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I finished my 1:1 clone of Ed Roth's Mysterion!


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I finished my version of Ed Roth's Mysterion car last October.   I wrote a book about the car talking about its creation in the first half then describing my build in the second half. It's available on Amazon.

Definitely a bucket list item!  Now I am building a 1/8th scale version of the car.  Mark Gustavson asked me to give a short seminar at next year's GSL.

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Final McFarland cover art_12-28-2015.jpg

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Hard to come up with words that really cover both the model and the real thing!  I am guessing your model is 1/8th and abut the only things that came from a kit are the tyres?  That is one very impressive skill set you have there, sir. How do you even begin to measure something like that when there isn't a single straight, parallel or concentric or even symmetrical line anywhere on that body?

Like any rod or model builder ( I'm sure we are all guilty of this!) I immediately starting pouring over your photos to look for hiccups, whoopsies, those little giveaways that you might have missed something. I can't find a single imperfection.  I don't know which one was harder to build, 1/8th or 1/1 but they are both a measure of your incredible skill and dedication.  Add me to the long list of people who said "Awesome!"

Cheers

Alan

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2 hours ago, alan barton said:

Hard to come up with words that really cover both the model and the real thing!  I am guessing your model is 1/8th and abut the only things that came from a kit are the tyres?  That is one very impressive skill set you have there, sir. How do you even begin to measure something like that when there isn't a single straight, parallel or concentric or even symmetrical line anywhere on that body?

Like any rod or model builder ( I'm sure we are all guilty of this!) I immediately starting pouring over your photos to look for hiccups, whoopsies, those little giveaways that you might have missed something. I can't find a single imperfection.  I don't know which one was harder to build, 1/8th or 1/1 but they are both a measure of your incredible skill and dedication.  Add me to the long list of people who said "Awesome!"

Cheers

Alan

Wow Alan, I'll pay you for that endorsement later!!!!  You are correct, building these things was an long term process.  Finding information was really tough.  The Revell model is of course an incredible technical achievement but as you will find out on close inspection, it has many, many dimensional and technical errors.  I could only really use it for overall size scaling.  As far as the body goes, it is even more free form than a first glance would indicate.  See the photo below where I sketched major outlines on one side then overlaid them on the other side.  The car is a full 4" 'narrower' on one side than the other.

The model is 1/8 scale and I actually started it in 2001 but soon realized I didn't know enough about it to continue.  I set it aside while I got on with life.  In 2015 I got serious about building the 1:1 version.  Finished it in 2017 and sold it @ a Sotheby's auction in late 2018.  I decided to attack the model again when Mark Gustavson asked me to give a lecture on it and all things Mysterion at the last ever GSL convention this coming May.  I need incentives and that was a good one.

As far as kit parts, there weren't many I could use.  I used mainly Lindberg Big Rod parts; rear ends (I like that they are split radially, not length-wise like Revell), carbs ( they have the convex air cleaner tops whereas Revell's are concave),  engine pulleys, steering wheel.  From Revell cars I converted the Big Deuce Pontiac engine to a Ford FE, used their rear mag wheels to make Rader wheels, backing plates and brake drums, and did use their rear tires but even had to modify them from scale 8" to 10" by splitting them and adding 1/4" down the middle.  The front wheels were scratch built and the front tires are urethane rubber castings from a Revell motorcycle tire which was made smaller.  Wood carved LOTS of  parts (body, nose, seat, bellhousings, trannys, valve covers, seat), made many resin cast parts, body and nose of fiberglass.

I wrote a book (still listed @ Amazon) all about the Mysterion and details of designing and building the big car.  Incidentally, anyone who has  the urge to write a tell all book about a similar subject, my publisher Mcfarland  likely would take it on.  They aren't a vanity press, they are honest to good publishers.  They didn't charge me to produce my book, they did real life publishing.

https://mcfarlandbooks.com/shop/transportation/automotive/

 

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Final McFarland cover art_12-28-2015.jpg

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