ModelcarJR

But here are a fwe pics of the building subject now that its on wheels. My method was to complete all these assembly steps as quick as possible once the body was painted and foiled in order to avoid disappointment as much as possible. I only added tires from an old issue of the Revell 48 Ford.

Thanks, Patric, Tom, and David! I appreciate your comments! I hope I didn't offend anyone either but when I said that the rest of the build would be unremarkable, it was just a PC way of saying this is not a very good kit. I know the old saw that its and old tool that has been run many times, etc. But I doubt this tool was any good in the beginning. For example, the interior bucket four circle pins marks in the floor and two in the rear seat. These are thick and would take awhile to sand out. I don't have a circular sanding tool as they are too easy to lose control of. I use an oscillating sander and that would also take a while to sand out. The best way would be to remove the door panels to get to them. And then there are the door panels. Door handles, window cranks and arm rests are almost nonexistent. I could spend some money and time by adding aftermarket handles, cranks and arm rests but for me its not worth it. Similarly, the engines are both nondescript six cylinder and eight cylinder that are not worth detailing. The chassis has other issues but I got it to sit on all fours and I just have to watch that it doesn't roll off the table with the metal axles. I didn't think of it before now but maybe the 48 Ford interior, frame and engine would work. There are a number of kits that are great reproductions of older cars, the Revell, 50 oldsmobile, 53 Hudson (I think its 53) and my favorite of all time is the 41 Willys. Although it can only be built one way its a great kit from top to bottom. I frenched the headlights, recessed the taillights, shaved the door handles, added plug wires, and put a nice paint job on it took 1st place in street rod. Here are a few pics of it.

Paint and foil are done. The chrome trim down the side is a real challenge. you have to cut a thin strip and try to get in on evenly because cutting any foil on this body is tough. It seems that cutting only leads to nicks or uneven chrome trim. So I tried to cut one side and lay it down using the one strip so that I didn't have to cut much. The hood doesn't fit well at all and I don't know how it could be corrected. But at this point its pretty much done. The rest of the build will be unremarkable and should go together quick. Thanks for looking! ?

Thanks, All! I appreciate the comments! Bill, I think I have all those Mopars! Challengers ara also my favorite and I drive one now! Thanks everyone for looking and commenting! ?

Thanks, All! I appreciate your comments! ?

Thanks, Carl and Tom! I appreciate your comments! Tom, I like how you eliminated the running boards and fender darts or trim and added different wheels, tires and bumpers. Nice work! ?

Thanks, All! I appreciate your comments! ? I enjoy the Indy Car racing, especially the Indy 500 which I haven't missed in the last 44 years until 2020. Its a shame that 13 out of 17 races in 2021 are going to be road races though. I miss the oval racing. Its always fun to put one of these older car together and enjoy the memories. Thanks again for the comments!

Building this 41 Plymouth and I had all kind of problems with the hood and didn't get the paint on right until the third painting. I decided to paint this one black since there is nothing else remarkable about this kit so I thought I would concentrate on the paint. I don't paint many black because it is so hard to get a good finish but I think this is my best one in the last 30 years. Thanks for looking! ? Trouble with the hood on the second painting:

The Race The weather was great for the 1989 race. Sunshine and a little breeze blowing through the stands. The race progressed pretty smoothly throughout the day and then at the final laps it was really exciting. Emerson Fittipaldi led most of the race but Al Unser Jr. took the lead on lap 196 passing Emerson Fittipaldi. Then on lap 199, both Al Unser and Emerson Fittipaldi weaved in and out of lap traffic until turn 3. Emerson went low into the turn as both drivers tried to pass slower traffic. It was out of my sight of vision but I could hear the crowd cheering as the two dueled and then I heard the unmistakable slap of metal hitting the wall and watched as Al Unser slid down the wall backwards right in front of me in K Stand. Once traffic had passed, Unser's car slid down the track and into the infield grass as the yellow flag flew. Al got out of the car and gave Emo the "thumbs up" as he entered the ambulance. Emerson Fittipaldi won the race under yellow. At this time, Al probably thought that he would never win the Indy 500, but he did go on to win the 1992 and 1994 Indy 500s joining his father and uncle as winners of the Indy 500. By 1996, the 80th running of the Indy 500, an Unser had won 9 of them, over 10% of the races. The Model Here's an old Monogram kit that I built mostly box stock with a few exceptions. I added a seat with a 5-point harness that I built years ago and move from one Indy Car to another as the need arises. I used IndyCal decals on the tires both inside and out. I fashioned a rear wing wickerbill from plastic rod and strip. Mirror foil was used on the mirrors. For other thoughts on this particular kit, please see my WIP. Thanks for looking! ?

Thanks, All! I appreiate your comments! ?

Thanks, Bruce! I appreciate your comment! Here are the finished pics after the mirrors went on. I cut some mirror foil with an adhesive backing. Went pretty smoothly. Here are some other comments on the finished kit: I tried the first decal around the fuel filler and it started disintegrating a bit. The kit is 30 years old and I had taken the cellophane off at some point and then decided not to build it at that time. So I took the decal sheet and applied a light coat of clear lacquer and let it dry a couple of hours.I didn't have any major problems after that. I touched up the red with Testors Hemi Orange and the light blue in the decal matches pretty well with Testors light blue in the square bottle. The tire decals from IndyCals were great although a couple of years old. One exception - The last of eight decals disintegrated on me. I had some old Slixx decals that were a bit bigger and I think were meant for a Stock Car tire. They were old and faded too. So I found the best one and used it. You may be able to find it in the pictures. Maybe not. As I mentioned previously, the engine may be too far forward using the kit mounting holes. But even if moved back the pop-off valve still wouldn't stick out through the hole in the engine cover. I don't know how you would go about raising the engine without affecting the rear wheel stance. I also don't think you can shorten the engine cover. The kit does come with road racing wings but the fuel filler only has a hole on the left side. I know that there is a filler for which ever side you want to use in the AMT kits but it is not there in this kit. There are no helmet or uniform decals for the driver figure. Also no visor. for the helmet. The engine cover fits better than most and with the addition of the tire decals, driver's seat with harness, wicherbill and mirror foil for the mirrors it builds up pretty well! Thanks for looking! ?

Thanks, All! I appreciate your comments! I am finishing up the last two photos are with the decals complete and all that is left are the two mirrors once I cut some mirror foil. The first one is with a progress shot of the completed wickerbill on the rear wing. I cut a piece of .015 x .060" plastic strip and then sliced some .030" rod into thin pieces to glue the length of the strip at an interval of about 5/8". then painted it with silver leaf. I think it makes a convincing wickerbill. The engine cover fits better than most at least from the outside. However, it doesn't line up with the pop-off valve, gas cap, or wastegate openings. Maybe I shouldn't have used the engine mounting holes in the instructions but would have to have scraped off the raised mount to re-position. Oh, well! Thanks for looking!

I started this Monogram kit from the early 90s last week while the weather was still good. I painted the body and all the parts. Yesterday, while it was raining I started assembly and have made good progress so far. I am just assembling box stock except for a few added touches. I have a set of Indy Cal tire decals for this era so I sanded down the tires, removed the raised letters on one side of the tires and will decal both sides. I also have a driver's seat that I built long ago and it moves from build to build as I need it and is just handi-tacked in place. I will also create a wickerbill for the rear wing. I can't do any wiring or plumbing as the engine cover will not fit on these Monogram kits as there isn't enough clearance. Normally, I would wire and plumb the engine in these Indy cars and do some washes and dry brushing of the engine but I am going to pass on this one. So far, everything is going together well. Thanks for looking! ?

Looks good, MrMike! I agree on the engines. I've got to find a 318 to put in one of these. Nice work on yours! ?

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate your comments! I've got one more left in the closet - maybe 2022!

This is my latest build of the Revell kit. I know MrMike has one that is similar with a 440. I have 3 others in my collection and I wanted something to complement the other colors in this collection. I first built this kit when it was a new tool in 2014. Painted it Plum Crazy with a black and white interior and took a first place in Factory Stock. I next built this kit in 2017 in B5 Blue with a 440 in it. Also a 1st place winner. The two latest are this one and an AAR 'Cuda in sublime green that I built earlier this year. All have detailed engines and interiors in a variety of colors and styles of this very nice kit and I recommend it. Thanks for looking! ? Unfortunately, I have lost a right side mirror on this one.

I have finished another 70 'Cuda! This makes the fourth one in different styles. Its a very nice kit and I didn't have a lot of problems building them. Still raining today so no outdoor pics. Here are a few pics of the most recently completed one along with group shots of all 4. The plum crazy one with the shaker hood was built in 2014 and is a 1st place winner in Factory Stock. Unfortunately, it has lost a right side mirror somewhere along the line. The B5 Blue one is a 440 with elastomeric bumpers built in 2017 and also a 1st place winner in Factory Stock. The AAR 'Cuda in Sublime Green and this build were completed in 2020 and haven't made it to a contest because of Covid. All have detailed engines. By the way, the 1st picture with the hood open has a little help - can you see it? Thanks for looking! ?

Thanks, Carl! I appreciate your comment! Its on wheels and went together pretty well! I really like the inner fender liners mounted on the interior as it makes the assembly process much easier. Engine compartment is done and its a tight fit. I had to use some aftermarket material for the top radiator hose because the MAD distributor is bigger and is in the way for the kit part.I had to re-route the spark plug wires to fit the battery in place. Still have to add the windshhield wiper fluid bottle but AI'll wait until daylight to paint it. I just used the kit rally wheels and painted the wheel part steel and left the centers and the rims chrome. I've added BF Goodrich decals from the AAR 'Cuda kit. The interior is in very nicely and the wheel stance looks OK. Now just the rest of the hardware and this one will be done. I'll post some photos of all 4 'Cudas I have completed once I get this one done. Thanks for looking and Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Finished the engine today complete with plug wires and fuel line. The plug wires also use PE wire looms glued to the valve covers on each side. The fuel line is made of wire from the boot material in the Morgan pre-wired distributors package. I made a horseshoe piece for the two carburators and then glued the remainder to the fuel pump, wound it up next to the block, bent and cut it to make a glue joint in the middle of the horseshoe going to the carbs. After the super glue dried, I painted the joint brass and flatteded it a bit. A three-way brass fuel line fitting if you will.

Thanks, Carl! I appreciate your comment! I've been working on another body trying to get it painted before winter sets in since I have to paint outside.. Intending to paint it black, I decanted some Testors black lacquer into a jar for airbrush since it doesn't come out well from a can. That worked out well and the paint looked nice but not glossy since its lacquer. I thought then I could decant some Wet Look clear and apply it with an airbrush. But that didn't work out so well. It was still dull. So I grabbed the can and gave it a few passes which seemed to gloss up but was a little bumpy. So I have been working the afternoon to rub it out and it is starting to pay off. I goofed up the hood so its in the Super Clean pool. The right side and front haven't been touched yet with sanding cloth or Scratch X. Before painting I also puttied up the grill panel to get rid of the glue seam. I haven't finished yet but here are a few photos. Thanks for looking! ?

Finished the interior today. I didn't have the wood grain decal as I had borrowed it for another build so I used the black decal on the dash along with the white-faced gauges. The white gauges have much better registration and are a bit more modern. The tan color is Krylon Khaki and unfortunately it is gloss so I had to dull it down a bit with some dullcote. its actually more dull than in the photos. Thanks for looking! ?

OK, thanks, Carl! Painted the 66 Olds today and I am almost finished with the foil on the "Cuda. Thanks for looking! ?

Thanks, Carl and Bill! I appreciate your comments! Carl, I think that was the one in B-5 Blue that I put a 440 in with the white decals. Once I find it I will post it here. I feel like I haven't done much today but maybe that's because there was so much taping to do. painted the taillight panel and also prepped and made a masking tape vinyl top for a 66 Olds 442 W-30. I will paint it red tomorrow to get another body done while the weather is nice. Thanks for looking!

Thanks, Bob! I appreciate your comment! Finished painting the rest of the parts for the 'Cuda and rubbed out the body. Even managed to rub out the hood without removing paint form the darts. Tomorrow, I'll start the foil process and then the interior. Thanks for looking!

Thanks, Greg, Carl, Mike and Dann. I appreciate your comments! Actually, this is my 5th 70 "Cuda; one convertible, one AAR 'Cuda and two others in B5 Blue and Plum Crazy. Its a great kit and I don't even notice the error in the distributor since I normally use pre-wired distributors. I have temporarily halted this build in order to do some painting on other kits while the weather is nice. Here's a mock up of the body for Al Unser Jr's 1989 Valvoline March Indy Car that Emerson Fittipaldi booted out of the third tum into the short shute wall while going on to win the Indy 500. ( I think that's right, I misplaced my record book, but I seem to remember that it happened right in front of me sitting in K Stand). The blue is darker than shown on camera. I used Krylon Forever Blue short shot. Oh, and the interior in the 'Cuda will be tan! Thanks for looking! ?