Break Out Models

[FloridaBoy]

I have a lot of models that I built over the years starting from the early sixties. All are on display in my hutch in my dining room perfectly protected from the elements. One morning over coffee at my table, I was just glancing at my cars, and pending projects, some of which are my older cars which I am re-vamping with new detail, and finish. These were those that the finish chipped or faded over the years, or the body putty bled through.

Then I saw something. It seems like I built in phases. One model was all it took to get me to the next plane. I still have an old AMT Deuce roadster that I built when they first came out. I opened up a door and glued it in the open position, used red velvet ribbon for upholstery, handpainted the entire model, and it included more imagination that workmanship.

The next model was my breakout model. After getting inspiration from the Rod & Custom article about sectioning the '49 Ford, I took a '50 Ford Convertible while in the hospital (car accident) and sectioned it with tools and glue smuggled in by mu parents. On this model after I got home, I used AMT body putty for the first time, then painted the car with Pactra Candy paint, then used an Ulrich interior kit my mother bought for am as a present. Then started to use thread for spark plug wires on my AMT Pontiac Parts motor. When it was done, I was even amazed at the work I did, which inspired me to build several other cars with the same approach, which proved to win several contests for several years.

Success can be a blessing and a curse. It locked me in a style, which soon got out of style. So, in the eighties I looked for another approach, more detail but still I was way behind. But I built a '36 Ford Roadster and '40 Ford Coupe as my breakouts back then, which were Ok but not world beaters. Then in the nineties, I built some cars again, with a '49 Merc which I chopped the top added aftermarket stuff, and a Boyd Aluma Coupe pearl yellow finish which again was mildly successful, and now building several cars which will all be breakouts. I am using detail kits, aftermarket parts, fuzzy fur, two tones, and hope to herald in a new change in my style. Hopefully among the failures there will be one or two breakout models.

Do you guys have the same experience or are your cars evolutionary?

Just curious.

Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

[Billy Kingsley]

I definitly see that in mine, Ken! I even have an album on my Fotki which has the models placed in order of completion...you can look through the photos and see the build quality improve, over time, to where I am at today. Unfortunatly a lot of photos were taken before I knew what I was doing with my camera and are not of good quality. Most of the photos have been replaced from the main model album but I never did it for this album, mainly because I didn't feel like numbercoding them again!

You can see the album here:

http://public.fotki.com/ElCaminoBilly/my_models_in_order/

My breakout builds:

#1...This was the first model I ever built. Opened up a whole new world to me, back in 99, and has gone on to engross a whole lot of my life since then. It's taken some damage over time (mainly, the tailgate hinge) but has held up surprisinly well. Note that I didn't paint the inside of the body, and the bed is painted gold because I didn't have brown.

#5...My first attempt at a Custom, of sorts. I called it "the Marble Truck" and I did that paint scheme on purpose. It was the only time I ever did a marbleized car, and it was also the first pickup I ever did. This one, seeing the rear window cover's bare gray plastic made me realize that I should probably paint the inside of the body.

Photo by Greg Nichols.

#32...My first attempt at modifing anything, just a simple bit of sanding, but it would lead to other things. When I did this it was my pride and joy...Now I rarely ever even think about it, let alone bring it up every 10 minutes I removed the scripts and door handles. Not by sanding them off, by cutting them off with one of those black handled Testors knifes!

#64...My first use of BMF (Bare Metal Foil, of cource). On an old Monogram Citation, no less! Amazingly, this one still survives completly intact. Many of my early ones have lost parts...Heck, some of my latest ones have lost parts too! LOL! From 1990-1996 a 1983 Citation Hatchback was our family daily driver. Someday I'll have the skills and guts to attempt to convert the Monogram Notch into a hatch. (Like I said, a lot of the pictures stink!)

#127..Although not completed for a while, this one is perhaps the most important one of all! It was the very first car I ever spray painted, under the guidance of Rick Hanmore at the 2003 TNMCC picnic. As I have recounted in the past, I had come very close to calling it quits due to the lack of skills I had and some other factors I won't go into. This car is the one that saved my hobby. It's got a ton of bubbles, and not even complete coverage, but that's not important...the fact that I was able to actually spray paint something, and make it look fairly decent, made all the diffrence in the world!

#118..My first real NASCAR model. I consider this one my second most personally important model, after the Dodge posted above it. I have been a fan of NASCAR since I was 8 years old back in 1992, but I didn't build really any, because of my poor building skills. I had done a few ProFinish kits and one Dale Earnhardt car that was brush painted black, the only color I can consistantly brush paint good enough to do the body of a car on, this is the one that convinced me I could build NASCAR models on a regular basis. This was back in April 2004, and since that time I have built 74 NASCAR models. I think this one qualifys as a breakout! Oh yeah, it's also the first time I ever successfully opened a panel, in this case, the trunk.

#194..My first Resin kit, the Modelhaus Tucker. I had set my new year's resolution as "Learn Resin" and so I forced myself to do it...This was the result. I'm actually amazed how well this one turned out, considering that it was my first, and that I did all the final painting during a commercial break in the Indy 500! LOL! Unfortunatly, 17 months later, and I havn't finished another resin since then! I do have a few nearly done, though.

#200..My best model to date. This one, while being my first nationally known model, is my most well known model, as it has appered in a half page ad for Galaxie Limited in Model Cars Magazine Issue #116, and just looks better then all the rest! I had orginally started this for a club wagon project (Even in the club I have to choose a SD, and can't stick to the common wagon! LOL!) but grew frustrated and packed it back away. Then, Jairus called for Galaxie kits on the board...I pulled it out, got back on it and finished it in two days! All that had been done was the yellow paint and the engine block about 50%. Even though I had some major trouble on the first attempt, everything just fell togther that time and it came out perfect! Unfortunatly, the hood is not on tight in this photo. D'oh!

#203..Although not visible to standard viewing, this 57 Nomad is the first car I've ever built with a wired engine. A major breakthrough for me, as I admittandly know nothing about engines or pretty much anything else that actually makes a car run.

I've yet to do it again, but I will, and soon.

This one doesn't have a number yet, because it's not done. When I do finally finish this one, it will be my most detailed piece ever. I don't have any recent shots on it, but I have been working on it pretty steadily since March of last year. I converted a street Dodge Daytona into NASCAR usage, and at last count it had over 40 scratchbuilt items on it, and several modified, including an opened trunk and completly fabricated interior of the trunk sections. Eventually it'll be Charlie Glotzbach's #99 Ray Nichols car. It really doesn't look much like this anymore, but it's the best shot I have.

[Billy Kingsley]

It would not let me make my post in an unmolested way. Here is the end of the post. I've finally found something about this new forum style I dislike. (Besides the picture shrinking!)

Here is a very early shot of the interior. I have added more since then, but I think that the plastic I used was actually too large and I have been seriously debating ripping most of that out and redoing it. That is why there is not much that has been done in quite some time, I've been debating this for quite a while. I was hoping to have it done for Toledo, but that is coming up in just about a week and a half and I know that is just not going to be possible, for this year's show.

[Darin Bastedo]

Ireally don't have a break out model. My taste vary so much that you really don't know what is going to come of my bench. Current projects include;

1. 1996 Porsche 911 GT2 Custom Speedster
   
2. Ferrari F189 Formula One Car - Nigel Mansell
   
3. Ford GTX1 Roadster
   

[Jantrix]

I'd have to say my break out model was this 40 panel. Altho, I'd modified models with spare parts before, the whole kitbash idea, hadn't struck me yet. I also discovered the wonders of Plastruct tubing and BMF. The 40 is kitbashed with a 90's Mustang and features a gullwinged rear door, hand built chassis, and channeled 4 scale inches (roughly). This was built in 1990.

Edited October 5, 2007 by Jantrix

[crispy]

Great topic!

I will have to say that the first one that popped into my head was my Toyota Corolla WRC car.

This was a door prize I had gotten at one of the contests I attended. I wasn't into Rally cars at the time. This was the Hasegawa kit with photo-etch and a slathering of decals.

I'd never done a WRC car, never done that many decals and had never worked with photo-etch until this model.

Needless to say it opened a whole new world of modeling to me. I have since acquired about 3 more Rally cars. They are very interesting and quite fun to build.

Here's my Corolla:

The very next year I went back to the contest with this car and took first place in class and was able to receive another Rally car as a door prize. Another Hasegawa kit that I really enjoyed.

That would be my breakouts. I will say that with every new model I build I learn something new and am able to achieve better results every time. That's what is fun to me.

I really enjoy watching Billy post his newest build because he gets better with each new build he shows us. I've really enjoyed watching his growth and enthusiasm.

Chris

Chris

[Lownslow]

oldest in my collection this was the first car i painted, shaved, and foiled the foil is actual duct foil also a first for me

[Billy Kingsley]

Thanks Chris! Much appreciated!!

I do need to make one little correction in my post...I said that the Modelhaus Tucker is the only resin I've built...That's not correct. About 3 months ago I finished an R&R Vacuum Craft 63 Impala wagon, which was my second resin. I may have my third done for Toledo!

[Hartness53]

I am now 27 and have built quite a few models over the years starting when I was about 7. It's funny to me that even now when I get done with one it still looks like a 12 year old put it together. I am getting better though. When I tell people this, I always say i put them together for myself not to impress someone and it is just fun to build them. I also have several other hobbies, I tend to change hobbies like sports seasons coming back to each one every couple of years. I have never done any bare metal foil or body modifications. The only thing I seem to do is turn everything into a drag car. Right now I want to get an Enzo Ferrari and make it a pro street car, tubbed, blown the whole works. It is interesting to me to think of what it would look like. Who has the money or desire to turn a 1 million dollar super car into a "Hot Rod". I DO! Thanks for letting me rant! Christian