RancheroSteve

Getting closer, then came across one of those little details that I couldn't ignore. I realized the inside of the hood sides would be visible and that I needed a way to depict the louvers from the inside. After some thought, I came up with this fix. I drew up a row of lines with Photoshop, scaled them appropriately and printed them on clear inkjet decal film. Close enough for jazz. Now I guess I'd better give the underside of the hood the same treatment.

The rolling chassis is complete:

I was passing by a body shop yesterday when this caught my eye - supply your own caption:

Part 2: Of course, the side trim is now wrong, so out came the brass: With a quick shot of primer: With a little more cleanup, I think it will be acceptable. Onward.

Starting a new one. When I saw that Slixx had recently released a new sheet for this car, the wheels in my head started turning. I have a kind of unusual personal connection to this car that I'll reveal at the end of the build. After deciding I wanted to build the hardtop (S/S) car, seeing the prices of Jo-Han Polaras, and realizing I had both a Lindberg Dodge 330 and a Plymouth Belvedere, I thought "why not?" and figured I'd take a chance. Out came the saw. Close, but it's going to take some massaging.

I would think that driving one of those would be "hell" enough already even without the lettering on the side, jk.

That's the Checkers Motorcycle Club. They do off-road and desert racing - I have a friend who was a member. https://checkersmc.com/sp/

Just be aware that you will need a different kind of decal paper for a laser printer.

Slixx still carries three different sets of decals for these Camaros. https://ecsvr.com/slx/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1&subcat=98&cat=Trans+Am

Sorry I can't help you much with what sounds like a fascinating project at the intersection of film noir, model cars, and even bicycles, except to say that those scenes were definitely shot in the Los Angeles River in downtown. It may not be the same railroad bridge, but there is still a similar one a little further south along the river (my photo). Train infrastructure has changed a fair amount since the movie was shot.

If you're looking for a good 289, the one in the AMT '67 Mustang GT-350 is the way to go, IMHO.

289 V8, I believe - but those Trumpeter engines are not exactly known for their accuracy.

Wow, this is great - really puts you right there and then. I hadn't realized Revell had sponsored all those cars at the same time. The description on the video is perfect, too: "Sometime back in 1973 or 74 I was riding home from my local BMX riding spot. My way home took me past the headquarters for the Revell model company when they were still located in Venice Ca. In those days Revell sponsored a whole bunch of big name NHRA drag racing teams Dragsters and funny cars. They built and sold ultra accurate and detailed models of them all. On This particular day they were having an open house and had every NHRA drag car they sponsor on display out in front of the main building. After picking my jaw off of the ground I rode home as fast as I could and came back with my 8mm movie camera. this is what I came away with."

I've got one of those I can trade you - shoot me a PM and we'll work it out.

Speed City Resin makes a good one, but it's currently out of stock: https://www.speedcityresin.com/PartsPageEngine.html I have one set aside for the Mondello Fiat I plan to build someday. You may beat me to it - good luck!

I'm back at this one after a while. Had to put it away when we moved (twice) in 2022, then when I finally pulled it out I discovered that the tissue paper I had wrapped the body in had stuck to the paint in a few spots, which required sanding and repainting the the body. More on that soon - meanwhile, I finished the interior and trunk. Figured I'd better get some photos because most of this won't be seen once the model is done. The chassis pan from the '40 Coupe was used with door panels, seat and dash from the '36. Paint was matched by eyeball. The alcohol tank in the trunk was scratchbuilt and will at least be visible as the trunk is hinged. As always, thanks for looking.

I'm curious - did they crack when you tried to apply them or could you tell they were cracked just by looking at them?

After finishing my “Winged Express” fuel altered build, I had the leftover decals from the Slixx sheet to do the Charger funny car that Willie Borsch drove in the early 70s. https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/189084-winged-express-aafa/ I thought I should do something with those decals, but the truth is I prefer the earlier Charger body style. After reading Tim Boyd’s glowing review of the new tool Revell Charger kits (issued in 2011), a plan began to form in my mind. https://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/170101-are-these-the-best-ever-yet-most-unsung-funny-car-kits-of-all-time/ I procured a Chi-Town Hustler kit in a trade with a fellow Forum member and set to work. While I mostly try to build accurate replicas of vehicles that existed, I decided to have a little fun with this one. What if Willie had made the switch to funny cars a few years earlier? Of course, Willie’s fake arm is on board. The kit did not disappoint – great fit all around, it goes together with very minimal fuss, a real joy to build. I added some wiring and plumbing, a fire extinguisher, and scratchbuilt a master cylinder to fill the empty space on the firewall, but everything else (besides the decals and the arm) is out of the box. Paint is a fade of two different Tamiya rattle cans - yellow and orange - with some red lacquer airbrushed along the lower body. I toyed with idea of putting in a big block Chevy or early Hemi – Willie’s Charger ran both – but decided not to complicate my life unnecessarily so I just went with the kit engine, but still used the hood "rat vs. elephant" decal because it looks cool, right? Thanks for looking – hope you enjoy - comments & questions welcome.

Outstanding build of an iconic racing car!

Revell IMSA/TransAm Mustang or Camaro for the chassis (only the Camaro kits have the correct wheels for the car you're wanting to build); Competition Resins makes the body you'll need: https://ecsvr.com/cpr/shopexd.asp?id=13

I just measured the Merit Lotus IX I have here and it is in fact just over 5 1/2" long, so according to Bill's figures that makes it 1/24 scale.

PM sent

Mark - not sure if this fits in with your plans for these builds, but you can make the rear bodywork a lot more prototypically correct (and show off whatever detailing you do) with a few simple cuts. It stays on pretty well by itself, but a few magnets would help more. I built this one several years ago using the Slixx decals.

I would if I hadn't already built one, but my hunch is that the molds no longer exist.

Great, thanks a bunch! Just what I needed. Edit: Just checked again - it appears that the diagram and a few of those photos didn't make it into the PDF.