popeye the sailor

the Testor's EZ airbrush hasn't been a bad investment for me........I bought my first one back in 2010. set up to be used with an air canister, it appeared to be a cheap alternative...think I bought it for 24.99 or something. later on, I saw another one in the clearance bin...I bought that one too. I modified it to run off of my 25 gal compressor in the garage. it is able to use the 1/4 oz bottles of paint, sold by Testor's. the siphon tubes and caps came with the kit. you can also buy the empty bottles, if your local craft or model store stocks them. I just buy the small bottles of thinner and dump them in the bigger bottles..........I have plenty kick'in 'round. the sprayer has a clip on it that locks onto the caps. once modified with the new connector for the compressor, I'm in business. the spray is adjustable by turning the air outlet nozzle. I normally run it with 15 to 25 PSI, depending on how much push it needs. it's a very simple siphon feed set up and doesn't require a lot of clean up......just the caps and the siphon tubes.

this is only because I have them setting out in the open Ken. I usually have them in the closet......in the closet that I use, there are hot water pipes for the second and third floors......keeps it rather warm inside. it hasn't been too bad here so far.....temps outside have been mild.....but I think all that will change very quickly I used to do that with the compressed air can for the Testor's EZ airbrush that I use. it's a cheap airbrush.......look for the 'Amazing Air' airbrush kits sold by Testor's. originally, they are set up to be used with these air cans.......you lay them in warm water, so they don't create their own moisture or freeze up, as you use them. I said the heck with all that, and modified it to run off my compressor. ....and so..........while typing this, the entity known as Popeye, trotted off on another tangent. what is he getting into now?

awesome looking project CDW........your off to a real good start I didn't gt no Tee shirt... {see what happens when you tell kids not to do something!!!! } kudos to Richmond for listing those links.........very nice eye candy I'll be following what looks to be a real fine model

errrrrrrrrr......I don't have a cat progress today.........pictures later

thanks Carl and thanks to those who hit the like button. not much done today.......errands and stuff. we're supposed to get hit with a good snow storm this week end, and the admiral wanted to make sure we were ready. I suggested spam and crackers........and she almost hit me perhaps a better day tomorrow

so now.........the update {before anything else happens} so........I'm trying to assemble the front suspension, so it was movable. the tie rod was added to the assembly...... it's pretty flimsy........the rod bends very easily when moving the spindles......but it does move just in case some cement did get in there, I would move it back and fourth. seeing no reason why not, the fuel cell was cemented in place. the oil filters were also cemented in place..... next, was time to fix that brake caliper......the left side does not have a hose connector on it, so a hole was drilled and a tiny piece of wire was cemented in, to act as the pin. figuring out to assemble the extinguisher and steering wheel shaft together wasn't that hard either. a razor blade was inserted in between the bracket halves and spread far enough apart to get the shaft in there. once dry, the extinguisher can be painted. the exhaust headers are supposed to be painted gun metal.......I don't have any. instead, I painted them a light gray, which I think will look just as good. assembly on the engine need to continue.....the distributor was cemented in place. after it had dried for a short time, the drive belt, supercharger pulley guard, and pump plumbing was added. the front tires were sanded to rough up the tread...they were added next. this next part was a pain........adding the fuel rail to the induction plate........one of the rail lines broke off. after it was fixed and allowed to dry, the completed assembly was added to the engine. now to get the lower fuel rail on. I started to add the rubber hoses to the left side of the engine {an oil line}..........it was terrible when I did the English Leather.......it's still a pain now. the hose supplied in the kit.......really weak and prone to getting crushed by the use of tweezers.........also really stiff. really should have gone 'plan B' on it. you can hardly see it, but it's down near the oil pan. I use an awl to flare out the ends, so it will slip over the pins....CA to cement the connection. setting the assemblies aside for some much needed drying time, the attention was turned towards the body. painting the sheet metal for the frames was done in flat black. the part that surrounds the cockpit area, will be done in flat black and gray........the underside of the body will be gray. I think the outer body is to be blue and white.......love to do something exotic I have some dragon images......I could do the ChiTown Hustler! that was an actual funny car back in the 70's........I'd have to look it up to see how it would look. I also looked up the Accel wires logo.....I may look up a couple more 'sponsors'. the frame's metal parts came out of the booth.........it was a bit cold in the room......the flat black does show a hint of 'white'. the best temperature to paint is anywhere above 70 degrees...ambient, without humidity. lacquer is much more strict, but I love the finish it lends to a model usually the room is pretty comfy......the admiral must have turned the heat down without my knowing it {she's sneaky like that}. anyone who has wielded an airbrush, knows what 'white' is all bout. in some cases, the paint doesn't dry properly, but in a lot of cases, it shows how much moisture there is. in both cases, the paint takes on a 'whitish hue' and looks clouded. the cockpit canopy was paint the flat black first, and viewed a bit later, it had to be redone, because it has visible blotches in places. when I do the outer body........I will make sure the temp is set for spraying.........I don't like to redo paint work you can see some of the 'white' in this picture.......here is how it looks now after respraying it. {note: I used a rattle can.....the can was cold to the touch} this is much better 👍 hopefully I can get more done today.

I'm back..........turned out to be a small problem. he had replaced his own starter a short time ago. I was quite proud of him that he did it all on his own, but he needs to make sure he covers all the bases. he called me complaining that the car loses power and shuts down........by power, I mean electrical. upon hearing that, I thought that the problem may either be a breaker {relay} in the main power supply from the battery, or a bad connection somewhere. the admiral at this time was looking up the problem online.........you should see all the silly scenarios posted there I went over to his house and went on a test drive with him........it did it twice. all power kicks out, and the car shuts down. convinced that it was a connection problem, I started at the source....the battery, where I could pull the positive cable off the battery without tools! I took a guess that it was the cable he removed to do the starter........it was. it was tight.......but it was tightened all the way, which indicates wear........as I pointed out, I asked him if h checked to be sure that it was tight.....no that's what I meant about covering all the bases, I told him...........be sure that everything you do is tight. he's doing alright........he's learning my automotive side..........my other son learned my carpenter side...he's off on his own.....totally revamped his house, and it looks great! I'm very proud of them........these two aspects can bankrupt you, if you don't know how to do it yourself anyway.....after a fruitless jaunt trying to get post shims {most positive posts on these new cars are a nightmare....can't just replace the clamp anymore}, we went to my house and I cut a piece of hose clamp to lodge in there to act as a shim...........went over to his house and reconnected the cable. the road test showed that the problem was solved.......all it cost us was time

yepper.........I've built a few formula 1 cars too HOF...glad your liking the log never built that one before...........I'll have to look that one up I think the Hemi under glass would be a neat one too! why they made them roll was always the big question......not likely that you could play with them after I'll check that link out J........thanks a heap! I didn't do much surfing to find what I posted I have an update.........but I have to go and check out a car related problem at my son's house {go figure}. see you all when I get back.

will the missing props be noticeable? great job on them........in spite of the problems they caused.

look'in good Tom

it's OK about the flag EJ..........I never saw it before you corrected the mistake I've gotten the discoloration from the Ca as well.......I use white glue instead

amazing how you excel at this scale.........such phenomenal detail! the structures look sweet!........really nice rigging

good morning.........it's 6:29 AM here..........went to bed thinking of something yo look up this morning......but now I can't seem to recall what it was I figured a good browse through the internet would jog my memory........so I went looking for vintage older funny cars. I just looked at images though, didn't go to any specific site. I noticed how the body of the car has changed through the years. back in the early days, and early evolution of the tilt body, I saw that the bodies became more aerodynamic. most of the early cars had the look of the actual car body....some even emulating the model of car as well. car bodies of today are more or less a shell.......the name of the car doesn't include any particular make anymore. I saved a few pictures that I thought were kinda cool. I was a bit confused about the Jungle Jim......... here is the Vega funny car.......but he also had a Camaro, and what looked like a Plymouth Duster too. there are many model kit out there........here is a Polar Lights kit.........likely a kit that they're reproducing from old molds as I mentioned earlier........this can be a very scary sport. I'm sure there are many, but here are a few things that can happen. then I saw this picture..........an old black n' white

back in the day, there were lots of kits offered with movable parts.......steering, doors, hood and trunk. I haven;t seen any being reproduced.......Round 2 models has assumed quite a few of the old molds from companies like AMT....MPC........Polar lights is another one out there. European companies have put out some really great kits too, but they can be rather hard to find...availability mainly the issue, here in the states. the internet has changed all that though I've added a few more parts to the frame...with luck, there will be an update thanks for look'in in and the likes folks!

so....yea.......I worked on it a little last night........I amazed myself in answering your question Lou......yes, basically that's the way I'm hoping it will go. the only chigger in the armor, is the drag link. I won't be moving it much anyway....... to start off......I really should have de chromed the front end parts....after touch up, it may not look the greatest. but I got the steering knuckles assembled onto the suspension bar {good name for it I think}. I was worried that I'd get glue in the joints and fail........but I didn't...they still move while this was drying, I figured I get the seat in the frame. I did kinda goof up here......I should have painted the underside beforehand. now I have to paint it in place.........hopefully it won't be too messy. all the paint I have around here..........and I don't have a decent bottle of flat black?!?!?!?!? I have three partial bottles kick'in around, so I combined them to make one full bottle. hard to see with my small crane light.......but I painted it. the front suspension was assembled onto the frame. the two bottom arms that locate at the bottom......and the two truss rods that supports and stabilizes the front axle. the arms for the tie rod are also in place. the left side steering knuckle has the 'pin' for the ..........oh........I fear I have my terminology wrong. the linkage that goes up to the steering box, would be called the drag link.......am I right?!?! the part that is damaged is the tie rod.......a long bar with the tie rod ends on it. the drag link is a two part rod that is connected to the steering box by a long pin, that fits through a bracket molded to the frame. this is where the moving parts end.......the steering wheel does not turn or move. I re-positioned the knuckles so you can see that they move. once the movable parts are fitted in place, there are caps that will hold all the parts together. here are the diagrams for the assembly.......they will give you a better idea of how it all works tomorrow is my Friday........then play time good to hear you've started to work on the cars again.......feel free to post the finished models here, I'd love to see them 🏁

I guess I did........thanks to everyone for contributing it's probably something ya hardly think about........like, how many cars have you owned through the years very true CDW......cars were easy back then. you could do anything you wanted to, to them........change engines........rim sizes......the sky was only limited to your wallet. now a days, it's near impossible with computers and sensors........engines are totally out, and rim sizes {as well as tires}, are governed by the speed sensor, or drive train specs. you can do it........but you practically have to rebuild the car, in order to do it. we had three corvairs John..........my mother loved her car,,,,she called her 'Agnes'. one small thing about her though.......from February 1st to March 1st, don't take her out of the yard.......you'd be left stranded. either it wouldn't start, or it would eat the starter.......literally! one starter I replaced, the nose was totally broken off.....I had to fish the parts out of the bell housing . she worked at the local nursing home {near the county farm} at night......we'd get calls at 11:30 PM to go jump start the darn thing. March 1st and onward..........go to New York.........not a lick of trouble! Agnes was a 1961 Corvair Monza........we had a 1963 Monza, and a 1965 four door Monza that was nothing but trouble. you forced my hand Lou.....I also did a little on it during the work week {no........say it isn't so!}. here's a small update.

gone to the crusher long ago Lou........no one will ever know I owned two cars that were note worthy.......a Ford Gran Torino and a Chevy Chevelle, and darned if I can remember the year on either of them. both were two doors. the first car that I bought from a car lot, was a '73 Olds Cutlass four door.....at the time, it wasn't cool for a single dude to own a four door, but it ran good {and there wasn't any hassle about getting in the back seat} I owned three other Olds Cutlass's...all were two door. these were my favorite cars.....two of them had the Buick V6...281 cu {I think}.....the '89 olds had the 305 Chevy engine in it. I did do a little the other day........only a couple pictures so far. they're still in the camera

sorry for being late to the party.......looks to be a real neat build I'll be watching as well .

awesome work Bob

after a story like that, I'd better post an update........ going further with the model last night, the outer parts of the calipers were added to finish off the rear brakes. that's when I noticed something...there is no pin for the driver's side caliper, to connect the brake line. I'll have to remedy the situation somehow. in the foreground is the steering column.......I was going to de chrome it, but the heck with it, I'll figure out how to assemble the extinguisher on it. the smaller fuel rail is getting paint.....before anything else happens to it. this part in turn, is part of the induction plate, which is now waiting for this part. I see a tiny bit of touch up that still needs to b done....damn camera. adding more to the engine, the bell housing was added then, the gear box shroud was added..... the parts for the front suspension was gathered together to be added to the frame. the engine is still being assembled.......time to get the frame up to speed, for the moment when the engine can finally be added. the rear differential was cemented in place. the wheelie bars can be seen.....the casters need to be painted. they are small.........but for a model this size, I really should do them. the same goes for the seat belts.......hate painting stuff like this....I stink at it......aways having to touch them up and such. you would thing that the seat belts would be separate parts, on a model this size. oh well......I give it my best shot so.....I'll continue on from here. I'm going to shoot for movable steering, but with that broken drag link, it's doubtful I'll be able to. not that it matters anyway, it's just going to sit on a shelf. other than the body, it's the only other feature, the model has to offer.........that is of course.....and a good time

Damn! hit the wrong button..... I've built a few in the past.......the Corvette 'cobra', '63 Chevy Bel air, Chevy Nomad......probably others, but I don't recall......built one of the big aircraft carriers, but don't recall which one. I also did some of the big truck models........later building this scratch built crane, like what you would see in a junk yard {minus the Hemi engine} on a trailer frame, covering the engine, was the truck cab....in the back was the platform with the crane, that swiveled. I wish now I had a picture of it.......most of my pictures of anything back then, are long gone....the English Leather picture is about it. it was taken with one of those Instamatic cameras...the one where the picture slides out of the camera, and develops before your eyes. car destruction..........got one for ya. about 1970 or so {give or take a year}, my brother had gone in the army.......later ending up in Fort Hood, Texas. by this time, he had married his girlfriend Linda.......they finally came home for a visit. they came here in a '68 Camero all done up like an American flag.......very beautiful car. well sirs, they were on the way to the house for a visit, and he had let Linda drive, 'cuz he had a hangover from the night before {some big party}. they were passing by the county farm, a place where convicts worked {minor offences and misdemeanors}, tending to cows and pigs and growing crops. I worked at the nursing home across the way from this place {used to be one huge facility, til the state split it up back in the early '60's. along this stretch of road was coral fencing and chain link...of course, to keep the animals penned in. as she was driving, somewhere in here, there was a notion to shift, and for some reason, she couldn't gt the shifter to move. so with both hands, she grabbed the shifter, and before they knew it, the passenger side of the car was scraping along the fence....tearing up the side of the car, removing the door handle, side mirror, and anything that was attached that could be ripped off! Kenny was driving when they pulled into the yard......and he was none too happy with his wife! amazing that the door still worked.....but only from the inside thanks for the good word gents, and to those who hit the like button should have told my brother that they usually burn flags when they get all tattered like that.....sucks that I had to think of that now

my first real car was a Ford Galaxy 500 convertible {I forget the year.........it had a few issues, but my dad and I fixed the car up. I remember one winter day, the gas tank falling out of it while coming home from work. it had a full tank, so it didn't explode the rag was old, with a couple small tears, and the rear window was clouded...couldn't see much through it. used to have a bumper sticker on the rear bumper that read "don't laugh mister, your daughter might be in here" she died one day........a graceful funeral

doing the hull with short strip {scale planking} gives you more control she's looking swell.

my Bluenose is still in the closet, along with the other two hull frames. when I received it from a friend, it was such a disaster, I ripped it apart {then came the idea for the Bluenose II and the America}. so far, you've given me ideas for the bulwarks and the transom {those areas are non existent on the frames {well, two of them anyways}. your forging along slowly.....and that's OK, 'cuz your building a log that I can follow when they finally come out of mothballs I think your doing a fine job so far........as a mater of fact, the fife rail is consistent with the one supplied in the Billing's kit. I can post a picture of the diagram, if you'd like

absolutely........the really important lines........all you need to be concerned with that's the spirit.......your gonna feel real good when you see her in a case! remarkable ship..........overall great job!