Andrew D the Jolly Roger

First, I REALLY appreciate the education y'all are patiently giving me! Second, will this kit (link below) give the correct front end (suspension/trunk/etc)? https://www.ebay.com/itm/184787881963?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

Okay, so it's a suspension issue and not a body issue? Would the Revel Cabriolet have the correct front suspension, since I think an Aoshima is beyond me? If I used the Cabr suspension on the regular Revell '68? Am already using the Cabr's seats and bumpers.

Resurrecting this thread; what exactly is the difference in the front/suspension/front area between the "Revell '68 Beetle" and the Super Beetle? Is it a shape difference that I'm missing? Would the Revell Cabriolet have the appropriate differences since I've got that in addition to the Revell "New" for the purposes of some kitbashing?

Kindest thanks for the kind words; I've learned a lot from you folks and have enjoyed your work as well. Well, yeah, except that in the story they had grown up like siblings from a very young age. In the story their parents had all been killed in the same accident when the boys were very young, so Uncle Jesse was mostly the only parent they had known. When I lived in the Deep South for a time I did see cousins close together a couple of times, so I guess it's partially cultural....

Thanks! I'm seeing some poor quality pics of the parts and see it comes with bumpers, but can't tell if they're the squared type....

Ok, then if there aren't any good alternatives, I'll go with those in the Ebay link and modify them; as far as I know that'll be easier than anything else....

That explains it, since I'm starting with a '68.... Would these be close enough (link)? Or is there a better option out there? https://www.ebay.com/itm/114848729877?hash=item1abd848b15:g:EvEAAOSwk0FgxP93

Needing to source the seats in this chop-top Super Beetle. I did find some similar-looking ones from a VW Scirocco kit (see last pic), are they the right type or even just close enough with a couple mods? Or what would a better source be? Is there a name for this seat type?

Thanks Ray! ? Anthony, thank you for the very kind words, truly! I would like to respond that, not normally being a car-builder, I've learned so much from you guys in here, with all the patience for all my questions as I take on each build. Never was a Smokey fan, but I do have several other fleet-collections, albeit in aircraft. I did place at NATS back in 2010 with a complete 1/72 history of the Jolly Rogers Navy fighter squadron, which is a fleet of 31 planes that took a decade to research and build. Recently I also did the complete history of the Vermont Air National Guard, 14 strong.

Hey folks, Had a few requests here and elsewhere to see the entire lineup (so far) of my Hazzard County fleet which has been under construction for the past 6 years. Hope this is the right place to post them! None of these are out-of-the-box, each taking a huge investment of time, research and effort; y'all have been amazingly patient with all my questions, thank you! Greatest challenge was probably the tow truck. Next addition is already in the research and materials-gathering stage. Hope you enjoy!

Wow, thank you, I'm honored! Truly!

Thank you! Yep, I'm planning just that, have had a few others ask the same thing....

Holy heck, they'll see ya comin' in that one.... what an outstanding build!

Thank y'all for the kind words! Hazzard fleet is now 9-strong...already preparing the next inductee ?

Very very nice! And ditto on the color, that's a winner!

Amazing to think they really used to build cars like this; very nicely done!

"Classic" is the word that keeps coming to mind here. Well done!

Thank you all for the kind comments! Harry, I had someone else asking about the wiring over in the build thread; if you look at the currently-final post in the build thread, I put a few photos and a detailed explanation of the wiring I source and keep on hand for this. Here's the link: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/161874-daisy-dukes-plymouth-doh/page/3/

Hey there Brian, Looks good, fascinating idea of the Viper engine in there! Looks like a good fit, at least at a glance, although I'm no expert; aircraft are my usual specialty, hence all the probably-basic automotive questions I tend to pose here. As far as the wire, yes, I keep a stock of multiple sizes of insulated wire; 3 basic sizes, although I do have larger ones for the larger hoses. I also use metal wire for brake/fuel lines. Here's the $0.50 tour of the main insulated wires: Here we see the three basic sizes in three piles. Ultra-fine on the left, medium in the middle, and on the right is the thickest of the three (spark plug wire guage). Here's the closeup of the ultra-fine. It's .0125 diameter, and I usually get it from Ebay dealers. I keep a supply of white, red, blue and black. Again, I also keep some larger stuff on hand for the heaviest of the lines. Second, the mid-guage, size .016. Also found with Ebay dealers, although sometimes with some of the auto aftermarket dealers. Finally the .020, normally for spark plug wiring but useful for many other things. I keep many colors of this as well, including several shades of gray (sometimes just getting the same guage from different manufacturers provides options of different grays, which can make a build seem more varied and "interesting".) Google images is both my friend and enemy in researching engines; can't ever find two matching engine bays for the same year/make/model, so I just pick the features that look most interesting and try to copy, all the while sifting through as many pics of the bays and engines as I can. Hope this helps!

Thank you all! I absolutely could not have done this without y'all's expertise, advice and guidance! Here's the final product:

Just to clarify: YES, they used a '74 Roadrunner which appeared in 5 of the first 9 episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard, then beginning with episode 11 they switched to a '71 Satellite Sebring in a Roadrunner paint scheme, hoping nobody would notice. Some prefer the '74; personally I prefer the '71, finding it much sleeker and meaner looking with the wraparound bumper/grill assembly. Base kit is the Revell/Monogram '71 Plymouth GTX. Modifications include: -Replacement hood -Smaller-block engine (from 71 Duster) -Completely rebuilt & boosted rear suspension -Replacement tires -Wheel hubs from '77 Ford van Additionally, all GTX logos were removed (not easy on the grill); headlights made from sanded/polished acrylic gemstones; engine bay heavily wired and detailed; scratchbuilt steering wheel, CB radio and antenna; paint is Plymouth Yellow Blaze. Build thread is here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/161874-daisy-dukes-plymouth-doh/

I think I forgot to mention the wheel hubs. The kit wheels are totally wrong; you good folks in here guided me toward the wheel hubs from the AMT 77 Ford van, and then someone was kind enough to send me a set which he was not going to use (thanks again Lee! ). Once primed and chromed, they were perfect! They also almost perfectly fit the aftermarket tires which I had ordered (see earlier post June 2). Absolutely perfect! ONE FINAL DETAIL: the CB antenna. In the episode "The Meeting," there is a perfect closeup view of it, which I used as reference to scratch-build mine. Base was carved from two sections of plastic, and the aerial was made from metal guitar string (high "E"). And, God-willing, she's done! Finished pics to be posted shortly.

Thanks Rusty and Carl! Brian, thank you also for the kind words; some really neat stuff you've got going on with your build! I almost opened up the grill the same way, something I did with some of the other members of my Hazzard fleet, but in the end decided against it. Yours came out well! As far as the valance, I can say the final result of blending them into the body really makes a huge difference, at least to my eyes, especially the front one. Just changes the entire effect. Unfortunately you can't put both on and blend them before adding the chassis; I found that out the hard way with a Charger. So I did the front one first, then later in final assembly added the rear one and then blended/painted it to hide the bodywork. Looking forward to your result! ?

Thank you! Almost there. Just using the Daisy's Car kit decals from the MPC kit for the roof-section of the stripe, although the two end sections need to be removed. Daisy's car was in constant use on the country roads and so needs to have a generous amount of Hazzard county road dust. Just speaking for myself, I don't believe in making showroom-fresh vehicles with immaculate chassis and wheel wells to portray actively used vehicles. The overall dusting is a shade called Armor Sand, with some Military Earth Brown right behind the wheels and on the bottom of the fenders just behind the wheels.

Nice, glad you brought this back for those of us who missed it the first time (think there's a pun of some kind in there considering the subject....). Very nice detailing! Always better than just painting molded-on detail. Great craftsmanship!