Work is progressing on the camaro slowly but surely. I managed to dig a blower set up out of the parts box and adapt it to fit the engine. A little filing one the bevels and the intake slipped right in place, and now I need to touch up the paint before I go much further with it.

The engine in front is for the camaro, the others are projects I am working on. None are finished. On the right is a 409 for the 54 Chevy, The left a Hemi for the 50 Ford pickup, and in the rear and old Hemi that is yet to be designated a home.

I added the final coat to the paint on the body, and did that ever go wrong... it is beginning to feel like this car really does not want to be painted, but I will keep at it after some more sanding. Paint jobs are like that, one will go on with no trouble and come out perfect, and the next one will fight you every step of the way.

I did manage to cut down a rear axle for the car as the old one disappeared over the years, and may very well reside on another model, or in the trash.

I dug an old T/A Challenger out of the parts boxes for another project to play with and have the body in the Purple Power to strip the paint. The interior and frame are in a zip lock baggie in the freezer to "pop" the glue and allow it to come apart. Freezing takes a few day to get the glue to pop, so have some patience and give it time.

The challenger will be an all out drag car (I think, unless I end up changing my mind...) nothing like getting a few projects going all at once, eh?

I am trying to get some of my older builds out and cleaned up, so that I can add them to my Photo Bucket. Once I get them there I'll add the link for that here on the blog.

Have a great day!

Nearly had a disaster with the camaro...

I was beginning the color coat of paint last night, when the car flipped off the box and landed in the rain wet weeds at my feet, barely missing a concrete bloc wall, and came to rest on its side on top of the weeds.

No broken parts, no major scratches, but I did have to sand it down and try again....

Here are a couple of tips if you ever find yourself in a similar situation. (First, be sure the body can't pop off and you won't find yourself needing these tips for the same reason.)

Let the model cure until tacky, then wash it in purple power. don't let it soak! Just wash it and then rinse it. The tackiness will be gone and you can wet sand to start over again. In my case it did not take alot of sanding since it landed on the weeds and had no major dents or scratches, just messed up paint.

The next tip is a general tip: Put a plastic bag on your hand while painting. Throwing out an old plastic grocery bag is much easier than trying to get paint off your skin....

The car is mocked up, so that you can see what it will look like when it is finished, more or less. The scoop and spoiler are sitting on it, and the tires and wheels are sitting under it.... If you click on the picture it should enlarge. You can see the passenger seat feel over when I moved it, nothing is glued on yet.

Comments and questions

I got a comment on an article, one I posted on here yesterday, asking for a place to get pro street tires. If anyone else has a question, feel free to leave it in the comment section here (found at the bottom of each post) and I will do my best to get back to you with an answer.

Tires and wheels can be found in several ways. One way is to buy a pro street kit and use parts from it for your current project. Not only do you get the tires and wheels you need, but you get an entire kits worth of other parts for other projects.

Another way to get what you are looking for is a hobby shop. Either online or locally if you are lucky enough to have a decent on close by. Pegasus makes a large variety of wheels and tires to choose from and there may be others as well. Ask your local or online dealer for more information as most are more than willing to help.

Keep in mind that if you are converting a factory stock vehicle to a pro street you will need to make room for those tires and wheels and may need the chassis out of your donor model kit as much as the tires and wheels, or have some serious scratch building skills. Also you may need the rear end and other components to put your project together with, so sometimes a donor kit works better than a set of aftermarket tires ands wheels. I intend to write another article on donor kits soon, and add it to the article library for reference.

I have not made much progress on the camaro yet. I will wet sand it and try to give it another coat of paint today if I can. I want to work on the engine as well and try to find an induction for it from the parts box, so hopefully I will get a picture up soon.

Have a great day, and build something!

The camaro

Well the car did finally get a color coat, but not the silver I had planned as an undercoat for the yellow top coat... The silver had gone bad and refused to co-operate! So now I am forced to experiment and see if yellow will work on copper, or if the car stays copper colored for the final coats. I will have to trial spray something else first and see what happens.

When spraying colors, the undercoat colors can radically change what the top coats turn out like. Try it out as you build by varying white, siver, and gold as an undercoat to see the difference. Even the primer colors can make a difference. Try to use lighter primers on lighter colors and darker with darker shades you choose.

Here are two more articles that I wrote on modeling. The next article to be released will be a guide for beginners to help get you started in the hobby and hopefully, to prevent some of the mistakes beginners make.

The first is on some of the things you can do with a model: found here

The second, what to do with all the spare parts you collect:

found here

Gibson Engines

If you haven't seen a Gibson engine yet, now would be a good time to Google it. The engines are extremely detailed replacement engines for models in 1/24th - 1/25th scale. These are resin replicas of the real deal in smaller scale and well worth a look. They are priced starting in the low to mid twenty dollar range. I have not had the chance to pick one up yet, but one of these days I know just where to put a few.... I thought I had better add that these are kits that you build... not pre built kits to display.

Gibson engines come in just about all formats, though Chrysler seems to be replicated the most with every engine from the slant six cylinder up to several versions of the 426 Hemi. Chevy and Ford seem to be behind in Gibson engines offerings, but there are several high performance motors offered.

I also wanted to mention Detail Master, an aftermarket supplier of detail parts to add realism to a model car beyond what most new builders can imagine. Wiring sets for ignitions, gauges and gauge faces, wire looms, carburetor linkages, radio faces, speaker grilles, and more. Google "Detail Master" and have a look!

The camaro hasn't gotten much improvement since last I posted. I did manage to work on the tail panel a bit last night and filed and sanded the hood scoop a little. The engine is dry enough now to touch without ruining the paint, so hopefully I can get some time to work on it more tonight.

Camaro

Sadly the car is not ready for paint today. It was the primer I was using as the hood cracked again with no bondo on it at all and the body had the same problem in the final primer coat. I will try and save it, but it may have to be stripped and start over... time will tell.

I painted the transmission with Testor's Model Master aluminum paint, and finished up the tail panel repair. the body was looking pretty good until the primer problem. Nothing like finding a problem several coats in all filled and wet sanded....

I detailed the wheels further with flat black and got the grille set up to dry brush some aluminum on the high points to bring out the ridges and z badge in it. Hopefully I can get some pictures to post for tomorrow.

I also put a second coat of putty (squadron putty) on the hood scoop and let it dry over night. With any luck it will be ready to go when the hood is.

When brush painting the engine, make sure your paint is thin enough to flow well and use a # 1 brush with soft bristles. It is possible to paint these type of parts without leaving brush marks with practice. A good selection of brushes from 000 to # 1 will take care of most of your needs.

I also have three more modeling articles coming out on Associated Content, as soon as they are published I will link them here on the blog.

The Camaro is nearly ready for color, needing a bit more TLC to the body and a bit more on the tail light panel.

The grille and wheels were treated to a black ink wash and will need one or more added coats to complete them. The marker lights were coated with Tamiya clear amber over the chrome for effect. The tires are sanded and still need the lettering done in white.

The hood scoop you see is a three piece from the parts box that I am thinking of adding to the car, but that is not set in stone as of yet.

Chevrolet orange was used to color the engine (Testors, Model Master) and the valve covers are sprayed flat black. The transmission will be aluminum.

Are there any photographers out there with suggestions on how to get a white background to stop showing up tan? Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated... There are two lights shining right on the model and the white glare is almost painful!

Hood problems

The camaro is going to be difficult! The hood is not cooperating and I have to change it somewhat. The cowl grille is a mess and though I nearly had it saved I am afraid I have been forced to fill it in. I think I will add a hood scoop and make it a little more racy than I intended.

It is entirely possible that a cowl grille is available from a photo etched part, but I wanted to show beginning modelers what was possible to do with an old model without spending a bazillion dollars on it. So, patch the hood up it is... A replacement hood may be available from the aftermarket suppliers as well, but again this is a project with a budget!

Another coat of body putty was added to the tail light area and the motor was cleaned up and primered. I still need to dig through the parts boxes and pick out an induction set up for the engine. I have not decided on blown, injected or carburatered yet.

I added a few more links in the modeler's resources area yesterday. Links to Revell, Tower Hobbies and to Mega hobby. Good sources of parts and supplies, if like me, you have no local hobby shop. Hobby Lobby is also a great source for items to build with as well as kits.

The pictures I promised

Do you think I lowered it enough? It actually does not touch, but there really isn't much room under there....

A bad picture, but you get the idea. The model is only mocked up (you can see the masking tape holding the front end on.

The putty on the tail light area is thwe beginning of the rebuild. when the tail light panel came out, so did that area... The wheels are not an exact match front to back, but I think they will work. You can also see the cut down tail light panel, I may cut them completely away and glue them in.

Some of the engine parts after stripping overnight.

Also the sterring wheel and fan shroud. The really clean parts were chromed. I haven't decided yet if I will leave this a single four barrel or change it up to something better.

A Perfect Day to Paint!

It is warm outside, T-shirt weather and little humidity, a rarity in Florida. A perfect day to paint!

Last night I tried to get the camaro ready to shoot some color on it, but it wasn't meant to be. The tail light panel had broken and had to be repaired, and there is still some body work to finish.

I did manage to get the glue bomb engine apart and soaking in Purple Power to remove the paint and some of the chrome that was beyond repair. I also re-soaked the hood, the primer and putty had to be removed as something had reacted and the putty was cracked and ruined. I thought it was the cold, but I think it may have been the new putty I tried to use. I will experiment with it a bit before I say what kind and warn someone not to use a perfectly good product.

I will get some pictures of the progress up soon and post them today as soon as I can.

I also picked out the tires and wheels for the car and will show them along with some progress shots and pictures of the 54 Chevy to compare with how it used to look before I lowered it.

As you can see I managed to get a coat of paint on the interior and chassis. A large improvement over the old gold and black interior and black and grey of the chassis.

The other picture shows the glue bombs and over sprayed engine, grille and head/turn lights, and the tail light panel that need a ton of work to be usable.

The engine also had thread for spark plug wires and one side of the headers is missing. I have to take the engine apart and clean it up to start rebuilding it, but at least I have some progress to show.

I will probably put the 54 together enough to show the difference in stance sometime today for tomorrow's post, as well as, pictures of any further progress on the Camaro.

I've added a reference section of links on the left hand side, and will keep adding to that as I get time. There will be links to magazines and forums, like Scale auto, and links to manufacturers site's like Revel and AMT and links to aftermarket parts to.

New Releases in kits

I thought I would share a couple of pictures of a related though not by plastic hobby for a friend of mine. Cindy, these are for you.

I wanted to talk about some of the new model kits coming out this year. Revel has quite a few I want to get my hands on, including the 2009 Dodge Challenger.

The Scale Auto Magazine web site's forum has several people building comparative models of both camaros the old style (1969) and the new style to be introduced next year (2010). Several members have also expressed their intents to do the same with the Challengers, including me.

Not only is the 2009 Challenger due out in plastic a new 1970 is coming as well. This simplifies this building challenge considerably, but there may be a few issues with the new 70 Challenger when it comes out. Rumor has it it is molded from a die cast mold and may not be accurate.

I guess I will have to wait and see.

Among the new releases for this year are:

2009 Dodge Challenger

1970 Dodge Challenger

1970 Mach 1 Mustang

1957 Chevy- Black Widow

1967 "Bullet" Mustang fastback

and many more.

But those are on my "wish" list for now. All of the new releases can be seen on the web sites of the various manufacturers. I am still figuring out this blog site and when I find out how to put up a static page I will start listing sites on it so people can find them without searching the entire blog for them.

It was still very cold last night, so I didn't get the chance to finish priming or start painting anything. Therefore no progress to show on the camaro today. It is supposed to warm up today though so with a little luck I may be able to make some headway.

Too Cold to Paint

I tried to spray some primer last night on the interior and frame of the camaro. It was too cold to lay down a decent primer job and I had to stop. It got down into the 20's here in Florida last night.

The interior bucket, the bucket seats, and the chasis now have an incomplete coat of primer and will have to stay that way until the temperature raises a bit here. Ideally it should be in the high 50's to produce decent results and even the mid 60's wouldn't hurt.

It looks like I will be working on the motor and final sanding the body for now. I still have to pick a tire and wheel combination for the camaro and build up a rear end as well, so I can keep going.

I hope to add links to manufacterers of aftermarket parts or at least a list for future reference. That way anyone looking to find parts need only check the listings to find what they need.

I am going to link to articles I have written as well. Anyone needing that information can quickly find and access it from here as well.

An article on the basic tools needed: Can be found here

Common mistakes builders make when starting out: Can be found here

Advanced techniques for painting with spray cans: can be found here

More articles will be added over time as I write them and get them published.

The camaro

I had to strip several layers of paint off the poor model before I could even consider rebuilding it. I tried soaking it in Easy Off oven cleaner, which works to a point. Then I tried soaking it in Purple power cleaner (available at auto parts stores.) and finally had to sand off the rest.

I am told brake fluid will also work, but would recommend caution in using it, eye protection and hand protection are a necessity. Also check it on a small piece to see if it affects the plastic you are using.

Having body puttied and primed this car four times now I am finding it still needs more and the putty on the hood cracked and will need redone.

This model was given to me a long time ago and has obviously been rebuilt and repainted many times before I received it. That was the challenge, taking a paint and glue bomb and turning it into a decent model.

I spent my time last night cleaning up the interior, the frame and the seats. Scraping paint from areas that sand paper will not go into without a fight. I want to re do the interior in a cream or tan color, so I need to remove all of the old black and gold.

I froze the model for several days to "pop" the glue holding it together. There was plenty glue to pop and it was the only way I was going to get the spoiler off of the tail of the car without breaking it. The trick is to get the car apart and not have to fix a lot of broken parts or replace them.

As you can see, this is the mock up photo, but it does show the firewall has been enclosed and that the tilt is functional. One future project on this one is to add hydraulic rams to the hood. I'll try a new mock up tomorrow so you can see the new lowered height.

the beginning

This blog is dedicated to the plastic modeling hobby.

More specifically scale models of automotive products with an occasional armor model and maybe even a plane or two.

What I hope to accomplish here, is to create a place where a beginning modeler can go to get some advice on building a model and even find more advanced techniques on detailing and painting a scale car or truck.

I intend to write a daily journal, keeping track of what I have done to each project, and add photos as necessary.

I would very much like to create a library of sorts, where a beginning modeler can go to find answers for their current problems.

That being said, I have two or three projects in various stages as I take on this venture. A 1954 Chevy that has a tilt front end added to it that has been channeled and lowered substantially. It was originally a highboy and had quite a bit of extra ground clearance that I wanted to cut out.

The first picture that I post on it, is a work in progress (W.I.P.) and the engine, and the tires and wheels are only sitting in place. This picture is also before the front end is lowered and more body work has started.

The next pictures of it will be in progress as I build.

I am also working on a Camaro, a basket case that was built by a friend 30 years ago or more. It had many different coats of paint and a ton of glue on it, all of which had to come off to begin the build.

I'll get the pictures up soon (hopefully tonight) as there was a glitch on the first one.


Tom