Spex84

Are those actual banana stickers?? Brilliant! Never would have thought of that, but it works perfectly with the patina theme. Very cool idea and great execution. I also dig how the backdrop looks a bit like a mid-century modern roofline...but now I see it's actually the bottom of an illuminated sign. Neat!

Some great links here. I don't know much about model trains, so it's cool to see what fellow car modelers think is notable. I don't have much interest in toy-like layouts; I like ultra-detailed realistic "shrink ray" kind of stuff....but I also appreciate a sense of humor, and the value of play. Frankly, when I kitbash model cars and geek out over finding just the right parts to create a specific vision, or scratchbuild items to make them more "realistic"...I might pretend I'm a craftsman, but what I'm really doing is playing. What these guys needed was some wives and girlfriends to lend perspective: "These layouts are wrong; the signals are the wrong era and the scales don't match. I can see the ballast is made of macaroni; that's ridiculous! Who built this, kids??..grumble grumble..." "Don't you play with trains honey?" "THAT"S DIFFERENT!" lol.

So many cool kits I'd never heard of in this thread! So...maybe some of you will be able to ID these random parts I recently acquired (top photo only--the bottom ones have been identified already). They're a very pale green-blue (not grey--in reality they're a bit more green than they appear in this photo) and I've labelled the parts according to what I think they are--but I could be wrong!

Looking forward to watching this project develop! I guess that's what happens when Mr. Ace Ventura delivers your packages...

Adam Savage's enthusiasm for building stuff is always inspirational. Love watching the techniques he uses, because they're frequently geared towards creating something unique, quickly...he has other detailed projects that have taken years, but it's the hollywood-style "we need it by tomorrow" schedule that seems to produce the best stories. Some of the techniques in the video were new to me, particularly the soda can/brush system for applying adhesive. I can't help but think that some lung protection would be a good idea with a pool of that glue sitting around and off-gassing like that! Sometimes when I'm tired of working on finicky model cars, I pull out the hot-glue gun and some spare junk and kludge together some sci-fi models from scratch. The rapid construction means the payoff of weathering and detailing arrives much more quickly and it can be a refreshing modeling experience!

Stunning saves! The end results are truly impressive.

Very nice. I agree that the wheel-swap gives it a whole new attitude. I assume the cool louvered hood is a resin item. Where did that come from?

I tend to be nostalgic for eras that I did not personally experience. Yesterday a '70s Chevelle passed me as I was biking down the road...lifted in back, deep rumble, and the sweet smell of unburnt hydrocarbons (as mentioned by David above). It instantly transported me to another world, just for a few seconds... As the years go by, I'm starting to appreciate 90s cars more than ever, especially the thin roof pillars and designs that don't make the car look perpetually angry and hateful. My Jeep XJ Cherokee is slowly morphing into the "classic" I always wanted. Weird! My pickiness regarding classic cars has diminished; I appreciate nearly all of them now because they're relics of a world that is quickly disappearing.

Haha, yes. I'm actually delighted, as I had both the MPC 57 flip nose and the '57 street machine in the 90s, and both ended up getting horribly butchered as I had ambition but no skills back then. That means I have all the flip-nose parts still. I was in the process of fixing the butchered headlights on the grey '57 and turning it into an MSP drag car derelict. There should be enough unused parts to bring these new additions back to life. I didn't realize the MPC '57 was desirable at all; the flip nose is generally regarded as a brutal kit and not just for the poor hood fit. Flash, sink marks, etc abound.

I picked up a few corvette glue bombs recently in a lot of mixed parts and chrome trees. The '53 is just a shell, and one of the '57s is barely even glued so not sure it counts, haha. But the brown '57 is definitely of the bomb variety...The roof is glued to the windshield but otherwise not too bad. I'm thinking maybe a radical '60s custom 'vette is in the future...

Well that's just darned cool! Love the way the vehicles have been painted to create the illusion of reflections in the paint and chrome. I enjoy the takeoff on Maynard Dixon too-- just yesterday I was admiring a bunch of his work, wondering if I could steal some technique for an unrelated project of mine. To me, this piece represents a tongue-in-cheek melding of three distinct varieties of classic americana: western landscape painting, automotive culture, and folk art/craft work. What a colossal amount of time, effort, and creative output must have gone into this. I'm glad it will be displayed where many people can appreciate it, and thanks for sharing it here!

Sweet! I wonder how long its been since a '40 pickup with quad headlights appeared on MCM? I'm a fan of this late 50s-early 60s style and your truck hits all the right notes...quilted interior, nerf bars, rolled pan, quad taillights, even the painted centers on the chrome-reverse wheels. Beautiful work!

Hey, that looks familiar!! Was lucky enough to see this truck on the table at the show in Nanton, Alberta. So clean, and so many impressive features, but it was the pedal linkage that really knocked my socks off It's nice to have some clear photos so I can appreciate all the detail without having to lean in worryingly close, haha. Spectacular work!

I think people are picking up on the similarity of the front-end 'graphic', which is the most distilled, core expression (in light and dark tones) of the truck's "face". In this case, It could be called "Bars n' Brackets": a set of stacked horizontal slabs or grille-width rectangles in between brackets [ ===== ] created by the headlights and LED strips. In the case of the earlier Ford trucks, the brackets were literally in the grille as part of the chrome trim. In this image I slapped together, there are GMC and Ford designs, and my satirical take on the design language for all these trucks. Spot which is which! The 2019 Chevy Silverado, well...at least it doesn't look like the others (yikes though).

Wild! The concept and detailing are entertaining and well-executed. I particularly like the wordplay of "Coastbuster"...it's the perfect name!

I enjoy the paint colors you chose for the car and especially the engine. It has a sinister, serious look to it. The carb stacks remind me a little of antique "pepper-pot" multi-barrel firearms. The minimal detailing/clutter makes this model very sculptural. Nicely done!

I love the compact proportions, colors, and detailing on this model. The scratchbuilt tank is convincing and well-appointed; I wouldn't have guessed that it started with plumbing components! Way cool Never thought I'd be so excited about a septic truck, but it's nice to be surprised.

This is a neat idea. Looks very good so far!

I almost couldn't believe it when it became clear that yes, a mid-engine 'vette was actually going to happen! It's been so long, so many rumors and pie-in-the-sky concepts. But here we are. I don't have any problem with this car moving upscale to become a true halo car. The Camaro can be the new Corvette (affordable performance, front engine, RWD etc) and the new Corvette can play with the NSX, McLarens, Porsches, etc. I'll never be able to afford one, so it's all the same to me. Over the years the Corvette aura has greyed with the hair of the boomer generation. A more youthful, cutting-edge appearance and level of performance could give the brand new life. The Viper is gone, the Challenger is a brick with a zillion horsepower...that leaves the Mustang and Ford GT. Of those, the GT is the only one worth aligning against for a car of Corvette's stature (let the Camaro handle the Mustang). I do worry that the new Corvette won't look "right", that it won't carry its heritage in a satisfying way. But that ship sailed years ago when the 'vette became a Viper with rectangular taillights. Time for something new! We'll always have the '64 Sting Ray to look fondly upon.

These are great Gotta love the quote marks around random words: "chrome" (because it's actually electroplated plastic?) and "flames" (because they're actually scallops??) Also, I get a kick out of how on-the-nose old ads can sometimes be. Like that Monogram ad: "Because it's nice to have 'in' things". Lol. Imagine if ads were like that today: "A Very Expensive Sports Car, because women are no longer attracted to you but maybe you can trick 'em....with this!" Dig it, man!

Hey, nice save! Looks like things have pulled together nicely. The re-built drip rail is a welcome change. I think the drip rail is a big part of these trucks' personality.

I like the irony of a hearse packed with unbuilt kits. Morbid but hilarious!

Good to know, thanks!

Brilliant. I'm looking forward to seeing more details on the centrifugal caster, too. I was going to ask about it, then thought "nah, I'll just google it" but it would help to see exactly how you achieved these impressive results!

Wow! That's an incredibly clean tudor! Seems pretty accurate in terms of body shape, too. Great parts choices and tweaks (like the headlight bar, wheels etc)...probably as good as an AMT deuce can possibly look! Well done. I thought the Tudor in the double kit had a section job and molded fenders?? Is this a different body, or did you return it to stock? That would be a ton of work... I see you built it RHD too, that's cool