tim boyd

Bernard and the rest following thsi thread - Some years back, I set out to build a couple of these cars, using the PartsPacks I had accumluated rather than the mega-expensive kits (I had grabbed one of these kits many years ago before they began to command triple digit prices). I soon found out that Revell had made subtle changes to some of the Parts Packs that were included in the Double Kits to allow them to actually fit together as a complete model. They weren't big changes, and there weren't alot of changes, but comparing the kits and the Parts Packs side by side, there WERE some changes. Alas, I don't remember exactly what the changes were. Best regards...TIM

I love projects like this, and this one perfectly captures the timeless appeal of this kit. Thanks for posting Dennis! TIM

Yesterday I started working on the Revell '62 Corvette for a future Gasser project I have underway. Like many of us, I was a little put off by the location of the parting line across the front, just above the "Corvette" letters. Well, I've just changed my mind. It took less than a minute with an X-Acto knife to scrape away the parting line, without touching the Corvette lettering. This was helped in that the parting lines on this body are amongst the finest (read well-done) I've ever seen on a kit. Really guys, it was a breeze. I haven't painted the body yet, so I'll post an update later if I run into any trouble after the paint goes, at which point the reflective surface would highlight any residual issues with the parting lines. Just goes to show (once again), you can't really judge a kit appropriately until you build it. Best regards...TIM

Thanks Greg for the info....TIM PS - good luck with straightening out after the move. I did that a bunch of times earlier in my career and man I feel you pain, even to this day! TB

I can speculate that the hardtop roof will be in a subsequent issue of this kit. I can also speculate that there might a gasser-type version, but how much it might actually be changed from the stock version tooling would be a big question in my mind. TIM PS - no insider knowledge here, just guessing! TB

Daddy...I dind't know about the Sizzler parts in the S'cool bus. Which parts made the leap? Thanks for the insight on that one! TIM UPDATE - in reading the rest of this thread, I see some are questioning this. I have the Sizzler kit but not sure I have the S'Cool Bus...wonder if anyone can pull out the kits and look (and photographs would be even better). I think it somewhat unlikely that an old kit like the Sizzler would have been used to source the Daniell one-off's like the S'cool....that's why this statement caught my interest. TIM

Well you will have, it you click on this link! Thanks for looking....TIM http://public.fotki....d-on-line-ho-4/ Step # 3. We started building the kit by gluing the "hard tail" (i.e., lacking a rear suspension) frame together and painting it a Tamiya Dark Blue Metallic...

Cobra....right you are. I took after the paint with three successive applications of The Treatment for Model Cars wax. As usual, expecially with 29 year old paint, polished up really nicely. Now mind you, there is no way this paint job would be considered acceptable by today's Micro-Mesh super smooth standard, but for the early 1980's, it wasn't bad. Best regards...TIM

In my continuing series of 10, 20, and 30 year or more projects that are now reaching completion comes this buildup of the subject AMT kit. The original body was painted, decaled, and trimmed back in 1983 or so as part of an article on using 1/144 scale airline decals to easily replicate early 1980's graphic treatments on model cars without getting involved in complex painting and taping operations. The project never progressed beyond that until this October, when I got the bug to pull it out (for what, the 100th time?) and (for the first time) actually finish it. This was a semi-quickie, "slump buster" type build, so it won't win any awards for detail or quality of workmanship. But it is a fun project, and the On-Line article gives you a pretty good idea of what it is like to build the kit, as well as some hints to assure a better outcome. Take a look at the link directly below for this, and other Boyd On-Line How-To projects if you haven't seen them before. And, as always, thanks for looking! TIM http://public.fotki....d-on-line-ho-3/

As noted above, the '66 Mustang kit has newly tooled Goodyear Polyglas GT in F60 and L60 sizes. They are very, very nicely done. The L60's look more like G60's or H60's to me, but that is of little concern given how sharp these are. And yes, I'll be buying more of these kits to get 'em. The drag slicks are also very sharp. TIM .

Wow! Can't wait to see this progress....brilliant idea on the parachute body....TIM

http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/model-car-events-co/2012-nnl-nationals--2/ For 30 photos of some of the coolest Gassers at the NNL Nats #33, click on the above link. All builders are identified and additional details are provided for each model. Here is a teaser photo of what you can see there...and thanks for looking. TIM

http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/model-car-events-co/2012-nnl-nationals-/ Click on the link above for individual, detailed coverage of each of the nearly 20 models from 10 different builders that participated in the "Cult Theme" at the 2012 NNL Nationals. The imagery is provide in super-high res pictures shot in F/22 for full depth of field, and presented in my preferred "table shots" format (which provides a better sense of the environment at the event - just as full size street machines and rod runs are photographed with real backgrounds instead of studio settings). Each of the models shown below is fully explained in the album Here's an overall shot of the participants in the "1/25th scale 1946-48 Fords" Cult Theme this year: Thanks for your interest, and thanks for looking. TIM

Steve...thanks for those pictures! TIM

Artful....I don't know the specifics of why a kit takes a certain amount of time to come out. A company may have a kit on their "to do list" for many years (I understand that the Revell Midget was in the plans for 10 years before it came out). A model company has to think through their entire kit catalog (not just genres of cars and trucks, but planes, mililtary, special interests, etc.) and make sure they have a balanced portfolio of new ideas each year. Maybe there are other ideas that just plain outrank our chosen topic, until it too eventually makes it to the top of the list. Then there is the availablity of capital, human resources, scheduling at tooling vendors, etc., etc. Once a kit is committed to production, they have to find the correct 1/1 scale car to research (a really important decision for a kit like this), design the kit, commission the tooling, then do several rounds of evaluation and correction of the tooling. Once the kit enters production, they need to complete the production run, get it on the water to the States, and then into the distribution system. Given the expectations of today's marketplace, and especially the expectations around getting the body right on this particular model, it's not too hard for me to understand the amount of time involved between a decision to go ahead and the kit appearing in the hobby store. I want to emphasize that this is my general knowledge of the subject, not a specific recap of any one kit or manufacturer's timing situation. As to why I or anybody else didn't say anything publicly about Revell's new 'cuda until now, I can only vouch for myself. Until I saw the Facebook post on Revell's website a couple of days ago, I didn't know for 100% sure that the kit would be produced. And then there is the matter of confidentiality - in a venture like this, a company has a right to expect confidentiality about future plans when they discuss them with outsiders, and that's something that I and others involved take very seriously. There are any number of instances in the last 50+ years of this hobby where plans of one manufacturer to do a particular kit subject were scuttled when they heard unauthorized news of another manufacturer's plans Sometimes the news was false - and that was the precise reason we didn't get a kit of the '49 or '50 Olds until this month vs. the original plans being made in the mid 1960's by one of our favorite U.S. model companies which were cancelled when they heard - incorrectly it turned out - that another manufacturer planned to product the same topic. Sure didn't want to see that repeated with this topic! Hope that explains at least a little bit of the background, at least as I know it. Best regards...TIM

Great reaction from everyone to the new 'cuda news. I appreciate any credit you want to give me, but all I did was supply information, ideas, and sources. If you talk to the guys at Revell, apparently many others did the same as well. All the credit really belongs to the team at Revell. THEY are the ones that did all the hard work, the planning, the budgeting, the engineering and fabrication, and the like to finally make this idea a reality. Best regards...TIM

The Revell team told me yesterday that all the tires on the Rat Roaster are all new....TIM

Cesar, personally I've had no discussions with Revell about the '71 so I don't know if there are any plans down the road. The level of changes between the '70 and '71 (the entirely different grille setup, the louvered front fenders, the different tailamps, different interior upholstery) would make this a pretty involved project requiring a different front, side and rear tool insert. As for a '70 1/2 AAR, that would be a much more containable project, but at this point it's just speculation as far as I know. Best regards...TIM

Virgil...thanks for the feedback! I do want to make sure everyone understands that I was nothing more than a bit player in this saga (albeit, a bit player with dreams, as accurately suggested by Virgil above)....it's the team at Revell that deserves the major kudos on this endeavour. TIM

Guys....I can't even tell you how happy I am today because as of 3:30pm yesterday, October, 6 2012, Revell has FINALLY gone public with their all-new '70 'cuda kit. Unfortunately I was on the other side of the exhibit hall when Roger Harney and Ed Sexton setup their display at the NNL but I talked with the Revell team extensively last night after the event and learned additional details, most (but not all) that I can share with you now. First, the kit is all-new. Revell understands with extreme clarity the issues with their prior attempts to do a '70 'cuda from existing tooling and they have gone to great lenths on this one to get the body proportions right. As I said above, I was not able to examine the samples, but others who did yesterday told me it looked exactly correct. The first kit out will be a 2 in 1 with multiple stock building options and a Foose-style Pro-Touring version with a dropped suspension and appropriate wheels and tires. The stock version with will include BOTH the chrome front bumper and the optional body-colored version (which are different in execution in the 1/1 scale 'cuda) - GREAT! (I had campaigned for the body color bumper but never dreamed Revell would decide to do both). The body has the correct "gill" rockers (which I also campaigned for). Both the standard dual scoop 'cuda hood and the Air Grabber (which I believe was standard on the 'cuda with a Hemi) are included, so while the kit has the 426 Hemi powertrain, the parts to kitbash several '70 'cuda powertrain variants are already in the box! The kit was designed by the same Revell staffer who did the '32 Street Rod series and Revell's '40 Ford series, along with some 300 Revell/Monogram kits previously. I think the comparison with the '32 Ford series is apt because my belief all along has been that a '70 'cuda kit, done right, could have the potential for the same degree of success and just as many variants down the road. Speaking of variants, I was surprised to learn a few years ago just how "close to stock" a certain '70 'cuda racing car was, and passed that on to the Revell team. Yesterday I was told by someone else (not Roger or Ed), that the very car I had referenced has already been tooled. I did learn that there are ideas for a third kit variant down to road if the first issue sells well, but I cannot share the details at this time. However, apparently the second version referenced above could be out within a year after the stock version hits the street. ************************************************* For those who know the '70 and '71 'cudas well, the '70 presented a pure design ethic, clearly delivered into the marketplace. In my personal and professional (auto industry career) opinion, the '71 'cuda was confused, overwrought with styling gimmicks and tacky graphics (of course, those very elements make it popular now), but the rising auction values for 1/1 scale '70 hemi 'cudas reflects the increased market awareness of its design virtues. There have been several OK and good sources of 1/24th/1/25th '71 'cudas in the intervening years, but up until last night, if you wanted an accurate 1/25th scale '70 'cuda, you paid about $200 for the original MPC annual kit. Now (and this presumes that the body proportions will live up to their billing), we'll be able to get a far more accurate kit, with great building options, for a price point just above 1/10th that price. As we now wait with baited breath (my own forecast is that we'll see the kit on the market next summer or early fall), I would like to thank all those who provided their support for this kit idea, on this message board and others, and all those who provided info to the Revell team. Also, I would like to thank the entire Revell team for their dedication and persistence in bringing this idea to market. Like many of the rest of us, I can hardly wait! Best regards...TIM

Well...actually....at least one of those, if not both (at least in my hope of hopes)...only a few days to go! TIM

IMC, Testors, Union, Revell, or your favorite resin casters....if they're 1946-48 Fords in 1/25th scale and they're serious models (no spoofs for this theme, please), they're welcome. You'll find the Cult Theme along the back of the left wall at the NNL National...come take a look even if you don';t have a model to enter....thanks TIM

************************************************************* I'm with Art on this one. Urban legend, and one of several inaccuracies in the Elapsed Time article (still, overall a good article and eight pages of model in a mainstream car mag is great!) I did box art models, hobby show samples, and models for Sales Staff meetings for AMT over this same period (perhaps starting a little later than Art did), and as he said, I recall the decision to go with box art photographhy came from AMT's management and was administered by their Art Department. However, my experience was somewhat different with respect to Bare-Metal (I used it on all of my box art builds), and I was not given any instructions as to specific chassis/engine/suspension colors. Years ago I contributed an article to the Thomas Voehringer web site recapping the phone call I got after turning in my build of the chopped '53 Stude that was used on the cover of the Salt Flats series kits (circa 1978). They were near apopletic (sp?) over the dechroming of the body and the molding in of the grille blanks, as I recall. My response? "Read your own instruction sheet!" I calmly copied the instruction sheet from the 1964 original release, sent it in the next day, and never heard another word. And the model appeared exactly as I had build it (except for AMT's addition of decals to the body) on the box art. Best regards...TIM

The "Cult Theme" for the 2012 NNL Nationals in a few weeks is "1946-48 Fords". If you have any built 1/25th scale '46-48 Fords from Revell, IMC/Testors/Union, or aftermarket castings, please join our 2012 cult theme display against the far wall near the photography booths. No displays or spoofs, please, as we are trying to create a realistic scale parking lot of rods, woodies, restorations, customs, gassers, or anything else with a '46-'48 Ford theme. Trailers with boats, bikes, drag racers et al are also welcome as long as they are attached to a '46-'48 Ford tow vehicle. With all the builds of the Revell '48 Ford Custom Coupe this year, and all the conversions of other '46-'48 Fords using parts from ths kit, there should be plenty of opportunities for you to display your themed builds along with the rest of us. Any questions, let me know. As for the h istory, this year's NNL Cult Theme is a return to our roots. The first ever NNL Cult theme was a the 1984 NNL Nationals (if memory serves me), and the theme was "Red 1948 Ford convertibles, built in 20 hours or less". The theme was inspired and created when a bunch of us were in Southern California and we went to Boyd Coddington's shop at his home in Stanton, Califorina. It was a standard two car wide garage in his back yard, but probably three cars deep. Inside was parked the prettiest 1948 Ford convertible, blood red with saddle guts. This was obviously years before Boyd became the star/hero most of us remember now. So anyway, we were all so inspired with the car that someone came up with the Cult Theme idea and we all decided to go for it. The first NNL Cult Theme was a success, and they continued on for a number of years, then were reinstated during the second half of the last decade. So...if you have a '46-'48 Ford in your display case, please dig it out and join us at this year's Cult Theme display. Best regards...TIM

John....I remember looking at this car in a 1968 issue of Car Craft (at least I think it was Car Craft) as a 14 year old modeler and thinking what a cool model car replica could be based on it. Now...only 44 years later, you make it a reality. And a spectacular one at that. BRAVO!!!! TIm