FASTBACK340

I had initially started a curbside version of my car where I explained the modifications step-by-step. Here's the thread: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=82697&hl=%2Bquick+%2Bbuild Unfortunately, it became "problematic" leading to events that should have been thought out more carefully, enabling the laborious full-detail version seen here.

This weekend we get back to work on the FM3 Cuda....

Yeah, I forgot about that. That silly "well" behind the back seat had to come out on mine, but it should be flush to the back anyway. And yes, your going to grind a lot off. And if you use the Dart engine compartment & firewall, you must cut off about 3/16" off of the front of the interior bucket under the dash area. Man, I was grinding so much I forgot all the spots I attacked…. Looking forward to paint. Have at it!!!!

It was good seeing you Rich. Me & Amy always enjoyed visiting you & family when you were on Long Island. Too bad it's become an annual get-together and brief at that…. Again, it was good seeing you & get cracking on that `51 Fleetline! That is looking sweeeeet!

Thanks Marco!

FOTKI account is easy: FASTBACK340. :-)

Wow, 9 1/2 hours….

My wife agrees…. I have to sort through my inventory and see if I have another "rough" `68 annual. I didn't crack open an un-built annual for the full detail replica, I'm not using one for the ratty version. Should go much quicker…. Hmmm….

As Bill asked, Bob said hopefully by the end of the year we can see the Plymouth. I wonder what's next from Mobius?

Thank you for the compliment. As for owning the 1:1, that didn't come easy. This Nov. will be 17 yrs. I've owned it and It's only been"finished" in the last 6 yrs. All those years of slow, dedicated saving of money and searching for needed parts at my leisure paid off. Not to mention being married to a woman that supports my hobbies 100% and participates in every cruise night or car show we attend. Matter of fact, we're going to one in about 2 hours. The resulting finished car in our garage is years of sacrifices and dedicated saving, complete with a separate "Cuda Account" at the bank. All my side jobs and e-Bay transactions went in. Overtime and bonus's, in they went. Believe me, I'm not "well-off" financially. I break my tail but try and be smart about spending. I just have good patience and determination on what I want. I couldn't afford to build that car today as I bought a rust-free shell for $1,600 in 1998. The front fenders are worth that today….. I bought a "3 carb manifold" from a guy I bought a parts car from. I got my 6Bbl. set-up for $250 from air cleaner to manifold back in `99 on that deal. I had no intentions of going that route until it fell in my lap. Then I had to add THAT into the restoration budget. Plus I did everything except all body work & paint, and the machining of the engine block. I had the carb's modified by ProMax Performance, noted 6Bbl. specialists. Dollars invested? When it was first put together and drivable 6 yrs. ago I probably could have bought another brand new VW GTI for the same money. Emotional investment? Priceless. I walk in the garage and realize how fortunate we are to own it. Yeah, just like the 1:1, I look at the model and think about what I would have done differently. It never ends…..

Yeah, nothing like a quality contender to wake-up the old school. It's gonna be hard for Revell or AMT to re-box 30 yr. old kits with stuff like this rolling out.

Yeah, what Bob said!

Glad you traveled down and experienced it! Pretty nutty environment, huh? Like it's been mentioned, NNL East is one of the primier events in the hobby thanks to Tom Geiger & the Tri-State Modelers.

That's one of the most useful paragraphs I've read on here in a long time. Thanks for the info on in-door filtration.

Sorry for the mis-information. I went from our brief conversation and my shoddy memory…. sorry!

The GTX wagon was $30. Decent casting that will need a bunch of work to smooth-out and will definitely need all the panels re-scribed, but it's pretty neat. It came with a multi-piece interior tub converted to wagon. Here's the caster: http://www.rmrmodels.com/index.html

I think I was standing there when that shot was snapped! Dave was explaining that the people doing the tool are a German engineering firm known for doing the masters for VERY high end die cast pieces. I'm sure details will be forthcoming. I only spoke with him briefly. The Catalina, Satellite, and Hudson coupe were some well-kept secrets. Wow… an actual surprise in this day & age of immediate streaming info…. I see a sudden increase of Super Stock & Altered Wheelbase builds next winter.

Fireball models, owned by forum member Chief Joesph, has the drag radials.

Yup….. Satellite & a Hudson coupe by the end of the year. I'm sure Dave will post all the details soon. It was announced this afternoon at NNL East.

For real…. here's a crumpled flyer I had stuffed in my bag. Dave was explaining that the tool masters will be done by a German design company known for high-end die-cast work (he mentioned a Ferrari Die-Cast costing in excess of sensible money…) so the level of detailing should be promising. I'm sure Dave will explain in detail. I'm going from memory of a brief conversation, but yes. SURPRISE!!!! We're getting another `65 Satellite kit. Ummm… interesting choice.

Well, now that 2 months has lapsed, it's time to get back to work on this one. Stay tuned….

Thank you everyone for the compliments! It was obviously a special build for me and for the most part, I'm pleased with the outcome. I had it on the table no more than 10 minutes when I found one of those slips everyone loves to see: Please bring your model to the Model Cars Magazine photo booth! Who knows, maybe in a few months when the coverage of NNL East comes out…. I saw people around it all day and was thoroughly flattered by the attention it received. Now that the replica is done, I can go out and get the real one out of storage and start enjoying the cruise season.

Great show… Great friends…. Great time. As I was walking out I dropped a few bucks on a resin Phantom `69 GTX 2dr. wagon and 4 bottles of paint. Spoke with Dave Metzler from Mobius about the upcoming `65 Plymouth Satellite announced today, along with a Hudson coupe. Test shots of the new Ford trucks were on hand too. Nice guy, nice product. Hope to see the new tools by the end of the year hopefully. Awesome show as usual by Tom & the Tri-State crew. Thank you!!!

4 1/2 hours sleep…. I'm good to go. NNL East, here we come!!!! More pictures in the coveted Under Glass section. Thank you for the 12K plus views and all the encouragement along the way. I wish I wasn't hurting which pushed back the build, but it's done. And I'm OK with the finished product.