Stef

Thanks, PappyD340! Hey, I can't seem to find YOUR 2019 builds. Would love to see what you've completed this year!

Thank you, Belugawrx. Flat black makes EVERYTHING look like a hotrod, ha ha!

Thanks, Roadrunnertwice! Ha ha, you're right, the VW Van is veeeeeeery fiddly, and curiously, it does not come with a back window. The multi-piece body builds up from the chassis plate, and despite all my test fitting, trimming, sanding, and prep work, the roof (which goes on last) did not want to snug down properly, so I had to tape it and burnish it down through the open back window with some heavy foil tape. Had to fill in the unsightly "chrome" gaps with some Tamiya XF-1. If I were to do this one again, I'd certainly find a way to assemble the body independent of the chassis. Ha ha, Speed Buggy, wow, that brings back some memories. The driver looks like Shaggy! I wonder... what a lovechild of Speed Buggy and The Mystery Machine would look like, hmmmmm.

Hello and thank you, Jantrix! You just gave me a serious flashback; I do believe I had a set of those all-chrome HotWheels, too! And I would bet my life I also had some of the gold-chrome ones, also. I'm thinking maybe I should create a special HotWheels-themed build, and ship it off to ChromeTechUSA. Ruh-roh, just saw he's retired.

Hello Claude, thanks for your compliments! The flat black thing just kinda happened when I came back to the hobby in 2015, after a 13-year hiatus. I'd just walked out of the theatre of MAD MAX FURY ROAD and I shouted I'M BACK, BABY! While I would LOVE to go back to all the fancy paints, foils, and hyper-detailing of my younger days, I simply don't have the eyesight, or the time, these days. The flat black is a nice compromise between quantity and quality, and my shelves are looking kinda neat with this little post-apocalyptic vibe. Plus, these are all "sins" cuz each and every one of these kits gave me at least one Linda Blair jump scare, ha ha.

Hello Bucky Fantastic output this year! It's like a who's who of everything I want to build. 240-Z: Sweet build and sick wheel choice; are they from the MPC 85-88 Daytona? They look soooo natural on this car. 66 BACK-A-RUDA: Dude, this is so amazing, I'm peanut butter and jealous. Have you seen HPI Guy's recent HuG re-release video? Can't wait to get this one: HONCHO: Nice and clean, and I agree with your choice to delete the brush guard. It's such a nice front end, and I plan to do the same with mine. MODEL T: Yours looks so good, I might need to find me some WHITE primer to do one of my own, ha ha.

Thank you, TooOld! True, I don't spend much on candies, pearls, clearcoats, or polishing compounds these days. But this flat black primer scratches super easy, and it gets real pricey, real fast, with all the respraying I gotta do during final assemblies!

Hello Bucky, thank you! Most Pacers I've seen are badass post-apocalyptic road gunners; flat black helps make this tame grocery getter look almost as sinister, heh.

Here are some alternate views; thanks everyone for inspiring me to keep building.

Hello everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 2019 was a bit of an unholy year, but I still managed to lay an exorcism smackdown on each of these seven evil demons. Questions/comments/critiques are most welcome. 2018 builds here. Let's keep building in 2020, and as Snake would say, let's GIT ER DONE! MPC/Round 2 Rat Trap Chevy Vega modified stocker Started January 2019 - Completed January 2019 This kit was built mostly box stock, with just a few tweaks. Replaced the air cleaner, added a radiator hose, extended the side pipes with styrene tubing, ported out the taillights, added a spoiler from the Revell 1979 Firebird Street Machine, and cleaned up the look by deleting the hood, side bars, and front and rear bumpers. AMT 1959 Chrysler Imperial Started March 2019 - Completed May 2019 Heavily cleaned-up and smoothed-out the body, added bucketed clear headlight lenses, and created a rear bumper monotaillight. Not gonna lie: I hate how this one turned out. I rushed her. She's sloppy, with unsightly flaws, gaps, and oversights everywhere. For example, while filling and blending the rear fins, I didn't realize the corners had rounded themselves off until it was too late. This model would be a strong contender for a redux in 2020. AMT 1978 Dodge Monaco - Joker Goon Car/Gotham City Police Car Started June 2019 - Completed August 2019 Scratchbuilt front pushbar and lower front valence detail, added a parts box 6-pack intake, closed-off the engine compartment/fender gaps, created two antennas from broom tines, created lightbar stanchions, and made the rear bumper sides flush with the body. In keeping with my flat black imperative, created a CHP-inspired two-tone paint scheme using a dark grey primer. MPC/Round 2 1978 AMC Pacer Started July 2018 - Completed August 2019 Made tons of subtle fit, finish and positive location improvements, extended the rear bumper further away from the body, added headlights from the Revell 1970 'Cuda, wheels from the MPC/Round 2 Bad Company 1982 Dodge Van, and whitewall tires from the Revell 1976 Ford Gran Torino. GOOD BUDDY - AMT 1965 Chevy Chevelle Station Wagon Started July 2019 - Completed September 2019 This "Good Buddy" is a double-entendre tribute build to my highschool best friend. 28 years ago, we joked about how ugly and pathetic the yellow "Showdown" box art looked and how our local department store couldn't clear out their 20+ kit overstock to save their lives. However, we made a blood oath we'd each get one and do our best to make 'em look as cool as possible. The day we returned, they were all GONE. Current year: I got a hold of this 2001 reissue and got the idea to build it as a simple curbside with a big rig theme. Breaker, breaker, 10-4 good buddy. The interior was hacked off behind the driver's bench, a flat chassis plate was constructed from sheet styrene, and the exhaust stacks, front bumper, horns, and roof lights came from the Revell Peterbilt 359 kit. A busted-up Monogram 1/16 scale Kenworth W-900 donated its front axle and front bumper, which was converted to a rear wing. To finish off the look, a set of Moebius big rig wheels and tires were added. Revell California Roller VW Van Started August 2019 - Completed November 2019 Finding this near-pristine used kit at my LHS was a major coup; hadn't built one of these since 1986. This build got major smoothing, as I deleted tons of parts, such as the twin antennas, nerf bumpers, fascia crest, front licence plate, and side view mirror. I also shaved molded-in details such as the front turn signals, wipers, scripts, and taillights. I used the HUGE low profile tires from the Revell Plymouth Prowler, and TINY Fuchs wheels from the pink Revell VW Street Machine, and married them with parts box wheel rings. Added a cute styrene tube exhaust tip, clear parts box backup lenses and red clear taillights from the AMT Mack R685ST. Revell 1954 Chevy Panel Gasser Started January 2019 - Completed December 2019 This was my most ambitious build of the year. This kit underwent intense bodywork, including flattening-out the hood and front fender body creases, and hacking, hacking, hacking. Everything had to go, including the front and rear valance panels, bumpers, fuel tank, rear door, vent windows, headlights, taillights, and door handles. Underside, it took 28 years to remove all the injection pin marks, and the rear axle was lowered, widened, and upgraded with a parts box pumpkin, bigger shocks, and scratchbuilt shackles, traction bars, driveshaft, and driveshaft loop. Up front, the track was widened, and beefier shocks were added. Rolling stock features wheels from the AMT 1965 Chevy Chevelle Station Wagon, and the rear wheels have been offset with deep rings from the Revell Chevy Beretta Pro Street. Round 2 parts pack tires are used all around: wide whitewalls up front, and puffed-out MH Racemaster slicks out back. Inside, a full scratchbuilt rollcage was added, plus a beefier shifter, meatier floor pedals, a Revell Firebird funny car fuel cell, and parts box nitro tank and battery. Topside, the engine compartment features a filled-in and smoothed cowl, and a parts box master cylinder/brake booster. The engine features custom finned AMT 1958 Chevy valve covers, and a scratchbuilt intake using styrene tubing and sandwiched side pipe shrouds from the AMT 1962 Buick Electra. Extended kit headers with exhaust dumps were made from styrene tubing and modified roof flashers/sirens from the MPC/Round 2 1/20 scale HighJacker 1974 Ford Van. Thanks everyone; do hope you enjoyed these. In the meantime, can't wait for Christmas 2020 to see everything you guys built the rest of this year. Thanks, and take care.

My pleasure, David. This BUILD. Is. Awesome! I want to build the same; the Cord nose is just too perfect on this battle bug. Fantastic imagination, creativity, and execution. Can't wait to see her finished!

You know what they say about "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain", heh.

Loving where this build is going...

LET IT NOVEMBER RAIN: > TEA FOR TWO: Eager enough to build a chopped T; had no idea it was two complete models to double my pleasure > VIVA LAS VEGAS: Had fun with the recent RatTrap Vega reissue, looking forward to the upcoming Vega pro stockers, and this funny car will round-out the Vega trifecta nicely > TRAILER TRASH: Want a trailer for my unstarted Mack R685ST; this may work just fine

CONSIDER IT DONE: > Must. > Have. > This kit.

NICE. Can't wait to see her done.

It's my understanding Aces and Eights is a good hand to have; a winning hand. A hand so good Wild Bill was killed for it. If that's wrong, then: Do the same with your Riv, and that'll be THE ACE OF SPADES... THE ACE OF SPADES #Motorhead

Hello Peter, not able to see the first picture, but the other two look wicked. Do the same with your Riv, and that'll be Aces and Eights.

Hello Peter Looking really nice; I just wonder about the back window. Specifically, the upper line you have pencilled in. Seems to be a bit on the high side, and I wonder about the curvature of the roof, and how compound of a curvature it is. It might help to see a perfect rear-on shot, and maybe a straight line is what is needed along its top edge, but from the rear 3/4 view, it's looking like the upper edge of your window will bow-upwards in the middle. If you add a curvature to your upper line, and lower it down a bit on the body, it might create a slimmer rear window with a more flat upper edge without any bowing. Hopefully this ghetto quick mockup helps, thanks.

Hello Joe I loved this kit growing up, and I agree, that rear bumper does stick out a lot. Last year, I tucked in the rear bumper flush; here's what it looks like. I bashed my 88 with the ex-MPC 69 Charger Daytona's Hemi, wheels, shortened chassis/exhaust, super-modified wing, interior bits, and Round2 redlines . You're off to a great start; can't wait to see where you take this beauty.

EXP-ERT WITNESS: > Nice clean build of a forgotten "loser" > Paging Dr. Faust, we got a live one here > Round 2/Revellogram: please reissue your EXPs

CAUGHT SOMEWHERE IN TIME: > Classic MPC Mopar, frozen in time > Built this in '86 while headbangin' to Iron Maiden's new album > One of my fave builds, then Moms trashed it > Would do almost anything to build this one again > Time. Is always on OUR side.

NOOICE. This is going to look better than any of the actual cars ever did.

Hello, CabDriver Sick build; nice attention to detail. It may just be the lighting in this shot; the panel gaps seem a bit shallow, filling in with paint. If it's not too late, maybe you can scribe them a bit deeper before repainting? Hope this helps, thanks.

Could not resist. > Smoothed out the fins > Hogged-out the rear bumper > Carved an oval .040 panel, sprayed it TS-30 silver leaf, brushed on two coats X-27 clear red