Marc Weller

Actually gonna miss the World Finals but I’m going to Gainesville.

Somebody asked me about it earlier. I was worried the Fontana branch would get sucked into the blower !! Good to hear from you Jesse !! I probably will miss Bakersfield but hope to see you at Spirit of Speed.

Thanks John and everyone else who commented. I have the good fortune of knowing Adam Sorokin and the late Tom Jobe so this project was really personal for me.

The Surfers AA/FD team of Skinner Jobe and Sorokin had a brief but very successful career in the mid sixties culminating in their victory at the Fuel and Gas Championships in Bakersfield in 1966, arguably the most remarkable achievement in the history of the sport. The bright yellow intake scoop on their dragster and their yellow and white '55 Chevy push car were trademarks of the team. The team disbanded in late '66 and, tragically, Mike Sorokin was killed driving another car at Orange County International Raceway. This model represents an alternate history of the Surfers where the boys recognize that match racing a funny car had far more financial potential than continuing to run the dragster and took the neccessary steps to pursue that goal.

Great show, actually an epic show. Here’s a slide show with a few of my favorite entrants.

I have always had a thing for hot rodded sports cars. While these are only occasionally seen today in the NHRA context (comp eliminator, super gas, etc.), they once had their own home in the modified sports class and it was not unusual to see MG's, Healeys, Jaguars, and the like sporting big V8's with huffers poking out of the hood. A few months ago my buddy Pryor Passorino surprised me with this kit and I was inspired to build something along these lines. The body is an old Strombecker tool, actually a motorized toy that lacks chassis detail and substitutes a detailed frame and motor with a belly pan that mounts an electric motor and rotating axles. I must say, I was not even slightly tempted to build it out of the box and play with it on my kitchen floor. This is a rare and valuable kit and the collector in me wanted it untouched and on the shelf with the rest of my rarities. But this was a gift from Pryor and his expectaton was that I was going to cut it up and build something cool. The real challenge was finding a chassis that would fit the wheelbase and track width of the Scarab. I really didn't feel like scratchbuilding anything so I settled on the Revell Willys gasser kit as a donor which, after shortening the frame rails and relocating the motor mounts rearward, turned out to be a good choice. Paint is Scale Finishes Nassau Blue topped with House of Color Show Clear. I usually hate working with 2K but, I have to admit, I hate polishing and this stuff is super glossy right out of my Pasche. I pleased with the results and I'll be bringing it to Spirit of Speed on Sunday.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the comments.

Pretty much out of the box AMT '59 El Camino. One of my all time favorite kits. Createx water based candies and pearls with a HOK 2K clear top coat. The "new and improved" Bare Metal foil is aptly named !!! I'm no lover of foiling but this stuff is way easier to use.

Yeah, you’ve got me thinking my next build will be rolling on Drag Stars ? !!

Paul, I really enjoyed talking to you at GSL. Your ‘29 roadster was one of my favorite entries at the show.

Greatly appreciated !!

Great seeing you Tim and thanks for the coverage.

Len, you wouldn’t happen to have contest results?

Great minds think alike !!! Beautiful work David.

Looks like I finished this one on schedule. My only remaining task is to safely transport it to the Salt Lake City Sheraton on Friday morning. Hope to see some of you there !

So far this thing is coming together without a hitch. Fingers crossed for making my deadline with any surprises !!

You know, there is nothing like getting encouragement from one of your heroes !! Thank you Tim. You are truly model car royalty and I hope I get to see you in Salt Lake. Meanwhile check out my just finished aluminum door panels.

It's coming together. Managed to shoot the 2K clear without fisheyes. Motor is mostly done. I cast those rear tires from the front tire of the AMT Watson Roadster kit. My all time favorite model car tire !! Fronts are Attempt I . Looks like I'll make my deadline !!

I've competed in three previous GSLMCC's. My first effort was back in the 80's and I managed a 3rd place in the drag category. My second two attempts were less successful, let's just say I was not even in the ballpark. Since this may be the last GSLMCC I've decided to attend with the goal of building something that at least won't be an embarrassment when placed on the table with all of those amazing models !! I've been a fan of Mickey Thompson since I was a kid and I've had the opportunity to see the Attempt 1 and Challenger 1 LSR cars in person as both had residencies at the nearby NHRA Motorsports Museum. I'm particularly intrigued by the little Tempest motors used in the Attempt 1 and at some point had the brainstorm of using the Attempt 1 drivetrain in a '29 roadster. I used Scalefinishes Marina Blue for my base coat. I'm still waiting for dry weather to shoot my clear. To replicate a Dow 7 finish on my wheels I used Scalefinishes antique gold for a base coat followed by Tamiya clear yellow. I'm pretty happy with the results. The awesome bomber seat is from Highlight Models in Finland. I machined the magneto from aluminum rod. The cap is machined from Lindberg '34 pickup sprue which is a darn good match for the Vertex plastic. I enjoy wiring 4 cylinder models twice as much as I do V-8's !! See you in Salt Lake.

Thanks everybody for your kind remarks. Gonna get to work on the next one!

Moving this one over to Under Glass !!!

Thanks everybody. I plan on being done by tomorrow. I haven’t put this much into a project for years.

It’s not done but my to do list is getting shorter!!!

Finished polishing the clear and hanging the doors.