tim boyd

Thanks Skip - great reference pictures there...>TIM

Thanks everyone for your feedback on that '69 Cougar XR7 build....it was a fun build for me. Best Regards....TIM

Frank...sounds like your mind is made up....but for the rest of you following this thread.... I have had work published in over 30 publications during my modeling/writing career, and I cannot recall a single instance where any editor materially altered a negative comment or overall conclusion I made about a kit. And if it ever happens in the future...well I probably wouldn't be doing kit reviews for that publication going forward. I'm not saying it never happens, but I can definitively say it's never happened to me. And I can say that, whatever disagreements I may have had with one editor or another on unrelated subjects, my overall impression is that they have all prioritized "the truth" about a kit over other considerations, including advertising considerations. TIM

Yuri...congratulations...that is some spectacular model you've built. The paint finish and the interior finish, plus the overall detailing....I'm very, very impressed! TIM

Very sharp! TIM

Tom...just saw your comment. I like your "Amnesty" idea and have followed some of your prior amnesty builds on the message boards. I did do this a couple of years ago with one of my models, a '53 Stude Gasser kitbash I started in the late 1960's////it was finally finished and ended up as a cover article for Model Cars. Likewise with that '70 El Camino style Dodge Super Bee that was a two-parter in Model Cars about four or five years ago. I just need to do it more often! Cheers...TIM

Frank...I've been following this thread since the beginning, and since no one else representing the "media" has weighed in here yet (at least that I've seen), I guess I need to speak up. First of all, for someone returning to the hobby after quite some time away, it's not hard for me to understand why you would be disappointed by a kit like this one based on late 1960's kit tooling technology. Point taken and understood. Second, I have written kit reviews occasionally, for Model Cars (such as the recent two-part "Odd Rods" kit series), for the "other" model mag, as well as for my own Fotki site. I always endeavor to include a kit's history at the start of a kit review, and then I also try to give a fair assessment of the plus points of the kit, as well as the drawbacks. As an example, I am looking at a kit review I did of the AMT 1940 Willys Coupe/Pickup Gasser I did for the other mag in their February, 2014 issue. In addition to the first two paragraphs of the review which recapped the kit's origins and history (including dates), here were the "negatives" of that kit that I mentioned: 1) Excessive flash 2) Ejector pin marks on some parts 3) Rear metal axle needs to be shortened 4) Front axle needs to be moved forward to align properly in fender wheel well openings 5) Supercharger drive belt guard too thick 6) Seat mounting points in floorboard need to be filled from underneath 7) PIckup bed locater holes for fenders need to be opened up on the outside and filled on the inside 8) Interior was a tight fit in the body, requiring Super Glue and Accelerator to stay put Hmmm....that's a pretty comprehensive list of "negatives".... As for my Fotki site, here are links to two reviews I did (I don't usually do reviews of old kit reissues there, but these two were an exception): Round 2 AMT 1968 Plymouth RoadRunner: http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/refreshed-amt-round/ Here you'll see that I provide a history of the kit including photos of prior releases (Slide 9), and while I am highly complimentary of the new box art, I point out areas of the kit that have been criticized (slides 14 and 15), and then i conclude with several slides comparing the AMT body to the original JoHan 1969 Road Runner kit. Again....pulling no punches, just an attempt at a factual, matter of fact review. Round 2 AMT 1969 Chevelle SS396 Convertible: http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/first-lookwhats-new-1/ - Here I include the kit history (again showing, in this case, the box art of the single prior release), and I have a photo showing the additional work required on the passenger side rear quarter panel (slide 7) and the oft-criticized rear tailamp feature (slide 10). Even so...some people thought I was too kind with this kit (as you'll see in some of the review comments). In all, there are over 30 kit reviews posted here http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/first-look-at-all-n/ and most of them follow a similar format (I recommend you use the "Roll" feature to see the photos in full size and read the captions that go with them). I always call 'em as I see 'em. I've been doing this for over 35 years, and I honestly can't recall, except for one instance about 13 years ago, where I was told that I had made a not-factual statement (it was an assumption, but an educated assumption that has never been proven wrong), that my kit reviews have ever been toned down by "the media" that published them. I can't speak for others that review kits, but my overall take is that most all kit reviewers try to give an honest assessment of the kits, both the plus points and the negative points. I also realize that many participants in this forum don't read either of the model car magazines, so it is possible that in this case, maybe the "media" you are referring to is some other venue than the two magazines. One final comment; I don't have this latest reissue of the Cougar Eiminator, but I have built the original kit (in my case, the 1978 "Countdown" series issue, pictured below), and I have also built the Boss 302 engine that was added in the 1990's redo of this kit, and I presume is in this new reissue (if that is not the case, please disregard the following comment). My take is that the original kit was among the better of the late 1960's model kits that were tooled then, and that the Boss 302 engine may be the best miniaturization of that engine to be found in any scale kit. But again, this comes from my perspective as one who has built models pretty continually from the early 1960's to today. I can certainly understand your point of view as someone who left the hobby, then returned years later and expected that the kit quality would have uniformly improved during that time. Best regards...TIM

As I had hoped, the Chip Foose '65 Impala, named "Imposter" and owned by Don and Elma Voth of Abbotsford, British Columbia, was the winner of the 2015 Ridler. Well done and Congrats the owners and to Chip and his team. Best Regards...TIM

...just completed and posted here... http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/11-scale-automotive/2015-cobo-autorama--2/ There are some really great model building ideas and inspiration here. Thanks for looking (Related albums if you're interested:) * 2015 Cobo Autorama Day 2: http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/11-scale-automotive/2015-cobo-autorama--1/ * 2015 Cobo Autorama Day1 (previously posted in "Contests and Shows" Folder): http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/11-scale-automotive/2015-cobo-autorama-/

When I retired some 17 months ago, I made a list of my started/not completed projects, some dating back to the late 1960's. The total was....ta-dah.....65 projects! Since retiring I've built a number of models, but virtually all of them are new projects, some involving not-yet-released kits. So I haven't made any progress on the existing projects list. Still, I'm havin' fun...so....onward! I would also like to restore my "Dominator" funny car from the 1968 Dodge Fever MPC Car Model contest (fourth nationwide). So don't feel bad...just have fun! TIM

Mike...sure agree with you on the idea of applying this to other 60's body styles. One of the reasons this looks so good on the Impala is that, if I am recalling the discussion correctly (given the number of years that have passed), Chip told me the idea here was to combine the '65 Impala with the '63 Vette styling...which works really well because both cars were developed with what stylists call the "same design language". If this same idea was applied to other cars of the '60's, it would be interesting to see if the organic nature of the result works without having a second influence like the Vette. For instance, the Galaxie 500 and Mustang shared very little design language, and trying to combine the two wouldn't work very well. Nor a Fury and a Barracuda. Still....it would sure be interesting to see some modelers try this approach...a '67 Galaxie 500 Fastback might be a good place to start? TIM .

Andy...thanks for the info. I took about 20 pictures of the AAR and posted them in my folder with pictures for correcting the Revell '70 'cuda. There are other pictures of a Lime Green '70 AAR from two prior Cobo Autoramas also posted there...I presume that they may be the same vehicle. In any case, he did a great job restoring it. For the Ridler, I can honestly say that any of the Great 8 this year would be a good Ridler winner. My three most favorite of the eight were the Foose car, the '65 Dart (for the sheer audaciousness of using that body style), and the '56 Fury (based on just how good it looks in this build). I think Foose will win based on the degree of body revisions he did and how well they came out, but it will be interesting to see the final result - my track record of predicting Ridler winners is not very good. TIM

...just posted in the "Contests and Shows" tab at the bottom of this message board...440 photos await your viewing....emjoy...TIM

440 pictures for your enjoyment...use the "roll" feature to look at them in full screen mode while quickly moving from one picture to the next....here's my choice for the Ridler (more on this car at the intro to the photo album)....Cheers...TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/11-scale-automotive/2015-cobo-autorama-/

Andy...a most impressive project so far. Thanks for sharing it with us....looking forward to your further progress...TIM

I met him a few years back when a person who worked in my organization at Ford took me to his studio. It was quite an interesting discussion. But very clear that his interests lie elsewhere these days (which is fine). I remember first reading his articles in MCS, then later discovering the Heller F1 and LeMans kits around 1974 or so....a very rich history and it's cool to hear that you all appreciate reading about it. TIM

Here's one more picture from the article that I just added to the folder...this one was on the Contents page of the mag, which is why I missed it earlier. This was a very impressive model, built, I think, but Don Graham (yes, that Don Graham!) It was a semi-scratchbuilt replica of a 1952-54 (can't remember which) Mercury hardtop. Remember, this was in 1983, before any resin copies were available, and before Lindberg's '53 Ford kit (which would have made a conversion much easier). Sorry for the grainy picture, but this is a blowup of a picture that was about 1"x1" on the magazine page. Thanks for your interest....TIM

Fotki was down for maintenance earlier today....try it again now, it should work. Thanks...>TIM

They had advised they were going to be down today due to maintenance. My folder is back up as of late morning....haven't checked Tom's folder yet...TIM

Nicely done! I really like the idea of updating the car with the second-gen Olds OHV V8 - excellent! TIM

http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=99597 Wasn't quite sure where to put this as it is very historic coverage of a key show that was only the second-ever of its kind on the west coast and took place about 1/3 of a century ago(!). I ended up placing it in the "Contests and Shows" section. What's amazing to me is how many of these people are still actively involved in the hobby and car world. If you are interested in the history of the model car hobby, you'll want to check this out...Thanks....TIM

Here's one of Tom's highly kitbashed and partially scratchbuilt hot rod models from the early days of the MPC National Customizing Championships. More pictures and full captions at the link http://public.fotki.com/misterNNL/1910-paddy-wagon-hot-rod/ On behalf of Tom...thanks for looking! TIM

I posted a link to Tom's album showing his Model T Screenside Delivery a few weeks back and many of you enjoyed looking at it. I don't believe his other recently-photographed Hot Rod truck has been posted here (apologies if it already has been), so here's Tom's 1910 Model T Stakebed...a different model with a similar vibe. This one was also a multiple winner in the MPC Contest Wars back then....check out Tom's album at this link for more info (use the "roll" feature to read his captions along with his photos), http://public.fotki.com/misterNNL/1910-ford-flatbed-s/ Thanks for looking, and thanks Tom for taking the time to photograph these great models from back in the day....TIM

While my contributions to Street Rodder magazine as the editor of the "Modeler's Corner" monthly column from 1978 through 1995 are relatively well known, much less known is that I also contributed to a sister publication called "Popular Cars". In a semi-monthly column called "Small Scale", I shared editorial responsibilities with Bob Bost, Roy Sorensen, Rick Hanmore, and others. Looking through those Popular Cars magazines, I ran across this article from the June, 1983 issue. It features the second-ever NNL West event, a highly successful event that took place in Millbrae, CA (near San Francisco International Airport) in January, 1983, during the same weekend as the Grand National Roadster Show in Oakland. With the history of NNL events on the West Coast somewhat shrouded in mystery, this article offers further historical perspective. It's also interesting to read of some of the personalities involved - many are still actively involved in the full size and scale car hobbies to this day. Here is a scan of the lead photo from the article - full size scans of my entire article on the NNL West #2 are at the link below for your reading enjoyment - TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/model-car-events-co/the-second-ever-nnl/the-second-ever-nnl/ Thanks for looking....- TIM

Highly, highly impressive. Thanks for posting these pictures! TIM