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Ford Mustang 1964 1/2 Convertible 1/16 from the Coupe AMT kit: the Indy 500 Pace Car


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I would think very carefully about leaving the plastic unpainted, even if it is an exact match to Wimbledon White. Styrene is very susceptible to ultra-violet light (e.g. sunlight) which breaks down its integrity. If you put no finish on it, in the long term the surface will chalk and the plastic itself will become very brittle (in extreme cases it can start to turn to powder). If you want to leave the plastic unpainted, you really ought to apply a clear finish over it that contains UV-resistant additives - at which point you might just as well paint it, since paint acts as a barrier to UV light.

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On 11/09/2018 at 22:36, mdesaxe said:

I would think very carefully about leaving the plastic unpainted, even if it is an exact match to Wimbledon White. Styrene is very susceptible to ultra-violet light (e.g. sunlight) which breaks down its integrity. If you put no finish on it, in the long term the surface will chalk and the plastic itself will become very brittle (in extreme cases it can start to turn to powder). If you want to leave the plastic unpainted, you really ought to apply a clear finish over it that contains UV-resistant additives - at which point you might just as well paint it, since paint acts as a barrier to UV light.

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Thanks mdesaxe for thisĀ interesting comment. I could indeed apply a Clear finish as protective coat against UV (I would have probably to apply such a Clear over my decals, anyway...) even if my model should not be exposed to the sunlight, only to DEL in a showcase.

However, It would be interestingĀ to order the Testors ref. you mentioned above. Pity,Ā it is unavailable except with very expensive shipping costs, coming from USA. Do you have a tip about the best way to order this paint for a reasonableĀ price? I admit it is very difficult to say if the AMT really matches with the Wimbledon White, as I refer to photos like this one:

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Ā I would like to see the real car. I will try to contact Hubert Hainault about that because the beautiful Coupe 1964 1/2 shown in his book seems to belong to someone who lives near Nice, not so far from me...

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I am in the possibly-fortunate position of having to cross the pond several times a year, so I simply pack some of them in my checked baggage. I do not know of a source for Model Master aerosols in Europe, perhaps because of environmental regulation restrictions limiting their distribution. I do know that the Duplicolor range of colour-matchedĀ touch-up aerosols for full-size cars is available, though. You would be wise to shop around for these because prices seem to fluctuate wildly!

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Nice makeover :DĀ Ā 

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lqlFTf.jpg&key=07c116b71e74e5575ff514c2c

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SsQJCU.jpg&key=851b1d808a0c118723af4cc30Ā 

You're still working on the original 1978Ā moulds-derived mediocre AMT kit, right?

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Which isĀ still 1/16th scale? :)Ā 

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Anyway, regarding home-made decals: it might be a thought to try to get hold of the decals used by Monogram in their kit of this car:Ā 

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173909-31278-74-pristine.jpg

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Frankly I'm always worried that they decals are not fully correct and cannot be directly used by a demanding modeller such as yourself, but at least you'd have a basis.Ā Ebay prices for this kit start from $7,69 (leaving you, after scanning of the decal sheet, with a full kit) but perhaps someone (try Scalemates) is even willing to part from their decal sheet as I'm sure not everyone would build a pace car model even if they had this exact set. Once you have the decal sheet you can scan, enlarge and if necessary amend it.Ā 

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Thanks Jeroens and Roy, yes, it was a patient job to get convincing wheels and tyres.

Yes, Roy, I use the 1/16 scale 1978 original AMT kit. Only decals are more recent and quite good quality. More, they give the opportunity to choose the Pace Car version (see my post# 121 on p. 5).

The only missing detail on the AMT decal sheet is the special 500 licence plate.

I didnā€™t know the existence of the Monogram kit you just posted, great that you found it (I only found the Convertible Revell shown in the post# 26). I would probably have built the latter if I had known.Ā 
You show one more time (see the 806 thread) that you are a great finder!

I would like to buy this Mongram kitĀ but I only find it with expensive shipping costs (the cheapest is at 32,97ā‚¬ with shipping). Can you send me the link of the ebay kit you found at low cost please?

It will be interesting to have this 1/24 version of the car I build at 1/16, even if I don't expect a much better kit, especially at a small scale...

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Cheers

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Olivier

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For now, I go on thinking I will not use any paint on my body, because the AMT sprues seem to matchĀ with the Wimbledon White (see my post# 177 above). Though, I will certainlyĀ use a Clear varnish after the decal job, and that's why I have done trials, not over (I have applied the varnish, but have to wait before buffing it). Here is what I get on my roof before applying the Alclad Klear Kote:Ā 

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V0zbUU.jpg

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Furthermore, I have noticed that a gap was missing on the AMT kit:

Mvtx0b.jpg

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I have begun recreating this gap, but I have realized that there was another big problem with my build in this area: when I glued my bumper (post#96 p. 4), I put it a bit too low, and so, I have a wrong stair step. It seems to me difficult to remove the bumper now, even with cyano remover, and I decide (I was sure I would have to do it at a moment) to order a second kit, what I just did, from the same seller on ebay. This second kit will certainly be useful for other details, anywayā€¦

XYkEqp.jpg

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... such as this grid, that needs to be cut and refined a lot, to create gaps missing on the AMT kit:

smxbzL.jpg

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I have ordered on ebay too the Monogram kit that Roy has shown in the post# 181 above. I ignored totally the existence of an Indy Pace Car kit, as I said above. This kit, even old and at a different scale, should be useful for some aspects of my build, especially the hood cover.

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N.B: on theĀ restored Mustang above, the Wimbledon White seems to be more white...

while on most of period pics, the AMT styrene matches much better:

bG2k7G.jpg

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But my own photos of the AMT sprues, taken in my garage/ workbench, are less white than what they are really...

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On 12/09/2018 at 17:24, mdesaxe said:

I do know that the Duplicolor range of colour-matchedĀ touch-up aerosols for full-size cars is available, though. You would be wise to shop around for these because prices seem to fluctuate wildly!

Dear mdesaxe,

it seems that, like Testors, the Duplicolor are unavailable in Europe, and the shipping costs from USA areĀ nearly as expensive as the Testors ones. Don't you have to cross the pond soon??Ā ;)

Because color (here the Wimbledon White) may vary a lot from a photo to another, I would have prefferedĀ to check the color before taking theĀ decision to leave the body unpainted...Ā 

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I talked to my brother-in-law (living in Maisoncelles), who is very involved hands-on in restoring vintage cars, about sources for paints. Together, we did some checking on Ford MustangĀ paint codes to see if we could find sources. As probably is typical of bureaucracies, Ford had three different codes for the Wimbledon White cars. On the door jamb plate the codes stamped were either M or 9A, which correspondedĀ to a dealer code of M1619 (all codes for the same colour paint!). We ended up finding three possible sources for aerosol bombes of the correct paint: Essex Mustang Centre in England (www.essexmustang.com), and peinturevoiture.fr and Pecamax (pecamax.fr) in France. All three carry Wimbledon White in 400ml aerosols. The prices vary widely, probably because the paints have different sources. Here are the specific pages we found:

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https://www.essexmustang.com/parts/categories/64-73-mustang-exterior-lacquer-touch-up-paint-187Ā (paint by Highway Classics)

https://code.peinturevoiture.fr/83877.htmlĀ (don't know manufacturer)

https://www.pecamax.fr/peinture-carrosserie-ford-america-code-couleur-9a-couleur-white-annee-1964-1993.htmlĀ (paint by Motip)

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Note that Pecamax has all three codes listed in the index page but they all have the same manufacturer's (Motip) reference code so they all are the same colour: MTP-M45900.

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Hope this helps.

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NyWLvf.jpg

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Here are the conclusions of my trials with decals:

- where there are decals, it is absolutely necessary to apply a good Clear varnish. The Klear Kote is very good, but the manufacturer recommends to use it not thinned, and you get a grain that you have to eliminate (after complete drying) by polishing and buffing. The final result, after this job, is really very good.

- where there are no decals, I am not sure it is necessary to apply the varnish, but maybe I will though, to avoid a small difference of aspect, especially in the long term. Anyway, there are many decals on theĀ Indy 500 version body, so...

- About the paint, if the Pecamax color matchesĀ with the AMT styrene, I will leave my body unpainted, to avoid an imho unnecessary job, with risks of problems (loose of details, defects). I will use the paint only if the colors are different. Notice that this photo gives a much better idea than the previous ones, done with my Iphone, of the AMT styrene color...

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N6r0CS.jpg

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This photo above shows that it is necessary to sand the Klear Kote from 6000 grit (and not from 12000 like I did before) to get a smooth state of surface and a really nice mirror effect. Maybe I should have even begun from 4000 (to test...), but the result is very good, even in areas whereĀ the Klear Kote was applied (no significant or very low difference with the reference areas, AMT styrene polished and buffed).

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N.B: on the decals, because of the initial thick grain, it remains a small grain, but it is acceptable. We must consider that the inscriptions and strips applied on the Indy 500 were stickers, not paint. So there wasĀ probably a difference of brightness and state of surface between the latter and the body. And anyway, I don't see how I could improve that more than I did...

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P.S (edit 15 mn later): I have polished again, from 4000 grit (I worried about removing my varnish) and the result is still better, especially on the decals. I now know exactly how I will proceed with the body paint. If only I could get the same result with the Chrome surfaces, that remain not totally satisfying up to now...

I am gonna do trials with the C1Ā powder, and will compare with the Molotow LC...

The challenge with the C1 powder is to get a very smooth gloss black surface (key of the success, as it seems) without using the compounds (the manufacturer and videos say that C1 doesn't work on polished surface). The problem is that I don't know how to get such a smooth and gloss surface just by airbrushingĀ the paint. Any suggestion welcome...

For my trials, I prepared 2 areas, one Gloss Black (X1 enamel Tamiya), and one dark metal (mix of Gloss Black and X31 Titanium Silver). After drying, I will apply the C1 powder on both surfaces and see if I can get a convincing Chrome...Ā 

N41n2X.jpg

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N.B: In thisĀ You TubeĀ video

https://youtu.be/MfnJwFYs89Q, the guy explainsĀ he uses the Tamiya TS-14 (Gloss Black), without saying if he sprayed it from the can or from an airbrush. Anyway, he gets a very nice sheen and a smooth surface. I have ordered the TS-14, hoping I will be able to get the same base coat...

WopQgG.pngĀ Ā 

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I made the first trial with the C1 powder. I first sanded from 3600 to 12000 grit with the Micromesh, in order to get a smooth surface. I supposed - with right, happily - that, when the instructions said: "no polishing", it meant in fact "no buffing". I couldn't imagine that just polishing the paint would prevent the C1 powder to work. And here is the result I get on my P-51D Mustang wing:

3cGioI.jpg

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Well, imho, that is a very nice result, that could give amazing results on a bare metal aircraft, with subltle shades. Maybe a bit too dark for bumpers, I will do a trial with rather a gun metal base coat.Ā 

Anyway, this C1 powder is definitely a great product, giving a very nice metal look,Ā a real mirror effect (still better than what the photo suggests) and a very fine grain (if the base coat is smooth),Ā thanks to Marco to have given this tip, that could be very useful for a future aicraft build..

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And here is what I get over my mix X1/ X32: an amazing satin metal look (the photo doesn't completely do justice to it, but you would swear this is metal and not styrene), that would be great too for an aircraft (to remember...) but no mirror effect so no interest for my bumpers... Ā I am afraid the only way to get the mirror effect is to have a Gloss Black base. I will do however trials with the Tamiya Gloss Gun Metal TS 38, that I ordered with the TS 14. Ā Indeed, the very nice Chrome you get with the C1 powder on a Black base coat is rather a Dark Chrome... And my intuition (I am rather an optimist...) tells me that this TS 38 could be a very good base coat under the C1 powder.

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Hoping all this is of interest... (maybe you all ever know what I just find outĀ :D)

HEqD7H.jpg

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Good new: leaving a long time (several hours) in place the great Cyberbond cyano remover, I could remove with care my front bumper that was placed too low. We have here one of the main advantages of using cyano rather than polystyrene cement. It would have been completely impossible to do the same thing with the latter, that welds really the parts together. While you can goĀ back with the cyano, thanks to the remover. In this case, I was sceptical because I had used a lot of cyano to fill the gaps (the cyano is the best filler, imho, I learnt that from Juan Manuel Villalba - that I greet affectionately, I know he follows the thread -).

Having removed this bumper will help me giving the right shape and dimensions to the perpendicular appendixes (see my post# 104 p. 5), and improve some other details of this front area.

More soon...

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As I said above, I could take advantage of removing my bumper to improve it. The shape has been rounded, the vertical appendixes have been improved too, the surface is smooth now, and the pads have been added.

The question now is: what option to represent as well as possible their Chrome aspect.

If I can get a lighter Chrome with the Gloss Gun Metal (instead of Black), I will probably choose the C1 powder, for the great mirror effect and the best metal look, impressive...

DQcLKl.jpg

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I think I got it! I think I got it!!Ā 

Those of you who begin to know me are awareĀ that I am a tough guy.

After many trials, I think I found the key to get a good bright Chrome aspect (not as perfect as a manufacturer one, but very acceptable).

I have sprayed the whole rear bumper with high air pressure and high paint flow, and here is the result:

DGkVMb.jpg

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I have always, up to now, been used to airbrush with a low pressure and low paint flow, working slowly and getting so a fine grain. But if you do so with the Molotow, you will never get a convincing Chrome. I had to force myself to work very differently, but the result is there, and I like it. The C1 powder will find other applications, but it definitely gives a too dark Chrome that imhoĀ doesn't match with the Mustang bumpers.

I don't think I will use any varnish on my "Molotowed" bumpers, I will just wait 48 h before handling them and yet, carefully, with gloves...

I hope my experience will be useful for other modelers. I could have earned time if I could have got such infos, instead of stumble around like I did from the moment I got this product.

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N.B: I will have to remove the Molotow on my rear bumper because I have to add the pads first (and maybe other corrections if necessary). But this removal will be easy, by placing 1 mn the bumper in a US tank filled with 90 * rubbing alcohol (Molotow LC is an acrylic paint)

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Of course, I could just paint in black the slots, to simulate them, but I could get a much more realistic result (requiring much more work...) by recreating them, what requires first to decrease a lot the styrene thickness at this level:

o5suDI.jpg

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Thanks Harvey! Yes, the C1 powder is a great product, that gives a very nice metal look (you can get quite different and subtle shadesĀ following the color and the more or less bright base coat). In fact, I am not yet sure (despite my enthusiam in my post# 196 above) to use the Molotow. Even applied in thick coat, I can't get with the latter the mirror effect of a vintage car bumper like the Mustang. The challenge would beĀ to get a lighter Chrome with the C1. I am going on doing trials and will draw conclusions soon.

About my last post (197), I have reconsidered the thickness required. 0,4 mm is too thin, and 1 mm is good. Under 1 mm, you get an undesired transparency of the styrene that I have to avoid especially if I choose theĀ unpainted body option.

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Cheers

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Olivier

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1) I have got today the Pecamax can (to use as reference for the Wimbledon White). I made a first trial:Ā 

q67PGm.jpg

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N.B: I am gonna apply the Klear Kote and buff it now, so that I will check the final result with and without painting.

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2) Unlike what I intended to do (unpaint the body), I will have no choice. The styrene gives subtle shades differences, following its thickness. The paint will be necessary to get a regular result.Ā 

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1Z2NV5.jpg

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N.B: the result is poor for now, it will be difficult to get a nice result with these slots. One of the conditions is to decrease the thickness (very thin sheet on the real car) to about 0,4 mm (my initial idea) what supposes that I will have to apply the Pecamax paint, in order to give opacity to the transparency thin styrene.

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3) I have also got today the Tamiya TS-14 and TS-38, and I am doing a new (and last) trial with the C1 powder. I hope I will be able to get a less dark Chrome...

i4atH5.jpg

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N.B: the TS-38 doesn' t give the same sheen than the TS-14 (impressive with the latter, really beautiful laquer look).Ā 

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4) If I can't get a light Chrome with the C1 powder over my samples, I will certainly choose Ā the followingĀ combination:

iMTax2.jpg

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