Terry Jessee

Nope, no four wheel drive. You'll have to rig that from something else. The chassis is kind of a generic platform with some detail, based on the '64 Ford that Don did last year. So maybe you can look at a newer Dodge, like MPC's '70s pickup. It's a different chassis, I guess, but would do just fine in a pinch. And it's not unusual that people would update chassis components. Terry

No, word has it that he's working on one of those, too.

Modelhaus just released this kit. This is one of four versions--a Custom Sport Special. The interior includes bucket seats with console (as a separate component) and separate side panels for the upholstery. Dash and steering wheel, too. The kit doesn't include an engine, but you can use the 383 from the Lindberg '64 Dodge with a little fitting This is the deluxe version so it gets full wheel covers and whitewalls. Parts are very crisp. This actually started as Don's '64 Ford! Lots of modification and scratchbuilding, and it looks great. And it looks good up on its wheels. Very cool kit. Terry

All those squarebars came from the "Force 440" kit. Back when I built those models, that kit was cheap. I think that the MPC snap '76 Blazer that AMT reissued a couple years ago had a squarebar with red lenses (like the red Monaco). You might look around for some of those. It's not as detailed as the "Force 440" bar, but it's still pretty nice. Terry

That is NICE!

Wow. That is so crisp, and the weathering is just right.

Maybe this? Terry

Don't know if you'd call it a rat rod. It's just an old boom truck like you might find in a salvage yard. Terry

All-American Models did the separate bed sides, floor, and a lengthened chassis when the Revell kit was released. Don't know of any others made specifically for that kit. Your best bet is to try and adapt one of the AMT-based long box resin conversion kits. Terry

Built this for "Hot Rod Model Kits." I really had fun with all the textures on the Tiki Hut. Terry

What he said. In-cred-ible!! Terry

Looks about like this. I've got the interior painted and "carpeted," and am working on the engine compartment now. This is inspired by Bob McCoy's '40 sedan that was in all the magazines in the late '50s. It's not an exact replica, though. Terry

This is a Modelhaus '81 Chevy Suburban that I've been converting to a 4X4. I was digging through some boxes looking for wheels, and tripped over this. It's out in front again. This is such a cool project. I have tons of little detail things for this--running boards, roof rack, all kinds of cool add-ons. Have to quit looking in boxes and get back to business. Terry

It's a complete kit from the Modelhaus. It's resin and kind of expensive (about $95) but they make all kinds of station wagon kits--primarily Mopar and GM. Terry

I was goofing around looking in boxes and I found this set of cool wheels and tires that I had planned for another project. But I didn't use 'em, so they were just stuck in a spare parts box. Then I came up with this. This is a perfect early '60s tow car for a Midget, or maybe some other race car, or maybe even a Shasta camp trailer. I keep distracting myself with these brainstorms. Got 'way too many projects in the works as it is. But this is just too cool for school. I was thinking pastel yellow (whatever they called the color) with white top and side trim. Jeez.... Go back to work. Terry

I have one of the Missing Link '64s, and they are beautiful. Preliminary parts fit is a drop in. I originally bought it to do a cop car, but that would require careful removal of the Galaxie side trim. Then I found a photo (a Youtube video, actually) of a '64 Galaxie done as a Mayberry police car clone, so that's how I'll use it. Neat castings. Missing Link is one of my favorite casters. Casting quality is very good, and the masters are quite well-done. I have a number of their conversions. Terry

Wow. That is beautifully done.

Not very good ones. The window openings are pretty small. The interior is black and white, black with white cushions and trim on the door panels and dash. I'll see what I can do. T

I back-dated the AMT kit into a First movie version BEFORE Polar-Lights came out with their snap kit of the car Here are comparison pictures. Left side; Wow, what great photos and information. I'm going to have print this out and save it. Super. Terry

This is a Modelhaus 1950 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. It needs some minor work, but I'm going to put it up for a while and go for something else. Neat kit. Lots of parts are press fit and slip right in. I had a couple of fit problems, but decided those were more me being in a hurry than the kit itself. I like it. Hope you do. Terry

And a couple more.... This is "The Dirty Old Dodge," a model that showed up as the cover story for SAE in January of 1984. Still sitting in my case 27 years later. That one was my first of literally hundreds of stories in the past 25 years. This is my one and only slammer. The wheels are glued into the AMT '67 Chevelle pro-street chassis, and the windows are painted black from the inside. Markings are done by hand. Working on this project. This'll be a not-entirely-accurate Plymouth Fury for my movie car collection. And here's a little preview of another Mopar cop car I'm working on.... Modelhaus California Highway Patrol '62 Chrysler Newport Enforcer. What looks to be a simple conversion has been a lot of work. But it's close.... Terry

Well, I've built a couple. This is a '78 "Force 440" kit converted to a four-door. In 1981, that was the only way to get a Monaco, and a number of these conversions showed up in the original Scale Auto Enthusiast. Were I to do this again (why?), I'd do a better job on door lines. But this was the first time. The Testors paint has really yellowed over 30 years. This is a test shot of the '78 Monaco (as it was designated at the time) that I got from Tom West in 1982 just before the kit was released. This showed up in my first story for Scale Auto Enthusiast. I did it as a fictional San Francisco Fire Department vehicle. Note that the front and rear bumpers are painted silver. Parts came to me unplated, so I stole grills and hubcaps from the "Force 440" kit. Wheels are from the AMT '69 Chevelle kit--a common practice at the time, even though the Mopar wheels have six slots instead of the Chevy's five. But it's what there was. This is the "TJ Hooker" kit. I did a lot of little modifications to the basic kit and built this. This particular model eventually became the box art model for the AMT "Joker Goon Car/Gotham City Police Car" kit that AMT released in 1989. I had contracted to build the Goon Car and a cop car for the box art, but couldn't meet the deadline, so I sold this to AMT. It was destroyed in photography. One goofy story--I added all kinds of parts from other kits to the interior to get a better looking appearance. I added a steering wheel and the whole radio set up from a Yodel Plymouth kit. Since AMT had the interior exposed, they photographed it and used that on the box. Modelers howled when they found out they couldn't duplicate the interior with the parts in the box. Wouldn't be the last time.... This was built for "Build and Detail Scale Model Trucks and Emergency Vehicles" in 1997. The interior and dash also showed up in "Build and Detail Model Cars Like a Pro" in 2001. Oddly enough, the latest Monaco is another "Force 440" kit. Nebraska State Police actually did use '77 and '78 Monaco two-doors for patrol cars. Who can resist that? Still using the Chevy wheels, but it's good looking. This was built for Tim Boyd in 2001 for his book "Collecting Model Car and Truck Kits." Couple more things to come.... Terry

Nice work. Like that kind of stuff, and this is a very clean example. Really nice. Terry

I have a bunch of Monogram Tom Daniel kits that I started picking up when I was working on "Hot Rod Model Kits." With the advent of some great new releases, I can build all the models I couldn't afford before. Here's a few that I have finished. Terry

You want to know the scary part? This model is 25 years old!! Eeeyeeewwwww!!!! April, 1986. Terry