Bernard Kron

Thanx! Here’s another update. I’m in the throws of assembly, detailing and cleanup. Here are shots of the final install on the grill and bumpers and the Archer louver transfers I added to the hood. I’m hoping to tie up the loose ends and get her done in the next couple of days. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanx everyone for the kind words! It’s been over a month since I last posted something about this project. In fact I’ve been plugging away steadily on it except for a two week period in early December when I was traveling and another gap to nurse a post-holiday cold. At this stage I’m ready for final assembly so here are some detail pictures as I finish things up First off is the motor, a Revell Parts Pak small block Chevy, largely stock except for the ramhorn exhausts from my parts box. I left a fair amount of chrome on it to complement the shiny metallic paint of the body and the general “show ‘n’ go” of this street rod. Here are a couple of pictures of the interior. It’s largely stock except for some AMT bucket seats from my parts box. I deleted the rear seat but the roll bar is from the kit. Here are the Modelhaus spiders mounted to the kit Chevy steelies at the front and some deep-dish Modelhaus steelies on the rear. The general vibe of this car will be that of a “boy racer” street machine, with a fancy paint job and its nose down rake instead of the nose up stance of a real weekend racing gasser. So I thought I would include the three quintessential “boy racer” decals of the 60’s: Mooneyes, Mr. Horsepower (the Clay Smith Cams woodpecker), and the sly reference of STP. Thousands of cars ran these decals without ever getting near anything resembling Moon equipment, a hot cam, or even heavy duty lubricant in the crankcase. The bodywork is foiled and most parts have been test fitted and adjusted. I hope to have this one completed within the next few days. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanx again guys! It didn't feel like that much of a year but looking back now I think it was OK, after all. I think that's what I like about these end of year "look-backs", they give you some perspective. And I really enjoy looking at everybody else's "look-backs"!

So many of these I haven't seen, and so many cool subjects. Yep, you got the racing bug this year. My faves are the SoCal tanker (really struttin' your stuff on that one) and the Purple People Eater 'Vette on Part One and the Merc at the top of the page on this thread. The Theodore is pretty hip, too. The ghost of Teddy Yip is looking down in approval., I'm sure. Looking forward to more coolness from you in 2013. B.

Thanx for the excellent response. This is an important release in many ways, some of which weren't necessarily known until your comment. Obviously it's an important, throroughly contemporary subject, a car currently owned and shown by a very popular automotive media figure. This alone is very unusual, most releases being historical subjects. Additionally, you've pointed out that, by ensuring a degree of backward compatibility, it serves as a kind of "Mk. II" iteration of Revell's immensely successful series of Deuce cars. While Old Skool enthusiaists such as myself might grump about modern rear suspension setups and idiosyncractic design cues like the hood, this release will represent a strong step forward, introducing a new motor offering, significant changes in the area of wheels and tires, and even a refreshingly modern set of interior parts that will clearly find its way into other modeling projects. This kit will cut a wide swath among a large variety of modelers, from those wanting to exceute a well built replica of the 1:1 to those who may never build this kit at all but will buy multiple copies for all the highly useful parts it contains. I look forward to your "peak inside the box" of what will doubtless be a very popular new offering.

Thanx! Hopefully Model Roundup's list of features is accurate: Features I-Beam Front Axle Front-Mounted Moon Fuel Tank Stock Looking Firewall Halibrand-Like 5-Bolt Wheels Draping Over-Frame Headers Hair Pin Radius Rods Weiand Blower Buick Portals Replica 1:25 scale Gibson-Like Guitar In particular I have yet to actually see the "I-Beam Front Axle" in any of the pictures but the "Stock Looking Firewall" is quite clear and very welcome as are the "Halibrand-Like 5-Bolt Wheels". Other features not listed but highly significant and welcome are narrow front tires (at last!!!!), the Small Block Chevy motor, the chopped windshield and the simplified and cleaned up dashboard (vs. the dash that comes in the Goodguys Roadster). The rear suspension is clearly the old one from the previous kits. Did Stacey get them to remove the airbags???? The interior, like the hood, is awfully stylized and unique to the rat roaster. So, for us Old Skool builders we'll still have to fabricate our own tuck 'n' roll interiors and buggy spring rear ends... Presumably, given that so many parts are carried over from the prior Deuces, the frame is compatible with the earlier releases.

Thanx everyone! I'm glad you all enjoyed them. 2012 was a weird year for me when it comes to completed projects. I easily started another half dozen that are still waiting to be done. Some, like a lakes belly tanker which is about 65% built from scratch, will require quite a bit of care and patience to get right, but others, like a '51 Chevy hardtop and a '40 Ford Sedan Delivery at year's end, were purposely designed to be simple projects that placed the emphasis on improving my skills in fit and finish. Both of those projects landed up waylaid by a Holiday season cold I caught and will hopefully be done quickly in the next few weeks... We'll see... Other "supposedly simple" projects that were arbitrarily halted were a '57 Corvette gasser and a '37 Ford sedan, both of them paint experiments. Even though the paint part actually went quite well, I suddenly just boxed them and put them away. But they were part of an important bit of progress I made on the paint front this year. I also collaborated with a friend on a full custom that fell victim to a mutual case of Builders Block. We got started in the middle of the year and then it just sort of faded... I have vowed to see it completed in 2013!!! And some projects, mainly based on resin bodies or full-scratch building ideas, never made it past initial mockups, photos and sketches. I'm sure we're all too familiar with that drill!! But the weirdest thing about 2012 was that almost all my completions were projects I started not actually intending to finish them at this time, or at least they weren't "top of mind" when I started them. Take, for example, my first completion for 2012, the little V-12 powered modified. I have to admit it was built "under duress" after a modeling buddy did such a fine job on his Lincoln powered '25 T coupe as a theme build for last year's NNL and insisted I join him (he even surprised me by making a little display pedestal .for both our models). He said he was building a "Salt Flats racer" and I was having a hard time getting a mental picture of what on earth that could be. But I work well under deadline pressures so things came out OK, after all. Similarly, I started on the Dragmaster IV because I’m an active member of a vintage drag racing modeler’s forum and yet hadn’t posted a project there for nearly a year! I landed up not only rolling out the Dragmaster but following up with Mr. Eliminator as well. About the only model from last year that had been on any long-term list was the '27 T Lo-Boy. That Jimmy Flintstone resin and some interior bits had been kicking around on my bench for at least 3 years now. 2012 was at last the year when I had the chops to get her done. But otherwise most of the other completions were supposed "casual builds" that were originally intended to be short term projects that somehow grew more elaborate and serious once I got into them. Once again, I'm sure we're all too familiar with that drill!! Anyway, thanx to you all here on the forum for helping me with the tips and inspiration, creativity and insight, that all contributed to making 2012 an enjoyable modeling year for me, one that I feel saw me move another step along the way in getting closer to expressing the "pictures in my head". Have a great 2013! Thanx for lookin', B.

“Mr. Eliminator” 160 In. Wheelbase Mid-60’s blown fueler. “Avalon Special” Lakes Style Chopped Deuce 5-window Coupe

27 ‘T Lo-Boy – Early 60’s Style Show Rod Candy Red T Dragmaster IV Early 60’s FED

Here’s my “Class of 2012”, 9 in all in a year where I started a lot more but got a lot fewer done…. I had two waiting on the bench for completion when I cruised into the .holiday season and caught a nasty head cold. Oh well, now they’re on my NNL West 2013 list. I hope to see some of you there. All my very best to you all for the New Year and, as always, thanx for lookin’, B. V12 Lakes Style Modified Deuces: A Pair ’34 Ford 3-Window SnapTite

Thanx everyone! Here's the logo art I worked up. The machine shop is fictitious. The story is that this shop modifies stock heads and gets demon flow figures and torque out of them without the expense of custom aluminum castings. They paint the heads red so hot rodders will recognize them for what they are - the hot setup! I'll use the stock kit heads painted in red.

Such variety in subject matter and style. I only remember seeing some of the hot rods and drag cars but the stockers and truck are equally nice. Quantity did not compromise quality one bit in 2012! Congrats on a super fine year!

Having just started one of these myself, it's great to see such a nicely done stocker as inspiration. First rate all the way! But shouldn't this be under "Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial: Under Glass" (where unfortunately it would go largely ignored by many members...)? Either way, thanx for sharing!

While I finish up my ’51 Chevy Hardtop I’ve started another project, a ’40 Ford Sedan Delivery shop truck that will be part of a set consisting of the SD, a ’34 Ford convertible done early 50’s lakes style based on an Altered States resin body I just received, and a scratch-built trailer to haul it. All will be painted in matching team colors. Each project I tackle has some aspect to it that involves something I haven’t done before or needs practice and improvement. This project is no exception. I had a mental picture of this paint scheme and realized that it would require a perfectly clean masking line for the roof panel, something I hadn’t pulled off up to now. Well this time it worked. The main body color is DupliColor Wimbledon White and the fenders and roof panel are DupliColor Deep Jewel Green Metallic. Everything was applied over DupliColor white primer. I’ll design some decals for a fictitious speed shop which will go on the panel behind the doors and on the rear door. The wheels are the stock kit steelies with the Ford Deluxe hubcaps. I haven’t decided whether to run the trim rings or not although the color scheme is formal enough to make me lean toward using the rings. The wheels are finished in gloss black. White, green and black are the main colors of the car and will be repeated in the interior which will be largely stock. The firewall and fender liners will be gloss black and the running boards will also be finished in black. The rake on the car is due to a combination of the kit dropped axle and the rubber rake of the Modelhaus T-120C front tires and T-180C rears. I’ll use the kit flathead with dual carburetors and high compression heads. This is largely an out-of-the-box build except for some minor details. I hope to have it completed by year’s end. This would give me enough time to build the ’34 and trailer to bring with me to the NNL West in February. Thanx for lookin’, B. The resin salt flats style ’34 convertible from Altered States Models which the sedan delivery will haul on a custom made trailer. All 3 pieces will be finished in the team colors of white, green and black.

Breathtaking!

Here's my latest (of wayyyyy too many!) Deuce - a 5-window done dry lakes style with a full bellypan:

Thanx Samuel!

Wonderful, wonderful work. This will be a stunning car. The Wile E. Coyote artwork is marvelous. One thing though, in order to get a white helmet using an inkjet printer you'll have to print on white decal stock, with the risk of white edges showing around the edges of the printed surfaces no matter how carefully you cut them out, If you print on clear the helmet will print as clear and will be the color of the underlying paint. You may want to choose some other color for the helmet.

I agree, Bill. One of the more counter-intuitive trends in things automotive is the rise of the blunt nose as the dominant form in reducing drag. We see it everywhere these days, particularly in passenger cars,often aided and abetted by other factors such as the EU law mandating that at speeds below 10 kph a car coliding with a pedestrian must throw the hapless victim upwards and not under the car, and the move to increasing interior space by having passengers sit more upright. All this has eliminated the old long and low, "swoopy" streamline look from the automotive design vocabulary. It's fascinating to see it so obviously manifest in Thompson's Challenger. The injected car was fast, though not quite fast enough to be a record setter. But it was fast enough to attract plenty of additional sponsorship. I have no doubt your surmise is correct, that MT got some professional help and this accounts for the car's more blunt shape at the front. I'll have to scratch around the web some more to see if I can find some history on this matter but it's quite clear in comparing the two versions. How very, very cool... By the way, when it comes to voluptuous streamliners the old Hammon-Whipp-McGrath Redhead will never be equaled!

The unblown version has a considerably different nose section which accounts for the less dramatic contours of the later version Your comment got me wandering the web for pictures to confirm this. Here a some that illustrate the point. You'll notice that, assuming the height of the fender tops remained constant, the sheet metal between the fenders was rased and the contour of the fender tops merged into the surface in a less vertical contour. Also the nose openings are very different. Here are some pictures I found interesting. These are from Machine-History.com ( http://www.machine-h...r I Streamliner ): I'm not certain but it appears possible that the crests of the front fenders were extended rearward some what more on the initial version, too, at least compared to Revell's version. They appear to resolve into the engine deck at about the center of the front most exhaust port. : And here's an interesting photo from the Hemmings site ( http://blog.hemmings...-i-streamliner/ ) that shows the car in an early form on its way to Edwards Air Force Base for some test runs where it went 250 MPH. Notice the additional vent openings. In any case, this is an exciting and beautiful project you're tackling. I love the colors you've used for the chassis. Can't wait to see more!

Thanx again, guys! Dennis, thanks for the detailed blow by blow on your metalizer technique. Metal finishes are an endless pursuit for me. I've experimented with various substrates for the Metalizer finishes. For a truly convincing polished metal finish, IMHO, nothing beats applying the paint to polished bare plastic.This is especially true of the Testors buffable finishes but is also highly effective using the co-called non-buffable paints, which buff out nicely as well. I use DupliColor primers under my metalizers quite often and it does help. The key, I've found, however is to apply a thin coat and lit it cure for 24 hours or so., Then it's remarkably tough. This is harder to do with a brushed on finish than when sprayed. If I used an air brush I think I would have fewer issues with wear. The one thing I haven;t experimented with, and which you explain in wonderful detail, is the clear overcoat. I am particularly intrigued by your discussion of how Tamiya Clear resists the Testors brush cleaner thinner. For sure I'll be exploring this area. Thanks again.

Thanx for all the kind comments, everyone. I used a temporary adhesive to locate the hood sides and still have them be removable.. Unfortunately I neglected to clean up the residue, which shows up in the engine compartment and grill close ups (the macro lense is a cruel, cruel thing...). For this I apologise. (I really need to learn to step away from the car for a few days after I finish it before I photograph it...) Also, as I was working on the car the Metalizer paints kept rubbing off on my fingers and into the paint. This problem is not unknown to me, so I handled them as little as possible and I segregated the completed parts in plastic bags as I worked; but towards the end handling them a lot became unavoidable, particularly the engine. I used Meguiar's Plast-X polish to clean up the metallic traces in the paint but they have taken their toll, particularly in some of the crevises of the main body. So, yes Richard, I am considering weathering the car some more. I've never done a weathered build and don't want to go for a rust-rod look, just a realistic rendition of the patina that the cars take on after running on the salt flats over several days during Speed Week. This look is less common today thanks to modern paints, bigger budgets, and a generally cleaner and more crisp aesthetic, but it's something you notice a lot in the photos from the era that this car represents. It's fairly unusual for me to re-visit a build (there's no lack of future projects rattling around in my head...) but I like the overall stance and look of this car enough that it may be worth it. Any tips on naturalistic weathering would be appreciated! Despite the fact that there's no rear suspension and virtually no chassis, this was a more ambitious and complex project than I had intended.This is my third attempt at a bellypan car and I notice it has that effect. The bellypan itself demands properly scaled and precise fitting parts to be fabricated. With rare exceptions nothing like it exists in kit form (only the Orange Crate, Walt's Puffer, and some Revell Parts Pack altered bodies come to mind). A construction approach where everything is prototyped, fabricated and fitted in a raw state and then painted and assembled would have resulted in a far cleaner build. Unfortunately, I am very much an improvisational modeler and this discipline still eludes me... Thanx again for all the nice comments and for your appreciation and encouragement, B.

Thanks Cranky! This project is now complete. Thanks to everyone who followed along. The beauty shots can be found in Under Glass here: http://www.modelcars...showtopic=66573 In the meantime here’s a teaser shot… Thanx for lookin’, B.

Chopped Dry Lakes Style 5-Window Deuce Coupe with Full Bellypan Starting with a spare Revell ’32 Ford 5-window coupe which I chopped 6 ½ scale inches, this is a full-on Bonneville style dry lakes racer. Much of this car is scratch built including a full bellypan, the interior and the steering. The rest is scraped together from my parts box. The w.i.p. for this project can be found here: http://www.modelcars...wtopic=64354= Here’s the full run down: Bodywork: Revell 5-window ’32 Ford coupe. Top chopped 6 ½ scale inches, clear red acetate windows and grill. Scratch built full bellypan. Chassis and suspension: Chassis integrated into bellypan structure. Rear suspension omitted since it’s hidden inside the bodywork. Front suspension based on Revell Deuce tubular dropped front axle. Front spring shaved and de-arched, scratch built steering, split wishbones and tubular shocks from AMT ’29 Ford Model A kit. Motor and transmission: Blown Buick Nailhead V8 from Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster kit with Hilborn four port injector from a Revell Parts Pac small block Chevy. Headers from an AMT ’40 Ford Sedan Delivery kit. ’39 La Salle transmission courtesy of Early Years Resin. Interior: Scratch built from sheet styrene with resin bucket seat courtesy of ThePartsBox.com, AMT ’36 Ford steering wheel and roll bar from an AMT ’37 Chevy coupe kit. Wheels and tires: Moon disc style wheels courtesy of Early Years Resin. Front tires from a Revell ’37 Ford Sedan Delivery kit, rear tires courtesy of Herb Deeks. Paint and graphics: Main color is Krylon Bauhaus Gold enamel over white primer. Decals are home made. Thanx for lookin’, B.