'65 Chevelle

[Natortot]

I've had this car sitting in my project room for months. Now that I've finished the Impala though, I think I should keep the ball rolling and break open this kit. 

For those that care, there are two "firsts" for me happening on this build. One, I just absolutely love the gold paint on the cover car. So, for the first time ever I'm going to try and match the cover car exactly. And two, I'm painting the body with lacquer. Again, I've never used a lacquer before so, if anyone has any tips or hints or does and don'ts, I'm all ears. 

I'll try and keep everyone up to date on the build without being annoying.

Cheers.

Edited March 7, 2016 by Natortot

[espo]

This is a great kit, I've built two of them so far. On the paint issues you might check some of the past paint questions on the Q & A section for some input. Unless you are 100% on the Testors paint I would like to offer an alternative. I just finished an El Camino that I used Tamiya TS-21 Gold on. I personally prefer Tamiya products, but many here have great success with Testors also. Do the old plastic spoon thing and try different primer colors under which ever body paint you use, Some times a white primer will make the color brighter than a gray or a black primer. It looks like you have enough different small bottle paint color to cover the spectrum.  

[vintagercr]

I look forward to seeing more pics

[Natortot]

You know, I've looked into the Tamiya products before but, there aren't any craft shops around here that sell the stuff. I'll have to look online and see if I can order some. I've dabbled all over the low end of the spectrum, using everything from ColorPlace to Rustoleum. None of them have even come close to giving what anyone would consider a good paint job. The closest I've been so far was on the Impala and I used Testors 3 part rattlers. Grey primer, metallic red under coat and a transparent metallic blue over coat. The effect turned out great, despite the fact that it literally has about 9 coats of paint on it. (You can check it out in the 'Under Glass' thread here, http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2016_03/IMAG0969.jpg.f8c7f839d294bdd7dc291cd7c656cc95.jpg. I've seen some of their (Tamiya) kits around the forums too but, they seem a little pricey. These Revell kits go for somewhere around $25 here depending on the car. I saw an MX5 kit from Tamiya that was running like $50... For Miata... Haha I'm not gonna lie. I honestly did think about buying one. Only because I've been driven crazy lately by the thought of dropping an LS3 into one of them. I was thinking about maybe taking a couple of different kits, one chevy and one MX5 and intermixing the parts to see how it comes out before I decide to do it in real life.

Cheers.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Natortot

[espo]

You know, I've looked into the Tamiya products before but, there aren't any craft shops around here that sell the stuff. I'll have to look online and see if I can order some. I've dabbled all over the low end of the spectrum, using everything from ColorPlace to Rustoleum. None of them have even come close to giving what anyone would consider a good paint job. The closest I've been so far was on the Impala and I used Testors 3 part rattlers. Grey primer, metallic red under coat and a transparent metallic blue over coat. The effect turned out great, despite the fact that it literally has about 9 coats of paint on it. (You can check it out in the 'Under Glass' thread here, <a href="http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/uploads/monthly_2016_03/IMAG0969.jpg.f8c7f839d294bdd7dc291cd7c656cc95.jpg"Foose Impala</a>). I've seen some of their (Tamiya) kits around the forums too but, they seem a little pricey. These Revell kits go for somewhere around $25 here depending on the car. I saw an MX5 kit from Tamiya that was running like $50... For Miata... Haha I'm not gonna lie. I honestly did think about buying one. Only because I've been driven crazy lately by the thought of dropping an LS3 into one of them. I was thinking about maybe taking a couple of different kits, one chevy and one MX5 and intermixing the parts to see how it comes out before I decide to do it in real life.

Cheers.

I mentioned my disappointment with Testors products in general, but in relooking at your picture, it looks as if the paint your about to use on the body is their One Coat #1839M Inca Gold. This color label is I think their latest issue. I have used this particular paint and have been very happy with the results. The cans I have where all purchased over six months ago or more. At that time they used a black colored label and that may be why I was suggesting another product to use. The Inca Gold is a very bright and almost Metal Flack looking. The Tamiya paint that I used would have given you a more high metallic look. Are going for the tutone or vinyl top look or staying with the single color ?

[mikemodeler]

A couple of thoughts here:

1. The Testors One Coats tend to have a LOT of metallic flakes in them, and as was mentioned above, do a spray test to make sure it looks good to YOU!

2. The Tamiya Lacquers are fantastic and easy to work with. They have a ton of colors and probably more than Testors. I use both but prefer the Tamiya.

3. Tamiya Lacquers (and Testors) can be ordered and shipped UPS from Tower Hobbies. They have various offers/discounts that makes ordering from them too easy! One of their popular options is free shipping on $25 orders and their service is usually quite fast.

Best of luck in this next build, looking forward to seeing it.

[DumpyDan]

I look forward to seeing more pics

Ya more pics

[Natortot]

So, last night I started getting everything cleaned and prepped up and was just skimming over the build plan when I noticed that I completely misdiagnosed the color of the car. On the box, it certainly looks gold to me. However, the plan specically calls for Gloss Yellow or Gloss Red for the body (the two colors shown on the box). As my plan was to try and do an exact replica of the cover car, I now have a dillema. I really like the gold that I bought, but now it's going to clash with a few eninge parts that will be the same color. I think what I'll wind up doing is scrapping the idea of using the gold and simply buy the yellow. Now that I'm going to need a new base coat anyway, I may as well try and get some Tamiya paint. I'll spend some time this evening scouring the threads to see if I can narrow down what I want to buy. 

Thanks again for all the comments and tips. You guys are a great help. 

Cheers.

[espo]

So, last night I started getting everything cleaned and prepped up and was just skimming over the build plan when I noticed that I completely misdiagnosed the color of the car. On the box, it certainly looks gold to me. However, the plan specically calls for Gloss Yellow or Gloss Red for the body (the two colors shown on the box). As my plan was to try and do an exact replica of the cover car, I now have a dillema. I really like the gold that I bought, but now it's going to clash with a few eninge parts that will be the same color. I think what I'll wind up doing is scrapping the idea of using the gold and simply buy the yellow. Now that I'm going to need a new base coat anyway, I may as well try and get some Tamiya paint. I'll spend some time this evening scouring the threads to see if I can narrow down what I want to buy. 

Thanks again for all the comments and tips. You guys are a great help. 

Cheers.

If you want to go with something like an OEM Lemonwood Yellow that was real popular on these you might check out Model Master # 28102 Phoenician Yellow. This is a Ford color but it looks just right for the Chevrolet Yellow for that year.

[fiatboy]

I see that no one has mentioned "Duplicolor"; I seem to remember a number of builders using this.  I was wandering around Hobby Lobby and I saw other brands, too, that some modelers use.  

[MrBuick]

Other than some metallics having out-of-scale flaking in the paint, I don't think there's a paint out there that you couldn't get a good finish with, I just think there are some that make it far easier to achieve than others, and I don't think you can skip from one brand to another and paint the same way. For instance, I've got a few early builds that I want to touch up that were painted with Testors...absolutely no prep was done to the body (not even washing it), no primer, no clear, no color sanding, and the paint was probably sprayed on too thick, yet really the only thing wrong (in my eyes anyway) is a slight orange-peel, which isn't really noticeable until you look at it closely under light. It looks like it should be easy enough to color-sand and apply a final coat, then clear, but if I would have done it right the first time I think it would have come out fine. I've got another one on the bench now that I'm probably gonna end up stripping that was done in Rustoleum that's heavily orange-peeled. Again, no body prep was done, but I did lay a primer, but again, no sanding of the primer, no sanding between color coats, and again I think I probably sprayed it on too thick. I've never tried Tamiya either, as I've not seen it locally, and I've just never bothered to order any, but from what I understand it's about the easiest to work with. There is a local hobby shop in town that may carry it, but I've always avoided going there because they have a bad reputation of price-gouging and being a-holes to their customers, and they cater more to remote-control hobbyists than modelers. 

[mikemodeler]

Order your Tamiya paint online from Tower Hobbies. They have more colors than most hobby shops and you don't have to deal with a shop that doesn't appreciate your business. They often offer free shipping on orders over $25.

The trick to a great looking paint job is in the prep work. Take your time, check and re-check the body work before you spray the color coats. Make sure your paint area is clean, the paint is at the right temperature and lay on the paint in light coats. If you are like me, you get impatient and want to rush the process, but I have noticed that when I take my time, I save myself from extending wet sanding and polishing.