bogger44

Many thanks guys!

Went to a car show in Eau Claire, WI today and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this beast....never imagined I'd ever see a Laferrari up in these parts. And yes, it sounded amazing when he fired it up and left.

Very nice work, and collection!

Thanks again for your comments fellas. Oh yes, Ace, those carpet gremlins always seem to be hungry Lol I was thinking about the roll bar height situation, and some of that was probably my doing when I shorten the height of the rear deck of the tinwork to get those wheelwells tucked into the body as I'm sure that allowed the body to sit down onto the chassis a little lower. Either way, I still think the bars would have been a bit too high.

That is beautiful, congratulations. Love the paint and wheels. I'm usually not a big fan of large diameter wheels on older cars but this just looks right.

Lol thanks again Ace. I think i'ts safe to say that this build contributed a little to my receeding hairline and the gray that starting to filter in Lol! Glad to share the info regarding this kit. Wouldn't you know it, I had the car sitting in front of me while I was typing all that to help me with all the references, and proceeded to break the said weak body mounts off the frame. Got it fixed now.......probably till I decide to open it up again Hahaha!

Thanks for those comments Ace and Dave. Thanks Ace, sorry it's taken me a few days for a reply. You know I was originally tempted to paint it white and build it like the box art, but when I was rummaging through my paint cabinet that Mystic Emerald Green really caught my eye and, as they say, the rest is history. Yeah this kit has issues, but with some work they can be overcome. The biggest hiccup I came across, along with the tin work I mentioned in the opening post, was the roll bar assy. It was warped/misshapen? and really didn't want to fit well at all. The rear roll bar braces seemed to be the culprit. I did a little tuning and got an ok fitment and called it good......till I did a mock up with the body and found it to be too tall as well as it was contacting the rear window. So I trimmed it down some accordingly, thought it was good, and when final assy came along I found it still contacting the rear window a bit. So instead of poping it off the frame again I just filed down the top backside of the bars until it wasn't a problem anymore. The main steering shaft needed some trimming to fit decent, and the headers interfere with the steering rod that leads down to the tie rod. Most of the suspension parts have pretty vague mounting points. Oh yeah, the body pivot mounts are pretty weak and leave a lot to be desired as well. Those were the main culprits I encountered, maybe it is this kit or maybe just my dumb luck Lol. If you're up for a bit of a challenge I say go for it and pick one up. Probably not the worst kit out there, but it's not all that great either.

Thanks for the comments guys. There were moments I was tempted to toss it back in the box and never open it again too Lol.

Oh that's nice. Glad to hear it goes together pretty well. Two thumbs up on those fender flares, you can bet I'll be putting those on mine, too. I still have to purchase the Bronco and the flares yet though Lol.

That is a great looking build! Just beautiful. Thanks for sharing the fit issues this kit is plagued with....ugh, doesn't sound like much fun. I've always loved the Esprits, and have been thinking of bringing mine to the bench lately for something different, but now I'm gonna push it back for a later time.

Glad to finally have this one off the bench. I battled most of the way through the build with parts fitment, compounded by a relatively vague instruction sheet. The tin work also had to be sliced and diced some for a better fitment (wheel arches were visible in those hogged out wheelwells, and it also protruded up past the top of the door sills). I did persevere, and though not close to my best work, it came out better than I thought it would. The front still sits a little high but I'll live with it. Everything is oob except the blower scoop which was sourced from the parts box. I did drill out the header ends, but other than that no additional detailing other than paint. I was just chalking this one up as experience Lol. The body was shot with Testors One Coat Lacquer Mystic Emerald. On to the next, and hopefully better, build Lol!

Awesome! The stance, the paint, the engine detail.....what's not to like. Truly outstanding work!

What a beautiful 442, Randy! I love it!

Thanks Jeremy. I cut the spacers out of a strip of evergreen plastic, then trimmed & filed them into the appropriate shapes. I had to check, but I'm pretty sure I used the size .030 x .156. I did this for both front and back, as to me it seems like the car sits a touch too low out of the box. I've got a 72 Chevelle to bash with someday, too.

Wow Frank, you knocked this out of the park! Excellent job painting around the headlights. I kinda want to pop mine apart and do a better job in that area now after seeing your's. Also, what paint did you use on the wheels? These are great little kits, I almost picked up another one today. One simply cannot have too many Raptors Lol!

Heck yeah this is awesome! I love that you integrated the paint scheme into the chassis.

Jason, that is a beautiful Charger. It's refreshing to see one "plained" out. That's something I've been thinking of doing to some of my builds but it never happens for some reason Lol. Thanks for sharing this, it gives me a little more inspiration.

Have no fear as they are really nice kits. I built the MPC issue when I was a teenager and the AMT branded one last year. Like it's been said, they are all the same kit, only some added extras in the Hurst/Olds for obvious reasons. I think you'll definately enjoy building them. Here's the one I built last year. Only mod I did was adding some small spacers to the suspension mounts to raise it slightly. I also had one that donated it's chassis (and cowl) to a AMT '70 Chevelle. Parts from the AMT '70 Monte Carlo were used as well (radiator and support, ac plumbing, firewall, transmission crossmember, maybe a few others?)

That's a beauty, and I love the patina. Congrats on the awards, too!

Steve, you need to stop posting pictures of real cars! Lol! Seriously though, this is just outstanding. I always look forward to seeing your builds, and will miss seeing them until you've gotten situated at your new homestead. Best of luck with the move!

Beautiful Olds, Randy! You really nailed the look of these cars, as it looks spot on. Seeing your's, I definitely need to pick up one of these.

This is just fantastic, Jim! That hood works so well on it, and your attention to all the details really make this a standout. Congrats!

I can't really add to anything that has already been said, but I'll gladly add to the praise! Joseph is awesome to deal with, and his products are definitely top notch. I've done business with him a couple times, and will be doing more in the future.

Very cool old Ford, nice work! I remember my Grandparents taking my brother and I when we were kids camping up at Razorback Lake, which just happens to be literally right next to Plum Lake. Some good times back then.

I'm really liking this!