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- sxezach
Well I mean, this isn't a Hot Wheels website.
Hot Wheels and Matchbox Customizing Thread
- Thread starter CodeRedR51
- 9,230 comments
- 1,196,946 views
Cano
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- Cephiro
Word.
CodeRedR51
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Not my job to keep you up to date. Already told you theres a place for that.
- 2,153
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- sxezach
I'm not saying that's your responsibility. What I am saying is that you can't expect everyone to keep 100% up to date on Hot Wheels who aren't on a Hot Wheels specific website.
- 4,200
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I don't really keep on top of HW news myself, so when i do venture into these HW threads, i do find that a lot of it goes over my head.
I can kind of see what AOS is getting at, as when i first saw the Camaro i did ask myself: "did he do the paintjob aswell", it wasn't until i read further into it, R1600 pointed out that it was a new HW colourway. I think what R1600's done to the car improves it ten-fold, and that for me is what makes it such an awesome custom... it just looks every way complete (minus the grill
, though TBH it still looks great without it, i'd be tempted to just leave it).
If casual viewers do stumble across the custom Camaro and think that R1600 did the paintjob aswell, i'd doubt they be overly impressed with one major flaw:
Don't get me wrong, i absolutely love this pic
(probably my favourite), but come-on... look how off center that stripe is, 
typical HW tampo misplacement...
PS, that Scalemaster RX7 is Awesome!, but not really feeling those Skylines.. have seen much better.
I can kind of see what AOS is getting at, as when i first saw the Camaro i did ask myself: "did he do the paintjob aswell", it wasn't until i read further into it, R1600 pointed out that it was a new HW colourway. I think what R1600's done to the car improves it ten-fold, and that for me is what makes it such an awesome custom... it just looks every way complete (minus the grill
, though TBH it still looks great without it, i'd be tempted to just leave it).If casual viewers do stumble across the custom Camaro and think that R1600 did the paintjob aswell, i'd doubt they be overly impressed with one major flaw:
Don't get me wrong, i absolutely love this pic
(probably my favourite), but come-on... look how off center that stripe is, typical HW tampo misplacement...PS, that Scalemaster RX7 is Awesome!, but not really feeling those Skylines.. have seen much better.
Cano
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- Cephiro
Lets see another car, now.
You could say this car was in the process for almost 14 years.
I bought this Stutz Blackhawk off the pegs back in 1998, the last time the casting was seen on the basic line before being Final Run'd in '99. Back then I wasn't into collecting old stuff so I didn't have any version of the car, which I have always liked, it's so freaking bizarre, so I picked it up...
Even if it was SO got damn awful with the three-blade wheels and the horrible tampos. So back in 1998, as soon as I got home I grabbed some nail paint remover from my mom amd some cotton and went to town, removing the tampos. That's right, the car has been "customized" since new.
Like that it sat for years, with only the tampos removed but still sporting the horrible, and horribly fitted (they poke out like that) three-spoke wheels. Until a couple months ago, when reorganizing some boxes, I found it. And of course, since 1998 I've learned a few tricks, and since I already have several vintage versions of the casting (including the rare made in Mexico thing) and this one was already modified, well...
I revised the story of the car and realized that, oddly, it never came out with white walls, which would have seemed a natural for this thing, so that's what I went with, finding a set that fitted it perfectly, I only had to modify the chassis filing some offending bits of metal; coincidentially, this also eliminated the wheels poking out like three meters from each side of the car. They were now perfectly fit.
I didn't like the white interior so I painted it some caramel hue then blasted some matte clear over it:
Ready for putting it back together:
And this is the result, using the origial paint liberated from its horrible tampos in 1998, and wheel-swapped in 2012. That's 14 years in the making.
The few things that can be detailed such as the grille in black, door handles, turn signals and taillights received the treatment:
The stance of the car even in real life is like this, nose high, dunno why:
And that's it. Again, few changes made all the difference in the world, I really really like how this car looks with the new wheel combo.
You could say this car was in the process for almost 14 years.
I bought this Stutz Blackhawk off the pegs back in 1998, the last time the casting was seen on the basic line before being Final Run'd in '99. Back then I wasn't into collecting old stuff so I didn't have any version of the car, which I have always liked, it's so freaking bizarre, so I picked it up...
Even if it was SO got damn awful with the three-blade wheels and the horrible tampos. So back in 1998, as soon as I got home I grabbed some nail paint remover from my mom amd some cotton and went to town, removing the tampos. That's right, the car has been "customized" since new.
Like that it sat for years, with only the tampos removed but still sporting the horrible, and horribly fitted (they poke out like that) three-spoke wheels. Until a couple months ago, when reorganizing some boxes, I found it. And of course, since 1998 I've learned a few tricks, and since I already have several vintage versions of the casting (including the rare made in Mexico thing) and this one was already modified, well...
I revised the story of the car and realized that, oddly, it never came out with white walls, which would have seemed a natural for this thing, so that's what I went with, finding a set that fitted it perfectly, I only had to modify the chassis filing some offending bits of metal; coincidentially, this also eliminated the wheels poking out like three meters from each side of the car. They were now perfectly fit.
I didn't like the white interior so I painted it some caramel hue then blasted some matte clear over it:
Ready for putting it back together:
And this is the result, using the origial paint liberated from its horrible tampos in 1998, and wheel-swapped in 2012. That's 14 years in the making.
The few things that can be detailed such as the grille in black, door handles, turn signals and taillights received the treatment:
The stance of the car even in real life is like this, nose high, dunno why:
And that's it. Again, few changes made all the difference in the world, I really really like how this car looks with the new wheel combo.
AOS-
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I'm saying something closer to tan would've been a little nicer.
What kind of nail polish remover are you using? You probably don't remember, but the one I grabbed from work (reserve judgement for later) leaves a yellowish stain on a white body, and it also removed the gloss.
What kind of nail polish remover are you using? You probably don't remember, but the one I grabbed from work (reserve judgement for later) leaves a yellowish stain on a white body, and it also removed the gloss.
CodeRedR51
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I just picked up some Acetone to remove tampos.
Cano
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- Cephiro
Atrix stuff. Really, whatever remover you can find at the drugstore. Bare acetone, like 1600's, also works extremely well. I've never had tha yellowish stain problem before, but I've taken the paint with me also. This is specially true with more recent cars, the paint jobs are trash lately. Back in the day you could really take a dab of cotton dripping with nail polish remover to the paint of a car and nothing would happen.
CodeRedR51
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I bought some dry erase markers from the 99 cent store and sacrificed them for the cause. 
@ Cano - I remember some tampos from the late 90's that I could scrape off with my finger nails...
@ Cano - I remember some tampos from the late 90's that I could scrape off with my finger nails...
- 2,153
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- sxezach
I'm tellin' you guys, Testors Easy Lift-Off stuff works wonders. If you dab it on with a Q-Tip and wait a few minutes you can easily remove the tampo without sacrificing the paint gloss. But it will remove the paint if you wait too long.
- 2,153
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- sxezach
This stuff is weak so it can work on plastic too.
- 7,436
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- photonrider
Nice work on the Camaro, Jason. 👍
Cano - you wizard - that bloody Blackhawk looks priceless now. Stunning job. 👍 100% for post layout and photos, too
Now can you churn them out by the dozen, please? Leave the marketing to me.. . .
Cano - you wizard - that bloody Blackhawk looks priceless now. Stunning job. 👍 100% for post layout and photos, too
Now can you churn them out by the dozen, please? Leave the marketing to me.. . .
AOS-
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- 2,153
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- sxezach
I know, I skateboard.
AOS-
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- 28,792
- 'Sauga, ON
Ah, you went off on a tangent and still don't get what I was pointing at. That's fine. Let's move on.
So I ordered a total of eight Aurora GTS-1 from the HW Racing (2012) Muscle series... one to keep, 7 to gut for wheels. And then just today, I grabbed another three 914 Boulevards for their wheels. Whatever Asian-sports car wheels you call these, I'm stocking up for Bluebird and Trueno mods in the future.
So I ordered a total of eight Aurora GTS-1 from the HW Racing (2012) Muscle series... one to keep, 7 to gut for wheels. And then just today, I grabbed another three 914 Boulevards for their wheels. Whatever Asian-sports car wheels you call these, I'm stocking up for Bluebird and Trueno mods in the future.
CodeRedR51
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You must have unlimited budget for this customizing stuff.
AOS-
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- 'Sauga, ON
Dude. I technically can't afford to do any of this. I have school debts and I don't even have nearly enough to pay it off. In other words, I didn't set a budget, and I'm literally wasting my money on this hobby.
The only reason I grab so many donors now is so that I have access to an abundance of it later and won't need to keep going back searching for one whenever the project arises, because I've learned from my mistakes and that is, to keep a few extra if I see myself using a casting or wheels for a project in the future, or else you may not find it again...in stores anyway. I could resort to eBay if I'm desperate for a car or wheels, but that's what I'm trying to avoid because that's the real wallet muncher in this hobby.
In this case, I'll have one Trueno to keep stock, one to add to the White Series (wheels will be swapped), and probably another 3 for possibly other series I think of years on. Years, not months, because years later, the chance of me finding that 2013 Trueno in stores is unlikely.
The only reason I grab so many donors now is so that I have access to an abundance of it later and won't need to keep going back searching for one whenever the project arises, because I've learned from my mistakes and that is, to keep a few extra if I see myself using a casting or wheels for a project in the future, or else you may not find it again...in stores anyway. I could resort to eBay if I'm desperate for a car or wheels, but that's what I'm trying to avoid because that's the real wallet muncher in this hobby.
In this case, I'll have one Trueno to keep stock, one to add to the White Series (wheels will be swapped), and probably another 3 for possibly other series I think of years on. Years, not months, because years later, the chance of me finding that 2013 Trueno in stores is unlikely.
Cano
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- Cephiro
Yeah, precisely when everything started to go to hell. I vividly remember this car:
The 98-release 64 Bird. I bought it, popped it open and was playing around with it; see the crome side spears and chrome scripting on the rear quarters? Gone within an hour with just the finger's touch. It's gotten worse even since.
Cano - you wizard - that bloody Blackhawk looks priceless now. Stunning job. 👍 100% for post layout and photos, too
Now can you churn them out by the dozen, please? Leave the marketing to me.. . .
Thanks dude. Strangely, everybody has told me the exact same thing since I presented it over at the club. There's like 5 people looking for one to do the exact same thing, because the color really lends itself to it. Problem is I've not seen another one of this version since I bought mine. Hell I have the 1979 (I think) first edition mint and other two or three in various shapes, but I have never seen another one of these.
Damn, some pretty good work here, i've got a a box of matchbox cars in the attic, so might give this a shot.
EDIT: just saw Cano's Renault Alpine, awesome job, still looking through the previous posts
YAAAAAAAAAAY THE ALPINE GEST LOVE!!! Still my coolest job to date. Thanks 👍
SELL ONE TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
CodeRedR51
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Cano
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- Cephiro
Ah yeah, stuff like the racing series specially have the tampos clearcoated. The Dragstrip Demons were beautiful.
hahaha but I want one that hasn't been destroyed! I'm telling you to sell me one complete, new!!!
