coopdad

I had heard they had gotten Ford's approval but they never would say anything on their website for some reason. Guess they wanted to announce it in a major venue like SEMA. So I guess it is official.... a person could build a brand new Bronco, not using a single old part. The Body from Dynacorn, frame from Matkins, crate motor, etc, etc, etc. The only thing left missing is a BRONCO MODEL KIT!!!! Come on already! John

Can't say anything that hasn't been said (but want to). Great job! Absolutely real. John

Again, thank you for the kind words... it really means a lot! Jose, the decals were made using a software called Illustrator. I searched and searched old photos of the truck for referance then searched some more for photos of the 1:1 decals that I could use as patterns to remake them. The "horseshoe" logo on the side was the hardest to find but ultimately I found it on an old beer can. Of course, they were then printed out on decal paper using an inkjet printer. As always, if you have any questions about anything I have done, please ask. John

Thanks all for the suggestions. I tried alcohol, I guess it worked pretty decent (good enough to allow clear coating). A quick photo update... Got it clean, put on decals and cleared the whole thing. That light at the end of the tunnel is starting to get a little closer. Looking more like a truck and less like a pile of styrene (I will be glad when this is done). John

So we agree, the terms are not interchangeable. And we all seem to agree that scratchbuilding holds a little "prestige" (for lack of better term) than kitbashing. I would like to hear opinions about the gray area... how many box parts could still allowed and still call it scratchbuilt? If you scratchbuild am entire car then use wheels/tires from an existing kit, can it still be called scratchbuilt? What if the engine is also in the car? John

Or if you didn't sign up, you can go to their site and download/printout the current coupon: http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/weekly.cfm Thanks for the reminder CrazyJim, we are about to head over there right now! John

Cato, Yes, hairspray is used to simulate weathering/rusting. First put down a layer of rust colored paint, spatter on hairspray, spray another layer of acrylic on, then after dried, wash it off. The hairspray comes off (with some scrubbing) leaving a really pitted look in the paint. There used to be a GREAT how to on other site but it has been removed because the story became a how-to in the magazine. But here is another pretty good one: http://www.rbadesign.net/TERRAPIN/Painted_Corrugated_Metal.htm Here are two more links that use salt and detergent to accomplish the same effect using the same wash-away technique: http://public.fotki.com/vsuarez666/voodoo-customs-chop-shop/models-1/crankys-salt-licker/ http://ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2003/02/stuff_eng_tech_detergent_wash.htm Post pix soon. John

I did but I started with an air filter that came in a misc. kit (AMT Ford Bronco I think). I cut off the breather tube. Then cut it in half horizontally and added some styrene to make it taller. Finally I wrapped it with fine painted sand paper to give the look of the filter stuff. Let me know if I didn't explain something well, haven't had my coffee yet. John

MORE MORE MORE! Please! John

Again, thank you everyone for the kind words. A little update... I sanded the damaged body panel down and resprayed both colors. It turned out much better than the other BUT the blue painter's tape left its glue on the white. I am going to run a few tests of what can remove it without messing up the paint. Alcohol or Finger nail polish are the first to try. If anyone knows something else to try, let me know. John

Thanks much guys. A small update...have been painting between high temps and high humidity. That shiny gold paint doesn't hide anything... every time I use it, I find something needing fixing. Oh well. Some more pix: Nose is very close to being done. Still need a little touch up on the F O R D lettering but close. Still have to build this a rock guard screen to cover the center section (if I feel like building it). Got the paint on the side body panels also but the tape pulled off a few pieces of paint in the white. Darn Darn DARN! I am going to try to fill the holes with paint hope that they will be covered with the decals. But I might have to mask of that panel and repaint. Darn! John

Funny Mark but very true. That is why I personally NEVER give criticism AFTER the model is (or appears to be) done. What is the point? All finished models have flaws. Pointing out that there is a fingerprint in the door doesn't ensure that it doesn't happen in the next model. And if the builder left it there, they were not willing to do what it took to fix it. They "settled"... they left things they knew were wrong choosing to say heck with it. When I finish a model and post it, I am both proud and let down. I know all the areas in which I "settled", and the areas that have obvious flaws. Having people point them out or tell me other problems that I have not seen will not help me improve. However, during the WIP stage I fully welcome the criticism help. In fact, the current build I had someone make a constructive comment about something that I simply overlooked... it saved me hours of work (and frustration) fixing it back then as opposed to fixing it now. There is also the issue: what might be a flaw to me is not always going to be a flaw to another. I hate seams showing, especially across the top of the brake master cylinder or through the transmission. If I left it, it would be a huge flaw in my work. To others, no problem. John

Can't say anything new.. great job, especially under the hood. Very realistic. John

It has been said, don't focus on the label you will call yourself, focus on getting better at techniques. Grab your last two models and nit-pick the heck out of them. Is there an area of the model that just doesn't look like the real car? Now find threads, techniques, friends, etc. that can help you improve there. And analyze pix of real cars, parts, etc., not just assume you know what things look like. Another thing a great modeler told me that really helped me was "treat each group of parts as its own model". For instance build the motor as if it was going to be displayed without the car. The dash. The suspension. The grille. The inside of the trunk. He even builds seats as if they were on display outside the car. It really helps. John

I think I would sand the terminals down a little shorter before you paint it. Otherwise, great job! John

Funny! Two houses down (technically up) the street. We moved in a few years after you moved out. Is it possible we have met at one of the model club meetings at Hobby Town? John

Chuck, I watched the WIP of this one over on The Model Builders forum. Too unbelievable for words! If you don't get many responses it is because everyone is too stunned to type! John

Jim, exactly! I have a friend in SoCal that knows Parnelli and sees him occasionally. I am going to have to get it signed somehow. I have some more photos: Interior is basically done except for a "floormat" under the driver and seatbelts. Body panels are painted white and will get their strange "goldish" beer can color and decals as soon as paint is completely dry. Can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! John

I cannot image what you are going though. We are praying. John

Found this in the bottom of my model paint tacklebox today: In the blurry photo the sticker says "Big K" and "27¢" I sure got my 27¢ worth! Still have half a bottle. And I wonder how long it has been since Big K was in business. John

Mike is right, don't worry about drilling but I would drill very small holes (pilot holes) first to be sure you get the hole in the correct location. When you are looking at the header photos you will notice that the pipe lengths are (or should be) all the same. If they aren't they won't look real. unpainted solder: with paint: John

Yes, awesome job Tim. I too used white paper coated with Tamiya clear for my decals. Printed on a Canon Pixma inkjet (had terrible luck with our Dell laser printer) on the coated Photopaper settings. I used Illustrator to build the files. before adding dirt (a better view of the decals... sorry for the oversized photo): On thing I learned that made an effect was to double check that when making "black" art, make sure it is CMYK black, not RGB. I scanned the car number "302" and forgot to convert it to CMYK before bringing it into Illustrator. So it had a dot pattern because it was made up of many colors rather than only black ink. Not too noticeable as the registration of the printer is pretty good but it was a dumb mistake. John

Thank you everyone for the kind words. Jon, I would love to have someone offer a Bronco kit. Really surprised that someone hasn't done one. A few years back a couple of guys photographed every angle of a stock Bronco at Fab Fords but it ended up being Tamiya's RC body. It would be awesome if they would use their research for a 1/24 kit. More progress: Paint on the rear end: Front radiators: The dash board: Front steering (finally got pix of how the crazy thing works): Enjoy.

Great job on all. Great photography too! Got any photos of the interiors? John

The muscle car museum in Sevierville I have heard was awesome (I have only see the cars on TV shows). The name is Floyd Garrett's Muscle car museum; http://musclecarmuseum.com/ Have heard the one in Gatlinburg is more of a touristy. john