RancheroSteve

That squirrel must put out a lot of torque to require that Ford 9" differential!

Nicely done! Those sprint car kits are really fun to build - they go together well and just about everything you put into them shows.

Despite inflation and changing economic times, my arbitrary limit has been $100 for about 20 years now. I've come close, but I've never spent more than that. Now that I've come to the realization that I've got more models than I can build in this lifetime, it's hard to imagine breaking that barrier. I can remember passing on a '68 Gurney Indy Eagle (that I really wanted) for $110, only to see it re-issued a couple of years later for $15.

That's a good size eucalyptus tree (native to Australia, but we have a lot of 'em here in California) and I'm guessing more than 50 years old. Somebody must have hauled the car up there. And I'm not sure how much of a restoration candidate that Falcon is really . . .

Great - unusual subject, very well done!

Thanks guys - I appreciate the kind words. I don't mean to be falsely modest or sound like I'm fishing for compliments, just saying that the photos confirmed for me that there are a couple of small things that I wish had come out just a tiny bit better. I'm always trying to improve my building skills, and as we know there are some builders here that set a high standard. Having said all that, I'm pleased with how this one turned out, especially considering what I started with and the challenges it presented. It looks good on the shelf along with my other Roth builds.

Me too - my thought is to do one all opened up with full detail, and another all buttoned up and only detail what shows.

Body glued back together and a line made where the bottom will be cut off. Front wheel opening sketched in. It's starting to look a little more like it should.

Somehow, that wagon doesn't look "factory stock", Mike . . . Pretty cool looking, though!

Great story, Art! I picked up that book not long ago on EBay - not exactly cheap, but very well worth it, and I was also able to check out a Kurtis biography from the L.A. Public Library. Kurtis had quite the interesting life! Several of his shop locations are not far from me, which really brought some of the history alive for me.

OK - I made some cuts and filled in the front wheel openings. Next, I'll glue it back together. The proportions still look way off, but the overall height of the body still needs to be shortened and the wheel openings moved forward.

Excellent details - this model is going to be amazing!

Art - it's a Muntz Jet, which is essentially a stretched Kurtis. Some history here: http://www.americansportscars.com/muntz.html Whew, this thing isn't exactly the best piece of resin! Worth a try though . . .

Very different & cool - the driver figure really gives a sense of scale.

Thanks guys. I'm still kicking around ideas for a chassis. From what I've read, the Kurtis used a fabricated perimeter frame with mostly '49 Ford components, along with a variety of engines.

For my next (ahem . . .) challenging project, I will attempt to turn this piece of resin: Into a scale replica of this (Frank Kurtis's 1949 Sports Car): Fortunately, I was able to find a good profile shot, and knowing that the wheelbase of the Kurtis is 100", make a 1/25 version, which I was then able to take a bunch of critical dimensions from: I've got the body all marked up - gonna take a deep breath and start slicing. This may take a while . . .

Just got mine in the mail yesterday - great GSL coverage, including a big feature on Greg Nichols' "Backdraft" Best of Show winning entry. That model never ceases to amaze me, especially considering it's 1/24 scale! A bunch of other good stuff too: how-tos and reviews - but the real surprise for me was seeing my Mooneyes Dragster included in the GSL section among such excellent company. I didn't even know it had been photographed, but Darryl caught it from its best angle. And I can forgive him for misspelling my last name - I'll blame it on my bad handwriting.

Agreed - haven't watched SPEED in ages after they dropped WRC and then F1.

Nice to see that Tom West article again - brings back memories. Yes, it's not so much an article about how kits are made, but it was a real insight for me to see that Attempt 1 buck after having spent so much time with the plastic kit. Meeting Tom West and seeing that buck "in the flesh" made me realize that there are real human beings behind these plastic kits that we so often take for granted.

Calling it done! Simple maybe, but not an easy one. Tricky multi-color paint scheme. Kit came without decals, made those myself with inkjet decal paper. Bubble top and fans were un-useable, so I substituted a Plastruct dome and made the fans from plastic stock. As is often the case, the photos show most of the imperfections . . . Build thread here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=54218&hl= A few more photos of the build here: http://public.fotki.com/Roullier/model_cars-1/ed_roth_cars__monsters/page2.html Some photos of the real thing here: http://public.fotki.com/Roullier/car-shows/ed-big-daddy-roth-a/page3.html Thanks for looking - comments & questions welcome.

A couple of teaser shots - just a few more things to do.

Thanks, Ron - I'd be interested to hear more about the history of this kit, if there's anything else you know. Just got the body glued to the chassis - not much more to do.

I can't address the air quality in 1946 (I wasn't born yet), but I've lived in Los Angeles since 1973 and the air is the cleanest it's ever been. Just a bit more crowded, though This intersection is about ten miles west of me and I don't have much reason to get over there very often, but do a Google Maps Street View of "Wilshire and Westwood Los Angeles" to see it now.

Some more progress - the chassis (such as it is) is done. Wheels and Big Daddy's feet trimmed for clearance (the body's a scale foot thick). Just need to drop the body on and finish up a few little details. This is obviously not going to be a "full detail" build (ha ha), but I think it will display well.

Looks like that's taken on Westwood Boulevard, looking north across Wilshire into Westwood Village. Needless to say, it looks a little different these days, but still it's recognizable from this photo.