Richard Bartrop

Let's start with hot rod stuff: 1927 Model T roadster. A stock version would be ideal, but something to fit the frame of the Model A roadster and coupe kits might do well. Go the traditional track roadster route with a track nose and bellypan, but Deuce grille would be a nice option. An old school flathead V-8 would be nice, but not essential, and a set of Kelsey Hayes wires would be nice if you wanted to make a new set of wheels. For the traditional custom crowd, how about a 1940 Mercury? For reissues, I'd like to see Revell follow up the "Blue Bandito" with a restored Little T and Little Deuce. For something contemporary, how about the Tesla Model S, and Buick's Aspire concept car? Now for the classics, and here I realize we're getting deep into "wish" territory Bring back the Monogram classics, but in particular the Cord and Lincoln Continental. There does seem to be some interest in them about the custom crowd, and they are so much nicer than the Lindberg versions. As for new tools, I would like to see someone do a decent Auburn Speedster, and Bugatti's Type 57 Atlantic Coupe just begs for a kit version. The swoopy styles of Figona and Falaschi seem to be popular. Perhaps join forces with the folks at Heller to use their existing Delage and Delahaye kits as a starting point? For American classics, how about Packard's magnificent Twin Six, and a Mercer Raceabout in the same scale as MPC's Stutz Bearcat would be most welcome. For postwar classics, Moebius has been putting out some kits I thought would never see the light of day, so lets go with 1956 Lincoln capri, 1956 Continental Mk II, 1953 Buick Skylark, 1955 Cadillac Eldorado, 1957 Studebaker Hawk, and '62 Hawk GT. For European postwar, how about a 1/24 Citroen DS, Morris Minor, Facel Vega, or Lamborghini Espada? Since it is a wish list, let;s finish off with some dream cars, in particular, the Buick Y-Job, The original LeSabre, the Firebird III, and the original Bertone Stratos.

They originally started out as a series of illustrations done by Exner for Esquire Magazine, though two of them, a Bugatti and a Mercer, were made into full sized cars.

If you have the skills, you could start with a block of styrene. For what the OP wanted, with the skill set specified, basically, you can't get there from here.

Thanks! Definitely looking forward to seeing how this one turns out! I have the Torpedo Phaeton in my build pile. My inclination is duplicate the original car, though I'm still undecided as to which stage in its life I want to duplicate.

Okay, to expand it a little more, probably the most prolific maker of car bodies at the times would be Ford's River Rouge plant, also known as "The Rouge". This is relevant because the body is not a replica of any specific Duesengerg sedan, but is in fact a 1932 Ford Tudor sedan stretched out to four doors. How did I do?

I don't suppose that would be Le rouge as in La Riviere Rouge?

Converting a PII into a PIII? Think trying to convert a '62 Corvette into a '63. Going on a bit of a tangent, It does occur to me that with the Italeri Rolls kit, you could get pretty close to the title car from the film The Yellow Rolls Royce.

1/24 is also easy to calculate (1/2 inch =1 foot) and it's one of the scales on architectural rulers. And in practice, these kits are seldom exactly to scale, so 1/24 and 1/25 end up more or less interchangeable.

Likewise.

I'm not sure what it's about either. Nothing wrong with having preferences, but he keeps going on about it like it's somehow relvant to the rest of us.

How about a traditional custom version of Revell's excellent '40 Ford coupe? For that matter, how much work would it take to convert it to a "40 Mercury? For AMT's '57 Ford, since is already has a Meteor grille as a custom option, what about adding the rest of the Meteor front trim, and a set of photoetch badges for making a stock '57 Meteor? I'd like Canadian versions of the "50 Ford, and '49 Merc, but that of course would take more work.

If you really want to be different, how about this '32 ford with a Boeing turbine engine? Pistons are sooooooo overdone.... The fact is, anything and everything has at some point been used to power a hotrod. Any "rules" that someone tries to lay down about what goes where is purely the product of their own fevered imagination.

Now there's something you don't see everything. In fact, Duesenbergs are practically common as dirt compared to Checkers of that vintage.

As I recall, they used the Rolls to smuggle gold by making all the body out of the stuff..

You want to talk about fantasy tech in Bond films, forget the giant laser, or that gadget laden Aston Martin. How about the suspension mods on that pickup?

The real wonder in that film is what you can put in the back of a Ford Ranchero.

Leaving issues of who's is bigger aside, assuming your goal is to put together what's in the box so it looks something like what's on the box, lots of parts that don't quite fit can be a recipe for a journey into madness. The Revell kits could certainly be a challenge, but I thought the IMC kits were the worst in that respect. In particular, the Ford GT kit, and their Cougar II. THe latter I got as a Testor's reissue, so ancient moulds just to make it that much more challenging.

Looks great, and when it came to "factory colors" with those old Packards, the sky was the limit anyhow.

Gotta love those blower Bentleys, and that one turned out nice! If you're looking for one in a more standard size, Revell recently reissued Heller's excellent 1/24 kit.

And let's not forget that that Barris wasn't above doing a few tweaks of somebody else's work.

So would I. Unfortunately, from what I understand, licensing issues are what have kept it from being turned into a kit.

I'm skeptical of the "false sense of security" argument. As those films show, people did stupid things behind the wheel back then too, and even if you are more likely to walk away from a crash, there are still lots of reasons not to get in a crash in the first place. If nothing else, you're more likely to still be around to face the consequences of your poor judgement.

Some people seem to have trouble wrapping their heads around the idea that not only other people might like stuff that they don't, but that it's all right that they do. Now, I don't like rat rods, and I think the whole faux patina thing is one of the stupidest trends to come about, My thought on the patina decals that came with the Revell Model A kit? I'm okay with it. It's not like I'm required to use them, and if it helps to sell a few more kits to the people who do want to build a patina-rod, this is a good thing. More money in Revell's coffers means more money to invest in new kits, and less chance that they close down, in which case, nobody gets any new kits from them. And yes, I would very much like a stock Cadillac kit. If enough people express a demand for it, maybe someone will figure it's worth cutting a set of moulds.

I feel you pain. So close, yet so far. That said, as custom go, it's not that bad looking, anturn it into something more traditional. It might even be a useful parts source for other custom projects.

I have one of those, and you're making me want to take another stab at it. The latest Polar Lights kit of the Batmobile has an engine and chassis. Has anyone tried mating it with the Revell Futura?