jbwelda Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 quick build to while away the time, chassis near completion but body just begun. will be building the early prototype with the cut off pods with antenna sticking from them. also deviating from the color scheme of the original: black interior with candy red exterior. Custom accessorized Corvair engine, the exhaust system promises to be a pain to get right and lots of sink marks and parting seams in the chrome frame to keep it interesting. again if you are expecting perfection, kindly look elsewhere. you can see the modified antenna pod in this shot, has to be molded into body: wheels and tires, wheels and front tires from kit, rear tires are AMT parts pack red line slicks which I found out BARELY fit on with the side mounted fuel tank...dodged a bullet there but just inadvertently: alright jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RancheroSteve Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Very cool so far! Of course, I love this car - one of Roth's best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 22, 2014 Author Share Posted November 22, 2014 some progress, engine done except hooking up coil wire, exhaust system epoxied in place, battery and fuel tanks mounted. all that really remains of complete rolling chassis is to mount wheels and tires and the back bumper nerf bar deal. thanks again for looking! comments, questions or criticisms always welcome. will be starting on the body next, possibly tonite jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Coming together nicely. Is this the original road agent or the newer release? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Looking great. Nice work keeping all the fiddly bits straight and square. I'd completely forgotten that this wild thing was mid-engined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Ram Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Nice work. I like those Roth cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy D Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Hi JB, You certainly have an interesting work bench with a big scale Offy and this little guy This is looking very cool with your attention to detail !! Randy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RatRod Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Nice work so far Bill!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldscool Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Wow JB, this is awesome. Haven't seen one of these being built since they were new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blunc Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 that's a purdy flat six, nice work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 >Nice work keeping all the fiddly bits straight and square. that's what the graph paper is for! this frame is kind of fiddly alright, took a couple of times of gluing it with white glue before I thought it was straight enough to reinforce with epoxy. its still messed up a bit in the front but the axle sits parallel to the ground so that's good. >I'd completely forgotten that this wild thing was mid-engine. yeah ed roth was pretty far ahead of his time in the "smaller is better" club plus willing to experiment with different engine placements. on this car all the good stuff gets hidden by the body but you can see down a small window onto the air cleaners basically, plus the wiring. but I am going to have to make the body and interior removable because I just like how the frame and running gear fit together. same with the Surfite with its little Austin motor and jewel like running gear. this is one show rod that I bet ran pretty well and could be driven around (aside from the bubble top...no way that works outside in California even in the spring much less the summer!). maybe it never got driven around but I bet it could have been. really one of his best designs in my mind. and I really like the prototype drawing with the truncated pods: here is ed roth working on the car, with the pods in their original design state: I think the book I took the photos from says he came in one day and sawed them off because he didn't like them and then remade them in the solid form. maybe I am confusing this car with another though. by the way definitely NOT my photos, I just took a quick snapshot of the page from the Tony Thacker book which is a very interesting read along with having a lot of really kool photos, and great research material for building the Revell models, which I am slowly doing. after this one is done, I think I need to do the Tweedy Pie finally...kind of the ultimate fiddly there along with original Orange Crate which I also coincidentally have on my must do list for the next year or so. so my workbench might get even more interesting soon! not sure which issue I am using here but I am sure it is not an original. I have had it around since the nineties I think, but probably from the eighties sometime. molding was still pretty clean though some nasty parting lines and sink marks. some pretty detailed parts that looked fine though. jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 24, 2014 Author Share Posted November 24, 2014 Sorry to respond to my own post, but there is something in that prototype design drawing that makes it look really interesting to me, and its something that didn't get into the real car as it developed. it is the way the rear fender area curves inward and then back outward to expose the top of the tire. that looks really graceful but I guess it wouldn't work for actual driving too well as it would probably throw gravel and dirt up onto the paint. sure does look sweet though, makes the way it actually came out look kind of, well, squaresville, daddy-o! jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsxse240 Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 wheels and tires, wheels and front tires from kit, rear tires are AMT parts pack red line slicks which I found out BARELY fit on with the side mounted fuel tank...dodged a bullet there but just inadvertently: So it goes in the custom car industry. I don't know how many times I've seen people have to put spacers on wheels to make them fit, or roll/pull/cut fenders or inner fenders to keep wheels from rubbing. Will you be adding a rock guard to the fuel tank since it is so close to the wheel? lol I love what you're doing here. I never realized how high tech these old customs were. I always thought they were on VW chassis and T-bucket frames. A mid engine flat six, weather corvair or porsche, is pure sports car and obviously built for performance....or to be able to hide the engine. Either way, very cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) of course every self respecting show rod had to have a reel to reel tape deck: it actually looks a bit better than that, but maybe its poor eyesight. including a R-R deck in a car like this is quite an interesting statement. of course its completely impractical...can you imagine reeling up the tape while going 60 mph? but that's par for the course for a true show car. what it says to me is Ed was interested in premium audio, as the R-R deck was the total epitome of audiophile playback at that time. High line record companies like Columbia, in particular, were issuing "super tapes" recorded direct from masters (almost totally unheard of at that time) at not just the audiophile standard 7.5 inches per second, but upping the ante on certain recordings (Miles Davis Bitches Brew being one of them, I think Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde being another) by releasing them in 15 ips format, which allows super high fidelity to maximize use of the master tape. so including a tape deck like this is not only suggesting Mr Roth liked premium audio, it also suggests he may have been partial to orchestral music, or jazz or other genres from what one might expect. or he could have just had a buddy come back from 'Nam with an extra Teac or Akai that he donated to the cause. jb Edited November 26, 2014 by jbwelda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted November 26, 2014 Author Share Posted November 26, 2014 by the way, that mess fits under the rectangular opening on the back deck. you lift the lid and see the space filled only with that tape deck. jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russell C Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 .......suggesting Mr Roth liked premium audio, it also suggests he may have been partial to orchestral music, or jazz or other genres ...... And, if you chose to leave off one of the reels, you could then insinuate that Roth wasn't playing with a full deck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrm Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Looks really good so far. this is the only Roth model I have never even attempted to build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted December 21, 2014 Author Share Posted December 21, 2014 well about time for a little update: body has been smoothed and shot with a base coat of Tamiya Silver Leaf, followed by Tamiya Mica Red, then a couple of coats of Tamiya Clear Red then some Clear. as you can see in the pics, its going to need a light polishing to get rid of some fair to middlin' orange peel but other than that its looking pretty good. theres also a pic of it next to the chassis...I am hoping to do the polish job early next week and maybe get it assembled before NYE! tape recorder and orange peel: thanks again for looking, any comments or questions welcomed! jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knarf Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 this is looking good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Dave Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 (edited) One of Roth's cars that I've always wanted to build, but just haven't gotten to. That chassis looks great. Nothing for it but to eave the body removable. Edited December 21, 2014 by Dirty Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wisco8 Posted December 21, 2014 Share Posted December 21, 2014 Wow JB, that is looking super awesome!! Nice work!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 well its getting around time to button this one up, chassis is up on wheels and just awaiting the rear bumper being attached, and the body is painted polished and detailed and ready to mount the bubble top and rear deck lid. really a nice little kit, everything fits well aside from flash & the usual. really fun build. haven't had a chance to take a pic of the body lately but will probably do so later this week. thanks for looking and questions or comments cheerfully addressed and appreciated! jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danno Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Nice work. Another thing about the reel-to-reel decks in show cars back in them days: Often the tape deck was there as a 'high-tech state of the art' accessory statement, but they also did double-duty - at car shows. Exhibitors often had recorded narratives describing the displayed car, its features and construction details. They often played those narratives and inspiring music from the tape decks and speakers in the cars while on display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ningoth4 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Looking quite excellent! Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbwelda Posted January 29, 2015 Author Share Posted January 29, 2015 Well i am about done with this although i am not happy with it. for one thing i messed up the paint on the right side thanks to overambitious application of clear coat. for another the body does not fit on the chassis correctly, the interior fouls on something keeping it tippy and not sitting down flat and straight. part of that is my fault (well probably all of it is my fault) because i trimmed the rear strut supports to get the body down and then had to relieve the sides of the interior bucket to fit in between the rear slicks. all that done the body is still unsteady so i just now took the interior out and cut out the little window through which you can view the front of the engine, cut it out so the entire engine is exposed in the interior (looks nicer that way, can see more engine detail without lifting off the body) so i will reassemble the car later this evening and see if the result is any nicer. look for improved photos in the Under Glass section when i get done but i doubt i will post anything if it doesn't improve substantially from what you see here. another problem: bubble top fit fine before mounting interior but now stick up a bit in front. think i will leave it as is...also the rear trunk panel will fit flush with the body but then is quite difficult to get open. this thing won't really go anywhere but my display case with the other Roth cars but one day i want to do this again and strip the chassis, remove all the parting lines and sink marks and get it truly straight, then modify the interior even more to fit over the engine better. the car really does look best low and down on the chassis which this one is not at the moment. plus the paint needs to be improved and the chassis itself, according to the book i have, shouldn't be chrome anyhow, the real one was flat black which would work a whole lot better. oh well, better luck next time. thanks again for looking and any comments! jb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.