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Rushin' Hippie: a slightly modernized 68 Cougar Nostalgia Funny-Car


Claude Thibodeau

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On 6/2/2022 at 11:14 AM, papajohn97 said:

That “marblized/ psychedelic” paint work is amazing! How did you do that? Paint mask? Skillful manual brush splatter? I’m also impressed with your homemade “Rushin’ Hippie” decals, they look “store-bought”! When I first looked at your pics, I just assumed that this car actually existed it’s so appropriate looking for the period. Great job!
 

I think a lot of us modelers here like building these older drag subjects because we all miss those wonderful years of innovation, craftsmanship, creativity, variety. It’s understandable to me why most forms of auto racing (NHRA, NASCAR, Indy, F1) are fading in popularity. 

Hi John!

For the infos about the paint, please see my previous anwer to Vintage AMT at the bottom of page one of this thread.

The decal was done as an experiment for a previous project, and I even forgot that I had it. The colors were a match to the Cougar paint scheme, so... But, I would have liked it to be just a smidge bigger, to fill the side panel more completely. My color cartridge was low (aren't they always?), so I went with it. 

Finally, you comment is dead on: more marketing, less creativity. I guess that makes us "grumpy old men" ? LOL.

CT 

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On 5/31/2022 at 5:00 PM, Claude Thibodeau said:

HI!

I'm totally partial to the era of Funny Cars that looked like distinctive creations, not vinyl-wrapped  sponsor's rolling logos. So... when I found this Model King 68 Cougar, I decided to create an imaginary late 60's "groovy" funny-car!

The kit had a standard Logghe Stamping chassis (the norm for the era), but to my eyes, this very chassis was always "crude". So, from my stash, I mashed the MPC Wild Willy Borsch altered chassis/powertrain, modified and extended to match the Cougar wheelbase, while providing a more "digger style" chassis.. Throw in scratchbuild inner panels, headers, injector, linkage, fuel pump, rear body stanchions, and a few other items. Wired and plumbed.

Home made decals, and a paint job that matches the flavor of the era (special effects panels, marbleizer-like textures, purple and lime green tints, etc. Revell clear lacquer, fully polished. 

Close your eyes, and think of the OCIR Cavalcade of Stars Coca-Cola funny-car events. That was the goal. 

Hope you like it!

CT 

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Claude...this one is a masterpiece, IMHO. 

Back in the day, based on your paint work alone this model would have been a shoe-in for Best Paint at any of the MPC National Model Car Contest shows, along with class trophies and other awards including Quality Workmanship and Best of Show.  

Also, I heartily endorse your use of the MPC Wild Willie Altered Chassis.  That kit along with its sister kit the Bantam Blast, are arguably MPC's best-ever drag racing kits in terms of adccuracy, detail, and assembly quality, and sadly most modelers have never had the experience of building them.  Bravo! 

Best...TIM 

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4 hours ago, tim boyd said:

Claude...this one is a masterpiece, IMHO. 

Back in the day, based on your paint work alone this model would have been a shoe-in for Best Paint at any of the MPC National Model Car Contest shows, along with class trophies and other awards including Quality Workmanship and Best of Show.  

Also, I heartily endorse your use of the MPC Wild Willie Altered Chassis.  That kit along with its sister kit the Bantam Blast, are arguably MPC's best-ever drag racing kits in terms of adccuracy, detail, and assembly quality, and sadly most modelers have never had the experience of building them.  Bravo! 

Best...TIM 

Hi Tim!

Thank you for the generous comments. But I'm afraid that when such contests were taking place, my knowledge of paint techniques was marginal, at best. But I tried to improve over the years, and I'm flattered by your comment. 

When I saw the typical Logghe chassis of the Cougar kit, I started to look in my stash for something more satisfying. And I remembered your enthusiastic description of the Borsch car in your Collecting Drag racing models book. Since I had two in stock, I went ahead, and never regretted.

The only technical constraint was that the monster motor sits fairly high in the chassis, which is no concern on an altered roadster. But the windshield of the Cougar had to be opened up vertically, and I had to spare the bugcatcher, and replace it with a scratchbuilt low-profile injector module, to clear the opening. 

Ah, the surprises and challenges of mash-up!

Long live the vintage FC. Next in line: the Bounty Hunter Mustang. And thanks to your review in an old SA, I know the front 4 bars have no mounting points on the chassis. We'll have to take care of that... 

Regards,

CT 

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Just now, Brudda said:

Cannot wait sir!!!

I also saw John Teresi’s Mickey Thompson mustang funny car at the NNL West. Holy cow how do you guys do it? Here is a pic. A regular car you can hide things. But a funny car is totally exposed inside and out. You guys are amazing 

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On 6/7/2022 at 9:57 AM, Vintage AMT said:

Thanks Claude, would have never thought to use the items you did, I thought maybe a course sponge like I use when doing a weathering job. Again thanks, I'll give it a shot someday.

Alex

Hi Alex!

Keep me posted if your experimentations allow you to develop any other technique. I'm always on the lookout for any paint "trick" that I could apply on my future projects!

CT

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The great painters use the canvas to express their creativity and genius, you chose a beautiful first generation Mercury Cougar to express yours.

That's what I call a genius idea because the canvas is superb which is not a disadvantage.

All the ingredients for a finished product that will surely please all the amateurs and I am one of them!

Now I don't know where to follow your creations my friend, you are everywhere... I guess genius is not limited by the subject ! 😉

Francis

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On 6/13/2022 at 10:50 PM, Brudda said:

I also saw John Teresi’s Mickey Thompson mustang funny car at the NNL West. Holy cow how do you guys do it? Here is a pic. A regular car you can hide things. But a funny car is totally exposed inside and out. You guys are amazing 

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Hi Tom!

Mr Teresi is certainly one of the best modelers of his generation. He never fails to amaze. I followed his buid of the monocoque Mustang, and was very impressed. 

When I came back to the hobby in 2014, the first car I scratchbuilt was a tribute to this very monocoque Mustang, albeit on a more humble level than Mr Teresi. Here's how it looked...

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On 6/14/2022 at 8:31 PM, AmericanMuscleFan said:

The great painters use the canvas to express their creativity and genius, you chose a beautiful first generation Mercury Cougar to express yours.

That's what I call a genius idea because the canvas is superb which is not a disadvantage.

All the ingredients for a finished product that will surely please all the amateurs and I am one of them!

Now I don't know where to follow your creations my friend, you are everywhere... I guess genius is not limited by the subject ! 😉

Francis

Hi Francis!

Thanks for the compliments, but I'm just an old guy with too much time on his hands! And I try to explore diverse "fields" to avoid being bored. 

Can't wait to see the "green wonder" completed. Keep at it!

CT 

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Very cool! My favorite Funny Car era too! Compared to today's "one size fits all" (which are still my fav class of dragsters), cars from this period had a unique, experimental, trail & error nature about them that still makes them fun to imagine, engineer and build. Another great job Claude!

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