Peter Lombardo

Fiat saw value in the Chrysler "platform" for a few reasons, Fiat was eyeing the success of Cooper and Scion in America and thinking that the time was right to get back into the US market. It would have been very expensive to come here and develop an infrastructure for parts warehousing and distribution. The take over of Chrysler gave them that for pennies on the dollar, secondly, they saw value in a number of the Chrysler products ( mainly Jeep ) in Europe and South America, so they could establish a "give and take" situation for the product coming and going to and from Europe and America. And lastly, and most importantly, the US government gave Chrysler away at fire sale prices. It was a smart move for all parties as Cerbus had no real interest in running Chrysler as a "for profit" company prior to the bankruptcy. The US will see more and more of this type of transaction. Our workers have and will continue to price our production out of the reach of any business looking to make a profit. The ideas and technology, for the most part still come from America.......we develop the process and third world countries produce the products for less............take golf clubs.......the name brand designs are created in the US......heads are forged in China, the better shafts, for the most part, are made in Japan, the grips are made in China and the club is usually assembled in Mexico. We get a state of the art product designed in America for hundreds less than if it were completely done in the US. Textiles are all made in the far east ( okay, almost all ), but designed here. The chips that power our computers are products of US companies, but the rest is not. We have a government in power ( both Democrat and Republican, so I blame them all ) that sells us out for votes. We are reaching a 20 Trillion dollar debt, and still, we send dollars to many countries that hate us, and there is no end for that. Our government would rather pay people to sit around and not work, vote for them, rather than go get a job......a job that is currently beneath what they want, but it is job that is a starting point to where they need to go in the future. I stated working when I was 14 years old in a job that was never going to be my final job, or skill, but it helped me earn money so I could buy my own first car, and I have been providing for myself and family ever since. America was founded as a country where we could achieve greatness if we work hard and make the effort. That self reliance attitude is going away More and more business has been effected by the internet and jobs are being shed by corporations because computers and robots do the work better for less. Banks are shifting to teller less, storefront less operations. Insurance and finance is shifting to internet based websites rather than agents. Travel agents are rapidly becoming artifacts of the past. Amazon wants to deliver products to us with drones. Google wants to give us driver less autos. The list goes on and on........progress is making the American worker a museum piece.......think about it, before long you will not have to wait for AMT, Tamiya or Revell to make the exact car model you want.......you will find the data base on line, have it rapid printed in 3D on the spot and that is it......how many jobs will be lost to that..............and then we will have nothing to complain about because you will be able to get that model of the stripped down Dodge Aspine 4 dr sedan to model the car your dad drove back in the 70's.

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=12923&hl=%2B1971+%2Bplymouth+%2Bpickup+%2Btruck This link should bring you to a similar build done many, many moons ago.

Jim, that is a beautiful job you did on that Ford......the paint is an unusual combination that works really well, the under hood and chassis detailing is spot on. I open the doors on just about everything I build so I love to see other guys do it too........so on that point I have one small trick for you that will improve the look of the door opening job. If you grind down the inner profile of the open door, the door skin will have a much more realistic look. When I look at the picture with the door open and see the unrealistic thickness of the outer door panel, it just hurts the look of the build............you obviously put in the time and added so much detail so that one little point could be the difference. Either way, this is a beautiful, and different build.

I saw the car(s) in person and they look far better then the photo's in real life.......it is a real winner.......I am considering one myself.

Hey guys, I was surprised to see this topic back up on the forum again........thanks for the very kind words....I really enjoyed building this one.....by the way, it is nice to hear from you Curt, it has been awhile for sure.

Well I find the 1940 Ford stock builds to be boring, but your great paint job makes this a stunning build.....Black is difficult enough, but you pulled it off very well.

I love the colors, regardless of the GM division.....great job on a seldom seen kit. I always loved the "58's from GM and Chrysler.....Ford, not so much.

I was a bit surprised here, it is a Ford, but not a '57.......how can that be? Seriously, it is very different to see a stock '32 Ford model....I can't recall seeing many of them........great build, the paint looks perfect and the wheels and tires are such a big improvement over the kit ones. Nice.

Ferrari La Freccia ( The Arrow) Concept Ferrari has a long history of allowing their chassis’s to be turned into spectacular “one-off” custom cars. Pinin Farina is the most widely noted of these builders, building some incredibly beautiful designs. Since I have always enjoyed designing cars, I figured that I could try my hand at designing one too, after all, the most I have to lose is a little time and a few dollars worth of plastic. I few years ago I replaced the top on a 2005 Chrysler 300 with the 2 door coupe top from a Revell 612 Scaglietti to make a 2 door coupe bodied Chrysler. In doing so I have the engine, chassis and interior left over. The other night while moving a few boxes around in the workroom, I stumbled on the box and thought to myself that it was time to do something with the leftover parts Having never been a big fan of the 612 as a stock bodied car as it seems too tame and boring to me, I wanted to design something a little more adventurous for that engine to power. Always being a fan of the 1970’s Pontiac Gran Prix’s long hood coming to a point at the front, I wanted to bring that design element into this car. Now right up front I have to apologize for the fact that I am taking this to the Flickr set I have since I cannot move the pictures into this post…..it appears they are rebuilding their system and that section is not completed yet….so you will have to click on the link below and see the pictures there without any narration with them. you may have to hit "control" click to see this link https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpl3k/sets/72157643776681113/ The first “doodle” is the first rough side view I did to get an idea of how it could look. The second (duplicate pictures) view is more refined with more of the body contours in place. As I was drawing this out, I kept thinking that the nose was long and pointed with a protruding tip……it kind of reminded me of an arrow point……then it hit me to call this design “The Arrow”….so I Babblefished the word arrow in Italian and it translates into Freccia, hence the name “La Freccia” which is The Arrow. Next I took a piece of sign foam (REN), drew on the basic design shape top and side and began carving the body with my Dremel tool with a sanding drum. I had to use some Bondo on the rear end where I took too much foam off, but that was easy to correct. You can see I drew some of the design features on the master just so I could visualize how the shape would look as the windows and doors were added. Next I had to vacuum form the body, but because of the multiple convex curves of the body and the fact that the bottom of the car was indented (narrower than the top) conventional one-piece vacuum forming would not work here. So I made two formed pieces, one from the top and one from the bottom. I then cut them at main top contour line and mated the two together, so that now it forms a completely closed shell body, kind of like how your chocolate hollow Easter Bunny is made, solid outside and hollow inside. Once the sanding is complete, I will remove the wheel openings and bottom, but for now the body has much stronger rigidity as it is that it is better for the rough handling now. Once the wheels are opened, I will add the wheel well flairs to the openings, open the doors and fit the interior and modified chassis. The wheelbase is set to the 612 chassis, so no modification to that will be necessary. I have a set of 20 inch BBS wheels, and tires for this in gold with chrome rim edges that will look great on it. I am planning a candy metallic pearl red with a blacked out roof and tan interior for this, after all, it is based on a Ferrari . There you have it, this is my plan so we will all see how it works out together.

Maybe it is just me, but having a motor mount imprinted of the "other Guys" website on this website , seems a bit, well lets just say, not thought out completely, but again, maybe it is just me................by the way, the green paint looks really sharp, I would not have thought to use that color candy on a Cobra, but it does look pretty sharp.

Very impressive workmanship. This car reminds so much of the DeTomaso Pantera.....kind of like "separated at birth".........anyway, you have captured the body lines perfectly....amazing scratch building techniques.

Very well done......just got that kit in the mail a few weeks ago, I will be very happy if mine turns out as nice as yours.......love the satin finish. You never go wrong with a Bimmer....ever.

Something tells me you only eat one flavor of ice cream, only one kind of bread for your sandwich and one type of soft drink......life can be full of variety.......but seriously, you sure know how to build a clean '57 Ford.....whatever floats your boat....and yes the new tires look great on the car....personally I like more chrome and multiple pastel colors on a 1950's car, but for yours I could make an exception because they are so well done.

Wow, I remember so many of these super clean and well done works of art.....the white '59 Chevy (my #1 favorite) , the all red Corvette ( makes me think of the Prince song when I look at it) the '53 Ford, the Lamborghini Muira and that Vega with the Mazda engine are among my favorites......very well presented.

No I didn't (I guess because of the "festival of red" ) it got lost in my eye. Now I see it, sorry I missed it......I still think it looks really great. Well done man. P.S. Obviously you saw duty in Vietnam.....I was in the Navy and did two Westpac tours ( on destroyers) to Vietnam one in '69 and again in '71. We got to do a lot of plane-guard duty with carriers and way too much "shore bombardment" way too many days and nights. I was all for it then, but looking back now and having read a number of books about what was going on in the back rooms, and seeing the result, what a colossal mistake it all was.......We did not learn a thing from the French experiences for the 20 years or so prior to our involvement ( I read the "Valley of Death" about Dien Bien Phu, a heart breaking account of supreme arrogance and military stupidity) . Kind of how we didn't learn a thing from the Soviet experience in Afghanistan in 1980. If you can't learn from history, obviously you will make the same mistakes. How many young American men lives were lost for nothing in these two conflicts?

Really well done...........I really like the black roof and wheels, they set off the green body so very well......."sharp dressed man" for sure.

Nice build, it is a festival red! I really like the rear license plate treatment.....different and interesting. Very smooth!

If I remember correctly, you got a Captain's hat with "scrabbled eggs" on the brow when you brought one of those cars..( just kidding ) .....I've been on ships that were smaller than those cars...but seriously, nice build.....it is no wonder that Chrysler went nearly went bankrupt building boats like this when the oil embargo hit in the early 70's. Great save on the build from where you started out. The design of these cars ( 300's and Imperials of this era) always reminded me of a box of corn flakes on its side with a box of cream of wheat on top of it......kind of a breakfast duo design....just saying.

Yura, you caught my attention with your comment........I went and pulled my "Pro Modeler" '69 Charger off the shelf and checked the tires in the kit.....you are completely correct about the raised white lettering. Revell imprinted them too far to the outside............obviously, I never looked at the tires in that kit as I plan to use the AMT Poly-glass tires in the parts pack for this car as they were on my buddies car back in the day. You didn't do it wrong, they did. But as I looked at the Revell tires from the kit it became obvious to me that the lettering is very faintly molded on the tire, may I ask how you got such a "Clean" paint job on them? They look so perfectly painted that I thought they were decals and not paint................so please share your method, I am very curious how you did it. I stand corrected....even though the lettering is too far our, you did not create the issue.

When Chrysler debuted this concept I was running a Chrysler dealership. I got to see this car up close and personal a number of times at meetings and events. I just lusted after it......if I could have gotten my hands on that car I would have. Without a doubt, I still think this is the best concept car I have ever seen. If I remember correctly, it had a straight 8 engine made from two Neon 4 cylinder engines welded together ( I need to look that up as I may be mistaken), but either way, what a beautiful car, and yours in black looks great............the black suits this car much better than the copper/gold color that Chrysler has on it. Nice job, it looks very formal the way you have it set-up.

What a beautiful clean build, the color and photography is impeccable...great job.....if I may make one note.......in the future, try and get the "raised white letters" on the tires a little closer to the center of the tire......these are a bit too far out to the tread........but other than that, man, you have a great Charger there. Back in 1969 my real good friend had that car, just a little lighter blue metallic with the black interior and vinyl roof......yours brings back memories. I have one in the box that I plan to build like the one I remember.

They don't get much "cleaner" than this........the color works so well with the wood......you really nailed this one. Beautiful job.

Wow, I'm not a big fan of the "Rocket Bunny" twins, but this is a very cool rendition. Obviously the paint is perfect......shiny rules in my book, and this is really shiny. Great job.

Which car, or cars do you want? I should have a few hanging around.

Guys, thanks for the kind words, I really do appreciate them. There is a request for the shoots of the vacuum formed vehicles, so below are the pictures from my Flickr account. Sorry, there is no commentary accompanying the pictures here, but I think you can get the idea from the pictures. If there are any questions, please ask and I will do my best to get the answer to you. Chrysler 300EX https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpl3k/sets/72157624358475154/ Dual Cowl Art Deco Roadster https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpl3k/sets/72157624143690678/ 2 Seat Roadster Runabout (cut down version of the dual cowl roadster) https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpl3k/sets/72157625182921586/ Art Deco Aero Coupe https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpl3k/sets/72157623081688632/ Corvette XP45C concept https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpl3k/sets/72157623081667292/ Timbs Streamliner https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpl3k/sets/72157627822273327/ I hope these links work…….they should. Pete