Lvp

WOW! That makes all the difference in the world. Could some black decal paper with softener over the mesh achieve your desired result?

Great job! I think the mesh is an elegant solution, sometimes you have to take liberties with accuracy in scaling down to achieve a convincing visual effect.

Perhaps some left over clear sprue can be used. Or clear tinted resin, cast in a mold and fettled to fit?

This is a long shot, if you're washing your lens cloth and you have hard water and you let the cloth air dry, you may end up with hard minerals in the fabric that could scratch. Try rinsing with distilled water. It is more likely that the cloth picked up some debris from the work bench or where it was stored. Love the color of the interior by the way!

Thanks for that. I would imagine puttying the portion that will be white and sanding to a slope is the most effective way to deal with it. Looking forward to hearing any other solutions.

Have fun with the build. I watched a review of a test shot. Is there still a step on the shell that demarcates where the white and orange meet? Also, how well do the nose cone and front cover matchup? Thanks for the photos and taking a look.

That's a very accomplished build...................for some of us veterans, let alone a first build. Well done! Good job on the period correct sheen, whether intended or not.

An observation - the 2K certainly gives it shine, but I think the quality you want with chrome is reflection. So far, I've all the sealers I've seen reduce the reflection. Adding the 2K over it just makes everything thicker and out of scale to my eye. I prefer leaving it bare and handling carefully with gloves. Even 2K on bodies sometimes gives the appearance of a cheap diecast. YMMV.

Thanks for all the reference photos, but where are the pictures of the model? Your skill is otherworldly! You are an idol to those for whom the phrase "good enough" is anathema.

I was looking for someone walking around with the appetizers😜

Could be the start of an interesting sub-culture🤔

Sorry you're experiencing troubles! But they often masquerade as learning opportunities🤔. I recently had a lot of masking to do for chrome on a Cadillac. Where there was a lot of overlap, I took a fine brush and applied thinned liquid mask to the joins. Seemed to work as desired, a side benefit was getting some rounded ends to tapers, rather than a point. Have you tried wet sanding the color coat with 3000 to 4000 grit before the clear? Then 2 coats of 1clear:1thinner followed up with a couple at 1:2 ratio - just let it dry till you smell nothing on the body. Keep up the good work!

WOW! I can smell the musty interior through the screen!

In it's current iteration, almost looks like a dragster meant to take curves! Beautiful work.

Thanks for the additional information, I shall give it a try.

Now if you could just find a 1/12 scale human to drive it... I am curious as to what kind of powder was used to mix in with the steering wheel paint. Thanks, Les

Outstanding showcase for your considerable skills! The cloth seems wholly appropriate, reminds me of the blue cloth provided in the drop down tool kit of my BMW - good Bavarian connection!

Can we please hear what she sounds like at idle! And how was the traction in the snow? You are a MASTER!

I agree with your sentiments. I can understand the pleasure of possessing those fine kits, however to build them all might feel like being a slave to the production line. I've been working on a Heller Cadillac Eldorado for almost two years, it's slow for sure, but I constantly find ways of enhancing the substandard details which in turn allows me to learn and try new materials and techniques. I've not built a MFH kit. I do have the Climax Aston Martin Zagato in the stash. Open it occasionally, admire the details and quality, and see several ways of enhancing the build when the time comes. Point is, even the best of kits can present challenges and opportunities that test our skills and help use grow in proficiency. That's where the "fun" is for me. I've built on commission previously, spent too much time on each one and regretted seeing the little jewels going to their new homes. Surely some of the new owners valued the efforts. At least most of them didn't wonder why an adult was spending his time and money on a child's pastime. Fortunately I have friends that "get it". No harm in collecting, just be sure to savor the building!

Thanks for sharing the technique, will add it to my arsenal for future use😉. Les

Really nice work on your build! Excellent paint finish as well. Totally agree with your assessment. I have a Starter BWM CSL that is an absolute beauty. Are those actual leather hood straps? Great detailing if not.

Tamiya coarse and fine should work -they also have a finish polish, Novus polish is good as well. I've even used Simichrome metal polish previously. Try to avoid sanding clear parts unless they have a scratch that you can feel with your fingernail. If so sand all the way through to grit 12000 and polish. Usually just polish with compounds. With curved clear parts be careful, they are very brittle and even slight bending as you polish can induce stress marks. Also, it doesn't take much force to snap them! I've never cleared the clear, but have heard that Future Floor polish works well. The product is not made any longer and I know of no suitable substitute

I prefer spirit based acrylics or lacquers, sometimes even nail polish- I find that they sand out better for me and tend not to hide fine details. They also appear to be a little more durable for me YMMV. Definitely sand the primer, I like to use 2500 - 3000 and wet sand. If I'm going with a metallic top coat, I'll sand primer in increments up to 8000 grit. I find that the metallic lays out nice and flat with that method, otherwise a 3 dimensional bumpy surface appears under the clear coat that will remain even if you polish out the clear to glass smooth. Sanding metallics is very tricky, you've got to do it all uniformly - best if it can be avoided. Enamel is a metallic finish that can be sanded after fully cured. I do generally sand the solid color coats before clear 4000 to 8000 grit. As for clear , I like Mr.Hobby Clear super gloss and their Self leveling thinner( helps with limiting orange peel)- 1 or 2 coats at 50/50 (clear to thinner) ratio then 2 coats at a 30/70 ratio. Gives me less orange peel. Note this will take several days to cure enough for final wet sanding 4000 to 10 or12k. Then polish with compound. Not a fan of 2K clear - don't like the thickness, fumes, toxicity, and clean up. If you have quite a few decals, depending on their thickness, you might want 3 coats at 50/50 then sand down to get even edges and finish with the thinner coats. Practicing on the back of plastic spoons is a great way to get experience and try out various methods. Best of luck, Les

Enjoy your visit to Canada! I find it interesting that the "inspiration" photo shows the car at the time of Elvis' possession and the ignition is distributed by a magneto, while the restoration shows the use of a traditional distributor cap. I'm curious as to why they couldn't restore the original system. Just idle curiosity not relevant to any issues at hand. It certainly would have made it for you to replicate😉