Rocking Rodney Rat Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 (edited) The old AMT 'Mr. Speed' Stude kit has always been a favorite of mine, probably from looking at pictures of the box art in the Auto World catalog as a kid. The rear engine version has been long out of production and commands stoopid money ($300.00!!!) on auction sites. Luckily, with the recent reissiue of the Stude with the old decals being reproduced, and the availability of the Piranha kit, a reproduction is possible. So, I figured if I can't get my hands on the original kit I can at least build a replica of it.... Here's the original box art.... with the parts.... I started working on the body, chopped the top, glued on all of the 'delete' panels, sprayed it Testors One-Hit Emerald green and added decals....clear coat will be added.... Thanks for looking.... -RRR Edited October 28, 2018 by Rocking Rodney Rat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magicmustang Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 Cool. I've always thought about doing the same thing. Have both the rereleased '53 Stude and Piranha kits. I'll be watching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr mopar Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 (edited) How Funny is this ,I was just looking at doing this very same kit just the other day the only three parts missing are the body prop up witch glues to the backend of the Piranha frame ,and the two pivots that go to the body of the car .I'll be watch this build . Edited October 28, 2018 by Mr mopar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magicmustang Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Mr mopar said: The only three parts missing are the body prop up witch glues to the backend of the Piranha frame ,and the two rollers that go to the body of the car . See enclosed pic. Edited October 28, 2018 by magicmustang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr mopar Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 8 minutes ago, magicmustang said: See enclosed pic. Thank you Gerald ,I was just going to post this ....LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share Posted October 28, 2018 (edited) 9 minutes ago, Mr mopar said: Thank you Gerald ,I was just going to post this ....LOL Gerald- Thanks for posting this. I was unaware of these parts, so I guess, technically, one can't fully duplicate the Mr. Speed kit fully with available parts. I was wondering if there was some mechanism for hoisting/hingeing the body. I will make a similar setup.... -RRR Edited October 28, 2018 by Rocking Rodney Rat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magicmustang Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Rocking Rodney Rat said: I was wondering if there was some mechanism for hoisting/hingeing the body. I will make a similar setup.... -RRR My plan was to use the body mount rings and chassis end post from a Revell Miss Deal Studebaker kit (or hollow out the AMT stock Studebaker headlight rings and use a long rod cut from a parts tree) Edited October 28, 2018 by magicmustang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 One of the most original subjects for a Box Art Build I've seen in a while. Surprisingly straightforward once you crack the code. I'm your sure you'll do it more than justice. Looking forward to seeing more, more, more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Colmer Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 I've been gathering parts to do the same thing. I'll be watching. I'm sure it going to be on par with your other excellent builds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spex84 Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 I was unaware of the original "Mr Speed" rear-engine kit. That's darned cool. Looking forward to seeing this come together! I love that one-coat emerald and the molded-in taillights/headlights for the fiberglass body look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codi Posted October 28, 2018 Share Posted October 28, 2018 Always was a sucker for the rear engine funny cars. The scratch building will really add to the thread. cheers, tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 I have decided to resurrect this stalled build....more soon... -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 The painted body was left in a box wrapped in a paper towel. Bad decision.... I tried to wet sand it, but that wasn't going to work....I thought about starting with a fresh body, but that seemed like a lot of unnecessary work...... So, I stripped off the paint. Now on to filling in the seams, while I await a new can of spray paint arrives... In the meantime I got busy preparing the Piranha frame and engine parts. There's lots of flash and much sanding was required... I'm not sure about the original headers and I am looking a few options. Any ideas? -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobraman Posted April 5, 2021 Share Posted April 5, 2021 Shame about the paint. Wish I could say that never happened to me. If it happened to the entire roof you could have past it off as a trick snake treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Armstrong Posted April 7, 2021 Share Posted April 7, 2021 Awful accident with the body! Last bad thing I did was finishing the Chezoom Corvair funny, reached for a can of clear, was in a hurry, and grabbed a can of white primer by mistake...destroyed a beautiful paint and decal job. Now my friends never let me forget it, "Dave- look out for the primer!" Sheesh. Hope you finish it, there are far too few of us that built this kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Colmer Posted April 9, 2021 Share Posted April 9, 2021 Hey Rodney, Sorry about the paint problems. I had the same thing happen with a Tamyia pot painted T'rantula that was stored for a move. The paper towel stuck right to it. I hope you stick it out. I am really looking forward to seeing you complete this one. About the headers....Here is what the Scorpion version of the Piranha make over did. They went down and under the chassis. I didn't use them and made my own out of aluminum and plastic. I'm sorry I could not find the originals. I know I cut at least one up for a gauge can. I would have sent you one to copy. I can keep looking if you think it would help. Always a fan, Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted April 10, 2021 Author Share Posted April 10, 2021 20 hours ago, Scott Colmer said: Hey Rodney, Sorry about the paint problems. I had the same thing happen with a Tamyia pot painted T'rantula that was stored for a move. The paper towel stuck right to it. I hope you stick it out. I am really looking forward to seeing you complete this one. About the headers....Here is what the Scorpion version of the Piranha make over did. They went down and under the chassis. I didn't use them and made my own out of aluminum and plastic. I'm sorry I could not find the originals. I know I cut at least one up for a gauge can. I would have sent you one to copy. I can keep looking if you think it would help. Always a fan, Scott Thanks, Scott. I was unaware of the 'Scorpion' body version of this chassis. I have (at least for now) decided to use the Studebaker headers cut apart and glued on to the Piranha flange. Here's where I am as of now. I temporarily attached the engine to the frame. I need to determine final header tube length. I prepped the body and shot it with an initial coat of primer. Some work is still needed on the body.... -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 I got the body painted (Testors One-Hit Emerald Mist decanted and shot through my airbrush) and decals on....clear coat will sprayed on later.... I started in on the frame. Paint is Tamiya gloss black. The panels are Bare Metal Foil Matt Aluminum....slow going, taking my time, but it seems to be working fairly well, a few blemishes touched up with a Molotow chrome pen.... Thanks for looking....more as work progresses... -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan barton Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 (edited) The Bare Metal foil is a clever solution to the frame tin. I will be putting a rear engined 27 T body on my Piranha frame , shades of Ol'Noisy, the Speed Sport Special and will be sure to borrow that trick! They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger but I don't know, that paint snafu would have hurt a lot. Unfortunately you do not belong to a very unique club! My last coat of clear on a Candy Apple green Aurora 34 coupe turned out to be gold........ And did you know that if you try to polish a minor paint blemish on a glossy black Deuce, with Tamiya Filler Putty instead of Tamiya Polishing Compound, it does the blemish no good at all???? Sigh. If you want to get those headers right out to the sides of the body, what about the ones in Monogram Snake/Mongoose kits? They go under the frame. Revell Buttera funnycar kits over the frame could bridge the distance as well. Cheers Alan Edited April 13, 2021 by alan barton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoatGuy Posted April 14, 2021 Share Posted April 14, 2021 Looks great so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted April 14, 2021 Author Share Posted April 14, 2021 54 minutes ago, GoatGuy said: Looks great so far. Thanks, I got some more BMF done today...slow and steady...next up a couple coats of clear on the body... -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tortuga Kustomz Posted April 15, 2021 Share Posted April 15, 2021 Looking good, the paint looks super smooth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocking Rodney Rat Posted April 15, 2021 Author Share Posted April 15, 2021 18 hours ago, Tortuga Kustomz said: Looking good, the paint looks super smooth Will look even smoother with clear coat.... -RRR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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