jbwelda

oh man that's funny! and good to remember about the rusting. I remember reading something about this way back then, might have been Motor Trend, but I thought it might be the April Fools issue! jb

Harry, this is a beautiful model. Remarkable. You do great work. I am in awe. edit: and you built this all since OCTOBER??? my hat is off to you. jb

I have used ordinary 5 minute epoxy a number of times for just this purpose, its always worked well for me. apply it on the inside and allow it to cure for a week (could be sooner) and it sands fine, fills pinholes well and reinforced the body really well...no problem with it not sticking to the resin or anything. and it was strong enough to resist twisting without cracking off, plus it did not seem to shrink or distort the body or anything like that. jb

yep that would make sense and also be a rationale for building the wagon: FWD so more space in the back without the pumpkin and axle. jb

good idea with the plastic block, I will try that. I will look into that file too. that's part of my problem: when I trim close but not close enough I don't really have any files fine enough to not catch up in the thinness of the PE edge. thanks for the tips jb

so now what I am wondering is if the wagon was front wheel drive, or if maybe it was basically a Toronado nose put on the rear wheel drive chassis and body of the wagon. like as a design exercise. maybe that is where the Toronado nose came from, the design for this wagon? that's pretty wild speculation so if anyone knows better feel free to say so. it does seem to have Toronado wheels though. and it remains butt ugly from the back too. jb

>I've also come across kits where an early issue (original Kiss van) has excessive flash, but the reissue of the same kit >(Dirty Donny Vantasy) is more or less flash free. Both kits are from the same tool. so what could that mean? maybe in the earlier run the mold pieces had alignment problems or something and that created air layers where plastic flowed in, creating flash, but in subsequent runs the molds fit together better and a better product happened? that's the way I would think it might have happened. maybe they cleaned up the molds for the later run though? jb

that is a nice build you have going on there. that's a pretty intimidating looking photo etch sheet there too. I am constantly bending up pieces when I try to cut them from a sheet like that. do you have any secrets to share on cutting them off there? do you use scissors, or #11 blade? or maybe a sprue cutter? that PE is really going to spruce that build up. I like those flares and how you drilled the rivet holes too. good thinking! jb

by the way, that mess fits under the rectangular opening on the back deck. you lift the lid and see the space filled only with that tape deck. jb

of course every self respecting show rod had to have a reel to reel tape deck: it actually looks a bit better than that, but maybe its poor eyesight. including a R-R deck in a car like this is quite an interesting statement. of course its completely impractical...can you imagine reeling up the tape while going 60 mph? but that's par for the course for a true show car. what it says to me is Ed was interested in premium audio, as the R-R deck was the total epitome of audiophile playback at that time. High line record companies like Columbia, in particular, were issuing "super tapes" recorded direct from masters (almost totally unheard of at that time) at not just the audiophile standard 7.5 inches per second, but upping the ante on certain recordings (Miles Davis Bitches Brew being one of them, I think Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde being another) by releasing them in 15 ips format, which allows super high fidelity to maximize use of the master tape. so including a tape deck like this is not only suggesting Mr Roth liked premium audio, it also suggests he may have been partial to orchestral music, or jazz or other genres from what one might expect. or he could have just had a buddy come back from 'Nam with an extra Teac or Akai that he donated to the cause. jb

looks good but I want it lowered about 4 - 6" all around! I think those tires should be up inside those flares. maybe not for a rally car but definitely for curbside appeal! jb

I always thought that GM (in particular but also Ford & Chrysler) were very jealous about new designs or prototypes. maybe that was earlier on when they were really neck and neck in the styling department. but I would think with the Toronado, which was considered a landmark vehicle at the time, they would be keeping new designs under wraps. that must have been some executive driving it home then? when I first saw that photo I was going to comment that it did not look right. but I am not enough of an expert on US iron in general to be sure about it. something about it just kind of looked photoshopped or something. now that I know the history of the photo more, it does seem like it was probably an experimental vehicle. my question really would be whether it was an official GM prototype, or someones backyard project. are there other photos of the same car in different contexts like with GM personnel standing around it? jb

thanks for the info on that clear plastic bit. I have had slot cars with similar arrangement, 1 or 2 bulbs and then these clear plastic sprue kinda things that went to the light outlets. it actually works pretty nice if you look straight on at the lights, from much of an angle it really drops off. but I found if you paint the outside (obviously) of the clear plastic connector area with chrome paint, it transfers the light a little better. or seemed to with the slot cars I had. jb

so you think GM would build a prototype and then kind of let it be driven all over the place and just park it in middle class driveways (with RAMBLERS in the background)? like maybe that's where the executive assigned to it might live? did the photo come from GM or some random photographer? if that's true, things have changed a bit haven't they. jb

what is with that six wheel monster? toronados were front wheel drive as noted (notwithstanding complete race cars which pretty obviously this is not). so the consensus is that he must have put a motor in the back seat? huh? looks to me more like an okie piece of junk and maybe that set up is for stability while out plowing the corn field? just doesn't make much sense unless it was converted to rwd or a different chassis was stuck under the toronado body? jb

ended up painting it

alright guys thanks for the info. I sent an email to Acme but haven't heard anything back. I will probably make a couple of brackets anyhow. jb

looks great! jb

that is a pretty strange setup there, with that whole bar of clear plastic molded to support the four headlamp lenses! the grille is a solid piece so it wouldn't even be seen through the grille. sure makes it easy to mount the lenses though, as long as it fits well jb

I hope anyone reading my comments above realizes I am only half serious. I know what to expect and I expect that probably every other kit I buy I have no real intention on building...I am buying it in part to support the effort but also to get some parts that I can probably use or maybe even from nostalgia from when I first had the kit. but that doesn't mean the companies might not benefit from some looking at their line and maybe investing some money in upgrading the molds of their reissues. but if, from a corporate viewpoint, doesn't make sense, then basically I am happy to buy what I buy, and then consider that a license to put my two cents in when asked...or even if not asked. jb

edit: ehh... I agree 100% that at least the CEOs and probably the engineers too should be required to actually assemble their products once in a while. if I owned the corporation, I would insist on it if only to get my employees to realize what we are selling and how far it comes from some ideal. after a few rounds of this I would expect that the product would improve dramatically. jb

that's a darned admirable job of that difficult kit! turned out looking great. jb

Curt that's the usual super job, even more so that you were doing it for someone else! but where did you get those valve covers? they are just what I need for something! could you give me a link if possible? jb

hmmm thanks for the info. I want to find a more stock one, without the wheel cutouts, but I dig the louvers in the rear deck! I will have to take a look at their site and keep my eyes open on ebay. jb

that is SO nice. paint really looks great. I always loved those big Lincolns. jb