Claude Thibodeau

Hi Ray! Thanks for you continuous support! CT

Thank you Tim! CT

Hi Francis! Well. I'm afraid you did it: my friend, you pushed the bar so high with your mastery of metal, you now must be informed that fellow modelers on this forum, from this day on, will not accept anything less than a full METAL frame on your next build. The jury is out, and that's it. Styrene? What is this stuff, anyway? LOL. Fantastic details, as usual! CT

HI! I was blessed to find a Johan 72 Torino Track racer, mint, for 30$. So... Modified the platform, chassis, front & rear suspensions, shaved emblems, markers, door handles, and added Revell's 2013 Boss 302 powertrain and rolling stock. Amt 66 nova seats (4). Scratchbuilt: interior panels, firewall, console, arm rest, brake lever, shifter, cup holders, speaker enclosure, rear platform, radiator panel + hood inverted hinges & air filter. Hosed & wired. Tamya's Racing white & Testors Wet Look clear. BMF, Molotow & Krylon chrome finishes. I had a very busy spring, having to deal with an inherited estate... but now, it's back to the bench! Four other cars are waiting, so, excuse me, I gotta go... Hours of fun with styrene! CT

Hi Manuel! Great restyling, bravo! Somehow, this Stude is a timeless design, that has seen countless custom adaptations... And most look very good, such as yours. Proves again that the original design was sound. CT

HI! I saw it also on Model RoundUp last week. But, they asked that buyers refrain themselves to 1 or 2 cans... because of low inventory. Alas, having it shipped across the border to Canada is expensive, if not forbiden, because it is an "explosive" product... Sigh... CT

Hi JC! You are right, but, the engine in the kit is the V6. The Merkur XR4Ti, née Sierra, was a 2.3 L4 turbo, just like in the TBird Turbo coupe and a special edition Mustang, that was sold only for 2 years if I remember correctly. CT

Hi! As to your shock mounts also being the headlight mounts on Mr. B's car... His philosophy was that true genius implies having ONE part doing MULTIPLES functions. He prided himself about that... CT

HI! After the cancellation of Testor's Wet Look clear (a tragedy!), I was experimenting with all sorts of clear, and it occured to me that since Testor's was manufactured by Rustoleum, maybe some of the "corporate" clear might have the same viscosity, which is so critical to the way the Wet Look flows and shines. So, I tried the whole family of Rusto's clear. Nothing quite similar to WLC. But, when I saw this one, with the black chair on it, I tried it on test panels pained with Tamya's TS gloss black. Well, it has reasonnable shine, flows well, and presents very little orange peel. BUT... IT is VERY HOT. After 2 tack coats, I tried a wet coat, and the Tamya's black almost washed away! So, be warned: light coats only. So far, the best alternative I found is Mr. Hobby Super clear. Flows well, doen't run, polishes well. I understand they have also a "Gloss coat clear", to be used as a flash coat, but I can't find it locally. When I do, I'll try it! Maybe some user can comment? CT

Hi Steve! Like the old sage, CT (wait: that's me!) once said: "So much styrene, so little time!" CT

Hi Alan! Great project, and we can see that you paid close attention to the subject even before starting. Mr. Buttera's car were full of clever ideas, yet, so "smooth", you'd tought they were "simple". Quite the contrary. Great start, keep on. This thing was an icon. You will nail it, for certain! CT

HI! Having dealt with Mr. Coddington a couple of times, I can attest that he was a polite and reserved man. Having been in TV myself for many years, our conversations confirmed that he was not really at ease with all the convolutions of the "plot", but agreed to it anyway. A "devil's bargain", to get the TV exposure? I guess so... His body of work speaks volume to me. CT

Hi! As someone who owned three (!) Merkur XR4Ti and one Scorpio, i'm partial to those Sierras, as they have been born overseas. I traded an 85 Thunderbird Turbo coupe for an XR4Ti that was driven by the Ford district rep in my neck of the woods, and even if the powertrain was the same, the chassis/suspension was infinitely more smooth and agile. Seats were hard as rock, but you know, you can't have everything. Nostalgia... The Scorpio? One of the best cars I ever owned. A gentleman a few blocks from me has an old 88. He insist she still goes like new, and it looks like it does. Finally, I have the Tamya Sierra (85 vintage) in my stash, still untouched... Can't decide if I do it like mine was (transplanting the TurboCoupe 4 from Monogram's kit), or build an outrageaous mash-up of some kind. What do you gentlemen think? CT

Hi Steve! Great car, and impressive engine. The big cheese at Vintage Air AC in Texas has (or had...) one similar, in 1/1. Your's color is more "menacing". Bravo! CT

Hi Glen! Looks OEM, very good idea. Bravo! CT

Hi Grant! Bull's eye, bravo! The kind of car that would get any state trooper all worked up and foaming at the mouth. Good luck with the DMV! CT

Hi Snake! Nice. It looks like a "day 2" muscle car, as we used to say about the usual "immediate" mods performed upon returning from the dealership. Memories... CT

Hi! Having built my share of Johan kits in the 60's and in the last 5 years (nostalgia?), their bodies are so faithfull to the prototypes that it's sometimes hard to believe they were tooled in the 60's. Interior and platforms (chassis) were average, if not a bit less. Except their race cars and 30's classics, that were above average IMHO. I recently built 6 (68 Chrysler 300C, 70 Challenger Funny car, 72 Torino, 70 Eldorado. 64 Caddy convertible and a 68 Javelin), and for me it is either a simple curbside, or an ultra-detailed chassis/interior scratchbuilt to go along with the body shell. I'm happy in both circumstances. I never built them "box stock"! CT

Hi Nick! Very nice and clean. The insects on the road will never know what decapitated them... CT

Hi Nick! Perfect stance, and surgically clean. Bravo! Did-you make any update the the front & rear suspensions? Just curious... CT

Hi Luke! Great project, and clean workmanship! Your technique to blend the roof sections reminds me of the way we weld frames on 1/1 rods when we want to increase the strenght of the joint by having a longer weld. Clever! CT

Hi Tom! Very nice concept to begin with... and a GREAT salvage job! Bravo! CT

Hi again! Thanks for the progress report on the MT FC. I look forward to seeing it completed. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy your "warm-up" projects. Keep on! CT

Hi Sir! Impressive work, as usual. This full-bodied liner reminds me of the Barry Setzer monocoque fueler that you recreated a few years ago. Simply stunning! Keep On! CT PS: What happened to the monocoque Mickey Thompson FC you started last year? Just curious...

Hi Lee! Very nice, and the superb paint job is so "60's". Brings back memories... Bravo! CT