FloridaBoy

Regarding the engine, thanks for the information. It doesn't look too much like the Caddy engine that came in the AMT '49 Ford kit, but I will take your word for it. I also have a suggestion. Some very cool wheels for this could come from the old AMT '40 Ford Sedan Delivery kit. Solid moons with wide whites. Geesh, I can't believe I am building a car with skirts, wide whites, and almost stock out of the box. That is how much I like this kit. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Point well taken. I met an very gifted artist a few years ago, who told me that the painting will tell me when it's done, not me. I now believe that with my model cars, that it will be done when it tells me and not one second sooner. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Man, I feel your pain. The very same thing happened to me, as my beloved GTX which I painted Testors Pearl Black Metallic was totally ruined when I added some masking tape to do a competition stripe from rear wheel to rear wheel. The paint job worked out great, then when I removed the tape, the durn gunk collected right on the seperation line. I tried light sanding it to no avail, it took off the paint before the gunk. So I "learned from being burned" and now this is what steps I take before masking again. First, I paint the base color and clear coat it. I then let it dry for up to two weeks. Afterwards, I lightly wetsand it. Second, I use the "blue masking tape" I got at Advanced Auto Parts. It seems to be a little more adhesive friendly. Third, I prep the masked area with masking tape to protect the surround. Then apply new tape and paint. I remove within a few minutes when the paint has decided where it will stay. I always use new tape, now. Only about 59 cents a roll, buy the small ones. Never keep more than a month and use on bodies. The adhesive gets stale, and you don't know how long it sat on the dealer shelf. So far, I have used fresh tape with no problemo's. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Just a little about the kit, short of a review. I am so excited about this kit, I am building my first one right out of the box, except for seats, and cutting out a sunroof. Just a few things about the kti. The box is the size of the downtown models, but this one is finished on both the top and bottom. One top has a "blue" custom option, while the reverse side has a red one. This is because there is no way to build it stock (leave that to AMT), but there are a whole lot of different grilles. The grille that I am going for is the '54 Pontiac grille. Second, the top is really chopped, even a little more than I did my AMT. Almost to the point of not being able to view the interior, but still looks cool. Third, bench seats and no buckets like you find in the AMT one. Last, the make and model of the engine is a mystery. I think it is because of licensing fees. I checked it against my other motors scheduled for my models, and the closest I could determine is that it is either a Ford or Mercury motor of sixties vintage. There are alot of tire and wheel selections, and I haven't been this excited about a new model since the Revell '40 Ford Coupe and Convertible. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

I really wasn't expecting this Merc to be as close to being on time as it was. It is a terrific kit, and I anticipated it would be, because I have become a Revell true lover. I always have been an AMT guy, and thought Revell, MPC. Johann, Lindberg, Eldon, the foreign companies and others to be cheap imitations. No longer. I was basking at the beach last Saturday evening when my friend called me and asked what I thought of the model, and my reply was I had not seen it. He told me it was at Wal Mart, so I skee-daddled up the beach right there, and headed to Wal Mart. Here is the point of the story. Walmart seems to be moving the toys around to prepare for the pre-Christmas season rush. So, it took me some time to find the models, then when I got there, they had the same old tire inventory of kits and spray paint. I got discouraged then looked way UP to the top shelf almost out of sight and there were 10 of them. I picked up 3 and headed for the checkout lane. If your WalMart doesn't carry model kits, talk to the manager. They are customer oriented, and they do have a modeling program up to each manager to participate in. I did just that 4 years ago, and they have a full shelf of models. Second, look around and ask, they may still be in the box. WalMart down here seems to always be hopefully behind in stocking. It may be there, but still either in the back room or in a box to be scheduled for shelving. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Maybe I am a little insecure, but please don't think I am down on the hobby. If I were, I wouldn't be spending so much time and money on it everyday. My insecurities are probably based from a real experience in the early '70's, when the hobby took a turn away from my street rods and customs, to funny cars, weird-0h's and the street rods had those really weird wide tires that look like a Roth sweatshirt. Then AMT went bad with poor box art, Revell/Pactra/Testors sort of abandoned their national contests, and the hobby virtually disappeared. That was a multi-faceted tragedy to me, not only was my styling preference gone, but so was my hobby going out of vogue. Heck, here I was in college, and even in my cramped dorm, I found some time to build. But along came marriage, career, house, new social and culture stuff, music, and so on. I even customized a 1:1 car to replace the non-existent model car hobby. I had a lot of unbuilt kits in the storage area, but there was no supplies such as paint or stuff around, and with no contests, or any other forum to show off, why build when the finished product went into the hutch with the dinnerware? I don't want to see that happen again. In '85 when just about most of us "came back", you just couldn't imagine the level of my joy seeing the AMT '49 Ford, '40 Fords, and '49 Merc sitting on the shelf at the local five and dime at the mall. I bought scads with my "tennis money". I got injured playing tennis and went to model railroading and model cars while I was home bound. Then things started happening, I see a hobby shop, new supplies, join a club, build a workshop and voila. Right now, to me this is the golden age. First, the hobby is so diverse into size, style, type of approach, medium, philosophy, and a million other factors. Second, even though you will still find "trophy hounds" and some nuts at contests, the vast majority of guys are real terrific to spend time with and share techniques. I do not see any infighting in this hobby like I do in others, who argue scale, era, etc and other nonsense. Contests are there if you are willing to travel, and now I have made that committment. Now that I am getting old, this hobby has been good to me, it has given me a creative outlet, nice little unique work products, a ton of experience working with different fixatives, solving problems, and with every new issue or reissue by the manufacturers, I get excited like I did when I was a kid. I am not down on the hobby, I am sort of down on our environment. In my view we are struggling fighting for hobby attention to recruit new people in the hobby. Plus, even though hobby shops have closed, the strong ones have survived, and they learned to listen to their customers rather than trying to dictate their tastes. Plus, Michaels and Wal Mart are so supportive that not only do they carry nice inventories, but sponsor certain kit runs. So, it ain't all bad, there are rays of hope. I wonder how we can support the growth of the hobby. My guess is to participate -- go to hobby shops, participate in forums, purchase supplies wherever you can, interest others in the hobby. I have even given some guys in my neighborhood a car to start and showed them how to paint. Having workshops at Arts and Crafts are very valuable, but one of the most is to attend and more importantly participate in contests enabling them to grow and thrive. I purchase both magazines from my LHS, and even when the cars aren't my cup of tea, I always learn something new. We are throwing a local contest in the first weekend of November at the Deerfield Beach Train Station. I will keep you all informed. This whole thread is not to push that contest, but I would love for everyone to come into money to travel down here just to meet. In the meantime, you will see me at Tampa, Birmingham and Atlanta, probably near the street rods and customs. Thanks for the input and looking forward to hearing more. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

I am a model car builder and say so proudly. I have been at it, with a few hiatus, since the age of 5 in '52 when my same age uncle and I put masking tape on '52 Pontiac promo's to "customize" them. I have had my day in the sun, no pun intended since I live here in South Florida, and after a long retirement of entering contests, I am competitively active again. South Florida is no different than the rest of the country. Many hobby shops have closed here, and the remaining ones are not as enthusiastic carrying plastic as they once were, opting for RC to pay their rent and keep them alive. I still have vivid memories of the sixties and seventies when there seemed to be always a model car contest. Between my model car club with its bi-weekly intraclubs, to the 10 hobby shops and Ben Franklins throwing local and Pactra/Testors/Revell contests. I won a share of them in Ft. Lauderdale, and now that I am probably the last one down here still building, I am looked at, uncomfortablly, as a local legend. I am always asked what it was like then, or is this the golden age? The answer to the second question is yup and nope at the same time. First, with modern tools, technology, availability of parts, materials and supplies, not even to cover paint and glues, there is no time better to build a plastic model car, bar NONE. But what hurts is our environment. After surfing for many years, and seeing a movement against surfing contests, I watched that sport decline only to see it rebirth itself when contests got back in vogue. Same goes here in our hobby. As much as many guys "build for themselves" we need to show off our work, and that is where contests become very valuable. Even if you are not competitive, there are always primer tables, or "display-only" tables to show your stuff off. What is more valuable is seeing where you are with the rest of the model building population. But like me, after so many compliments at the non-compete tables, I got the bug to compete again, and I have promised myself that I will build for myself and my style, and not just to win a contest. My goal is to make the next model infinitely better than the one I just finished. Other aspects of model car contests are vendor tables where you can pick up stuff you never thought existed, and most importantly gabbing with contestants and eveyone else there. As a judge, I consider myself a hard-A%%. If you enter and have poor glue joints, or paint job, or body work, or just paint an interior flat black, you are toast. But I write long comments on judging sheets on every car, trying to be positive rather than critical. The only time I left a sheet blank was when a joke was placed on me, and Augie put one of his cars in the contest area for me to "judge". But if you don't win, that doesn't mean your stuff is inferior, I have seen grand prize winners from one contest completely lose in another. The joy is in the contest. This is way too long. Don't be afraid of judging. Enter and learn from your win and learn from your loss, you will only get more stoked and a better modeler. This year I will be going to Birmingham, Atlanta, and Tampa, in addition to the local contests hosted by my club. If you see me at one of these contests, I am a large guy with always a big smile and loud demeanor, come up and say hello and tell me about what you brung. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

SteveL, First this is a beautiful job and a great custom job. There are just not enough of us choppers, channelers, and sectioners out there, and then you completely refashion the grille and rear area to enhance the original Ford design. I never have seen the 3-window resin version and I really like it. As for me, I like the way the mirror and taillight breaks up the shoebox sides. I am working on a sectioned '50 Ford Convertible, but the taillights are on the rear, and the side is completely bare. I am now debating whether to add a chrome strip to break up the side, just as you did with the mirror and taillights. What is holding me back adding little Plastruct strips to foil on the sides would be that these were added to cover up my joint when I sectioned the car. That is not the case. I also think you were pretty bold in using steeliesd in liew of the narrow tires and big wheels, and again, like the effect. My only suggestion would be to add just a little more detail to the engine compartment. For example, a beehive oil filter on the firewall, blacking out the background of the valve covers, and adding spark plug lines would be the perfect touch. I am a subscriber to Foose's philosophy to make the engine compartment a "jewel box" to showcase the engine, which you did very nicely. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

I am a custom car builder for many years, and the '49 Merc is one of my favorites. Ten years ago, I had the opinion that no model car builder worth his salt could call himself a modeler unless he chopped the top of an AMT '49 Merc, so I did, and it came out and placed in a regional model car contest. But there are inherent problems with AMT's body that takes the chopped top to a new dimension of difficulty. After I primed the body when I completed the top chop, I found that just handling the body with your hands caused the gap in the passenger side cut crack, as the body flexxed way too much. I put a ton of epoxy in the gap, and fortified the entire side so it wouldn't flex so much and crack at the joint. The model is OK now, but weighs as much as a die cast model. hahaha. I never was a fan of manufacturers issuing an already customized car, such as the A La Kart and others since. I preferred to add my own style of design to an existing stock model to come up with my own version. That has changed in the recent past, so when Revell announced the '49 Merc already chopped, I was already sold. When I was a teenager, I used to eagerly anticipate new AMT issues, and would ravage a new kit before I got it home. I am now 60, and hadn't done that in many many years. This time was different. Because I am used to being disappointed in new models being late, I was ready to purchase this model sometime in November. Then last Saturday, I was enjoying a very pleasant meal on the beach in Deerfield Beach, FL, when a close model car friend called me and started asking about what I thought about the new Revell Merc. I didn't know it was out. So, I tossed the meal in the can, and went to Wal Mart of all places. I was like a kid again. Preparing for Christmas, my local Wal Mart completely relocated the toy department, and it took some looking and heavy anticipating to find the new location. Then I get there, and it was the same old tired AMT/Revell inventory and I got a little discouraged, then glanced way up on the top shelf and there they were!!! I looked at the box and picked up 3 of them. I almost couldn't wait until I got out to the car to open the box and check it out. I wasn't disappointed, and already mocked up a model with some slight modifications to the taillights. I have more ideas for future models, which include a combo kitbash with an AMT '49 Merc, of which I have about 6 in stock. At the age of 60, I doubt if I will even come close to the inventory of Mercs, not to mention the others. So, my club is waiting for old Ken the "FloridaBoy" to meet the grim reaper to buy these kits from my future widow. hahaha. After a mild glue mock-up of the new Merc, and building over 5 old AMT Mercs over the years, I thought I would provide a "mini-comparo". First, in my opinion, each kit is still great, with acceptable levels of proportion and details. However, even though they are of the same "horse", they are different as an apple and an orange. The AMT model does have some structural issues if you chop the top, but is a snap to section the body. The Revell model is already chopped, and even I, think the top is just a little too chopped. The latest AMT Merc has the new style wheels big rims and narrow tires, which to me are ugly on the Merc, while the Revell model has old type wide whites, reverse rims and custom caps. AMT's version has bucket seats, while the Revell has bench seats only. Motors are different, but I prefer to power my Mercs with the stock engine with lots of upgrades, as the '49 Merc engine is generally accepted as the hottest flathead. But look at the leftover Ramcharger motor and the unnamed motor from the Revell model. Revell has the killer on skirts. I owe some of my growth to the '49 Merc, as I never built a car with skirts before it, and now have many planned with them in the future. Overall, I give a 10 out of 10 to both kits, as each stands on their own merit. If you want to chop the top to the Merc, use the already chopped body. I will post some pictures of my primered model as soon as I take its picture. I know I haven't earned my "creds" on this forum until I post some photos of my work in progress. I was a 3-time Pactra winner, IPMS regional winner, and for several years I was undefeated in model car contests. I am now struggling to keep up with you guys in both styling and detail, as all of the work I have seen in the mags and on this forum are out of this world. I hope soon my work will at least be able to rub shoulders with yours. Pray for my successful photography. haha Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

First, thanks to the guys on this forum who set me straight by explaining how Lindberg got an old tooling in their hands. I thought they stole it like they did the AMT 34 Ford Pickup. I don't hate Lindberg for their antics, I think they just took advantage of a situation. Second, I have been a builder and devotee of 1/24, and 1/25 scale cars since 1952, at the tender age of 5. When Revell came out with the Highway Pioneers and Pyro came out with the 1/32 scale kits, I considered them "second class" models. I still have a bunch of built and unbuilt Pyro models in my collection. But, I built the ones I did to "practice" for work on the 1/25 scale cars. What I did was to section the car like what was in Rod & Custom and wanted to see what it was like before I started cutting up a buck and a half kit. After all I was only spending a quarter. The kit came out, but I had to shorten the bumper and make it into a rolled pan, fabricate some plastic for a new grille, install the rear pan as if a rolled pan. Then I totally ruined it with a Pactra Metallic Blue paint job, and no detailing. It still sits in my parts box, and maybe someday, but I have other important fires to attend to. Third, I have never liked, no let me put it different, respected 1/32 plastic kits because they always seem to be out of proportion, never have details, (just one engine or set of wheels, please). Then along came some funny cars in the eighties and these were OK, but the 1/25 models for 3 bucks more were more worth it. Sorry to be so negative, but when I saw the Lindberg ad for the '49 Ford, my blood pressure went up in anticipation. Now it is a lot of hoopla about reprising a "quarter" kit. After struggling by making their '37 Cord, I am convinced Lindberg's only hope is to continue begging, borrowing, buying, pilfering or stealing someone else's tool. I am impressed with their '53 Ford series, and had big hopes then. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

I was drooling in an auto dealership today that specialized in exotic cars when in the showroom was a classic show rod, a '37 Lincoln Zephyr chopped 3 window coupe. The body work done was similar to those cars that Alice Cooper put up for sale on the last Barrett Jackson auction. Realizing that I could have a little problem raising the $125,000 needed to pay for the 1:1 version, I decided to see if I could build a 1/25 or 1/24 scale of it and retrofit it to a current kit. Does anyone know of any resin caster out there that offers this incredible car? Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

I just got home from shopping with my wife which included a trip to Radio Shack. I haven't seen anything on this, but they have a product line of remote control 1/24 cars, which personally I am not into. BUT, they have spare parts. Included in those spare parts are the coolest wheels and tires since Pegasus. I cleaned out the Pompano Beach store this afternoon, and consider myself lucky as the demographic in that particular store area is no kids. I purchased the coolest set of 1/24 spoke 22" wheels with black inserts, and low profile tires for eight bucks, and lots of other tire and wheel sets for three bucks, along with some extra tires for some Revell kits I purchased that had 2 sets of wheels and only one set of tires. I am planning to clean out another Radio Shack tonight as they have a half price sale on these parts and I am going to take full advantage. And to think I was going to spend a couple of nights painting the inserts of some oversize wheels this weekend. It saved me a bunch of build time. Go check it out. I am not an employee of Radio Shack or is any of my family; this is designed to pass on a treasure I found in my own neighborhood to my fellow modelers. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

The Table Top Cruisers of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida will have a model car contest and swap meet on June 22 through June 24, 2007. There will be several categories to enter, along with special categories as follows: ConCor D'Elegance - Pre1941 Classic Auto (exclude Fords and Chevvies) which can be built in any way desired. Engines 1/24-1/25 scale only Big Rigs - Large Trucks The special categories will be judged while all other categories are based on votes from attendees. Schedule: June 22 6-9PM signin/pre-registration' June 23 8AM-1PM signin/pre-registration. June 23 display of cars and voting to 6PM prox. June 24: Awards ceremony Handmade trophies for 1st place in each class Registration Fee: $10 for first 5 cars, $1 per car over 5 entered, payable at registration. General Admission and Parking Free Contact: A.D. Lasseter, Contest Coordinator (954) 258-9710, George Perillo, Contest Assistant (954) 309-1461. Information regarding this post: Ken Willaman (561) 445-2207. Note: Mail-in entries -- All shipping costs are to be borne by the entrant; The Table Top Cruiser Model Car Club, and its patrons, will exercise utmost care in the handling of mailed in entries, but will not be responsible for breakage, damage, stains, or wear of the cars, either during shipment or at contest. Location: Scarborough Development Club House

This thread refers to the Performance Model Car club down here in Ft. Lauderdale, and that club no longer exists. We have sent update after update to Scale Auto with the new information, to absolutely no avail. The club down here is now the Table Top Cruisers, and if you wish to participate in our club meetings or contests or other events, please contact me, Ken Willaman, at willamank@comcast. net for directions, times, dates and further information.

For those in the South Florida area, there is a very active model car club in the Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The name is Table Top Cruisers, and we meet in western Ft. Lauderdale on the second and fourth Tuesdays, every month. Additionally, we host at least 4 major contests every year, along with on site smaller events called "Cruises". We have our own portable diorama tables in which participants can show their cars. We welcome new members as it is our philosophy to share ideas, techniques and approaches to improve each other in the hobby. Additionally, we welcome all skill levels and types of modelers, as we wish to grow as fast as we have in the past few years. Please contact me, Ken Willaman, at willamank@comcast.net, for further information. You will really like this group of guys. Our next contest is scheduled for Friday, June 22, 2007 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. In addition to the regular show categories offered, this contests special themes are ConCors D'Elegance (pre '41 Classic cars), 1/25 engines, and Large Trucks. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman T