tim boyd

Should have said also....great build Charlz. That is a tough kit to get together right, and that is exactly what you did. Congratulations...TIM

Careful guys about slamming In A Godda da Vida....IIRC it was the top selling album of all time for several years...and remained in the top 100 albums for sales for a surprising number of years.....and as for the eight tracks...everything above is true. A few years back I bought two eight track players on eBay to try to reinvigoriate my extensive eitght track collection....quickly found out that among the few tapes that were not broken (see above for explanation), the rubber rollers had turned into an oily, squishy black mess that quickly obliterated the tape head of the eight track players....oh well. An I still like In a Godda da Vida....great album from front to back. There, I said it, and I'm proud! TIM

Bernard....just a quick note that I'm loving your build so far....great theme and that Fisher 6 was an inspired choice. Don't know if you are planning to go to the NNL Nats (Toledo) this year but if so, please bring along this project and display it in our special "Bonneville/Land Speed Record" cult theme display. Whether you are finished or not... Best regards....TIM BOYD

Tim Boyd Van Project Here's a never-to-be-completed van project circa late 1976/early 1977. It's the AMT Ford Econoline, customised with a widened lower rocker panel, scratchbuiltfront bumper and wheel wells, a lowered door window opening, scoop in the hood, and the rear end changed with a side panel insert in place of the rear doors to continue the side depression around to the rear. Don't really recall why I stopped working on it. Dug it out and photographed in this week as Steve Perry is working on a somewhat related project and I wanted to show it to him. Plus, I keep predicting that 1960's and early 1970's vans are going to come back big in the 1.1 scale rod world (we'll see!) A few more pix at the link.... Thanks for looking....TIM

Hans....and I still have that magazine copy around somewhere....as i recall this was among the verty few times my work appeared in color at that time.... Thanka again these many years later...tIM

Bob...the wierd Al relationship seems to be broadly shared by the modeling community. My girlfriend doesn't think it is so cool though! Andy, thanks for dragging out those photos....I would have been 15 in the first shot and just graduating from college in ths shot wth Bruce and Bill Merrill....TB

Mark...thank you so much for your comments here. This really means alot to me personally, let me assure you. I didn't remember that the LAte Model Custom was to be a part of "BEST of SAE v3", but now that you mention it that strikes a faimiliar cord. I don't recall the project getting to the point that Gary acutally asked me for t he color photograhy, though that would have been pretty cool. (I did prepare a series of how-to articles on a projectd car last year that were similar is scope (though not as highly detailed) as the Late Model Custom series, but unfortunately it seems the topic of the build just did not have enough popular appeal to make it to the point of being published. While I respectuflly disagree on this, it's not my money publishing these magazines, and that's a really important consideration!) I also want to respond to you on just how strongly I endorse your mantra about doing different types of builds and being satisfied with all of them. That has been exactly my modeling philosophy for many years now. While I just don't have the time to do the ultra detailed buids like the Tangerine Dream any more (my last one of those was the Grabber Green Boss 302 I completed about ten years ago) , I still greatly respect those like yourself that do work at that level. Having become good friends with Steve Perry has served to infliuence me and remind me of just how much effort I used to do this in this regard. Still, for the amount of time I have to spend on modeling, I am pleased with myr esults and find completing a model to be a very fulfilling experience. But even better is hearing that I am still having a positive effect on those that read my articles. So thanks to you, and all the others who have posted on this topic, for caring and for acknowleding my work. Very Best regards...TIM

Joe, it was featured in Scale Auto in the late 1990s and now that you mention it, it may have been a cover car. If important to you, I can find out which issue and post it here. Let me know if you need it. Thanks...TIM

Old - i used velour from the fabric store, chosen for its (relatively) short nap. Generally looked pretty good except when wrapped around sharp corners as you can see on the edge of the seats. Thanks for the comments! TIM

Jon,,,,general admission (what I bought) tickets were $25 each; "VIP" tickets were $100 or $175 per couple.... ////TIM

Andy, she's my long time girlfriend/partner Michelle. I'll pass along the compliment...cheers...TIM

At the link is my just-posted photo album with 180 pictures from today's Meadowbrook Concours....thanks for looking...TIM Tim's photo album of the 2009 Meadowbrook Concours

Thanks Custom! There is a closeup of the trunk at the link in the original post. I believe they came from one of the original Parts Packs - perhaps Aurora or Revell. TIM

I recnently completed posting pictures of five of my custom Chevy builds, with completion dates ranging from 1977 through the late 1990's. One of these is my "Tangerine Dream" '51 Chevy Bel Air Full Custom, which took Best of Show at the 1977 Chicago ISCA show, making it eligible for the 1978 MPC National Championship held at the Omaha ISCA show (which was also the finals for the 1.1 scale showcars that year IIRC). The model eventually won 2nd Nationwide that year. (Another of my models won 3rd Nationside at the finals, making what we believe may be the highest "combination finish" by a builder in the 11 year history of the MPC series.) Click on the link for about ten more phots of the car, including closeups. Also at the link are my '51 Chevy Fleetline sedan mild custom, a '58 Impala Full Cusom, a '59 Impala Full Custom, and a '70 Impala Full Cusom. Some of these you may recoginze, while others you've most likely never seen before, particularly in color. Thanks for loolking....TIM BOYD Tim's 1950's-1970's 1/25th scale Chevy Customs

Dave and Andy...thanks for confirming. Andy....cool models! Dave....those are great 1/1 scale pix..... Here's one of a series of pix I took of a killer Corvair powered Manx at this year's goodguys Columbus (stop action photography as it pulled into a line waiting for the exit is at the link....) Live action photos - Manx at 2009 Goodguys Columbus (and a couple hundred other cool cars) Best regards....TIM

Ismael I sure enjoyed your Vette build...TIM

Robert....going from memory here...IIRC this is a reissue of the old Revell EMPI dune buggy, which ws first released around 1969. It's a pretty nice kit. It was licensed to at least one othe model maker during the interim years. I'm sure somebody will jump on this right away if my memory is incorrect on this...TIM

TX....that is one spectacular build you have just completed. I've always loved funny cars from this era and yours is one of the nicest builds I have seen. Way to go....TIM BOYD

Very cool Lyle....! I recently completed a similar build. If you bring yours to the NNL Nats this fall we can display 'em together if you want. Tom Woodruff has already promised to bring his two '57 Chevy Gassers built in the 1960's to go along with the "theme"....TIM

Really enjoyed hearing the different views here on this, and don't expect any of us to have the "final word" on this topic....here's my response to some of the points made... - Bob, I once encountered a similar experience with The Treatment on Testors enamel....concluded that the finish hadn't "hardened" yet. Since then I let the paint dry a few weeks, and have not had a problem again. In fact, I am sometimes amazed at how good old fashioned enamel paint jobs can become with the a coat or two of this wax. - I've had bottles of Novus 2 and 1 sitting on my hobby desk for years but I've never used them....will give them a try after hearing the first hand endorsements here from modelers that I really respect. - I have used Meguiar's Show Glaze #7 (and its predecessor product) for a couple of decades now based on a recommendation from my buddy Mark Gustavson. I find it especially helpful on dark paint jobs that have been rubbed out (in terms of hiding the rub out marks and adding depth to the finish). But (and I realize this may be my imagination actively at work), it seems that a final coat of the Treatment adds even more gloss and depth. - Dave, personally I wouldn't try any wax over delicate decals like those from Kieth. I've found that even the best pure was (e.g. non-abrasive was) can still act as a rubbing compound of sorts, and it sounds like that is what happened here. Would be interesting to know if you've had success waxing over Kieth's decals with another product... - Bob, I've already come to the same conclusion as you about the Tamiya rubbing compounds....they are a really superior product and I am using them now on almost every paint job. And like you've already concluded, I am also slowly coming to the conclusion that Tamiya TS13 is the best hobby Clear out there....I still have problems with the Testors One Coat and Model Masters Lacquer Clears sometimes imbedding aerosol bubbles in the clear topcoat if I get just a touch too close to the body or load up just a little too much on the final wet coat. Have not had that experience with TS13 and am also finding it to have what I think is a slightly higher level of gloss. But (sorry to sound like a broken record here), the Treatment as the final touch to a Tamiya rubbed-out TS13 overcoat works great for me. - Thanks everyone for your views...I've printed out this thread and stuck in it in my hobby technique notebook....looking forward to trying that Novus #2. TIM

Guys...you can blame me if you wish. I was the one responsibile for getting model car builders to start using "The Treatment". "The Treatment" was sold at the ISCA hot rod shows in the mid 1970's (as a wax for 1/1 scale exhibitors at the shows) when I was competing against Bruce and others at the national level of the MPC Customizing CHampionship. I bought some (probably at the 1975 Cobo Autorama) and quickly determined - as noted above - that it worked really well on enamels as well as lacquers. I have used it ever since and still do to this day. I mentioned it in my Street Rodder Modelers Corner, and probably in some of my Scale Auto articles. Around 1987, the owners of Thompson International, makers of the Treatment, contacted me directly and offered to pay me to "endorse" the wax, which I refused to do. They couldn't understand my reasoning and they weren't very happy with me. (I just didn't feel right doing a professional endorsement - but I still thought they had a great product). But that's when I knew that I was no longer the only modeler using it. Not long thereafter "The Treatment" Model Car Wax appeared - same stuff, just in a smaller container. Fast forward to today. I'm sure there are great 100% carnauba waxes at the car store. But I';m quite happy with The Treatment, as I find it's very soft consistency to be helpful for model bodies, and it still manages to add more shine, every time, even to my very best paint jobs. So now you know the story - and as I said, blame me if you wish. Cheers...TIM

Zil....Chuck, Tom and I still have all our MPC winnders intact....and I presume Bruce Owen does as well (I once visited Bruce and photographed all his models but unfortunately the color slide film did not turn out....the B&W's turned out fine but just didn't think they did his models justice....) TIM

Al...I remember seeing your builds at the early NNL's (right?) and also at the Riders Hobby Shop Flint contest which I helped Chuck Helppie judge a number of times over the years.....always really liked your stuff....particularly a certain 1949 Mercury IIRC....TIM

Cough....clearing of the throat (SFX).....and let's not forget a certain Mr. Andy Martin ( and Gary Dale) who were also part of that first-ever NNL in summer 1980 in Tom Woodruff's garage.....TB

Rob, as I recall I received the kit in middle to late May, and it was obviously an off-the-production-line piece as opposed to some advance kits that I have received in the past from R-M that were clearly final or nearly final test shots. That means the kit was already in full scale production at the time I received it, the difference being that it was airshipped over right off the line rather than ground and sea shipped as the rest of the production run. At the time my very excited (wouldn't you be if you were him?) Revell contact told me the kit was about two months away from distribution to the hobby stores. All this says to me that the kits are probably nearing the distribution channel and should be in the stores in a few weeks. Hope you guys like it as much as I did when you get yours......TIM