Spex84

Nice work! Especially if you're new to chopping and scratchbuilding. It turned out great. The speaker grilles look like pipe filters? That's a cool touch. I had that pink VW kit as a kid, and now I only have some little shreds of plastic left from it after I attempted to customize it and made a terrible mess. One of these days I'm tempted to get another and build a volksrod out of it. The large-diameter painted 5-spoke mags on this build are a little unusual, and I like them. What kit are they from?

Thanks for the info on oil spray cooling--I didn't even know that was a thing. Crazy!

Looks fantastic, Dennis. You making getting dialed-in proportions look so easy. This thing looks totally sweet just sitting raw plastic. I'm not sure what you did for cooling, but mashing the engine right up against the grille shell results in great proportions. Is the intent that the car would make a run with solely the water in the jacket? I've seen some photos where a drag-spec engine has a small reservoir mounted between the water ports on the front of the heads, but space looks tight here. Maybe the backs of the heads could be tapped? I have no idea where the water channels are internally on these engines. Anyway. It looks awesome.

I dig it! Bold color and cool wheel/tire package. What are the wheels and tires from, by the way?

Wow! Love the new mods. Hand-operated master cylinder...that's a new one to me. Will have to put it on my "things to research" list.

Love the re-build so far. So much attitude! A massive hemi combined with stock wheels seems ridiculous, but it looks so darn cool...and I know for a fact there's at least one 1:1 rod out there with the same combination (one of them is a gold roadster I think). I dunno, something about installing an engine so violent it could fling most of the body and driveline into a pile of scattered metal shavings the first time the driver tromps on the go-pedal....appeals to me

I'm enjoying this one--great trick photography, and the weathering is really cool...and accurate! I see trucks like this parked out in fields or for sale all the time (western Canada, near Alberta/BC border). The "rag instead of gas cap" is a neat touch--there's a 1:1 abandoned '55 Ford near where I live that has the same thing.

I'd keep that fabric pattern limited to the suitcase/trunk and not on the seats....the leather inserts sound great. I'm really enjoying how you're making each sub-assembly a model in itself. This build floors me a little more every time I check in. Eventually I'll be so floored I'll have to start digging, haha.

Wow! The end result you've achieved looks fantastic. The photography is too--for a second I thought I was looking at a Street Rodder magazine photo of a real car that you were using as reference, then realized it was the actual model. If that's what a "miss" looks like...I'll take it!

And I should comment on the build that this thread is actually about, too : Great work on those headlight stands and spring mods! The car should look much more dynamic with the front end and headlights lower.

You mean the firestone dirt track fronts? Looks like I need to backpedal-- I agree that the Revell tire is very, very close to the 1:1 dirt tracker. I had somehow confused it with another ribbed front tire, which the tires in the old Orange Crate '32 represent. I've attached images of both so you can see how I got mixed up: I think the dirt tracks are interesting, but a little cluttered-looking I'd love to see the other style offered in scale again, too!

Nice work, looks very clean, and your photography is impressive too. I agree that the headlights seem too high/widely spaced, but I think the same of the 50/60s aluminum headlight stands that placed the lights in pretty much the same position...and those stands were an authentic part that abided by the headlight-height laws of the day. An example of such headlight stands can be found in the AMT '25 T, and John Milner's couple from American Graffiti. The only other things that bug me about this kit are the front tire sidewalls (what's with the double row of treads on the sidewall? I've never seen a 1:1 tire like that)...and maybe the overall "squareness" of the parts and detail. It's a kit that actually looks better with a thick layer of paint on everything to smooth out the mechanical nature of the molded detail.

Ooh, looking forward to this. I have 2 glue bomb '28 sedans in my stash, planning to build one almost box-stock, authentic 60s style, and the other with some more modern parts.

The "Rides" '40 ford also has lowered rear suspension achieved by bending the rear axle. They even put ribs around it like a bendy-straw, like it's some kind of flexible independent rear-end or something. LOlolol. Trash. The body is usable for a commercial build if you have some other fenders to put it on. The fenders in the kit could be used on a custom of some sort. I recently used the headlights for my '30 coupe build (with AMT phantom vicky chrome rings and lenses). The chrome door-sill plates can be modified to look like the plug covers on a nailhead engine. The wheels and tires are a joke. It has modern bucket seats and a dashboard with digital gauges/radio molded in (if I remember correctly). If I was actually going to build one of these, I think I'd try to make it a chopped convertible speedster by lowering the roof to form a trunk....and I'd scribe the fenders to look like it has hidden headlights, like the Cord 810.

Wow. Talk about lipstick on a pig. That kit is terrible by today's standards, looks like maybe a few parts have changed. I have the version with the pinkish-red version on the box-top. The photo-etch is an interesting addition, if you're into rat rods. Let me list the issues: -all the parts are toy-like. It has a "hemi", a "quickchange", a "deuce grille", and so on...but all of the parts are chunky and ill-proportioned. The windshield frame is slab-like, the rear nerf bar is "D"-shaped in cross-section rather than round bar stock, the wire wheels stick out of the tires, and frame is about as simple as you can possibly get. The bench seat is molded to the body... So if you have a hankering for a retro build, it IS possible to build something nice out of this kit, it's just that it will look like very dated in terms of detail and accuracy.

"if its a flathead V8 how come you only got three exhaust pipes each side" The flathead had 'siamesed' center exhaust ports, so only 3 pipes total on each side. The 50s Cadillac 331 V8 also has only 3 exhaust ports each side. A little twist, though--the Ardun conversion for flathead has 4 exhaust ports per side (as seen in the Revell '50 Ford pickup...the newer, correct one, not the older incorrect one).

Some minor progress: -painted the back of the body flat black. Sorry for the poor photo quality, I'll try to get better shots later. Matte black is difficult to shoot, and my bench doesn't have enough light. I'm not sure it improved the design, but it's part of the original vision and I just had to try it. It also looks better in reality than it does in photos. -made some headlights out of aluminum square tubing, with lenses made from pieces of clear sprue and small sections of plastic wrapper attached with Future. The wrapper comes from the seam of a crinkle-wrap bag; it is covered with a grid of small square indents. The backs of the headlights are CD jewel case ribbed plastic, painted matte black. -bailed on the side pipes...I like the idea, but this was meant to be a quick build *eye roll* so the zoomies will be used, painted Tamiya gunmetal.

Dude. That dash is incredibly cool. This whole build is intriguing so far. ..a while back I thought I'd posted a comment but I think it failed to post, so here it is again: When I file photos of 1:1 rods that combine traditional, rat, and modern design features (ie patina, bomber seats, twin-turbo engine, low profile tires), I put them in a folder labelled "contemporary rods". Sure, 'contemporary' is a moving target and I might have to revise the label someday, but it's a good catchall term. It doesn't require that a rod be 'extreme', either... Another label could be 'post-modern rod'. Post-modern art combines pop art, fine art, street art, advertising art, etc. without holding one over the other, using and re-combining the most interesting elements of all the other movements and time periods. Done wrong, it can be a pastiche of mismatched clutter. Done right--like you have achieved here--it can be a fun and purposeful exercise in expression. I hope you're going to paint the dash dark metallic blue like the frame!

...and I just noticed that this one is sporting a '32 firewall. That's a cool twist. I have always liked the stamped patterns on the '32 piece, and it looks right at home here.

Pow! Killer build, tons of attitude. I've always felt the '34 PU grille is kinda clunky, but combined with the tall wire wheels, the squareness of the '30 body, and the stepped radiator support bars, I think I have a new favorite! The "V8" logo at the top of the insert is what grabbed my eye immediately...I spent a few seconds furiously reviewing all the deuce kits I could think of, wondering where it came from, haha. Not only do I have a couple '34 kits, I don't plan to use the kit grille shell on either of them, so that will free them up for an A build. Love the paint colors and the simple decal work. It reminds me of some of the neo-traditional cars from Sweden/Finland/Norway, actually.

Cool! I'm (slowly) building an F6 COE as well...converting it from the Revell '50 pickup. I think it would be much easier to start with a resin body I was just going to chime in that the F6 had the plain-jane regular flathead, not the 337 (which was used in the F8). Wish I'd learned that before I spent a bunch of time trying to convert the AMT '53 Ford flathead into a 337. I'd love to see this one finished, too.

Looking good! I like the wire wheel /OHV engine combo...it's maybe a more contemporary trend, but it looks tough and that's what counts. I've been telling myself "gotta finish my A before Tim finishes his, gotta finish..." lol. I see that's not going to happen. Looking forward to seeing more! Those wheels and tires looks great...one of these days I should buy some, instead of struggling along trying to kitbash wheel/tire combos together. I think I can probably put together a combo like this, but the spokes will be fatter and it would take some finicky work, especially stuffing the wire wheel into those AMT bias ply fronts.

I'm convinced the whole "Millenial" thing has been fabricated by the media to generate page-clicks and ad revenue There are snippets of truth woven through it all, but a lot of it seems to be wishful opinion presented as fact. Maybe the conversation needs to be about parenting...it's not necessarily about "making kids like models"...it's about exposing them to the opportunity and seeing if it sticks. So in a roundabout way, I'm back at the "make and take" concept--which happens to be a good one, and I hope such programs continue as long as possible. If all older people said "I don't really give a darn if kids build models"...well, guess what, they aren't going to build models, unless they learn about them from Instagram or something.

I've already commented on this subject on "the other" forum, but thought I'd chime in here too....I agree that it's disappointing that kids are not building models the way they used to. Many reasons have already been mentioned--the closing of hobby shops, the fact that model cars are now a specialty item that you have to seek out, the difficulty in buying glue and paint as a minor, the rising cost of kits...etc. When it comes to models vs. video games, games offer replayability and can provide entertainment for months. Sure new AAA console games might be $70 here in Canada, but two kits and some paint/glue will run the same price, and most kids who are new to the hobby will probably build those kits in a weekend and then be bored. Video games offer instant gratification because it's literally built into their structure. A good game leads players along a learning curve and rewards them for reaching certain goals. Building model cars is a much more self-directed pastime, where builders must set their own goals. It's a different kettle of fish. Young people still love to build--LEGO is re-configurable, and offers replayability and almost endless creative re-combination. Video games like Minecraft (immensely popular with young people right now) offer a similar sort of thing in the digital world. Kids are building some fiendishly complicated stuff in the digital world these days. Why would a kit build a model car that sits like a lump on the shelf and gets dusty when they could customize a photo-realistic car in a video game, choose a different paint scheme every day, drive it, crash it, and race with their friends? Some video game/collectible franchises, such as Skylanders and Disney Infinity, have been combining the digital realm with the physical--you purchase a figurine (like a plastic action figure or collectible), and then that figurine unlocks a playable character in a digital world. Imagine if the Revell Ford Raptor model kit came with a chip or code that unlocked the same truck in an online racing game. Would I bother? Probably not. Would it attract younger builders? They'd probably just use the chip and leave the styrene in the box. But I could be wrong....maybe it would work. Maybe it would spark an interest. Most video games lack the physical "zen" of cutting, shaping, painting etc, and also lack real, tangible results. I think the main problem is that modern culture has drifted away from celebrating the value of tangible results, working with your hands, etc. We're awash in a sea of "likes", digital media, "consultants", trending memes, etc etc. The dominant media narrative these days is about how everything is dynamic and shifting, and to stay relevant you have to be ready to shift, too. Models seem curiously inert in that context. I think eventually, people will realize that making something real is valuable. We already see this with the "Maker" trend, craft marketplace websites like Etsy, and the 3D printing movement. Where models fit into this, I'm not sure, but the future of modeling is going to rest with convincing young people that it's not about the end result (a lump of plastic), it's about the skill and knowledge it took to produce that result. Kind of like how it might be cool to be in a band...but it's way cooler and more rewarding to be a musician. With that in mind, I agree that encouraging any kind of building is a good idea. I sometimes come across rants and screeds against tuner cars, lowriders, and especially donks....guess what, you might not like the 1:1 cars, but if they're inspiring young people to build models and be creative they're a good thing!!

Nice work so far...I like those engine mounts and the frame cleanup looks good. I wasn't a fan of the Rat Roaster's frame, so this is much better.