tim boyd

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

Very sharp! TIM

1. Everyone: THANKS for your enthusiastic reaction and comments. Much appreciated! ************************************************************* 2. iBorg (Mike) asked "how I would build it today"? * Mike, use the body and interior from the AMT Trophy Series Double Kit (the Round 2 circa 1965 reissue from about two years ago) for the body, turtle deck, and interior/IP. * Use the basic grille shell from either of the Revell Kurtis Midget kits and shape to fit. * The hood might require two Model T era hoods, with the second one narrowed and placed in front of the first one, then cut to fit the remaining opening. * The belly pan could be created from Sheet Styrene. * The Capri V6 is a bit of a tough one. These are not used in today's hot rods (they fit correctly, but just don't put out the power expected today), and the kit sources are long out of production. Your best bet would probably be to use a four cylinder (2.3L SOHC Ford I4 from Revell's recently reissued '85 SVO Mustang; Olds Aerotech DOHC, Revell Ford SVT Focus 2.0L Duratech revised to fit a north south RWD vs, east west FWD application, or even '28-31 Model A, '32 Model B, or '33/'34 Model C Ford four bangers with appropriate vintage speed equipment), or perhaps the 260 Ford V8 from the reissued Round 2 Cobra kit or the 289 Ford from the Revell Buttera series - the latter of which may require dropping or ballooning the side panels to fit. * Most suspension parts are still available, but the front hairpins would need to come from the Revell '32 Ford 5W Coupe and the friction shocks from Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland. * Paint could be applied with modern acrylics from Tamiya and Testors, or use MCW Automotive paints to match. That should at least get you started. It's still a major project, but probably a little easier to pull off today given the modern resources we have at hand. Hope that helps. TIM

The subject was a 1/25th Scale Track Roadster built by your writer from mid 1978-early 1979 and inspired by two similar 1/1 scale cars from builders Tom Prufer and Don Varner. Take a look at these freshly photographed color images (the original magazine article and cover images were Black and White only) and the associated photo captions (I recommend you use the "roll" feature to view it as one continuous presentation). Click on this link Questions and comments welcomed - and thanks for your interest. TIM

I also saw the 1/10th scale wood master for the Porsche 911 during a visit to AMT to review a project they contracted me for, it was circa 1975 or 1976 when I saw it... TB

Norm at Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland has three different sets of rail dragster wheels in his lineup now. Of course, they aren't inexpensive, but they do look pretty sharp. Best regards...TIM

Here are some photos of an MPC Carl Casper Cosmic Charger rescued from a glue-bomb purchase. It is essentially everything in the kit, except it is missing the clear cockpit cover. It also has (I think) a parts box "Owl Eyes" air scoop rather than the kit piece. Five more pictures (including detail shots of the chassis) at the link... http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/tim-boyds-124th--12/boyd-rail-dragsters/boyd-rail-dragsters/page3.html Thanks for looking...TIM

I have just finished adding the names and posting detailed photo captions for all of the 228 photos in my NNL Nationals #35 coverage at this link: I recommend you use the "roll" feature on the opening screen. It lets you quickly scroll through all the pictures in large format size (they should mostly fill your screen) with my photo captions appearing directly below. As a teaser photo, here's a look at one of Chuck Helppie's entries in the "Vintage Model Preservation Society" Cult Theme, his IMSA Corvette that won Best in Show at the 1976 MPC Detroit Autorama model car contest, and later went on to win Third Nationwide in the MPC National Finals that year... As I noted earlier, Glenn Marek's photo studio quality photos should appear later in Model Cars magazine and/or MCM's annual Contest issue early next year. Thanks for looking....TIM

Thanks Gerry....TB

Mike...no I didn't ask about release dates. Given the variables involved in getting a kit to market, my own philosophy is that any date a manufacturer states may well change anyway, There was a huge scrum of people around the Moebius stand during much of the event; even though I didn't ask, I'll bet others did. Anyone hear anything that would answer Mike's question? TIM

Blunc....thanks for that...yes I was typing that at 4am in the morning...I will go change it now. Best regards...TIM

There are a number of photos of builtup and painted versions of both the initial pickup kit release versions in my NNL Nats coverage posted yesterday in the "Contest" section of the Forum....check them out. TIM

additional pictures of the parts trees and body are in my NNL Nats coverage (see the contests section of this Forum)....TIM

A few pictures of the test shot are in my NNL Nats photo album (see the Contests and Shows section of this Forum). It looked pretty good in person - no visual suggestion of rear quarters being too long. Dave is working on other tweaks to improve the body. I have to say, based on how many first tooling shots look, this one is several steps ahead of the norm at this stage of development..... TIM

Pat beat me to the punch. Here's my coverage of the NNL Nats: 35 years ago this summer, the first ever NNL took place in Tom Woodruff's garage. There were six participants. It was the most fun any of us had ever had with our model car hobby. From that afternoon grew the NNL legacy. Fast forward 35 years later, and this year's NNL Nationals was an outstanding success. Participation was up from last year, with entrants from as far away as Nova Scotia, Canada and Kansas City. I saw many, many new names on the entrant slips this year, all the vendor tables were full and they reportedly did a very good business, and the overall vibe was very upbeat. The event was well-attended as noted above, but not so packed with people that you couldn't get around. As a result, there were many modeler to modeler discussions taking place and many renewals of past friendships. In that regard, this year's event saw the return (after many years away) for two early NNL Nationals regulars - Rick Hanmore and Steve Masters. Great to have you back, guys. This year's Cult Theme chalked up the largest participation of any Cult Theme ever. Suggested by Howard Cohen, the "Vintage Model Preservation Society" was for any model built prior to 1980, the year of the first NNL. At one point there were over 80 models in this section. Congrats to Jim Casassa for the oldest cars on the table - built from 1961-62 - although Rick Hanmore and several others were close with models built in 1964. There was sadness yet joy as we celebrated the life of Tony Hill, who passed away earlier this year, with his family including his wife, son and daughter in law, and grandaughter. Model builders are a close knit group anyway, but we all felt a special affection for Tony. His family brought a huge arrangement of Tony's innovative and well built models, and his many "in process" projects. What a talent! The group organizing the event, the Cleveland Auto Modelers Society, was pleased with the new event format (with the event taking place earlier in the day and alongside the Toy Show as a single day event), so the 36th Annual NNL Nationals will go forward at the same location, same time, next year. If you were there, you know what a great time was had by all, and if you weren't there, you need to make plans now to make sure you are there next year! In the interest of expediency I am posting all the pictures now. I do plan to go back and add all the builder names, as well as commentary on each model, over the next few days. Bookmark your calendar now so you can come back by the end of the day Wednesday for the full, complete story on the 35th NNL Nationals. MCM's Glenn Marek was there with a photography setup that looked like a giant parachute in full bloom...so be expecting some great photos in future issues of MCM. http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/model-car-events-co/2014-nnl-nationals-35/ Tony Franklins's spectacular '77 Monte Carlo lowrider is just a sample of the great models pictured in the link above... Thanks for looking and thanks for your interest....TIM

Greg...the main theme is indeed "`1964". The "Cult Theme" is "Vintage Model Preservation Society". Most people try to bring a model that falls in the main theme category' participation in the cult theme is much more limited but usually turns up some pretty interesting models....see you there....TIM

..."Vintage Model Car Preservation Society"....which means,,,,any models you built prior to 1980 (the first year of the NNL) that you remain really proud of and want to show (or show again) to all your modeling buddies... See you there....TIM .