Snake45

You're right, these are a lot of fun. They build pretty easy and are accurate enough--more accurate in some cases than some other 1/72 kits I could name. I bought and built the four that Hobby Lobby sold. Been looking for more--thanks for the heads-up on the supplier. I'd like to do the FW190, P-47D and F-86. The ones I built are MORE than fit enough to sit proudly on the same shelf with 1/72 models of the same airplanes that I put a LOT more work into.

Anybody got a junk '68-'82 Corvette body laying around? That could be a good starting point. I was looking at making similar panels for the EMPI Imp I just rebuilt, because so many of them seem to have had them, but drove on without. I might go back and add them later. At least on the EMPI they're flat.

When I recently (and briefly) dug mine out to slap together, I was going to paint it Carousel Red (Chevy Hugger Orange). It was a mid-year color and you didn't see many Firebirds wearing it. I don't think I EVER saw one in real life. When I was Snake-whipping that wretched diecast to the ground, I noticed in my research that the "tunnels" of the '69 Firebird headlight buckets are chrome, which isn't represented in the kit. On the diecast I did this area with Silver Sharpie. I have no idea how you'd handle this on a "good" model such as yours is going to be. Careful application of Molotow, maybe?

Improvise! Adapt! Overcome! THAT'S the kinda fightin' spirit I've been talkin' about! (To quote not just one but TWO Clint Eastwood movies.)

AMT's TeeVee dune buggy (rebodied Manx kit) never claimed to be a Berry Mini-T, but the influence and inspiration are unmistakable. I started one of these as a kid and never got it finished. I ended up resurrecting its chassis and engine a few years ago and finished it off as a bare-bones pure off-road dune buggy. (I tried to build the body into a front-engined V8-powered rod 50 years ago, but that's a story for another time.) As I never got mine done, I'd never seen one built until some of the reissues started showing up here and elsewhere. And a big problem with this kit became apparent: The steering wheel would be just about exactly where the driver keeps some of his favorite and most important internal organs. In other words, the cockpit is too short front-to-back. Even mounting the steering wheel so close to the dash that you could just barely grip it, you could still only barely get into the car, and would be driving it from a MOST unusual position. Ouch. Last week I was reading some ancient East Coast car rags and found a pic of the Mini-T that looked to be about 1/25 scale, so I laid the AMT body on it, and it's DARN close to scale. Comparing the AMT body to the photo and measuring, one problem become obvious: The dashboard is about 9 scale inches or so too far to the rear. AHA! There's another problem that isn't so obvious, too. The kit uses bucket seats. Notice that on the real Mini-T, the seat back is just an upholstered panel that sits right up against the cockpit's rear edge. The bucket seats waste several precious inches of “chest room” in that tight cockpit. So I'm gonna try to alter the TeeVee body to, first, give the driver some living space, and second, try to look a bit more like a real Mini-T. It looks like the whole hood area might be a bit short top to bottom. Hmmm, I'm gonna let the back burner of my brain stew on the problem for a couple days, and then maybe bring out the razor saws and sheet styrene.... As a Famous President likes to say, “We'll see what happens.” Thanks for looking, and comments and ideas welcome.

I've seen it somewhere, too. A Plymouth of similar vintage? Chevy, maybe?

Good to know! Believe me, if I liked '69 Firebirds, I'd have done it myself by now, or at least tried it. But if I like how this one turns out, I might do one myself, just to say I did. I have another 1G Firebird project in mind, though, that's MUCH more interesting to me, and will involve the oddball AMT '68. Stay tuned......

Hey, he ain't done yet! Give him a chance!

Thanks! It almost broke my heart to scrape those cool old-school flame decals off, but they were in such bad shape that they had to go, as they no longer fit in with the look of the rest of it. If I ever run across another set of them, I'd give serious thought to putting them back on, as they do offer a little color to the thing.

Draggon, I see that pic now.

If it includes a figure of either Jill St. John or Lana Wood, I'm in. Otherwise, I'll pass.

No, I believe it's 1/25. At least it was sold as such. This one (my old one) is molded in white though I have seen one molded in red. No sunroof. The doors open, too. The drag version was billed as "AA/GS," but it's clearly an Altered, not a Gasser.

Trying to decide on a project myself. Possibilities include: '66 Skylark Craftsman Revell '69 Camaro Revell '69 Nova AA/Altered based on the frame in the IMC VW Beetle '66 Mustang "high school hot rod" '66 Mustang fastback funny car Hmmmmmm.....

I'll have to take another look at my built one, and the several unbuilt reissues I have in the stash. As I said, I don't remember it being a problem.

Well, it lets you look for a few seconds before it demands you sign up or get out. I HATE that. But from what I could see, I'll bet she did David Blaine on his TV special Wednesday night. Was really creepy when he opened his eyes.

None of us was born that good, and you never will be either if you don't try.

Molding problem? I don't remember any particular problems in that area with the first-issue I built. I DO have one body with a short-shot molding around the left rear wheel opening.

All I see is a bunch of code.

Okay, I'll concede that makes sense. Point taken. Really? I almost never see anyone in the hardware or auto accessories or crafts or office/school supplies, etc., sections of my local Walmart.

My Walmart has apparently just given up on toilet paper. Yesterday they were repurposing the entire TP aisle and filling the shelf with giant Easter baskets. Is it wrong that I wondered for a minute if I could actually wipe my butt with an Easter basket?

My Walmart now has red lines painted on the entranceway floor showing 6 foot distances, so you get some idea.

Yah, I remember that being discussed on the Dana Loesch show. Dana exclaimed, "OMG! That's like trying to wash your armpit with an even dirtier armpit!" Cracked me up!

81's a good run. RIP, Brother Bill.

Grab a Revell kit, find the right wheels/tires and go to it!

I saw this morning that Vermont has decreed that "big box" stores rope off areas with "non-essential" goods and won't let you buy them. DA HELL? First, if you're already there, what difference does it make WHAT you're buying??? Second, ANYTHING can be "essential" to somebody who NEEDS it.