More Model Cars

[Carps]

an't find the original model car page, must be too long since anyone posted there.

Anyhow, I just finished another Merc.  This one is the AMT kit built as a daily driven work in progress.  Headlamps are frenched,  the hood corners rounded and rolled front pan moulded to fenders...



Most of the parts except the wheels were in the original kit including the big block Ford engine.......





Of course the chassis was neatly finished in order to ensure reliable driving whilst the body work is being finished......



The top is chopped and the interior only partially modified retaining the stock rear seat and door trims, it does have a red flake moon wheel and bucket seats





The final paint colour will be blue 'flake and it should look a treat

[Carps]

Here's one I finished last week.

Started with the AMT Chevy Fleetline kit, chopped and customised using some '57 Corvette parts.  Stock body for comparison.





Added Corvette grille and rear fenders...





Didn't like the grille so removed the outer moulding and changed the opening and addded Corvette coves to front fenders...



Stuffed up the purple paint and tried to hide the mistake under some lace.....



The fix worked OK but I stuffed that up when pulling the masking tape so it needed a fix on the fix......



Set the body aside and started on the interior...





That done, moved to the engine.....





Then it was time fort final assembly and finishing.......

[UGLY OLDS]

NEAT ..    I like it ...


Bob.....

[phat46]

Very nice work Carps; meticulous detail.

[junkyardjeff]

here is one I just finished  Its not working

[butch27]

Great work. I used to build them when I was younger. Can't believe how I shake now. LOL

[Boyd Who]

Nice work, Carps! I was never able to get into the small detail stuff like that. Maybe now that I'm older I'll try again.

Your Merc looks an awful lot like the one I built about 30 years ago. There was a model Merc top chop article in a Street Rodder magazine in the early 80's that I used for a guide. Still have the model, as well as a stock version. Both were built around 1982 using the AMT kits. The scribble on the roof of the chopped one is George Barris' signature. I got him to sign it at a car show in '97. And yes, this is exactly how the car was finished when I built it. It was supposed to be a work in progress display.  

[Carps]

Thanx guys.

Great work there Boyd, love the unfinished version but the blue one looks kinda st,st,st,st, can't even bring myself to say it but y'know the word.

Hey Butch, I often get the shakes too but mostly when I'm building a model it's just like a real car, so I just swear and cuss.      

JunkyJeff, if ya can ever get that one to work, I reckon it'll be a winner at the shows.  

Anybody else out there building models we'd all love to see 'em.

Otherwise I may have to repost some that I've posted before.      

[jaybee]

Guys, those are outstanding work.  I thought I was pretty good when I used to build models regularly, but nothing like this.

[34ford]

Carps,

What do you use for your set up for shooting the pics of the models. Florescent lighting , fill flash ?? Could you post a pic of your setup? Great models by the way.

thanks

bc

[Carps]

Carps, What do you use for your set up for shooting the pics of the models.

Canon EOS 10D and various lenses.
I have a small Cyclorama (3 sides and floor with smoothly rounded corners) that I built many years back for the purpose.

Florescent lighting,

Flouro studio lamp/s, plus reflector/s.

fill flash ??

Sometimes but not always.
When I do, it might be the small flash built into the camera, or my large strobe which might be mounted to the camera or remotely mounted and activated.

Could you post a pic of your setup?

No prob's, watch this space.

Great models by the way.

Thanx, I can post up sopme more if you guys would like, just say the word.

[58 Yeoman]

Keep posting the pix, Carps.

[Carps]

Could you post a pic of your setup?

Here it be.

Made from plywood and plaster, that's the Cyclorama with the hot rod show stickers on it, one lamp in front another above is hidden by the round reflector.



This shot should gives some idea of the size of the white box with no corners, how the lights are usually arranged and how much light it reflects.



In addition to the reflector, which is a multi faceted deal that includes a gold surface, a blue surface and a semi-transparent disc for softening harsh light, I often use white styrofoam sheets to reflect light.



The lamps use 3 ultra white flourescent bulbs with a diffuser in front.  The strobe is a large cannon unit that mounts to a regular tripod and I usually bounce that light off the reflector as it's quite harsh.



Not all my model car pics are shot in 'the studio' I also have a few other props that can be used there or outdoors.  These are shot outside on a small plywood panel with railway modeller's grass on it.





Variation on that theme is another base sprayed with bitumen paint to duplicate a road surface.



For this one, I scanned another photo and printed it on an A3 page which was set up in the Cyclorama as a background.



Other times I just shoot stuff in the garage.









The background in the Cyclorama is easy to change by simply using sheets of dark paper or coloured fabric to provide a background that makes the colour of the subject stand out.



And then there are those times when there's nothing better to catch the mood than a day trip to shoot on location.

[34ford]

Thanks Carps,

Really a neat shop setup you have there. Must not be cold or freezing weather there as seeing the metal roof in the shop probably means no need for insulation.

Do you use the camera in program/auto or choose your own settings?

Keep up the good work.

Will have to post some of mine from the early 60"s that I made in junior high. Wow that's a long time ago. I looked at some of them in the box a couple years ago and they have the melting tire syndrome, not from heat just age I guess. Lots of parts from many kits and a few unopened ones.

thanks again

[Carps]

Really a neat shop setup you have there.

Some days it's neater than others.  

Must not be cold or freezing weather there as seeing the metal roof in the shop probably means no need for insulation.

It's snowed here maybe twice in the last 40 years, temp rarely drops below 10, usually around 15-20 during the coldest part of winter and average 30 during summer althogh when it gets hot it's bloody hot.  Humidity is almost 0 all year 'round.

Do you use the camera in program/auto or choose your own settings?

Sometimes but I do like to experiment.  Prog mode doesn't always bring the aperture down small enough for good depth of field.

Keep up the good work.

Thanx.

Will have to post some of mine from the early 60"s that I made in junior high.

Please do, I'd love to see tham.  You may even notice some of my similar period builds in the background of at least one of these shots.

Those unopened kits are probably very valuable now.  Some guys I know will pay a fortune for old kits and they hate me because of the thousand or so kits I have unbuilt there's some very old ones but they are all opened, because I remove the decal sheets and keep them in sealed dry storage so they don't deteriorate.

I have plnety of unused tyres if you want to replace the perished ones.