Ragtop Man

Raising this thread from the dead... Mach Won has made the compartively rare Kenz & Leslie High Country Cougar II a distinct possibility once again. While the original kit wheelwells were radiused like the original, I don't think the fronts got the same treatment, or do not appear to have been hit. Incredibly, I have the original, untouched decal sheet of which scans are attached. Even more unbelievable, a raidused wheelwell body turned up in a junk bag years ago, pretty well untouched. So a build is defintiely in the cards. However, advancing age and the print quality of the original sheet are conspiring to make the open areas on the sheet appear blank, much counter to AMT procedure in the era. I can barely make out a tapered white hood stripe at the bottom of the sheet, and some script "Mercury Cougar" logos. Anyone have art or reference to where these appear on the finished model? Any possiblity that a better, modern sheet got printed in the recent-ish era? And as a side note to anyone who can access their stuff and has both the MPC F/C body and the AMT kit body (stock is fine) can you please comment on the fit of the glass and possibly, the interior tin? Many thanks!

https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/vintage-trucks/vintage-truck-1951-kenworth-with-600-hp-2181-cubic-inch-hall-scott-v12-the-worlds-most-powerful-factory-highway-truck-of-the-time/ https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/curbside-classic-1951-kenworth-fire-engine-with-hall-scott-engine-my-latest-lust-object/

In the description of the factory installed Scotty in the Kenny - they mention a 12" frame stretch between cab and axle, which just makes it that much cooler. Would love to get a finished Hall-Scott 12 for a 'done-lost-my-mind' build of a Dumas boats triple cockpit rum runner. I haven't done a stick model since I was 10, so it will be an adventure.

Nuthin' but net. Excellent build!

Ya know.... Hall-Scott did a monster V-12 that wound up in a road-going early 50's Kenworth... Could get up and down the mountain roads with ease... as long as there were gas stations close by! Would be a bitchin' marine engine, too.

The Revell (new tool) '56 is the sedan, which later begat the Nomad. The Monogram '56 is from the era when they were still feeling their way along in the 'adult builder replica' market, and is chunky by comparison. Fun fact - that 'clunky' '56 is a common basic builder kit, and can be a good source for a chassis swap if your 'olde skool' PC 83 Bel Air Convertible needs replacing.

To this day, their engraving has never been excelled. The famous example was an ad placed by AMT in the '60s touting their dedication to fine detail - and the visual was close up of the '68 Toronado grille ( in fact, a JoHan product. ) When they were on their game, they were ON. Your build is outstanding - and completely with you on the stack packing and getting early examples vs. later.

Needs to have that magic auto show body support that rises up in the air - the chassis detail alone on this would sweep the table at most shows I've been to. Now, to double down, literally, you need the Tamiya 1/12 Enzo!

It goes together as well as the other Trophies from the era - which is to say, pretty darn well. Today, there is a ton of reference info on the interwebs for 300SL Gullwings, just take your time and fit everything carefully, may need to enhance certain kit features.

Great looking flux capacitor in there!

(If this subject has already been covered, please link - I dug around for a while and saw a lot on airbrushes, not as much on compys.) Sooo... at long last, the hammers are swinging and the workshop is coming together! Soon enough, I'll be in the market for a spray booth (or, perhaps, will make one) and a compressor. Liking the idea of a quieter compressor than my nerve-fraying Coleman that comes on with a bang and wakes up the entire house. Have a small Badger (desktop size) but it really has a hard time keeping up. Budget won't be there forever... so... thinking it would be a good time to make a move. As always, appreciate the advice and experience.

Bwaa! What a maroon. Thanks for the update on wheels/tires. Need to dig a little deeper in the box.

The truck is a G-Body by other means. All the other swaps - bars, steering, etc. - are an easy layup but not strictly necessary. The "Dookie" was a CAFE play to get enough truck credits to keep selling the big ones. My B-I-L was a Brand Manager on Sonoma for a hot second back in the day, did a neat accessories play with it that really sold them through the GMC dealers that were allergic to small trucks otherwise.

Yep - that's the one. Super easy one to build assuming decals and a donor could be located. Damn, it looks good on those Cragars! FWIW, out of box promos that look a little scruffy are a very good way to source a '65 - and they bash 100% with the '65 Mod Stocker. Pro tip: Surf Woody has the best ever (maybe only!) Cruiseomatic in scale. My LHS in DTW had stacks of them. I would imagine a Thunderbolt would be a drop fit underneath, too, or a Moby Cyclone. If you are good with an olde skool platform style chassis, the common '69 Torino has the exhaust and sales copy wiped away... and includes a credible shock tower style engine compartment, too.

@GoodbuildNY Doubt the Droke car ran with a small block, but there is a recently restored D/SA that did - with the 289 HP and Cruiseo. B/FX may refer to the weight break, the Fairlane even with all the lightening (fiberglass from the quarters forward) was still pretty heavy for the class. Someplace I have an Elapsed Times story on the C/FX cars that ran small blocks but delivered surprising performances... a few 289 "Cobra Kit" Galaxies were notables. Had to be driven like they were stolen, but were nipping at the heels of the B/FX entries with much larger engines.

... and find yourself with a bag of Funny Car parts left over? Just landed an original release that - wait for it! - had the engine and a few chassis bits glued, but otherwise excellent. Would like to make it whole again. Thanks!

Carbineri are coming for you - all Ferraris are supposed to be red, Signore! Nice build - did you hit any snags and how did you fix them if you did? Asking cos there is one in my rotation to build 'one of these days'

Woof! Got me by surprise with this one, excellent color choice and a tack-sharp build.

Boom! A few more like this and they might bring them back. Really nice work. I pretty much had every one of the Monogram classics, but got bogged down in one or two (pre-internet phone a friend days) and just dumped them all.

[Drops Mic] I really like the model and the accuracy is awesome... but the 1:1 is a thing of joy.

Are these tools still in the crib or holding down fishing nets? Some very interesting kits that I don't ever recall seeing on the instruction sheet...

Which blue did you use on the Bandito? They all look great, BTW.

Going out on a limb to say that anything Falcon- or Fairlane-based in '64-5 with an SOHC would have had either a straight axle or the single-leaf, quarter-elliptic spring, if only to make room for the headers which were critical to getting all the power out of the engine. ('64 Thunderbolts had 1 5/8" primaries as delivered, which would be marginal on a 289 and are the achilles heel of the Revell kit!) Second pick is likely the final iteration with injectors, moon tank, etc. Guessing by the time it got this far, it was pretty beat up and would make sense to crush out.

Damn does that look good! Those old tools have been flogged so hard for so long, we forget how great they looked new.

Going out on a limb to say that anything Falcon- or Fairlane-based in '64-5 with an SOHC would have had either a straight axle or the single-leaf, quarter-elliptic spring, if only to make room for the headers which were critical to getting all the power out of the engine. ('64 Thunderbolts had 1 5/8" primaries as delivered, which would be marginal on a 289 and are the achilles heel of the Revell kit!