Misha

My main emphasis is on building at least four Deuces for the upcoming Deuce Days gathering of 1:1 rods in Victoria this summer. Our club, SPAM (Scale Plastic Auto Modellers) will be hosting the model show at this event and we are encouraging all to join in! On the workbench is a chopped 5 window on an early dragster frame, a Bonneville roadster, a vintage three window hot rod, and a Vicky built for the strip. If planning a trip come join us in the Pacific Northwest on Vancouver Island (our Canuck Buck is worth nearly $1.50 US!!)

Wow!!! Your chassis and engine compartment detail is a real knockout. Hard not to think it's a 1:1, congrats. Any further info on detailing would be much appreciated. Cheers Misha

Thank you for all the comments and encouragement. Bernard picked up on the theme of the display as being a "Show & Go" which accounts for the white walls. The Precision Engineering Company out of Chicago wanted to get involved in the local race scene and built the Super Mod not only to compete, but to use the car as a rolling advertisement off the track as well, entering many of the early 60s Rod shows on the east coast. When displaying the vehicle they would swap out the comp tires for the fresh white walls to complement the cleaned and polished racer. The model lent a certain amount of simplicity from the subject matter and also being an early Monogram kit. This allowed for detailing with modern day techniques and parts to really jazz up the kit. Further plans are to build a small diorama of it on display at one of those early rod shows complete with roped stantions, display tools, trophies and the such. It was a very enjoyable build and has helped me to get back more often to the workbench. Thanks again, Cheers Misha

Terrific collection... and growing? That has been a terrific year for you Phil, plus all the work you perform for our club, SPAM, thank you. Hard to pick a fave, Lotus Falcon sure catches one's eye sneakily. Looking forward to Duece Days this summer. Hope to have some done for the show, been WIP for awhile. Cheers all the best! Misha

Have so many projects on the go, getting them finished becomes a special event. Our annual club display is a real motivatator and for this year I finished the old Mongram Super Modified. Changed the induction to the FI unit from the new Ala Kart engine. Wired and plumbed the engine, switched to steel wheels, PE seatbelt hardware and instrument panel, opened the nose and redid the chrome with Alclad. Enjoyed the build and quite pleased with the result. Thanks to Phil Dauphinee for the photo. Hoping to have a larger collection to show this time next year. Wishing all a happy New Year, filled with happiness and plastic! Cheers Misha

The Island Classic this past Saturday was a great event with a very good turn out of automotive and other subjects. All the automotive categories had a number of entries, with the major "Orange" theme proving to be a delight for the eyes and laugh button. A big thank you and congratulations to the SPAM organizing committee and especially Phil for the photography (please check out his Fotki page listed above). Cheers Misha

Great news! Getting the Model A is perfect for all the gearheads! Plus the Porsche 914 reissue after all these years. Thanks Tim for the details on the 29 and glad to hear about the Nailhead. Always liked the Buick in the Trophy kit of the Willys/Duece Sedan as it had matching valve and plug covers, yet it seems that might have been missed in Revell's offering, which would be a shame. Yet the rest of the kit sounds bang on, especially the two frames. Can see how this will be a hit just as their Duece has been. All this news on the heels of recent threads here regarding the need for a 29 and the great build of the 914; this will surely ignite many of our imaginations! Cheers Misha

I'm certainly behind you on the idea of having a 29 roadster issued that would ride on a Deuce frame. When one looks at the success Revell has had with their varied Deuce kits, one would think they would be the natural manufacturer to issue the 29. It's a no brainer as such a kit would appeal to all the gearheads who have built the previous kits. By the way, when can we see the original 32 roadster reissued as my supply has been used up. Hope the molds still exist and weren't eaten up to produce the rat roaster version. Cheers Misha

Wow, just saw this added to your previous two posts, again congrats on enhancing this kit. As before your paint schemes are bang on! Plus adding the plumbing really makes it sizzle. Thanks for showing your work, looks fabulous and your output is commendable. Cheers Misha

A great companion piece to your dragster Jason, wonderful paint and decal choice. Looking forward to more of your work. Have a look at some vintage photos to see the fuel line hookups, as you've done well with the ignition wiring and the next step would be to add the fuel lines too. Fairly basic set ups back then and it add even more realism to your great work. Cheers Misha

Great job Jason! Very clean build with all the bits lining up nicely. I especially like your paint treatment with the chrome firewall. This vintage kit has always been a favorite of mine right from the first issue back in the early sixties. All the extra parts have always been useful and I'm glad AMT saw fit to reissue it complete. Congrats on your rail, Cheers Misha

Speaking of vice-versa, while searching the web for Corvair engine details, I was surprised to see that they are a hot commodity for small aircraft and home built planes! Cheers Misha

Congrats on another beautiful build Phil! My favorite style of racing with favorite vehicle, a Duece. Bravo! Cheers Misha

w Hi Brian, Still a WIP, although I'm away from my workbench at home on Vancouver Island while I spend the winter in Scottsdale, AZ (escaping the rainy season). Ought to be back in about a month and will post an update. It's a good kit, allowing for greater detail through gizmology! Thanks for asking, it's great encouragement. Cheers Misha

Great technique and tip for the pulleys plus great detail on the engine! Thanks Misha

Thanks everyone for your kind comments and encouragement. Looking forward to be back at the bench after the holidays down here in Scottsdale. Cheers Misha

For the first time in quite awhile I can post a completed year end build! While I have a ton of WIPs, getting one into the display case has been a struggle. Usually it's the process rather than the result for me. So I was very happy to complete this pair based on the Tony Nancy rail and the 55 Chevy pickup. Together they depict the LaBelle Speed Shop from California back in 63. I was so pleased with the result that for this new year the plan is to complete a number of my Duece WIPs, ranging from a five window rail to a salt flats roadster, and a couple of T's. Hopefully you'll see the efforts at this time next year. Happy New Year to all, Cheers Misha

While I haven't tried the product, I do feel that the forum is set up to help each other. I would like to know of other modellers experiences, for truly that is the best way to learn. By sharing information we can save a lot of grief that others have discovered or found a way around a problem. I hope to see others chime in with their experiences, rather than suggest that one try it out themselves. The forum exists so that we do not work in isolation. Cheers Misha

I use the tiny ziploc style bags used by jewellers with a note describing what the part is and the kit it's from. From there it's into metal Twinnings tea containers labeled "Intake Systems", "Ignition Systems", etc. Only problem is I'm a coffee drinker, so there's a lot of loose tea around the house! Cheers Misha

I would certainly be interested, and would buy one or more if it were full detail. I've had a look at the pre-painted kits and am not impressed as its like working on a jigsaw puzzle. Those kits may be good for novice builders or young kids, yet for me, I prefer the challenge! (No pun intended) Cheers Misha

Fab job Jason, looks like it's ready to turn a few laps! Good to hear about the decals, with your great paint job it looks terrific. Now that the 240 is listed to be reissued it'll make a great stable mate. Would be great to get alternate decals for the 510 for other BRE schemes. Jason, you've spurned me on to move this kit higher up on the build list. Cheers Misha

Great job Gordon! Your paint skills really come to the forefront with the subtle shading giving greater definition to Mr. G's body (it's a lot of area to cover). The Roth and Wierd-O figures are such a treat in allowing for greater detail and diorama displays. I've had the good fortune to view Gordon's work and his skill with these kits is amazing and inspiring! Thanks for your work, Cheers Misha

Hi Bill, While I've been building for decades now, it's only recently that I've begun posting some of my work. My experience so far is that it's a great way to encourage oneself to keep at the project. It's exciting to photograph the progress, post it, and then begin receiving feed back. I also find this forum to be friendly, with thoughtfull comments. It also improves your skills much in the way that joining a club does. Modelling is a solitary experience, so sharing your work is always a thrill, whether by way of a show, club meeting or here on th e forum. I would say, go for it! I would very much like to see how you approach the S&M build. Cheers Misha

Congrats on a beautiful build! Been following your work on this one and it's great to see all the correct details on this iconic rail. It's a beaut! Thanks for showing how it ought to be done. Cheers Misha

Thank you to all for the comments on the LaBelle team! It's wonderful to have such a positive feedback. Thanks to Dave, he nailed down the exact look I was going for, a shop truck that has been rodded yet still has a daily job. The Baby Moons really do set it off right. The rail, if one is patient, isn't that big of a challenge, especially with CA glue. Glad to see the Tony Nancy kit is being re-released. The weekend was a gas! It was great to see a lot of old friends. It was also an opportunity to peruse the dozen or so vendor tables, picked up a few cool items, including an original front bumper and headlight casting for the 65 GTO along with the rear, the Dick Tracy 36 Ford (for a roadster version, the door seam is in the correct position) and a couple of bags of old AMT trophies. Won a Honda CRV kit in he raffle, gonna head to the beach in a surf version, maybe. The entries for the show were truly amazing, some amazing paint jobs, plenty of imagination, and top notch building skills were on display. This year saw a change in the organization as an NNL style was adopted, with awards based on the votes cast by entrants. There were no placings for each class in an effort to make it less competitive, not entirely my style..nonetheless I received ,any gret comments from fellow modellers on my work. Overall a very pleasant Saturday. Thanks again for all the comments, Cheers Misha