Содержание выпуска: April 2019 — Scale Auto

To finish first, first you have to finish. That’s what they say at the racetrack and it’s true if you want to create a winning model car—a fantastic finish is key. We go all in on painting how-tos this issue, our 250th. Plus we’ve added 8 pages to help us help you brush up on your finishing skills. I’m not gonna go bonkers over marking the milestone of 250 issues, because we’re marking another anniversary next issue. But I’m proud to say we’ve got a lot for you to make this issue special. To me, painting is step one to creating a great model car. A good finish, an eye-catcher, one that’s smooth and even, well, that covers a lot of sins according to the practical philosophers among us. So…

What’s on your workbench? Every so often we like to ask our readers on Facebook what project they’re currently deep into or what model they recently finished. Here’s our latest roster. • A custom, wide-body second generation Chevrolet Camaro. -Jesse Walker • I painted my custom 1/12 scale gasser 1957 Chevy Bel Air 210. -Paul Casarez • MPC’s 1984 GMC Pickup “Deserter” kit finished for a cancer awareness group-build on YouTube. -Jeff Ciancanelli • JoHan’s 1964 Cadillac DeVille Convertible, a restoration from a glue bomb, and a 1971 Mercury Cyclone stock car with fictitious livery since original decals fell apart. -Gary Knight • It’s not finished yet, but I laid down a Spies Hecker Clear Coat on my Tamiya Nissan Skyline 2 Door Coupe GTS kit. - Ryan Keyser •…

Fixing warped bodies and large holes In the June 2018 issue, Gerry Chevalier shared his method for filling pinholes in resin bodies. This issue, he takes it one step further by showing us how to straighten warped plastic bodies and fill even larger holes: 1 “My preferred method for unwarping bodies is to drill holes through the body and screw it squarely to a piece of scrap wood. Medium-density fiberboard works well as it’s dimensionally stable. Once the body is screwed to the wood, put it in a dehydrator for a few hours checking to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. Next, take it out and put it straight into a freezer. The heat from the dehydrator initially relaxes the plastic and then the cold thermal shock sets the…

Arguably a paramount goal for many model car builders is to 100% accurately mirror the 1/1 subject matter’s exact year, make, and model. When it comes to traditional, readily available hobby paints, few exact matches exist. Some builders may find answers that are close, but not close enough. Builders that fancy an airbrush have been known to visit a local automotive paint retailer and come home with a quantity of a particular, exact-match color. Enough to paint an enormous number of models sure, but a satisfaction knowing they’ve finally attained the exact color. Thankfully our hobby’s aftermarket has a number of small businesses churning out exact-match colors. Companies like MCW, Zero Paints, Scalefinishes, Gravity Colors, and newcomer Splash Paints all offer various colors based upon particular genres of cars frequently…

“Yosemite” Sam Radoff is the dictionary definition and stereotype of a gritty “old-school Detroit” car enthusiast. He’s weathered with the odors of race gas, tire smoke, and the fumes from can after can of automotive paint. “I was a little man and then I blew up like an air balloon,” Sam began to tell me, when I questioned the “Yosemite” moniker I spotted on his business card he’d mailed to our office. “I didn’t have the beard when I started pinstriping, but after I got out of the Army and was riding around on my motorcycle, some of the guys stuck Yosemite on the front of Sam. Some people call me worse than that,” he said, with a laugh so grand it shook the receiver. MODELING IN THE MOTOR CITY…

One of my favorite motorsports genres is sports car racing from the 1960s, a time with such a wide variety of cars and engine sizes. It was a fertile playground for upcoming drivers to hone their skills. An often-overlooked model that fits this category is Monogram’s 1/24 scale Scarab racer (No. PC124-150) which can be built as a slot car or a static display model. Here I’ll show you how, with a tad of extra work, to create a fine replica of A.J. Foyt’s Mecum Scarab that raced under the checkered flags in 1964. Monogram’s overall body shape is pretty accurate, but adding fender flares and three air scoops will better replicate the Mecum car. Start by adding a pair of arch-shaped openings at the rear deck’s back edge, in…

1964 was a landmark year in the American car market, when GM’s Pontiac division debuted the GTO, a midsize A-body powered by a mighty 389 V8. Oldsmobile followed the same formula, cramming the police-duty 330 V8 (plus a host of other heavy-duty components) into its midsize A-bodies, the F-85 and Cutlass. While not an immediate success, the 4-4-2 (4-barrel carburetor, 4-speed manual transmission, dual exhaust) would eventually take its place among muscle car royalty. This Model Car World resin transkit is based off the original dealer promo and kit released by AMT. Considering how rare and expensive those are on today’s secondary market, this resin version can be had for a fraction of the cost. It consists of 24 cast-resinpieces, plus vacuum-formed front and rear windows. There are two wheel…

The “Tiger Shark’s” roots are in the Car Craft “Dream Rod” built by Bill Cushenberry. Based on a 1952 Jowett Jupiter chassis with a VW’s front suspension and powered by a Ford V8, its body was an eclectic mix of other cars’ body panels and joined the show circuit in 1966. When made into the “Tiger Shark,” its rear was modified, and a hood scoop and new front fenders were added along with unique paint. MPC modified AMT’s “Dream Rod” kit and released this model with 100 pieces, some of which were for a rubber band-powered display turntable. Four, beautiful pad-printed Firestone goldstripe hollow vinyl tires, two sets of windows, a sprue of chrome, and a clear red taillight are found in the box. Some parts have moderate flash, but…

DC CRIBS - EASY ACCESS MODULAR STORAGE SYSTEM Hey, we all have a lot of stuff in our workshops, and those of us who also collect 1/64 scale die-cast cars could fill boxes with these babies. Well, now there’s a storage system to help us keep our DC cars organized, while also saving space. Consider a Diecast Crib, a sturdy plastic drawer system with 26-point paperboard dividers that keeps cars from clacking together and damaging themselves. The system has two drawers, each holding 21 cars, so 42 total. Plus the system is built to stack, so you can connect them and neatly stack them next to a desk, in a corner or wherever you have space. They measure 12 3/8 in. wide by 12 3/16 in. deep and 5 13/16…

MOST OF US KNOW the basics of removing mold lines and dealing with run-of-the-mill production issues that should be addressed before painting, but there are prep techniques that provide both better results and ease in detail painting after the main finishing work is done. Techniques that are more a matter of process and forethought than anything else. I’ll use a pair of AMT 2010 Chevrolet Camaro kits to illustrate the noticeable difference between a standard cleanup with a bit of extra fine-tuning compared to just a plain, no-frills initial cleanup. It won’t cost you anything in the long run and might even save time, if not materials. No matter the kit manufacturer, any car can benefit from these tricks. Much of what will be done, in addition to the typical…

For most modelers the airbrush is an essential and much-needed tool. Once you master using one, you’ll learn that there really isn’t any paint that can’t be thinned and shot through it. Everything from primers and base coats, to clear coats and floor wax; all can be sprayed to enhance your build’s finish. But there’s one other option worth taking a closer look at − nail polish. 1 To make things more interesting, I’ll build the available custom version of this T-Bird kit which includes really cool decals that will enhance the body’s future color. 2 I blended two purple nail polishes for this job: Wet n Wild’s Buffy the Violet Slayer and Sally Hansen’s Rock Bottom. I was hoping one bottle of each would be sufficient, but if I…

Built for the show’s “Surf’s Up” theme, John Stancliff’s 1930 Ford Coupe features a chopped and channeled body, Z’d frame, and the all-important roof rack carrying a Ron Jon surfboard. This Hemi-powered, ground-scraping Ford was finished with a distressed Apple Barrel Lime Green paint. Entered in the show’s second theme, “The 1970s,” Robert Sienko’s replica of Bobby Allison’s No. 2 AMC Matador was built almost completely out-of-the-box with the addition parts box wheels and tires. A Rustoleum dark red and white lacquer paint tops it off. Joshua Taylor’s 2000 Honda Civic Si was built as a tuner on a budget, sporting a reverse-hinged hood and modified exhaust. He used Tamiya weathering powders and Rave hair spray to achieve the look of this batterd everyday driver. David Irwin created this unique…

On a Wednesday in October of 1978 a two-hour movie called The Foundlings aired on NBC stations across the country. Following on the success of a number of trucking-based movies and shows at the peak of the CB radio fad, this film followed the adventures of a long-haul independent trucker. Four months later, B.J. and the Bear aired as a regular network series. Its backstory was pure Hollywood; Billie Joe McKay was a captain in the U.S. Army serving as a helicopter pilot shot down over the DMZ in Vietnam. Upon capture, he served time at the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” POW camp. Captain McKay befriended a chimp, which brought him food, water, and supposedly helped him escape. After a successful escape, McKay adopted the chimp and named him Bear after…

Peterbilt’s 352 Pacemaker Cabover tractor equipped with a Fruehauf 53-foot box trailer was a common sight on American roads starting in late 1969. It went out of production in December 1980. This kit is a pre-1975 model as newer cabs had door handles located at the lower corners of the doors. Upon opening the two boxes for the tractor and trailer (sold separately), you’re almost overwhelmed by more than 200 parts for the tractor alone. The decal sheet is massive, with various Coca-Cola logos, DOT markings, and multiple state license plates. Despite the tooling’s age, I was surprised to find the tractor’s parts free of heavy mold lines. However, I was disappointed the sprue numbers didn’t always match the instructions’ parts numbers. Building the tractor takes 12 steps on a…

If you’re a Mustang nut, and let’s face it, there are lot out there, you’ll likely know the story of the 1963 Mustang II concept car. If not, hang on and just know that Automodello is producing two versions of the rare one-off concept car used to hype the production car that debuted in April of 1964 at New York’s Worlds Fair. Automodello offers 1/24 scale diecast resin models in the original white with a blue stripes, and a highly limited Tribute Edition, in red. After the two-seat mid-engine Mustang I’s debut in 1962, Ford’s brain trust decided it needed a concept car closer to what was to be launched in 1964 on its Falcon platform. So Ford designer John Najjar went to work and then had Dearborn Steel Tubing…

Over the 60-year history of 1/25 scale modern model car kits, AMT’s tooling bank has generated countless reissues. Still, there are AMT kits that appeared once, or at most twice, and then seem to have disappeared entirely. For the next year, Classic Kits will revisit several of these kits, starting with AMT’s Volkswagen Rabbit. In 1977 AMT was looking for new kit topics. The lack of exciting 1/1 scale cars from domestic carmakers was a major factor in both AMT’s concurrent decision to discontinue its “annual kit” product line that served as the anchor of its catalog for more than two decades. Meanwhile, VW was soon to introduce and domestically produce a version of its revolutionary Golf subcompact sedan range. This was huge news in the U.S., and AMT decided…

NEAR, OR NEAR THE TOP of things you can do to improve your kit building efforts is achieving smooth, glossy paint jobs. Even the best modelers sometimes struggle with this defining step of a build. If you are already getting great results from your painting operations, kudos to you. Keep it up! For the rest of us, the idea here is to cover the basic steps to getting a beautiful, scale appropriate finish on your models. Further, we’ll focus on finish paint operations that avoid the use of automotive two-part urethane-based clears, which present a number of risks to the hobbyist (See “A Word of Caution,” p.20). PREPARATION & PAINTING Preparation focuses on achieving the smoothest possible paint surface before applying your finish (See Mark Jones’ story, p. 12). The…

Today’s modelers have excellent choices of hobby-based clear coat paints that will enable a super-glossy result without unrealistic buildup or obscuring of finely engraved body details. Here are my top choices, their relative pluses and minuses I’ve encountered, and hints that will help you successfully use them. Your experience may vary, so I recommend trying all the options before picking a favorite. A Testors Wet Look/Extreme Wet Look Clear Lacquer + PLUSES Relatively forgiving to painting application errors; appears to be the most popular choice among advanced modelers who do not use two-part clears. - MINUSES Shrinks as it dries, leaving fine orange-peeling; takes a long time to reach final stage of being 100% hardened; many of my Testors lacquer cans have developed leaky bottoms after several years on the…

My father introduced me to the hobby at age four by way of a vintage AMT 1940 Ford Sedan Gasser he had just finished. I was hooked and my desire for this hobby has yet to fade. Years later, my brother and I stumbled across a magazine revealing the secrets of using tinfoil on model cars to simulate sheet metal damage. While the text was faint, the black and white pictures were vivid. Making use of tinfoil has been a technique popular with artists and modelers since the 1960s but it has never quite caught on like it should. Here’s a new how-to guide for your next dent session at the workbench. 1 Begin by removing the doors and front fenders. I’ve highlighted in pencil where I’ll cut with the…

The new Ford GT is a welcome addition from Tamiya and will tastefully compliment just about anyone’s collection of supercar models. While technically a curbside, its 647-horsepower, turbocharged 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 mid-mounted engine is visible through the rear window. Inside, the interior is appointed with more detail than can be seen once behind a curtain of windows. Underneath, the chassis detail consists of a fully rendered underpan and well-fitting suspension components that again are more detailed than need be once built up. The brakes also are on par with the level of detail throughout the kit. Molded in white, silver, black, clear, and chrome; there are 134 pieces plus a nice set of soft directional tires that show fine tread detail, but blank sidewalls. Mylar transfers for the mirror faces,…

Ford’s Fairlane hit the streets in 1962 and was sold until 1970. Modeled here is the fifth-generation ’66 Fairlane, with a new body style meant to keep up with sleeker rivals like Pontiac’s GTO and the Dodge Coronet. While the Fairlane was classified as a mid-size car, it came with the horsepower of a 390 cid big-block engine and could be ordered as a manual transmission “GT” model or an automatic “GTA.” They raced both at the dragstrip and around oval tracks. Round2’s kitted AMT Ford Fairlane sports retro box art and more than 100 pieces with options for manual and automatic transmission builds. There are plenty of exterior and interior colors, but I searched online for an example that looked more period-correct yet still had the appearance of a…

The 1965 Beswick Comet A/FX is Model King’s latest release in conjunction with Moebius. Molded in gray, that’s almost where the similarities with the original Moebius Comet Cyclone release end. This kit is a dedicated drag racer with a detailed 427 cid V8 and two 4-barrel carbs. It teams with a manual transmission and you can choose between two racing air cleaners or Ford’s oval one. Sadly, the valve covers do not include a Ford logo. When adding the “snake” headers, lay them around the motor mounts, install the engine first, then glue them on. Make sure the tubes go to the outside of the oil filter. Rear of the headers, there’s no apparent exhaust system. The firewall, radiator support, and inner fenders are separate, but have alignment slots to…

As the 1960s ended famed model car historian and enthusiast Dennis Doty decided that he needed to set a new standard of model car construction by designing and building a 1/8 scale, mid-engine Jaguar XKE with full, custom body work. At about the same time Jim Keeler was presenting his articles on how to build the Dodge Fever II in the pages of Car Model magazine, Dennis wrote a three-piece series accompanied with 209 pictures in the March through May 1969 issues of Model Car Science. His exhaustively detailed articles taught readers how to scratchbuild a brass frame featuring a full operating suspension, how to locate a Chevy small block complete with a transaxle setup behind the set-back passenger compartment, how to wire working headlights and taillights to realistic switches,…

When I was growing up, my parents would take me to get my hair cut at a real, old-fashioned barbershop; not one of those chains that now reside in every single strip mall of suburban Midwest America. While you waited, you sat in well-worn, overstuffed maroon leather chairs reading car magazines or you watched an afternoon baseball game on a small television. If you looked around at the walls, you’d be treated to an impressive collection of mounted fish, along with a State of Ohio business license and a single, slightly rumpled dollar bill attached with a solitary piece of yellowed Scotch tape. It even had a real candy-stripe barber pole out front, rotating red and blue stripes in a glass tube capped off with polished ends. Naturally, it was…