swede70

Greetings, Being 'on the spectrum' with regards to Asperger's Syndrome can in a sense be put to good use in relation to scale modeling surely. An unusually intense capacity to focus is often required to solve many a problem or issue, while many on this board can light the way towards the acquisition of knowledge and development of skills base consistent with achieving very fair results. Should you attend a scale model show or partake of a club event, you'd quickly pick up on the reality of many other builders and collectors evidencing what others might see as quirks or mild peculiarities of behavior. What matters is that we are effective in our respective realms, that we husband our resources and give all we may in relation to that which we do well. Some aspects of our persons may not be fundamentally readjusted or refined to the degree we'd like, but this said, there is much to be said for making the very best of circumstance and to seek fellowship with others on different but largely parallel paths. Welcome to the board... Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, Not of huge shattering interest, nevertheless some work has been performed on the #77 Challenger to the extent of better fitting the roll cage A-pillar bars and blending them to mesh well with the dashboard ends situated just beneath. The old dash was ruined for misjudging where to file the ends to make way for the bars passing atop each, hence a replacement was sought with the bottom half trimmed off as per the actual race car; i.e. the standard pad visible across the top was retained, while the heavy stock structure beneath isn't. Seen too are new interior panels, with the driver's side cut out to accommodate a roll cage side bar as shown. A literal challenge it is/was to ensure everything rests level, symmetrical, and tight overall. The seat mount has received work, while in relation to the suspension I hope/intend to reproduce the very unique locating links/design employed on the rear in particular. Slightly revised GMP Trans-Am Camaro tires might be added if the markings on the new Donohue and Yunick releases are judged superior and are of course sold separately. Will I ever paint anything I fabricate? Stay tuned for the next belated installment to learn more! Mike K./Swede70

It's possible that scale air duct hose employed by some on 1:25th scale NASCAR topics might work. I have two sizes from a firm identified as Scale Model Speedway (200 Gilmore Ct., Owenboro, KY 42301), while the 1.5" Duct Hose product they produce or produced might be worth considering. Purchased only a thousand years ago by me, it seems good. Beyond this I haven't seen or found what you describe for looking avidly, although I hope others visiting this thread will illuminate a source. Just in passing, the old Jo-Han Trans-Am Javelins had these as cast parts - terrific then for Jo-Han Trans-Am Javelins and little else! Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, For well-reasoned and well-informed feedback received (thanks Harry Q.!), I opted to pull the bars back of the main roll cage hoop and redid such consistent with ensuring they appear as two uninterrupted tubes cutting through clear to the trunk floor. I worried that I'd tear chunks out of the main hoop for removing the elements glued to it, but happily they came off without issue and were in part recycled to see what is on view here. That the cage comes out as one piece and isn't (yet) glued to the chassis certainly helps matters. The elements in the trunk were pulled and revised a bit for length and for the angle each was set, hence these are a touch better too. When stuff is scratch built and errors are made, corrections aren't typically life-threatening as long as supplies hold out! Like the usual 1:25th plastic kit fare seen elsewhere across this message board, the floors are rendered quite thick and factor against everything looking spot-on below the beltline of this modified 1:18th scale diecast. Also uploaded is small series of images relating how a pair of bars on bottom of the cage terminating towards the rear of each respective front footwell are slightly upturned and tucked in. I couldn't do this will my usual hollow plastic tubing with brass wire fed within, but rather performed the bend twice over with solid rod stock heated over an open flame. More work to come then. Thanks for reviewing this project update... Mike K./Swede70

Hello... Not much to be seen here (I know), but some roll cage tubes/members now sprout from the trunk area to tie in to the main hoop looking forward. I was confident that the bars coming off the back of the aforementioned main hoop were appropriately spaced, accepted that they splayed out somewhat heading rearward, although the fuel cell dimensions didn't strictly allow everything to match heading further downward. Sort of a subtle cheat then for fit and alignment, but not looking horrible. Given only a sliver of the contents of the trunk might be seen for opening the panel, most irregularities noticed here will blend and be forgiven! Moving along, a repair has been made to the rear axle end to allowing fitting of the relatively good wheel/tire assemblies on all four corners. I intend to add further brake detail to each hub, while separate lug detail likewise stands to be added. Thanks for skimming this update... Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, Seen - or perhaps not - would be my efforts to discreetly plug and fill in the floor pan to erase the presence of detail in the form of cast-in floor mats, upraised pegs to locate the stock front seats, as well as see to various perforations along the transmission/driveshaft tunnel of the Titus/Ward '69 Daytona class-winning '68 Firebird. A clunky clone of a Dremel which I have in my tool inventory with a thoroughly useless speed control nevertheless is quite good at burning plastic, hence it was used to roughly remove the mats which were more precisely cleaned up with metal files, sanding stick work, and much application. The shifter tower hole was plugged with material from an identical Lane interior floor to save a bit of work and time. Plastic rod stock helped seal most everything else, although the outboard seat belt mounting points still require filling and blending. No putty or fill work is witnessed - yet! Kind thanks for your skimming this update... Mike K./Swede70

Greetings... This would be the revised '69 Daytona 24 HR class-winning Titus/Ward Firebird chassis taking shape, with a scratch built roll cage as well as a ACME/GMP-tool small block Chevrolet dressed as something Al Bartz would have prepared. Not complete this, but pushed far along nevertheless and hence something to share. Thanks for reviewing this thread update. Mike K./Swede70

Looking good - thanks for the update... Mike K./Swede70

Very nice indeed and exceptionally accomplished both. Thanks for sharing... Mike K./Swede70

Beautiful fabrication across assemblies. Thanks for sharing... Mike K./Swede70

A further brief update this... For a series of messages exchanged and revisions introduced into the work, decals are being made up to support the '70 T/G Firebird effort seen above. Witness below some preliminary art, and notice too the care taken to fog the blue center stripes to black around the edges of the same. The refinements and tweaking are courtesy of K. Terry who has been especially receptive to requests made and concerns voiced consistent with coming up with something good. Size of the stripes may have to be adjusted for using a pair of sheets and growing'and/or shrinking the graphics as necessary (especially around the shaker hood opening), but this effort shouldn't prove prohibitive in terms of labor or skill given no compound curves are involved. Kind thanks again... Mike K./Swede70 P.S. Oh - and the replacement 1:18th Gray Ghost doors I gathered up responded poorly to a chemical paint strip, hence each will have to be media blasted in order to proceed further!

Thanks for the kind notice and relation of your tale of ownership... Some modest stuff to report, mostly in the form of the delivery of new parts to help each scale Pontiac road racing build. Seen below will be the ACME/Lane-tool Pontiac 400 engine and transmission sourced from the '69 Daytona 24 HR class-winning Titus/Ward release, which will substantially improve upon what ERTL provided in their now aged '70 1/2 Firebird Trans Am tool. The scratch built intake and finned aluminum valve cover projects from before were initially mastered to match was is seen here, hence all materials should meld effortlessly with the fresh engine. Also seen are a pair of laboriously fabricated plugs to fill out the front wheel arch liners. Rather than optimistically slathering in putty and hoping for the best for sculpting the same, I thought it best to carefully introduce material which will lessen the need to apply so very much filler. Cutting out the under hood braces left two very obvious channels, hence something had to be done. Modest stuff here, but seen just below the fire bottle installation is a ramp structure that grows off of the floor. Such effectively provides clearance for a differential oil cooler mounted beneath it, while I'm mulling if I want to cut the actual chassis casting to make everything honest. And this would be the aforementioned Titus/Ward Firebird less engine, although revised in subtle ways to improve and carry it to completion beyond its as-delivered state and spec. Notice the ARE Torque Thrust wheels painted red but for the decorative center cap machined surface, the addition of turned aluminum rings to reproduce the outer lips of the rims, while also seen are old GMP '67 Penske Trans-Am Camaro tires with Firestone markings. Small work abounds - most of which constitutes day projects of limited scope and import. The grille surrounds are now black, the yellow tape detail on the headlamps has been removed, while the photo etched 'Firebird' markings have been removed from the fenders. An effort was made to disguise the size and extent of the front spoiler mounts for discreet paint application, while the standard Lane wheel arch trim has been cut free of the rocker trim front and rear. An Al Bartz-built small block Chevrolet is being prepared for this model, with much effort required to file aspects of the transmission, etc. to ensure the old GMP Trans-Am drive train will coexist happily enough with the Lane tool. Although not strictly worthy of a further photo, since the above image was captured the hood scoops have been plugged and painted red, the hood pins have been overlaid with resin examples, the dash forward of the pad painted gray, while the dock lock knobs atop the interior door cards were snapped off and painted out. Thanks for reviewing this most recent update. Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, Page Resin (no 's') was present at the Spring D.A.A.M. show here in SE Michigan, while there I gathered up a business card. Although not wholly versed in relation to who has tooled or retooled what in terms of the wares seen, a shell that looked suspiciously like the old Modelhaus '86-'90 box-style Chevrolet Impala 4-door body was being offered for sale. Maybe 25% of the products seen looked clean enough, although others seemed a bit fuzzy and a touch grainy in terms of surface finish. Prices asked seemed to be set at a uniform $70. Traffic didn't seem heavy at this table, whereas at one moment I was embarrassed to overhear a discussion with a customer that related to using fronts to purchase the wares of other resin casting outfits - not nice this, but such was indeed the case. The discussion seemed to have been initiated by a customer out to get something cheaper, hence I didn't strictly take the discussion to be wildly boastful. Below is recorded what printed on the business card collected: PAGE RESIN Pedro Escanio EMAIL pageresin@yahoo.com FACEBOOK pageresin ...and that's it. Mike K./Swede70

Looking good - thanks for the update... Mike K./Swede70

Hello again... For reviewing new releases and sales attached to such, I came across a Replicarz mark down of the '69 Daytona 24HR class-winning Titus/Ward Firebird based on the old Lane tool. Retailers have asked $129.95 and up for the model elsewhere, whereas Replicarz seems intent on clearing inventory on something that isn't strictly selling in volume given they want $79.95 by way of contrast. The ACME model is far from accurate, but as a plus the original Lane tool such is based upon wasn't at all terrible. ACME race releases as of late reflect light revisions of select older stock tools, and as such feature very good paint even if the chassis and interior aren't 100% reflective of what was run in period. Certainly the model has a nice 400 c.i.d. Pontiac V8 that can be transferred to my '70 Titus car after performing appropriate mods. Given the '69 Daytona 24HR entry ran what was likely an Al Bartz-built small block Chevrolet, no muss - no fuss then. I don't strictly want to add on yet another project to my slate of scale ambitions, although the need for a better-tooled engine on the '70 Titus model is real enough. Some select decal work plus a wheel/tire swap will help the '69 Firebird, although if no room exists within the wheel housings to accommodate such, I may just part the model out and write off the exercise as an experiment gone awry. To contemplate a sale of the 1:18th ACME/Lane tool-based '69 Jerry Titus/Jon Ward Daytona 24 Hour class winner, see then: https://www.replicarz.com/1968-Pontiac-Trans-Am-Firebird-JerryTitus/productinfo/AC1805210/ Thanks... Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, For using a product called Klean Strip, the original paint was removed from the shell of the '70 Titus Firebird. Strong stuff this, whereas given I wore only thin Latex gloves, soon I discovered that it also makes quick work of skin, sinew and bone. Three passes and three scrubs beneath running water pretty much eliminated everything I wanted removed, hence good this. A lot of tedious work certain to be invisible, I also 'removed' the cast-in aerodynamic spats situated before the rear wheel arch openings. Body shop metal work pliers to bend them in, CA glue with Microballoons to build up the loss edge/corner structure, as well as the discreet use of spot putty plus copious sanding stick shaping made it possible. Other work, mostly light includes efforts to cut off the fender-to-radiator support braces, as well as an effort to trim short the inner fender lips which appear like this in select period photos. The '70 Firebird racer was rather heavy, and hence all efforts were mounted to literally trim weight as the season progressed. On with the photos then... ...most of the supplies required, less MicroBalloon filler and sanding sticks. ...the problem; i.e. abbreviated rocker panels and hollow aerodynamic 'spats' forward of the wheel arches. ...getting a grip with actual auto body shop pliers. ...looking pretty decent then. Note how the cast-in 'spat' detail had to be filed out well up the arch opening. ...time two then. The hood pins seen on the deck lid are new items recently cast in resin. ...still needing work, but mostly filled in and straight on each side. ...and now sans the aforementioned underhood braces. Note too how the inner fender structure has been cut back. Thanks... Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, FB has a range of diecast boards, some specific to scale, but most specific to manufacturers. It takes a bit of time to find them, although once you do things proceed smoothly enough. I'm rooted in the 1:18th scene, although not knowing what you favor or collect, differences in relation to where you should dedicate your energies would be expected. Most of the larger diecast message boards also have classified subpages, while of course eBay, FB Marketplace, Craigslist will reveal people both posting and purchasing such. A google search along the lines of 'Diecast Message board' or some such will reveal the larger sites, while typing in manufacturer names with the search field of FB will turn up who is hosting groups of possible interest. In relation to groups allowing/facilitating selling on FB, one I know of for 1:18th scale wares is simply titled '1/18 Buy Sell Trade' - hence things can be basic. Hoping this reply helps... Mike K./Swede70

Excellent score Dr. Larry - hoping things develop apace there... I thought I'd plug in a pair of websites consistent with helping out. The first is a Firebird in the SCCA Trans-Am thread from CRG, or rather the Camaro Research Group, the second being a recently created history of the B.F. Goodrich 'Tirebird' effort with significant input from those part of the team. For years I've collected material consistent with informing my scale builds, and one will note maybe 15% of the period stuff reproduced and seen on CRG was scanned and sent by me. On another thread I'll try to add links to vintage race car dealer and auction houses that either have the surviving cars in inventory, or who have had such pass through their hands. I apologize for being a bit scattered in my focus, although all projects in this thread do relate to that rare subspecies: Pontiac Road Race Americanus. Thanks... This would be the CRG/Firebird thread: http://www.camaros.org/forum/index.php?topic=7815.0;all ...while this would be the 'Tirebird' thread: https://bfgtirebird.com/ Mike K./Swede70

Hello Harry, For being in the Detroit-area and frequenting a popular automobilia store, I've met him and have a signed copy. It's my understanding that someone has purchased film rights, although this of course doesn't guarantee anything will strictly come of it. The book is a bit odd for not strictly naming people and organizations, this likely reflecting a worry not to offend and traceable I suppose to his legal background. I don't know if I really warmed to the format of his telling of the tale, although all the factual information I might glean from reading such is of course appreciated. Thanks for the reference and heads up... Mike K./Swede70

O.K. - that finally worked! Whew... Thanks Harry for your informed input again. I tell myself and others that I try to master what was as contrasted to what is and delicately go from there with regards to what I attempt in-scale. Indeed - most vintage racers run powder coated aluminum wheels or like-coated magnesium wheels to keep oxidation at bay from what I understand. Thanks for the insight with regards to what a typical team would bring in terms of the number of wheels required for an average race weekend in-period. I like the art and colors chosen in relation to the decal art pasted in above - I hope such will work. I further appreciate knowing the background of who did the artwork back in the day. Worried now that this message too will be mulched, I think I'd just send it and hold my breath. I would be neat if Dr. Larry took up the '72-season Herb Adams entry, and I'd try to help in any way could. Thanks for skimming my update. Mike K./Swede70

Just a fast update given the system won't allow me to upload my usual long draft... This was decal artwork found that might help matters. Even if I pitch the accessory markings to the side, I really like the numerals for design and the blue they chose: Below is seen the cage taking shape less bars forward to the front subframe. The laborously worked up finned aluminum valve covers seen earlier up this thread are noticed on the build now: ...and the same stuff worked up, seen from the rear three-quarter. Small stuff includes the cast-in pedals and carpet texture on the interior floor that was both ground down and/or sanded off. Note too the opened up shaker scoop for much careful Dremel and file work. Big stuff includes the grafting in of material to plug where a cast-in center console would otherwise be found. It's a bit bulbous, although it's still an improvement. Thanks... Mike K./Swede 70

TEST - having a miserable time. Mike K./Swede70

Greetings, Seen is some short work performed on the 1:18th ERTL 1970 T.G. Racing Jerry Titus Firebird Trans Am Trans-Am if you will (stop and catch your breath here - it's entirely o.k): I'd ordered another set of 1:25th Pegasus 23 inch turned aluminum 'stepped sleeves' as they are identified to mate to this project, while I ended up using the set cut up for the Gray Ghost project while waiting for such to arrive. The new sleeves arrived just recently, and for cutting the new set down I'm hoping to rest with a clean conscience soon! - Some '70 Titus Firebird work on the side then. Attached just below my initial upload is a photograph by Rich Woodward taken at the '70 Mid-Ohio Trans-Am contest which depicts the wheel configuration I've opted to duplicate. It seems the team fielded the entry either with bare magnesium alloy wheels, with the same painted aqua, or rarely with the bulk of the wheel painted less exposed and possibly machined outer lips. Given I have more than a few Trans-Am topics wearing pretty much standard bare Minilites, perhaps I'm simply drawn to the different here? For experimentation, the final choice for the wheel paint employed here was '69 to '71 American Motors engine turquoise which was the best 'in the can' solution given what I could find. Lug detail, wheel weights, etc. are to come... ...yes, the fender-to-radiator support braces stand to be cut out. ...note the unexpected subframe paint finish/color choice, etc. A terrific period photo taken by a fan and a treasure surely. Continuing with the model, note the new front flares, these hand-formed from stacked sheet plastic before being sculpted and cast in resin slightly oversized before being filed and sanded to mate with the likewise filed-out front wheel arches. The flares are temporarily held in with white craft glue here, while the rear flares will require considerably more work before I'll be confident to affix and blend these onto the shell. The aerodynamic aids situated before the rear wheel arch openings will be bent in, sanded down, and blended before the flares are worked over consistent with arriving at a final shape. - Other things introduced onto the work include a hollowed out shaker scoop to afford this model functional ram air (hooray!), while also noticed with be the reasoned beginnings of a roll cage. A proper Trans-Am cage is typically tucked well under the roof stamping and essentially form-fitted to everything that surrounds it. Here I was at pains to accommodate the thick roof with plastic 'glass' insert, the too thick interior door trim, some attachment points for the chassis to the interior, as well as the dashboard and the intrusive dog leg hinges looking forward. Unlike some period Trans-Am topics, the A-pillar bars do not cut into the corners of the dashboard, hence they terminate here just before it. Further, I tried to afford the bar visible just below the top of the windscreen a soft radius consistent with what was called for. In sum, what has been worked up isn't terrible, while filling in with the required additional bars shouldn't be impossible. The cutaway of the T.G. Firebird is reproduced in many a place, although here it was drawn from Gary L. Witzenburg's excellent book: Firebird! America's Premier Performance Car. ...quite helpful this. The left and right A-pillar bars have the same profile, while the nearside bar has to clear the instrument panel surround unlike the other side. Hard to discern otherwise, the Goodyear Blue Streak 'blue lines' have been carefully removed from each tire without strictly disturbing the tampo-printed 'GOODYEAR' identification. This was performed with makeup applicators and alcohol, while later the tires were treated with Vinylex to restore them to rubbery darkness given they'd turned gray for such aggressive handling. ...my efforts to tuck everything in as tightly as I a may. Some bars are missing, but the key ones have been bent and added. Unlike the standard second-generation cars that have the rear view mirror affixed to the front glass, the racers had them mounted from the ceiling back of the roll cage member cutting across. I have a mirror and will add this soon. - Moving on then, seen before the model is a valve cover project that combines the fin detail of the 1:18th Welly '72 Trans Am with the stamped steel sides and base of the same-scale Lane '68 Firebird 400. The work affords me a 'wrap around fin' cast aluminum valve cover which will be duplicated in resin. Other things are being set aside for casting purposes and stand to be added, helping the cause of not just this but other scale projects harbored. Thanks for reviewing this most recent update... Mike K./Swede70

Greetings and thanks to all for adding to this thread... Although decidedly unglamorous. seen is a replacement chassis casting from the 1:18th Sun Star '64 GTO tool being worked over to serve my needs. Work done on the first chassis was a touch rough, hence the most recently purchased parts car is being used to more precisely recreate what had been done before plus additional mods. Everything thought good on the first chassis seen at the top left will go onto what is seen right and center. All but invisible, the 'Sun Star/Made in China' identification on the frame rails has been sanded out, the mounting pegs to accommodate screws that would secure the model to a plastic base have been filed out, while the cast-in bottom engine detail has likewise been delicately removed. Some plugs have to be fabricated and blended in, although some of the less pleasant work has been done. Know that it's a challenge simply to make something like this competitive with what would otherwise be standard on a contemporary unassembled plastic kit in terms of detail. To make any progress at all is to strike a reasoned balance between reuse of what's good enough versus what might be reasonably upgraded for studied application. By way of example, removing the fuel tank and other cast-in detail isn't technically hard. This admitted, the work does require drilling successive holes around what needs to come out, later joining these holes with a faster and hotter drill that will melt any plastic it touches, and finally sanding out what remains without breaking the rest of the chassis. Color the work tedious then... Continuing, one will notice that the cast-in driveshaft has been filed out, as has the fuel tank to make room for a fill plate and a fuel cell housing. The driveshaft will be scratch built with U-joint detail lifted from the trusty 1:18th GMP '67-'69 Trans-Am Camaro again. For a lot of effort the cast-in emergency brake cables have been laboriously etched out with the aid of a Dremel MotoTool and limited sanding stick work. Glue burns from where the stock exhaust was sited on the chassis just back of each rear wheel arch have largely been eliminated, while the cast-in rear spring perches have been drilled out in anticipation of replacing such with scratch built items. The rear camber adjustment flanges are seen mated to a 1:18th GMP '70 GTO Judge-source B.O.P. differential, while the upper links plus matching pick up points stand to be added soon. The bottom links will be boxed for discreet sheet plastic additions in the near term, while the brake discs seen are doubled up 1:18th GMP '68-'69 Trans-Am Camaro items done in resin. Shocks and sway bar work to come, as will the fuel pump sheet metal surrounds forward of the cell housing. I'm thinking of painting the chassis in a proper semi-gloss black finish, very lightly weathering the same, then decanting and applying a light blue finish to cover most, albeit not all of what is below. I definitely don't want to overdo the weathering, although a light touch might go far here. - In relation to the MPC reference made by Harry concerning his summer work back in the day, indeed - I'm somewhat removed from the period for having been born later. Although living in SE Michigan is often gray and without huge interest, I'm close to both the old AMT works on 15 Mile/Maple Rd. in Troy, as well as being very near to Groesbeck Hwy. that extends north of Mt. Clemens, hence to the very doorstep of what was MPC/Fundimensions. When younger I had to settle for promotional model hand me downs from a pair of disinterested sisters (yes), and cheered when factory promotional models in the form of the 1982 Camaro arrived on the scene after years of being availed almost nothing. More than a few locals bought cases of '82 Camaros imagining they'd be as desired as some of best promos of yore, whereas now if one pays more than $8 for a new-in-box example, one is a fool - sigh. I recently bought a 1990 Polo Green ZR1 Corvette promo at a show for the princely sum of $7 - again, a fright. Kind thanks... Mike K./Swede70

A few years ago I grabbed a business card of his at the D.A.A.M. show just north of Detroit. Not shatteringly up-to-the-minute, I'm guessing this contact information is no less than four years old. See: Mike K./Swede70