Dirty Dave

True. Earlier posts included the idea of a 2-in-1 roadster/RPU kit, so I went for it.

Not sure what all of the Green Hornet pics are about, as that body is a '23-'25 based model, and not that of the more streamline-cowled '26-'27 open car. If you want to post pics of a '26-'27 Monogram T, you should be looking at the Black Widow. EDIT: As far as a new tool kit of the '26-'27 kit is concerned, I would love to see a short, track roadster chassis (Suicide perch in front and Z'ed rear) set up with an optional belly pan, and a more stock-appearing fendered version With clearance for a Model A crossmember/spring in the rear. Use the same buggy-sprung suspension/axles for both versions (split bones and maybe the option of tube or friction shocks). Engine options could include a Model A/B banger with an OHV conversion, and some period hot rod/race V-8 swap that we haven't seen in plastic lately - MEL? Olds? Cadillac? Remember the old Total Performance Pro-T street rod kits? We could have a nearly-stock '27 Roadster body on Model A fenders with a tubbed rod/race chassis. With a modern 18"-22" staggered wheelset and a street rod-style LS motor, this one could be used to update a myriad of kits to standards seen at present-day rod shows.

With modern tooling/mastering tech, this could give us a new, really great option for the venerable SBC if it's done as well as promised. I anticipate buying at least one as a donor kit, even though I'm not a proponent of roundy-round racing.

Seems to me somebody was machining these in aluminum - maybe for 1/25 scale drag slotcars?

I'd like to see a full detail kit of the Mercedes C-111 type II in 1/24. Some very nice 1:43 and even 1:18 renditions, but I'd like to build it in bi-scale.

The drawings you're looking for, and the actual chassis for the car as it was being built are all available to see on Dan Woods' Instagram page here: Dan Woods

Looking for some possible alternate sources for the Cyclone II's in 6-lug. I know they were made in 1/24 for Monogram's Chevy LUV (the ivory colored plastic with the shell on the back). I was hoping someone knew of a kit that had any that looked as good in 1/25. I'm planning to use the MPC Datsun 620 re-release to replicate my current 1:1 project:

That's definitely taking on a shape closer to the real deal. Great work!

Lindberg 4 Banger dragster. Just saw the real one a couple of weeks ago at the NHRA museum (it's red).

Chop and Channel on the Lindberg 1/32 in progress:

Revell '40 Convertible with a DuVall conversion for a roadster vibe.

Just ordered the Revell '50 F1 kit today. Looks like my kit is going to be a donor for a Ford version of the Dream Truck.

I've always been partial to the '41 front end over the '46-'48 in general, but the way the rear fenders wrap around and resolve themselves against the trunk lid on the coupes and convertibles is one of my favorite rear ends in all of car-dom. I think that the engine/chassis parts for the custom options are mild enough that they can be incorporated under an otherwise stock build without looking out of place, yet adding a touch of attitude.

Now I'm wondering if the Olds grille could be flipped, trimmed a little, and fill the Ford's grille cavity...

I'm wondering how much I'd need to mod those fadeaways to apply them to a '50 Ford F1 cab, maybe after channeling it down, and removing/shaving the running boards?

Rounded door corners and taking some crown out of the rear of the roof surely didn't hurt any. That photo illustrates exactly how good a chop can look on a '46-'48 coupe, even the more radical ones.

Sometimes, you just stick two different Alfas together for kicks.

Again - not a complaint. Just trolling the shallows for ideas to make it better for me.

I didn't see anybody post that the kit sucked on anything that it isn't supposed to, I just started the thread after searching in vain for posts/articles detailing how it could be improved. Looking at that kit, it just appears poorly proportioned to me. It's as if somebody gave an engineer the instruction to, "Take three scale inches out of the top," and he did that, just connecting stuff back together in a 3D wireframe view as best he could after removing the height. A top chop on a car like this is an art, and this one doesn't look like it was performed by an artist. Now I probably have a more selective eye than most, but the truth of the matter is that to me, this kit isn't worth building unless I can "fix" the chop to flow well with the lines of the rest of the car. I'm sure that it CAN be altered to please my tastes, but I also have a bunch of other projects, and a limited amount of time on this Earth to complete them. What I'm looking for are the best options to modify the less attractive aspects of that roofline with the least amount of time/effort invested. I have a 1:12 scale fuel altered with a scratchbuilt brass frame to finish if I just want to sink more hours into a project.

I feel like the roof shape/modifications in the kit as manufactured lend themselves to more of a 21st century build, and less of the traditional custom look/shape to which the rest of the kit points. I wouldn't call it "wrong" exactly - it's a fictitious custom, so it could be anything - but it just doesn't look "right" to my eye. Lowered over big billet wheels, independent suspension and a modern powertrain, this body might look just dandy. What's in the kit are all '40s-'50s era parts, and so the inconsistency grates on me.

At least it shows that it CAN be done, and that I'm on the right track. Thanks.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. The main differences between the two years are limited to vent wing windows/no vent wing windows, and badging/lighting changes, which wouldn't require "clipping" the car. A grille swap, some badge/marker light relocation and maybe a taillight/rear pan swap would get you pretty much wherever you wanted to be. Select the interior tub for the year/trim level you prefer, and be done with it. '69 Got completely new body skins everywhere but the roof, really. If you're only considering the '67 and '68 though, there's no reason to hack the fenders off.

Mostly, I already have more kits than I probably should. Buying another just for a body that I'm going to chop anyway doesn't seem prudent. That's a lot of extra stock parts to store in the closet. Secondly - I scored the custom at a swap for $15. Can't see spending $30 to "fix" a kit I picked up because it was a bargain. If I can't make this body work, I'll use the parts from the custom kit on other projects.

Yeah, I could probably give myself some insurance, and laminate in a couple of this patches of styrene sheet on the inside of the roof before i start sanding, just to beef it up a little. Canted B-pillars are a good idea, too. I just feel like it needs a little more height above the beltline - as if the window openings cut down into the door/quarter too far. Or maybe it's that these window openings lack the depth and radiused edge of the originals. They really look like they were just cut out of a thin plastic surface - the body doesn't roll inward to the glass like the real cars.

I picked up that '48 Ford custom kit, hoping all the while that the window shapes/chop on the box art photos would look better in the plastic, but it just... doesn't. I have a couple of ideas about how to go about fixing it: Fill in around the edges of the window frames with styrene strip, and reshape the openings to attempt to get them to look more "correct".Trim out the B pillar, sand off the existing drip rail, and relocate a new drip rail and window frames to replicate a "hardtop" chop.Flush-mount the windows, and give the rest of the car a more "modern" rod treatment.Go hot rod style with it to make the seemingly forward-tilted chop more in tune with the style of the car.Just cut the roof and re-chop it, possibly using other kit(s) as donors.A combination of some of the above strategies.Anybody had any success making this thing look like a traditional custom? I did a search, but only turned up one build, and that went the hot-rod route.