Brian Austin

There have been various models in the smaller scales.

Kind of hard to tell what this thread is about with the initial pictures missing. :-(

You won't have to worry about it for a long time. Ironically, by the time they are integrated into society, some of us may be gone, while others may be elderly enough to need something to get around without the need of a license. So a self-driving car may be just the thing for seniors. :-)

Special Interest Autos had an article on these: https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2011/09/11/sia-flashback-1939-dodge-airflow-truck-streamlining-goes-heavy-duty These were low-production specialty vehicles. Different style tanker bodies were offered by various manufacturers, as well as were other types of bodies. Here's a discussion showing a well-known digital modeler working on an Airflow tanker. I helped out some with reference: http://www.smcars.net/threads/dodge-airflow-1934-36.22150/

Some "flying cars" in development have been carefully described as street-legal aircraft you drive from airstrip to airstrip, rather than a car you could take off from the road to avoid traffic. :-)

Deja Vu...

IIRC, some writers have dreamed up scenarios where few people decades from now would own a car. Most would subscribe to a service. The self-driving cars would be circulating through the city, picking a dropping off customers, freeing them from having to find a place to park. I think also someone suggested cities could spread out more with self-driving cars. Just what we need...more sprawl! I think most far-future scenarios I've read in the past few years seem to expect no older vehicles sharing the roads with the spiffy new autonomous ones. I think some futurists would love to see non-autonomous vehicles ruled off the roads. But the scenarios I've read all are 20-40 years off into the future. FWIW, I don't recall these articles discussing flying cars. :-)

There was a resin Dodge cab available some years back. I recall that post featuring the photo of the ramp truck and discounted it, since the wheelbase was obviously too long for the frames packaged in the line of kits. Oddly, I've made comments wishing for an F350 among the Moebius truck range only to be told it wasn't in the cards. Would the dualie wheels be appropriate for a '65 F350? This announced release just proves to me that if you put projects on hold long enough (many years) puzzle pieces will eventually fall together. :-)

1962 Reading catalog https://www.ebay.com/itm/292520368962?hash=item441b929b42:g:7V0AAOSwlStazp2w

You folks are very welcome. I have more. Here's Ford as seen in 1988.

Cars powered by turbans? Amazing indeed! Also, what's with the extraneous pictures of everyday cars thrown in? What the commentary fails to mention was that poor fuel economy tended to doom turbine engine concepts. More than one truck manufacturer toyed with turbine engines, and found them not worth the trouble in the end. And then, would your neighborhood mechanic be able to service an automotive turbine engine had it been produced? I saw the video pop up in my Facebook feed today and initially skipped over it, since the title screamed CLICKBAIT to me. These cars were prototypes. They get crushed all the time. Remember the GM electric vehicles passed around in a similar program 20 years ago or so? Their lessors didn't want to see them go either when that program came to an end.

Remember when manufacturers were developing automated highway driving using buried electrical conduits? This GM promo film from 1956 envisions hands-free cruising: Side note: I'd like to know more about the nifty miniature set depicting the futuristic highway interchange. The model cars seem to be driven with a conveyor system used in World's Fair displays.

As a child I was given a neat book by my grandmother, titled Automerica by the Ant Farm artist collective. They were behind the installation that later became known as Cadillac Ranch, among other '70s wackiness. The book gives an illustrated account of the creation of Cadillac Ranch. IIRC the idea was to celebrate the evolution of the tailfins from year to year. They were OK with allowing graffiti on the cars, but vandals pretty well ruined them over the years IMHO. In the late '90s the monument was moved from its first location to another. Also, apparently in 2019 the oldest of the bunch was set on fire by vandals. Drivetribe article, including some older photos: https://drivetribe.com/p/1-buried-cars-art-cadillac-ranch-BuWyMfzLRXeQ8lsr2jRMCw?iid=d5G3CAOyRN-hXHg9I_LVjw For further reading here's a neat article from someone who photographed Cadillac Ranch through the '90s: https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/forty-years-of-the-cadillac-ranch/

I'm glad my old clippings have finally come in handy. :-)

I think the old opening-door Revell kits are fine for kitbashing, but the two-piece tires weren't the greatest. I recently got the Revell snap '57 Chevy, solely for the nice custom "kidney bean" wheels. The tires aren't too bad as they are, but for a particular project I wish they were a little taller (no fault of the kit). The old AMT kit is fine for what it is, a reissue of an old kit with neat custom parts. I think people are expecting every kit sold today to be produced to a modern standard, and when they don't meet these builders' expectations they have to run to the message boards to complain. The older kits give you an opportunity to practice your building skills. These aren't puzzles. :-)

(Tamiya also did a Dodge Charger slot car in the '60s)

And Canada has its own as well.

Liberty Classics did a diecast model Jeep pickup. Also, I happen to have some old clippings relating to Carhenge.

Some model car styrene plastic recipes might include some clear pellets along with the colored ones. Clear is more brittle than other colors. On the other hand, I have some vac-formed brick sheets I bought 20 or so years ago that were formulated for UV resistance. I found it rather rubbery and hard to cut in a straight line.

As I was posting, I was wondering if it was supposed to be more of a mobile home than a travel trailer. It's a pity I didn't save the text of the auction to go along with the pictures for context. Here's a fun historical look at the evolution of the mobile home. Also note they point out the Pierce Arrow's Touring Landau trailer of 1910, with a gooseneck hitch. https://mobilehomeliving.org/the-history-of-mobile-homes/

BTW, the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum in Hammondsport, NY has an Aerocar on display. I got some reference pictures, including what I could of the interior. The museum itself is highly recommended.

This is a fun thread. I don't have one of my own to share at the moment, but I was reminded of an eBay listing from several years ago of a '40s salesman's sample model. IIRC it was 1:24 scale or thereabouts.

The puppet Rodeo was a gimmick for promoting Levi Jeans. Initially installed for the Golden Gate International Exposition in 1939 it was later mounted in the van for a road tour. Wooden puppets moved in sync with the recorded soundtrack. Of course, they were wearing miniature Levi Jeans. The puppets were lost over time, but a couple of pairs of the little jeans apparently survived. https://www.levistrauss.com/2014/10/09/throwback-thursday-meet-me-at-the-fair/ (Image via Pinterest)

Update! I have changed direction a bit. Wheels are from Revell's snap '57 Chevy. I'm not sold on the tires that come with it. I'd rather have some taller bias-ply type tires, but I have nothing that will work. I haven't decided on the final color for the wheels, but I'm aiming for a typical Halibrand finish. Rear bumper got swapped from the custom piece to the stock one, dechromed. I think it flows better.

Those Fireball 500 kits are fun for kitbashing.