
LUKE'57
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Look like the new AMT car kit series is a GO.
LUKE'57 replied to LUKE'57's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Never said I didn't care. I had a good working relationship with Ertl, along with Revell and Monogram among others, when I worked for a large hobby distributor and did some R&D for them. And if you missed the reference to April 1st in BOTH those posts then I've got something especially for you in the new one coming up. -
Look like the new AMT car kit series is a GO.
LUKE'57 replied to LUKE'57's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
You know, I might do that. If you can tell me why this one was "fun" and mine will be the downfall of ERTL. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.p...c=12185&hl= I'll try to be more "honest" in the future. -
Looks like the new AMT car kit series is a GO. The inquiries and preorders that flooded in came as a complete, if very welcome, surprise to the "suits" at AMT whose eyes immediately filled with dollar signs and green lighted the project. Due to some work I had done back in the nineties for them and the work I had done getting Racing Collectibles Club of America (now Action Diecast) off the ground, it looks like I will be doing a lot of the developmental work on this series and maybe head the R&D Department. I plan on getting dirty crawling around the tool storage areas for both AMT and the other kit manufacturers that have signed on to lease tools for the project. As I said, the first few releases will be straight reissues or modified tooling but don't be surprised if a totally new tool slips in from time to time. I know that most movie tie in kits don't do that well but usually it is a matter of the kit being released so long after the movie buzz has died down and the "one trick pony" characteristics of most movie kits. Hopefully the next release in this series will bypass at least some of that. While most have already got the Lumina there will be others that might need one or two for a vintage project. Can you believe that I just mentioned "Lumina" and "Vintage" in the same sentence. LOL But I think that the inclusion of a modfied reissue '64 Ford Holman Moody stock car may drive the sales of this kit enough to make it a mild success. The toolmakers are going to Darlington to crawl all over the Fireball Roberts car at the museum to get the measurements from the reskinned '64 to finally make an accurate depiction of the Holman Moody racing chassis. The kit will have new tires, wheels and all the subtle Ralph Moody "tweeks". This is a highly modified tool and the "Darksiders" will NOT be disappointed this time. That's all I've got for now but look for BIG things on the horizon for race car modelers. One more thing, I forgot to mention the possibility of the Lumina being replaced with a blue and white '57 Chevy sedan with a #8 on the side and "Mitch Cooper" on the roof. Can you say "Thunder in Carolina", boys and girls? As before, kit series launch date is on or around April 1st 2009
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In a rare display of marketing savvy, the long time producer of model kits announced a new series of kits that will utilize not only the AMT tooling but will incorporate the vintage MPC tooling and leased tooling from other manufacturers to produce a line of historic stock car kits. The first offerings in the new line will be a series of kits with two complete models in each box released under the name "DOUBLE THUNDER". The kits will have a common thread, be it make, model or year of competition. While a few will be straight reissues, there will be many others that are modified reissues and some completely new tools will be included in this new series. The first kit slated for release will include a Jimmy Pardue '64 Plymouth from leased Lindberg tooling and a Buddy Arrington '74 Road Runner from modified MPC tooling with the name of "Hemi Thunder". Release date is on or around April 1st with more kits to follow later.
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My Best "Bud's" in building.
LUKE'57 replied to E St. Kruiser50's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
From the days of glue slingin' to what passes for current day model building, in my 50 years of modeling I have had many "model" friends and I cherish them all. But, if I'm reading it right, to answer your question about "Best 'Bud' in modeling" narrows it down to just one. And that could only be my kid brother Jackie Sims. He goes by the handle "Gator" here and on the many other boards he posts on, both full size racing and modeling. He has a reputation for building some of the finest dirt track cars around and may drivers, owners and fans have his work gracing their trophy cases and mantles. I count myself fortunate to be counted in that number as well as blessed to have been able to be associeated with him eversince before he was "housebroken" LOL While he usually builds dirt cars, here is a Jack Smith Pontiac he built for me along side my Banjo Matthews #94 Pontiac. From the '40's to last week, nobody builds a nicer stock car than Gator. I may be just a little predjudiced but I thing his car speaks for itsself. -
Now that is absolutely KILLER!!!!. Reminds me of the old Starlite Speedway. They had the pit access road running paralell with the homestretch between the home stretch and the grandstand just like that. If you've got the storage room it's real easy to cut some strips of styrofoam to make concrete grandstands.
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Had to retire from the drifting circuit.
LUKE'57 replied to LUKE'57's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
That IS a fresh paint job, Pactra's Pearl Coral. It just looks like primer in that shot. -
Had to retire from the drifting circuit.
LUKE'57 replied to LUKE'57's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Well, you know how it is. Ralph gives me credit 'cause he knows I start paying him back from the very first run and I don't like to keep him waiting. -
Rising fuel costs and the lack of little furrin car drivers that like breathing Sunoco 260 fumes and Blue Streak rubber smoke caused the terminal lack of takers for my challengers so I had to park the Fairlane. But not to worry, I just got a call from one of my friends "in the business" that they needed to branch out in the "designer beverage" market and was looking for a spokesman for their new line. Anybody thirsty?
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Gettin' Roxanna ready for the "Cruise"
LUKE'57 replied to LUKE'57's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
No man, they watch for that nose down "huntin'dog followin' a trail" look when you go in and catch you loaded when you come back out all leveled up. I'm kinda partial to Air Lifts now because you can keep it level all the time. -
Thought about using the new Fairlane to run this year's Woodward Ave Cruise over on the former HH board but since I've got three shows to play in two states with two different bands Saturday I guess I'll have to use my old standby. Since I can only make the after cruise party I'll need the extra room in the big tank for "refreshments" and I need to put some miles on the new 534 cubic inch big block. I think about another hundred laps or so should get all the bugs out of the new set up and I'll be ready to roll come Sunday afternoon.
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Newest addition to the premier Junior Johnson postcard are these two offerings. The first one is the '61 Southern 500 winning Ford of Nelson Stacy and the next is one of Mopar's "Hemi Hummers" that gave FoMoCo fits during the '64 racing season driven by newcomer Bobby Isaac. Not sure just how many will be in the virtual "set" so stay tuned and collect'em all.
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Not sure about his, mine is the old AMT kit.
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Lookin' Good, Slim. 10-4 on the "Destination Dirt" . It looks to be setting just a little bit "tall" for Ray's Superspeedway set up. That bodywork will look like a sack full of walnuts when Junior and the good ol' boys leave Richmond! LOL
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Just like the ending of the Jim Croce song, "And you don't mess around with Slim", ol' Slim don't mess around when it comes to building "circle burners"! He is one tough "wrench" when it comes to vintage iron. Welcome aboard Slim.
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Now that is just too cool for school! I think I may have some pics and maybe footage of that car along with some others just like it in color from a modified race they ran at either Charlotte or Atlanta around '60. Those modified races are the main reason that the vintage stock cars you see today are re-creations. The Grand National guys treated those cars with kid gloves compared to what the Modified and Sportsman guys did to them.
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Here's a little something the boys (Ralph Moody, Larry Wallace and Tommy Turner) down at the shop threw together to play a nasty trick on the drifting crowd. Specs- Holman Moody Half Chassis Fairlane Larry Wallace Special Grind Cam Tommy Turner 502 C.I. Stroker Engine Ralph Moody Chassis Setup (Riverside Specs) Trunk Full of Cannon Crying Towels for Tuners
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Motor Trend 500, Riverside Raceway-1965 Or maybe my front yard last year combined with a snapshot of Riverside from '68 with the Torino airbrushed out?
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Show your colors for the 4th.
LUKE'57 replied to LUKE'57's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
You know Virg, I've been called a lot of things but never that. Thank you and I hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend. -
Show your colors for the 4th.
LUKE'57 replied to LUKE'57's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
And in the immortal words of THE KING, "Thankya, thankyaverramuch". Seriously, glad you enjoyed it. -
Show your colors for the 4th. Let's hear it for the red, white and blue! Happy Independence Day
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July 2, 1964-The Changing of the Guard. On this day the face of racing changed forever. After fifteen years of relative safety, racing's foundation was shaken as fatalities hit not the back row but this time the headliners. Nascar's clown prince, two time and defending champion, Joe Weatherly, was killed in January at the second Riverside 500. But even more shock was in store for the good ol' boys when they rolled into Charlotte for the World 600, the season's longest race, in May. The sport's first superstar, Fireball Roberts, was involved in a fiery crash on the seventh lap that left him badly burned and fighting for his life as qualifying for the Firecraker 400, a race he won the previous year, was set to get underway. But this day would be remembered for the day we lost him and almost lost his HM teamate Fred Lorenzen in a savage crash in one of the qualifying races. As the pall fell over the speedway with the announcement of Fireball's passing, a somewhat subdued birthday celebration was marked as Richard Petty not only observed his birthday on the planet but also his emmergance as the driver who would take stock car racing into the future and set the template for what a hero driver should be. Unfortunately, before the season was over another competitor would pay the ultimate price for speed as "Gentle Jimmy" Pardue sailed through the guard railing during tire tests at Charlotte Motor Speedway in September. Just as the fuel cell was developed and made racing safer, Jimmy's crash caused the speedway to reinforce the third and fourth turn guard railing. It's hard to tell just how many drivers were saved because of Fireball's death but it is easy to tell at least one who was saved by Jimmy's sacrifice. About a month later in the closing laps of the National 400 during a battle for the lead between Richard Petty and Fred Lorenzen Petty's car broke loose and took almost the exact path that Pardue's had in September. While Petty lost the race and took a very hard lick from the crash the railing held the car inside the track. If the rail hadn't been strengthened the face of stock car racing could have been changed forever. With country boy charm and humility coupled with great driving ability and business acumen, Richard Petty carved out a niche that others tried unsuccessfully to occupy for decades.
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Not to mention how much tougher the cars you could buy for the street would be if they had to have the basic ingredients of the Nascar racer built into them. That's why my real '64 Galaxie has lasted this long. Back when "Built Ford Tough" wasn't just an advertising slogan but really meant something!
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Thanks guys. Ol' Ronnie Milsap ain't the only one "lost in the fities (and sixties)". LOL
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That was the last year of the advertised horsepower ratings on the hoods, Nascar went to cubic inches in '65. That '64 427 might have been rated at 410 horsepower from the factory but after Tommy Turner, Larry Wallace and Ralph Moody got finished with it that 4 was probably closer to a 5!