Bernard Kron

It's only two weeks until the NNL West and "Jake" is thrashing madly on his V-12 powered vintage Dry Lakes Modified to get 'er done in time for the big show...

Thanx everyone! Things are moving a bit more slowly as I’m having to do a few things more than once such as the exhaust pipes, which didn’t clear the body work initially because they were too close to the engine block. Here are some shots showing the car up on its wheels. The narrowness of the body is now more apparent and the overall stance and color scheme are now set. Major issues remaining to be addressed include devising a braking system and fabricating the steering and locating rods. The “decal” is still a Photoshop fake and the exhaust pipes will need to be shortened a bit and finished out in Metalizer. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Pretty much straight out of the box Revell except for the Modelhaus wide whites & 'caps. Done hot rod style in sueded Krylon Purple...

Thanx James!!! Things are progressing well. The bodywork is done and the basic paint has been layed down. I removed the door hinges to imply that the doors had been welded shut from the inside. The interior is completed including the floor panel and a dashboard which isn't in the pictures below. The interior has been painted black, but the pleated portion will painted a light gray of some sort. As I mentioned earlier, I designed a logo for the big Lincoln mill. Using Photoshop I've mocked up the logo on the door panels. They're a bit distorted from the original, but give me pretty good idea what it would look like. It looks good to me so I'm going with it. Next steps are the assembly of the chassis and suspension, including fabricating the steering and locating arms. Looks like I've got a shot at making my deadline... Thanx for lookin', B.

Breathtaking!!! The imagination you put into every one of your projects and the success you have in achieving your vision makes me look forward to each new effort.

Thanx everyone! We're having a big snow storm here in the Pacific Northwest and the temperature has dropped down into the 20's, which is too cold to spray paint (I paint either outdoors or in the garage) so I've been doing the small parts fabrication the build requires, along with finishing up much of the engine. I made a gas tank out of laminated strips of styrene sanded to shape, then covered in .020 styrene sheet. It'll be body color with foiled straps. The engine is largely completed, just requiring some detailing of the ignition wires around the magneto, the usual plumbing once it's put away in the chassis, and the inevitable cleanup. The carb stacks were made from 1/8" aluminum tubing. The exhaust pipes are partly done, fabbed from 3/32" styrene tubing. They're in the foreground in the engine pics. They'll run alongside the body to the rear and be finished in stainless steel buffable Metalizer. I changed my mind regarding the grill and switched to a cut down Deuce shell from an AMT Phantom Vicky kit. I still haven't decided about running an engine cover. Time may determine whether I tackle it before or after the NNL West... The weather's supposed to warm up starting tonight so it's time to tackle the bodywork and paint. I'm thinking pale yellow with black frame rails and a black and gray interior. I've designed a Lincoln V-12 logo but it may be too strong for such a little car. Once it's painted I'll know... Thanx for lookin', B.

NNL West is coming up next month on February 11th. Each year I fly down to the Bay Area and stay with my friend Raul Perez and we go to Santa Clara, Ca. for this very big model car show. With more than 1,100 cars showing the variety and quality is amazing. I bring whatever I’ve gotten built over the previous twelve months and just hope I don’t embarrass myself too badly. As always, the show has two themes with a special table for models that you may want to be exhibited within one or the other. This year the themes are V-12’s and R.I.P.’s (makes of cars that no longer exist). Raul and our mutual modeling buddy Curt Raitz decided they would build “salt flats” V-12 cars. By “salt flats” they meant lakes cars so, of course, when they invited me to join the fun I couldn’t turn them down. This is my project for the show. Curt had gotten a “hot rod Lincoln” style V-12 from Early Years Resin so I decided I would order one too. I first considered building a belly tanker, but since I had never built one and it would take a great deal of scratch building, I decided to stay on more familiar ground … sort of. Besides, I was rapidly running out of time. This will be a dry lakes style single seater “Modified”, based on a narrowed AMT Ala Kart body shell. The frame is scratch built except for the Revell ’29 Ford RPU crossmember. The front and rear suspension are modified from an AMT ’34 Ford 5-window. The interior is a modified Ala Kart bucket with the upholstery re-skinned to resemble a late Forties tuck and roll. The car that inspired this build is the “Spasmodic” modified which I believe t be from the immediate postwar era. But with a suicide front end, the V-12, and the Model A bucket narrowed but otherwise intact, that car is only an inspiration – this is by no means a replica. I plan to do a proper lakes modified more closely resembling the Spasmodic at a later date. I’ve got less than 4 weeks to get this beast completed so I’d better get moving! Thanx for lookin’, B. The Spasmodic modified, circa 1946 (?):

Up on its wheels and nice proportions, too! I say whites...

Indeed! ... In the case of your kit-based projects, what impresses me is how you always find a way to fully exploit the raw material you are given. The scale and textures of the details appear virtually flawless and are perfectly integrated into the spirit of the subject. This is the essence of modeling done at this level. As always, thank you for sharing this with us.

Welcome back!!! You were missed. The new Moebius Hudson provides a marvelous canvas for your impeccable style. I love the interior and undercarriage shots, they show so much about the quality of the entire build. Bravo!

Hot rod Lincoln under the hood... Cool!

Neat idea. It'll be interesting to see a side view once it's up on its wheels.

Right-e-o!!!!

Thanx guys. I guess I'm finally moving forward in time a bit, from the 40's and 50's to the 60's....

Thanx again for all the kind comments! This was one of the more satisfying builds of the past year...

Thanx Raul. You certainly have developed an epic case of builder's block! It happens to everyone, I guess, and I dread the day it happens to me. For now I'll enjoy the roll I'm on and not try to think about it... Interesting that you suffered a partial breakdown on your computer. The same thing happened to my laptop and I have had to replace it. I just spent the past few days transfering, installing and updating on my replacement machine, too!

Thanx everyone! This came out far better than I ever thought it would. It fought me all the way, from start to finish, including a trip to the dreaded Purple Pond and countless small parts flying from my frustrated fingers to the carpet, with quite a few never to return... It was supposed to be quick and simple and turned out to be neither... But it looks good on my shelf, so I'll forgive it, I guess...

Thanx to you all for the very kind words! 2011 saw some progress on several fronts in my modeling and for that I'm grateful. It's the result, in no small part, of all the knowledge and inspiration that's served on up so generously on this wonderful forum. Best wishes to you all for a creative and fulfilling 2012!

Gorgeous!

As always, so impressive, both from the technical aspect and because of the range and depth. Some builds were simple and executed largely to enjoy the subject matter and/or the kit, while others ran deep on the creativity and construction challenge side. It serves to remind me how liberating skill and confidence can be, particularly if one enjoys the hobby as much as you so obviously do. All the best in 2012! B.

Thumbzupz indeed!!!

If ever there was a kit to show off your wonderful skills this is it, Great result! Love the color and detail. Thanx for sharing.

I'd take 2.5 at this level any day! The Chevy, especially, is a masterpiece, and the kart a pure whimsical delight! I'm looking forward to more of your rare & exquisite output in 2012!

‘60’s Style ’40 Ford Hot Rod Show Car Just Your Basic Chopped Deuce Highboy

Frank Baron’s ’36 Ford Fantasy Shop Car