tim boyd

This update is brief but covers a good deal of progress, with the completion of the chassis/engine/interior portion of the project at hand. (I'll more than makeup with any brevity here when we get into Chapter Four, which covers the replication of the three-color body paint scheme and associated livery.) Thanks for checking out the progress.....TIM *************** In answer to Ron Thorne's question posted above, the blown Chevy Rat Motor was based on the basic engine components included in AMT’s various early 1970’s Chevy funny car kits, including the Camaro “Funny Hugger II” and the various Vega Van kits such as Round 2’s most recent 1976 Vega F/C kit (#AMT1156/12). Beyond the usual paint detailing, I also added spark plug wires and basic fuel pump plumbing. ****** The real car’s gas/water tank was uniquely shaped, complete with visible weld seams and raised beading along the edges. I built a rough facsimile from .120” thick sheet styrene for the main tank, with strips of .015” sheet styrene for the end panels. The tank was later finish painted and mounted atop the front frame crossmember, and the fuel feed and return lines were finished with Detail Master fittings. (Note - Steve Perry at Calnaga Castings offers a replica of the second generation Prock and Howell Gasser tank in his resin parts line. Like the real cars were, it is shaped somewhat differently - not as tall and thicker in depth that the first P&H version shown here.) ***** With the final addition of kit-based exhaust headers (the real car's headers ran outside the frame rails rather than the routing shown here, but I was unable to come up with an accurate kit-based header set to replicate that design), a driveshaft fabricated from styrene tubing and the universal joints from the Polar Lights funny car kits, plus a set of late 1960’s style wheelie bars, I then called the chassis “completed”. Admittedly this looks largely like a run of the mill box stock first generation Logghe funny car chassis. However, the the narrowing of the chassis and suspension assemblies, different engine positioning, interior and roll cage changes, and the unique fuel tank made for a more involved kitbashing exercise. ***************

Casey: Clever,,,,really, really clever. I'm impressed...TB

Hi Alan...glad you enjoyed it. I was as surprised about Moon Wind as you were. I've seen some of Hank's other models at various times over the last 35 years or so, but never Moon Wind. I guess I had concluded that it was lost in Hank's garage fire back in the day. Not only to see it, but to see it in such a pristine condition was a total shock. I gotta say, I was even more impressed with the model in person than it appeared in photographs Ias we all know, the opposite tends to be the most common experience!) What. A. Talent. Last time I talked to Hank was almost two years ago now....hope his is OK. Best....TIM

That was an MPC kit....and entirely different than the Polar Lights kit. I also assembled the sister kit to Mr. Unswitchable....the 'MPC '67 Charger AWB body on the Logghe Frame in the Roger Lindamood Color Me Gone kit (red box art background). I too recall that being fairly easy to assemble....and I too, now that I think about it, was also 13 that year. TB

Ron...didn't realize it was a replica of a 1/1....sure would be a good topic for a scale A/SR. Best of luck if you are able to make progress on this idea....TIM PS - not sure why the PM feature didn't work....TB

sorry, duplicate post....tb

Eric, I wrote/photographed a "Classic Kits" column on the metal bodied Packard Phaeton kit in mid 2019, originally scheduled to appear in the December 2020 issue of Scale Auto. Yeah, the one that never saw print due to Kalmbach's decision to shutter the mag. It's been sitting in the cue at KB ever since....and was at one time planned to be an on-line extra at FineScale.com. For those of you not familiar with it, beyond the die-cast body, it had a few features/parts that were not, to the best of my knowledge, seen in the later styrene releases off the Packard tool. Anyway, like you Eric, I have long been fascinated with the Monogram Classics series, and one day I hope to build the two-door open top version of this kit. Bob....thanks for your added insight on these die-cast kits. I'm sure many here would love to see pix on your Rollston Roadster if you ever got the chance to post them. For those of you who are interested, there was a several page story in a 1964 issue of Rod and Custom magazine that covers the kit development "measuring session" with the Duesenberg Phaeton car owner and a very young Monogram engineer by the name of Roger....yes, that Roger Harney. TIM PS - hope these last few forum posts on Monogram's Classic Series don't stray too far from the original subject of this forum thread. They are also "Exotics" though admittedly of a much different time period....TB

Alan....congrats on finishing this one. I agree...the roll pan and belly pan are real achievements, too. The front suspension work is outstanding, too. And I noticed the right-hand drive conversions too. Your overall "A-Rod" collection is coming together really well. I find it amazing that you are able to make progress on your projects given your work/travel requirements....I did this myself to some degree a few years back around the early 1980's and for those of you who have not experienced this, it can be a real challenge. Best! TIM

Both those are really nicely done...and the operating doors and trunk are executed really well! Big Congrats....TIM

Ron...I happen to be a real fan of A/SR drag racing models....did you post any images of your project, and if so, can you post or email me a link? Would love to see how you approached it how far you got.... TIM

Dennis.... I too would love to have a chat session with you on this topic. Would you believe....I spent one Sunday afternoon may years ago with Jay Leno - he had expressed a desire to drive a 1995 SVT Cobra R so we arranged it.... and after the drive (he was a very good driver, btw) he showed me his collection (it was only one warehouse full back then)....and then we even took a ride through Burbank Airport in his Stanley Steamer.... I'm not much on Celebrities, to be honest, but I found him to be refreshingly down to earth - just two car guys sharing their interests. On a related note, I still recall a small media event we did in NorCal with the SVT Cobra R's just like the one above....driving those two-lanes around Santa Rosa and North in the Cobra R was an experience I will never forget.... Do you ever go to the NNL West? One of these years I need to get back their again....maybe we could meet up there? Best...TIM

PS - thanks to the Forum Moderators for relocating my original post to here where it belongs! TB

I'm with Jesse on this one. On the 'cuda and Mustang Polar Lights funny cars (which share the Charger kit underskin cocmponents) I've built, the body components (body, glass, interior paneling) all fit well, but the chassis (especially) and to some degree the engine required skills beginners are not likely to have in their skill set just yet Good news is once you get them together, they definitely have the look/stance of late 1960's funny cars. . The pad printed front and rear tires with red stripes are pretty cool, too. TIM

What Rodney said, Jim. Very impressive work....TIM

First...thanks everyone for your thoughts. In addition the messages above, I've also received several personal messages indicating that some of your own, really long term, partially completed projects are coming under your review for possible completion. That's really, really cool! So OK, time for an update. Just below, I'll cover changes made to the interior floorpan and transmission, kitbashing the roll cage, prepping the body and relocating the front hood blower cutout, and the completion of the opening doors. ********************** The first version of the real car used a GM TurboHydramatic 400 automatic transmission (it later switched to a TorqueFlite with the BBC, and they kept the TorqueFlite when the enginewas switched to a Hemi). Turns out that these Turbo 400 autos are somewhat difficult to locate in scale (most kit BBC's have manual 4-speed trannies) - I sourced mine from the Round 2 reissue of the AMT-Ertl 1968 El Camino kit. Given the material thickness stack-up between 1/1 scale steel transmission tunnel and 1/25th scale styrene plastic, I had to slightly narrow the tranny to get it to tuck inside the underside of the transmission tunnel as shown here. ***** The funny car roll cage came from the Round 2 Polar Lights funny car reissues. Not only did the front and rear sections need to be narrowed (shown here after the narrowing), but the rear section needed extensions applied to the lower legs to better fit the taller greenhouse area of the 1933 Willys body. ***** During the original 1969-1974 construction period, I had glued the AMT kit’s flip front end to the body and I had cut open and hinged the doors on both sides. (Steve Perry advises that based on his research, only the passenger side door operates on the real car). Here I have begun to sand and assess the original bodywork from five decades ago – and it was in better condition than I had expected. (A bit of foreshadowing here - note that I mostly retained the existing Testors Flat Black primer - after all, it was about 50 years old and should have been rock hard by now....) ***** A test fit of the roll cage to the modified interior floor pan confirmed that the modifications accomplished their goal. Here you can also see the engine mounting plate (.015” thick sheet styrene cut to fit) mounted to the frame just in front of the interior floor pan. ***** The one update needed to the body was to enlarge the original AMT kit’s hood scoop opening to fit the larger blower top hat/scoop used in the Prock & Howell replica. Careful filing with straight edged and curved files achieved the required mods. ***** Back when I first opened these doors around 1969 or 1970, details like inner door frames and sills were generally not seen in model cars. Thus, the now-added internal door shut flanges you see here, fabricated from strips of .015” sheet styrene. ***** Check back soon for Chapter 3, where I will show the steps to finish the chassis. And thanks for your continued interest....TIM

Hi Ron....yep....got a big block chevy and tranny sourced....more details coming soon. Appreciate the comments! TIM

That is just a very, very cool image! Thx for posting.... TIM

More pictures here....https://public.fotki.com/funman1712/tim-boyds-124th--12/surfboards--woodies/ Thx for mentioning, John....TIM

Dennis...a number of comments from here. First, I've long thought that the drag racing version of the Revell Fox LX kit had some really cool 1/1 scale aftermarket parts that were largely ignored by the modeling cognoscenti due to the issues with the body. It's really timely that you are bringing this point to the attention of all who follow your threads. Second, as the one-time leader of the Ford Special Vehicle Team (1995-1998) I appreciate you referring to the engine by its proper nomenclature (SVT Cobra) rather than dropping the SVT part like so many 1/1 scale journalists seem to do. Third, your suspension work and fine tuning of the stance are terrific, and I hope this serves as an inspiration to the rest of us on how important stance is to a model car project, AND how that stance can be achieved with realistic and accurate mods to the kit suspension pieces. And oh....your 1/1 LX's looked awesome. Someday I'll publicly reveal one of the stories on the creation and promotion of the 1/1 scale LX 5.0 package.....TIM

Micheal....not quite sure how I missed this project but gotta say it is looking really, really sharp. Best of luck bringing this one all the way home! TIM

Building the Prock and Howell Gasser...OR...Could this the longest running model car project ever? By Tim Boyd You may have heard the story. The editorial staff of the pre-eminent model car publication in the late 1960’s, Car Model magazine, decides to send letters to the top winners in their recent Dodge/MPC/Car Model national funny car contest. Essentially the letter says “we’d like to you submit a how-to article for publication in our magazine”. This builder, having recently placed 4th nationwide in that same contest, was one of the letter recipients. My then-14-year-old self said “cool idea, I want to do that”. Never mind that I had: ## no photography experience whatsoever ## none of the then expensive camera or lighting equipment ## nor even the slightest idea of how to go about assembling and submitting such an article. But over the next few months, I identified at least four different potential subjects for that article, all which entered the build process shortly thereafter. Two of those four projects were eventually completed (one in 1987, the other in 2011) and one of them was actually published, appearing in our host's Model Cars magazine (see issue #177, May/June, 2013). A third topic, and probably the first of the four to have been identified as an article topic, was the original version of the Prock & Howell “F-Troop” 1933 Willys Flip-Top Gasser. It enjoyed an extensive feature in the December, 1968 issue of Car Craft magazine. Including a detailed cutaway drawing and extensive black and white and color photography, the article contained everything I thought I needed to complete a 1/25th scale replica and the resulting magazine article. With the 1933 Willys body from the just-then-introduced AMT “Ohio George” Gasser kit, and the short wheelbase Logghe tubular funny car chassis from the MPC “Ramchargers Dune Buggy” kit, I had everything I needed to produce a replica, or so I thought at the time. Those of you who followed the model car magazines back then now know that this ambitious idea was not to be. The model article/project slowly progressed over the next five years and then stopped completely around 1974, never to have been seen until now. This article, then, becomes the five-decade plus culmination of what was then to be my first-ever article contribution to the model car magazine world. The twists and turns along the way, I suspect, will be very familiar with to you readers who also have pursued long-running model car projects (but hopefully in your case, not ones stretched over more than half a century!) I will be posting updates here every few days until the completed project is shown in a couple of weeks I hope you enjoy the story of how I completed my scale Prock & Howell Gasser model, and that it may inspire you to dig out one of your own long-delayed model projects and bring it to completion using the resources and techniques now available to us in the modern world of model car building. Good Luck! ****** 1. This 1/25th scale replica of the first version of the famous funny-car style Prock & Howell Flip-Top Gasser took over five decades to bring to completion. Here you can see an image of the first version Prock & Howell Gasser at this link (scroll down to the 4th picture there): https://www.macsmotorcitygarage.com/five-willys-gassers-that-left-their-mark-on-drag-racing/ During the first five years under construction, my planned replica of the original version of the 1/1 scale Prock and Howell Gasser reached this stage of completion. After concluding that I did not have the skill to replicate the real car’s appealing livery, I diverted into building a model inspired by a real car I saw at Michigan’s Milan Dragway – thus the early 1970’s Centerline wheels seen here. ***** 2. The tubular chassis was sourced from the MPC “Ramchargers“ Dune buggy kit. The wheelbase was slightly shortened, but the more involved process was narrowing the width of the assembly – not only the tubular frame but also all the associated suspension pieces. Glue joints were reinforced with cut-down straight pins for strength. In this comparison shot, you can see that the Logghe Chassis found in Round 2’s recent reissues of the Dyno Don and Eddie Schartmann 1968 Cougar kits (shown here on the jack stands) would be a great starting point for your replica. ****** 3. This close-up shot of the Round 2 Cougar kit (left) vs. our Prock & Howell replica shows how much the chassis and suspension parts need to be narrowed. The final width of our chassis was dictated by the width of the AMT Ohio George Willys body at its narrowest dimension – where the tilt front end meets the body cowl. ***** 4. Another source for the tubular Logghe chassis might be the Polar Lights funny car kit series, which included Dodge Charger, Ford Mustang, and Plymouth ‘cuda versions. The latter kit’s frame is shown here in red. It too would need to be shortened and narrowed to fit under the Willys body, as shown on our project frame at the right. (Round 2 is just reissuing the Gary Dyer Charger F/C kit as this article is being written.) ***** 5. The interior floor pan must also be narrowed to fit the modified frame. Here on the left was the in-process floor pan, originally sourced from MPC’s 1968 “Color Me Gone” Charger kit. For comparison, shown on the right is a not-modified floor pan from the Polar Lights funny car kits. ***** 6. Upon breaking the project out of its nearly 50-year slumber during the summer of 2021, one of the first steps was to convert the wheels and tires to the correct status. In one of those “you can’t make this stuff up” coincidences, I was able to gently rotate each glued-on assembly until they separated from the suspension members without damaging the wheel mounts. I took this as a good omen for the potential completion of the project to come. ***** 7. The correct wheels and tires came from the Monogram T-Rantula kit (rear) and Polar Lights funny car kits (front). I used a hand-brushed coating of AlClad II Candy Gold to replicate the anodized lime-gold appearance of the real car’s wheels. ****** Check back in a few days for the next round of updates. Will attempt to answer any questions you have....and thanks for checking this out.... TIM

Interesting image....note that for the first time there is apparently a decal to represent the 1/1 scale vent/screen directly behind the door handle....

Jens....that is a really sharp buildup of the AMT kit. Congrats! TIM

So I've been working my way through my old Hot Rod magazine collection, and I see that a '72 Maverick street machine by a guy named Nick Zuk was ranked as a Top Ten car at the end of the 1979 magazine run. Nick Zuk...boy that sounds familiar. Now I am looking at the full feature of his car that appeared in the July 1979 issue of SRM. Maybe one of you can confirm this, but unless I'm mistaken, he is the same Nick who has been a long running participant in the SE Michigan model car building and club scene. I even recall running a photo I took of his sano '66 Fairlane street machine in my 2018 book "collecting muscle car model kits". So.....here is yet another model car builder who also has bona fide credentials as a full-size car builder (and vice versa).... TIM

Fred's new '36 Ford has just experienced another magazine appearance. If I am remembering correctly, I saw his Washington Blue Roadster in the Street Rod Nationals coverage in the latest issue of Modern Rodding (former Street Rod Editorial Director Brian Brennan's new magazine). Congrats Fred! TIM