Richard Bartrop

The prewar classics from Jo-Han and Monogram don't seem to get a lot of attention, but since it means i can get some of my favourite kits at reasonable prices, I hope it stays that way.

I can't fault that choice. I have one of those on my "to do" pile myself. It's still a pretty decent kit.

That makes a difference. I went with the Cadillac because I could build several variations. I might get bored eventually, but it would take a while. If it was one, and one only, it would be the Mercedes, because I haven't built one of those in a while.

Thanks! This is exactly the sort of info I was looking for.-

I'm building Revell's '29 A Roadster as a late '50s style rod, and I want to convert the rear axle to something more period correct. Since it has a blown hemi up front, my thought is something that could do double duty on the drag strip as well a on the street. I'm thinking a Halibrand quick change differential, and either coils or a transverse leaf spring. My big question has to do with linking it to the rest of the car. My first inclination is a 4 link setup, and apparently the Ramchargers started using this setup back in the late 50s, but I'm wondering how accurate this would be for a street rod? There's the old tried and true Ford torque tube, but would that be up to the task? There are a few people in the group who have experience with hot rods and dragsters, and I was hoping I could pick their brains for an authentic looking solution for ensuring the power gets to the pavement.

For me, it would be a tossup between Jo-Han's Cadillac V-16 and Mercedes-Benz 500K. Beautiful subject matter, and the detail is exquisite. Not just a matter of parts count, but they've taken pains to ensure all the parts look right. They also go together surprisingly well for kits of this age. Still among the best model car kits ever made. However, if I could only pick one, I would go with the Cadillac for the wide range of trim variations and body types the prototype came in.

The engine mount from the Mod Rod was slightly narrower than the space on the Revell frame, but a couple of styrene shims took care of that. Checking how it sits on the kit suspension. The front looks fine, but I think the rear needs to come up a smidge.

Nothing wrong with taking inspiration from fish...

I think a Mercedes 500K/540K would be right up there. It seems nearly every company has made a version at some point.

Except it's not even close to anything you'd use for a dragster of any sort.

Looks like the same cut Bill Niekamp used on his famous roadster

I've been on a late 50s early 60s hotrod kick lately because it's an interesting transition time. You can see the hobby start to move away from what we think of as the traditional hot rod and custom look, and not all of it was successful, but I really like this one. Not quite the full traditional look, but still done with balance and restraint. It's a look that would be easy enough to replicate with any of the existing kits. More photos from the event can be found here: https://www.hotrod.com/articles/looking-back-to-1960-la-roadster-show/

It's not going to be an exact recreation of the cover, but the fenders will end up getting a bit of a trim.

I bought this when it first came out, but It's only recently that I figured out what to do with it. My original intent was to replicate a famous early roadster, but the modified wheelwells meant I would have to rework them back to stock, and since Round 2 was happy to sell me a Model A roadster that I didn't have to alter, I shelved that idea. I decided to go instead to go for something where the reworked wheelwells were part of the design. In this case I figured it was something you'd do if you wanted fenders on a channeled body. The other inspirations were some footage in an old drag racing film of a Deuce roadster sporting an early Hemi with a Latham blower, and this cover to a Henry Gregor Felsen novel. So it's going to end up being a late '50s style rod with bobbed fenders in the rear, and cycle fenders up front. The rear fenders are from the previous issue of AMT's '29 roadster kit. The front fenders are from the Double T kit, as is the Latham supercharger. The Deuce grille shell is from the parts box, while the engine, wheels, and tires are from the latest "Mod Rod" edition of AMT's '29 A roadster.

Maybe three at a time, but that's like once a year.

Ot think we can safely say that they weren't worried overly much about keeping costs down when they designed this thing. As for range. apparently if you drove it flat out, you could drain the gas tank in 12 minutes.

If it was about what was rational, we'd all be driving minivans, and nobody would be building model cars for fun. I'm sure a large chunk of it is being able to go, "Hey look! I can blow this kind of money on a toy, and you can't!". Of course, nothing makes people want something like telling them they can't have it.

There's a topic in itself. Kits you ended up trashing as a kid that ended becoming stupidly valuable.

According to Ken Purdy's accounts, servicing the original Bugattis was just as insane. The tradition continues.

I tend to be on the opposite side of the wrapping issue. In half a century of modelling, wrong contents have happened to me exactly once. On the other hand, I've learned all too well what "kit appears to be complete" really means. Buying on eBay is a gamble anyhow and If the wrapper's intact, it means one less random factor..

That is really cool

Humbrol can be found in almost any decent hobby store here. One of the perks of staying loyal to the Crown, I guess.

Good luck!

There's one abstract sculptor I really like, and that's Constatin Brancusi. He worked at the beginning of the 20th century, and it was very much about reducing forms to their essentials, but his craftsmanship was impeccable, and every line was exactly where it should be. In a nutshell, everything we like about a good car design.

I probably wouldn't have bought it if they had.