tim boyd

Thank you Bob! That's the answer we were looking for. TIM

Dave.....looking at that front axle....I am stumped. Guess I need to find the Modeler's Corner where I did the build and find the answer there. I thought I finished this model around 1988 or so, but then I recalled that I lost the tailgate when I moved to Atlanta in 1987 and did not find it until December, 1988 when I did my last walk through of the house after the moving van left, on the way back to the Detroit suburbs. There was the tailgate, at the bottom of the floor and wall at the back of my (now disassembled) model room. Whew! With the tailgate back in hand, I finished the model around 1989 or 1990 before I was moved again by my employer. So it must have been in the magazine sometime in late 1989-1990.....TIM

Hi Alexis.....as I recall my break point was between the cowl and the front door. Alan Barton (IIRC) of Australia did his behind the front door of the Tudor kit if I am remembering correctly. I used a Model A frame, with a scratchbuilt (from Evergreen square stock) rear clip. Hope that helps.....TIM

Got it, Chris. Good suggestion for all of us to keep in mind as we add ignition wiring to our models....thanks....TIM

Lee....I disagree, but I appreciate your critique nonetheless.....TIM

Hmmm......let's see what I can do for you....oh yes, here you go! Thanks (smile) for the request, Dominik.....TIM

Davey, your wish is my command.....thanks for the suggestion....TIm

A few more pictures...… Thanks for looking....TIM

Per Dave Darby's request in another thread in the "Under Glass" Forum, here is a portfolio of pictures of my loose replica of the "Owl T" as featured in a 1970's issue of Rod Action magazine. This project was a "how to" feature in my Modelers Corner column in Street Rodder sometime in the late 1980's if I am remembering correctly. The cab was a combo of the Revell 1929 A Closed Cab pickup with the cowl section/fenders/grill of the Revell John Buttera 1926 T Tudor. The pickup bed was from the AMT 1925 T Double Kit The fenders and bed were modified to add "tubs" to frame the Pro-Street style rear tires The engine was a small block Ford with a Hilborn-style injection system finished with simulated Blue Anodizing (Testors Candy Blue with a DullCote overspray). The wheels were from an MPC funny car kit (probably the 1970 Mercury Cyclone "Cyclops" kit). The frame included a scratchbuilt rear clip with a rear suspension lifted, I recall, from the AMT 1975 Nova Pro Stock kit. Paint was the old 1960's Testors Ed Roth "Orbitron" Ice Blue pearl color over silver, while the fenders wore Testors Candy Blue over a dark blue base. This was a model I had wanted to build for a long time, and I was very happy with the result. It was not an exact duplicate of the "Owl T" (for instance, I didn't replicate the original's Blue Velour interior) but the inspiration for the model is very clear if you look at the 1/1 original. Thanks for looking....TIM

Chris...you are of course absolutely right. Your feedback gives me the opportunity to expound on one of my philosophies of model car building which probably differs from many who read this forum. I am referring judgment call I make on every model I build. Which is: "Do I take the extra time to wire an engine? Or is detail painting the engine enough on its own?" (As you can see from another thread in the "Under Glass" forum (on my "east coast '34 Five Window), I do from time to time execute a full engine wiring exercise.) In the case of this model, this was a "hurry up" project that was kitbashed and assembled over several weeks to be ready in time for the NNL Nationals #38 last month. Could I have spent the extra time to wire the engine and still finished the model in time? Maybe so. But in this case, it was more important to me to finish the model without a wired engine, than not to finish it in time due to adding a wired engine (or a number of other changes that would have further improved authenticity - such as swapping in a Columbia two-speed or Halibrand Quick Change differential). Giving myself the flexibility to not do certain detail additions on a given model, I realize, flies in the face of the view of many modelers that every model project must reflect the best abilities of the builder. I respect those that take that view, but for me personally, I have allowed myself the flexibility to vary the detail levels of my models for over 40 years now, and I am personally happy with the decision. It has certainly allowed me to complete more kitbashing projects than I would have otherwise. And it has made building model cars a more enjoyable hobby for me personally. Just my view, of course, And yes, it would look even better with engine wiring, no doubt! Thanks for the comment and feedback...TIM

Bingo! Thought I was going crazy there for a minute. The second set of (mystery) headers are in the first picture above, on the far right side of the top parts tree. Thanks Ron...….and James, I hope this is the answer you were seeking. TIM

JC.....tend to agree with you. Probably the closest we have are the ones in the (currently MIA) Revell 1929 Model A Roadster and 1930 Five Window kits, which are very nice but still miss out on the super tall and narrow aspect of those shown here.

OK David and Tulio, you bet.....here you go: and thanks everyone for your interest and comments.....TIM PS - I did some touchups after these pictures were taken (for instance, around the roof insert and the on the intake manifold),,,,also forgot to mention above, the interior floorboard was surfaced with real wood instead of carpets or mats....TB .

Plus a few detail shots.....

Hey guys.....really encouraged to know how well this one really resonated with you.....as requested by David, a few more photos: TIM

In recent years the 1950's/early 1960's "East Coast" hot rod has gained a considerable degree of interest and respect in the hot rod world. One of the key features of this design idiom seemed to be bodies channeled over the frame, combined with stock, non-chopped roofs. Or, the exact opposite of the more popular west coast style of non-channeled highboy coupes with chopped tops I've always felt that the AMT-Ertl 1934 Ford Five Window Coupe kit deserved far more interest and respect than it has received from model builders over the years since its introduction in 1995. This kit was derived from their late 1980's (and thoroughly disliked) 1933/34 Tudor kit, with an all-new and far more accurate body casting. The street rod version of the Five Window kit missed the mark to a degree due to the carryover (and way out of scale) IFS setup and the oh-so-generic SBC engine, but the showroom stock version of the kit was highly authentic, even down to the separate oil dipstick provided. Anyway, I wanted to build a new model in the East Coast style to show the potential of the kit vis-à-vis the current "Traditional Hot Rod" movement and even more specifically the new-found interest in hot rods built in the early 1960's Autorama style show car idiom (think of the pearl blue with violet accents 1934 Coupe from Beau Boechmann of Galpin Ford that toured the show circuit a few years ago). The entire build was featured in other model car magazine (June 2015 issue), so check out the full details there. Meanwhile, in summary level the body was channeled over the frame, the engine is a 392 Hemi with six deuces (liberally swapping in engine parts from Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland), the interior was the tuck'n'roll unit from the street rod version of AMT-Ertl kit, a quick-change Halibrand found its way under the rear end, and the wheels were Salt-Flats style units sourced from a test shot of the Revell 1930 Ford Five Window Coupe kit, which had not yet been released to the public when the model was built. (Kudos to Jim Kampmann, who was the first to figure out this "hidden surprise" and correctly guess the origin of these parts). The paint was MCW Automotive Finishes 1957 Chrysler 300 C Parade Green Metallic, and the copper accents were Testors Copper Metallic enamel A number of you totally got what I was trying to accomplish with this build, and told me so. I very much appreciated your feedback! TIM

This is a mild kitbash of Revell's 1940 Ford Standard Coupe kit, combining parts from the "GoodGuys" street rod version of the kit with the separate, factory stock kit relase from the same basic tool. The engine is a mildly rodded Flathead Ford; the front suspension is the dropped axle setup from the GoodGuys kit, while the rear end setup is the Columbia Two-Speed axle from the factory stock version of the tool. The paint is real 1954 Buick Titian Red Metallic from MCW Automotive Finishes; the interior is a 'tuck'n'roll" insert from Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland. A full buildup of this model was a magazine cover feature in the October, 2017 issue of the other model car magazine; I refer you to that magazine for more details on the project. I think it captures very well the "Traditional Hot Rod" design aesthetic so popular these days in the 1/1 scale hot rod/street rod world....thanks for looking....TIM

This is a just-completed (October, 2018) quick kitbash of the mid-1990's AMT-Ertl 1934 Ford Five Window Coupe kit into a Vintage Beach Racer. The kit was built highboy style, using mostly parts from the stock (vs street rod) release of the kit. (UPDATE: I should mention that this was a "quickbuild" project....start to finish in just a few weeks......so not a full detail model by any means.) The windshield frame, rear window surround, and rear inner fenders (all separate parts in the kit) were molded into the body before painting. The rear gas tank cover was removed and a lower roll pan cut out and added. The kit's inner front fender liners, found on most 1/1 scale iterations of this type of car, were modified to replicate factory stock status, but ultimately left off as they hid the Ford Flathead V8 which sits relatively low in the frame. The single taillight is cut down from the driver's side unit from the Monogram 1937 Ford kits, with an unidentified Streamline Moderne style taillight of undetermined origin added. The suspension and engine all came from the base kit. The engine wears the plated flathead valve covers from the AMT and Lindberg 1934 Ford Pickup kits, with a DullCote finish to look like unpolished aluminum. The dual car intake and carbs are from Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland. The exhaust headers are from Replicas and Miniatures as well, capped off with exhaust pipes fabricated from the closed driveline driveshaft tubes of two 1936 (Monogram) Fords, just as with the real cars. The end pipes were drilled out, just to make Larry G. happy! The front tires are from the AMT/Ertl kit, while the rears are from the Monogram 1941 Lincoln Continental (both with the whitewall inserts painted black). The wheels are also from Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland, being a rebob of the stock 1937 Ford pickup "artillery" wheels. Hub caps are AMT 1932 Ford units. Paint is Tamiya Linoleum Deck Brown with Tamiya Semi-Gloss Clear, the "229" numbers come from the latest Round 2 Decal Parts Pack sheets. Low angle shots on a reflective background have always been a favorite of mine, going all the way back to my first-ever magazine column on the Revell '26 T Tudor kit in an early-1978 issue of Street Rodder magazine. Thanks for looking....TIM

James....OK, at this point I am thoroughly stumped. After your feedback, I thought that maybe I confused the contents of this kit with the "stock" (really street machine) version of the Belvedere 1 kit, but I don't see those headers in my box of that kit either. So I looked through all the other kits based on this tool and nothing there, either. I even looked at a test shot of the tool I have from three years ago. Nada. On the other hand the second set of headers I ended using didn't materialize out of thin air, either. I only have one more kit of the California Flash kits and that one is sealed; I'm hesitant to break the seal and look inside due to the (already) rarity of the kit. Plus I bought it much later than the first kit; if there was some type of running change it wouldn't have the parts. Anyone reading this thread who has an early production sample of the California Flash kit, as well as anyone who has the Belvedere 1 kit, can you guys check your parts trees closely and see if the headers I used show up on a parts tree? Thanks....TIM

Casey....I'm a little late to the party on this thread, but to answer your question, but all the MPC Switchers Model T's used their own bespoke chassis/drivetrain/body/engine/suspension/interior setup. Nothing recycled from the King T/Wild Dream tool As for the Evil T, that kit is also 100% derived from the Switchers tool, with the exception of the fender/running board casting which is straight from the original MPC King T tool. TIM

Thanks for digging up that old review, Mike. SVT Lightning owners loved their trucks, for all the reasons cited in that review The second gen Lightning, even more-so. I clearly recall that just as the article mentions, the lack of legroom in the first gen standard cab was really the only shortcoming of that vehicle and in the light of all the other benefits, not much to complain about. Someday before I die I'll recap the adventures during my first media event as the SVT leader when one of our Marketing/Public Affairs personnel got a little carried away driving an SVT Lightning the morning of the event.... makes me smile now. Back then, not quite so much. TIM

Hmmm…..I don't want to second guess a well respected author like Mr. Graham.....but I remain highly skeptical that these molds do indeed exist. With the latest developments in the ownership of these ancient tools, though, anything is possible. TIM

Snake.…...with today's level of adult builder scrutiny on proportions, scale, and accuracy, I'm afraid the Aurora kit would be primarily of interest for its nostalgia value only. Fans of "East Coast" style hot rods would also be interested in the hot rod version, which is an authentic representation of the genre. Some of the parts in the hot rod version would also find their way into current projects, I suspect. Below, two sets of comparison images, first a set of kitbashes replicating the typical "street rod" build genre of the 1970's to early 1990's….(Aurora kit first, AMT-Ertl follows)…..and then.... Next, a comparison of the Aurora Hot Rod kit version vs. an AMT-Ertl based kitbash I finished a couple of years ago.... TIM PS -- at least on my screen, the aspect ratios of the pictures I posted above are very distorted. The original images (from my Fotki site) are fine. Hmmmm…..UPDATE...…...as Snake mentioned below, these pictures now appear with the correct aspect ratio on my laptop as well.....TB

I know the second set of headers are not shown in the instruction sheet, but I recall seeing them hiding among the parts sprues. I bought one of the kits when it first came out; perhaps there was a running change. But I'd be interested to hear if after a second, close look, they show up somewhere in your kit. Or not. Thanks.... TIM

Anders.....great build!. I'm helping with photography of 1/1 scale Hudsons for a fellow retired Ford exec and neighbor who is wrapping up a book on the stepdown era Hudsons. I am learning that their history is much more complex than I had imagined, and very interesting to boot You car looks just like one we photographed a week or so ago. In fact, your car is so sharp that it would look be mistaken for a real 1/1 Hudson if it was placed in a "scale" background. And that is the ultimate compliment for someone who builds replica stock models, IMHO. Congratulations.....TIM