Wild Child

I still think this is one of the coolest early cars I have seen! Nice job.

Ken, Who makes the Fokker V23 you pictured here? That is a really neat one.

I have been on the lookout for other 1/28 D IV's Alan, but really never see many any longer. All these 1/28 WW1 kits seem to be drying up. Too bad though, they are neat to build. Even the others are not cheap any longer. When I think of all the planes I cut up for those custom builds I previously did (see other posts on Hanriot, Fokker D2, Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter, etc), I can't help but wonder if I would do them again!

Thanks guys. Ricky, I agree that these Vegas were very accurate in scale and details.

Thanks Tony, I love this body style in a Funny Car also. In regards to the stance and rake of these early cars, often these cars differ from each other in reality. Some kits stock stance is ok right out of the box. For those that are a bit lower in the front, try mildly trimming the interior tin work in the firewall area where it rests on the frame. Little at a time, too much and the blower scoop could touch the windshield. Also, to raise it a little, add a piece of this plastic on each frame top (or the firewall tin work bottom) in the same area. I had to do this to my KS Pittman Firebird custom build as his was higher than normal. View post on Killer Firebird Funny Cars to see this car and the Brutus Firebird and let me know what you think. Concerning the rear, often these are extra high. Take the rear tin work, shave a little off the top area that rests on the body. This will lower it some. Too much and you risk the roof hitting the roll bar. If this occurs, just trim the roll bar mounting spots a little where it sits on the interior tin work. Just takes a little time to fit, trim, and re-fit....but the end results will make you happy.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the kind comments. It is always fun to hear what fellow enthusiasts think, especially these cars often sit unseen in curio cabinets most of the time. And yes, I try to take extra care in the paint finishes as this is what most everyone, especially non model builders, always see foremost.

Thanks Mike.

great looking truck. Love the design element, it really works!!!

Cool truck. I love the weathering also.

One of the most popular Funny Car kits of all time that most everyone who likes Funny Cars has built sometime in their life is the early Jungle Jim Vega. Years ago I built this car, and liked it so much that I decided to build a couple more. Using available Slixx decals, below are two other Vega builds ( Jim Green's 'Green Elephant' and Charlie Therwhangers 'Hombre') along with Jim's car. I have always thought these early Vega's look awesome as Funny Cars. All three cars have high detail engines and glossy paint finishes. Greens car has a blower scoop and different wheels added for correctness. The Hombre Vega needed a bit more work which included a complete motor change to a Big Block Chevy as well as custom made lower side air foils and larger rear spoiler extensions. Additionally, these cars have molded in rear windows in their box form which used a decal. Many original cars did have the back window, so these had to be carefully cut out and clear windows installed. This requires a bit of custom work, but the results look really nice. As a side note, the Jungle Jim decals in the original issue kits have solid yellow side lettering where the real car had some orange. Once the decals are applied, this can be fixed by adding a little testors orange and blended in for a more authentic look. Easy fix, and looks great. Cool Vega's are the bomb!

Thanks again guys. These are among my favorite. I am currently working on the Jess Tyree '69. This is a hard one as the paint scheme is extremely difficult to do without an airbrush. This pic is the Tyree frame (center) after modifications. Left one is standard Polar Lights chassis from a Cuda (slightly longer). Right one is from the Brutus Firebird, which I used the Cougar kit tires to fit the smaller Bird body. I modified the rear frame, wheelie bars and rearend to take the larger slicks for the Tyree car. As you build, you learn.

Farrr Out!

Thanks guys, great to see some later Dragster fans out there too. I agree that it would be cool to have a new Dragster out there, such as Tony Stewart's car shown here. I think our standard model companies are really struggling and keep re-issuing old kits in different boxes. Problem as I see it is cost. As kids, we could easily afford kits. This was their volume. Now, few kids build models as the costs are insane,...then add the building supplies. Hope to see more new Funnycars and Dragsters.

Awesome car Ken. Love the vintage stuff.

Thanks guys. What a difference in length, aye?