Jantrix

Well the newest Mopar kits from Revell were the '67 Charger and the '70 Cuda, which had 117" and 108" inch wheel bases respectively. The '60 Plymouth Suburban Wagon had a 122" wheelbase. So even with the Charger chassis, you're gonna have to add about 5 millimeters in length.

There is an IPMS club in Clearwater that seem to be a good bunch of folks. http://www.pelikanclub.org/

Per their webpage Model Roundup ships world wide. http://www.modelroundup.com/shipping-returns-a/134.htm

I think that the years when body styles changed the most dramaticaly, are the best stylistically. Some companies caught on sooner than others, but they all came around. 1949. 1959,1964,1970

That's a real shame. However in my eyes thats all the more reason to enter. If no one steps up and complains and trys to compete, nothing changes. The model is looking good. Kinda sad to see that cool roadster get cannibalized though.

Have you contacted the IPMS UK chapter near you and see if there are contests? http://ipmsuk.co.uk/

28 days to go. 4 weeks people. Only five racers in the completed builds thread. You're not going to make it that easy for us are you?

I'm finishing up a kitbash of this kit and I'm very impressed. With the new way these are being molded, there are no ejector pin marks anywhere. The only sprue mounting issues I'm having so far have been the headlights. The point where it attaches to the sprue is right at the top of the headlight. Not very bright. The engine is very nice but it feels like it sits too low in the chassis. Most likely so that they wouldn't have to completely alter the interior for the tranny. I would have liked clear red plastic tail lights, rather than something I have to paint. They just look better. Over all, it's a great kit. it will be a safe bet I'll buy more of them down through the years. Hosted on Fotki

There is a medium thickness, I'd go for that. And yes the kicker is worth doing. A safety note on using kicker. When applied to the glue there is a significant amount of heat generated. Some sort of chemical reaction. So when applying the kicker to the glue, make sure no glue has run onto your hand. It will burn you. Luckily I learned the lesson from someone elses mistake rather than my own.

My dad was a car guy and grew up building model cars in the 50's. Starting about age 10 he started me on them as something to do during the Long Island winters. All year he'd buy up kits and gluebombs at the flea markets and yard sales and when the first snows started to fall he'd drop a big box of stuff on the craft bench in the basement. At first I sort of thought everything had to be put together just like the instructions said. Like a puzzle. Once he described kitbashing to me, I was off and running. I had a hard time thinking of them as static displays back then and played with them until they fell apart and then I'd rebuild them all over again. I don't think my dad ever dreamed it would become a lifelong obsession though. Part of every visit is him checking out my recent work.

Very cool and unique.

Now THAT is a good idea. By the way folks, Zenrat has won this a couple of times so if he shows up on race day, you can bet he's bringing an outstanding racer. So be on your A-game yourselves. Fred, glad you are still with us. I'm looking forward to seeing the Citation.

Very nicely done. It looks great.

Okay final post before it's under glass. Matt, that Valspar color on the engine block is called Moonlit Surf. This is my attempt at a bare metal finish that's seen some miles. Semi-successful I think. The whole model is supposed to represent a rod that has seen both strip and salt in it's life and is still in cruising shape. Still have the lil bits left to do and a coat of dullcoat.

I really wish it went without saying but sadly it needs to be mentioned. I've seen this only once and I was quite upset. Thanks Curtis. I'm glad everyone seems to be getting something out of this it's been on the back burner of my brain for a while.

It goes without saying that they are stylistically dated. Our most modern offerings from Revell are very traditional old school ot rods and they sell real well. As-is, I wouldn't expect the demand for these 34's to be high. However if they were to put a little time and $$ into back dating the kit (at least the coupe) to something from the 1960's it might turn out be the most popular 1/16 scale kit of all time.

True. However the eye catching nature of the build will usually increase the amount of time a judge looks at your model, because he's interested. If the work is solid, it will be noticed. If a judge is less interested in a model, he spends less time on it. Is it "proper" judging? No. But it does happen and more often than you think. I suppose one could say it's taking advantage of human nature. Most people will tell you that placing the model near the front edge of the table is your best bet becasue the judge can get close. I can honestly say this has been my experience. Yes, you are taking a chance of it getting damaged by passers by (ladies purses make me nervous) but most contests are frequented only by builders and their familes and they are pretty careful around the tables. But contests at car shows though where Mr & Mrs John Q and their three unsupervised brats are walking by the tables? Wow. Those scare me enough that I find it difficult to put my model at the front. Bill, thanks a lot for your excellent advice. All great points.

Thanks Ray. If your engine is a main focal point of the build by all means leave it open or off. A great way to display your hood if you remove it, is to use a small acrylic easel you can buy to show off coin collections. Like this. http://www.tripar.com/product.php?id=110109MBAV I can't say I've noticed darker models winning more often. I will say that flat paint jobs are seen as being simpler to do and are often overlooked by judges. Accuracy is tough which is why I didn't mention it. Factory stock is the ONLY class I think it would be applicable. And very hard to prove on way or another. You'd have to be a certified expect in factory cars to call someone out on something like that shut off valve. Very likely he was just spreading his builds out a bit, so as not to swamp a class. Rich, those are all great points. Thanks for chiming in.

Disclaimer – I’m not a world class, best in show award winning modeler. I likely never will be. And I’m cool with that. I build to my own standards and compete with whatever I call finished. I’m not writing this out of vanity. I’m writing this because I do get asked pretty frequently at shows why I thought this or that model, didn’t win an award. I’ve been asked at a couple IPMS shows to assist in judging. Their senior members, that have been judging for years would give us a crash course in how to do so. Then we would judge the classes in three man teams. So here I am, passing what they taught me, on to you. First, here is a list of flaws that will make the judge pass your model by the second he sees them. 1. Mold lines on any part. On the body especially. If you aren’t sure something is a mold line versus a body line, do some research. On parts like the radiator, exhaust pipes, tires, and bumpers, mold lines are VERY visible. And they will kill your model. 2. Ejector pin marks. Same as mold lines. 3. Fingerprints in the paint. 4. Poor fitment. If your bumper is crooked or hood doesn’t fit, etc. 5. Parts broken off or missing. Bring some CA glue and tweezers to the show with you. Nuff said. 6. Visible glue joints, glue or CA fog on clear parts. 7. Severe orange peel in the paint. 8. Aftermarket details done badly. If you are going to do it, do it well. 9. Crooked or poorly done decals. Second, here is a list of issues that aren’t deal breakers but will bump you backward in contention. 1. No wash added to a chrome grill. This is very simple to do and adds a lot of depth to a build. 2. No detail added to the dashboard. 3. Wheels/tires that touch the inside of the fender. 4. Tires that still have a gloss on the tread. 5. Silvered decals. When your decal has a whitish halo around it from the clear edge of the decal. Some careful trimming will avoid most of this. 6. If the paint is supposed to be shiny but doesn’t have a nice even gloss. Use a good clear, learn to polish. 7. If you have weathered the model but it doesn’t look realistic. Nothing that rusts, does so uniformly, in the same identical shade of rust. 8. Poor use of Bare Metal Foil. Nobody is an expert at this right off the bat. Like painting it takes a bit of practice. Get a ’58 Impala and get busy. By the time you finish it, you should be fairly competent with the stuff and in need of a drink. 9. Any place where body filler or removed trim “ghosts” through the finish. 10. 3 wheeling. Unless your model only has three wheels, all four should be touching the table at the same time. Lastly. Here are some general thoughts on competing that have popped up over the years. Most of it is my own opinions and some common sense. 1. Don’t be a sore loser. If you go stomping off to the club president, you will lose the respect of your peers. Your peers will remember this when it comes time to vote for Best in Show which is normally a public vote. 2. Don’t bring the same builds to the same contests over and over for years. Again, you will lose the respect of your fellow builders. It’s kind of like bringing a ringer. I have also seen judges say, “This one won first place last year”, and pass it by. My personal rule is - one try, win or lose, for each contest. I have broken this rule occasionally, but only with models that did not win, and not often. 3. Be eye catching – the longer you make the judge hang out, the better your chances to win an award. If you build a Mustang and paint it red, unless that paint is flawless and miles deep, it’s just a red Mustang. Build something unusual that stands out, something with a little style. Make the judge say, “Well that’s different”. Now some might think that adding a metric ton of aftermarket detail is a way to do this. Not necessarily. 4. Aftermarket detail – in my opinion, all things in moderation. I’ve seen a lot of drag cars done with every last fuel, spark, nitrous, water, oil, linkage detail added so that you can scarcely see the engine. Sometimes it’s a detractor rather than an asset. 5. Scratchbuilding – when a judge sees that word on your entry form, he’s gonna take a second look. If the work is done well, your chances improve. 6. Clean building and great paint wins. Period. Everything else done on the model is just more points in your favor. 7. Build a good variety of stuff. If you build just street rods, and plop eight of them down in the street rod class, remember that most clubs use a “no sweeps” rule. Which means one person can’t win all three awards for the class. And dropping your street rod truck in the commercial class doesn’t fool anyone, and will usually be ignored by the judges. 8. Display stands. Please be courteous. In a crowded category like street machines or hot rods, there may not be a lot of room for your 12” pie plate mirror or revolving stand. If my models have to be on top of one another so you can have your display stand, I’m gonna be a bit miffed. That's about it. I hope this helps people that are thinking about trying a local contest. There are a lot of people that have had bad experiences at contests, but there is a lot to be learned, a lot of cool people to meet, and great models to see, it would be a shame to miss it.

Negative Ghost Rider. This CBP ends Dec 1st at 11:59PM. The moment it rolls over to Dec. 2nd, it's over. Just 36 days left folks. Time to pull the shop manager and the boys into the office for a stern talking to, and then get them back to work!

Me and the Fonz dig it.

Looks great, but you do know that you can put your updates in the original thread right? So that everyone can see all of your work on this model in one location.

Great from Dale and Bruce. Looking forward to seeing them completed.

'77 AMC Pacer wagon. Mods include. '96 Corvette front subframe and suspension. Scratch-built transmission cross-member. Rear traction bars and panhard bar. Six point roll cage fitted nice and tight to the roofline to keep it hard to see. Drift style e-brake AMT Toyota Supra 2JZ twin turbo inline six cylinder engine with scratch-built plumbing. All paints are Krylon. Weathering powders and washes. Also thanks to Bill Engwer (Acegarageguy), for his engineering advice concerning the rear suspension

Wow. What an advantage it is to have that cutter. Holy cow. Amazing workmanship. And the veneer idea is genius.