Casey

Round2 has just reissued the '63/4 Studebaker Avanti, the AMT '53 Starliner and Revell "Miss Deal" kits are still easy to find, and the JoHan Lark and a few resin variants can be found with some effort, plus there are numerous die-cast Studes, too, including trucks. So, with that in mind... I'm kicking off the Studebaker Community Build, with the twist being a get together at the Studebaker National Museum in South Bend, Indiana http://www.studebakermuseum.org/ Those interested in meeting there can bring their completed model(s) for a group meet and greet and display/photo shoot. I don't have anything fancy in mind, and no formal date has been chosen, but I would like to set a date after Labor Day in September or October 2013. As we enter 2013 and the Museum's events calendar becomes a little more clear, we can try to set a formal date. The Auto World retail store is about 45 minutes NE of the Studebaker Museum, so that could be another place to visit, too. You do not have to attend the meet and greet to participate in the Community Build, and vice-versa. If you just want to show up at the Museum and meet some fellow MCM members, that'll work, too. The build will be on the forum, just like any other CB, but if there's enough interest in a few of us getting together, we will certainly try to organize it and meet up. I'm sure some MCM members in the Soth Bend area can provide some input as to which day(s) would be best to avoid conflicts with any other major events going on in the immediate area. Let me know your thoughts, comments, suggestions, complaints, etc, and we'll see where this goes. Here are the general guidleines for the Studebaker CB: 1) Any Studebaker based vehicle is allowed, be it a plastic kit, resin body, die-cast vehicle, pressed steel toy, paper model, or scratchbuilt. If it's a Studebaker, it's in. 2) You should start with an unbuilt or less than 25% built model, so please no existing completed models for this CB, please. Rebuilding a glue bomb or re-doing a previously completed or pre-finished Stude works, too. 3) Enter as many or as few as you like. 4) Completion date is...whenever you finish. 5) Please post updates as your build progresses during the CB, and if you need help posting pics, please ask! I will be happy to help you show others what you're working on. 6) Have fun, and please remember to post stating you are taking part and what you'll be building. You can change what you're building at any time during the build, too.

Licensing with Hurst, possibly? It's probably easier to change the tooling from a droptop to a hardtop rather than vice-versa, too. Don't forget Revell's (well, it might've been a Monogram release actually) first "modern" 1/25 Tri-Five Chevy was a '55 Bel Air convertible in 1995 or so, and it's a current release under the Monogram "Car Show" label, so if it wasn't a good seller, I doubt they would've reissued it for a third go 'round. I'm not touching the "no uptop, no sale" subject.

Please not the directional double five spokes from the Monogram '37 Ford!

After looking at the tail picture I posted earlier, it was obvious the left bezel was slightly misaligned, so it was adjusted until I was satisfied with the fit. Tomorrow I can add the filler strips, align the bumper and adjust the bumper-to-panel gap, then decide how I want to attach the bumper: I also cleaned up the steering wheel and removed the horn ring, assembled the headrests from a '69 Charger which I will use with the '68 bucket seats, cleaned up the steering column (but did not yet add the column shift lever), and snagged the battery, 2-speed windshield wiper motor from the '69 Charger kit, too:

I made a little progress on the AMX GT tonight, adding the lower valence piece using sheet styrene, and closing in the back end completely. I am going to try to get the rearend shape correct first, then make the tail light openings, remove the bumper section, add some thin strips around it to narrow the gap, and fine tune the rear window reveal. The correct shape is slowly developing...:

I see the big rig box trailer is supposed to come out in the third quarter of 2012, so they are still releasing kits, and the Coke-branded L-700 and box trailer appears to be new, too, but I can't find anywhere online where the crushed cars set is in stock. It's either listed as discontinued or out of stock.

Been there, done that with the cost of auto insurance, Austin. I lost my license twice before the age of 18, and I probably paid close to $1,600 per year once I got my license back the second time....in 1990 or so...driving a $500 '77 Celica. Most young, inexperienced drivers make mistakes, which is why their insurance rates are so high. I learned the hard (and expensive) way that it wasn't worth it. Owning and driving your own car comes with all sorts of additional expenses, too-- expenses which will probably wipe out any money you'd have to put toward building models. Not everything is better as you get older, so don't spend your time waiting for and wanting the future to arrive. You will get there soon enough. Enjoy your life now and do what you can to make your future life easier and better so when you're enjoying your life at 40, 50, 60, etc., you'll be happy you're not 16 again.

They are huge, closer to 21" and 22" in scale diameter. They are close to American Racing Torq Thrust wheels, but not quite the same. I'm not sure if they are the same as the wheels included with the Revell '59 Vette and '65 Chevy pickup kits or not but they are at least very similar. *edit* I think they are the same wheels...can someone confirm or refute?

Is that just the regular Bondo in a smaller container/tube?

The soon-to-be-reissued AMT Sudebaker Avanti is going to be a total letdown after seeing this one. :wub: :wub: :wub:

I would suggest you use a two-part catalyzed filler, instead of a one-part. One-part putties tend to shrink once the solvent component evaporates- putties like Squadron green and white are one example. Two-part fillers cure via an exothermic chemical reaction, not via evaporation, so shrinkage isn't an issue. I like Evercoat's Eurosoft, but quite honestly, Bondo's two-part filler everyone is familiar with will work well, too.

Bring 'em to your next club meeting so someone can take and post pics, please.

Click on the link I posted, John, and that will take you to Scott's 'site, where all the other parts/options are listed, or see this topic: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=52301&hl= You can e-mail Scott at: scott@futurattraction.com

I think the version with the crushed cars was the only version not to be released. Lindberg has been very odd with their releases in the last few years, and it seems to me these L700 kits were released only once, and not in huge quantities. These kits were released almost five years ago, so they aren't going to be super easy to find, just based on that fact alone. Member SteveG would be the one to ask, though, and here's an image he took at iHobby 2008 of all the L700 versions: http://public.fotki....9/dscn0041.html

Scott's website is: http://futurattraction.com/2.html and there's contact info via one of the links.

I'm a little confused as to which tires these are, George. They are not slicks, as they have tread and come in both a left and right version, correct? Are they these tires?: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=42969&hl=%2Bdrag+%2Bradials

I picked up the Goodguys issus a few years ago, but the wide whitewalls and steelies were too small at 14" in diameter for my needs, so I never got any further into it. Here are pics of the wheels, tires, and decal sheet from the Goodguys version, as well as a pic of the original(?) issue from Revell:

The current/recently reissued kit appears to be he same as the last reissue under the "Goodguys" series, but with new decals and now marketed under the Monogram name.

I would start by measuring the wheelbase, then comparing it to a trusted source online which states the 1:1's wheelbase. Jada does take liberties with their stated scale at times, though.

My Dad has a built, (what I assume is) original AMT '66 Mustang molded in black plastic with the separate "hardtop" you mention, Mark, so I will take some pics of it next weekend.

Clyde- you can always e-mail Round2 at: info@round2models.com and ask when it's coming out, too. They are great at responding quickly to e-mails.

I haven't heard a release date yet, but I wouldn't expect one 'til next year at the earliest.

While sanding the trans/bellhousing, the light bulb came on and I remembered the parts came from one of the Lindberg '64 kits, both of which are B-bodies. A- (and F-)bodies used a shorter tailhousing on the trans, so I pulled out my AMT '71 Duster kit to see if AMT got it correct: Looks like they did, so I will need to shorten the Lindberg tailhousing a few scale inches and clean up and slightly modify the linkage, too.

Spray some of the interior paint on the backside or underside of the parts you plan to paint (backs of door panels, etc.), then do some tests with various clearcoats, making a note of what you used when you find something you like.

Nice color. Now don't forget to spray the backsides of some of those parts.