Here is my first custom T-jet from the '70s - a Cigarbox plated Cobra body, no cockpit. I sprayed the body silver, masked the stripe and airbrushed transparent red on top. Tonneau cover and cockpit are shim brass, racing windshield cut from a blister pack, driver made from polyclay. Don't know why I didn't think of a rollbar. The extreme rake is because the Cigarbox/Sparkle Speeders had a short front post. Sides are darkened a bit from handling.

My second custom is a mild mod of the disappointing Maserati 3500 body. Most Tjets are a bit tall and chunky, but this clunker reminds me of my Dad's '49 Ford sedan. I decided to see what it would take to make it look more like a sports car.

Just darkening that huge slab of bright chrome behind the grille helped a lot. I used dark brown acrylic. Also did the hood intake, and around the bumpers to visually separate them from the body. Removed slopover with a damp toothpick. The bumper guards go back all the way to the body, adding to the chunky feel - I darkened the rear portion to thin them visually. Painted the very backs tan, as well as the chrome bit connecting the headlight to the turn indicator.

While I had the brush wet, I did the door grooves brown, wiping away the excess to leave a thin line, also under the bumps and door handles. I masked and painted the bottom edge of the body black to reduce apparent height. Silver paint on the details w/toothpick cleanup.

Tried to do the headlights silver+pearl-white over black to make them different from their chrome rims. Looking at the picture, I'd say it still needs some work. :confused: Wire wheels printed and punched out of metallic cardstock. Not bad from the side, but at an angle they are obviously outside the tires, not inside. I'll only stop the car at right angles to spectators. Hey, they were free.

Still not a great looking body, but I wouldn't be embarrassed to run it now.

-- D

Always looks good when you add that level of detail. A good wash on key areas will really make a car look good. :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr

Always looks good when you add that level of detail. A good wash on key areas will really make a car look good. :thumbsup::thumbsup: rr Thanks, RR. I was trying anything that would make the car look lighter and faster. The dark door/trunk/hood lines break it up so it doesn't look so much like a solid lump of tan putty.
-- D

Highlighting a few details and downplaying others makes a big difference. nd

Nice work D-slot. Ya Jenny Craiged her for sure!

I always thought the silly things looked like a Volvo sedan myself. Had a nice tan one a few years back that barfed out the entire trunk and rear post when I went to service it. Some of it now lives on in Video Jimmy's "O" guage chilipepper....snicker

Included fer giggles is a shot of an old 'Zotti that I resurrected from the pit kit wars. She was scratched to death...but curiously not the stripe. :rolleyes:

After a wet sand and a buff, the details were redotted best as possible. I added the Faller psuedo spokers from a dead german. I forget what vincent calls this rim. :confused:

Pic sucks...she's much prettier in person:wave:

I like those Maseratis! I would love to find a green one some day. (They did* make a green one, right?)

:

After a wet sand and a buff, the details were redotted best as possible. I added the Faller psuedo spokers from a dead german. I forget what vincent calls this rim. :confused:


I believe the Vincent wheel is called Alpina.

I like the way the Maserrati looks.

... Had a nice tan one a few years back that barfed out the entire trunk and rear post when I went to service it.

I guess it's true that the tan cars are brittle.

My Maser was barely run, but when I screwed the body back on with putty to check frame clearance, the front post exploded. :freak: I hadn't been willing to shorten the posts or cut off the backs of the bumperettes. I was trying to limit the mods to paint (removable), because the body was in such nice shape - but I might as well start grinding and filing now. Sigh.

-- D

I like those Maseratis! I would love to find a green one some day. (They did* make a green one, right?)
According to the Graham book, the T-jet Maser came in green, green w/white stripe, olive green and olive green w/white stripe.

Plus every other body color of the time but lemon yellow and grey. Too bad in a way, because Maserati made the 3500 only in black, silver, red, blue and grey (three different greys, actually, though two were "metalizzato.")

-- D

Bill.. think of it this way... your car died so mine could live on.

thanks!

also, HO models makes a great repop of this car... and he makes them up in just about any color you want.

Whoa!!!!! D-slot, Before ya get grinding; consider an original color matched repair from right here at Model Murdering. I can usually get it pretty darn close to original

The Moz can also "de-brittelized" (if thats a word?) and make it so you can run the screws in and out with confidence as well as tumbling it out of turn four with having a heart attack. Post a coupla pix of the damage or send them to me off board if you would prefer. Then I can really see what it would take to restore the damages.

I understand about sentimental favorites.



VJ: I always thought it was completely ironic that my Moz and the hapless GT-40, the base tan goop for the chili repair, finally made it's way back to it's birthplace...NY...by way of god knows where! The world works in mysterious ways.

Whoa!!!!! D-slot, Before ya get grinding; consider an original color matched repair from right here at Model Murdering. I can usually get it pretty darn close to original

The Moz can also "de-brittelized" (if thats a word?) and make it so you can run the screws in and out with confidence as well as tumbling it out of turn four with having a heart attack.

That's a very gracious offer, Bill. I know you work with dissolved-body goop. I've done it with white styrene before, but don't have any extra T-jet bodies to sacrifice. I need to bid on a few junker lots.

Post a coupla pix of the damage .... Then I can really see what it would take... Photo #1 is the Maserati's front post – two chunks broken out. I plan to do a "functional" repair (like the dune buggy in photo #2) - superglue or epoxy, and a band of 3/16" brass tubing. I'd be interested to hear any comments you have, and especially about debrittel-izing the tan plastic, so it won't crack up in a rollover.

My first idea was to do all mods with paint, which could be removed easily in case I ever decided to put the car back to "near mint." But, looking back, the idea is a bit silly – I'm never going to sell it. These aren't investments, they're toys, and meant to be played with; any guest on a race night is welcome to race the car and it will eventually pick up scratches and rubs. In fact, the chrome was so fragile that a surprising amount rubbed off during my "non-invasive" painting and cleanup - I had to respot with a silver paint pen. And removing my paint would also remove the factory silver paint on the details (something I didn't think of earlier). So it's never going to be "near mint" again. And that's okay.

Thanks for thinking of me. You and the guys on this forum are so generous to less experienced types like me.

-- David

Honestly David, I'm not a big proponenet of splints, sleeves, or prosthetic devices to repair screw posts! It does nothing to change chemistry or the overall problem with brittle, shrunken cars. This is not to say that they dont work just ducky and guys have been using them sucessfully for decades.

For the Maserati front post an out and out transplant is my preferred method of repair. While it could be schlobbered back together with all it's little chiclet pieces, the graft is easier to execute and more reliable in the longrun. For the type of repair shown a donor graft would be bonded in place using a longer t-jet volkswagen screw to hold it together.

I would probably do the buggy post in the same fashion (transplant), unless it was free of all super glue, or other glues. For the restoration process to work there can be NO foriegn materials in the vicinity. If however it's just split and clean the rear buggy post can be repaired easily with a few skims of tan.

The overall revitilization process is best done with glass and bumpers removed as the airbrush is the preffered method of application. Certainly the testors can be applied to the underside with a brush. However you gotta be quick to avoid brush strokes and tells. A tight masking job and the control provided by the airbrush is the ticket to avoiding a dissater. While the testors rejuvenates old styrene like magic ....it is certain death for stripes, tampos, and chrome!

This was an old Jag that I tried to customize about 20 years ago. This one is older than all the boys at the shop, so it's actually old, refinished to new 20 years ago, but now old again with age. Hope I didn't loose you. I screwed up and sanded off the headlights, but I did add a front spoiler, rounded off the rearend with staggered taillights. It's powered by an AFX chassis, with side chassis mounts removed. The windshied was left out for airflow. I guess it's about time to re-new it again, maybe add a rear spoiler, windshield , etc....then again I'll probably leave as is...RM

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc196/kwikdeals/DSC04038.jpg

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc196/kwikdeals/DSC04040.jpg

I'm digging that moldy olde Randy....very stylish!

Randy- Nice smooth lines on that Jag. I love the tail lights.
Jim

Shudder! LOL!
Honestly David, I'm not a big proponenet of splints, sleeves, or prosthetic devices...

... ummmm ... would it be better if I painted it tan? ... :rolleyes:

This is not to say that they dont work just ducky and guys have been using them sucessfully for decades.

Well, that's a relief.

... the airbrush is the preffered method of application. Certainly the testors can be applied ...
This would be Testors what? Liquid styrene cement?
(I couldn't remember if it was effective on that special T-jet plastic. If so, it's probably what I used on the Dune Buggy post. It's what I'd have tried first, anyhow.)
Please forgive my ignorance. I've done almost no work with T-jet bodies.
- Do the other bodies require replasticizing also, or just the tan ones?
- What is the best way to remove the glass without further damage to the body?

Thanks once again for all the help, Bill. I'll hold off on the grinding. After treating the body, I guess I'll use styrene cement to put the chiclets back together and press-fit the abhorrent brass band. Then, when a tan junker body comes my way, I can slice the whole thing off and do the proper post transplant as you recommend.:thumbsup:

-- D

Yes D-slot...3502...load it in yer airbrush...spray a coupla light even coats letting each one flash off before applying the other.

Note: The body should be as clean as you can get it. I scrub the bodies with cleanser and cherry pick any stains or spots. Keep in mind that anything that remains will become one with the car. The only way to remove inclusions is to grind and sand them out.

As you proceed with the spraying you can start to lay it on a little thicker but care should be taken not flood it to the point that it's puddling or running out the gaps. I spend extra time ensuring that the exterior masking is tight! You DONT want testors running top side. It'll flash off very quickly and the entire spraying process can be completed in on a lazy afternoon.

If you dont wanna remove the glass it is possible to mask the glass carefully and proceed with more lighter coats. The better the mask the better the results. The plastic will wick the solvent thru and thru. I tend to pound the stuff on like a gorilla but the technique is just as effective in lighter more careful applications. Tip toeing around glass and bumpers is often required on original cars. Sometimes ya just blow brittle cars up trying to remove the glass.

Yes, the process works on all styrene bodies whatever the color. As the body wicks up the testors it becomes more pliable and picks up a little weight. You can actually feel the difference.

As soon as the treatment is flashed I like to get the masking off straigh away. Screw a chassis into the treated body when it's curing. All the plastic is doing the watusi while the solvent is hot so I want to be sure that the body is jigged to a chassis so that when it takes it's initial "set" the screw holes will line up. Early on I learned that there can be quite a bit of movement especially in the older tan cars.

Coupla three er five days and I release the body from the chassis. The body will once again continue to outgas just as it did from the factory when it was born. Dunno how long the process will last or what the long term consequences are but I'm at two er three years and counting for some of them with no ill effects.

Paint is purely a decorative thing so I avoid it unless it was painted by the factory. Paint has never been anything but an annoyance to me in resorations. It is a enigma. It must either be protected to the extreme or completely removed. For that reason I only use it as the factory did. Much like lipstick it is purely a cosmetic thing and can wind up on yer collar. Testors will mar epoxy paints and run any conventional model paint. Were it me I would forego any lipstick or sleeves or CA and execute the repair when the chunks become available. Any foreign materials mixed in the repair zone will cause weak areas in the replacement styrene/goop, and often produces asthetically displeasing mottling or discoloration in the repaired area.

Hope this makes some sense and is helpful.

Hope this makes some sense and is helpful.
Yes indeed, Bill, very helpful and much appreciated.:thumbsup: But I could use a bit of clarification on this point:

... the process works on all styrene bodies whatever the color.
That makes sense, but what I wanted to know is whether the any of the other colors generally need the process, or whether it's only the tan ones that tend to get so brittle as to require the solvent treatment to keep from cracking up under normal use.
-- D

Keeping that in mind one can easily say that tan is THE worst by far.

My personal observations are just that and of course will differ from other peoples experiences.

Later t-jet dark blue has shown itself to be a problem

AFX Daytona blue is another that I have serious trust issues with.

IMHO, the single biggest contributing factor is storage. What kind of life did it lead? Was it exposed to excessive UV or heat?...and for how many years?
During this period of neglect was the body attached to a chassis?

From what era is this hypothetical car? Vibe, early t-jet, late t-jet, AFX?...and is it a thick wall or thinwall body.

As you can see the potential for variation is huge. My observations are such...

By enlarge the Vibes have held the test of time rather well. Other than the Hot Rod, which is very thin in places they were pretty thick for the most part and had very robust screw posts and the bumps were molded in. Certainly some of the delicate appointments such as roofs, glass, and drivers were a weak point; sadly most of them were butchered rather than broken. Even today I am amazed at how tough they still are. when beyond salvation they are my coveted first choice for repair plasic. GOOD STUFF!

I break t-jets into two periods early and late. Many of the early cars retained the thickwall design of the vibes and were very tough. Some of the later T-jets were eggshell thin... the Beetle...the AMX...the Torino....etc.

Which brings me to an important point/observation... the thinner bodies while inherently weaker due to having less material, also appear to age/outgas more rapidly.

Hold that thought. More later....gotta go mow some lawn before the sprinklers come on

Hold that thought. More later....gotta go mow some lawn before the sprinklers come on

If you stop watering the grass it quits growing...You have shared so much with us I was happy to see I could pass along this toad of wisdom...lol...

If you stop watering the grass it quits growing...You have shared so much with us I was happy to see I could pass along this toad of wisdom...lol...

We used to go gold ya know! Amber waves of grain and all that. Then a decree came down from the war department. The turf WILL be green!
So now I maintain a short but level par four.

So where did I leave off? Oh yeah .... so any how the thinner the material the quicker it gasses out....duh! You've all seen broken A pillars on your t-jets...LOL...but did ya ever notice how brittle they are relative to say the rest of the car? Often the little nibblets that remain are so crispy that even a strong cross wind will break them out let alone any attempts at straightening.

Granted they are naturally weak because they are thinner, but it's my assertion that they are less flexible because they have outgassed at a faster rate than the thicker portions of the body. The reverse is also inplay. To straighten a noodled pillar or vent post one can work/wick sucessive drops of trestors into the area and it will become workable rather quickly.

Thus thin areas are plagued by two problems. A thin spot with a little age and some undue stress always result in "chiclets". Coach's 6 Wheel Elf beer wagon was a classic example ( the dreaded AFX blue ) of brittle NOS plastic. It blew out in two thin places just removing the G-plus chassis. As the modification list required the addition of a lot of plastic reinforcement this body wicked alot of solvent via the modifications. By the third day it was again supple as a newborn.

If I had any decent advice it would be that relieving screwpost stress is probably the number one thing an owner can do for old styrene bodies. This is done by putting a drop or so of 3502 into the screw hole and carefully winding the screw in (with chassis) until it just seats. Allow the whole shebang to sit for 3 days or so and remove the screw. Dont remove the screw early or you'll gut the post threads....they MUST dry. Virtually no skill required....just patience.

What yer doing is relieving the "shrink stress" from the screw post. Absurdly tight mounting screws encourage one to grip or wrestle the car when it's time for service...next thing ya know you've cracked a screw post or accidentally stressed a pillar. One should be able to zip the screws in and out using only a light touch.

You can kind of tell plastic explosive cars by the way they sound and feel. Cars with a short fuse will sound creaky and dry when you handle them for service. If you do enough of them you'll notice that they will also have a different timbre when you tap them with a platic screwdriver handle. Vitale's restoration book teaches us that and injection molded body will make a "tink" sound where as a resin cast will make a deeper "tunk" sound. A severly outgassed and brittle car will make an even higher tone when ya "tink" it. ;)
Sounds weird but it's just how it is.

This just popped into my head. Another dastardly bastage color is drab Olive! This includes T-jet (darker) and AFX (lighter). I've seen Peace Tanks crumble like a Dorito which is no big loss LOL....but when the a pillars snap out of yer rare T-jet Dodge Charger.... it aint so funny!

So D-slot the question is sort of a "How high is up?" type. No real definative answers to be had ....just tendencies. Sometimes the little buggers just blow up in your hands because...

A. It's one of the "danger" colors
B. It wasnt stored in the best of conditions
C. It wanted to punish you
D. It just aint yer day
E. All of the above

Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum E? Yes definatly E

Bob...E...zilla

Just when I thought I had it down and now I gotta re-think tunk and tink!! ;)Tanks. nd