Karl LaFong

Well, that saved me $33.00 + dollars! The "new" hood appears to be far worse than previous versions.

I don't want to brag, but...

Outstanding! Really nice work so far.

Cool project! Keep up the good work - steam rules!

Outstanding! Wish this would be re-issued.

Looks great!

Thanks for the accolades! This isn't my first foray into steampunk And I don't think it'll be my last! One of my inspirations was a steampunk AT-AT that I had found online; the Corporate Droid that I based this on was just handier and cheaper. The kit is a great slump-buster. There was no flash, few mold lines, and it was well engineered - in many ways it's better than some of the AMT car models from circa 2005. The most difficult aspect of assembly was applying the rivet decals and ho scale screws, the rest was just finding parts that would make it look like a century old war machine, rather than a droid from a galaxy far, far away.

Hmm, my text didn't show up- This is based on the AMT Star Wars Corporate Droid kit. I added rivet decals, replaced some plastic parts with brass parts, and painted it with Rustoleum bronze paint. The headlights are from a 1/16th scale Mercer kit; the front drive wheel is a Hands mag wheel from the AMT parts pack. Vallejo black wash was used to weather it. All in all, a fun break from automotive modeling!

Great start!

"Who's the photo in your avatar? " Joseph Leidy, one of the unsung heroes of 19th century science. Essentially the father of American anatomy, paleontology, forensic science, parasitology, and taxonomy. When you thoroughly cook pork to prevent trichinosis, watch an episode of "CSI", or marvel at a dinosaur display, you can thank Dr. Leidy for getting the ball rolling. Plus, he was from Philly!

Details and WIP photos can be found here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/103535-miss-dealrevell-parts-packs-mashup/?page=1 Basically I backdated the Miss Deal to an early '60s altered with parts from the Revell Custom parts line, along with other sources. Thanks for looking!

Got 'er done. I used the headers from the Fumin' Fiat kit, headlights are from the AMT '53 Stude, Evergreen clear for the windshield. I'll post more photos in the Drag models section.

During my lunch hours, I managed to BMF and decal the Stude. I plan on finishing it during the weekend (which was my plan last weekend...)

Great job!

Thanks for the kudos! Ironically, the paint came out shiner than I expected (spray painting in the Philly area in summer is usually a sure thing for a dull finish). I was trying to emulate early 60's dragsters, which didn't look as shiny as later cars.

Got some color on the body. Paint is Testor's Metallic Copper over Tamiya Gray Primer, topped with Testor's Wet Look Clear. Next stop:BMF, decals, windshield, and call it done.

The chassis is almost done. The seat and steering wheel are from the Fumin' Fiat, the gas pedal is from the 22 Jr. dragster (I think). I'm going to either use the Fumin' Fiat headers or I'll see if the headers from the AMT 53 work (they should, but...). I plan on painting the body tomorrow or Thursday.

I've had good luck with the circle templates & either Tamiya or Testor's lacquer. The white wall edge is king of vague with these tires, so I didn't even attempt it.

Got some more work done over the weekend. The engine and suspension were installed (no more droopy traction bars). The injection throttle was constructed from K & S 1/16th inch tubing, Tichy bolt heads, and Detail Master ignition wire and parts from their photo-etch carb details set. The injection scoop was painted Spaz Stix Mirror Chrome over Tamiya Black. The fuel tubing connectors are gold crimp beads. Hope to get more done tonight...

Thanks for the kind words! One of the things that irked me about the Miss Deal kit is that there was no room for a fuel pump - the blower guard bumps up to the fuel tank. I ground down the old fuel tank supports and added a strip of Evergreen styrene for the new fuel tank. The fuel pump is from the Revell Ed Roth '57 Chevy - it and most of the other engine goodies are based on the Revell Sting Ray Engine Parts Pack. The fuel tank is modified from the Fumin' Fiat kit (originally the Roadster Chassis Parts Pack). The original tank was in two pieces, when joined together there's a pretty nasty seam. I shortened one of the pieces and reduced the seam. I had to give up on the white wall slicks. I had used Floquil acrylic paint and small cracks appeared, plus I wasn't happy with their appearance. I wish it had worked, as I really like the look of white wall slicks from the 50's & early 60's. I also enlarged the rear wheel openings.

Revell's Miss Deal is a great source for early 60's Revell Pack parts, so swapping in parts from other Parts Packs is a snap. My sources were original Parts Packs (the front wheels), kits with re-popped parts (Revell '57 Chevy for the injector & scoop), and the Fumin'Fiat/Thunder Charger (rear wheels). I'm backdating the kit to a circa 1962 altered. The only body mod I've done so far is filling in the gigantic slot in the trunk. And I hope to clean up the whitewalls before the next posting....

Ben, Thanks!!

Are there any rattle can paints that match Mercedes silver from 1955? Would Tamiya's Gloss Aluminum be a close match?

Very cool project - seems like the Johan classic car kits are far more affordable than the 50's - 70's cars. Not to hijack this thread, but was the Mercedes red from the 1930's a solid color or metallic? It's difficult to tell from pictures of the actual vehicles.