Claude Thibodeau

Hi! I never ever dared to buit a "rat rod"... but I finally gave it a try. Used a pile of mis-matched parts from the junk bins at the last 2 shows I attended... It is what appears to be a Revell 32 sedan body, with a junked 32 Ford frame of unknown origin, plus L8 engine, tranny & luggage rack from 32 Chrysler imperial (AMT), and wire wheels & IRS from a 39 Mercedes found in the same junk bin. Rear floor pan, dash, seats, windshield, radius rods, sun visor (made from the rear spoiler of a Revell '71 GTX !). steering linkage, column, door panels, pedals, chain & padlock "seat belts" were scratchbuilt. Fully wired & hosed. The roof is a laminate of styrene sheets, opened, with wooden effect & chicken coop fencing for good measure. Paint is Tamya's acrylic with the hair spray technique. The licence plate is litterally suspended with wires... Hours of fun with styrene! CT

Hi! Thanks for the comments. Some fellow modelers on an european forum observed that the "contemporary" mirrors (from a current Dodge Challenger) are a less than ideal fit with this car. They may have a point. I should had favored small "vintage" mirrors, I guess. CT

Hi! Thanks for the comments. For reasons I don't grasp... there seems to be a resurgence of this timeless design these days. I will not complain, quite the contrary... Keep them coming! CT

Hi! Interesting project, rare subject! My brother had a similar 71 Comet, that he drag raced with. These cars were "minimalist", to say it bluntly. But when converted to Pro-Stock, they flew off the tree like crazy. Souvenirs... To your point about the Johan chassis... I concur. Their kits were mostly upgraded promos with extra parts for the kit market. Their bodies were GREAT, even in minute details. But the chassis plate... You are right to discard and start with something else. Can't wait to see where it takes you! CT

Hi! Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated. CT

Hi! Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated! CT

Hi! The whole package works beautifully, bravo! Those Polar light FC front wheels are great. I use them whenever I can. With little detailing, they look very real, as on your car!

Hi! Nice built. You are lucky: I would do unspeakable things to get one of those Invicta AMT kit... Hard to come by, alas! CT

Hi! I will try... More recent production coming in a couple of weeks... Stay tuned! CT

Hi! Understood. I did not know, however, that the word itself had that connotation, when used randomly. Sorry. Rest assured that it never crossed my mind it could be offensive. Regards, CT

Thank you gentlemen to help my nascent knowledge of the German language! Heil! CT

Hi! Thanks for the comments. KK, please, can you translate "Wassergekühlt" for me... just to improve my culture... I think I know what it means in the context of the phrase, but not sure... CT

Hi! Thanks for the comments. The pictures I got all show the car with the clamshell up... because when it is lowered, most show spectators think it's just a "regular" funny-car. But, here are 2 pix taken during construction. Sorry for the quality... photography is not my forte! CT

Hi! Very good design... and great execution! Many good ideas here... Keep on! CT

Hi! Everything old is new again, goes the saying... Sure goes for vintage Funny-cars! When I got back to modeling in 2014, my first "re-entry" built was this scratch-built Mustang, inspired by the famous Mickey Thompson xperimental monocoque F/C that was the cover car of Hot-Rod back in 1970... Used a Going Thing Polar light body (already good proportions) and used a few parts from the kit, plus mucho scratch-built. Not an exact duplicate, more of an hommage... Not perfect, but certainly better than my original attemps at 15, that was "crude", of course. Goes to proove that you can do virtually anything with some styrene and some time at the bench! CT

Hi! Very clever, and nice execution to boot... CT

Hi! Great conversion, bravo! CT

HI! One of my favorite design, the 53 Stude... but this time, converted to a contemporary custom Roadster! AMT trash bin find, that missed the hood. Therefore, a 49 Ford unit was modified to fit, and blended with a customized front end. Rear tulip panel is made of removed roof panel. Full width flush-fit rear stoplight and custom roll pan. Extended sills, scratchbuilt door panels & console. Custom removable hard top. Tamya's pearl + Testor's wetlook clear. Stude engine straddled with custom Weber injection from 65 Grand-prix. Fully wired. Custom alum exhaust. Maisto rolling stock. Hours of fun with styrene! CT

Hi Sir! This is very impressive. World class built, for sure. Bravo! CT

Hi Dave! Hurting your eyes is the last thing I would attempt to do... Glad they survived my post! CT

Hi! Thanks for the comments. Indeed, the frame is almost the same wheelbase as the bug... But it needed to be Z-ed (stepped-up) in the front, to get the correct stance. The track width of the Willys IFS dictated that I use very narrow rolling stock in the front, however. The interior tunnel & floorpan ended up reminding me of the VW "thing", a basic utilitarian buggy that you may remember. I wonder if the some units still roll around today? CT

Hi! A mash-up of various leftover parts from previous projects... Frame & IFS from Willys 41 coupe, 1/24 VW coupe body with roof removed & replaced by 1/25 cabrio roof. Scratchbuilt: floor pan, tunnel, dash, rear deck, door panels, windshield posts, gas tank, 4-bar rear suspension, wood pallet for cargo, frt & rr hinges+ 29 roadster nailhead engine with modified headers & radiator. Fully wired & hosed. Parts box wire wheels & tires. Tamya acrylic custom mixes, with Testor's Wet look clear. Hours of fun with styrene! CT

Hi! Great rod! Brings me back to the cigar store where I was buying Hot Rod Magazine in the early 60's... Nostalgia... CT

Hi! Very clean built. Impressive interior... but the exterior paint wins the trophy. The consistency of the gloss and smoothness, even with so many creases, rivets, folds and all: Bravo! CT

Hi! Thanks for the comments. Much appreciated! All hail Steeve Stanford! CT