tim boyd

My understanding is that it is all-new, previously unpublished material. Don't quote me though, we'll have to wait and see the final result....and FWIW, my understanding is also that this project was well underway before Kalmbach stopped SA, so presumably much, if not all the content, was planned specifically for this pub....TIM

The following sidebar had to be dropped from the final manuscript of my new book "Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits" as I was already way over my word and photo count allotment. You are reading it here now for the first time.... START SIDEBAR Boat Models in a Book About Drag Racing Car Models? You bet! To anyone old enough to recall the 1960’s, or to anyone else today who takes the time to read the hot rod journals of the 1960’s, the point becomes obvious: Drag Racing Boats were a subject of great interest, earning many pages of magazine coverage and considerable show floor space at hot rod and custom shows. And that’s not to mention the thousands of fans that attended the water-based drag racing events and endurance boat racing that were so popular back then. Even the drag racing water course length was identical to the land-based drags at 1320 feet! Again, any one checking out those magazines would find that drag boats occasionally shared the covers of Hot Rod and Rod and Custom magazines. Occasionally the very same blown V8 engines were sometimes swapped to and from drag racing boats and rails dragsters. In fact, not only were those Ford FE and Chrysler Hemi engines were built by the same shops, but the boat interiors were often upholstered by the same craftsman, and the hull bodies were painted in the same studios as their car equivalents. Even drivers occasionally switched back and forth – Eddie Hill being just one example. It should not surprise that a few drag racing themed 1/25th scale boat kits made their way t to the hobby store shelves. The four most important kits are AMT’s Rayson-Craft and Hull Raiser boats, and Revell’s “Go and Show” and “Hemi Hydro” drag boats. AMT’s Trophy Series Rayson-Craft Ski-Drag Boat with Trailer(#2163-149 & TB-163) was a 1963 release based on Rudy Ramos’ timeless V-drive boats. It was powered by a Ford FE 390 Interceptor V8 and could be built as a drag boat (with a blower and side sponsons) or a ski boat (with six deuces atop the engine and a fully upholstered, four-seat interior). A great kit, it was never reissued in this form. AMTs “Hull Raiser” (#2463-170) debuted in 1968 and was an evolution of the engine and driveline of the earlier AMT kit, but with an all-new and much differently shaped Kindsvater hull. The FE was now a SOHC 427 Ford in blown or tri-carbed form. The Hull Raiser was later packaged with several different tow vehicles – A custom Firebird (1968), a Chevy Van (mid 1970’s), and a 1970 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible (around 2005). Revell’s “Go and Show Drag Boat” (#H-1278:198) kit was also a 1963 kit introduction, featuring an early Hemi V8 with six deuces and a Tony Nancy rolled and pleated interior. The box art noted the kit was buildable “…for Drags, Show-Boat, Ski, [or] ‘SK’ Class Racing.” The interior was highly detailed, even including separately molded stringers with wood engraving, and Revell included a piece of real wood sheeting to be applied to the bow area of the hull. The kit was never reissued in this form. The Hemi Hydro (#H-1312) was a mild update of Revell’s earlier kit that broke cover in 1971. The Tony Nancy interior lost the prior seating designs, while the wood hull applique went missing. The engine included new exhaust headers and the decals reflected a more contemporary side striping layout. The Hemi Hydro has seen several unchanged reissues starting in the 1990’s, but the one you want to find was renamed “Hot Rod Hydro” (#85-0392) and appeared in 2014 featuring all-new decals including two choices of wood-grained inserts for the front hull area. (Photo Caption:) Drag Racing on asphalt and drag racing on water have been closely linked since as far back as 1958. There have been a number of 1/25th scale boat models over the years, but these four are the most influential and best detailed of them all. The AMT “Rayson Craft Ski-Drag Boat” and Revell “Go and Show Drag Boat” kits date from 1963 and were never reissued in their original form. END SIDEBAR For those of you who are interested, here's more info on the book. It is available now from CarTechBooks.com, ModelRoundup.com, Autoworldstore.com, KalmbachHobbyStore.com, e Model Cave in Ypsi, Michigan, Pasteiner's in Birmingham, Michigan, and of course online book retailers like Amazon.com Thanks for your interest....TIM

David...enjoyed hearing your comments on the luggage rack. On the real car, what I really wanted (but could not afford) was the top of line Satellite Sebring Plus that year, but I couldn't get the E58 360 in that car, and beyond the budget issue, that was a killer omission. So I ordered the Road Runner, added the interior and exterior decor groups and the E58, and got largely what I wanted at a lower price. Still wanted to elevate the appearance a bit beyond the normal muscle car image of the Road Runner, and the Mopar Accessories luggage rack did the trick for me. Or so I thought. Some 12 years later, when I was in Ford Division in a Regional Marketing position, I added the factory luggage rack option to a special edition Ford Tempo LX sedan I and the team developed for the NE and Great Lakes Regions. We ended up selling the heck out of that package, and I still believe to this day that the luggage rack (along with the overall value in the package) had a lot to do with it! Best, Tim

Bill....as best as I recall (what, it's only been a few months....sigh....) the wheels came from the AMT-Ertl 1934 Ford Five Window Coupe kit. The rears were amended with an additional outside rim (to match the larger diameter tire opening) that was cut from the sidemount spares container from the MPC 1932 Chrysler Imperial Roadster kit (the one just reissued by Round 2 with all-new box art, that also included a vintage Ace/Henderson motorcycle. l The tires came from the AMT-Ertl 1934 Ford Five Window kit in front, and from the Galaxie Limited 1990's reissue of the original Monogram "Long John" dragster kit (I think). Here's an additional image - shot during final assembly - that shows the wheels and tires a little better. BTW you can get similar (but not exactly the same) wheels (and complimentary big and little whitewalls) from Norm Veber at Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland. In fact, the hubcaps on my project were leftovers from that R&M of MD offering (he includes two sets of hubcaps - one with the Ford logo and the other with the Ford "V8" log - in his package. Here's an image of the R&M wheel and tire kit... Thanks for asking, and best regards....TIM

Alan....you've got my blessings to use those images for your comparo, for sure. Let me know off-line if you need me to send some high-res .jpg images. You've also summarized, exactly, what I was trying to accomplish with this project. And believe me, man, I was thinking of your project every step of the way as I was finishing mine, too. I've also posted a tutorial on how I built the model at the "WIP Model Cars" section of the Forum above.... http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/158436-on-line-how-to-tutorial-25-building-a-traditional-style-model-t-tub-hot-rod/ TIM

For this project, I built a 1950's/early 1960's style 1927 Model T Touring "Tub". The model is primarily based on the 1967 and later revised tool of the AMT 1927 Model T Touring Trophy Series kit, which is still widely available today due to its frequent reissues over the ensuing decades. It also uses a few parts from the no longer available, highboy style hot rod tub version that was originally and only available in the AMT XR-6/'27 T Touring double kit. This kit was released just once time, back in 1963. The chassis, suspension, and drivetrain is largely sourced from Model A kits, reflecting the performance and handling upgrades a typical 1950's hot rodder would have been likely to make, when these parts were widely available and affordable to acquire. I've included a few "teaser" pix below, but click on the link to see the 15 how-to steps and further finished views of the model with additional kitbashing assistance advice. There are also several images at the end that compare our kitbashed Tub to the version built straight from the box of that very rare AMT Double Kit referenced above. i recommend that you use the "Roll View" at this link so you can see each individual picture and its associated caption, and learn you how can build a similar project of your own. Thanks for looking, and thanks for your interest. Also happy to answer any questions you might have.... TIM

Seven...no eight... projects completed this year....thanks for looking....and Happy New Year to all.... TIM 1-2020: Finished complete restoration of heavily damaged body for my 1970 MPC Detroit Contest "Best Detail" 'cuda funny car ... 4-2020: Finished completion of major project to accurize and correct body accuracy issues of Revell's new 1970 'cuda AAR kit, finished in code FC7 In-Violet Crazy Metallic. 6-2020: Finished kitbash of Revell 1970 'cuda AAR into a 1970 'cuda 340, finished in 1970 Code EB5 Blue Fire Metallic 8-2020: Started and finished major kitbash of MPC 1974 Road Runner into a full detail replica of my own factory-ordered 1974 Plymouth E58 Road Runner 360 10-2020: Completion of a heavily kitbashed 1931 Model A Sedan into a wild ground-hugging hot rod 12-2020: Started and finished mild kitbash/update of the AMT 1925 Tall T hot rod 12-2020: Started and finished mild kitbash of the old AMT 1927T Tub from the original XR-6/'27 T Touring Double Kit (see separate posting/tutorial detailing this new project that will be posted within the next day in the "WIP" section of the Forum) (UPDATE) September, 2020....completion of this project from how-to article on smoothy street rods in my Modeler's Corner column column in Street Rodder magazine, c. 1990...

Exceptionally well thought out and rendered hot rod models....if there were a Modeler's Corner column in a 1/1 scale magazine these days, these are the models that would certainly find their way into print there....congrats, Dennis! TIM

Alan....excellent to see you persisted through and completed that kit. And FWIW, I completely agree with you on the ease of assembly issue between the '23 nd '25T. (Like Alan, I'm also on a Model T hot rod kick - thanks in no small part for Alan's enthusiasm on this same subject. There are three T hot rods on the Boyd bench right now, with one just a few days from completion, another one pulled out from the graveyard (a build started 20 years ago), and a third shown in an early stage in a brief post in the "WIP" section of this forum. ) Best....TIM PS - great "background story"/explanation, too. TB

Update....believe it or not (l'm saying that to myself as much as anyone), the King T front/rear fender and running board unit was repurposed for the late 1970's MPC Lil' Evil T kit, which was their prior "Switchers" '25T kit with new box art and the addition of the new fender running board unit. For the Lil' Evil T version., MPC replaced the tufted running board upholstery with the stamped metal design and an integral step plate on each side, and they raised the rear portion of the floorboard. Otherwise the piece was identical to the King T piece. Ahhh this hobby. Just when you thought you knew (mostly) everything....TIM

Revell has looked at reissuing the kit a couple of times , but they want to make changes that would clearly differentiate the new version from the Rat Roaster. This was mostly before the Hobbico debacle from what I recall; don't know if it is a currently active investigation or not...TIM

What Tom said. Still, it's fun, isn't it? TIM PS - I have no knowledge of that Round 2 has planned and I did not watch the video clip that apparently generated all this discussion, so like most of you, I have no clue as to what is up...TB

To all who looked at this, and to all who commented, thanks for checking it out and thanks very much for the commentary. Happy Holidays to all...TIM

Thanks James...that is a neat summary of what I tried to do here. Cheers...>TIM

Yeah Rodney...totally agree. While I think the Rat Roaster kit in totality was a huge miss (because of the 1/1 it replicates), it remains a bank vault of useful parts for kitbashing, and those wheels and tires are right at the top of my personal list therein....TIM

Bob....I too find this to be a more relaxing way to go, and it lets me create and finish more of my scale modeling ideas. That's not to say that I don't partake of more detailed projects (like the '74 Road Runner and super-low channeled '31 A Tudor projects I finished this summer) once in a while. But to me, in most cases, a less detailed but finished model is in many cases a greater buzz personally than is a partially finished super detailed project that lies in a box for years at end. However, in all these years I have learned that everyone of us enjoys model building on different terms. for different reasons, and in different ways. One of my longest running modeling buddies (45 years?) gets his greatest enjoyment from cutting up and mocking up bodies, and super detailing projects like F1 engines and transaxles. I don't believe he's completed a model in many a year, but he enjoys his projects and shows unbelievable talent in what he does. So super-detail or minimal detailing with paint accents alone...I respect any one who does modeling on their own terms and gets enjoyment from it! Cheers....TIM

Nigel....needless to say, I totally agree! TIM

Dennis....needless to say, been waiting expectantly for this update. Excellent idea on using the '26 Tudor interior door panels....and really like the instrument panel idea too. Glad to know you are still chugging away on this one, even as time constrained as you are right now. Cheers and Happy Holidays from the Boyd Ranch....TIM

Cool!!!! Just so cool! Congrats...TIM

What James said. It is helpful to keep in mind that every new tooling investment being made at Round 2 these days is being done with the perspective of how to generate multiple kit releases from the initial tooling investment. They would not have gone ahead if the "Craftsman Plus" kit was the only one that would result from the new tooling. I don't know all the precise details about Round 2's all-new Chevy II Nova Wagon "cycle plan" (as we called it in the auto industry), but I'd bet the cadence James lays out here is pretty accurate and possibly stone cold exactly on the money. TIM

James....you are giving me way too much credit here, but thanks anyway. I tend to trust information the most when it is "triangulated" from people who draw info from multiple and differing sources. We are all very fortunate on this Board that we have people like James and Dave Van (among many others not specifically mentioned here) who can bring info to light that helps us all better understand the business side of the model car hobby. As a Marketer through much of my career, I have always been fascinated with the inner workings of the model car companies from that perspective, as well as my interests as a model car builder and kit collector. Even to this day, I am fascinated with some of the untold stories that are coming out now from those who were there back in the day, some of which I have recently become aware of in doing the former industry executive interviews for my two most recent books. And I am very sure there are more fascinating stories yet to come. Finally, thanks James for the info on the 'cuda kit sales. Very good to hear, particularly given the sources you cited. Best all...TIM

You're welcome, Guido. Cheers...TIM

James....I hadn't heard that about the hemi 'cuda kit, though I am certainly happy to hear that might have been the case as I (and others) had pushed very hard for that kit with the Revell team for years and years prior. Curious to know, if you don't mind sharing, was your info source from inside Revell, or from your industry wholesale/retail contacts, or ? In any case, thanks for sharing that with us....TIM

Steve....great job on your scale replica of the real car. You took an excellent kit and really elevated it to the next level. Also very much enjoyed seeing your "Work in Process" images and dialogue in the other thread you posted a link to above. My own belief is that the 2 Revell Midget kits are certainly the most undersung and underappreciated kits of the last twenty years, and yes, in my view, among the very best 1/24th-1/25th scale kits to come from any kit manufacturer over the last 20 years. Many will see this differently, and they (you) are welcome to your own views here, but if the subject matter interests you, my recommendation is that you should without a doubt find a copy of this kit, and yes, build it! Thanks Steve for bringing this kit front and center once again, for sharing your build, and for the excellent results you achieved! Cheers....TIM

Claude....right you are! As I recall, the incomplete body was used as the demo subject for a one-page sidebar showing how to do two-tone paint on models.....Best....TIM