RancheroSteve

The chassis and interior are finished. Even though this is a curbside kit, I added an engine since it will show though the holes in the hood. The next step is to get the body on the chassis, then add the wheels & tires, exhaust pipes, and a few more details.

Thanks guys. The lady is a resin figure from somewhere (now forgotten), but I thought the scene needed her.

I built this one a few years back. It's an excellent kit - IMHO most of the Revell kits of that era are. Of course, it's not as good as Mark's will be, but I like it.

Nice work - those are some of my favorite racing cars ever!

I guess I missed this thread earlier. I ride all the time - usually at least four days a week - and the last few years I've put more miles on my bikes (3000+ per year) than on my car. I love the sense of freedom and discovery, the exercise and the clarity of mind it brings me, plus I've met a great group of friends. I currently have a couple of road bikes - a '91 Cannondale SR 600 and a '75 Raleigh Grand Prix frame (built up with modern components) - and I'm building another, a '76 Raleigh Professional, also with modern stuff. Here's a shot of a famous bike rider that I briefly rode with earlier this year - some of you may recognize him:

Yes, I agree - it wasn't my intention to start nit-picking the model. More power to him - I think most of us would be happy to get that kind of a price for anything we'd built. But as it's been pointed out, unless you're a very fast and efficient builder, it probably doesn't amount to much of an hourly wage, and you also need to factor in materials. Don't quit your day job just yet!

Here's the only decent photo I've been able to find of those curious Comet portholes. Like I said, a little less pronounced than the model shows them. Not that I'd ever see myself in the market to pay that kind of money for a model, but the thing that would make me hesitate as a potential buyer would be that none of the photos show the chassis or engine, even though there's reference to an "open hood" and a six cylinder engine. Other than that - and the porthole issue, it appears to be a well executed and nicely photographed build.

Apparently they did, although smaller and more squared off than the modeler has depicted them. My wife's '65 Comet Caliente also had them.

Some more progress. VRM decals applied and some body details added.

The dashboard is done. More soon.

Really well built and photographed, sir! But I guess I have to be the one to say it: that's not a '63 Watson - it's '55 (or so) Kurtis.

Mini Exotics resin kit. Just out of the paint booth. Onward!

Always amazes me how that Ranchero is able to hold an entire cubed Lincoln without the rear end even sagging even a little bit. Must have the heavy-duty leaf spring option!

I can't remember what I paid for it - it's been a few years - but I know it wasn't more than about $20. I suppose I may have missed my chance to cash in, but like I said, I've always planned on building it. My wife had a Gremlin when we first met, so I've always had an affection for them.

Here's the '75 box art: Once again, I'm glad I bought it to build and not as an "investment".

Just to throw this in to the mix because not everyone knows it, but the Ranchero, 2 door wagon and the sedan delivery were all built on the same platform, so there is an accurate 1:1 basis for these conversions. I'm not going to comment further on the relative accuracy of the kit until I've seen more (and maybe not even then, haha).

The paint is Testor's enamel - just some mix until it looked about right. Front axle and spindles are from the Tony Nancy kit - both the axles in the Mooneyes kit and the Attempt I kit are too narrow.

After way too long on the bench, this one's finally done. Built using a partially complete Mooneyes dragster from the double kit, plus parts from the Attempt I, Tony Nancy double kit, parts pack Chevy engine, some aftermarket items and a few scratchbuilt pieces and details. A big thanks to Mercman (Jr. Berg), who years ago ('03 to be exact) sent me the decals I needed. Does he hang out here? It's not perfect by any means, but it's done! Thanks for looking - comments, questions, and critiques welcome.

I saw this one a few weeks back. Unfortunately, I mis-timed my shot and only got the front end of a Shelby Series 1 coming the other way on PCH in Redondo Beach. Kind of a rare sighting since there were only 249 made.

Mike, if it's anything like the Falcon hardtop (I expect it will be based on the same tooling) and depending on your expectations, you may find yourself disappointed in at least some aspects of it. You might want to scroll down in this section and read the thread about it, if you have some time on your hands. Like you, I was excited by the prospects of having the Ranchero in kit form, but I'm not holding my breath, especially after seeing the hardtop.

Yes MIke, I seem to remember you knowing all about models and their history (especially as it related to Falcons) back then. And still driving the Ranchero - when I'm not riding my bike.

I just saw your name - Mike Schnur! I remember you from the Falcon Digest Group days! Welcome aboard.

OK, I'll have to consider that one. But I'll also throw in that different cameras, lenses, film (and now sensors) record color differently. And how do you explain the case of a "day-glo" orange paint (STP cars, for example), which photographs as a bright red and doesn't really capture what the eye sees? I suppose it would be easy to get into a whole discussion here about "perception" vs. "reality". But first we'd have to define reality.

If this description of "retina rivalry" is correct (and I have no reason to doubt it), it would be one more reason that a photograph could never accurately capture the color - cameras only have one "eye", right?

Maybe, but it's still a really awesome build. Nicely done! One of the things I remember reading about the Futura was something to the effect of, "no two people could agree on what color it was." Just kind of adds to the mystique. I think.