Bring Out Your Dead... Long Stalled Models

[Tom Geiger]

Okay, I'm hopefully starting something... Add a post of a long stalled model project here. Let us know a bit about it. What was your original intent, why did it stall? Projects over 10 years old please!

Here's my VW drag car. Back when I was a kid I lived on the US Army Post at Pirmasens, Germany from 1969-72. A couple of times a year the Pirmasens German American Timing Association held drag races on the post air strip. I believe this was an 1/8 mile bracket race. US servicemen would race their daily drivers, an interesting array of US muscle cars showed up here, shipping courtesy of Uncle Sam. But there were a few purpose built cars built by groups of GI motorheads in the motor pools after hours...

You'll have to bear with me, these photos were taken by me as a junior high schooler with my trusty Poloroid Swinger camera. One of my favorite cars was this VW drag car. It was American V8 powered. As a kid, I never asked what engine! It looks down right dangerous, on it's original VW frame with stock steering gear and only a small loop roll bar.

The driver sat centered in the rear, with the roll bar sticking out the oval window. The driver got in and out through this little cut out door. I remember with the real doors open you could see the engine from either side. It did have some sheet metal work, like you can see the enclosure over the top of the engine.

Bad ass view from the front. Stock VW suspension and wheels up front, probably a small block Chevy with Chevy rear in the back. All the parts had to have come from our American car junk yard on post. The car was quickly sprayed silver with no shine to it at all. It's no doubt been crushed a long time!

So back around 20 years ago I started to build this car. That is the Gunze VW oval coupe and you can see some Revell VW green parts under it.

The project got stalled by over complication, way beyond my skill level at the time. The gaps between the doors and body were way too wide and the hinges didn't work well. I couldn't figure out how to hinge the little drivers door either. It looks like it had a piano hinge in real life.

So she's been sitting dormant for a very long time. I think about it every so often and maybe one of these days I'll pull it out and see what can be done....

Yours?

[Jantrix]

Hmmm...........10 years. Nope, I got nothing. I had a couple that were close to ten, but I figured if I wasn't going to get to it for that long, I wasn't going to period. I recently traded away my '51 Fleetline custom to a better home, and my narrowed '55 Tbird was parted out and no regrets. I have a few at about five years, but I still got steam left for them, and they will get done way before we see the ten year mark.

[Wonderbread Kustomz]

Ten years is a bit of a stretch for a lot of folks. I've got projects that are at the most, 4 years old... But that's it. I'd love to share some of those...

[Tom Geiger]

Okay... Stalled builds from ANY time frame (just not six months! LOL) I was thinking ten years wasn't that long because I'm old. Tim Boyd finished up some of his builds from the 1970s recently. Even the Testors silver paint had dried!

Edited May 29, 2013 by Tom Geiger

[Tumbler75]

Ok. I got one I can throw into the mix. It's 11 yrs stalled. It's a 1990 Chevy Silverado Sport Side that I started in 2002 with what I could find in the parts box. I had jus' gotten back into the hobby again for the 3rd time. I got it painted, rallye striped, cleared, the interior done, and then when it came to the engine and wheels. I hit a brick wall at 90 miles an hour! So it went away, come back, went away, and come back several more times. I'm soon to pull it back out of the box again and see about finishing it since my skills have gotten better and there is a wider variety of wheels, tires, and engines out there now. I'm still undecided on the paint, but the body work is a mixture of bondo, card stock, and model glue for the rear roll pan and a few other areas. So who knows.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Tumbler75

[LDO]

Cool idea for a thread. I've got a few, but I'll have to dig them out. My oldest is a Pro/Street '71 Barracuda. Monogram body on a stretched Revell Matt & Debbie Hay Thunderbird chassis. No silly looking gaps between the body and tubs, like a lot of kitbashed pro/street cars have. That one dates back to 1990 or so. I put it away because I couldn't make the bodywork disappear under paint. That was before I discovered 2-part catalyzed putty.

There are a couple of others. I'll try to dig them out and get pictures.

[uncle potts]

Ok don't have pics right now, but I'll get some as soon as I can, But my oldest stalled project is 30 years old, 1983 to be exact. Its a 1978 Datsun pickup," the California Sunshine". I cut open the doors, wanted to do suicide opening doors, couldn't get them to work. Also cut away the front suspension with the intent of scratch building a new one. However I was WAY over my head. So its been tucked away all these years waiting for me to develop the skills needed to finish. I've been thinking lately, its about time to try.

[Wonderbread Kustomz]

Here's one that's about 3 years old. I just got this one shipped back to me from my old place in SD.

[Wonderbread Kustomz]

My 62 Bel Air....

Almost two and a half years

[Custom Mike]

I believe I've seen that Impala before James. FINISH IT!!! And the mini-truck looks like it's got a great start too, it should be a killer one!

Even the Testors silver paint had dried!

I'm calling BS, everyone knows Testors Silver never dries!

I've got one, and it's even been posted here, at least until I stalled out on the tail lights. I started it back in June 2009 on Scale Avenue, then decided in 2011 to bring it over here too. The tail lights weren't the only thing that stopped me, I never was satisfied with the side windows and the tint job I did on them, and some custom script decals were also never made for it, heck, I even forgot who was gonna make 'em for me!

I think I've got a handle on what to do with the tail lights now, and a good friend has said he can make me the side windows with a tint to match the rear widow, now all I need to do is remember who was gonna make the script decals for me....

[Modlbldr]

Ten years is a bit of a stretch for a lot of folks. I've got projects that are at the most, 4 years old... But that's it. I'd love to share some of those...

Are you kidding? I don't think I could count on both hands the projects I have that are over ten years old. I have some I started when I was newly married....24 years ago. I'll post a few here when I can get to it. Most here have seen them already, but maybe not.

Later-

Edited May 29, 2013 by Modlbldr

[Tumbler75]

That's a cool truck James! Me and some friends have built a couple of the 80's/90's Lowrider Trucks ourselves.

Ok. I dug up a couple more. Both Stalled in 2007.

This one is my 1989 Chevy G20 Cargo Van that was suppose to be a replica of my 1:1 Van but then lost steam and motivation.

And then we have another "Failed" 1:1 Representation of a friend of mine's 1978/79 Z/28 Pro Street Car. He totaled the car and it was boxed up.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Tumbler75

[Jantrix]

This is my oldest. A completely custom Batmobile. Part Predicta, part Black Force, part Viper.

[Casey]

Maybe you should follow Rob's lead and head over to the CBP he started for stalled projects...and finish 'em.

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49084&hl=%2Bstalled+%2Bprojects#entry541755

[Gluhead]

Cool idea for a thread. I've got several that are 10 years or more. At this point, whether I even still consider them viable projects or just parts cars is debatable. There are a couple that are absolutely still projects, though, and one that is still very much a "must do". I'll see if I can dig up some pics.

[ToyLvr]

Tom:

I can do better than the 10-year period of time. How about 30 years?

Referencing the attached photo, I originally built this 1968 Lincoln Continental when I was a kid back in the day. In the early 80s, I got the notion to rebuild the model into a stretch limo after reading an article in a special issue of the old SAE magazine. This is as far as I got before I lost interest in the project. Maybe one of these days.......

(If CrazyGirl sees that pix of the '68 Lincoln, it'll probably make her sick....)

Mike

[Darin Bastedo]

Here's a few for ya...

1981 Buick Indy Pace Car... 17 years

MPC Charger III show car 7.5 years

Dodge Sidewinder 14 years...

AMT Car Craft Dream Rod

1977 Corvette 7 years...

[Jeremy Jon]

I can't do 10 years, but this one has been over a year, I just haven't gotten back to it

Called my $5 build, as the kit was on a clearance table for $5, was a simple motorized kit of the Jota version, but I prefer the SV so converting it, and I decided to build for my own display

But keeping with the cheap theme, has not any purchased detailing parts nor PPE items, it's even got a cardboard floor but all else is scratch-built, including the entire engine/transmission & interior mostly

I really should get back to it, I know, shame!

Edited May 29, 2013 by Jeremy Jon

[Joe Handley]

There's not enough room on the internets for mine

[Jeremy Jon]

There's not enough room on the internets for mine

All the internets?

[Joe Handley]

Yea, probably

[Wonderbread Kustomz]

Here is another one that kinda got stalled out after I had a brain fart and couldn't figure out how to get the interior tub to fit since I molded the fenders and body as one...

And this one I need to find an interior tub, and grill so I can get back on it

Edited May 29, 2013 by DragLoKustomz619

[Draggon]

You've all probably seen this before, but I just had to post it again. An MPC Merc snap kit, chopped in 1983. yup, 30 years ago. The cracks you see are because it got dropped awhile back. Tube glue and testors contour putty didnt hold up all that well. Spun aluminum discs and painted whites were added a couple years ago.

Edited May 29, 2013 by Draggon

[Jantrix]

Maybe you should follow Rob's lead and head over to the CBP he started for stalled projects...and finish 'em.

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49084&hl=%2Bstalled+%2Bprojects#entry541755

Yeah, I started this CBP, but due to my own modeling ADD, I have let it sort of lapse.

[Dominik]

ho. my oldest builts are about 12-18 month old...perhaps, i make some picturers of it. Older "construction sites" i sold long time ago.