Spex84

I feel like once people start building these, there should be a thread dedicated solely to Revell '29's and '30s, just to demonstrate how happy we are to have these kits.

I'd suggest that anyone who's as picky as I am should probably buy the kit, do their own measurements, and proceed from there! I wouldn't want to discourage anyone. Modelers hoping for a stock '30 will not find it in this kit...but as the basis for a hot rod, it's jam-packed with potential!

Ach, can't get the edit feature to work. That should be "The Revell hood appears to be about 2" wider on each side (at the firewall)"

Ok, I went and did some rough measuring based on some diagrams I found online for '30 Ford hoods. I measured the Monogram and Revell hoods, and the Revell cowl. Warning: speculation follows! I tried to measure the actual width of the cowl, NOT including the cowl band molding. From what I can tell, the Monogram '30 hood is almost exactly right. The Revell hood appears to be about 2" longer on each side, measuring with a thin strip of paper wrapped over the cowl, NOT a straight side-to-side measurement. So this discrepancy only amounts to about 1.5" or so on each side, if measuring straight across the width of the cowl from beltline to beltline. That 1.5 to 2" number rang some bells, so I did some quick research on how 1:1 builders fit a '30 cowl to a deuce frame. I found that: -while the Revell '30 frame was originally pinched slightly to fit a '29 roadster body, it is actually almost the same dimension across the bottom of the firewall as the original Revell deuce frames from the 3w and Tudor. Assuming the older frames are correctly dimensioned, this means that the Revell '30 cowl is the perfect width to fit a stock '32 frame. Here's the catch: a 1:1 '30 ford coupe cowl does not fit a '32 frame without A: the frame being pinched 1.5-2 inches per side or B: the cowl being spread the same amount. SO...I think Revell's engineers did their homework and spread the cowl of the '30 coupe to perfectly mate with the deuce-style frame, but when they did so...they widened the entire cowl by 1.5 to 2 scale inches, instead of just spreading the bottom of the cowl. Here are some photos pulled from the HAMB threads on fitting '30 Fords to 32 frames...a couple 1:1 '30 coupes that have a spread cowl, and a shot of a work-in-progress '30 cowl being spread to meet a deuce frame. Notice that the pie-cut means the top of the cowl and firewall remain un-widened:

Edit* And I should say I'm guilty of doing the exact same. I've even used other people's 3D models as blueprint-style reference, that were probably based on faulty information in the first place. So no casting stones here!!

Hey Bill, I just found measurements for 30/31 hood fitment, which will give me the *rough* extent of the cowl at its widest point. Going to go and measure some kit parts now. The issue of incorrect blueprints is something I really noticed a few years back when I was doing some 3D modeling...3D artists often locate blueprints online, then when their 3D models are criticized they say "but I followed the blueprints exactly!"...problem is, they were either using incorrect measurements (like the ones you mention above) OR they're using the decal-placement illustrations for model kits, which frequently bear only a passing resemblance to the actual car!

This old kit looks great with the mags and slicks, the padded firewall, and other little details you've sneaked in. It definitely has the "feel" of the Little Deuce even if there are a couple parts you still couldn't find. I'd say you won!

Glad to see this one here...I'm a fan

Points for originality! So far my ideas for the '30 are downright mundane compared to what you're building here. Very unique, classy paint color...what's not to like. I dig your solution to the blow-through intake arrangement, too. I'm sort of tossing around the idea of doing a dual centrifugal-blown hemi to cram into the A, but it would require making a resin copy of the blower, as I only have 1. Also, the typical blow-through "hats" over the carbs just never seem quite right, and look better with some visual bulk to them, like your version. Maybe fake air cleaners where the pipes connect to the carbs?? Hmm...

Lol. Yo, check my widebody "A" conversion! I was really surprised at that, too. If anything, I thought Revell would cheat and narrow/pinch the cowl to meet the frame rails, as the frames were designed to fit the '29 roadster which has a more defined cowl pinch. I have to give 'em credit for making it fit! But now I'm trying to find some dimensions so I can see if the old Monogram cowl was "wrong" all along...it would be pretty funny if that were true. Nice work on the cowl mods Bill...I'm glad you're going first...the "guinea pig". I'll follow along as soon as I can get some bench time.

I've been messing around comparing the new '30 body to the old 1/24 Monogram coupe, and seeing what other parts might fit. A few notes: -The various interior and suspension parts, as well as the headlights, taillights, wheels, etc. are all winners and I'm ecstatic to have them all in my stash! -The Monogram and Revell bodies each have their strengths and weaknesses. There are definitely 3 or 4 areas of the new body that I'll be tweaking, aside from the firewall. -The new '30 fits a Revell '32 3-window coupe frame, but has to be spread slightly in order to fit. -The stock Monogram 1/24 model A hoods are not wide enough to fit the Revell cowl, and also not long enough to fit the deuce-style frame BUT... -The Monogram 1/24 '32 Ford roadster hood (louvered) is a fairly close fit. The Monogram '30 Woody has a deuce grille and hood that fit pretty well too. -As shown by Bill, the new '30 coupe doesn't fit Revell '30 Tudor fenders without filling some big gaps around the rear whee arches BUT if you don't mind mixing scales, the body will sit down on the Monogram '30 fenders with less gaps to fill. These fenders will look fairly wide, though. -Because the new '30 coupe's cowl is wider at the front than the Old Monogram 1/24 (although part of this effect is the wide cowl band), the old Revell '30 Tudor firewall doesn't fill the gap especially well, but it does match the shape better than the Monogram '30 coupe firewall, which doesn't really fit well or fill the space. I think I'm just going to build it with the kit firewall, modified with some detail strips and extra shaping. I've uploaded some more pictures to an album here. A couple of the images compare the new body and the old Monogram to reference photos...I'm trying to figure out why the roof doesn't feel "right" to me, and how to tweak it until I'm happy with the result. http://s107.photobucket.com/user/Spex84/library/ScaleModels/Revell 30 Coupe Comparison?sort=3&page=1

On my Monogram '30 build I flattened a stock firewall (and recessed it) to fit a hemi. To do this I had to section out the "humps" on either side of the firewall (while retaining the stamped "x" pattern in the center) and then carefully press the center part of that X-pattern flat, then glue, fill, and sand (all the while being careful to retain the stamped pattern). It was kind of a ton of work for not much gain. Long story short: if you want a _flat_ firewall (which makes fitting an engine much, much easier and can improve proportions significantly), then modifying the new Revell '30 coupe piece is probably easier than trying to patch in a sedan cowl and then modify it to fit your engine. Aaaand the '30 I ordered just showed up in the mail. ShaWING!

For those who don't want to do a full firewall swap, it could be made to look more like a 1:1 with a couple of additions: 1. a strip around the perimeter to give it the "stepped" look like the original. Divots could be filed in the sides to match the 1:1. 2. sand the heck out of the "crown" of the firewall...right now it's ultra square ( like a square edge with a 2" scale fillet), whereas the 1:1 and the old AMT/Revell firewalls have a more gradual curve. The difference in radius can be seen very clearly in your comparison photographs, so thanks for those!

I was digging the 5-spoke mags out of AMT's '68 Shelby gt500 kit this evening when I noticed the separate rectangular fog lights. They're chrome parts, but could probably look decent as headlights with some clear coats on the lens area...slightly rounded corners, and a little chrome rectangle in the center. The surround is flat, rather than hooded, so not quite accurate to the real thing:

I've been wanting to do a very similar build for ages now, inspired by Charles Kraft's coupe, the Andy Kassa coupe, and the Schaffer coupe...but it will have to wait until some other projects get finished. This model provides excellent inspiration

Crazy detail! I love the header flanges and bolts, and the toothed blower belt, among many other little items. The valve stems are a great addition to the wheels; that's something I never remember to add to my builds.

Wow! Looks like a Keith Weesner drawing, especially the flared exhaust header pipes. Looks like maybe pen lids for headlight buckets? Sweet radiator support bars, too! Beautiful work on the chop and paint/detail work. Looks like there are mesh filters in the velocity stacks, where did the mesh come from? It looks very convincing I know it's tough making a kit fit together when it has been chopped and channeled this heavily...steering, headlight, firewall and transmission clearance, floors...it all gets tricky. So this model is a resounding success in terms of layout and engineering! Awesome work.

Who, killer! The "before" was quite nice, but a little mixed-up in terms of era. The re-build is so much better! Beautiful paint, and the chop looks flawless. The '50 pontiac taillights and SCOT-blown Ardun go together very well. The front tires are maybe a little skinny, but I love how they complement that mean top-chop. The headers look good too, looks like they're maybe modified from the '50 Ford pickup kit parts? This also looks like the exact color I had in mind for my own chopped '32 5-window Kustom project. Looks like a candy tangerine, but not quite. Which brand/color is it?

I just wanted to point out that the recessed grille on that blue car appears to be a flipped firewall--so the raised "X" center stamping is now inverted. A cool period-correct trick that is tough to replicate 100% with plastic parts, but the general "feel" could be achieved easily, as Bill suggests. Yep, that cowl band is way fat, definitely needs to be either foiled to represent the original chrome band or shaved and replaced with a more in-scale band to represent the body stamping. Have one of these in the mail, can't wait till it gets here!!

I have not tried Spaz Stix, it looks amazing. I have limited experience with Alclad, but have not had major problems. I did a little research first and found a few tips that seemed to work: 1. Use gloss black enamel base coat, not the Alclad black lacquer (I use hardware store Krylon...if it's not shiny enough, I wait until it's cured and then polish it until it shines) 2.Thin, light coats of Alclad, just misted on, seems to produce the most "chrome-like" finish. Apply too much Alclad and you'll get a dull silver. Too little and the black will show through in crevices where the Alclad hasn't reached. For some parts, this can actually be a positive result, it saves the trouble of applying a black wash later. 3. A light dusting once the Alclad is dry (which doesn't take long) removes any dry particles of paint on the surface. Don't buff it though! 4. No clear coat; that will just make the Alclad look dull silver again.

Jantrix--haha, thanks for the heads-up. On my Monogram "A" build a while back, I ended up putting a "stop" on the column, sliding it through the column drop on the dashboard, and then attaching the steering wheel. This gave me a loose attachment, allowing variable column angle but also meant the steering wheel would never push further into the interior than I wanted. Then I attached the firewall, slipping it over the protruding steering column. Then, when installing the body/interior unit onto the frame, I tilted the whole unit forward, guiding the open end of the steering column onto the protruding end of the steering box before settling the body down onto the frame. Worked pretty well, but I had to write myself an "order of operations" note so I wouldn't screw it up when the time came to glue it all together TL:DR: steering columns are tricky. No wonder so many model cars leave them out entirely. Glad Revell included that detail on the '29 and '30 though!

You're such a cheating cheater! Looks great I have one of these on the bench, and trying to notch the frame/build suspension links/etc etc really stalled it. I should have just glued the axles to the frame! I like the forward rake you gave this truck, and the orange paint is unique. Sweet.

Looks mean! I'm a fan of that custom belt cover, it looks really cool with the "cage" in front of the blower.

Hey, I just ordered a new Revell '30 coupe online from Burbank HoH. It'll take a while to get up here to Canada, but the price was about the same as buying from a Canadian hobby shop, so *shrug*. Anyway, they shipped almost instantly, great communication.

Radical, dude Love the colors and the neon-style script decals. I think it would be the coolest thing to have a lineup of hot rod models from the '40 through to the 2010s, with examples of all the major trends represented. This one would hold down the 80's Pro Street section for sure!