Pierre Rivard

Do I know the feeling friend, there's always something we forgot. Hang in there!

The brake drum casings were ribbed on the SSK, something that could not be done with the tool orientation of the kit's casting process. Short of having a lathe or 3D printing capability I will try to mimic these with 0.5mm Evergreen and CA glue. We don't do fancy here, this is a plastic/glue/putty shop! 😃

Gorgeous models Bob. You definitely had a smiling good year. My favorite is the Daytona, it manages to look fearsome and fast standing still. Simply gorgeous. The woody looks like real wood. It is real wood...right?

Agree, not completely accurate but a lot more realistic looking than the kit wheels, which by the way also have an incorrect wire pattern for a 1920's car. I believe the Johan kit depicts the 500K with a straight 8 engine? So much potential. PLEASE build it.... or ship it to Montreal! 😃 Thank you Ricky. Super satisfied with the engine. Focus is now on finding a solution for the fenders. I want to find a way to make it look like a race car while the kit was designed more as a touring car. Perhaps too high expectations, but I will try my best but mostly focus on enjoying the journey whatever the end result

Is it me? something wrong here.... yes that dime is really really BIG! Superlative fabrication. Next, next level stuff.

The engine looks wonderful. All the detailing looks very much a scaled down version of the real thing. I love the bright colors on the injector stacks and the tennis balls, giving such a cool go-go sixties vibe to the model. Perhaps a touch of gay glo yellow to the balls to make them pop more, if it's not too late? Looks like the chassis and engine are all done, so time to apply your magic to the body!

A lot of head scratching withe the assembly sequence as I am still pondering on the final body configuration I want to go with. While this is happening I finalized my wheel & tire solution, which must precede the body as I'll need a set tire location to locate the fenders properly. I definitely wanted to upgrade from the cast wheels and got Jason Hupin to print wire wheels in 22 mm diameter. I did not ask him to design an exact reproduction of period wire wheels due to the limited business opportunity for him (who else but me will build this car?) so used an existing design we worked on previously and asked him to produce a 22mm version. Discerning eyes will spot what is not correct about these but I consider them to be "goodenuf" for my project. I am reusing the kit tires and massaging them as best I can. Of course no whitewalls for this customer. I had to add 0.25 mm thick bands around the rims to get a better fit. Then getting the chassis attachment sorted out and finally a bit of paint (that feels good)

Hope all will be good with your health going forward. I very much enjoyed following your build for Sebring 60th and look forward to what comes next

Looks just like the full size mag. Excellent replica. This build keeps adding more eye candy.

I've used plumber's tape with success

Thanks Helmut. It takes a few extra steps but does contribute to give the engine an oily grimy metallic look. Nothing complicated: I added a touch of aluminum into the black for the block, I added a touch of black into some of the aluminium parts to get variations, then flat varnish and finally oiled earth washes Absolutely Francis. Not every part was accurate but the sum of them has given me an engine I like quite a bit. I thought it would be fun to compare these two. The Alfa 8C2300 was the new car to beat and the SSK's career was winding down around 1931. Thanks Jason. Definitely an upgrade needed for wheels & tires but that kit is rarely being built these days (I may be the only one here...) so aftermarket parts are not readily available short of super expensive Pinto wheels. I am developing a compromise to be shared in detail soon. Thank you Harry. I am happy if anything I am working on can be useful for your own build. We learn and pick up ideas from looking at each other's builds. That's what I love about the forum

That's very unfortunate. We witness on this forum too many failures whit some of these chrome paints. Not the builder's fault when the chrome paint can't be touched or can't handle a clear layer over it. Had similar issues a few years ago when Green Stuff World was the latest magical chrome paint...until it was not. You can only move on with the build

excellent idea and very well made.

My mom asked dad go get her a Mustang but got this instead. I hated that car because it was not a Mustang. I failed to see it was a a prettier car than the oversized 71 Mustang. This could be a superb resto-mod with gently flared fenders, +2 wheels& tires and a V8.

Hold on here... I run a little 2.3 liter in my Alfa but these guys get to run a big ass 7.1? That's not fair!

Amazing model. Dust, grime and corrosion finishes are highly realistic.

So much to learn here (I know nothing about drag racing), so there is no external radiator on these because they run for such a short time. Is there still a water pump to move coolant internally to spread the thermal loads? Everything looks fabulous btw

Primer also brush painted. Vallejo polyurethane. 10-20% thinned with water. Again multiple thin layers.

The rest of the engine has been assembled and some washes added to give it a bit of worn look. I am never comfortable doing engines so getting through this crucial phase of the build is a relief. I am pretty happy with the results.

They have been printed by one of the guys at my hobby store. I'm trying man. Looking at your work really helps with ideas. Taking the lunge with brass for brake pull rods! Thanks friend. I just put a touch go flat aluminum in the black for the engine block, gives it a bit of a rough iron casting look. I think everybody at Lindberg passes away a long time ago... Danke mein Freund. If I can only make through the engine build... Thank you Brian. It's more than I usually do but the engine is the heart of this project so I'm trying to up my game a bit. Thank you Niko for the kind words and welcome to the group. I like you enjoy working from older kits and getting some scratch built improvements. I'll add the occasional 3D printed part (I don't make them) but for the most part try to build or modify parts in a more traditional way. I just enjoy the process of it. The SSK is a beautiful brute. A car meant to be raced.

What a wonderful and diverse year you have had my friend. I love them all but the Gunze Daytona pulled real hard on my heart string. Hoping someday I'll find one of these kits.

Components painted and dressing up & assembling the engine finally starts. I have to work this in layers, with first the coolant pump greaser and one of it's lines, Second, installing the coolant pump dynamo/magneto assembly and starting the ignition wiring. The engine has 6 cylinders and a twin plug arrangement. The first set of wires from the magneto run to a conduit through the block and reach plugs to the left side plugs. The second series of 6 wires feed the plugs on the magneto side.

After 3 weeks the engine components are made and ready to go to paint. YEAH!

The last 3 engine component fabrication bits, other than the wiring and plumbing. First the rad hoses made from rubber cord and 0.29mm wire fro clamps. Second, the carb warmer coolant conduit with some sort of cotton rope insulation. Finally, I decided to add the conduit with faucet style valve and what appears to be a filter case under the "oil tank"

I know... I said I wouldn't do the dime thing again...