tim boyd

Oh wow....here we go again. Great ideas all, Alan, and so very much in the thread of this theme. You go, guy!!!! - As for that Ford V6, I used that in one of my model projects....but I was not aware they did a shortcut on the engine. So very Monogram, that, from that era. I'll have to go back and check mine, but I think I may be guilty as charged. Anyway, thanks in advance or fixing it on yours! Again, this entire thread is about you guys, but since there is now a discussion on extended wheelbases, I will briefly mention this one below that was a two-parter in Modeler's Corner, including the "Super Cab" body extension, an extended wheelbase, and widened rear fenders to cover the "Dually" tires back there. And to top it off, the Brian Bordon era "heartbeat" squiggle graphics.....I guess this one is as much a part of the era as the pink one that inspired Dennis in the first place....TIM

For those of you with a back issue collection of Scale Auto magazine, see the April 2008 issue for a six page, full color story on 1/24th/25th scale six cylinder engines. Includes buildup photos and commentary on nineteen different straight six engines....TIM

Needless to say, I've been pretty blown away by the interest and builds posted so far in this thread started by Dennis. The idea that the 1980's era street rod themes would prompt so many talented builders to revisit the era surprises me. Concurrently, over the last few weeks I've been working through my entire collection of Street Rodder magazines....nearly 600 of them. Including the Modeler's Corner columns that ran from 1978 to the very early 2000's. It has struck me that as much as I like the current "traditional hot rod" building - and I do, I've built a ton of models of 'em - we (both 1.1 and scale builders) may have once again painted ourselves into a corner. There is only so much you can do with truly authentic traditional hot rod builds. Now, compare them to some of the innovative work that was being done in the latter 1970's and 1980's. I'm particularly thinking of John Buttera's two '29 A Roadsters, but more generally, the creativity that came from the Buttera, Coddington, Thom Taylor, Vern Luce school of design....and the 1/25th scale work of many modelers, with Dave Hill, Jack Davis, and (while lesser broadly known, just as creative) Chuck Helppie. among many others, front of mind at this moment. Bottom line, I salute all of you showing work in this thread for being confident enough to stretch beyond the current hot rod design idiom to build some really creative projects that harken back to, yet provide a fresh perspective, on a very creative era from our past.... Best....TIM

Count on it, Steve! Cheers...TIM

X2 what Claude said about Tim Slesak....what a talent!!! TIM

Steve....I have been looking for the photos of your finished model but can't seem to find them elsewhere here on the forum, so I will comment here. Last time I looked at your project you were just getting started. I was then stunned when I saw the images of your completed model.....beautiful craftsmanship and a great realization of a very cool design theme. I am wowed. Great job and congrats to you....TIM .

Chang....very, very sharp. Great to see the effort to use factory-correct finishes and colors.....Big congrats....TIM

Some great stuff on display here....big congrats to all with a special salute to those of you who took the time and effort to do factory correct 1932 Ford Roadster pickup bodies....and those who used the modern-day 1/1 scale repo with the extended cab mastered by Craig and produced by Drag City... Here's my only '32 pickup so far. This one was a how-to in one of the Kalmbach model pubs about 20 years ago.... 14 additional mages including closeup detail shots here.... Best Regards....TIM

Wow guys, some seriously great work going on here. Congrats. Here are my two.... * 1969 Charger R/T pickup....built during 1970 and 1971 as part of a three-piece Charger funny car/Charger themed transport trailer/Charger two vehicle, intended to compete in the old MPC National Customizing Contest.... * 1970 Coronet Super Bee pickup.....started in the early 1990's and finished in the mid 2000's. Subject of a two-part Model Cars Mag how-to article about 7 or 8 years ago..... Made an attempt to do the pickup cab conversions using the same Design Studio styling themes as were seen on the two door hardtop versions of the cars....just as would have likely been done if they were actually produced in 1/1 scale....and I see that those of you who have posted so far have followed exactly the same theme....More pictures of both here... Hope more of you post your car-pickup images here.... TIM

Thanks to a reminder from Alan Barton, there is actually a third Model T engine to use as a basis for a Fronty conversion. It's the engine in the c.1975 1/2 release of the all-new (at that time) AMT 1923 Model T Roadster kit - the one with the illustration of a green street rod version on the box art. (This kit was recently reissued for the first time since 1975....) The same engine was also in the Model T Panel Delivery and Woody-style Depot Hack kits, which shared most of the tooling with the Model T Roadster. I haven't had the time to look it up myself, but Alan says the detail of this engine is significantly better than the ones in the 1960's AMT Trophy Series '25 T and '27 T kits.....TIM

Agreed....TIM

Casey....wish that was true but see just about zero chance of that....I'd just be happy if they reissued the Hull Raiser intact, either as a stand alone or with the Chevy Van as a redo of the old "Aqua Rod" version....TIM

Keyser....Would love to see your builds of that kit...yeah, it is one of those kits you want to build again and again....those decals on eBay were probably from the guy that did them originally at my request....I can't recall his name right now but I believe it started with Jack and his business was called Top End decals or something similar....and yes he did a great job on them. To anyone else reading this thread, I think he still offers them on eBay and they are well worth the price....but them now and stash them in case you run across a Rayson Craft kit or a gluebomb, the latter of which can often be rebuilt using the common parts from the Hull Raiser kit....TIM

The "Hull Raiser" kit was derived from the Rayson Craft tool. The new Kindsvater Hull and SOHC cylinder heads/front covers were the biggest changes, and the ski boat version interior pieces went away, otherwise the kit content was mostly the same. Best....TIM

I believe I may have commented on this one before, but let me say (again) great job, Dave!!! I think this model perfectly captures the spirit of the times and the intent of the AMT art department with their box art illustrations....TIM

Richard....don't quote me on this....but I vaguely seem to remember Replicas and Miniatures offering the tonneau cover along with some other parts to do this version of the kit....might be worth checking out....TIM

What Rodney said! TIM

Thanks Chris....appreciate that. Best regards....TIM

In the Amazon reader reviews for my current book "Collecting Drag Racing Model Cars", check out the following review posted by a reader on December 8, 2020: "This book has been a great resource to us since we have acquired a lot of the Model kit tooling mentioned in the book. I would recommend this book to all drag cars fans. A real gem!" Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits I don't know the owner of Atlantis but I wonder, could he be the person that posted this comment? If that is the case, it would suggest that other kits covered in the book might be future Atlantis releases....and I personally find that to be a very exciting proposition, indeed! This is, of course, purely unfounded speculation on my part, so take it all as nothing more than that....TIM

There is no indication that the Mooneyes Dragster was ever issued as a stand-alone kit. The only known release(as a complete kit) is the double kit version shown above in the thread, released just once in 1963....TIM

Guys....you gotta check out the picture cadence (per link above) of Rodney's completed build. Way, way, way cool! TIM

Congrats Rodney....you absolutely NAILED it! Even though the thread was to be 1980''s era Model A Closed Cab pickups, yours comes off as being even more versatile in its theme as could be seen as a current build even today, three decades plus later. Chassis detail outstanding...interior really tasty...an excellent choice.....and a great stance. Outstanding! TIM

Alan....congrats on finishing this project! Hope it was fun in spite of all the challenges....and yes, the paint is the perfect finishing touch. And I wish you could see Tom's boat/tow vehicle combo....even better, I wish everyone here could see these two boat and trailer projects next to each other. I think everyone would be amazed at the similarities between the two, even with about 55 years of difference in the completion dates. TIM

Thx Dennis....and yes, I am considering doing so....TIM

Rodney ...oh yeah on that crispy tape....the whole thing would probably fall apart if I just breathed on it (smile)....no gripping ability left whatsoever. Hope I can remove the adhesive when I take it back apart! TB