Lobo2me

Perfect! Well done!!!

Thanks Claude. The whole story was posted on Model Cars as well. All the best for 2023

You nailed it! One of the first truly hypercars. Nice job!!!

This is it! Not the prettiest, but definitely the most fun.

Thanks....it was a fun one. Now what...????

My apologies in advance for this long post… This was, by far, the most challenging and fun model I’ve ever created, and it was a real stretch for my “rattle can” modeling skills. I never had “weathered” a rust bucket or built that many Rat Rods. For inspiration, I cruise the internet looking at SEMA Battle of the Builders entries, Ridler award candidates, and car show showstoppers searching for a project to grow and stretch my imagination and improve my modeling skills. When a particular ride jumps out at me, I have to build it. A couple of months ago, I came across Chris Walker’s Hulk Camino. What a cool rat rod! The 800 HP reimagined ‘59 El Camino was one of the most menacing vehicles I’d ever seen. It would be a tough challenge, and I knew I’d have to take a deep dive into the parts bin. Body mods are extensive, and the hand-rubbed patina courtesy of Mother Nature is so ugly; it’s beautiful! And another nice thing about close-up photos is that the closer you get, the more pronounced the flaws, some intended, some not, but all appropriate for this model. The body was shortened and channeled, the hood widened, and the roof narrowed, then moved rearward about three scale feet. It looks like it could have just rolled out of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s design studio. Of course, my version had to have a supercharged HEMI, whitewall fronts, pie crust slicks, and NOS. And why not make it a dually? And I had to name it El Kabong after Quick Draw McGraw’s crime-fighting alter-ego. And, no, I wasn’t influenced by that high school smoking apparatus. I get as much of a kick out of figuring out how to engineer and fabricate complicated replicas as I do from showing off the finished product. Photos of Hulk Camino and an AMT ’59 El Camino kit were great places to start. Donor Kits: · 1959 El Camino, AMT – body & glass · 1938 Custom Ford Van, Lindberg – chassis & front suspension · Tony Nancy Hall of Fame Dragster set, Revell – 426 HEMI engine & rear differential Major Mods: Exterior: · Roof chopped, narrowed & repositioned rearward · T-Tops (driver access) opened & hinged · Windshield & Rear window narrowed (split) · Body channeled & slammed · Hood widened, reshaped & extended & front fenders, tilt-hood · Wheel openings moved & reshaped Interior: · Bomber seats (resin) · Seatbelts (masking tape w/ PE buckles) · Floor, door, and undercarriage panels (styrene diamond plate) · Rollbar (scratch-built styrene rod) · Fire Extinguisher (scratch-built styrene rod) Engine: · Hemi (Tony Nancy – dragster) · Plug Wires & Plumbing · Blower pully & belt · Nos bottle · Side pipes Chassis: · 1938 Custom Ford Van Ford - Lindberg · Posable Steering (scratch-built) · Rear end & suspension narrowed (scratch-built) · Coil-Overs (scratch-built) · Dually Tires / Wheels · Front clip, rear box sections, and roll bar (scratch-built) · Driveshaft tunnel & brace (scratch-built) Finish: · Weathering - First attempt at creating a rust bucket. Devised a “hybrid” rust technique using Elmer’s glue and salt in the following order; 1. Prepped body and applied Mr. Surfacer 1000 primer (gray) 2. Created rust damage and holes with various Dremel tools and picks 3. Sprayed body (inside and out) with red oxide primer 4. Highlighted holes and rust damage using various shades of brown and rust colors 5. Applied Elmer’s glue and salt to major seams and around body panels, holes, spots, and damaged areas 6. Sprayed body sections Dark Green and Tamiya Coral Blue through vignettes and masks 7. Removed glue & salt with a toothbrush and x-fine sandpaper 8. Applied custom decals 9. Applied Dullcote to the entire body Paint: · Red-Oxide Primer (Ace Hardware) · Gray Primer (Mr. Surfacer 1000) · Dark Green (Tamiya TS-91) · Corral Blue (Tamiya TS-41) · Semi-gloss Bright Gun Metal (Tamiya TS-100) · Dark Gun Metal (Tamiya TS-42) · Bare Metal (Tamiya TS-12) · Dullcote (Testors #1250) · MetalicFinish Chrome (Rust-Oleum) · Metallic Silver (Testors) · Gloss Red (Testors) · Flat Black (Testors) · Gloss Black (Testors) · Flat Bronze (Testors) · Flat Rust (Testors) · Flat Lt. Brown (Testors) · Flat Zinc Chromate (Testors) · Flat Yellow (Testors) · Flat Black (Testors) · Molotow Chrome – pen · Bare Metal Foil · Ink Jet decals (mascot and dash)

Very well done, each and every one. Can't wait to see what you come up with for 2023

Thanks Claude. Always fun to see your work. You never disappoint!

Nice tribute to the King of Woodward. Well done!

Excellent! Nice work all.

Excellent work and very good photography! The patience nor the eyesight do I possess.

Sweet!

Really nice! Love the color combination and passenger leg room!

Oh man, this is a tuffy. Been trying to decide which of these two spectacular builds I like best. I'm going with the Chevy Wagon, no wait, I'll pick the 32 Ford, yes, no, yes. Both are great...but the Ford is more my cup of team...make that "flask of Templeton Rye."

Fantastic! Very creative imaginative creation in perfect execution.

Do it!

Two Meng, one Fujumi

What a productive year! Very cool well built models and a nice variety! Keep it up in 23. Just added this....I couldn't resist. All are great, but the Eldo is my fav. Wolud like to see more pics (at least four each). But that might impact your productivity this year!

Super! Nice job, great choices, flawless execution!!!!

Perfection! Excelent job and one of the cleanest I've ever seen. What's next? can't wait!

Nice job! Cool ride!!!

Very nice! Really well done. Great attention tio detail. Can't recall exactly where I snagged the resin kit four or five years ago. Off the internet somewhere I'm sure. Had some challenges, like two left-hand rear suspensions in the kit, nothing for the right side, and a few other things. Revell's kit was a dream compared to that.

Correctamundo! You know your GT40 models...thanks

Fantastic! Beautiful faithful recreation.

Finially completed the #9 Ford GT40 (Revell's reissue of the Fujimi kit) to go along with the #6 car (a resin model) in my collection. Chassis # 1075 was first and only car to date to win Le Mans back to back. Pedro Rodriquez & Lucien Bianchi won the 1968 race and Jacky Ickx and Jackie Oliver drove the same chassis to a win the following year. Enjoy...