The Modeling Hermit

That is a beautiful build, and artistically displayed. Thanks for sharing it.

We almost forgot the old car graveyard friends...watchdogs, spiders, and snakes. I still have painful memories of working under a 68 Impala to pull the bucket seats. I got to yanking around on the wrench, when I heard something start rattling. I came out from under that car in a hurry, ripping skin off of my arm in the process, only to discover that it was a baby rattle on the rear floorboard.

I'm not sure that there wouldn't be a market for those A bodies. People are hot for most anything that hasn't been kitted to death already. I'd like to see somebody give it a try. If it's a quality product, it just might stand a chance. There are two kits that I've never seen good 1/25 scale glue kits of; the mid-seventies Grand Prix and Monti Carlos (I think that there's a snap kit of the Monti). These were both very popular cars, especially the Monti Carlo, and I would think that a good quality kit of it would sell.

You've done well with this one. There will be those that will point out that the interior and top both look too good for a car that's set out in the elements for years. There is a prototype for that. Before I moved here, I lived on a farm in Iowa. In the "back forty", in a stand of trees, there was a black 60 Oldsmobile convertible with a red interior. The body was covered with surface rust, just as you've shown, but the top was just starting to develop holes in it. The interior looked great, but just toughing the seats would leave a powder on ones hand. The problem is that the car had sat for a good many years, and had sunk into the ground. Under that carpet was...well...dirt. The floor pans were completely gone, as was most of the trunk. The frame was also rotted, and we had a rough time closing the door once we got it open. That was what it looked like when I first found it. When I left, I was showing the new owner of the property around, (about ten years later) and when we saw it, the car had taken on a V shape where the center was collapsing. I would have loved to have been able to have restored that car, but she was just too far gone. It did have an interesting history though, in that it didn't have one. Nobody knew anything about it or how it got there. Sorry for the ramble, but your model brought back an interesting memory.

This is just the way one would expect it to look on a rainy day. You did good.

I'd like to see something like this done up as a basic LeMans with the option of the Can Am version. It would be cool to also do a standard Chevelle of the same era.

The only thing that I could add to what others have already stated, is that you might show more wear on the driver's side running board. This has been an impressive thread in the way that criticism has been offered. It shows a genuine caring, not only of the subject, but also of the feelings of the builder. My hat's off to all of those that responded. I do love a well weathered model, and if you first effort here is any indication, I think we're going to see great things from you.

I'm just crazy 'bout a Mercury. This is what Mr. Jackson was singing about. This takes one back to the summer of '62.

This is cool. It looks mean and aggressive; like it's ready to eat up anything that gets in it's way. The only improvement that I can see, is that it needs a continental kit. LOL

You do realize that there's a law against putting Hemis into Fords, don't you? Seriously though, that is an outstanding, beautifully executed build.

I think it's a cool looking truck. I like the colors.

That is beautifully detailed.

This is an impressive build. I will be watching for the finished project.

Welcome. George is right. This is a great place for inspiration and to gain knowledge.

I'm lazy and cheap. I use the water based craft paints straight from the bottles. The flat black paint is simply brushed on, allowed to dry, and then gently wiped off with a cotton cloth.

If you don't mind 1/32 scale, and if you dig hard enough to find one, Pyro made an early fifties Chevy wagon back in the sixties. I recently saw one come up on the "bay" without too large of a price tag.

Welcome John. I had a 50 Ford for a short time many years ago, and the frame on it was rust colored, but then so was the rest of the car. The others have given good feedback, and the only thing that I can add, is that I use Photobucket, and have been well pleased with it.

One thing about viewing the race from the comfort of the living room, is that you get the benefit of seeing it from several different angles. One also gets to see it over again, and often in slow motion. That allows one to be able to form one's own opinion of what happened. This isn't to give a right or wrong slant on what happened, or to justify anybody's actions, but we have to remember that things happen fast out there on the tracks. I had a wreck on a dirt track where I was in a line of traffic, and the lead car checked up. I started to swing around to the right and aim for a clear space, but just as I did, a car in front of me headed for the same space. I didn't have time to react, and I nailed him in the back and sent him into some other cars. It put him out of the race, but my car was undamaged, and I continued the race. People in the stands only saw me ram one of their favorite drivers, and then get to continue racing while he was out, and I was booed for a long time after. After the race was over, I went to apologize to him, and he even stated that it was his fault. No matter how good a driver is, things happen fast out there, and sometimes there is just not any way to avoid a wreck. I know that the little half mile dirt tracks that I drove on are a lot different than the big NASCAR tracks, and that those drivers are expected to be much more knowledgeable than those that I drove with, but it still comes down to things are going to happen, and good and bad choices are going to be made, and they're going to be made in a split second. The wreck that ended my career would fall into the above scenario. I was driving in a main event, and was leading a pack of 5 cars ( a rare thing for me)and was coming out of the fourth turn. There was slower traffic that we were approaching, and just as we got to them, a car pulled out to pass a slower car, and struck my car. The end result was that I got clobbered but good. There were pieces of my car from turn 4 to turn 1, and I spent two years in recovery. The driver that drove up into me wasn't stupid, nor was what he did. It was just a matter of misjudgement. I'll tell you what was stupid. After I spent two years in recovery, of which several months were spent in the hospital, and I would have some injuries that would bother me for the rest of my life, I started to make plans to go back racing. Still that didn't yet hit the top of the stupid scale; that was reserved for my letting my wife find out about my plans. That, my fellow forumites, is the ultimate in stupid.

It's looking good so far.

The eastern states, as well as many midwestern states had stringent length laws up through the sixties and seventies. If you look at pictures from the mid seventies on back, you'll see that many rigs from the eastern states had the trailers almost touching the back of the tractor cabs. Auto carriers, called Illinois Specials were the norm and sleepers were mounted above the drivers. At the same time, in the west, some tractors looked almost as long as their trailers. Naturally there were many exceptions, but this give a generality. Most of this centered around the power that the railroads had on the governments in the eastern states. Many of these states had laws that restricted total truck lengths to 45-50 feet.

Happy Birthday, and may the Plastic Gods be kind to you.

I was restacking mine in the storage unit a few weeks ago. I thought that I'd try counting them while I was working, but finally gave up. I don't even remember how many I'd got up to.

Truly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I've found that it's best for me to be very careful about expressing my opinions. My taste is very strange, I guess. You see, I find the cars of 1958-61 to be some of the most beautiful ever produced. Those Plymouths that Chuck posted; I love them. I was fascinated by 58 Oldsmobiles ( I owned 2) and Buicks. My father owned a 59 Mercury convertible with every option in the book, and I think some that weren't in the book. WOW what a ride! I loved the fins, and the long sleek flowing lines, especially when fender skirts were added. Today's cars, and those of the last few years, well they will have their following, but I'll not insult their followers by expressing my views.

Gray, I also want to welcome you to the world of truck models. I love the Astro/Titan kits, and have built several, with more waiting to be built. Tim is right on about that single pipe installation. I missed that step on the first one that I built, and after going back and ripping things out to get it right, I never forgot it again. This is a wonderful kit and I'm sure that you'll enjoy every minute of your build. I also hope that you get hooked, and we'll see many more trucks coming from you.

My sister and I were talking telephonically last evening. The conversation drifted into a discussion about a trip that my family took from Iowa to Tulsa Oklahoma back in 1960. As the conversation progressed it was mentioned that the trip took place in August. My memory always placed it at more towards Christmastime, but my sister is older, and should remember that better than me. The son of our hosts had a large (at least to me) model car collection displayed on his wall. I couldn't take my eyes off of it; which I'm sure must have worried him some. At some point the people that we were visiting took us to a Sears store, and there was a model of a 1960 Oldsmobile hardtop purchased for me. I can assure everybody that it probably didn't come out looking like what was shown on the box, but I was still hooked. I guess that's whay I've always had a soft spot for 60 Oldsmobiles. It's hard to believe that in a few days it will be 50 years since I received that first model, but for me this an important anniversary. I soon will have been building for a full half century. Maybe in another half century I'll finally figure out what I'm doing. Thanks for allowing me to share this with you.