Richard Bartrop

In the early 70s when I first discovered the Monogram Classics, I managed to track down a Mercedes-Benz 540K in a hardware store. When I moved to Calgary, there was this one professional building downtown. I'd passed it many times, and one time I went upstairs on a whim, and there's this one office with no labels that's an Aladdin's cave of out of production kits. Turns out the guy was selling off his collection, and the place was gone in a matter of months. Don't Hobby Shop was unusual in that it also sold magic and theatrical supplies. Eventually, they moved out of downtown, and decided to speciaize in costume supplies. Uncle Bills was a well known hobby shop to the Calgary,but at one point in was buried int he bowels of a medical centre, so you had to go into the basement, and down a long corridor past warnings about the X-ray machine to get to his store.

Now Italeri just needs to do some Lamborghinis.

Nice design, very British looking. Looks a little like what Jensen was doing with Fords before the war.

A beautiful classic rod. You nailed the look.

The one you're thinking of is the November 1974 issue. It's what I used the first time I ever tried to chop a AMT Merc, and the technique seems adaptable to anything with a roundish roof.

Maybe mold lines are a necessary evil, but my pet peeve with chrome is when a runner goes to a spot that will be highly visible when the part is removed. Doubly so when it's some brightly coloured plastic underneath. One thing I do like very much is the move away from one piece interior tubs to separate sides.

Exachange rates are also a factor. The Canadian dollar is currently worth about three quarters of an American one.

Here in Calgary, Revel and Round 2 kits are as high as $45 and up here. At those prices, it has to be a subject I REALLY want, or if it's for kitbashing material, it has to be somethng I can get 2-3 projects out of like AMT's Model A roadster reissue..

Outstanding work!

I remember seeing that. At the time, I thought the body he chose looked too modern, but it's not actually wrong. People would sometimes update the bodywork to make them look more modern. You actually have a fair amount of leeway on what you could do in the way of bodywork.

It's a good dream. And you wouldn't be too far off using the Stutz fenders.

The Monogram MB 540K coupe looks to be based off the Spezial Coupe by Sindelfingen. From what I can tell, three were built.

I sprayed Humbrol enamel on a Moebius Chrysler 300 body with no primer, and didn't experience any crazing.

Kudos to AMT for bringing back all those kits, but how much did they have to do to the molds to make them happen? As has been mentioned many times before, making molds isn't cheap. I don't think it's so much a question of whether they have the will so much as are there enough people out there willing to buy the kits to make it worth their while?

Can't argue with that. I still this it's one of the best looking 'Birds. Definitely better looking than the retro 'Bird that followed it.

I have one of these that I want to turn into an armoured car. I'll definitely be following this build.

In fact, he ended up designing all subsequent Triumphs except for the TR6, the TR7, and the Honda based Acclaim.

Gold Cup from one of Jo-Han's "Gold Cup" kits. In this case from their 1931 Cadillace V-16 Sport Phaeton . Rotating stand from the Tiger Shark kit. A rubber band powers it, in theory.

ALso, the Monogram kit isn't a roadster, it's a cabriolet. THe top goes down on both, the but the Cabriolet has windows you can roll up, and the roadster doesn't, and the two bodies do look different. 1930 Model A Roadster: 1930 Ford Cabriolet. Not the higher sills, and the different windshield: So if you want to build a Model A cabriolet, the Monogram kit is the only game in town. I could go for a new '36 Ford kit as well, but my druthers would be for a convertible coupe. The custom versions to look pretty nice.

And it's not like it hasn't been done in real life.

My first exposure to Johan was through their incredibly detailed classic kits, followed by their Turbine Car kit. Kits that set the standard for car models for decades to come. Of course,there's even less chance of those coming back.

Figure out how long it would take to build a model to that level of finish, and multiply it by any kind of reasonable rate for labor of that quality. I think you'll find it easily enough

In the classic film "Lawrence of Arabia", at one point the title character says a trip across a desert "sounds like fun", whereupon he is told "It is recognized that you have a funny notion of fun". It can be very satisfying to finally wrestle a difficult build into submission. It's also nice to build something that is fighting you all the way. What is your idea of fun? The Boeing P-12 caught my eye, but I have a thing for between the wars aircraft. The Revell Model A pickup is a great source of raw material if you're into traditional rods., and yes, if you can snag a Accurate Miniatures Gran Sport for $20, do it.

I've watched the series, and it is entertaining, and I really like the look of the world they created. From what I remember, the tubes are what drive it. There's some mystic substance the engines heat up and pump through the tubes, and that's what provides the lift and propulsion.

Or even a low-rider version, if that would broaden the appeal. I think donks look stupid, but there are people who like them. Whether there are enough out there to justify catering to them is a question for the marketing folks.