tim boyd

...and here is what it looks like built up..... TIM

It was only in the original release.....TIM

There was a full "Classic Kits" column in the other magazine a year or so ago, devoted entirely to this kit. It's a good one....btw so is that Heller 917k. It blew away the competition in some ways when that kit debuted in the early/mid 1970's. Body fit, though, was a bit problematic. Great source for "big'n;bigger" wide racing tires at the time, too. TIM

The original Switchers kits, circa 1972 or so, had a Roadster/Five Window Coupe version and a second kit with a Tudor sedan and Phaeton....TIM

Thanks Geoff....Best Regards....TIM

..in the "Under Glass Light Commercial Trucks/Pickups" Forum section....as the mods moved one of my posts here in this section over there. I've never really thought of hot rod pickups as trucks, but technically, they are. So the rest of the collection photo tour should rightly and will be posted there. Here's the latest one......thanks for your ongoing interest on this topic and my apologies to the Mods for my lack of clear thinking on where to post these images! .....TIM

As part of my series of taking you all through the Closed Cab Hot Rod Pickups in my collection, next up is this 1930 Ford Model A Closed Cab pickup. This was based on aftermarket kits from R&D Unique (the chassis/suspension) and All American Models (the body). This was another one of the resin aftermarket cabs replicating the 1930 Model A Closed Cab pickup that I used in a "comparo" type article that appeared in Car Modeler magazine IIRC. The engine was a Ford Motorsport V6 from the NASCAR support series, and the paint was two shades of aqua from the "Odds'n'Ends" paint lineup back then. The red wires were from AMT's 1934 Ford kit. Plenty more pictures here.....thanks for looking.....TIM

Bill….I just tried to send you a Private Message it was rejected saying your are not able to get messages right now....TIm

Thanks Geoff.....TIM

Heh guys...this is the type of street rod that was makin' the grade in the mags back around 1980 or so. So I built something similar for my "Modeler's Corner" column in Street Rodder magazine back then. Back in the early 1980's, "fuel efficient" engines were the big thing in the 1/1 scale street rod world, and the Buick V6 was among the most popular choices.I was pleased to "discover" the same engine in 1/25th scale, as part of the MPC Jeep Jeepster kit series (the 1/1 scale Buick engine tooling was sold to AMC in the late 1960's, and then reacquired by GM in the mid 1970's after the first Arab Oil Embargo).I built this model for my Street Rodder magazine "Modeler's Corner" column to show that a scale replica of this latest 1/1 scale trend was fully possible. In addition to the Buick V6, I added four-bar radius rods up front, and a ladder-bar style traction bars/likns at the rear. The wheels shown here, btw, came from the late 1970's AMT Indy car kit series, and the tires were stolen from an Eldon kit replicating one of the famous late 1960's show rods. The pickup rails were built from real wood, and feature a cut/paste treatment of the decals from AMT's 1972 Chevelle "Red Alert" kit. The paint was an off-brand pale yellow aerosol, with a Testors Yellow chassis. Plenty more pictures here....thanks for lookin'....TIM

Geoff...thanks for the pictures. Wonder where the hot rod/street rod kits are? Thought I saw somewhere some other catalog pages with at least a reissue of the '32 Five Window kit with box art derived from the original kit release. But sadly, no signs of a second run of the new-tool '29A Roadster and '30A Five Window kits. TIM

Yes....development was nearly complete before the Hobbico debacle. Question is whether it will contain any of the body refinements we suggested based on the original c.2013 Hemi-Cuda kit. I was told it could not be done, but over the years I have seen Revell say just that, then find a way to include some of those suggestions in their final products. Even without any refinements, it would (will?) be a huge improvement over the prior two 1/24th scale AAR attempts based on the original Challenger T/A tool.....TIM

The AMT kit, though, has notably superior engine detail compared to the Tamiya.....(for instance, the fuel injection pump)...but of course it's 1/25th, not 1/24th..... I never grabbed the Heller 300 SL kit so I will be grabbing this Italeri reissue when it comes along.... TIM My Italeri 275 Roadster also has a broken windshield frame.....fortunately, doesn't look too difficult to repair TB

Spike....thanks for the response. Those last two images are killer and a gold mine for anyone trying to replicate yours in 1/25th scale.....good luck with your project and thanks again....TIM

Spike....be still my heart! What a cool, cool boat! Sigh..... Wasn't this boat (your first picture above) featured in the book on drag and ski boats published about ten years ago? If so, it inspired this 1/25th scale kitbash from my ski and drag model collection.... TIM

All three of these kits had the same boat, the heavily revised "Hull Raiser" variation of AMT's original Rayson-Craft Trophy Series kit introduced in 1963. The Hull Raiser kit replicated a 1/1 scale Kindsvater hull. The kit was introduced in 1968 in both the stand alone small flatbox form (the "portrait series" box shown above) and as a combo kit with the "custom" 1968 Firebird (really Camaro) annual kit as shown here The "Aqua Rod' version was introduced around 1975, and then the Model King version debuted around 2005-ish. I wouldn't be surprised to see the "Hull Raiser" resurface again from Round 2 at some point in the future, either as a stand alone or comb kit subject.....Tim

FWIW, there is also a Columbia Two-Speed rear axle in the "restored factory stock" version of the AMT-Ertl 1941 Ford Woody. TIM

Bill....as I believe I've posted previously, I had advocated for an all-new series of 1934 Fords at Revell for years.....and the project was always on their list, but never quite made it to the top of the list for development. I agree with you that the AMT-Ertl 5 window coupe kit is a pretty credible place to start ( a lot better than most modelers realize, IMHO). Doing a new 3 window coupe body is a very interesting idea for that tool. (The current team at Round 2 pretty much acknowledges, I think, that the 1975 1/2 ish "3 window kit" was a complete fail....and as a result I would be surprised to see it reissued. But getting the level of funding needed to do a new body cavity for the 5W tool, no matter what the development approach, I suspect, would be a challenge for their product development team. Nevertheless, I am going to mention your idea to them.....) TIM

It was in the late 1990's....the cab length was extended (to create a bit more interior room) …..I didn't recall the front suspension being changed specifically but that does make sense given some other projects and activities that were underway at Ford at the same time (one of which did not make it to the production line) …. TIM

Gary....thanks for posting Scott's exquisite recreation of the real car. I love to see this level of detail and documentation built into a model project. I also agree with the comments on the background used in the photo. I have long been a proponent of using "scale" backgrounds in the photography of finished model car projects. It lends an air of realism that is only further enhanced when framed around a model project such as Scott's shown here. TIM

Two Two models from the early-mid 1990's. They were both kitbash cover stories for the other model car magazine. The '37 Chevy came first....it was a heavy kitbash based on the AMTErtl Orange Blossom Special kit. It was a real challenge to get anything out of that kit that looked like a real 1937 Chevy pickup.. You can read the whole story (with plenty of pictures and word captions here. (See image #108 and beyond). The 1937 Ford was built shortly after Revell's stock-only kit was released. A 5.0L EFI and widened rear fenders, plus all new suspensions, were part of the conversion . A larege series of images starts here. (See image #84 and beyond) Here's a bit more background on the Chevy..... In the late 1980's we were hungry for any source to create a 1/25th scale street rod model, in this case, even hungry enough to kitbash a mostly accurate 1937 Chevy pickup from AMT-Ertl's "Orange Blossom Special" tractor pull kit. The cab and body in this kit were, shall we say, a mite distorted, making the conversion to street rod configuration a bit challenging. It ended up being a two-part Scale Auto Enthusiast magazine feature, including a cover appearance sat against a 1/25th scale diorama-type "real" landscape background. And a tad bit of additional info on the Ford..... Revell-Monogram's 1937 Ford Pickup was a surprise when it was introduced in the mid 1990's. Of course, I was immediately prompted to do a conversion of this stock-only kit into a proper street rod. With help from the chassis/front suspension of Monogram's 1937 Ford Cabriolet kit, a 5.0L EFI Ford V8 from a Fox Mustang kit, widened rear fenders, and Testors' then-new "Bright Red" spray paint, the model came together quickly and became a Scale Auto Enthusiast cover story soon thereafter. Again, plenty more pix at the two links above if you want to see more....and thanks for looking! TIM

Thanks guys for all the comments.....much appreciated......TIM

Tony....that made me smile. Second grade motor skills.....those 10 cent Pactra paint brush bottles....circa 1962 annual kits.... and plenty of glue.....oh yeah, I had several glue bombs let me tell you! Cheers.....TIM j

Once in a blue moon. I've been to several of the NNL West shows over the years, and I came out for the LA Roadster Club Father's Day meet a few years back when Brett Barris was having a launch party for his George Barris Art Book (I wrote one of the chapters). As some of you know, my last job at Ford included overseeing all the company's Advanced Design Studios, including the one in Irvine. I made trips there generally once a month, but they were usually 24 hour turnarounds w/redeye returns, so not hardly any time for visits (just ask Dave Dale about that!). Anyway, I have a standing invite from David for the January GNRS and want to do that again - my last one was the 1999 50th event at the Cow Palace in SFO. I also need to get back the NNL West - I think it is awesome what that show has become over the years...... Would be great to meet up if I make it out again - but since I retired, my modus operandi has been to stay away as far as possible from any and all airports!!! (Again just ask David....) Best......TIM

Heh Eric, thanks for the feedback. Best Regards....TIM