Mark Crowel

Sample photo.

Here is the link to viewing my scratchbuilt 1925 Cadillac sedan: http://cardboardmodelcarshowcase.lefora.com/2012/05/12/1925-cadillac/#post3

Here is a link to my photos of my scratchbuilt 1964 Pontiac Lemans convertible: http://cardboardmodelcarshowcase.lefora.com/2012/05/12/1964-pontiac-lemans-convertible/#post0

Here is a link to my photos of my scratchbuilt 1953 Studebaker Starliner Hardtop. http://cardboardmodelcarshowcase.lefora.com/2012/05/12/1953-studebaker-starliner-hardtop/#post0

Definitely creative. It has an art deco look to it.

Thanks everyone. In a way, I have been in a cave for many years, Modelmartin. About 30 years ago I started scratchbuilding with cardboard, and got out of touch with the plastic model car world. (Once in a great while, I'd buy a Scale Auto Enthusiast or Model Car Journal.) I was on my own for a long time. Then came the internet, and I discovered forums; paper modeling forums and model car forums. Through this forum I'm getting back in touch with the model car world. I do appreciate the acceptance and respect I've found here. Thanks for the catch-up information on Mark Gustavson.

I've looked at each topic in this category, but can't find any reference to Mark Gustavson. Does anyone know where he is, or what he's doing these days? In the 1970s-80s, he was writing great how-to articles for The Model Car Journal. He was a perfectionist in the field of superdetailing. I remember a 1957 Ford AMT kit, on which he ground the door edges to scale thickness, and grooved the outer edge of the windshield frame, so the windshield could be mounted from the outside, as on a real car. Is he still around, and still building and writing?

Focusing the nostalgia on model cars: wooden model car kits by Ace, Berkely, and Hudson miniatures; Walter Musciano's book, Building and Operating Model Cars; Tenite friction drive plastic promos; AMT Three-In-One Customizing Kits; large, elaborate tin plate models from Marusan and Bandai; gas powered tether racers. Anyone else?

Thank you, Dr. Cranky! Hello Again, US Copyright Law is available for viewing online, so I read the sections pertaining to derivative works and fair use. It looks like I would be safe even if I put my models in kit form and sold them. They are derivative works, based on the designs of real cars, yet different enough to have identities of their own. Secondly, they are interpretations of the real cars' designs, instead of copies, and thus serve a purpose by expressing my impressions of those designs, so my models represent fair use. I do not use emblems or logos on my models, so as not to raise trademark issues. I greatly appreciate everyone's interest and suggestions regarding this matter. I am not a lawyer, but based on my understading of what I read, I believe I can proceed with a book or kits of my models with a clear conscience. Thank you, all.

Good to see you again, Manny. I hope you can resume your '56 Golden Hawk build soon. Take care, and best to you!

The finish on that '50 Buick is astounding! Who produces that kit? BTW, since cars are art forms, there's nothing wrong with getting "arty" with your photos. It creates a mood. There is something special about the way a car looks at night: at rest, yet "alive". Ewaskew, try creating a wet pavement look for these kinds of shots.

I just finished an "Eleanor" project recently. It's a restoration (use of the word "restoration" is open to debate) of a badly warped 1950 Studebaker promo. Here is the link to the thread that chronicles the process. http://tscc-online.lefora.com/2011/01/01/restoration-project/ Also, what/where is the "purple pond"?

Born in the 1950's. Liked it so well, I decided to stay there. Seriously, I was born in 1952, and our family's first car was a 1951 Pontiac (straight 8) that Dad bought in 1954. Dark green. Yes, I DO remember it. We traded up for our first new car in 1956, a Pontiac Chieftan 4-door hardtop, red and white, with a red and black interior, and wide whites. Jazziest looking car our family ever had. It was a showroom model, and our whole family was there when Dad bought it. In the fifties, everybody got excited at new car introduction time. I remember when our whole family went to see the new 1958 Edsels. There were a lot of people in the showroom. I notice that I have used the word family five times in this post. Maybe that's where my nostalgia lies.

That makes me feel better. Thank you.

I am grateful for the many responses. By homemade model cars, I mean scratchbuilt, specifically, my cardboard model cars.

I read that the automakers are bearing down on anyone who makes and sells likenesses of their vehicles. They've gone beyond stepping on the model car companies. Now they're going after T-shirt printers, and artists who do paintings of cars. I want to compose, and publish for sale, a book of photographs of my homemade model cars. These cars are replicas. Will I have to have permission from those who own the copyrights to the real cars? The book would simply be a compilation of photos of my own collection; a "coffee table" book. I realize this is a legal question. I've looked at US Copyright law on the government's website, but can't find anything that directly addresses my question.

Thanks, friends. I've been to the Studebaker Museum in South Bend several times. I live about an hour's drive north of it. I enjoy it thoroughly.

This link will take you to the display thread in the Toy Studebaker Collectors Club Forum, where you can see the photos of the cardboard '64 Gran Turismo Hawk, that I built for a fellow club member: http://cardboardmodelcarshowcase.lefora.com/2012/05/11/1964-studebaker-gran-turismo-hawk-/#post6

Well, all I can say is that I gave it my best efforts, You know what they say about trying to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. Here is the link to my restoration thread in the Toy Studebaker Collectors Club Forum. http://tscc-online.lefora.com/2011/01/01/restoration-project/

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