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Lobo2me

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Everything posted by Lobo2me

  1. Really nice! Excellent BMF work, fit and finish!!!
  2. Okay, before all you purists out there start sending hate mail, please hear me out. You should know this was a fun personal project and my apologies in advance for a very long story. The best models tell stories and spark memories; we build these things for ourselves, right? I grew up on Carroll Shelby and his mighty Cobras, then watched as he helped Ford dominate global endurance racing throughout the '60s. The Ford GT40 Mk. I was the most incredible racing machine I had ever seen. I was hooked. Fast-forward to the summer of 1970, this soon-to-be high school sophomore sought a fun project to blow his hard-earned lawnmowing fortune on. There were many interesting ideas in the want ads of Popular Mechanics. I was most intrigued by the turn-key kit car packages offered by FiberFab. Later, I learned an almost unbelievable backstory about the small company and its mysterious founder, Warren Harding "Bud" Goodwin, that involves deceit, trickery, adultery, murder, and death in jail, but that's for you to discover at a different time. In the early '60s, FiberFab created a sports car body kit called the Centurion designed to fit Corvette C2 running gear. It was a near-dead ringer for the magic Corvette Stingray Racer that had made a massive splash at the 1959 Motorama auto show. However, GM's legal department shut it down over infringement allegations before more than a handful could be produced. FiberFab released the Avenger GT-12 shortly after, which resembled the Ford GT40. It was designed to bolt directly into a standard VW frame and was also 40 inches tall, which is how the famous race car got its name. The main differentiator was the elongated rear overhang on the Avenger to accommodate the VW engine. Otherwise, it was a knock-off GT40 Mk. I. Astonishingly, Bud got away with it, given the company's sordid past. I thought that was cool and ordered the Avenger GT-12 "deluxe package," which included the fiberglass body, chassis stiffeners, seats, dash, interior door panels, a Corvair windshield, and a '65 Mustang Fastback rear window. Now, all I had to do was supply the rolling chassis, engine, and everything else and find somewhere to build the damn thing. I looked at this project as more of an adventure than anything else. I had a blast scavenging local junkyards and sneaking around our local VW dealer. One night, after everyone had gone home, I looked for a throwout bearing from one of the engineless Bugs sitting in the back lot. A flat-head screwdriver was all it took to liberate a usable bearing. I had to do whatever it took to stretch my limited budget. I have to admit I drastically underestimated the time required. Still, after working on it most afternoons after school, a few setbacks, and a fresh coat of Emerald Green metallic, as suggested by my high school girlfriend, the Green Bean was nearly ready for the street. It took over three full years, but there would be one last delay while registering the car with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. It turns out the chassis had been stolen. No, not by me! Where the 1967 Beetle serial number should have been was a line of drilled-out holes filled with welding rod. Finally, success and the Green Bean became my daily driver for four years. Weighing in at just over 2,000 lbs. with a center of gravity less than a foot high, the 85 HP motor pushed the Green Bean around like a go-kart gone mad. It was surprisingly quick and fun to drive but had all the safety and structural rigidity of a potato chip. The cost for the deluxe package, including shipping, was $740; the "hot" rolling chassis was $100, and the used 1500cc motor was $250. The tally sheet came to a total of $2,574 at legalization. Not bad for a wild, crazy, and fun seven-year-long learning experience. Now, here we are, some 50+ years later; recently, while perusing the internet looking for my old car, I stumbled upon vintage 1:25-scale Avenger GT-12 kits for sale and decided to recreate the Green Bean, incorporating all of the upgrades and features of the original car. While working on an exact duplicate, only in a smaller scale, I reflected on my most curious recurring fantasy while building the 1:1 car. What would have happened if old Bud had created an exact GT40 doppelganger but as an inexpensive kit car, infringement lawyers be damned? That would be my next model project. I took a deep dive into the parts bin and came up with a usable VW chassis and engine, but I had to sacrifice a new body and opted for the Revell GT40 kit. At least it was for a worthy cause. I wanted to fabricate the model in a way that would seem plausible for a high school student with rudimentary welding skills, basic hand tools, tight purse strings, and insufficient time. I had to flip the 1,500cc four-banger around to maintain the correct rear overhang proportions, which made it mid-engine. My shade-tree mechanic know-how told me that would significantly improve handling. I scratch-built dual Weber carbs, headers, and other high-performance upgrades and fabricated a new rear clip using a 1/8-inch square styrene tube and assorted rods. The double-wishbone rear suspension setup would have blown my budget sky-high, but it was easiest to use leftover parts. As long as I went this far, why not have fun and make it distinctive, humorous, yet significant? I swapped out the iconic Gulf Blue racing livery and replaced it with Tamiya TS22 Light Green to keep with the color spectrum inspired by my girlfriend and to make it obvious this was a fictitious vehicle. In hindsight, it looked too Grinchish, so I adorned it with appropriate sponsor advertising, and I gave it No. 6 and No. 9 to pay homage to the only automobile, the Ford GT40 P/1075, to win the infamous Le Mans 24—endurance race back-to-back. I made the doors conventional and added a sunroof, as I did by taking a saber saw to the actual car. The original small round taillights always seemed like an afterthought, so I eliminated those and created a more stylized assembly stretching across the rear facia. The standard twin headlight arrangement is a shout-out to the old rusty '61 Chevy Impala buckets I scrounged from a local junkyard. The proprietor gave them to me for free because they were in such bad shape, but they worked. I hope you enjoyed my story and this entertaining build. Thanks for looking.
  3. What a beauty. I give it a ten, a hang ten. Very well done. Nice job on adding the "framing bolts" and luv the Greg Knoll stringer. Surfs up...gotta go!
  4. Well, Claude, you've done it again. Both socks completely blown off! What an imaginary masterpiece and perfect execution. But what is in the W-203 box?
  5. I am really happy Chrysler never built it, but I'm glad you did. Very well done, great work!
  6. Really nice! Excellent paint and great color choices.
  7. Sweet! That color, the detail work, and those wheels look great. Well done!!!
  8. Hi Michael; Thank you for the inspiration and nice comments. Yes, I used a Hobby Design Detail-up PE kit for the front, side, and rear vents, disc brakes, and a couple of Lambo logos. I also ended up applying more Kevlar on the doors, then reshot the photos below to see how the Root Beer / Metallic Orange combo looked in not-so-direct sunlight. I like it! Thanks again, and happy modeling....
  9. It's incredible what a difference sweet wheels & tires make! Nice job and excellent color scheme.
  10. Very cool....did Chevy and Chrysler pay you royalties or steel the idea for the HHR and PT Cruiser....? Well done!
  11. Hi Rich; Thanks for the nice comments. Re the license plate...see if this link works for you...? http://www.acme.com/licensemaker/licensemaker.cgi?text=Lobo2me&state=California&r=1387757165 All the best, Steve
  12. I miss Pontiac. Very well done! Nice job!!!
  13. I liked this Aoshima model; it was my first. It was challenging in spots, and I made some bonehead mistakes, but overall, I am happy to park it on the display shelf. I was inspired by a spectacular Liberty Walk Aventador I saw in a forum post a few months ago. The level of detail and craftsmanship was exceptional. I was intrigued, but I wanted to build the Roadster version. I also really liked the paint I saw in the post and wanted something similar that would complement the Kevlar fiber decals I planned to try. But since I was sure the Halford’s brand wasn’t available on this side of the pond, I began experimenting with several different rattle cans. My first attempt failed miserably, but I eventually achieved the desired effect by hitting it with three very light mist coats of Tamiya, Metallic Orange (TS92) over Testors, Root Beer, One Coat Lacquer. Two types of Kevlar fiber decals are applied in strategic areas. I am happy with the results, although the pics below, taken in bright sunlight, look much brighter (close to full/opaque TS92) than how it looks indoors, which is the look I was going for. All comments are appreciated. Thanks for looking.
  14. Lobo2me

    Long Dodge

    Very cool kit bash. Nice job!
  15. You just turned up the heat on me to finish up the Aventador Roadster on my bench. Nice job and thanks for the motivation!
  16. Martin; This baby is absolutely incredible. One of the very best and coolest models I've ever seen. Love the cowl strap and all your 3d additions, and your attention to detail and photography is superb! Thanks for sharing!!!!
  17. A nice tribute and very well done. Enjoyed the story....thanks!
  18. Nicely done! Excellent reshaping of the hind quarters, reengineering of the running gear, flipping the dash and footwells, and outstanding photography. I also really enjoyed the "skinny" and "fatty" comparison!
  19. Very cool! Keep modeling!!!!
  20. Rut row....another GM "almost." Nice job on this interesting subject matter! Really like the "ejection seats." Well done!!!
  21. Really nice job all the way around! Great paint, detail, and foil work....well done!
  22. VERY COOL! Fat fender flairs and a monster-blown HEMI. What not to like? Well done and thanks for sharing.
  23. I've never done this before. After sharing pics of my latest build with several close pals, one came back complaining that I could have /should have spent more time on the semi-truck-style exhaust stacks. So, I buckled and added heat shields. Take that!
  24. Thanks, Michael. I went with the Roadster version, which looks fun! I really like your color scheme, but being an old "rattle canner," I will have to see what I can come up with. A few years back, I did a street version of Tamiya's Ferrari FXX K in TS92 with street seats. It's a little rough around the edges but I really enjoyed the Tamiya kit. The Aoshima looks like an even bigger challenge! All the best and look for me in a month or two. Steve
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