tim boyd

Andy,,,Karen had her NNL bars there....but they went really quickly. We missed you (again)....sure hope you can make it next year. Let us know what you'd like to see as a cult theme topic....TIM

Brad - I really enjoyed looking at your T-Bird build - both for the skill and creativeness as well as how much I'd love having a 1.1 scale version of your car. Great job....TIM

NNL's are not contests (I have a guest editorial into the guys at Model Cars regarding this point), they gatherings where modelers get together to socialize and show their work. So there are no "winners" in the traditional sense of a competitive model car contest. There are three "popular choice" awards, Best Junior, Best Theme, and Best of Show (which I would prefer be called "people's choice), all voted on by the participants. I didn't get the name of the Junior winner, but I can tell you he was one mighty proud youngster....and so was his Dad! The Ron Cash Award, awarded by his wife who survives him, went to Matt Viggiano, who had a very tasty '29 on '32 rails with a strong Bonneville flavor. Best Theme went to Lyle Willits, I presume for his "That '70's Bike" model with the ribbon paint. And People's Choice went to Anthony Rioz (hope I spelled his last name right) for his very impressive big scale '55 Nomad. Best regards...TIM

Greg...this is an NNL Nationals tradition going back to the very first NNL in Tom Woodruff's garage 31 years ago this summer. It was a "run watch brung" event, and all of us at that first event had both completed models and projects that were underway. It only seemed natural to look at all of them with an equal perspective. And so the die was cast. The "primer is finer" table is always one of the most popular attractions at this and many other NNL events around the world.

Guys....maybe I'm missing something here. For all 31 years of the NNL Nationals (and I've photographed all but a few of them in the late 1980's), we've always relied on people putting their own name on their entry slips. If I've been misled then I apologize. Accordingly, can someone please explain who the actual builder is and provide proof of your statement? Thanks....TIM

As some of you know, I prefer what I call "table shots" for coverage of events like the NNL's. Just like magazine photos of Goodguys events or NSRA meets, "tabte shots" show the full flavor of the event in a way that regualr studio photography cannot. So without further ado, here's the link to about 240 photos of yesterday's 31st edition of the NNL Nationals....and to start off, here's a photo of just one of a series of killer Pro Mod drag models by a couple of very highly talented builders by the names of DJ WILLIAMS and GREG TAYLOR. My link Have a look for yourself.....TIM

Jason...I'm not a modern day Mopar or Chevy guy (now drive an '11 Mustang 5.0L GT Convertible, and owned Mopars back in the day but not too fond of them today), but I gotta admit, those two cars parked side by side like that look STUNNING. Really nice choice of colors on both. Congrats to you and your brother. TIM BOYD

Horse...I never noticed that about the seam on the vinyl roof of the '71 SE. I'm gonna have to look alot closer the next time I see one. Thanks for the info...TIM

Actually the 440 Magnum was a factory option on the '71 SE. Car and Driver's test car had one, and so did both of the 1/1 scale SE's I looked at last year (see my post above). But they are pretty rare. But you are correct (IIRC) about the Super Bee offering the 440 4 barrel as well as the 383 Magnum, 440 six pack, and Hemi....TIM

Chris is correct on all counts. The just reissued Round 2 AMT (nee MPC) '74 Road Runner kit has the correct sew style front buckets and rear bench for the '71 SE. Of all the muscle era cars. the '71 Charger SE with the 383 4 barrel or 440 Magnum has been my "holy grail" ever since it was new. Back in the day, had a chance to buy a two year old, former factory exec car = gunmetal gray with a 383 Magnum 4 speed manual but bought a new '73 Duster 340 instead (college guy had to have a reliable car...). About a year ago I went looking again, found two cherry examples (complete with those extra moldings Chris mentions), they were both in the high $30k range which was to rich for my blood given the econmony right now. May have been my last chance ever to get one. Time will tell....TIM

Mark...no worries here....TIM

Chuck, I remember all of this very well as I was a Ford zone rep when the '80 came out...let's just say it was quite a let down for my dealers after selling all those '77 to '79 TB's, then I was in California when the '83 1/3 (to be precise) TB came out. Someone at work had shown me a picture of it about two years earlier (in prototype form) and I was so was incredibly anxious for it to show up. The first Ford advance Fleet Brochure (published around September, 1982) showed an optional vinyl roof (of course, cancelled before Job 1) and the Turbo Coupe tachometer was in the clock space in the center of the dash (moved to the instrument cluster for Job 1, which is one of the reasons the TurboCoupe was a couple of months late). There was also a dark solid green color shown in the Fleet brochure - almost a British Racing Green - listed as a color which didn't make Job 1 though it is in all the paint chip books for '83, and yes I ordered some from MCW Automotive Finishes. My own '83 1/3 was the bright red metallic, Heritage, with red velour and the TRX package...and yes, it looked fantastic, though it had some driveability issues with the EFI 5.0L powertrain. It was also the first car I ever had that had a sound system powerful enough to move the cuffs of my pants (from the door speaker) when cranked up. Of course, the '83 1/3 TB was a huge hit in California (one of our Orange County dealers was selling over 100 units a month), but it never really sold that well in other parts of the country. But it was a huge improvement over the '80-'82 as you say, and in my view helped warm up Middle America for the Taurrus which followed three years later, and we all know what a hit that was. I was subsequently able to get two additional clearcoat metallic colors into the paint lineup for summer '83 and also pushed to get the 70 series aspect ratio tires standard (vs. the 78 series tires) which happened later. So you could say that the Aero TB was, and remains so to this day, an area of considerable interest to me. TIM

Whale...sounds like we have alot in common. I too loved that Turbo when you hit it hard...I had an '84 TC in addition to the '87 and '88, and I spend quite a bit of time driving one of the first SVO Mustangs to come off the line in early '84, though that one did not belong to me. That car was phenomenal. When the boost came on, look out! Of course a certain Southern Bay Area (California) model builder knows what I am talking about (Alan....), as when I let him take it on a test drive in the hills above Woodside and Palo Alto and the road was a little damp, I told him to take it easy. Of course, he didn't, the boost hit, and we both nearly ended up going down the side of a mountain...and well...I probably wouldn't be typing this now. As for those 5.0s...would have to agree with you on those as well...and as for the new '11 5.0, which I am driving now....simply incredible! TIM

Heh Jim...I've been subconsciously admiring that '32 highboy in your signature line and then all of a sudden, it just him me. Is that a photo of your 1/1? If so, man you really nailed that one. Great color choice, great stance, killer looks. I guess I should have known. If yes congratulations, man, that one is WAY cool. I guess I really do need to find a way up to MSP soon and have you take me for a demo ride! TIM

JB - I would describe the engines as having enough parts to be very accurate, but not so many parts as to be fiddly in the assembly. And the engraving is consistent with the best of the work out of Revell in the last couple of years - very, very good. But what impressed me the most was the accuracy of the scale of the parts. For instance, the gear shifter that comes out of the tranny is incredibly delicate in its execution - much more realistic to its real 1.1 size than almost any other scale shifter I can think of, most of which, if scaled up to 1.1, would be 2 or 3 inches in diameter. Also, as I noted in the original posting way back there, there are fuel lines for the V860 and overall, the Offy looks like the best scale rendition yet of this iconic engine. But as alwasy, the truth will be in the building and as you say, that does not appear too far away (I am estimating mid November to mid December at the Hobby stores). Hope that helps....TIM

Thanks for weighing in on this, Jim. Until someone finishes the kit and shows it here, I'm with Jim on this one 100%. I am utterly stunned that after 40 years....F O R T Y Y E A R S!!!!....we've got an all-new - OFFSET funny car chassis and it is, from what I can tell so far, the most accurate funny car chassis EVER in a 1/25th scale kit. There are so many areas where Revell could have cut corners and they did just the opposite. Again, I always hold off final judgment on a kit until it's built, but so far, I am tremendously impressed. Actually, blown away. TIM

That chassis buildup looks just stunning so far. Thanks for the buildup Bill and Len....TIM

Nice one Harold. Here's mine, TIM Link to ten more pics of Tim's model of his 1.1 scale '87 T-Bird Turbo Coupe....My link

Guys...I gotta line up with Art on this one. I had a real '87 and '88 Turbo Coupe, and that nose was long....like really L-O-N-G long. The model to my eye very nicely captured the proportions of the real one sitting in my driveway. I didn't do any tape measuring, so those of you have measured and say it's too long may very well be technically accurate. I built one of these and I believe it is on my Fotki site, I'll see if I can find the picture and post it. And just to be clear here, the Pro Stocks were the first of the Aero T-Bird kits,,,,they came out in 1984 if I remember correctly. That was the first time I ever got a set of test shots from Monogram, and that baby was built lwaa than two weeks later. It really impressed me. I built it pro-street style (no decals, and a wraparound bodyside molding added to make it look more like a stock body). Best regards...TIM

Just a quick reminder that the "Cult Theme" for this year's NNL Nationals on October 9 is "Front Engine Rail Dragster Cacklefest" All NNL Nationals attendees are invited to participate - new builds, box stock, old builds, scratchbuilds, all are welcome. See you there....TIM BOYD

Ken Block Fiesta Wild Gymkhana FreestyleCheck this out! TIM

I followed Jim's link and printed off the eight page instruction manual. Wow, looks like a really killer funny car kit. Thanks Jim....TIM

Darin....as I looked over the parts trees and digested what I saw, thoughts of the original Monogram Pro-Stocks, Nascar series, and Sprint Cars and their ground breaking nature came to mind, as well as their original Boss 429 Mustang, which when introduced in 1982 was the first really serious, super-accurate muscle car model kit of the time, in my view. Then I told myself, let's not get carried away, Tim. Buy the kit, build it, let it sink in, then make the call. But yes, the thought did occur to me. As far as the possibility of Revell ever doing front engine rail kits, a few years ago I would have said never in a thousand years. But then again, I would have said the same about a chopped '49 Merc, a truly accurate new tool Chi-Town Hustler, and, well, a series of midgets. Imagine the possibilities...they could call it the 1/25th scale Cacklefest Series....oh...there I go again, getting carried away. TIM

Eric....you just summed up in a few words my overall reaction to the Midgets kits...TIM

Jim...I understand the Edelbrock Midget was the inspiration for the V860 version. A look at the picture at your link only further confirms that. The trailer is also plainly based on the Edelbrock trailer. However, as an example of the fine tuning of the kit, the wheels and tires I saw for the trailer matched the '48 Ford Woody/'50 F1, rather than the chromed reverse wheels on the Edelbrock trailer. Best...TIM