tim boyd

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

Anthony....I haven't tried this color yet but I do have a can in my paint inventory. It's much more of a "pure" pink than the color I used on the build above....that color was a deeper pink with a fair amount of coral pink in it as well. The real color is ver close to the color in the images at the beginning of the thread. I doubt it's in Krylon's current paint lineup as the model was built nearly 30 years ago... Looking forward to seeing what you do with this color on your chopped Ford project...TIM

Heh Tom...is it just me or have you been exceptionally productive with completing model projects these last few months? Way to go....TIM

This was a "glue bomb" rescue of one of the first model kits I ever built, AMT's 1934 Ford pickup that I received as a gift during a 10 years old birthday party in spring, 1964.It was rebuilt in the early 1990's, just before that long-missing AMT kit tool eventually resurfaced in the early 1990's under the Lindberg brand name. The body was restored and then channeled over the kit frame, and graced with the Cadillac V8 from AMT's 1959 El Camino kit. The suspension pieces were from the "Iron Lady" updated AMT-Lesney and AMT-Ertl 1932 Ford Vicky kits. (As I had received some reader feedback that was critical of how many different kits I typically used in my magazine articles at the time, I began to limit that amount of kits I used in this and subsequent magazine article builds. Thus the somewhat unrealistic Vicky kit suspension parts). The paint was Auto Touchup spray bomb, I believe a 1980's GM color of some sort. The build theme was somewhat inspired by the George Barris kitbashing tips at the end of original AMT's kit assembly instructions (these tips, by the way, are now reprinted on the assembly sheet of the Round 2 reissue of the original AMT kit which has just become available at retail over the last several weeks). This too was a magazine story, in either Scale Auto or Car Modeler magazines, circa 1993 or so.A few more pictures at this link.... Thanks for checking it out....TIM

Congrats Dennis! Very, very cool, and so appropriate, too ! TIM

Bill....honestly, me too. But it's not just that, it seems to me that the new participants in the "Traditional Hot Rod" movement (here I'm referencing not just the cars but the entire crowd that turns out at the Lonestar Roundup each year), for example, just seem to me to be a whole lot more authentic, not just in their execution of their hot rod builds, but their entire reasoning for being involved in the hobby. I'm also thinking of Cory Taulbert and his wife Ashley (Ashley being the daughter of car builder Dan Webb), and how their new '32 Roadster was an America's Most Beautiful Roadster finalist a few days ago. There is an entire generation of young adults who are into building historically accurate hot rods, and I think it is great. TIM '

Thanks Dennis for the comments. Always appreciated! I didn't recall the request coming from you; had I done so I would have certainly noted it in my intro! Yours isn't the first request on the '30A Tudor, either. As you probably can tell from going through my Fotki albums, I have been trying to systematically go through my collection of built models and photograph all of a certain type (gasser rail dragsters, three window coupe, Corvettes etc.) I'll make a mental note to prioritize the "Street Rod/Hot Rod Tudors" category ahead of the others on the "next up" list. Thanks for the suggestion; it's a really good one! Cheers.....TIM

This was a 1930 Ford Closed Cab pickup build, part of a Car Modeler magazine article comparing three aftermarket resin '30 Ford Pickup cabs (from Art Anderson/R&D Unique, R&R Vacuum Cast, and the late Ron Cash). It was matched with the custom frame/front suspension and Buick Nailhead V8 from the original AMT '40 Willys/'32 Ford Custom Tudor kit. The exhaust headers were from the earlier MPC funny car kits (the Color Me Gone '67 charger, the '67 GTO, and the "Ramchargers Dune Buggy), tunred upaside down and painted with then-available Testors "Chrome" spray paint. Those narrow tall'n'tallers sure look like they were from the Modelhaus catalog.... This model was built just around 20 years ago, well before today's "Traditional Hot Rod" design ethic became as popular as it currently is... Again, more pictures follow here.... Thanks for looking.....TIM

I recently finished a salon photo session covering all 15 of my Closed Cab hot rod//street rod pickup models built to date. I will be posting images here from time to time until the entire collection has been shown. This was an early 2000's project for a "Prime Rods" article I was asked to prepare for Scale Auto magazine. It was a simple build with the Revell '29A Closed Cab pickup perched on the Revell '32 Ford Street Rod series frame, with the blown Olds V8 from the original Revell Stone Woods and Cooke Willys kit. More pictures at this link.....thanks for looking....TIM

About six weeks or so, one of you requested to see fresh pictures of my pink '29 Model A Closed Cab Pickup that was featured in a many-page how-to in the infamous "Model Car Special" 36 page feature in the May, 1990 issue of Street Rodder magazine. Your wish is my command....or something like that. Here are some fresh studio pictures of the car in its current, unrestored form. Additional pictures at the two link below.... The following is how I introduce the imagery in my Fotki photo album.... "Here's a blast of late 1980's/early 1990's street rod design sensibilities for you. This was another kitbash project, originally planned to for several successive "Modelers Corner" columns during the 1990 calendar year. My Street Rodder magazine Editor back then, a great guy named Tom Vogele, had a different idea. He placed the content in a single, many-page main feature as part of a 36-page model car building special section in the May, 1990 issue of his magazine. The paint was Krylon, the squiggle graphics came from the late Brian Bordon's graphic design work contracted to Revell, the engine was a TPI small Block Chevy (yes, a rare lapse in my otherwise stout belief that Ford street and hot rods unilaterally deserve Ford engines!!!), those billet wheels came from Monogram's then-recent 1937 Ford Tudor kit, and the truck rode on an uncaged Jaguar XK-E IRS sourced from an early 1960's kit of the same topic." Several more pictures here....sorry it took so long to respond.....and enjoy.....TIM . .

If so, check this out.....TIM

A 2019 Visit to the Gilmore Auto Museum Recently my brothers Robert and Jon joined me for a trip to the Gilmore Auto Museum in Southwestern Michigan. I last visited there about 20 years ago and I was astounded to see the facility and layout - it was virtually unrecognizable due to the expansion and new facilities there. Even though much of the facility was shut during the winter months, there was still plenty to see. The feature exhibit in early 2019 involved a stunning display of Duesenbergs.....easily into the tens of millions of dollars in terms of value. We also visited the "Barn Find" section where the unrestored Alexander Brothers "Victorian" was a centerpiece, a large collection of Air-Cooled Franklins, and a stunning Lincoln Museum/Showroom that in spite of missing some personal highlights (a 1987-92 Mk VII LSC and a 1961-63 Continental) still put the adjoining Cadillac showroom to .... well let's just say the Lincoln Museum was a highlight of the visit. All this topped off with a separate building full of Model A's and period accompaniments. Very, very impressive. The verdict? Well worth a visit, even in the winter, and most certainly during any summer weekend when all the buildings are open and they have featured marque events. And of course, if you can find a way to visit with your brothers, all the better! Enjoy the coverage that follows...just under 250 pictures at this link..... TIM TIM

Thanks Luc.....that Italeri build thread is pretty impressive......appears to be a killer kit (with an completed, stand alone engine assembly yeah!) and a very meticulous assembly by the builder, too. Guys you should really check this out. TIM

And one of my all time favorite model projects dating from 1979.(sheessh…..that makes it 40 years old this year!) ..a Capri V-6 powered Track Roader inspired by the Tom Prufer and Don Varner 1/1 scale rods that emerged just a couple of years earlier...…..TIM PS More pictures of this one at this link.....TB