Chris V

Interesting project! I’m about to start a similar project using the Hobby Design detail kit, wire wheels, and USCP intake and exhaust tips. I’d like to hear more about your experience with the KA “Extreme Metal” paints, as I’ve heard several complaints about their range of Candy paints not curing properly.

The German aftermarket company ScaleProduction has a number of 13" wheels and matching tires:

If you’re referring to the Jo-Han kit/promo, they’re separate pieces as far as I remember.

I wholeheartedly second what’s been said above… Pinning assemblies is the key to structural strength, and in those cases where pinning isn’t a viable option, small divots for the glue is the way to go. In some instances, masking tape can be a valuable aid in positioning/aligning the parts correctly so the glue doesn’t get smeared where it’s not supposed to go. For final assembly I recommend using epoxy glue instead of cyanoacrylate, as the latter has a tendency to “fog” painted and plated surfaces and adhere to fingerprints left on the surfaces.

Do you mean built the kit or the box art version? The kit itself is a reissue combining parts from two famous old Monogram kits: “Badman” designed by Tom Daniel in the late sixties and the subsequent “Street Machine” issue. The model is a good representation of a late sixties’ Gasser/“Street Freak” car. It’s an excellent but somewhat simplified kit, which can look great if built with a little attention to detail. The molds are showing some wear (faint panel lines around the doors and trunk lid) and some flash along the mold parting lines that needs to be removed prior to paint and assembly. Taking some time reshaping the curvature of the C-pillars really adds to the look of the finished model.

On a related note, Stevens International also has AMT’s 1957 Corvette Street Machine (The nicely detailed nineties’ “Mueller era” kit, not the ex. MPC Flipnose “Gasser”) listed as an upcoming reissue.

Old acetate promos are very prone to distort from a combination of shrinkage and warpage - especially if subjected to heat and/or sunlight. Unfortunately there’s not much you can do about it.

At some point the crank centerline was wasn’t allowed to exceed 24 inches from the ground. As another rule of thumb the wheel hub centres were not supposed to extend below the rocker panels.

If you're looking for regular plastic parts, you can find the "Bazooka Tips" in the following issues of AMT's 1971 Dodge Charger R/T (All the other issues have different tailpipes): Harts Parts offers a set of unplated resin Bazooka tips, and Missing Link Resin Casters used to offer a set of plated, but I'm not sure if they're still available.

I think the closest match you'll find in 1:25 scale is the wheels from AMT/Lindberg's 1966 Chevelle SS 396.

I think the closest match you'll find in 1:25 scale is the wheels from AMT/Lindberg's 1966 Chevelle SS 396.

To the best of my knowledge, the paints are no longer manufactured under the Alclad II brand, but are still available from AK-Interactive as their "Extreme Metal" range of paints.

"Albion Alloys" is another well-renowned manufacturer of quality aluminum, brass and steel tubing for modeling.

As mentioned above, the "gold" plating is usually just a layer of clear yellow over regular kit chrome. In most instances the "gold" clearcoat can be dissolved/removed by soaking the parts in rubbing alcohol. I've seen this done with the recent Atlantis "Sidewinder" reissue of Monogram's old "Rattler" show rod. It literally took less than a minute to completely dissolve the gold clearcoat, effectively turning the parts regular chrome. I would suggest testing the rubbing alcohol on a bit of the gold sprue, using a very soft toothbrush to remove any residue, making sure to thoroughly rinse off the parts with lukewarm water.

Despite the slightly cartoonish look, this is actually a very authentically detailed model of "Ohio George" Montgomery's famous 1933 Willys Gasser as raced in 1966/67. With some patience and attention to detail it can be built into a beautiful replica of the real car. Though generally frowned upon, the original two-piece tires in this kit were actually very nicely detailed, especially the pie crust slicks. In fact the tires have been one of the weakest parts of the subsequent reissues - until 2013 when Round2 released the restored premium "flatbox" issue featuring artwork from the Rodders Journal photo shoot. For those wishing to add further detail, I recommend getting a set of Goodyear frontrunners from Modelhaustires. Their T100-tires are based on Jo-Han's funnycar frontrunners and more accurate for Ohio George's car than the (ex. MPC) Denman frontrunners included in the latest reissue of the Willys. Drag City Casting used to offer a BEAUTIFUL Willys bodyshell and front clip with vastly improved bodywork detail, including reshaped hood vents and "dimples" to clear the valve covers and radiator. Maybe Ed will make these available again, once the reissue hits the shelves...

Amazing project Marty! It’s rare to see 1:32-scale models get the attention they deserve, but knowing your work I’m certain that you’ll do it justice! On a side note: Would you by any chance happen to have a spare outer front wheel half from Monogram’s 1940 Willys in your stash of 1:32-parts? I recently inherited a built-up Willys from a fellow modeler who is sadly no longer among us. Since then I’ve been looking high and low for a front wheel to complete it…

Unless you have to cut very thick plastic profiles, I’d recommend getting a cutting station instead. Albeit significantly pricier, some cutting stations (like those from DSPIAE) have adjustable angle guides for precise and consistent cuts.

This is the oldest kit in my collection: The 1956 reissue of Monogram’s “Ford V-8 Hot Rod”, originally issued in 1954. The tooling was susequently altered into the “Drag Strip Hot Rod”

Outstanding piece of work! It's an amazingly subtle mix of modern and traditional hot rod styling elements.

This is a truth with some modification. The Trophy Series kits were designed with interchangeability in mind, but clearance issues are quite common when engine swapping them. However, this doesn't take away from the fact that these simple early sixties' kits are thoroughly enjoyable to build! On a related note, the Lincoln Y-block engine from AMT's Trophy Series "Customizing Boat Kit" can be adapted to fit the car models of the series using the transmission and bellhousing from the optional Ford FE-Series V8 in the 1934 Ford Pickup. @SteveG If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive way to revitalize some of AMT's vintage tooling, I would suggest tooling up a small (plated) parts tree with classic hot rod parts to fit the range of 1932 Fords. Utilizing the similar parts design and layout of the various AMT '32 Ford kits, a "universal upgrade kit" for the series could include the following parts: * Dropped "I-beam" front axle with split wishbones * Optional dropped tube axle with "Hairpins" * Dropped headlight bar * Optional '39 Ford "Teardrop" and '50 Pontiac taillights Given the popularity of these kits I imagine such a parts tree would do quite well as a standalone parts pack as well - perhaps in combination with a set of matching vintage "big'n little" bias ply tires for giving the models a proper hot rod rake...

There's a multitude of different scale conversion rulers available. However a regular metric ruler is excellent for basic 1:25 scale work as 1 mm close to equals one scale inch (1 inch = 25.4 mm). In most cases the miniscule discrepancy will not be visible to the naked eye.

Not in over my head, but I’m still working up the courage to start building the McLaren Can Am racers from Accurate Miniatures…

That’s not entirely true. If you look at the RoG 1:16 Porsche 356, the Coupé is an advanced snap kit whereas the Convertible is a highly detailed glue kit albeit based on the same tooling platform. However I think that the target demographic may be a key factor in why interoperability between snap- and glue kits isn’t more common: In the eyes of the average consumer (and many modelers alike) snap kits are considered “toys” and thus expected/required to have a certain sturdiness. Revell’s 1963 Corvettes is an excellent example as their thick castings may be somewhat prohibitive when it comes to scale accuracy. The amount of alternate tooling inserts required to run the kit as at fully detailed kit with the accuracy of their ‘67 Corvette may be so expensive that it’s hardly worth the investment compared to creating an all-new stand alone (glue) kit. Having said that, I would welcome an all new fully detailed ‘63 or ‘65 Corvette kit with open arms!

That's just gorgeous!!! Great use of the '55 Nomad suspension parts - It looks period perfect without the exaggerated stance of many modern day gassers.

Judging by the slightly offset motor mounts, that chassis is definitely based on Revell's 1968/69 Dodge Charger R/T and 1969 Daytona Charger tooling. Revell's recently reissued 1970 Charger R/T and F&F "Dom's Charger" is very similar but not quite identical, however the suspension parts will likely fit. AMT's 1971 Charger is a different generation, and though the 1:1 parts were largely identical, the model parts will not fit your chassis without considerable modification.