Simple Steps to Better Die-Cast Model Kit Building     Detailing Classic Metal Works’ Die-Cast 1968 Chevelle SS 396 Street Machine      (click this Link for PDF Version)
STEP 1.) Before starting, always check to make sure all the parts are there and most importantly READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. The CMW 1968 Chevelle SS 396 Model Kit is a nice kit right out of the box, but with just a few easy techniques we can turn this model into something special..
STEP 1a.) Specialty books and magazine articles are excellent sources of information for detailing a scale model car. Everything from interior, engine compartment and body details for almost any prototype car can be found.		STEP 1b.) First, we need to gather up a few products to make this transformation happen. All the products listed can easily be found at your local hobby shop or e-retailer. Products needed for detailing the Chevelle SS 396 are; 1) Bare Metal brand detailing foil, 2) An assortment of Sable hair paint brushes, 3) #11 hobby knife and blades, 4) Devcon 5 min. epoxy or any other 5 min. epoxy, 5) A small Phillips-head screwdriver, 6) The following Testor’s Model Master Enamel or Acryl Paints - Chevrolet Engine Red, Aluminum Plate Metalizer, Stainless Steel Metalizer, Brass Metalizer, Chrome Silver, and Semi-Gloss Black in bottles and spray cans of Flat Black and Gray Primer, 7) Cotton Swabs (Q-tips), 8) Masking tape – I use Frog brand, 9) Various sizes of Micro-Brushes, 10) Several small soft cloths, 11) 1000 grit wet or dry sand paper .
STEP 2.) The kit contains a high-gloss painted die-cast metal body with a beautiful fade flame job. The parts are molded in clear, black, and chrome-plated plastic. Also included is a set of low profile tires and large chrome-plated five spoke rims.		STEP 3.) The nicely molded details on the engine and engine compartment are fairly well done, but they lack interest and texture. The whole thing is crying for some attention. A few simple steps will transform the engine and engine compartment from ho-hum to WOW!
STEP 4.) In this case, the engine was installed at the factory and must be removed to complete the detailing. The engine parts are held together by what is called a swag assembly. The assembler actually melts the pins to hold the parts together. These swag points must be cut flush with a hobby knife in order for the parts to come apart. Always use a sharp knife. Do not rush this step and cause yourself injury. Take your time and carefully cut off the swag material.		STEP 5.) A small slot-head screwdriver can be used to carefully remove the engine and parts without damage.
STEP 6.) After the engine “top” parts assembly is removed, the valve covers will be detailed with Bare Metal foil a super-thin adhesive backed metal foil. Cut the foil to the approximate over-all size of valve covers and carefully transfer the foil to the valve cover. Once you are satisfied with the position of the foil carefully rub it down, this is known as “burnishing”, with a cotton Q-Tip. Trim any excess foil with a NEW #11 hobby knife blade… an old blade will ruin the foil. After trimming the excess foil, the finished foil will need to be burnished once again to seal the edges.		STEP 7.) Using readily available paint colors from Testors Model Master Enamel paint line; start detail painting with a #000 round sable paint. Don’t cheap out on the brush, purchase a good sable paint brush, keep it clean and it will last years. Brush the hose clamps, alternator, and air conditioning parts using Model Master Aluminum Plate Metalizer paint. Allow this to dry. Paint the lower engine piece with Model Master Chevrolet Engine Red. Now you have real Chevrolet mill!!! Let the paint dry for at least 24 hours, the completed engine and parts can then be installed into the engine compartment by using a Cyanacrolayte (also known as AC or super glue) or epoxy cement. Regular plastic hobby cement won’t work here.
STEP 8.) Now on to the interior. Right now it is black and uninteresting. With just painting techniques this will all change… For this interior, we chose to make a two-tone interior which was really popular in the 1960’s. We will utilize the base plastic color and two other colors misted over it to give the front and rear seat inserts the look of tweed cloth. Start by masking off the areas we don’t want the “tweed cloth” paint to hit. Use a gentle release type masking tape like Frog or 3M Blue painters tape, or even Bare Metal foil. Carefully mask the outlines of the seat centers and the rest of the interior. The more time you take with this step the better the effect will be. In my case I used a combination of the Frog green tape and Bare Metal Foil.		STEP 9.) Just the seat “insert” areas should now be visible. Prepare your spray can by allowing it to warm up to room temperature. I used Krylon Gray Primer available at any discount, hardware, or home building supply store. Hold the spray-can about 12” away from the seats and dust or splatter on the first contrasting color. Do this lightly so that the base color is still very visible. Take another contrasting color like white and repeat the splattering.
STEP 10.) After the paint has dried, remove the masking tape and the two-tone “tweed cloth” pattern will be visible. And with just a little paint your interior doesn’t look like everyone else’s…		STEP 11.)  Let’s move on to the dashboard. It’s pretty nicely detailed but all the chrome detail features of a vintage 1960’s car are missing. Using Bare Metal foil we can turn this dashboard into something special. As before, the foil is cut to size first. It is then transferred to the you raised detail and pressed over and down. It is then burnished firmly with a cotton Q-Tip. The excess material is then removed with a NEW # 11 hobby knife and blade. The foil is then burnished down once more to seal the edges. Hint: Use a Micro Brush to burnish down the smallest most delicate areas.
STEP 12.) Now that you have completed all the chrome trim with Bare Metal foil and painted the upholstery, the interior is astonishingly transformed into a highly detailed scale model… and it wasn’t difficult at all!!!		STEP 13.) The finishing touch which will set your model apart is adding “carpeting” to your model’s interior floor pan. The first thing to do is figure out what color your carpeting will be. Check your reference material for suggestions. I use Ken’s Fuzzi-Fur made specifically for creating “carpet” effects. It comes in a rainbow of colors to match your color scheme. You can also use flocking material available a craft stores. Now that you have chosen a “carpet” color purchase a bottle of Testors flat enamel paint in a color that matches the Fuzzi-Fur or flock. To apply the Fuzzi-Fur or flocking purchase a small hobby or craft squeeze bottle with a pointed tip, pour a small amount of the Fuzzi-Fur or flocking into the bottle. This will act as your applicator and allow for more control. Work in small areas at time… about 25% of the total floor space at any one time. This is crucial to NOT making a mess and/or wasting paint and fuzz/flock. Apply a wet coat of flat enamel paint on the floor. While the paint is still wet, squeeze the bottle of flocking or fur over the paint. Blow this material over the paint generously until well covered. The excess material is then blown off.
STEP 14.) The interior and engine compartment are then assembled and are ready to be installed into the body. Wow! Detailing does make a difference in your model!		STEP 15.) Now let’s start detailing your ’68 Chevelle SS body with some bright trim. In some cases a car will have a contrasting color scheme or trim.
STEP 16.) This is an important step so do this first. Clean the area to be painted with a solution of 2 cups of water and about 2 drops of dish soap and 3 soft cloths. Dampen the first cloth with the solution and clean the sanded area. Rinse the area with the second cloth dampen with just plain water - don’t leave any soap residue. Dry the area with the third clean cloth. Now mask around the area where the paint will be with your gentle release masking tape. Make sure the tape is down tight.		STEP 17.) Lightly sand the area to be painted with 1000 grit wet or dry sandpaper until the surface is dull. Wipe the area clean of sanding grit with a clean slightly damp cloth.
STEP 18.) Using a Model Master spray can of your selected color, spray light coats of paint over the sanded area. Set the model aside, preferably in a closed box to protect the wet paint from dust and allow it to dry. When the paint is dry, about 24 hours, carefully remove the masking tape from the model.		STEP 19.) The bright trim areas highlighted in silver are next. These areas will be detailed to look like the chrome weather stripping on the real car using Bare Metal foil. Measure a strip of foil about ¼” in height and cut it using the NEW #11 hobby knife blade. Carefully remove the strip from the backing and apply it to the body detailing. With the #11 hobby knife blade, trim the excess length and burnish the foil. Now use the knife to trim the excess material from the edges of the detailing. Clean up the cut foil from the body surface with a tooth pick .
STEP 20.) Again, burnish the foil with a cotton Q-Tip to set it down tight and polished.		STEP 21.) To further set the foil down on the edges, a small Micro-Brush is used. This will produce sharper detail at the edges and pick up any small or fine detailing that the Q-Tip missed.
STEP 22.) Marker lamps are the next to detail. Normally the lamps are covered with Bare Metal foil, and painted with Model Master Turn Signal Amber for the front fender lamps, or Model Master Stop Light Red for the rear fender area lens. This model has a decal for the marker lamp, so Model Master Turn Signal Amber will be carefully applied on the white lens area.		STEP 23.) The chassis is the next thing to detail using a small round sable brush. Allow at least a ½ hour drying time between each application. Paint the engine oil pan Model Master Chevrolet Engine Red. Paint the transmission tunnel Model Master Aluminum Plate Metalizer. Carefully paint the exhaust pipes Model Master Stainless Steel Metalizer. Use Model Master Silver Chrome and carefully paint the mufflers and gas tank to represent the look of stainless steel. Finally, paint the chassis, suspension, and frame with Model Master Semi-Gloss Black. When all the applications are complete, set aside the chassis to dry completely.
STEP 24.) A really neat trick to change-up the look of the chrome wheels is to detail paint them. While the chrome rims are very cool the spokes painted in a contrasting color is really awesome. I used Testors Model Master Semi-Gloss Black to paint just the spokes. Other paint colors can be used to compliment the model’s body color.		STEP 25.) Read the instructions carefully, and re-assemble the model. Now you have a completely unique model that doesn’t look like the rest! The chrome trim and other parts are attached using Devcon 5 min epoxy or AC glue. Take a look at the photo comparing the standard 68 Chevelle model kit next to the model we just enhanced. Wow! What a difference a little paint, foil, and some simple techniques can make! You needn’t be a master modeler to produce a masterpiece of a model… these simple techniques can be used on any die-cast metal kit. Send us your pictures we’d love to see them!