Force

Most of the model kit manufacturers have had their ups and downs and the early kits aren't as good as the more recent kits. I AMT's case they haven't released many all new tooling kits the last 10-12 years but the last things they did from the late 90's and early 2000's are quite good.

Have you checked Competition Resins, he has some slicks.

Congratulations, and to a fairly reasonable price too. I found a couple of these old MPC Stock Car kits myself a some years ago for reasonable money, the Richard Petty Charger and Buddy Baker Charger.

Apperantly he passed this past weekend after a very short period of illness... unfortunate and sudden. I bought an engine from him directy for a Sox & Martin Superbird project a couple of years ago and when I told him what it was for he sent some additional stuff I would have needed anyway for free...so in my book he was a good guy. A period correct transmission for a Gasser would be a B & M Hydrostick...that's a modified version of the GM Hydramatic by B & M...I don't know where you can get one i resin but they are available in some Revell Gasser kits.

Well that timeline for the 1965 Galaxie kit and some more I have seen from them are useless as they are not accurate at all, the 1965 kit could not have been a new tool 1961 as the car itself didn't come until the fall of 1964, another thing is that the 65 doesn't share anything with the older siblings, except for the drive train everything was new for that year, the chassis, suspension, body and so on. The first kit in the timeline is a 1961 Galaxie, the second is the 1965 Galaxie original issue,not a rebox, the third is the 1961 Galaxie reissued, the fourth is a 1970 Galaxie and the fifth is the same 1965 Galaxie as the second one reissued last year...there has been some more reissues of the 65 Galaxie kit but they are missing. On newer kits you can find a © date on either the box or the instructions...or both...and that can give you a clue on when the kits are made, but on many older kits there are no dates at all so you might have to look in some old catalogs to find out when they are made and what issue it is.

Finding these kit for reasonable prices...well that can be a challenge...they are expensive wherever you find them as they has been OOP for a long time.

Very nice Chris!

Very nice Chris, looks great. I have been to the Goodguys event in Scottsdale 2 times, 2011 and 2012, and yeah it's a great event and I like to go there.

I couldn't agree more, When I start up an engine wich has been appart or if the distributor has been out I usually turn the engine to about 10 degrees before TDC or something like that, take the number 1 wire and put in a loose sparkplug and hold it against something so you get ground, turn on the ignition and turn the distributor until you get a spark and fasten it there, put the number 1 wire back on the spark plug in the cylinder head and when you start the engine it will run smoothly the first time...it works every time without spluttering or backfires...if you have the firing order correct that is. After that I adjust the timing properly with the light.

Actually the #1 on the cap isn't that important as long as you get near, it depends on how you get the distributor down when you mount it so if its one terminal to either side of the theoretical 1 is close enough, When you put down the distributor on a V8 you try go get clearance for the vacuum advance so you can adjust the timing as much as possible and it's not allways you get it as it should be according to these diagrams, as long as you can get the spark lead you want it will work.

The engine looks like it could be a Caterpillar 3406B or C with Air To Air After Cooler in the real Can-Do, the kit engine is a Cummins NTC 475 Dual Turbo. You can maybe convert the 3406 from the Revell snap Peterbilt 359 or Kenworth W900 Aerodyne kits.

Here are a couple of photos I took of the Futureliner at the SEMA Show a couple of weeks ago.

No my visit over there was purely a vacation...or may I say recreation because that's what it is, the Vegas race was good and so was the SEMA Show, we did also go up to El Mirage for the speed trials and as Bonneville rained out earlier there were lots of competitors there, I have not seen so many there this time of year. I have been to the NHRA Finals at Pomona 4 times before so I've been there, last time was 2012, I could have gone this year too but I have to save some paid vacation days until next year when I plan to come over again, and the Finals may be one thing to plan in and maybe the Goodguys Southwest Nationals event in Scottsdale...we have not decided yet.

It all depends on what type of suspension it is so there isn't a "rule of thumb" here. You can pretty much say that you go at it as on a real car, what works there works on a car model, things like lowering blocks, shorter springs, repositioned spindles and so forth.

I saw that car at the SEMA Show the week before last. The photo is taken by me on location in Las Vegas.

I did go in and looked at the model car show and voted for the model I liked best both times I were there, 2012 we were at the show for two days so I had time to study the models more thoroughly before I laid my vote. I like the Goodguys Southwest Nationals and Scottsdale and I will hopefully come back in the near future, maybe even next fall...I will for sure go over to USA next year and most likely to the western parts but me and my friends haven't decided about date and exactly where to go yet...a week ago today I came home from a trip to Los Angeles CA, Las Vegas NV and a short trip to Kingman AZ...three states in two weeks...so I have just been to your country.

I usually measure and mark how much I would like to cut off, then cut the frame rails with a fine tooth saw, sand the joining surfaces slightly so they are square and glue them back together and I usually reinforce joint on the inside of the rail with a piece of sheet styrene...tools needed, fine tooth saw, sand paper hobby knife and glue. Mostly I do the cut before I build the chassis because it's easier, but you can do it after the frame is assembled if you're careful, just make sure the cut is square so the frame still is straight after you're done.

I have been to that show a couple of times (2011 and 2012) and it's a very nice show that I enjoyed and will go again to if I get the chance, thanks for the pics.

Yes it looks very much like a Monkey Motion to me. I have never seen this type of rubber band drive before either....well it might have worked fairly good for at least on road use.

My suggestion is to get the Moebius Big Rig Wheel and Tire set, they look a lot better than the kit wheels wich in my opinion looks much too shallow. https://www.scalemates.com/products/product.php?id=266083

I agree about the Challenge Transit Mixer, try to restore that as it is instead as it's very rare. Howerver, shorten the frame isn't that hard, just cut out a portion somewhere between the cab and rear axles and glue the frame rails back together with some reinforcement behind the joint and you're done, you also have to shorten the drive shaft the same amount. But convert from a dual drive bogie to single drive axle is a bit harder and mostly depends on what kind of rear suspension the kit has, Air Ride suspensions are often easier to convert than for example a Hendrickson Walking Beam or Mack Camel Back...so how you go at it varies from kit to kit. The Freightliner SD and the Ford LN 8000 Short Hauler are already single drive so you don't have to do anything to the rear suspension there.

As I said...they are from the same tooling. I believe Revell sold out quite soon after they released the stock they had because they weren't avalable that long.

Plastruct has diamond plate, but don't go by the scale that's marked on the packace, if you buy the 1:24-1:25 scale the pattern is a lot too big, the HO 1:100th scale pattern looks more right.

Well the Accurate Miniatures 1963 Corvette Grand Sport and the Revell 1963 Grand Sport are from the same tooling.

The quality among the resin casters varies a lot...some are good and some are...well not so good, and that's the way it is and we have to work with what's available to us...do the things ourselves...or do without it completely...it's up to each one to decide As many here have said, Ross Gibson offers many engines and versions of engines never done before for modelers and that's mainly why I bought the ones I have, and with some work they looks quite decent. I have bought some engine kits and parts from HRM too and his products are very good...but you can't exactly call them cheap and HRM and RG doesn't offer the same things so I don't know if you can compare them at the same level other than they are both resin casters and the quality of their products.