tim boyd

Hey Tim...great to hear from you. I have never had an issue like that with Testors Gloss Black before, and I've been using it for...oh...about 50 years now. But the quality started slipping IMHO well over 20 years ago, and this is a new low. There were no weather or moisture issues here yesterday. I stripped some of the parts, found some unpainted duplicates of others elsewhere, and went searching in my paint archives this morning. Found an old can of Testors Gloss Black (probably 10-15 years based on the label), and it worked fine. The new can from yesterday when in the trash. Thanks for the comments....and very best regards! TIM

Here's the update...floorpan added to chassis and body ready to go... .. ...and body added to floorboard/chassis... Since these pictures were taken....firewall added, grille and grille shell/radiator ready to go...steering box/column ready to add...windshield and frame ready to go....and just prepped the side exhausts for some Alclad II but I got a very, very bad coat of Testors Gloss Black as undercoat for Alclad II Chrome (it came of the can and left countless bubbles on the parts being painted)....decades ago Testors Gloss Black was what my buddy Steve Perry likes to call a certain "Trophy in a Can" - flawless, super deep gloss, dried hard overnight, superb results every time. The last couple decades it's been all downhill for me...now I don't go near the stuff for gloss black paint, unless I need an enamel basecoat for Alclad II. This is really unsatisfactory.....not sure what to do. Oh well, I could always paint the headers and exhaust extensions flat black....:) Regardless....hopefully it will be finished in another couple of days....a bit of a surprise planned for the grille/grille shell.....TIM

Tom...if you make it to the NNL Nats, be sure to put this one on the NNL "Traditional Hot Rods" Cult Theme table, along the back wall just to the left of the magazine photo booths...we can have a Revell '29 Ford Roadster kit comparo among the Cult Theme models displayed....looking really sharp, and very interested in seeing the final completed model. Best Regards.TIM

Thanks Andy...needless to say...I share your view on that rumored Coupe version of the kit tool. As cool as this Roadster kit is, my guess is that a Coupe version would be even cooler, if that is possible. Cheers...TIM

Dennis...that engine is actually the Monogram/Revell '59 Caddy engine, with the Revell Parts Pack accessories. Of all the early OHV Caddy engines in scale, in my view that's the best engine block to start with. Glad you like that Man-A-Fre style intake....I previously built another Caddy hot rod engine that used the 4x2 intake from the Outlaw kit which is similar but not with the staggered layout. Both versions, I think, are very cool... Thanks for the info on the source Norm used for the wheels and tires. I have an original '34 Ford kit (well, at least I have the box art, can't recall if there's anything inside the box), so I'll try to look that up. I've been a fan of those '41 Lincoln Continental tires for a while now,...I used them in this quick and dirty Rod style buildup I did eight or so years ago IIRC> Cheers...TIM

Here's a SuperStock style '69 'cuda that I built using Bill Coulter's original c. 1980 Scale Auto Enthusiast article on his Sox and Martin and Dodge Dart Super Stockers. I remember working on it around 1985 but I didn't finish it then. I don't recall when I did finish it, probably sometime in the early-mid 1990's. It was mostly a out-of-the-box build other than the wheels and tires which came from the mid 1980's Monogram ProStock kits. I've always liked this model; it would be great to see it eventually reissued as a propoer 1968 vintage SuperStock, although I don't really expect that will ever happen. Cheers...TIM.. (five more images here....) ...

Tom....I am intrigued with your two-tone layout....almost imparts a "coach built" feel to the car. And like you, I like the Tamiya Coral Blue.... When I built mine, I painted the bottom of those interior side panel tabs so that they matched the color of the bottom of my floorboard, and so they visually "disappeared" in the final result. I also like those tabs as they don't leave any room for mistakes in locating the body to the /floorboard during final assembly. On my paint detailing of ribbed parts, I simply wiped away the paint from the ribbed parts with a soft cloth or my fingers....I found no need to use lacquer thinner or the like. My paint was thinned about 50% or so....which probably helped with the final result. I had no problem with the chrome rubbing off with this approach... Very much like you, it seems a number of us are having great fun with this kit. It was certainly a "clear the bench" build for me...in fact it's become more like an obsession, with at least six variations either under construction or under glass. Can't wait to see how yours finishes up. Best.... TIM

Richard....that is looking spectacular, I must say! Without going back through this thread, can you adivse what kit or source you used for the wheels (which look terrific) as well as the roll bar? Those are both great touches that perfectly cement the era/theme of your build into the early 1960's. And needless to say, I appreciate what you did with the ribbed parts on the powertrain! The whole color scheme is original and fits together very well. Cheers...TIM .

Mike...my impression is that Norm's caps are different than the AMT '32 Ford caps....I should pull those parts out and compare. I'll try to do that tomorrow and let you know what I find out. And Norm's wheels do not have hub or lug nut detail...I did finish the interior of the hubs in a gunmetal type color to try to add some authenticity. Maybe I should mockup Norm's wheel caps anyway and see if I like that look better. Cheers....TIM

Chris....I would love to see yours completed, whether or not I get mine done first or not. It's all about how each builder interprets the kit, the colors, the chassis components, the overall build theme. This is what I like best about modeling....seeing how each individual builder carries out his or her construction of a specific kit or topic. Cheers...TIM

Richard,,,,I did lower the front end on this build. I opened up the center of the crossmember so the spring could locate farther upward in the chassis, and I also removed two leaves of the spring itself. I also moved the tabs for the radius rod ends upward in the chassis and trimmed off the tabs flush with the top of the chassis. I also had to modify the shock absorber mounts to the frame as the shocks now sit higher relative to the frame rails. My mod here gets the job done, but for a contest build, someone should probably scratch all new shock mounts instead. I remove parting lines from everything except plated parts. That's a step too far for me right now, although I have nothing but respect for those that go to that level of prep and the additional task of using Alclad or sending the parts off to a plating service. I have done that on occasion in the past, but it's not part of my normal build process. For this particular build, my original plan was to strip the chrome from most of the chassis parts and paint them matte black, but I changed my mind based on the rear end/quick change components I ended up using. Cheers....TIM

Norm's wheel and tire set is complete as shown, (tires, whitewall inserts, and spoked wheels). He also includes correctly scale hubcaps, which I omitted due to the overall theme/flavor of my model. All the parts are Norm's incredibly well done resin. Those wheels spokes are demonstrably thinner than any of the kit based styrene wire wheels I've seen, and they contain the correct circular section for each spoke that is just not possible with photo-etched spoke setups. His wheel/tire setup is not inexpensive, but it is well worth the money in my view. Thanks for asking....TIM PS = hopefully will have Coupe photos in a couple of days or so. TB

Brett...it's build #4, but #5 is also underway with the kitbashed body in primer. It uses the old Revell '29A Roadster PIckup body on the new Revell kit frame. May do it using the Highboy frame, and a small stake bed instead of the pickup bed. But concentrating on finishing the 5W coupe first. Now that I think about it, build #6 is also underway, another '29 A Channeled Roadster, but with the radiator depth reduced, and possibly the Model Car Garage sectioned '32 Ford grille shell, slightly lowered suspension, and either AMT/Ertl Aka Kart (II) chrome reverses with big'n'bigger whitewalls, or perhaps the Rat Roadster wheels and tires. I also want to use Norm's entire Halibrand Quick Change rear setup that he originally engineered for his old '29A Highboy Roadster kit with one of these new Revell roadster kit builds. Not to mention a Y-Block somewhere along the way. So yes, I like the kit! Cheers...TIM

sorry...posted twice somehow

Next up? A '30 Chopped A coupe, employing the extra, unused parts in the new Revell '29A kit, with the '30 A Five Window Coupe body from Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland. It also includes tall/'n/taller wires and whitewalls from Norm Veber/R&M of Md,, a hot rodded '59 Cad engine, a Halibrand Quick Change on a Model A transverse spring, and much more. The overall vibe is very much "Race of the Gentlemen" (other than perhaps the post-WWII Caddy engine) as opposed to the "spit/'n/shine" gloss of the Roadster kitbash displayed here in the "Under Glass section a few days ago. previously. Here's the essentially completed chassis. The body is also essentially done. The next step is to marry the two, and add final details. Getting close. In the meantime, a few more photos of the completed chassis are at the link.. http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/tim-boyd-on-line-mo/tim-boyd-on-line-mo-2/tim-boyd-on-line-mo/ Thanks for looking....TIM .

Chuck IIRC you are not too far away from Toledo/Sylvania....if possible, bring your '29A to our "Traditional Hot Rods" Cult Theme display at the NNL Nats in a couple of weeks! Cheers...TIm

Chuck....lovin' that! Congrats on a sweet project. TIM

Rob....really, really like how you framed out that pickup bed frame....well done! TIM

Sharp....really sharp....and two of my most favorite modern era Ferrari cars, too! Thanks for sharing....TIM

X2 above. Some in the works will blow you away. Let's just hope that they actually make it all the way to the marketplace. Just hoping that Revell's top leadership's focus on entry level kits, which is well timed and appropriate in my view, does not begin to exclude continued effort/investment in newly tooled kits aimed at the adult model car audience. That would be a huge mistake ( an example would be the lack of full detail C7 Corvette and new generation Mustang kits being introduced during c.y. 2016). Absolutely ZERO insider knowledge at play here, just expressing a minor but emerging concern on my part. TIM

No surprise to anyone, I'm sure, but yes, I am building one too. Roadster cab is fully modified and wearing final primer. Still need to reengineer the bed to fit on top of the chassis. TB

Dennis...thanks for the tip on those exhaust pipes. At one point I had convinced mysefl that was the right approach, but changed my mind, perhaps due to the A frame as you've noted. Best! TIM

Erik, I fully agree with your observations. TIM

Dennis....yes I propped up the engine with spacers....thanks for the earlier headsup on that as I don't know I would have caught it on my own. It does make a big difference. I used the Channeled version front and rear exhaust pipes. They fit fine, but the rear ones really need to be vertically sectioned about 1/8" as they tips hang too low on the completed car. I shortened the chrome exhaust tips by 50% which reduces the visual impact, but they are still too low beneath the body. I need to mock it up with the highboy rear pipes but I don't think those will work because of the difference in floorboard (actually trunk floor) heights between the two versions of the kit. I photo'ed a how-to article on this conversion because although it is a relatively easy kitbash, there are a few things that will make a big difference between a successful vs. a less-than-successful result. Dennis, now that I think about it, you are right on the taller ribbed rears, historically speaking. But doesn't the aftermarket today (Coker Tires) do a taller OD ribbed rear tire these days? Seems to me (without double checking) that many of today's 1/1 scale builds do have matching front and rear sidewall/tread patterns???? All - Thanks for the comments on the color scheme - I wasn't sure myself about the result....glad to know it registered favorably with a number of you... TIM

Sonny....you bet they are! Here's how they look coming out of the kit box....Just in case you or anyone else missed my detailed review of the kit contents I posted about a month ago..here's the link - http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/first-detailed-look/first-detailed-look/ Cheers...TIM