Raul_Perez

How are you making out with the orange tape? I'm going to the LHS today and I'm pretty sure they have some. Let me know.

Small car + BIG MOTOR + BIG MEATS = a lot of fun! Looking good so far!

WOW!! That is one wild looking ride!! Keep up the good work, Brendan!

Now that's funny!

You're assuming that I included a return address on the package I sent you...I thought that Marines were trained to not assume anything. hmmm...who do I know in the Post Office that can rip off that corner of the package before it gets to SC.

Ken, Thanks for the compliments. I'm glad that you liked the build. Here are the very minor body and frame mods that are needed (or at least the ones that I can recall): 1) Relocate the rear body mounting tabs on the frame, (they need to move forward just a bit to fit under the cab). 2) Slightly widen the opening at the bottom-rear of the cab where the frame comes through, (the frame from the coupe is a little wider than the one that comes with the truck). 3) The rear portion of the frame had to be straightened and shortened, (just behind the center point of the axle), for the bed to have something to sit on. 4) I added a 1/16" high strip of plastic to the bottom of the bed to get it up high enough for the wheels to clear the fenders. 5) The opening in the hood has to be relocated. I used the hood scoop that comes with the pickup to fill in the frontal portion of the opening and my handy Dremel to open up the rear portion. Pretty easy stuff. Give it a try. It was pretty easy bash.

OK, here's my entry. It's the Revell '64 Ford Fairlane T-Bolt. Yes, the cellophane is still on it. Stop laughing! I'll get started on it as soon as I finish my '58 Impala. Later,

Hey, Clay...what's with the A1 Steak Sauce? Is that what you use to "spice up" your models?

Thanks for the illustration, Kenny!! Clay, Here's how I'd lower this one. I'd cut it right where the red lines are. That'll probably get you at least 1/8" without too much work. With the guidpins gone, you'd just have to make sure that the axle gets centered correctly in the wheel openings, but that should be pretty easy. If you don't want to shorten the shocks, you could always raise the perches. Regards,

Clay, You just don't seem to understand, my young friend...this is our way of thanking you and all of the other service people for your sacrifice. Yes, the service from you and all of the people in the armed forces is MORE than enough. If the cost of the flag is that one more serviceman has to go to war, then I don't want a flag, but I greatly appreciate the offer. I would fly it proudly in front of my house. So, stop thinking of ways to repay any of us for sending a little plastic to you and your fellow servicemen. We're repaying you. Period. Regards,

You guys are just too funny! Thanks for the compliments!

Those wheels are NASTY!! That has got to have one seriously narrowed rearend under it. What did you use for the exhaust?

Dave, I'm glad to see that he's improving! As a father, I fully understand how proud you are of his achievements! Jeremy, Keep up the good work!! Your models look great!! Regards,

This is the reissued Model King '43 Willys gasser pickup body sitting on the Revell '41 Willys Stone, Woods & Cook chassis. I had to cut the fenders just a little bit to make room for the headers. The decals are from ScaleModelingByChris. I like the way the silver "HemiFied" lettering balances with the chrome wheels. The parachute pack is made from balsa wood and satin fabric. The doors are hinged on steel sewing pins. They took a little bit of work to get fitted, especially after a few coats of paint and a few more coats of clear were applied, but they work pretty well. The engine is from the Revell '41 Willys Stone, Woods & Cook kit. The Mallory energizer box for the magneto and the blower belt decals are also from ScaleModelingbyChris. I hope that you enjoy looking at this one as much as I did building it. Overall, it went together pretty well. Regards,

Dave, That came out pretty well!! How old is your son?

Neal, The Z06 chassis had to be stretched to get the wheelbase long enough to fit under the truck. To do that, I used two kits. Then it has to be widened. That was pretty simply done with a bit of Plastruct strip. The tricky part is in raising the floor of the bed to make room for the transaxle. Since you seem to be going with an older Vette theme than I did, (using the fuelie engine and late 50s dash), I'd probably put a standard independent front end clip on the truck. I have several spare ’62 Impalas with the type of front suspension I’d use if you need parts. For the rear, I'd probably use the suspension from your donor 58 Vette. Yes, the bed can be difficult to integrate the taillights from the late 50s Vettes, and the flat tailgate just doesn't look right. You need to understand that the Cameo bed was nothing more than a step-side bed with a set of fiberglass panels bolted on to the sides. They did virtually nothing to "stylize" the tailgate when they designed the bed. One design I've seen that looks pretty good is to use the tailgate from a Nomad...but that takes you down an entirely different design path. Unfortunately, I don't have any spare beds except for the one in the picture I posted earlier. If you want it, I could be persuaded to send it to you. For the color, I'd consider the classic colors from the late 50s or early 60s to go along with the late 50s, early 60s Vette theme that you've got going. Unlike mine, yours should have either a white or a silver insert on the side. Red and white would look good. With a colored insert, I'd probably stay away from orange. Black with a white insert and black, gray or red interior would be really classy. I guess that it all comes down to one thing...are you building it as a hotrod or a classy custom? Anyway, send me a PM or an email if you need parts. (I think you have my email address...) Regards,

I'm not familiar with that kit, but typically with a leafspring setup, you have a couple of different ways to go: 1) If the leafs and the axle are separate parts, either move the axle to fit between the leafs and the frame or, (if that's the way it's already setup), add a set of spacers between the leafs and the axle. The spacer option is easy. Measure how much you want the model dropped and make a set of spacers that thick. 2) If the leafs and the axle are one parts and you don't want to separate them, shorten the shocks and flatten out the leafs by carefully bending them. Once bent flatter, they'll probably need to be shortened slightly to fit back into their saddles. If you have to shorten the leafs, you should take equal amounts from the front and the rear of the leaf to better maintain the location of the wheel position in the opening. Send me a PM if you need more help. Later,

Very nice work, Tom! It makes me want to break out mine and get started!

Bud, The interior details look really great!! The gage faces are very well done!! Regards,

Thank you for the additional information and ideas, Andrea.

Yeah, My Legacy is all blonde with a black pickguard. She's the only other blonde that my wife lets me play with. I play it through a Line6 Flextone II. Who could want anything more?!

Mr. Apple, I have a G&L Legacy, a Gibson 335 from the 70s and an Ovation 35 year anniversary Balladeer. Have you heard of G&L? If not, the "G" is for George Fullerton and the "L" is Leo Fender. G&L is the company they co-formed after Leo sold Fender instruments. The Legacy is considered to be Leo's last update to the Strat before he died. I use to switch back and forth between models and guitar, but I recently moved all of my music equipment upstairs to a larger room. I needed more room for my evergrowing collection of model cars. Yes, you and I play pretty much the same type of music. Later,

Curt, It's a pretty good thing that we're getting to the NNL West early. You're going to need a table just for your own stuff! More great builds, my friend!!

Parts of it are a bit "corny", but I still like it! How are you doing with getting your hands on that orange tape? I may be able to pick some up at the LHS if you can't find it at your end. Raul

Clay, I'd try to lower the rear suspension a bit, probably put a small pinstripe around all four wheel openings and put a light wash of flat black in the wheels to make the spokes "pop". Either way, fear not, Marine, backup, oops...I mean better kits are on their way!! Looks like I've been watching too much Heartbreak Ridge!