Marc Weller

My '29 roadster.

You are correct and I considered that but it just looked cooler this way and I'm gonna display it with the hood off.

I've been to every Speedweek since '03 (even the rainouts!!). I love the show cars in attendance (Speed Demon, Stupidbaker, Blowfish, etc.) but I have a real soft spot for the beaters which are the inspiration for this, my latest project.

Kay Sissell had a slingshot with a pair of 6's !!!! No blowers though. Blown inliners are common at Bonneville, less so at the drags although I can recall seeing a blown Supra motored RED running comp eliminator in recent years.

Putting the finishing touches on this one. GMC block from the AMT '50 Chevy pickup with Fisher head from the AMT '51 Chevy Hardtop. Slingster , or as I like to call Little Sizzler, frame, body, wheels. I used the blower from the Slingster and scratch built the intake from an image I found online. Machined the pulleys and magneto. I used the Slingster header tubes in combination with the the flange from the '51 Chevy kit. Alcad sure does a killer job !!! This one will be under glass in a week or so.

Does anyone else find this kit to be small for 1/25. The rear tires are of a considerably smaller diameter than those found in typical 60's Revell drag kits. Thoughts?

Killer, killer model and stunning photographs !!! Please tell me how you got those shots.

If I'm remembering correctly it's an Olds so 303,324 or371

What was I thinking !!!! Probably C/A with that 283. Glad I didn't put any class stickers on yet.

I'm probably not going to finish anything new anytime soon so I thought I'd dig into my showcase and dust off some oldies. I became friendly with Ed Roth in the early '80's when I was living in San Pedro and he was in nearby Cerritos. How I came to know Ed is a long story which I'll omit for the sake of brevity but, long story short, Ed was invited to the NNL Western Nationals in '85, I had moved to Oakland, and he and his wife were my houseguests for the weekend. We made these plans well in advance of the date so I had plenty of time to finish a Roth themed model in honor of his visit. So anyway, '53 Vette meets Beatnik Bandit. Interior, engine, wheels, and the iconic bubble top. I scanned an old Roth ad and printed it onto clear decal material. Pretty high tech for '85. I think I used a Xerox copier since I didn't have a computer or printer until '88. The paint is a Floquil Crystal Coat under Tamiya clear yellow. Still a bitchin' little model after all of these years IMHO. I just wish Ed were still around. RIP.

Glue baby glue !!!

This one has been over in "On The Workbench" for awhile, now it's done.

Years ago, Pryor Passorino penned an article in Plastic Fanatic titled "Beaters" which featured a number of his real word appearing scale hot rods. These lightly weathered models were really a breath of fresh air in an age where everyone was competing to have the largest number of billet and photo etched pieces incorporated in their projects. I was inspired, and my building took a definite turn in that direction for a number of years. I still build glossy, liberally chromed show rods but I alternate with the type of build you see here. I started this in 2010 and finished it, literally, the morning of the Spirit of Speed Contest in Pomona a few weeks ago. The engine is the AMT Parts Pack 421 Poncho which originates in the '65 Grand Prix. I love that sidesaddle 4 barrel manifold although I have never seen one on a real car. The Moon tank is aftermarket, MAS if I recall correctly. Modelhaus tires which I chucked into my Dremel and dusted with an airbrush. Missing headlight with wires hanging out, primer spots, oxidation, mismatched wheels, etc. I don't know if you can see the shift knob but it is a beer tap handle made by stretching sprue that is first carved into a square cross section then tinted with Tamiya yellow. Note the blue tinted glass and period decals. Man. I'd like to build a 1:1 replica of this model !!!!!

Exactly, I picked up a bunch of that stuff at a Michael's two for one sale. This is the T that inspired the model. I decided to do the '31 because Revell sent me the kit to review. I never did the review but I finally finished the model. They haven't sent any kits in awhile!!

Modelhaus 5.60 X 14's. Don't know the kit source, maybe an old promo? Any guesses?

I filled the block with this stuff and run it on alcohol.

Almost ready for prime time. Moon tank is mounted. Grille shell is attached, you can't see the blue tinted plexi grille shell filler in in the photo but it is there and you can look through it and see the timing cover and fuel pump (still waiting for plumbing). Body and fenders are attached. Still need to do grille shell supports. The shifter ball is the coolest part on the whole model. I held some clear styrene sprue vertically over a candle until it formed a droplet shape. Since the styrene boiled, It formed little bubbles inside. I initially planned to make a Tiki head out of Milliput but I couldn't pull it off. I like this just as well. Next post under glass.

Finished the headers last night. Had to change the flange angle so they would clear the fenders. Also created new flanges since the original ones were way too thick. Alcad chrome works well against the kit chrome. Moon tank and grille shell tonite. A few odds and ends and I'm done. Hmm, I have another unfinished project from 2010. Maybe I can thrash on that one, I have a few days to go. g

Thanks Craig, lots of great stuff on your site. There was a T-bucket competing for America's Most Beautiful Roadster about the time I started this this project. That was the color I was trying to duplicate.

Hey Jesse, I was there, how about you? Are you coming up for Spirit of Speed?

Greatly appreciated Tim. I may have stopped building for awhile but I never stopped thinking about future projects. Old habit die hard and, besides, I don't want to miss the third car modeling renaissance !!!

I've been away from building for several years now. A few weeks ago Pryor Passorino called to ask if I was planning to attend the Spirit of Speed 2 at the NHRA museum and I was inspired to finish a project that has been stalled on my workbench since 2013. It is the Revell '31 Tudor painted with Testors lacquers (50:50 silver and purple metallic) clear coated with Valspar urethane. AMT parts pack small block with injection from the Double Dragster. Modelhaus wheels and tires, scratch built 3 point cage. I been working steadily on this one for a few weeks. Still need to finish the headers, mount the Moon tank and grille shell, do a little plumbing and she'll be good to go.

Eric, This is really great work and it is inspiring me to get back into building. I had to go back and read my SAE article from 8/2001 as I couldn't recall how I did the gold leaf lettering on my Wheeler Dealer replica. My first attempts were with BMF (I still have the sheets of foil with my unsuccessful attempts!), but ultimately, I just laser printed outlines onto decal stock, hand painted the silver base and added the yellow and orange tints using tamiya transparent acrylics with a small brush. Thanks for giving me a reason to dust off this 20 year old model and do some needed repairs !!!