tim boyd

I understand that one of the most respected aftermarket resin casters is looking into rebopping the parts that would allow you to make the Little T from the latest T kit release....TIM

Dave's right. The Flex with the AWD V6 EcoBoost is a total hot rod! TIM

Check out your current issue of Model Cars, October 2014, bottom of page 31, for a source and website addy.....TIM

Bill...I'm with you on this subject....the car I pictured earlier was built from the original 1968 issue of this MPC kit....TIM

Nicely done Bernard!!! TIM

The kit was first released in late 1982 or early 1983, as a US Revell kit. At the time, it was very contemporary/correct, except for the fact that even at that point, almost all of the major new car carriers used racks on top of and behind the cab, as well as the trailer. They also used more "industrial" Class 7 tractors, not the high dollar Class 8 Peterbilts that the trailer was posed with (and that Revell also introduced at the same time). Nevertheless, it was (and still is) an excellent and highly detailed kit, and it's great to have it back for those that didn't buy it the first or second time around back then. It would be great for a diorama with restored old cars in transit...TIM

Here are some photos of the R&M Triumph in painted/assembled form.... Built as the Restored Stock 1962 Triumph Bonneville 650 3 in 1 version... Here's the kit built as the 3 in 1 Custom version (note the apehangers, cafe racer seat, and different tailamps)...this one was built from a glue bomb AMT kit with the R&M kit parts where the originals could not be saved.... More photos of both at the link I also built the R&M Triumph in the 3 in 1 Bonneville Streamliner version (this was a how-to feature in Model Cars magazine about 7 or so years ago...) TIM

The story I heard, and related in my book (Collecting Model Cars and Truck Kits) is that the 1911 Chevy was tooled in an aluminum mold specifically for a dealer sales incentive promotion for Chevy's Golden Anniversary. These were plaques with assembled promo-type models of the '62 Impala hardtop and the 1911 (some say it's a 1912) Chevy Touring, and painted in a low-gloss gold color. Tooling in Aluminum is much cheaper than the steel used for most model car tooling. But it has a very low volume useful life, and according to the version relayed to me. that was the reason the project was stopped (after the instruction sheet was completed, but before box art was developed). This information is probably 30+ years old by now, so we should not assume it is any more factually correct than the info relayed by Art above. For those interested, the story of the kit is detailed in a sidebar on p 97 of my book, along with a Black and White photo showing the kit contents and the instruction sheet. TIM

excellent choice of topic and a very, very clean build.....congrats....TIM

Don...that is gorgeous! Thanks for posting...TB

John...I think you are thinking of the Brookfield Guild models. They were paired with a dropped Chevy Suburban (early 1990's), a Ford Super Duty DRW, and a Ford Super Duty SuperCab. The Harleys are pretty nice models - worth it if you can get the combo at a decent price. As for Maisto, they literally made a hundred or more different Harley 1/24th die casts ( I have most or all of them); they are moderately detailed and priced well, but they have not been manufactured new (that I can determine) for probably 3 or 4 years now. The Franklin Mint 1/24th Harleys were probably the best of the bunch (as you would expect), and priced accordingly. They were available as a set, and also in a separate color scheme for one of their bikes, as part of a Harley shop diorama....TIM

Scott went to a good deal of depth on this book project, from what I understand. I am personally really looking forward to reading it...>TIM

Some additional high resolution shots from my NNL Nationals coverage a few weeks ago... This looks to me to be a pretty engaging kit topic. TIM

I believe I understood that all the parts for all the Bumpside versions (both those announced and other future variations) are being tooled before the first version of the kit will be released. This is consistent with how several model companies (Revell and Moebius included) are doing new product development today, and is one reason why kits now take what seems like "so long" to get to market the first time. TIM

Here are a couple of pictures of the MPC '60 Corvette, as first issued in 1968 and reissued a few years back by AMT-Ertl (prior to Round 2). It's built box stock, other than paint detailing and flocked carpet, as well as a tire and wheel swap, and was finished about 14 years ago or so. Four of this car, plus several other C1-C3 Corvettes, at at the link... Best regards...TIM

Most excellent! TIM

Me too! The last gen DynaGlide in the F150 kit is not too dissimilar from today's Dyna family.... this was my near-stock build of that kit, with more chrome added and actual Harley Davidson parts department three-sstage "Purple Haze" touch up paint (this color was offered on certain production Harleys circa '07 or '08 as part of their mid-year special paint program; I used it as a stand-in for the Concord Purple color that was a production color for Harleys back on '01 or so). Between the Maisto and (especially) the Hallmark 1/24th scale Harley die casts, one could kitbash a pretty current Harley bike or two... but again, it would be good to have a straight kit buildup available. I've mentioned this to the model companies. Although they haven't said the following, my educated guess is that between the Harley licensing costs and the lower MSRP such kits would have to reflect, the business case for justification is just not there. Too bad....TIM

Most of you have seen this already, but for those who have not, here's a LINK to my Fotki album with about a dozen built 1/24th & 1/25th scale motorcycle models. Most of these can be acquired via the usual sources, at generally reasonable prices (the one exception being the Revell Parts Pack Harley Chopper, which commands $50 to $200(!), depending on the auction). The comment above about the lack of accuracy of 1/25th scale wire spoked wheels is, I think, a valid one. However, take a look at the cycles in the album and you'll see a number include modern mag-style five spoke wheels (and the like), which do not suffer from the above issue... And....they offer a great basis for kitbashing (this being a chopper-styled build based on the Harley DynaGlide in the Revell 2001 F150 Harley Davidson pickup kit). I have several of the Heller/Airfix 1/24th scale GP1 kits referenced above, and I concur that they are excellent kits; well worth the effort to acquire and build. Thanks for looking...TIM

Funny enough, I heard a rumor about a '34 Chevy from one of the model makers several years years ago. It was from sources outside the company, so difficult to know if there was any legitimacy to it at the time. (Remember, if I actually knew something definitive from an internal source about such a project from any of the model makers, I couldn't say anything about it here!) So Bert....you actually had me going as well for a moment there, until I saw the Bulletnose and Pontiac Sedan.....(smile).....TIM

Terrific job, Darryl! One of the finest rail dragster builds I have ever seen. Best regards....TIM

I expect that we'll see their Q1 '15 announcements momentarily.....TB

Geemoney...thanks for your feedback on the Modeler's Corner / Street Rodder gig. It was a great time and together we (that is, the mag, the column, and all the readers/contributors to it) helped do our part to build the adult model car building hobby. I too miss the TRM/McMullen era....publishing is a much different world these days. Although there are methods that McMullen used to grow their business that would still apply today to the auto publishing world...if the applicable publishing concerns were willing to listen to them. Oh well.... Everyone else who has commented...thanks again for your feedback on the Track Roadster. It's pretty cool to know that a model that still resonates with me personally, apparently also resonates with many of you some 35 years on... TIM

Here's a photo I took at the NNL Nats a couple of weeks ago... . NNL Nats #35 Full Coverage Best Regards...TIM

Thanks again guys for all the great feedback. Back when I built this model, only the very top echelon of model car builders were actually using lacquer paints on their model cars. The best selection, in quantities that were appropriate for model cars, came from the Metalflake brand of paints (many colors were sold in Pints, presumably for motorcycle builders/customizers and van murals.) A number of my late 1970's contest models, and those of my competitors, used Candies, Pearls, and Clears from Metalflake. The clear, in particular, was just about the only one at the time that stayed clear (vs. yellowing) over the long run. Ah...the memories. Best regards...TIM

The 2.3L EcoBoost is a new engine. It debuted (in a slightly different tune) in the Lincoln MKC earlier this year, making the Mustang its second application, albeit with a higher output and tuning specifically sorted for sports car applications. The engine will be sold across global markets in this Mustang application. It does build on what Ford has learned with its earlier I3, I4, and V6 EcoBoost engines domestically and globally. My partner Michelle recently leased a '14 Escape with the 2.0L EcoBoost and although I've driven it only a couple of times, I agree exactly with Ross's (Rusty85) assessment. It rocks. TB