Harold

I can sum up your build in one word- wow . The paint turned out beautifully, and you have a great eye for detail.

I like it... a little Chevy runabout. Those '59 Chevy fins blend in nicely with the '57 front. Will this be a replica custom build, or will you put a different spin on it? Keep us updated.

Welcome and good luck with your conversion. I bought a 3- pack of Evergreen sheet at the LHS with .010, .020 and .040. As for the filler, automotive products are the best. Like Bill says, Evercoat, puttycoat or my personal choice, Bondo (just mix up a small batch and apply it with an old #11 blade).

Nice work on both Montes- I'll take the '97.

How are things on the other side of the planet, Clay? Hope you're ok and you get back soon.

Dick Tater? Is that Mister Potato Head's country cousin?

The Lada "Black Russian Cossack". I find it funny that two of the Edsels series names turned into duds when used by AMC (Pacer) and Chevrolet (Citation). Or how about the Hudson Wasp (preferred 2 to one over other cars by rich upper crust whites), Packard Patrician (for real snobs), Studebaker Scotsman (for penny pinchers- don't worry- there's some of that in me), or how about AMC and Chevy hanging the name "Classic" on a run of the mill sedan?

Now there's something you don't see everyday. Brooks Stevens would be proud. He designed the original in '62 when it was a Willys product and had an OHC six. A year later Kaiser scrubbed the Willys name from it and it became the Kaiser Jeep. AMC purchased Jeep in '70, and Chrysler bought AMC in '87. How many other vehicles have a thirty- plus year run among four different companies? Keep us updated.

Well, Robin Jones went from Ford to Packard, and then went back to Ford just in time to be made chief stylist at the "E-car" division. It's the same when Elwood Engel went to Chrysler in '61 and had to restyle their entire line overnight. Look at the La Galaxie show car from '58 and the Chrysler Turbine, or the '61 Lincoln and the '64 Imperial. You just go with what you know.

There's been debate over the years about whether or not they actually used the old Packard tooling. I wrote a letter to CA several years ago and in the next issue the response was that they didn't. However, there's enough similarities for me to doubt that response. But in a world full of Ladas, Volgas and Trabants, the old saying is still true- all comrades are equal- some are just more equal than others .

It looks like a veteran street fighter- I wouldn't provoke it at a stoplight...

Nice mainstreamer Plymouth. These are the cars you'd see in farmer's driveways and on the back roads of the Thumb.

I love it . I've had several Fox- chassied T- Birds (no Turbo Coupes, though), and I always felt that they were darn near perfect for what they were- a reasonably sized, comfortable, well handling car. Yours is great. It looks like the first model I built when I got back into this madness in '87 (but yours looks way better.).

That is a nice looking kit. I'll probably grab a couple when I have some extra $$$ (anybody need a kidney?? ). I wonder if any kitbashing could be done with the AMT?MPC Olds 442?

Nice paint job- can't wait to see the reat of the car...

Here's where the tricky stuff begins. I had to add the undercut that runs to just behind the doors, and then drops perpendicular to the ground. After much thought, I grabbed my razor saw and remeoved a strip from front to back, and then shaped everything with my 'raspy rifflers'. Then the fun began- slapping on some Bondo. I then cut a piece of .020 Evergreen to fit in the gap I'd removed. Really, I couldn't think of any other way to get that shape on the sides. Now, I need to flesh out the front of the fenders and make a hood. Then, on to the fins. Here's what I've got so far... Not a bad looking mockup. All traces of the '58 T- Bird are almost gone, and I might try to rework the 'Bird roof.

Nice looking Poncho, although the pics are a tad washed out.

Nice looking Scout, Chuck . I didn't realize that there were that many glitches, but you did well. I wonder if the Scout could be the basis for an International pickup?

Man, it's so &^%$ hard to find a good valet nowadays.....

I always thought it odd that GM would name a car after an illegal strike...

'Fuego' is a volcano in Guatemala. The Probe name was taken from a series of showcars Ford did in the early to mid- eighties to probe the outer limits of aerodynamics in automobiles. The Probe III became the Ford Sierra/ Mercury Merkur (pronounced mare- koor. German for 'Mercury'). Cricket and Starlet are cool names for small cars, and Gazelle is another word for Impala. Sure beats the heck out of SL, SLT, LS, LX, STD or LSD.

Good call on the Chrysler underpinnings, but Mr. Obsessive is right on the wheelbase issue. The Chrysler rode a span of 126" and the Dodge was 122", so shortening the chassis 4mm or so will get you in the ballpark. Good luck and keep us posted.

Actually, the Predictor was supposed to be a forecast of the '57's, but although investors were impressed with their plans, they looked at Packard's partner, Studebaker, as a giant, money losing millstone (not far off the mark). They built one prototype, Black Bess. Richard Teague said it looked "like it had been built with a ball- peen hammer and a cold soldering iron". this is a 1/10 scale styling model Black Bess Here's how the '57 would have looked on the Lincoln body (Bill Schmidt had left Lincoln to become head of Packard styling in '55). This was a last ditch effort to field a Packard for '57, but the deal fell through. After entering into a management contract with Curtiss- Wright in '56, the Packard facilities in Detroit and the engine plant in Utica, Michigan were sold off. Packard lived the next two years as barely disguised Studes.

Looking good so far. I have that kit also (got it at Dean's for 5 bucks). Can't wait to see yours finished- looks like a nice job of kitbashing.

Interesting concept . The Chernobyl GT. Ford did a 3/8 model of a proposed nukemobile in '58 when the great free- thinking Alex Tremulis was running their advanced studio. That's William Clay Ford next to it.