tim boyd

Rob...Chuck and I were regular patrons of the old Riders stores in Ann Arbor; we knew the owners welll and even ran model contests for them every year. Long story short, the Riders Hobby Stores were eventually franchised and were all across Southern Michigan, but have now dwindled to just two stores, one in Flint and one in Grand Rapids, owned and operated by an employee of the original Riders. The good news is that these are extraoridinarily well run hobby stores - much like the original Liberty St. store in Ann Arbor but much, much larger. I was talking with the owner at the NNL Detroit a few weeks back, and he reports that his model car kit business has really been picking up. The main difference between Riders and the ModelCave is that the latter is pretty much Styrene kits and building supplies only, whereas Riders is a full line hobby store. TIM

Thanks to a tip from my modeling co-conspirator Chuck Helppie, I visited a new store dedicated almost exclusively to styrene kits. It's located in Ypsilanti, Michigan (between Detroit and Ann Arbor). It's called the "ModelCave" and it's located on the SE corner of Michigan Ave. and Huron St. (103 W. Michigan, 48197, 734-316-2281, www.modelcave.com). For those traveling from nearby towns, take I-94 to the Ypsi Huron Street exit, go North about 1 mile to Michigan Ave (large intersection). Turn left, look to your left, and there it is. When I was there last weekend, they had what is probably the widest choice of current and recent model car kits in SE MIchigan, plus they had some old kits at very reasonable prices - for instance, original issue Revell '89 TBird Super Coupes at around $19, and some kits dating back to the early 1970's. They also had a large display of Humbrol enamels - virtually impossible to find in this part of the country. The proprietor seemed very knowledgeable and helpful. This is exactly what we need, a great place to buy model car kits. Check it out at your earliest convenience. Best regards...TIM

A fully correct and properly accessorized (from the factory) 1970 'cuda is one of the few remaing "low hanging fruit" kit topics left for the kit manufacturers to mine. Let's hope one of them picks up the ball and runs with it! TIM

Actually, there was a plan for a second gen Hemi under the Chrysler nameplate. It's been well documented that Chrysler was developing a C-body application of the Hemi for use in the Dodge Monaco 500 and Chrysler 300 in the 1966 model year. There were even a few parts prototyped and manufactured (including a C-body exhaust manifold) before the plan was cancelled in early 1965. According to some accounts, the C-body Hemi was to undergo further development for the 1967 model year including a tri-power (three carb) variant in place of the dual quads and tuning that would have allowed a factory application with air conditioning, and possibly an increase in displacement to 440 cubic inches. The 1966 versions are well documented, the 1967 plans are less documented. I wrote more about this in an article I did for the other magazine a couple of years ago (including a list of references) along with an accompanying "On Line Extra". TIM

When Gary originally did the '48, he had it engineered in such a way that it could be used as the basis for a '41 at a later point in time, from what I recall. So....if that coupe is on the horizon, wouldn't it be killer if it was a '41 instead of a '48? (The '41 Chevy was probably the single most beautiful pre- WWII Chevy of all time, at least in my humble opinion.....TIM

Thanks Pete. Best regards....TIM

PLenty of pictures of two of the three cars featured in the Scale Auto Enthusiast article are at this link: http://public.fotki....atro/page5.html Here are a couple of pictures: http://images17.fotk...DSC_0892-vi.jpg http://images29.fotk...DSC_0378-vi.jpg Best regards...TIM

Pete - Here's your answer. "Is there really a Highboy Heaven?", pp. 38-41, Scale Auto Enthusiast, Issue #26, July/August 1983 (with a Kenworth Aerodyne on the cover). There may have been other articles on this subject, but this is the one I remember... Best regards....TIM

Ira....very creative and engaging project there. Looks great! Congratulations and best regards....TIM

Bill,,,,very cool idea and very encouraging start to the build. TIM BOYD

Absolutely outstanding. We need to get you together with a Mr. Steve Perry and his Freght Train. Dual Gas vs. 100% Ntiro. Circa 1966. Beautiful, scratchbuilt 1/25th scale masterpieces. I can smell the burning rubber now! TIM

....the "Cult Theme" for this year, suggested by our friend Bill Coulter, is Kurtis Midgets and Tow Vehicles. Bill and his friends will bring four different Kurtis Midget/Tow Vehicle combos, which I've seen and they are really cool ideas. Everyone else is welcome to join! Tow vehicles do not need to match the Midgets, only make sense as a period-correct (whichever period you choose) combination. 1/25th scale only, please. Thanks and we look forward to seeing "what you bring!" TIM

I was going to say Rider's on 28th Street, but gosh, looks like about ten people already did that. Seriously though, it's one of the best hobby shops in the entire state. Have fun.....TIM

Here's another photo from the Fotki file at the corrected link below....TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/new-first-look-reve/new-first-look-reve/

Link fixed. Sorry 'bout that, don't know exactly what happened....TIM

About 56 photos of this new kit at the (UPDATED) link below....including 20 or so new detail shots of things like the Navarro cylinder hears and intake, the new dropped front and rear suspensions, and the fadeaway fenders....thanks for looking....TIM http://public.fotki.com/funman1712/new-first-look-reve/new-first-look-reve/

Just in case you haven't already OD'ed on Gregg's pictures of this new kit, here's a link to my Fotki folder with 35 pictures of the new Revell Chopped '48 Ford Custom Five Window coupe, including closeups of the chopped top (such as the one below) and of new/revised sections of the instruction sheet.....best regards...TIM http://public.fotki....irst-look-reve/ http://images116.fotki.com/v617/photos/6/998986/10049263/DSC_0182-vi.jpg

Just a headsup that Revell advised me yesterday that the engine not only contains Navarro heads (discussed earlier in this thread), but also a Navarro intake manifold! In fact, the entire kit apparently was engineered in such a way as to only provide parts and building options that were available by the mid 1950's. nothing more current. Coolll.....where's that earlly 1950's Buick Titian (not Titan!) red I ordered from MCW Automotive Finishes a year ago or so? TIM

According to my source at Revell,,,,their distributor started shipping kits to the retail stores with the special merchandising agreement with Revell/Hobbico the week before last. Based on that, I would postulate that the kits may be on sale in the stores in a matter of days or weeks.....TIM

Gregg...I also had problems with Tamiya gloss black..the Alclad chrome looked great but rubbed right off. I too (eventually) read the instructions where it said to use Black enamal. Testors Gloss Black enamel + Chrome Alclad = problem solved. TIM

Ken Hart wrote: "Thew three-window was the original '32 Ford kit. It was released in 1996. The roadster and Speedwagon followed in fairly quick succession. In fact, I seem to recall Tim Boyd writing that he received test shots for all three kits in the same package." ************** Ken....you recall is exactly correct! Cheers....TIM

The optional engine parts appear all new. The cylinder heads are Navarros. TB

Guys...I just have to repeat my earlier comment....what a fantastic body of work! So many fine models I would love to have in my case.... Here's one more to keep the thread going. This one was built in late 1969 and debuted at the 1970 Detroit Autorama MPC "World's Largest Model Car Contest". The chassis (with a different body at the time) won "Best Detail" at that event. The chassis was a working replica of a real 1.1 scale funny car that had what was called a "Hydra-Slide" chassis. Basically, a hydraulic ram could adjust the engine setback at any point prior to each run, allowing the driver infinite and immediate adjustment to track conditions as he pulled to the line. And yes, the feature still works on the model (as you can see below). The second (Mustang) body as shown was completed a few months later as the original body (a 1970 MPC 'cuda) suffered the results of rushed bodywork (to complete the model prior to the contest) and was later written off as non-recoverable. - Here are a few photos and a link to the album with around 17 pictures of the model. http://public.fotki....mustang-funny-/ Thanks for looking....TIM

My LHS (in Michigan) also told me last week that it is an issue involving the formula of the paint, and that the State of California legislation involving carcinogens figures into it. The Hobby Store source said that, when combined with the Japanese Earthquake (and, presumably, the non-availibilty of certain paint pigments), the entire situation has prompted Tamiya to do a complete re-think of their spray paint lineup including the formulas and paint colors. Although this source sounded credible, I'm taking this as semi-informed hearsay rather than fact. That is, until we hear the real story from Tamiya themselves. TIM .

In the 1960's world of drag racing, for a while the boat drags were nearly as popular as the pavement drags. Often the same builders and drives competed in both series, and swapping engines between the two genres was a frequent occurence. Here's a Revell Hemi Hydro, narrowed, real wood hull deck, with Pontiac 389 power and considerable detailing added. There's a how-to article on this one somewhere in the Model Cars Mag in-box..... Several more Boyd water drag racers at the link....thanks for looking....TIM http://public.fotki....yd-model-boats/.