iBorg

A couple of comments. Of the later rear engined cars of the early 70's, the Monogram version was one of the nicer ones although it does show the 1/24 scale size difference over the other kits manufacturer's 1/25th offerings. I've got several of the first issue Swamp Rat XXX's. I hope the decals are better than the Revell offerings.

Car is much better looking than the movie is watchable. Looks great!

Tubing is easier to solder as its easier to control the heat.

How would you use the MPC 1981 El Camino to make this body?

Question on the Totally Awesome. My local dollar store has several varieties from a yellow to a purple. Which one do you use?

The all white box version has value. The one with the yellow stripe is worth about a new kit in today's prices. Here's the question you need to answer. Would you get more pleasure building this or something else? If more pleasure, build it in the way that will give you the most enjoyment. Here's some info on the original: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=682143476370365

Watching.

I got one. One thing that has disappointed me is that the stock wheels aren't molded well as the mold halves are out of register. Two can be reshaped, the other two will take considerable work to make useable.

Looks like 1:1 in a coupe of shots except for the calculator.

Could it be Imai? I think I've seen that in some of their Harleys.

I'm glad this topic came up. I taught graphic arts and printing management for 34 years. My students were successful in both the newspaper and the magazine industry. Here's a few thoughts. Magazines typically work on one of three income models, advertising, newsstand sales or subscription. Hot Rod and most of the former Peteresen Publishing magazines worked on the advertising income model with the exception of Hot Rod Deluxe which worked on newsstand sales for most of its run. You can always tell if the magazine is working on advertising if they almost give away subscriptions. For example, I once got three years of Hot Rod for $4.97. That price covered raw materials and postage, nothing else. That type of sale is designed to have a guaranteed readership. I suspect, when TEN folded most of the former Petersen magazines it was to channel the advertisers to the surviving titles. That might have worked but during COVID most newsstand sales were halted for a couple of months. This meant the magazines had to refund some of the advertising revenue due to not having the required readership. As for newsstand sales, the amount of linear space is better used by most stores for higher profit items. For example, how many record albums can fit in the same space? I use this example as one of the only two bookstores in my town has a significant vinyl display. If an album cost $24 and a magazine $10, there's more profit in the album. I find this topic of the decline of magazines sad. It is a loss of a culture, a reflection of the graying of the hobby along with the inaccessibility of the hobby. What made the car building hobby successful in the 1950's-1980's was the ease of modification along with the availability of alternative parts. I would be challenged to find more than a handful of junk yards in my state. Beyond that, ever tried to change the type of engine in a FWD? It might be possible but its beyond my skill set. Swapping a RWD to a different engine? Get the motor mounts right and you've got a lot of the project done. I'd love to convert a "classic car" to electric. Unfortunately, the barriers the manufacturers have created with electronics prohibits that for many people. I am saddened by the loss of magazines. I'm currently reading magazines from five years ago. Knowing the title no longer exists I see them as a historic artifact of a time that has passed me by. I do hope magazines have a resurgence. With the advent of digital printing, magazines can be printed easier and less expensively. By the way, I'm pretty certain that MCM is printed digitally.

Yes!!! just yes.

I'd be interested in your tutorial on the shocks. If it's an early 60's car, gasser is the safest class for it to fit into. Here's a HAMB page on shoebox Ford drag racers: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/drag-race-and-gasser-ford-shoebox-49-54-photos.1250342/

First off, I really love the chassis work. This is a great beginning. Are your front shocks plastic built on top of brass? I trust you're wanting to have the car be as accurate as you can based upon the work you've already done. A bit about the rules. In the era in which car would have run, the 1960s, the two main sanctioning bodies were the NHRA and AHRA. Drag News, a weekly drag racing newspaper also promoted classes with a general set of rules for a challenge series. Number three on the Drag News List could challenge Numer One, etc. Due to the relationship with Hot Rod magazine and the NHRA, you need to research beyond HRM to learn about the AHRA classes and Drag News races. There were also local rules that are less known. Unless you scoot the motor back a bunch, this car would fall into the gasser class. That doesn't mean it couldn't run as an altered. Many gasser racers would look at their competition and move their car into the altered class. This was done with some cars by pulling the front end off a flip nose car or pulling out the passenger seat or removing the headlights. A S/X was mainly filled with fairly current cars often used A F/Xers. The car could easily be a gasser or altered. During the early and mid 60's, superchareged cars would be double lettered such as AA or BB/GS. With the weight of the 1949 Ford, this car would more than likely be a BB/GS if it has full gasser equipment or an altered. To be truly accurate, you need to choose a year, and check out the rules. For example in the early years, gassers had to have a full exhaust including muffler. It just wasn't hooked up.

I guess my original 1960 Apache has just lost most of its value.