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Modeling for fun.....again!


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Here's muh plan!

well, kind of.

I plan too much, there's always something that throws the plan off......so I shelve the project and start a new one. AND REPEAT..........

I'm thinking I'm going to make maybe 6 small block and 6 big block drag Chevy motors that I can use in anything.

Various FI setups, maybe a couple supercharged. No headers for now.

The idea is to create an arsenal to use in projects, move on then to deciding which cars get which motors.

Going to use the Revell parts pack small blocks.Too small? Don't care, great block and head detail!

Gonna use the AMT BB? Little detail? Yep! But I have a zillion. Not gonna hold out for the Revell or MPC annual motors.

I have some accurate Speed City manifolds, look pretty good.

AND, maybe just use a trans that fits without reworking the whole interior. 

Not use the Hydro, this racer just went through a ton of 1937 GM transmissions! Junk was cheap then.

I have a ton of Caddy/La Salle trans, they are very small!

Sometimes I think I have just TOO MUCH to choose from!

UH OH! Got answered the door! Got my Galaxie 47 Chev Coupe in the mail.

Edited by GaryR
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I build because i think it is fun and sometimes when i am feeling down and need to get my mind on something different for a few hours.
Making something superdetailed has never interested me mostly because i get tired of it when i maybe have put 4-5 hours in to something and gotten nowhere.
But it is fun to watch others that have that patience to do that with any kit and i respect them for that.

Some of the trucks i build are not stock, they have some extra details that is easy to see (like bullbar, lights,deflectors and antennas) but thats how far i go, i am not building them for shows, i am building them for me.
If the drivetrain and frame is wrong for a truck i am building then i dont care, i am the only one that will know and those that sees any of my us trucks will think it is a peterbilt even if it is not.
They will never see the engine because they are afraid of breaking something if they touch it and if they want to see it they will ask me to open the hood.
 

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Yes back in the day the model companies recognized not every kit had to be an exact replica.  Less licensing fees to pay and they could sell multiple versions but just changing box art and maybe the decals.   Build what makes you happy.

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I will use whatever i have and kit bash alot. My cars are never perfect or highly detailed, i just enjoy building vintage drag cars. Here is my current project, its the ramchargers 64 dodge but i wanted to do awb. I know its not perfect, its only my 2nd time cutting up a car for awb but ive had alot of fun doing it.

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Looks very good to me Scott!

I think guys either gorget or don't know that sometimes a stock wheel well was simply streeeeetched out to alter the wheelbase instead of cutting it out and moving it forward!

You have done the best of both here. NICE WORK MAN!

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3 minutes ago, GaryR said:

Looks very good to me Scott!

I think guys either gorget or don't know that sometimes a stock wheel well was simply streeeeetched out to alter the wheelbase instead of cutting it out and moving it forward!

You have done the best of both here. NICE WORK MAN!

thanks!! this is my 2nd attempt at awb and im learning alot as i go.

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14 minutes ago, GaryR said:

Look around on the web, funny cars were constructed in a huge variety of ways until 68-69 or so!

Guys forget they started out as stock cars!

Gotta love pre 70s drag racing!!! Those guys weren't afraid to try new things and some of the wildest creations came out of the 60s.

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The older we get, the wiser we are!

People may have noticed I've been getting a lot done lately.  That's because a while back I decided  "the heck with it" and that I'd just finish all the stuff on that unfinished model shelf.  So I've looked past the parts of the projects that had me lose interest.  My goal is just to finish them as models that will be acceptable to me and my small circle of friends who somehow enjoy my odd stuff.

I still will wire engines because I like that and feel it's essential to make me see the model as complete.  I will use prewired distributors and won't be looking at wiring diagrams!   Brake lines and other major wiring are out of the question.  I'm no longer opening panels and scratch building all that detail. 

Another thing... I have a huge hoard of aftermarket stuff, decals etc that I've been saving for someday.  Well that day has come.  I am shamelessly using things from that collection on my builds.  And it feels good.

I think what got me thinking was participating in the annual 24 Hour build every January.  I have been able to build and detail some acceptable models in the allowed 24 hours.  It taught me to build more systematically and not go crazy.  

I have my share of trophies, but the cutting edge of the hobby has left me far in the dust.  I don't choose to chase contest building anymore.  And since I've been building this way, I won two major awards this year!  Go figger!

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Now you all know how I feel about certain things being correct. Namely body shapes. There's no such thing as being 100% correct on any model, but there are some things that are so grossly misshapen, I have to fix 'em! Having said that, the last couple builds were simple on my part as I wanted to get away from the drawn out Shelby Mustang WIP I had going.

The '74 'Vette was a change of pace for me as it was the first time I believe I took what was a very forlorn looking model and turned it into something nice. No opening doors, no working suspension/engine details, just some body corrections which it needed and I had it done in less than six months which is a very short time for me. I liked doing that so much I took ANOTHER 'Vette I thought was lost and restored that one. You all seen the '68 and how I brought that one back to life.

Now, I'm sort of back into the detail mode as I'm taking a long shelved project and semi redoing it to finish it up for good. The work on the '55 Fairlane has been tedious, but half of the work was already done years ago, namely the interior and chassis/engine bits. It's just a matter of fixing the body where the paint went bad and then getting it all repainted and ready for display. If I can get this done before the end of the year, that'll be a record for me since I can't remember the last time I got that many done in a year!

As far as fun, I consider research and body corrections as part of the fun. I like doing body mods/corrections where needed. A kind of stickin' it to the model makers as I'm someone with no sophisticated machinery to do what I do, yet you'll have them spend tens of thousands of dollars on molds but it's still wrong. :blink:

So as they say "To each his own". What's fun for one can be dread to another.

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Yep.

There's a whole other world of pre Logghe 66 space frames from 64 to 68. Lots of square tube, perimeter frames and "additions" to unit chassis. Plus just Totally gutted unitized stockers. Safe? Uh, not really.!!It was trial and error time! NO SET METHODS! Makes it creative and fun to me.

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9 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

The older we get, the wiser we are!

People may have noticed I've been getting a lot done lately.  That's because a while back I decided  "the heck with it" and that I'd just finish all the stuff on that unfinished model shelf.  So I've looked past the parts of the projects that had me lose interest.  My goal is just to finish them as models that will be acceptable to me and my small circle of friends who somehow enjoy my odd stuff.

I still will wire engines because I like that and feel it's essential to make me see the model as complete.  I will use prewired distributors and won't be looking at wiring diagrams!   Brake lines and other major wiring are out of the question.  I'm no longer opening panels and scratch building all that detail. 

Another thing... I have a huge hoard of aftermarket stuff, decals etc that I've been saving for someday.  Well that day has come.  I am shamelessly using things from that collection on my builds.  And it feels good.

I think what got me thinking was participating in the annual 24 Hour build every January.  I have been able to build and detail some acceptable models in the allowed 24 hours.  It taught me to build more systematically and not go crazy.  

I have my share of trophies, but the cutting edge of the hobby has left me far in the dust.  I don't choose to chase contest building anymore.  And since I've been building this way, I won two major awards this year!  Go figger!

Right on Tom! LOL!
I was shocked to see I have nearly two Bankers Boxes full of Resin and Parts Packs! I need to start building, I just turned 66!

I have stuff I'd forgotten about!
A Fuel Cuda body!

A 66 Miss STP Paula Murphy  Mustang )body!

Corvair funny car bodies!

66 Valiant Hairy Canary

assorted early Ford bodies, chopped etc.

Gasser material!

TONS of various drag motor parts!

This stuff goes back to the late 80's!

I need to stop defeating myself and start building and  painting!

Half the work is already done.

Edited by GaryR
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9 minutes ago, GaryR said:

Yep.

There's a whole other world of pre Logghe 66 space frames from 64 to 68. Lots of square tube, perimeter frames and "additions" to unit chassis. Plus just Totally gutted unitized stockers. Safe? Uh, not really.!!It was trial and error time! NO SET METHODS! Makes it creative and fun to me.

Exactly!! I scored this barracuda today and i plan on building the skootin cuda, not sure about the frame yet im gonna research and get as close as i can

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Scott, don't know if you have seen it but an outfit called Southern Motorsports casts a basically stock size all aluminum one piece full interior for the 65-66 Cuda. 

Good quality and price and prompt delivery I bought several. Fits like a gove, I'm sure it was made from the AMY original.

You could add the detail (if you choose ) visible in the photo very easily with sheet plastic.

Just an idea.

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Yeah, I'm 61 and for quite a long time had been scooting along at 12-15 models a year.  My work now takes me away from home semi-regularly so last year I only got 5 done and there's only three done so far this year. I do some motel room building which is fun but hard to get much final assembly done because the airport baggage handlers tend to undo your assembly work anyway!

I have decided that closed hood cars won't get engine wiring any more.  Open engine compartments on rods and dragsters will get that time spent. I find Tim Boyd's models are right at the level I am happiest with. Great stance, cool paint and just enough detail to make you go "Oh yeah!"  And I'm right with Tom, gotta start using more of those goodies we have collected for years.  Unfortunately I have a weird personality trait that has me restoring dead bodies rather than using the virginal ones in my stash! Gotta try and get over that and save some time!

Another thing I got into a few years ago was 1/32 scale hot rods.  I make absolutely NO attempt to super detail these in any way.  Cleaning off mould lines is about it.  If the backs of the tyres are hollow, so be it.  If the exhausts look like tree trunks, tough.  It takes you back to your childhood when all you were interested in was getting the thing finished.  By using adult paint techniques and yes, BMF, you get a very cool model for the shelf and a great bit of nostalgia to boot.  I have been writing model columns for an Australian hot rod magazine for the last three years so that has kept me busy  modelling although not always finishing models.  Hopefully I have another 1/32 scale period coming soon and for the first time I will use Molotow on them - those old chrome-less Pyros, Lindbergs and Auroras are just begging for it.

Meanwhile, to the John Teresis. the Codis, the Steve Guthmillers the Mark Jones, the Dennis Laceys please keep doing the awesome ultra detailed models that you build because there is inspiration, admiration and entertainment in everything you do.  Just because I haven't reached that level doesn't mean I can't enjoy it immensely.

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On 8/15/2019 at 8:39 PM, GaryR said:

I think many, maybe too many, modelers of all types are too obsessed with rivet   counting, exact paint shades etc. While I DO strive for realism, I'm not going to defeat myself by being...well, snooty and looking down my nose. I see this at shows and sales all the time.

I think Snake, you know exactly what I DO mean here.

New guy chiming in. I've been building 1/32 aircraft for decades,  never did strive for absolute accuracy, close being good enough. Now, i'm kinda burnt out/bored of aircraft, built the 1/16 Hawaiian recently. LOTS of inaccuracies with this kit, at first it went on the shelf of doom for close to a year, restarted it, turned off by basic kit, decided the heck with it, i'll just build it. I'm OK with results. I need to say, I've been a mechanic for 40+ years, one of the reasons I didn't do cars is the inaccuracies would drive me nuts, lack of detail and accuracy would prevent me from enjoying the kit. Recently decided that it doesn't matter now, will build and enjoy, not drive myself nuts over inaccuracies....I hope.

Don

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11 hours ago, GaryR said:

Scott, don't know if you have seen it but an outfit called Southern Motorsports casts a basically stock size all aluminum one piece full interior for the 65-66 Cuda. 

Good quality and price and prompt delivery I bought several. Fits like a gove, I'm sure it was made from the AMY original.

You could add the detail (if you choose ) visible in the photo very easily with sheet plastic.

Just an idea.

Thanks im gonna check into that.

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11 hours ago, Scott8950 said:

Exactly!! I scored this barracuda today and i plan on building the skootin cuda, not sure about the frame yet im gonna research and get as close as i can

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Scott - Depending on if that 'cuda has a custom chassis under it,  the AMT 1971 Duster has a very nicely detailed one that fits under it with a slight shortening of the wheelbase.  There is a spot on the chassis I usually cut that doesn't require much clean up!   That would work with Gary's suggestion of interior and you have a complete car!

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3 minutes ago, Tom Geiger said:

Scott - Depending on if that 'cuda has a custom chassis under it,  the AMT 1971 Duster has a very nicely detailed one that fits under it with a slight shortening of the wheelbase.  There is a spot on the chassis I usually cut that doesn't require much clean up!   That would work with Gary's suggestion of interior and you have a complete car!

thanks.. i actually have a 71 duster chassis im not using. i will dig it out and give it a look.. thanks for the info.

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This is a great thread. Overdue and straight to the point. I have always built what I liked the way way I liked it. 100% accuracy has never been a factor for what ever I am working on. A couple of my favorite terms are"inspired by" and "my version of". I don't think there is any model I built that wasn't inspired by either by a real vehicle I saw in a magazine or in real life. I started building in the '50's and my only inspiration was what ever I saw in those "small pages" car magazines. My dad never did anything mechanical and neither did I. Just ask my wife...I have no mechanical ability..if it can't be fixed with a hammer I can't fix it. As a direct result I became a model builder that developed a set of skills that has allowed me to replicate what I see.I learned what car parts were called by what my model kit plans called them out to be.

As for accuracy, if SMP or AMT told me that what was in their box was a '58 Chevy convertible then it was exactly that no doubt,no questions is was gospel according to the box art. I grew up in a small rural farming community on a gravel road three miles from town. To see a real '58 Chevy when they were new in our local dealer's garage I had to ride my bike to town. Forget ever seeing an Impala of any body style there! The dealer in our one traffic light village(we have 2 now) only ordered what the local farmers were likely to buy, pale green four doors with pale green interiors and six cyl engines. Not much inspiration for yours truly.

As to body correctness...again when I bought and built the first release AMT '32 Ford kits I had never seen a real one so if the box said this was a deuce coupe than it was a deuce coupe...no questions asked..no internet to google a hundred images to compare it to so why obsess over a possibly incorrect detail. So I didn't.

Don't get me wrong I lover my internet and web access for project research on what I am building. Great tools for sure. I rely on "proportional accuracy" a lot for what I do.Keep in mind that just as I have always done I am more likely to build a model of something that no kit exists for. During the old MPC contest days I built a hot rodded '29 Ford model A dump truck with working dump mechanism.a blown SBC and slicks because I had seen a stock one at a a local car show the year before.

Now I build a lot of models of vintage travel trailers. A couple of them are so rare in the real world that maybe only one or two still exist. Thank you google and Pintrest for the inspiration and reference material for those projects. No Kits available.All are 100% scratch built. That are "proportionally" accurate to my eye and that's what counts. That will never change for me,I build what I like as I want to see it. If someone else appreciates it that;s all well and good. If not I will not lose any sleep over it.

 

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I realize that there are a lot of model car builders who enjoy the freedom of building customs and straight track subjects, but I personally really enjoy the rigidity of building factory stock.

I love researching everything from available body colors to interior and engine options and all of the other little nuances.

And along the way, I learn a lot about the actual cars themselves! :)

I don't always get them 100% correct, (and don't necessarily feel that I need to) but I love trying!

To me, a factory stock, (or nearly stock) vehicle, captures the true flavor of the era in which it was created.

 

 

Steve

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23 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I realize that there are a lot of model car builders who enjoy the freedom of building customs and straight track subjects, but I personally really enjoy the rigidity of building factory stock.

I love researching everything from available body colors to interior and engine options and all of the other little nuances.

And along the way, I learn a lot about the actual cars themselves! :)

I don't always get them 100% correct, (and don't necessarily feel that I need to) but I love trying!

To me, a factory stock, (or nearly stock) vehicle, captures the true flavor of the era in which it was created.

 

 

Steve

I agree totally!  I've gone from strictly NASCAR to strictly stock,lately brass and classics.  I enjoy the research and don't obsess about what's under the hood.

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57 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I realize that there are a lot of model car builders who enjoy the freedom of building customs and straight track subjects, but I personally really enjoy the rigidity of building factory stock.

I love researching everything from available body colors to interior and engine options and all of the other little nuances.

And along the way, I learn a lot about the actual cars themselves! :)

I don't always get them 100% correct, (and don't necessarily feel that I need to) but I love trying!

To me, a factory stock, (or nearly stock) vehicle, captures the true flavor of the era in which it was created.

 

 

Steve

i enjoy watching you and a few others build, you guys do some amazing work have some insane talent. 

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this topic really resonates.  I only recently completed a build for the first time in years.  I've got probably 30 kits in my stash that I want to complete.  I recently started wearing glasses, but even with them, I still don't see the detail as well as I used to.  I've decided I'm not wiring engines or adding alternator brackets, etc.  anymore.  going to focus on clean builds with smooth paint jobs, maybe some weathering here and there.  Time to get some stuff on the shelf!  

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7 hours ago, JJ Deuce said:

this topic really resonates.  I only recently completed a build for the first time in years.  I've got probably 30 kits in my stash that I want to complete.  I recently started wearing glasses, but even with them, I still don't see the detail as well as I used to.  I've decided I'm not wiring engines or adding alternator brackets, etc.  anymore.  going to focus on clean builds with smooth paint jobs, maybe some weathering here and there.  Time to get some stuff on the shelf!  

Do you use a lighted magnifier?

If not, get one!

It makes a gigantic difference!

 

 

Steve

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