RancheroSteve

Hard to tell what's real and what's just bad Photoshopping here.

Well okay, so now I have ordered a partial AMT '40 Delivery for the more correct bumpers. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I'm almost surprised someone in the aftermarket hasn't cast these.

Mark - thanks, I suspect you are correct on this. These are the bumpers I was planning to use on my Pierson Brothers '36 Ford - they look pretty close to what's on the real car (I thought): I think they're the ones that came in the '49 Merc kit, but now I'm wondering. Oh well . . . FWIW, the Revell '48 Ford custom also has something similar, but they have fewer ribs.

The Revell '49 Mercury has a nice set. Edit: Or maybe I shoulda said "something similar".

Thanks for getting it back on track! (Mildly) sorry for any part I played in that tangent.

Got a few decent coats of paint on: Looks like I have some BMF work ahead of me.

Thank you, Brian. They are both curbsides, of course, but I went as far as I was able to make them accurate. Yes, they are both based on the old AMT tool, in this case the 2005 Model King reissue.

Ah yes - did that one too. Both as part of The Lynx Project.

Nice work - always good to see one of these getting built! Such an under-appreciated kit.

I did a version of an African Safari Comet a few years back, based on the AMT kit, of course:

Indeed it does. There were six Comets built for the '64 African Safari Rally - according to the internet this is one of them, converted for road racing. https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2013/09/one-of-actual-1964-mercury-cars-that.html

I'm not sure that any '64 Comets ran in the Monte Carlo Rally - they did compete in the East African Safari Rally however.

Getting closer, then came across one of those little details that I couldn't ignore. I realized the inside of the hood sides would be visible and that I needed a way to depict the louvers from the inside. After some thought, I came up with this fix. I drew up a row of lines with Photoshop, scaled them appropriately and printed them on clear inkjet decal film. Close enough for jazz. Now I guess I'd better give the underside of the hood the same treatment.

The rolling chassis is complete:

I was passing by a body shop yesterday when this caught my eye - supply your own caption:

Part 2: Of course, the side trim is now wrong, so out came the brass: With a quick shot of primer: With a little more cleanup, I think it will be acceptable. Onward.

Starting a new one. When I saw that Slixx had recently released a new sheet for this car, the wheels in my head started turning. I have a kind of unusual personal connection to this car that I'll reveal at the end of the build. After deciding I wanted to build the hardtop (S/S) car, seeing the prices of Jo-Han Polaras, and realizing I had both a Lindberg Dodge 330 and a Plymouth Belvedere, I thought "why not?" and figured I'd take a chance. Out came the saw. Close, but it's going to take some massaging.

I would think that driving one of those would be "hell" enough already even without the lettering on the side, jk.

That's the Checkers Motorcycle Club. They do off-road and desert racing - I have a friend who was a member. https://checkersmc.com/sp/

Just be aware that you will need a different kind of decal paper for a laser printer.

Slixx still carries three different sets of decals for these Camaros. https://ecsvr.com/slx/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1&subcat=98&cat=Trans+Am

Sorry I can't help you much with what sounds like a fascinating project at the intersection of film noir, model cars, and even bicycles, except to say that those scenes were definitely shot in the Los Angeles River in downtown. It may not be the same railroad bridge, but there is still a similar one a little further south along the river (my photo). Train infrastructure has changed a fair amount since the movie was shot.

If you're looking for a good 289, the one in the AMT '67 Mustang GT-350 is the way to go, IMHO.

289 V8, I believe - but those Trumpeter engines are not exactly known for their accuracy.

Wow, this is great - really puts you right there and then. I hadn't realized Revell had sponsored all those cars at the same time. The description on the video is perfect, too: "Sometime back in 1973 or 74 I was riding home from my local BMX riding spot. My way home took me past the headquarters for the Revell model company when they were still located in Venice Ca. In those days Revell sponsored a whole bunch of big name NHRA drag racing teams Dragsters and funny cars. They built and sold ultra accurate and detailed models of them all. On This particular day they were having an open house and had every NHRA drag car they sponsor on display out in front of the main building. After picking my jaw off of the ground I rode home as fast as I could and came back with my 8mm movie camera. this is what I came away with."