mustang1989

LOL!! I think I read that a few years back as well. Hey....if it works ....it works.

Thanks fellas!! Sorry for the lack of response and lack of participation around here. I've actually finished this one and will post up photos pretty soon.

No problem Bob. I've seen that '57 Chevy kit and you're right , it is a monster.

The pastel does the trick on two levels. 1.) It gives it just a tad bit more realistic black shade and 2.) gives the tire a true rubber look. The MM Flat Clear cut with ISO gives it a really flat appearance but you really have to watch not getting it on there thick. Just enough to where you can see the clear go on and dry almost immediately. I use a reflection off of a light source to literally watch it go on the tire.

Thanks Bob! I just applied the decals onto the shiny surface of the tire sidewall, then shot a super light coat (you've GOT to make sure it's VERY thin) of MM acrylic flat clear coat cut with ISO alcohol over the sidewalls to dull the sidewalls out some and blend the decal into the tire causing the clear film of the decal to disappear. After that I dry brushed some ground up black pastel onto the sidewalls of the tire and decals to further flatten everything out as well as add that dingy black coat over the lettering.

A 1/12 scale Vette is a pretty dang big model and there are certainly alot of AM accessories available for the larger scales. Actually there are decals for tire lettering available. You can check out my Maverick and General Lee Charger builds here and both of those have decals for lettering. If I'm not mistaken I get those from Slixx.

Hey Mark. If you're talking about the raised grainy texture, that was molded into the manifold. The cast iron "look" was achieved by black basing the manifolds and then spraying a very light coat of aluminum Alclad over the black. Just enough to where there is light coverage. Too much and it won't come out right and it'll look "toy like".

Thanks Rusty. It took me a while to get my method down. Thanks Carlos!!!

Glad to hear that you took the challenge of improvement. It was that way for me in 2014 when I turned out my first auto build in decades. I wanted to master the gloss finish and by pure dumb luck I did it on the first try. No wet sanding, no polishing....nuthin'. It would be three more years of chasing that finish that I would be able to duplicate it again however. I found out that wet sanding in addition to polishing is what achieves consistent results. If you need any help along the way I'll be more than happy to assist.

Thanks Dave and Mark!! I appreciate the comments fellas. Mark: Yes sir-both were made from scratch. The wires were made from wire from Lex's Scale Modeling. I cut small diameter wire and used the insulation as the spark plug wire boots. Brake lines were formed and made from solder. The engine:

High speed/ low drag!!! Mark you just blow me away at how quick you build and how well they all turn out. Awesome models buddy!!

That right there.......is a work of art brutha. Wow!!! Very nicely done!!!

These trucks have always been an interest of mine as they were a sleek looking truck with an out with an "in your face" and bold appearance. Although not fast by any means with 230 horsepower, they were aggressive looking, were among the fastest O.E.M. trucks out there at the time and they set the stage for the muscle trucks that followed in the years to come. It took me around 5 months to complete this one with most of the challenges being paint and the ending assembly of installing the body onto the frame. With a few pitfalls to work around it was a good kit to work with overall.

Thanks Dave!! I really appreciate the great comments.

That paint turned out pretty dang good Mark!! You can tell that you really put alot of work into that!! On your next one if you wanna bring the shine up just a tad more you can wet sand it using 4000 then 6000 then 8000 and lastly 12000 grit fine finishing sandpaper. This process will get rid of any remaining traces of orange peel or surface irregularities in the paint. Be sure to cut the sanding paper into 1" squares and apply light pressure paying attention not to spend a whole lot of time to the corners, raised surfaces or details. Spending too much time sanding these areas will result in burning through the paint. After that wash it under cold water with a mild soap and after drying polish the whole body with Novus 2 plastic polish. Bring plenty of patience to the table and you'll be amazed at the outcome. Clear coats help immensely with a shine but we'll get to that later.

Thanks Mark. This build literally tested just about every skill I had as a modeler.

Thanks Mark. I built the 1/25 scale MPC version myself as a kid. This one here is the Revell 1/25 scale Pro Modeler Charger kit using the decals from an MPC General Lee offering. I was going to build the MPC version till I looked closer at the kit. It just simply no comparison to the Revell kit. Light years ahead of the MPC in terms of detail, fit.....hell everything.

When I started this build I had no intention of building the General Lee as everyone knows it. I am a Charger fan long before I am a "Dukes" fan but still like the look of the General Lee so I hope I don't hurt any GL purists out there looking on. I built one as a kid and have always wanted to have a second shot at it. Only this time I got to add my own touches to it. I started with the stance. I didn't like the high stance of the Lee at all so I set out lowering a bit all the way around. I also went with wider wheels from the AMT Eckler Corvette kit and used a set of tires(which I turned into Bf G's by way of decals ) from the Revell Challenger T/A kit so I could have a more aggressive look. Secondly, if I had one of these it only makes sense to have opening doors....hence the door handles. Third, I love the looks of the 69 Charger R/T grille.....a true testament to the aggressive looking front ends of the time so I opted to show the R/T grille unobstructed by not installing the grille guard up front. Just couldn't do it guys. Lastly, the GL is NOT an R/T which I simply could not have. If I'm going to build a Charger then it's gonna be an R/T and it's gonna have a 440 and not a 383. You're also not going to find a roll bar or CB radio inside. I love the looks of a factory interior in any car and have always liked the Charger interiors in particular so I couldn't "spoil" any of that. The kit is from Revell. Paint is Testors "Go-Mango" lacquer with Testors "Wet Look" clear. Decals are from the MPC GL kit which was really the only visible part that I took from that kit. The front and rear license plate decals came from Thomas Logan at Speedway Decals. The OOB exhaust tips sucked so I replaced them with aluminum rod cut to length as well as bevel cut and polished. All scripts and details are from the Model Car Garage PE set for the Revell kit.

You're doin' alright Mark so don't worry about what people are thinkin'. You're sharing and while doing so you're gonna get better at this. Negative self talk will turn into a negative self perceived outcome every time. Just do what you're doing, ask questions, watch others and learn. You WILL get better with every passing build. That truck looks great man.

Exceptional build in every way Carlos!! Your efforts are to be commended.

Hell yeah it is. Each update just keeps getting better and better.

Dude.....that is looking SHARP now!!!

Thanks Dave and Carlos!! 'Preciate the very kind words fellas.

I can certainly understand and appreciate that Carlos. I needed a few quick builds last year to restore my damn sanity while building on the Maverick. Man that thing like to have killed me. lolol

I'm really liking this kit from what I see of your build. I built the Hasegawa version a few years back and that kit wasn't near this one in terms of details. Progress is stellar so far.