Challenger29 Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 For those of you who have the Deuce Of Spades DVD, check out the FRANK O'LEARY INTERVIEW under the EXTRAS tab on the MENU. Frank (who plays "Fresno") talks about his experience on the film and you'll see some pretty cool video clips of Challenger. The tall guy driving the car out of the semi-trailer, is Don Cox, the fellow I bought the car from. He's a tall guy so he really sits up high in the car! I'm 5'-11" and I think that's about the tallest height that would fit this car "comfortably". These '29 Hot Rods are not very spacious! The Deuce has about 2"-3" more of leg room. Anyways, that Interview looks like an Advertisement for my car. Very cool! -Jer:>) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 ...Earlier you mentioned the color of the tuck & roll. It's a burgundy, but it does sort of match the exterior color. ... As for the exterior color a Duplicolor Torch Red might be good. The carpet is also sort of a Burgundy, not really a full red. ... I'm thinking of Guards Red for the upholstery surfaces: ...and a slightly darker red for the for the carpeting do give some sense of depth: I agree about the Torch Red, it'll probably work pretty well. ...I must admit driving Challenger on the Freeways at 11 pm at 65 mph can be a fun experience! ... I'll bet! But that's what it's all about, isn't it? I used to own an old Triumph TR3A where you could easily remove the windscreen. Driving that thing in the middle of the night with it's cutaway doors and very low stance, not to mention its dicy headlamps and primitive suspension, was a real trip. (In the experiential sense, not the geographical. ) I must admit to taking friends out in it just to freak them out, but personally I loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) Those colors and glossiness or non-glossiness of the two paints are very nice. Once again, your interpretation of Challenger, not necessarily an exact match. It will be beautiful! Not sure what color you will be painting the engine block, but Challenger's is a red, similar to the body color. Not Chevy Orange. Techically a Chrysler Red Engine Color, which is a pretty good match for the color of '56 Chevy V8's (a one year color for Chevrolet). I should look into a Photo uploading service tomorrow, as you suggested. I'd like to be free to post more cool photos here at MCM. Right now, I'm tapped out at about 1.85 Mb. Edited January 12, 2011 by Challenger29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDemon340 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 this is one cool story and i can wait to watch the movie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) ...Not sure what color you will be painting the engine block, but Challenger's is a red, similar to the body color. ... The engine is pictured above (Post #36). The engine is a flathead so I painted it Ford Engine Green. If it had been the SBC I would've gone with a red. I should have pics of the interior in colors in the next day or two. Looks like the rear bolster came out quite nicely and I've cut new side panels that fit far better than the first pass. I just have the seat bottom and back pleats to do and then paint. I need to move on to the body, chassis and engine. But I must admit, the interior is a critical part of the overall look. Interestingly, that old-school rear bolster isn't found on any scale model roadsters of any kind that I've found. Even the Revell Deuce Roadster that I took the original piece from places it inside the bodywork and, of course, it is smaller than the Challengers'. Film at 11:00... It occurs to me that some enterprising scale model company should make a Deuce of Spades double kit of the Challenger and DOS. It would sell like hotcakes! There are no decent traditional roadster kits of either the Model A or Deuce. The best, the Revell '32 Ford Roadster, is very nice but definitely a 90's style ride with small block Ford, automatic transmission, air conditioning, tubular front axle and (argh!) airbags. There's a major aftermarket industry for conversion parts to build traditional A-V8 and Deuce roadsters. Edited January 12, 2011 by gbk1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 "It occurs to me that some enterprising scale model company should make a Deuce of Spades double kit of the Challenger and DOS. It would sell like hotcakes! There are no decent traditional roadster kits of either the Model A or Deuce. The best, the Revell '32 Ford Roadster, is very nice but definitely a 90's style ride with small block Ford, automatic transmission, air conditioning, tubular front axle and (argh!) airbags. There's a major aftermarket industry for conversion parts to build traditional A-V8 and Deuce roadsters." From your post to Revell's ears... Or some other enterprising Model Company. I hope they do! I have been telling Faith about the idea of making models of our cars available for nearly 2 years. Now would be a very good time for them to talk, as the film is being seen by more and more enthusiasts around the globe. I'm sure they would sell. -Jerry:>) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 (edited) Thanx to everyone who's following along. I hope you're having as much fun as I am! The "upholstery" is now completed. I got the name of the color wrong in my examples above. I used Insignia Red for the seating surfaces, not Guards Red (which would be way too bright). The carpeting and seat base are Testors British Crimson. The differences don't photograph well but are fairly obvious in real life. The large seat back bolster remains separate from the rest of the interior and will be glued in place from above once the interior bucket is inserted in the finished body. I'll also add door handles during the final assembly process. In the pictures below I included shots of the basic seat bucket that comes in the AMT kit for contrast. Now back to the mechanical bits and bodywork… Thanx for lookin', B. Edited January 14, 2011 by gbk1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 Looking good Bernie!!! Very exciting to see how it's progressing. I still haven't set-up the Photo service we discussed to upload photos and not exceed the 1.95 Mb limit. Need to do that! Just too busy driving Challenger around the South Bay area of L.A.. For the past few days it's been "Great Roadster weather!" as Zip says in the film. 80 degrees two days in a row. But cold at night. We are all looking forward to your latest successes! -Jerry:>) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 (edited) This is taking me a bit longer than I thought, but progress is being made. Doing a replica build has its own peculiarities including proper scale and placement of details. As mentioned earlier I'm leaving the Revell floor pan in place since removing it would require me to totally disassemble the chassis. Instead I've finished the floorpan in Testors Metalizer Gunmetal applied with a brush in multiple layers, which I've found creates a fairly realistic worn undercoat effect. The white parts of the chassis in the pictures below will be finished in body color. The tabs on the bottom of the frame rails are brackets for the suspension control arms. Also completed are the front and rear suspension subassemblies. The front axle and spring, as well as the rear spring and backing plates, are finished in Testors Metalizer Gunmetal and the brake drums in Testors Metalizer Exhaust with the backing plates foiled in Bare Metal Foil Chrome. The rear axle housing are finished in Tamiya Semi-gloss Black with the Halibrand center section done in Testors Metalizer Aluminum Plate. The rear suspension is from Replicas and Miniatures Co. of Maryland Time to break out the red paint! Thanx for lookin', B. Edited January 24, 2011 by gbk1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAone Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 ok, so i think i have lurked on your thread long enough.. this is a fantastic build. i looked at the previews to the movie and well, lets say that im going to have to buy it. looks like a great movie. the attention to detail is fantastic. im looking forward to some more of this fantastic progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Looks like it's coming along Bernie! Any new updates? BTW, the new HOT ROD DELUXE magazine has a neat 3 page photo article on the movie's Premier. There's a rear shot of Challenger with Frank O'Leary (FRESNO) driving and me in the passenger seat, as we drive up to the Red Carpet. Very fun day! -Jerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) Thanx Luis. It's a cool flick, huh? Looks like it's coming along Bernie! Any new updates? BTW, the new HOT ROD DELUXE magazine has a neat 3 page photo article on the movie's Premier. There's a rear shot of Challenger with Frank O'Leary (FRESNO) driving and me in the passenger seat, as we drive up to the Red Carpet. Very fun day! -Jerry I've got red paint on the on all the parts and I'm busy applying louvers to the rear deck (Archer louver decals which will be covered with a final coat of red). I hope to have some pics by week's end. 'Zat you in the passenger seat, Jerry? Edited February 2, 2011 by gbk1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) Yep that's me!!! Serously I can't believe the photos you have found, some I've never seen. We were just about 25 feet from the Red Carpet, where Frank hopped out and I took over the wheel. I took Challenger around the block and picked up Jane Evans (Modern day "Sandy") to bring her up to the Red Carpet. It was a pretty cool time with about 350 people cheering us on and snapping photos. Edited February 2, 2011 by Challenger29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) Awesome Build Bernie! And how cool is it for jerry to come on here and give you photos and such. Thats a stand up guy. I have not seen this movie, but it is right up my alley. I am almost done with my traditional-styled 29 Roadster pickup built from the "goodguys" 3 in 1 kit. I like my hot rods fenderless though of course!!! I will update my build thread tonight or tomorrow. I am in a wheelchair and snowed in for sure!!! 12-15" of snow tonight/tomorrow. Snow + wheelchairs = no good! I wish I was born about 1920. P.S. I LOVE your car jerry! Rudy Edited February 2, 2011 by Rudy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 Hi Rudy! Thank you for your kind words! I'd love to see that model you are building too. As you can imagine I'm a BIG fan of Traditional Style Hot Rods. As a matter of fact I'm honored to be in charge of this year's HOT ROD LEGENDS CLASS at the Palos Verdes Concours D'Elegance. I'm putting together a Class of about 10 of the best known Hot Rods of the Forties & Fifties. The Show is September 18th. I just got started and so far I've got several. One you might be aware of is Vic Edelbrock Sr's black '32 Ford Roadster. That might be a cool ride to model? -Jerry:>) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 The paint is complete. Duplicolor Torch Red over Duplicolor white primer with two coats of Krylon clear over the top. This color is no longer available in rattle cans from either Duplicolor or PlastiKote. A real bummer for us non-airbrush types. This was my last can and I just made it with a tiny bit left over for touch ups if I need it. The rear deck louvers came out better than on my last build using Archer louvres decals, much crisper with better definition. I changed my technique, applying the louvers over the main color coat and then applying a thin final color coat over them. The photograph emphasizes the black of the louvers a bit more than in real life. They actually look more red than it shows with just enough dark bleed through to simulate the slits in the louvers. Because there are just three light coats of paint over the louvers they also sit on top of the surface a lot more. I redid some of the louvers and the paint on the hood and in these pictures the Metalizer hasn't been buffed out. Obviously, there is no kit for this model, and, because it's a replica build, almost everything has to be fabricated or modified. I had to make a new firewall from scratch to accommodate the flathead motor. I used the upper portion of the AMT kit firewall and some styrene sheet. I've also fabricated the steering arm on the front axle from .035" styrene rod and styrene sheet, along with a tie rod. I still have to find a steering box for it and haven't quite decided what to use for a steering wheel. Rear shocks will have to be fabricated and mounted, too. But the wheels are painted, the chassis largely complete and most of the interior done except for the dashboard and that unusual combined hand fuel pump and gauge panel. I think I have a shot at getting it done in time for NNL West on February 27th. The long pole in the tent is the front tires coming from Modelhaus. They should just get here in time… Hopefully next week I'll be able to show pictures of the car up on it wheel's (I've got blackwall front tires for fitting work). In the meantime… Thanx for lookin' B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 It just gets better and better!!! Super job Bernie!!!! -Jerry:>) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanx Jerry! This is my first replica build and I must say it does present its ... challenges will I get to see it in person This month Bernard? I thinks so. As I mentioned above the biggest issue at this point is whether I receive my Modelhaus T-120C tires in time. Other than that it's entirely up to me not to screw things up in the home stretch. 3 weeks to go to NNL West... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 This keeps looking better and better, Bernie. The Archer louvers look really good. I had the same trepidations with their welds and the "less paint is more" method worked there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 Thanx Mike! The past 10 days have been all about fabricating small parts in keeping with the replica nature of this build. Slow and tedious work, but satisfying to whatever degree the result resembles the 1:1. The interior is completed and installed. This includes the dashboard which is made from an AMT 29 Ford roadster kit dashboard with the windshield removed, the header rail foiled, the exterior edges finished in body color and the dash itself finished in semi-gloss black. I fabricated a replica of the combination hand fuel pump and gauge panel found on the 1:1. The steering wheel is larger and more old-fashioned than the modern wheel on the original and the car has three pedals instead of the two that the 1:1 with its automatic transmission has. This is all in keeping with the circa-1955 backdating of the model. Lastly, I made an 8-ball shift knob from a black plastic headed pin with a dot of white paint and a 5-point number 8 printed on decal paper before applying to the knob. The chassis is very near finished. All parts required have been fabricated and most of them installed. The entire steering mechanism was fabricated from styrene rod and tubing of various sizes with the exception of the tie-rod ends which were cut from the Ala-Kart tie rod found on the chrome tree of the AMT '29 Ford kit. The exhaust system was fabricated from styrene rod with mufflers from the Revell '32 Ford kits. Right now it's been left over-length and will be trimmed to fit during final assembly. The front and rear radius rods, cut from the front wishbone found in the AMT '29 Ford kit, will be installed during final assembly since they are fairly fragile. Front shocks and headlight brackets, as well as the driveshaft u-joints, are from the Revell '32 Ford kits. Rear tube shocks are from my parts box. The top side of the motor needs finishing, and a few more small parts have to be fabricated, mainly in the engine compartment, but I'm very close to final assembly. The front tires .from The Modelhaus were shipped yesterday so they should get here in time to make the NNL West show. I need to get this build done in the next week or so if I'm taking it with me… Thanx for lookin', B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) Bernie, Challenger's little clone is really looking GREAT! I'm totally impressed with the ingenuity you are doing to approximate the real car. You know, I still have almost all my old 1/25th cars in pieces, that I built in the late Fifties & Sixties. Like the Ala Kart, and the 3 in 1 Deuce kit. I have cigar boxes full of tires, engines, misc parts. Actually, come to think of it, I still have a few models (cars & military vehicles) left that are still assembled. They were some of the later models I built, most notably the blue Stone Woods & Cook Willys and the yellow '34 Willys Sedan Delivery. You might remember those kits. All this reminds me of all those memorable hours I had building my own car collection. Nothing like you guys do today, but it was fun and educational. One of my family friends remarked about 30 years ago "You know Jerry, now you are building full sized model cars." Come to think of it, she was right! Keep up the great job Bernie!!! We are all dying to see the completed car. Edited February 17, 2011 by Challenger29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raul_Perez Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Looking good, Bernard!! This has got to be your best build so far!! See you next week...we've got your room ready Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Challenger29 Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 I wish I could drive up to Santa Clara from Los Angeles and see the car in person. Too long a drive I'm afraid. Sure would be fun to meet you folks and see Mini-Challenger!! -Jerry:>) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 As I finish up final assembly I thought I would show some front end detail highlighting the completed engine, scratch built steering and photo-etch grill. With only the taillights, door handles and license plate left to go on, she'll be ready tomorrow for the trip to the NNL West. Thanx for lookin', B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Kron Posted February 25, 2011 Author Share Posted February 25, 2011 She's done and ready to head on out to the NNL West. Go to Under Glass here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=41463&st=0#entry431888 for tons of pictures! Thanx to everyone for following along and especially to Jerry for all the pictures, back stories and encouragement (I hope you dig it). B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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