Completed works for 2009
Last 2 years have been nothing but NASCAR builds. I still have a huge stash to build, but I need to get some other types of race cars complete. I have a DTM in the works as well as my bike. We'll see what 2009 brings...

1998 Bobby Labonte No Bull Grand Prix
I bought some Interstate green from the local auto parts place. Hopefully it turns out to be a really bright green! It looks like it.
So far I have the nose filled in and smoothed out. I want to get the side windows trimmed and flat on the bottom like the Daytona car was. It will certainly be in the weeds too!! Daytona 98! They were all in the weeds!!
I'll be adding a chrome foil 18 to the lid too.

Base coat and the first "level" of decals are complete. The black is all decal trim film. I had some laying there, so I used it. I actually had it masked for paint already so the film was easy to cut out too. Now I need to clear, then add the rest of the decals. The foil 18 on top should be fun. :)
Funny thing is... As I post this, I'm looking at the pic and noticed that I put a neon spoiler on it. DOH!! I'll have to pull that off somehow.

Final decals applied, skirts painted, polished, PE hood pins on, and in the bag. First completion of 2009 (though I think I worked on it about 98% in 2008). I've never seen this one built before. I like the look of the foil 18 on top. The $ on the window is killer too.

Jeff Gordon 2000 Dupont Monte Carlo
I received the correct Dupont paint for this car from a friend, so I had to move it up on the build list. I would hate to have that paint "spoil" or something. I have replaced the spoiler and pulled out the nose. (I know this is a 2000 Monte, I had to pull the nose out!)

Worked the nose a little. I had to pull it out. I put the spoiler on it too. I reworked the front edge of the hood pretty good. I added some .020 strip to the right side and right headlight, then .010 across the front and on the left headlight area. That seals those edges in tight!
Still a couple pin holes, and I'll be ready for primer and paint!

Painted with Dupont Chromalusion paint that was used on the real car supplied by the guy who owns the hood from the real car! :) Cleared with Tamiya, then wetsanded and polished. It looked pretty nice until I covered it in decals!

Done with this one last night. I have decided to build more curb side, less "detail you won't see" type of builds if I want to build my collection AND buy more kits to build. I simply can't keep building at a rate of a few kits per year and have my stash dwindle... It gets bigger every month.
Anyway... This is a curb sider (no engine, no underside detail, not even much paint...).

1974 Bobby Allison AMC Matador
Started in on this one after having so much fun on the Cyclone and waiting for my NEW Montego from MCW. :)

So far, I've cleaned up the body a good bit. I have the front wheel wells hogged out, door handles removed, wheel trim removed, opera window smoothed out, and the TV panel smoothed out.
I chose to go with the Monogram chassis on this one. It should have come in the kit. It fits almost perfect. The white bars are ones I added with .80 tubing. I also took about 1/4" off the back and tapered the sides a little. I rebuilt some of the details I removed with strip styrene.
I also gave a makeover to the grill. I took out the kit headlight covers and put in some sheet styrene. Then I used sheet styrene to fill in the "gills" around each headlight with a nice smooth look.
The wheels are from a Model King Chevelle that I narrowed by about 1/8". The tires are Monogram. I added a strip of .125X.020 to the outer edge of the wheel to give it a little larger diameter. Then I will add a .125x.010 strip to the inside of the tire to give it a smaller diameter. After that, they match up very well. With a little detail painting, no one will ever know how much work it was! :)

I was able to finish the grill up to where I wanted it. I put new headlight covers on. I think these are a little more realistic.
I also airbrushed the rims MM gloss black, then Alclad chrome. They look great mated up to the Monogram tires that I cleaned up then shot with Tamiya AS-20 Insignia White through my stencil. Overall, I think they look pretty good. I'll add some details to get them looking a little better.
A little more done on the chassis. Some bars are not glued because I'll pull it apart for painting, then it gets glued when the pieces are painted.

Not much more done. It has been too cold to do anything here lately. I finally have the body in primer. I'm ready for a quick wet sand, then Tamiya white!

Little more done... Colors are on! I need to gloss it and polish, then on to decals.
I air brushed the dash black. I reworked the grill a little. Got the right side filled in a little more and put some mesh on the grill. I also put a little black staining on the exhaust just for kicks...

Decals on. Happy time. Now it's time to get that chassis finished and get this build wrapped up.

Here is a little trick I thought I'd try that turned out pretty well. I took out a 1/8th" strip of rubber out of the center of the tire to narrow them down. The Revell tires were too big - inside and outside diameter - so I had to rely on the AMT Blue Streaks. They were WAY too wide, but the rims fit perfect. I thought if I could norrow them slightly, I'd be good to go.
I just took an Exacto with a new blade, ran around the mold line, then used a piece of tape for the gap and ran around it again. Ended up with a tire that will look good diamter-wise and will fit great width-wise.

This is one I've wanted to build for a long time. I got the decals cheap, I got the kit cheap, I had all the paint, and I got the rims for free from a buddy. All in all, this build cost me probably around $20. That makes me happy. :)
I added window shrouds and strapping to the rear window. I cut the "glass" from acetate. Fuel filler is made from stainless steel and aluminum tubing. I must have gotten a little carried away with pressure putting that in. It cracked the fuel filler area a little. I touched it up with some Tamiya bright red, but you can still see it a little...

Valentino Rossi's 2000 Honda - Nastro Azzurro
My first bike. So far I have most of the parts primed, exhaust painted titanium, and the mud guard covered in carbon fiber.

Wow. Long time, no updates. I was able to get some model time in the recent weeks. I painted the chain, gave it a light wash, and assembled the swing arm. I also detail painted the brakes and added tehm to the rims. The fronts are not permanent yet.
I also have the fairings ready for paint. It's supposed to get to 58°F today, so we'll see what I can get done!

Little bit more done on the Rossi bike. I was able to get some paint on it, and basic decals on it. Next, I'll be clear coating, then finish up with the rest of the decals.
The decal that wraps around the tail section was a complete PITA. I still have a few wrinkles in it. I just couldn't get that to smooth out at all... Hopefully the seat will cover some of it.
I'll also be painting the inside of everything. I haven't decided what method to use, but I was thinking of matt black, then a little thinned gunmetal, then smoke, then maybe dull it down with some flat, or semi gloss... We'll see.

Decals are done. I'm holding out a couple days to let them dry 100%, then I'll clear them. I'm thinking I'll try to paint the insides of the cowlings black with a little bit of smoke for depth, then maybe some semi gloss to tone it down a bit. I'm not sure.
Engine is about 50% assembled. I need to add some details and it should be wrapped up shortly.
The exhaust was something totally new to me. I just painted everything titanium, then used the AB on the weld lines, followed by some chrome paint using a fine brush. It's not perfect, but I guess real welds aren't either! :) I should have removed more of the mold lines too... That sucks.

Good news/Bad news. Good news is the chassis is shaping up. Bad news is the decals wrinkled like MAD when I cleared them with Tamiya. I'm not sure if I want to get another set or go with something else. I checked for aftermarket decals, and there aren't a lot since I have so much done like wheels gunmetal, etc...
I used the hit kevlar for the pipes, but I'm going to redo them with some better stuff. The forks are next on the to do list.

I have stripped the panels and have them all REprimed. I have the front forks almost done. I had to mock it up. It was just looking too cool! Throw a little yellow on that fender and it will start looking a little racey!! I'm stoked!
The handles and the mufflers are just sitting there. I still have to add some gold BMF to the forks. That should be in tomorrow, so that'll be finished up soon. I can see the light at the end of the tunnell on this one...

Hopefully the last update before I finish this BEEE-OTCH!!
I have *another* set of decals coming from Tamiya USA. the second set that I got from Joel on AF cracked all over. I didn't do anything different than normal. I think it was the condition of the decals. Oh well.
I have the front fender on now and all the wires, I think. All I have left to do is get those panels decaled and cleared, then slap them in place. I did use Alclad on the exhaust tips. That stuff is sick!!

** On hold for now. Decals are a horrible nightmare. ** :(

New plan... All black with test graphics. Great looking bike and not thin, cracking, Tamiya decals. I'm such a nancy!! :)

I'm a glutton for punishment. :)
After uncovering a better shot of the test bike, I find that it was actually carbon fiber, not painted flat black. I thought I'd give it a go. I used Microscale TF34 CF trim film. It went on beautifully for the most part. Reacts very well to Microsol (imagine that!) and hugs all the curves just right.
I tried to change up the pattern and give it some character, but you have to have the parts in your hand to see any of the pattern. I will admit, I'm a little disappointed with the "brown" tone of the Tamiya smoke. I thought it would be more black. Oh well.

Cowlings almost completed. 4 coats of smoke, Dexter graphics, and some PE fasteners to come yet. Wheels and tank are getting a final coat of clear. Then I'll put on the final decals, and hook everything up.
Pipes are close too. They should be done tonight or tomorrow night. They just need some BMF and some PE rivets.

Burned some Midnight Oil for this one. Just in time for my trip to Atlanta. :)

Opel Astra DTM
I'm going to start on this one next. It will be a relief from the NASCARs I've been pumping out for the last year (well, and that bike that went wrong). :)

I was able to get the body in primer and some parts painted Duplicolor gloss black. They will be getting a boat load of CF.
I painted a few parts with MM gloss black enamel with the airbrush. Then I gave them a coat of Alclad chrome. I think it looks good right now. I'll need to get a little staining on that exhaust. The wheels have the color coat. I need to detail the nuts and maybe give them a little pencil lead wash.

Sweet. Body is painted and cleared. A little wetsand and polish, then I'm planning on adding some CF here and there for some detail.

LOTS of CF going on... Wow. That is the first time I've ever tried to cover a car in CF. It has taken 2 weeks (on and off, of course) to get this far. I have most of it covered in smoke as well. Now I need to put on some livery decals and start fitting...
I tried some new paint for the seat and steering wheel. Valspar Suede. It comes in three shades of tan/brown. I airbrushed some Tamiya Matte Black on after a day to get this affect. I do like it, but it's not as "suede" as I'd like. It sort of looks like fine grain sand on the surface.

Polished this one off. Doors were pretty easy to install. They are still pretty loose because I want to be able to open and close them. Looks pretty good though except for that spot on the mirror where some CF came off from me dropping the door and landing on the cement floor. DOH!

1976 David Pearson Purolator Montego - Daytona Winner!
This will likely be my last project of the year. It is actually a commisioned build for a gentleman who bought my 72 Purolator Cyclone. Interesting car. It should be fun. :)

Start from scratch... I sold the old SMH body and bought a MCW body. It fits the Monogram chassis fairly well, though it's not a "drop in" fit. I had to do some work to the body in some areas I thought could use some work. I had to straighten and widen the hood, straighten the body, lengthen the chassis, and a little detailing on the chassis as well. I have some touchups here and there, but I think I'm going with what I have so far.
You can see the white areas on the chassis are the styrene that I added. The kit chassis is black, of course. I will get that in primer this week (upper 50's!) and then maybe some color by the weekend!!

We have paint! Interior is painted and exterior is painted. Rims are painted silver, though they look pretty white in the pic. Exhaust got a little staining too. Tires are stolen from my Matador since I decided not to use them there...

Stripes. Hmmm. I had a few different ways I could have gone. Paint, decals, tape... I ended up going with paint. I think it will look the most authentic, and the color will definitely be the best. Here's my "go" at it.

Polished out the clear (Tamiya) with 2000 grit and Tamiya polishing compounds, then added a few decals to see how it looks... I think it's starting to look like a Daytona 500 winner. :)

Quick update... Added BMF to window surrounds, couple odds and ends decals (thanks to Randy [bighoo] for those), and mocked up with freshly detailed wheels and tires. I added some hood hinges to get that set in place. That resin hood is all over the place though. I can't get it PERFECT. Still trying though...

Engine is done, and installed. Seat is detailed with some belts too. Oil cooler is in, but doesn't fit with the cage in, so I'll have to move it...
Grill work is done too. Still need to paint the hinges, then some final touches... Getting there.

Finished up the interior wire routing. I have the oil cooler plumbed with a Purolator oil filter. Cha ching!!
I also added some shrouds to the windows. I think they turned out pretty nice. It's just thin embossing metal cut into strips and formed to match the curve of the window. Hard to see, but adds a lot...
Bad news is that I dropped the hood. It landed right on the front right corner and smashed it in. I thought I could salvage it, but alas, it was stripped, fixed and is already back to white. I just need to mask off for the blue and red stripes when I'm certain the paint is dry, then I'll add a couple decals (CP and Purolator) then it'll be better than it was before. (I fixed a fitment problem and the hinges.)

Getting ever closer on this one too... Wheels are mounted. Body is permanently on the chassis. At this point I also have the rear bumper on and the rear window braces as well (not pictured). I do have to mount the front bumper and get the hood mounted. I'm waiting to do the hood last as I've had to redo it twice due to me dropping it (bone-headed move).
Should have this one wrapped up in a couple days.

Finishing touches are done. Window net from aluminum screen and Tamiya tape. Front and rear bumpers attached and final polish complete.

1987 Bobby Allison Piper Buick (BGN)
I've attached the nose and done some body mods. I'll post some pics of the progress, and "how to" once I have more progress. It's nothing to look at right now. :)

Here is what I've done so far... For the rears, I cut out the wheel wells, added some styrene from the back and back filled with Tamiya Epoxy Putty, sanded smooth and primed. For the fronts, I backed the wheel wells with Tamiya Epoxy Putty, then sanded the surface smooth (removed the wheel bulges) then closed in the opening with some thin styrene.
I narrowed the rear bumper to fit the a little tighter. I sanded the side ridges down on the ends to go into smooth wheel wells. Then I added a little to the front lip to get it a little lower.
All in all, I think it looks the part of a super speedway car though.

We have paint and stripes! I used Microscale stripes since the Romero sheet doesn't give you enough... *face palm*
Now it's on to the rest of the decals and contingencies. I still need to print out some contingencies too... Almost there.

Added 3 layers of decals to the whites and a LOT of polishing... I had some issues with the clear. I'm not sure what I did wrong, but I ended up with some coarse wrinkles that were pretty deep. Instead of removing the paint, I cleared more and more until I could sand/polish all the bad spots out. Weird.