Here's where I'm at.
I thought I'd have to go to the hardware store for body paint but found out the two spray cans my wife bought to paint a table are close enough to the right color I can sneak some for my use. 
Chassis is done, engine is almost done. I still need to strip some chrome parts for painting. I've already lost to the Lotus so if I don't finish it no matter. 
probably going to try to wrap mine up tomorrow, will only have a couple hours!
Well it at least has paint on it.
Got a big ol real life project that's eaten up most of the last week but that's in the rearview mirror, time to thrash to get this car done.
Yesterday I finally bit the bullet and spattered grey paint in the engine bay to try and match the ugly filthy real car
Not bad
Hope to make big progress getting the chassis and interior together today, then I can think about tackling the chipped hood and getting the body into primer and maybe even color.
Love seeing all the builds come together in the final days. Some good work guys!
The tails are oversized. Ugly.
Interior is done.
The really nice paint before I decided to install the windshield, before letting the Molotow chrome dry, and then touching the red with dabs of chrome from my fingers. Sometimes I hate myself.
In reply to vwcorvette (Forum Supporter) :
I've done that more times than I can count. If it's not fingerprints, then I slip and touch the wrong surface with the chrome pen or black marker. 
So I stepped away from it last night. Today I went sanded the bad spots, taped and covered the windshield and rear of the car, and resprayed. After dinner I pulled off the tape. I think I'm gonna be okay. Big sigh.
A little orange peel but not too bad. Matches the paint on the 1:1 car!
Winding down on the ugly duckling Miata. Got color on the wheels, though it didn't go too great since the primer can spattered in its first couple psssts. So one wheel isn't that smooth. On the other hand, the painted daisy wheels on the real car weren't all that well painted, so I'm keeping them.
I figured since I was putting down color, I'd do the body as well. I tossed that first can of primer and used a new one, and it worked better. Color went on nicely as well. Astute viewers may notice that I didn't do anything to address the chipped hood corner. I have a lousy track record with model car bodywork, plus the clock is ticking. With the car being a darker color, I'm hoping the chip kinda gets lost in the finished product.
Interior is done
Chassis is done (it shares the real car's Racing Beat sway bar, and its Bilsteins with Eibach springs)
This is where I realize that I should have gotten the body in paint some time ago. I shot color Thursday afternoon, on the body and the mirrors separately. Moving the mirrors indoors, the paint on their sprue is still tacky. I haven't checked to see if the body is the same way. I don't know if the paint will be hardened enough to handle it without risking fingerprints and stuff by the time I sit down to do final assembly in the next couple days. I moved them inside into air conditioned comfort and out of the very humid garage, maybe that'll help. Regardless, I'm optimistic that I can have this done in time for the end-of-month deadline.
These are looking great guys.
Zack
In reply to ZackM :
Agreed!
I'm calling this one done! Other than the fiddly decals, this was a relatively painless build, and The Stig looks right at home in the cockpit. I'll try to post some better pics later.
First coat of body color on the Jeep yesterday. It's a lighter blue than Dad's was but I've decided not to care as I like medium blues better. It will be the way I'd have restored it vs the way it was.
Chrome is stripped off the parts that shouldn't have chrome so I can paint those. This will be close to get done in time.
In reply to BenB (Forum Supporter) :
I think I'm going to have to build one of my Reynard kits soon, after seeing that. Sweet!
I like how that Mustang looks. It's ready for some rough and tough short track racing!
Winding down. Put the black paint on the rocker panels
A little decal work
All the window trim and moldings around the interior are painted, and dabbed a little silver on the door handles and Frankenstein bolts
Once that paint dries, windows go in, interior goes in the body, and the body goes on the chassis. There's a handful of bits that need to go on under the hood after that, and I still need to build the wheels & tires. A few other pieces of trim, and I can do the first photo shoot of the car unstriped. If the stripes don't go on well, you'll never know it because I'll have some great pictures of the car nekkid. But I really want the stripes on the car, and I hope they go on nicely.
slowbird said:I like how that Mustang looks. It's ready for some rough and tough short track racing!
Thanks. Went for a dragged it out of the back 40 and hacked it together enough to run the local dirt track in a couple months in the mid 1970s vibe. Which was good because that's my current skill level.
This week's phrase is "orange peel". Groan.
I think the Rust Oleum sprays with so much force it dries in mid-air. It looked smooth and glossy as anything going on. I was fearful of getting too thick of a coat the way it went on.
Fortunately it's a Jeep. The only real flat panel is the hood. The sides aren't as bad and there isn't much smooth surface anywhere else. So I'm going to live with it. Sanding the hood would be a righteous PITA because of the molded in hooks and I have zero confidence it would look any better with a second attempt.
Going back to Tamiya paints after this.
In reply to ddavidv :
I've had tons of trouble with Rustoleum sprays this summer. They seemed to work ok in the spring. Can't tell if it's my technique that stinks, or the paint really hates humidity, or something else.
Almost finished:
This kit has the BEST windows I've worked with:
I get annoyed with those Japanese kits that don't give you a complete engine. There is usually no way to tell on the box.
Well, I'm hating the Jeep less now that I've begun assembly. I can't believe it's an MPC kit because 1) there is detail and 2) everything seems to fit. I wonder if a tool maker for Revell worked there briefly? MPC still didn't disappoint as the kit is a Mr Potato Head of various CJ models. F-head engine, floor mounted pedals but a CJ-7 dash.
I won't be finished by the end of the month but here's what I have so far...
You'll need to log in to post.
