Claude Thibodeau

Hi Roger! Well, this car pushes all the right buttons for me. Bravo! If only some daring builder had the guts to try that in 1/1 back then... CT

Hi Mario! Great retourn to the hobby, bravo! With Montreal being upside down with road work and filled with restrictions these days, it's not surprising that the car got a ticket! CT

Hi Steve! Very nice gloss coat, bravo! To your "ghosting" of the OEM door lines... Is your body filler/putty catalyzed, or solvent based? If it is of the latter variety, it would explain the ghosting effect... CT

Hi Sir! Well, that was quite "advanced" for the times, to say the least. Bravo! CT

Hi Craig! What an interesting history. Great that you brought it to light. I spent most of my professionnal life in the media, and I have developped TONS of cross-promotions with countless partners. It was proven to be a most effective way to raise awareness for all parties involved. But from a purely rational point of view, I can understand the executives who were concerned that "hot rods" were slowly falling out of favor back then. How many times Rod&Custom magazine was pulled-out of circulation, blended with Hot Rod, ultimately reissued as a stand-alone title, pulled out again, etc. ? We'll never know, but if the mix of subjects had been different, say, one rod, one muscle car, one commercial vehicle... Maybe they would have greenlighted the deal? CT

Hi Mark! Very clever mashup, bravo! CT

Hi David! Great work, as usual. You are therefore condemned to keep wowing us, I'm afraid. Something tells me it should not be a concern for you! CT

Hi Bob! Nice project! The riding height of this kit, in its standard form, is much in tune with the era when it came out... The BIG protuding rear tires and more than sufficient ground clearance shout of the early 70's. The boxart on the latest Coke reissue does not even try to hide that fact. The offset big mag wheels on the box top absolutely require more clearance with the fender, which was the way 1/1 car were set back then... Your narrower rolling stock allows more "rake" if you fancy it. That would make it more in line with the "current look". Choices, choices... CT

My pleasure, Bob! CT

Hi Jim! Happy you liked it! Styrene philosophy, I guess? CT

Hi! Very interesting discussion, that I'd like to join if I may. I've built 1/1 hot rods for years, both for myself and clients. Once, a very ambitious guy (a dreamer ?) came to me with a desire to custom-build, from the ground-up, a very distinct concept that he vowed to "bring to the Riddler". Very lofty goal, you might say. So, I worked with him in the design and planning stages, until we had drawings and plans that satisfied him. And then, of course, came the notion of "quality level and price". He remained resolute... So, to "test" his fortitude, I suggested we go to the next rodding event, and walk around to see if we had the same definition of "quality and finishing". Out we go to Goodguys Scottsdale, circa november 2008. Walking around, we meet the owner of a celebrated rod that won a Riddler just a year or two before, and he kindly allows me to "inspect" the car with my friend, so he sees firsthand what I warned him about. Crawling under, we see body panels that are so perfectly finished, I doubt a razor blade could even be inserted in the joints! I fixated on this single notion for ten minutes, just so he understands that, to win big contests, you need that kind of "perfection (craftmanship ? ), because once the team of judges gather the 8 most spectacular entries for the finale, they go over ALL the nooks and crannies of the car, and therefore, "good enough" won't cut it. Can you say "cubic money" investment required here? It figures. My friend told me, on the plane returning home, that if he was to this day "able to see the spectacular appeal of some cars ", he never envisionned that it also has to be "skin deep" to make it to the top. In his newfound knowledge, I think he summed it well. Perfection? An elusive notion, even more so when you aim to attain it in 1/24 scale. Might actually be 24 times harder, I might say. But we may try, isn't it? But if we embark on that pursuit, why do we do it? The Covid crisis and the recurring "postponement" of the shows many of us love to attend, to me, reinforced the notion that when we build models, we are the "first spectator". First judge. And boy, do we know where our glitches are?!?. Finally, I know that model building, when I was a kid, was mostly to own a part of a fantasy world that unfolded in the pages of Hot Rod Magazine or Car Model Science. At 66, you may argue that some of that motivation remains, with magazine input being replaced by the spectacular imagination and craftsmaship that one may find on this forum. But, as someone wrote above on this thread, building something that provides you with the same joy as what a fellow modeler "brought to the contest table" and you discover for the first time, is , I think, the fuel for me. Quality execution? Mandatory. Imagination and creativity? Vital. Just my two cents, FWIW... CT

Hi Francis! Well, my friend, this thing will pass NHRA inspection in a blink! Well done! I would not want to be their tech inspector when time will come to check your fuse box to see if the burn wires inside the fuses are still intact... Judging from the kill switch minute components, the electrical fuses will obviously feature microscopic details! CT

Hi Jim! You know what? Since Bonneville is all about speed, and of course lightness... You may leave it in bare metal (2 gallons of paint add weight, you know!). Besides, it looks fantastic as is, with the light rust streaks. Just my two cents, FWIW... CT

Hi Steve! Great looks, and that taller scoop is in good proportion, even if taller than average. Can't wait to see it cleared! CT

Hi Mark! They don't make it anymore, alas... But Home-Depot used to carry Ralph Lauren (!) Paints, and many were used for special effects or so called "faux-finis". I remember having a demo can (about a pint) made, and it had a definite suede look to it, in scale. But I don't know if they still offer it. Not in Canada anymore, for certain... CT

Hi Scott! You might want to try the roof from the Alternomad (seen here on a Starliner)... Or, the 64 Wagon roof (seen he highly modified on a Monte Carlo Nomad). Both require some work, but the Lincoln is a big car, so, they should fit. I did a custom Roadster PU with the Lincoln, a la Ranchero, but a two-seater. So much styrene, so little time... CT

Hi Tom! I've seen the 1/1 car, and you nailed it. Love the stance and the color... Bravo! CT

HI! I bought stuff from Chuck a few times, and it was always top quality and top service. Nothing but praise from my end... CT

Hi Steve! Great crop, and very well deserved. Bravo! CT

Hi Ron! Welcome aboard, you'll love the fellow builders here! CT

Hi Roger! Exactly this body, minus the fenders. There is the remnant of a decal on the body side, stating "Truckin' on Down 32", or something similar. The windshield frame is a distinct part, chromed. It looks as the reveal molding that crosses the rear door is much more curved than on the 1/1 car, based on my experience with real 1/1 rod bodies... CT

Hi! To the issue of some parts being molded in black in this kit: I bought a leftover 32 sedan delivery body shell in the trash bins at a show last year, and the body was molded in black. However, the rear side panels were not glued in, they were molded in place. I therefore suppose it was not the same kit? Just curious... CT

Hi Dan! Very imaginative. And the driver MUST have a bubbletop car at his disposal, otherwise, the hairs will suffer... ! CT

Hi! I remove the "neck insert", turn the bottle upside down, let it drain completely in an airbrush bottle, and then refill the empty polish bottle with your thinner of choice. Therefore, you get a 50/50 mix ratio, that you can fine-tune to fit your airbrush nozzle and technique, ambient temperature, etc. In my experience, the cheaper the nail polish, the better. For example: Hansen brand from the Dollar store. So cheap, you should always buy 2 or 3 bottles at once. Also, sometimes, you are better off with a base coat that ressembles the top color (ex: Tamya or Testor's lacquers). You'll get your pearly finish faster, with a more consistent color application than, say, on a white or silver base coat. Just my two cents, FWIW.... CT

Hi Dusty! Once, to get absolutely no scratches on a pure black model, I finish-sanded it with the polishing "plastic sheets" you may get in electronic shops, used to try to save CD's or DVD's who have been scratched. They are VERY fine grit, to say the least. While using it, you feel you are wasting your time, but believe me, it DOES impact the surface. Then a compound, and Scratch-X, and voilà! Good luck. CT