1966 Buick Riviera by CDW - FINISHED - AMT - 1:25 Scale

[Egilman]

8 hours ago, Landlubber Mike said:

How did you end up attaching the PE name badges?

 

7 hours ago, CDW said:

I won't attach the scripts and badges until the very end of the project and then I will likely use an acrylic clear floor polish as glue, such as "Future" or whatever it's called today. An alternative....

May I suggest Gators Grip Thin? it is what it was designed to do.... Dries completely clear, ultra thin and they won't fall off...

[CDW]

1 hour ago, Egilman said:

 

May I suggest Gators Grip Thin? it is what it was designed to do.... Dries completely clear, ultra thin and they won't fall off...

Of course you may. it's a viable option.

[Landlubber Mike]

That's what I was wondering also - seems easier to clean up any smears too.

[CDW]

That pretty pink primer again...

 

 

Followed by red metallic, Mr Color lacquer variety...

 

[CDW]

The next steps involve polishing and clear coat application.

 

I went over the entire painted model, wet sanding using sequentially, 3200, 4000, 6000, 8000, then 12000 micro mesh polishing cloths over the red metallic paint. Once it was dry, then sprayed on my clear lacquer, Mr Color Super Clear II. There are a few specks of dust in my clear, which I will polish out with compound in later steps.

 

[AJohnson]

Really nice looking finish. 

[king derelict]

Building up a really deep gloss. Beautiful 

alan

[Old Collingwood]

What a  lovely shade od Red  -   looking really nice.

 

OC.

[CDW]

Instead of compound in this step, decided to do one more wet sanding with all the grades of micromesh polishing cloths to remove any tiny traces of dust, then another liberal coat of clear lacquer. Next, THIS coat of lacquer will get polished with finishing compound followed by a protective wax. 

[gsdpic]

The finish is looking great.  One of these days I'll work up the nerve to go through all the steps to try to achieve such a shiny finish....just not on a build like my current one with a lot of decals....too much fear of sanding/polishing through the clear and ruining them.

 

[CDW]

4 hours ago, gsdpic said:

The finish is looking great.  One of these days I'll work up the nerve to go through all the steps to try to achieve such a shiny finish....just not on a build like my current one with a lot of decals....too much fear of sanding/polishing through the clear and ruining them.

 

Thanks Gary.

There are different schools of thought on whether or not to clear coat over decals. Some top competition modelers say they never clear coat over their decals. They achieve their finish first, then apply decals last with nothing on top. 

My own personal experience with clear coat over decals has been a mixed bag. At times it came out great, other times disaster. The main thing that can be said in favor of no clear over decals is the fact that decals can be removed and replaced later on without spoiling the entire paint job whereas clear over the decals means stripping the entire model back down to bare plastic if the decals are under a clear coat.

[CDW]

Earlier in this thread, I mentioned the hood is slightly warped and does not cleanly match/lay down in the closed position. Now that I've laid down the color coats, I've realized another issue I did not notice before now. On close inspection in preparation for clear coats, on top of the hood appears ghosting of the structural reinforcement on the inside of the hood. It's difficult to pick up the detail in a photograph, but it can be clearly seen with the naked eye. In order to fix this, I need to strip all the paint off the hood and do some body work to hide the ghosting. Since the hood is slightly warped, I'm inclined to seek out another, replacement hood. Either way I go, it's going to delay my progress, but it seems to me I would be better off with a replacement (if I can find one). Either way, it will cause a delay.

 

 

[CDW]

Now that I've thought about it for a bit, I think I shall continue as it is and simultaneously look for a replacement hood. I can paint up the replacement when/if I find one. 

[AJohnson]

Shame this isn’t a beat up aircraft, many modellers would kill to get an “oil can” effect like that on some panels!  The finish you have on the rest of the body is outstanding Craig, so appreciate why you looking at replacing the hood. 

[CDW]

The photo etch flex fan kit from Detail Master adds a greater level of realism.

[CDW]

A 1:1 1966 Buick Riviera in red.

 

[CDW]

Interior dry-fit

 

 

[yvesvidal]

11 hours ago, CDW said:

What a beauty !!!

[CDW]

29 minutes ago, yvesvidal said:

What a beauty !!!

There are a couple of classic muscle car dealerships in Tennessee I’ve been watching. They have some very nice cars come through there for sale, at prices more reasonable than I suspected they would be. I would much rather have one of those rather than a new Kia or something like that.

[CDW]

Some of the final steps to completion will be the application of bare metal foil for all the chrome trim on the body. A lot of dry fitting is needed before the foil work as the body to frame will need to be cemented into place. 

[CDW]

The bare metal foil treatment on the driver's side windows will be repeated on the other three window frames, the trim areas surrounding the wheels, one strip down the center of the hood, and the rocker panels.

 

 

[yvesvidal]

9 hours ago, CDW said:

The bare metal foil treatment on the driver's side windows will be repeated on the other three window frames, the trim areas surrounding the wheels, one strip down the center of the hood, and the rocker panels.

That is looking sharp, but what a pain it must be to place these strips around the openings.

 

Yves

[CDW]

36 minutes ago, yvesvidal said:

That is looking sharp, but what a pain it must be to place these strips around the openings.

 

Yves

It’s very tedious. Certainly not a favorite thing to do. If the body molding is sharp, it’s a lot easier. Soft molding can be a nightmare. The areas I have the most concern about are surrounding the wheel openings. I have a plan of attack but it’s one I’ve never tried before now. We’ll have to wait to see how well it works.

[Old Collingwood]

This  is  looking a  stunner   Craig   -  I can see  all the  work  you  are putting into  it.

 

OC.

[CDW]

6 hours ago, Old Collingwood said:

This  is  looking a  stunner   Craig   -  I can see  all the  work  you  are putting into  it.

 

OC.

Thanks OC

[CDW]

I needed a hard edge around the wheel opening to help me guide my blade as I cut the bare metal foil. For this I used a 1mm strip of masking tape around the wheel opening, then laid my bare metal foil against the tape before following the outline of the tape to cut the foil. 

There's the rocker panel chrome on the passenger side of the body, three wheel opening trims, and last, the chrome strip down the center of the hood to complete the chrome trim pieces.

[CDW]

Took a few minutes this morning assembling and soldering together the photo etch windshield wipers from Aber. Earlier in the build, I cut off the molded on, horrible looking wipers that were part of the car body. These aftermarket units should give a more realistic appearance once they are painted and installed on the model.

[king derelict]

Lovely work with the metal foil. That looks very difficult to get a neat finish 

alan

[CDW]

2 hours ago, king derelict said:

Lovely work with the metal foil. That looks very difficult to get a neat finish 

alan

It's really not all that difficult if the right tools are used and you take your time doing it. A new, sharp #11 surgical scalpel is a must, along with some quality, pointed cotton swabs (Tamiya variety). I blacken the tip of my scalpel blade so I can clearly see it as it's carefully and lightly drawn against the edge of the chrome trim. It's certainly not one of my favorite parts of car modeling but nothing else takes its place.

[king derelict]

Thanks Craig

Blackening the tip of the scalpel blade is a good idea. I must remember that.

Alan