Well I've gotten a little bit more done this weekend,so here is a small update.
First of all the shifter had to be addressed,the kit shifter is too thick and out of scale and flashy as hell.So the solution was to employ an old modelling favorite: the lowly dress pin.The process is pretty simple,first cut the kit shifter off the base and drill a hole the size of the pin.
Then it's just a matter of bending the pin in the shape you want and epoxying it into the shifter base.
Then I got everything cleaned up and primed with some AK primer and the parts that are metal painted with Testors lacquer metalizers.
Next was dealing with the horrible AMT chrome using Alclad chrome.First I stripped the kit chrome with some EZ-Off oven cleaner(the nasty stuff) then gave the parts a wash in cold water.After the parts dried I cleaned all of the mold seams and blemishes off because one of the keys to Alclad chrome is an absolutely smooth polished surface.Then I gave them a spray of Alclad black primer/microfiller again making sure to make the parts as smooth as possible.
After the primer dried I sprayed them with Alclad's gloss black enamel base coat.The way I spray the base coat is to give the parts a heavy coat,I mean heavy,almost to the point of the paint running.If you can do this you will be rewarded with a glass smooth surface.
Now it's time for the good stuff.There is an aura around Alclad chrome that makes it seem like witchcraft to spray,but it's not really that hard.The trick is to hold your airbrush at about a 45 degree angle or so.Then you have to spray on LIGHT coats of the Alclad.I spray one light coat and then check it in the light,then I keep on going like that until I get the results I want,remember the more coats you apply the duller the finish will be so be patient and check the finish often.
When you are finished you should get results like I did below.Sometimes with Alclad you might get a slightly grainy finish,if you do you can give the part a SOFT buff with a facial tissue,be gentle as Alclad chrome can be a little bit delicate.And do NOT clear coat Alclad chrome,it will turn the chrome into a aluminum finish.
Well that's all for now.Hopefully I can get some paint down this week and get this thing done.Thanks for looking.