Wickersham Humble

Russell, Ford missed a good feature when they didn't try that tail-lite treatment! Can that body be saved, tho? Wick

Good take on '62 Dodges; they needed some restyling, but mostly around the back window, etc. Exner's swan song at Chrysler. I took two Revell '62 Dodge hardtop kits (4-door) that were crushed and made one two-passenger dream car/dragster I called the Dodge Dragon (pun intended -- good enough for MoPar) but it came out rather clumsy. I wish I had a kit of the Plymouth XNR sports car, with Hyper slant-six! Wick

Amazing how many modelers are also artists! Or not... I always wanted to be a car stylist, but not quite good enough -- or prolific enough for Detroit. Do you have more? Wick

Impressive; nice composition, too! Ex art teacher, Old Wick

With 1/1 cars, and not being able (elementary school teacher's salary, and only a small book royalties and article fees) I had and have limitied my 'stable' to 2/3 cars, once of which I often drive daily -- BUT I always hungered for tthat special, low-production example. At least, one that I could restore, not exotics like Ferrari's or even Cobras, etc. but seldom scored something really nutty. My '61 Pontiac Tempest with OEM Buick aluminum 3.5-L V-8 is as close as I'm coming right now, and it's essentially finished up. I added dual exhausts, MBZ suv rear sway-bar, and soon a 4.bbl. carb. We once restored and drove daily a '55 Nomad, a striking '62 Stude Hawk, and of course, the '35 non-classic but bitchin' Packard coupe that I had to sell when the kids both needed tonsillectomies! Other restos have been relatively plebian rides, but satisfying. The Muntz, for all it's period styling, might have been that car, esp if upgraded with a modern mill. I'd like to see your photos; one might be this car, as it wasn't prepossessing to contemplate! Wick

Great replica of a significant car! Missed the WIP segments; what did you begin with? I had practically swapped a '56 Chevy 210 wagon for a basket-case Muntz Jet back in the early 'eighties, but it turned out the kid (literally) who had given up on the Muntz wasn't 18 yet, and his mom queered the deal. It had been a Lincoln 337 or Cad 347 flathead V-8, but he took a 390 FE out of it, which apparently hadn't ever run. It was a mess, but rare enough I might have sweetened the deal for him, except for her snotty jibes. It would have been a huge project, and I had my own '35 Packard 120 coupe 'in the works'... also missed an Allard at the Turlock Swap Meet about 1980 for about $1,400; four door (K-3?) but all there and running -- as I recall, a Zephyr V-12, a snakebit engine at best. Can't afford 'em all! "...what might have been!" Wick

Super replica of an important car! Wick

I always loved Pontiacs; only had a few: '65 Tempest Custom 2-dr HT, '62 Tempest ragtop (155-hp four with 4-bbl) and current '61 Tempest coupe with Buick 215 V-8 (original, aluminum mill), took my driver's test in '61 with the family '55 Chieftan wagon, and put lots of miles on it's replacement, a '62 Catalina wagon. Have models of most built or in progress. However, my first ride was a '55 Chevy Delray 2-dr sedan, all built by an older guy who got drafted (red rims with big Moons, no less, and lakes pipes!) also modelled. Wick

Reventlow, as I recall (too lazy to look it up) had the incomparable hot-rodder Chuck Daigh as a mech and driver, and possibly Travers & Coon? Like the AC-cum-Cobra, the Scarab was more or less a rip-off stylistically of a Ferrari, but as Groucho Marx once was credited with saying: "If you're going to steal, steal from the best!" I think that the Halibrand quick-change did wind up in a few other rod-derived sports racers; seems like the Edwards had it too, or ??? The 'Old Yellers',Cunninghams, Bocars, Echidnas, Hussar, Allards, Chevy/HMW, and other innumerable sports specials made the 'fifties a memorable decade. Eventually led to the Chaparrals and all of Group 7 and CanAm monsters. For kits, I wish there were a better source for scale Firestone Super-Sports tires, even the natural rubber ones we used to see. Lance R., lucky devil, married blondie Cheryl Holdridge (sp?) long-time Wally Cleaver girlfriend from Leave It To Beaver, but not Mary Ellen Rogers. Wonder if she got a ride in a Scarab? Wick

Sid, I'd defer to Bill, but I think the were among the first, postwar. Remember, Harry A. Miller designed spoke mags for his TNT racers well before even Bugatti came out with a very similar rim; Miller in the mid-teens, no less! We're not worthy, men! Alloy/mag wheels got a huge boost by the mid-thirties on aircraft, when just like on cars, they replaced the wire wheels previously so prominent. I had a set of American eight-spokers on my '70 240Z, the one I restored for my book in the 'eighties, and they were from a Triumph. Though risky, I had them cut by a machinist on the reverse of the spokes to clear my front disc brake calipers. They were early, and a very high percentage of magnesium, I was told; they began to erode on the inner drop-center, and after glass-beading them, I sold them to a Datsun roadster (nut!) that had a fetish for them. Very like Minilites. Replaced them with ARE 4-spoke 'Libres' for a while, then went to Konig 8-spokers, which look much like Panasports. Love that Dow 7 patina, also! Wick

Bill (and Chris), Yeah, my kit still has the two different style Hali's, and oc the rears were wider. Def 1/24 scale, which makes them look pretty slick on a 1/25 car, too! I wish I could find a reliable person to resin-cast some sets, or even 3-D print. Funny early slot-car design, used batteries for power, but my kit from '59 wasn't that deluxe. I built it as a curbside Devin SS about 1960, with chrome-reverse rims from the old AMT Corvette kit; white with red/black racing stripe. I was going to recreate the space-frame, suspension, etc. but need to finish it, so will be curbside with SBC and opening hood. I still have the original decals, but probably beyond use now. I should scan them, at least, huh? Somebody, I think, makes a new one, also. Still have a sheet for the Comet 'Panther' racer, too!l Besides one of the Strombecker (notice that company uses both that trademark, and the StromBecker one) rims being broken, I want to be able to source more for other projects; this old guy's favorite wheel. I see to recall that the company once was sold as Strombeck and Becker...? Memory very worn out, now!

I'd probably do more than autograph them, to get more readers (reviews and ratings) and thanks! The cheapest way, if you like Kindle, is that mode, oc. Wick

Helmut, Thanks! My family gave me a party Saturday, and we had a mini car show, my 240Z (plus two others) and '51 Ford Crestliner, plus three F-100s, two hot V-W's, a Firbird ragtop, and some others at the park. And lots of relatives; boy can they eat! But, it was memorable. I'm appreciative!! Wick

AMT fan, here. Wick

Hoping to get a 'fifteis comic book look, I did all these but 'The Flood' and 'The Wildfire' which were done by two high school girls, my grandaughter Layla Humble, and a classmate Lily Funkhauser. I really had hoped to have the whole series covers done by young artists, but no takers, and these two wouldn't repeat. Now, as a fine-arts teacher (MA Art/Education 1974) I would have thought that their teachers -- at a arts/music/science high school, no less -- would have encouraged them or classmates to take on the jobs, espeically as I paid both eighty bucks per artwork! I was hoping Layla would do hers in ink, of course, and Lily used digital stuff, but left out several details I wanted... so I muddled on with my own pen and brush. Like my novels could use a professional editor, these need more polish -- but publishing with Kindle (Amazon, really) there isn't much hope of big bucks to pay for such refinements! I'm partial to 'The Deadly Derby' as an illustration of the climax of the story, a Demo Derby with lots of skulduggery, and with devious and wicked outsiders versus hard-working and forthright teenagers from the small town setting. I write of what I know (despite what you might think,) and to some degree all books are a bit auto-biographical; or at least based on some real experiences in the mid-fifties. I never expect to make any real dough at writing for Kindle, but would like to have some readers, especially who will give my stuff some reviews or ratings -- even two stars would help me, tho more would be nice! -- because Kindle lets a title slip into near oblivion without some reader feedback! Well, I hope you like these; to me they really look 'high-school' and not fine-artsy! Otherwise, look up my non-fiction book, How to Restore Your Datsun Z-Car, (California Bill's Automotive Handbooks/Car Tech Publishing) with it's new, revised ediiton -- also available on Amazon. In print for 35 years now! Wick