ChrisBcritter

What's a good size to look for to make accurate 1/25 scale lug nuts for your average '50s-'70s Detroit car? Like zero point what mm, or inches?

Shrink it and print it:

Can't ID the maker, but I gotta say that's a very accurate-looking '27 roadster - they got that rear bodyside curve right, unlike all the others I've seen.

Some items found on eBay listings a while back:

1946-48 Plymouth; only way to tell them apart is by the serial, from what I've read.

Very elegant - Edsel Ford would have loved it!

Judging by past performance, an act of God (or Congress). (I kid, I kid...) So. Let's wildly speculate on other kits that fit Tim's description... MPC '66 Dodge or Toronado? +/ - one year and then customized.

Great find on that T-bird! As I said, it's also the only way to get a correct '66 coupe (the full kit is a convertible with a tacked-on roof; interior's wrong for a coupe). Did you get the glass for it as well?

I've done the same thing! How about a photo? JC, if you want to skip the front bumper, this is the way the front pan looks:

Could we get a photo of the wheels, Luke? It'd be cool to see some 4-lug chrome reverses.

It did have a full tank; don't know if it's SOP to remove a tank that's full or if it should be emptied first.

So as I was saying under "What did you get today?", my best modeling buddy Tom Piagari and I went to Des Plaines Hobbies yesterday and he dropped off his Dodge minivan at the Car-X repair shop to fix a small fuel leak. They said it would be about $650 because it turned out to be a broken fitting on the top fuel pump that fits in the tank, and it would take several hours. Got a taxi back to his place to chill for the rest of the afternoon, then called back around 4:45 to see how they were doing. The phone rang and rang, then went to a full voice mail box. Odd... We checked online for another number, and as we're scrolling down Google, I notice a headline link "Fire engulfs Des Plaines Auto Shop". "Tom, look at this..." "Oh, my God, it couldn't be..." We hopped into my car and drove over there, and sure enough... (You can see Des Plaines Hobbies in a couple shots. It was already dark by the time we got there, and two snorkels were still pouring water on the place.) Turns out that gasoline spilled when they were dropping out the minivan's tank to get the pump out, and something set it off. Tom sent me this photo of what's left of it, still up on the lift: Fortunately nobody in the shop was hurt, so now it's off to deal with the insurance companies... P.S. Just so you know, Tom OKed me to post all this; he's a member here but doesn't do a lot of postings. Do check out what he has put up, however - some amazing work.

Hit Des Plaines Hobby with Tom (Feretzrus) yesterday and picked up some Alclad Aqua Clear to see how well it works with Molotow chrome, and some Testors Radome Tan paint to do some touch-ups on the '61 T-bird promo I'm restoring; turns out to be a perfect match for the molded tan plastic. Meanwhile we dropped off his Dodge minivan at the nearby Car-X shop for a fuel pump repair... (continued in Off Topic under "What Irked You Today?")

Ironic in this case; AMT's original '61 Pontiac kit has a lot of weird fit issues with the bumper/grille unit and hood as well.

I'm probably shooting myself in the foot with this one (now the prices will go up!), and it's way more toy than kit, but... OK, OK, quit laughing. This '57 Buick Roadmaster was made in Argentina by a company named Bichi (I said quit laughing!) and it came out in other versions: including a Man from U.N.C.L.E. version. Thing is, it's a direct crib from the original promo, it's 1/25 scale, and... it's molded in styrene and straight as new. I'm sure a good builder could transform this into a master for a resin kit. I've seen one up close and believe me, it's doable - maybe kitbash it with a junk promo's wheels and chrome and a '58 Buick kit chassis and interior? Thanks to Tom Piagari (Feretzrus) for giving me the heads-up on this one.

"Rabid Roy" (a spoof of "Rapid Roy") on the driver's side roof, "Indio Auto Dismantling" on the passenger side roof and front fender, and atop the trunk (Indio is a small town in the CA desert east of Palm Springs), "427 C.I." twice on the hood along with "09", "Racer in Toe" on the vertical part of the trunk lid, a Pennzoil decal on each rear quarter, and the old AMT "eagle on slicks peeling out" decals on the quarters as well. Trunk lid is bolted down with plates from one of the AMT Modified Stocker kits (Falcon or Olds I think). Happy Modeling!

It was pretty basic; I just channeled the AMT body over one of the MPC Super Stockers chassis, cut down the rockers, and added window frames (carved from a Revell '53 Chevy) to make it look like a slightly chopped two-door sedan. A few heat-induced crumples, a brush paint job, some gray-brown "weathering" applied with a toothbrush splatter, and that was that. As to its fate, I traded it and the rest of the junkyard diorama to Tom Beauchamp and Gary Neuhardt for some unbuilt kits. They incorporated much of it into their display for the World of Wheels car show; last I saw in the late seventies, the car was repainted solid red, with "Brame Auto Body" added to the rear quarters . Since then...?

Big relief to hear! Looking forward to it.

Looks terrific, Del! If it's any help, here's a couple shots of a base model LeMans dash, with no a/c and radio delete: Sorry it's a bit blurry. This was a coupe but you get the idea.

How about a real '60s touch - use the Cibie lights from the Fireball 500? They're one-piece chrome but could be recast in clear (I could be persuaded to make a set!) Any thought about taillights? The custom units from the '64 Falcon kit come to mind:

I'm tempted to get the new Pepper Shaker, since the last one I built in the early '70s didn't have a lot left from the original kit: I do have some extra NOS Styline front ends that aren't in the new kit - anyone have the Styline rear end? Let's talk trades...

I'm in the minority here, I bet, but it would have been nice to get the stock full wheel covers on this kit. Luckily I have an extra set from the AMT Bonneville (thanks to Tom aka feretzrus for casting them from my originals!).

Should be pointed out that, back in the day, many hot rodders who couldn't find a real T roadster body would make do with the front half of a touring. These were easily spotted by the front edges of the rear door jambs that remained after the rear half was cut off. Not elegant, but definitely period-correct!

Maybe mine? '64 roof and rear package shelf transplanted to '65 convertible body and interior. Missing Link did a '65 sedan body a while back; when I asked if it would be reissued the answer was "no". And I would love to see a photoetch set for it, maybe with extra "Continental" scripts in the larger size for the '61-'63 kits.

Wonder how they chose the license number? 1CJL526 was a 1981 Nissan 200SX that last passed smog in 1997, per the CA DMV smog test site.