Bernard Kron

How we build, how many we have going at a time, even how many we ever finish, is all about who we are and our relationship to this hobby (or, frankly, any task at hand). For myself, when I got started again in modeling cars (and I don't build anything else) some 3+ years ago, it was all about two things. First, and most importantly, it was about getting these darn images in my head out on the tabletop. Second was learning or re-learning the skills and techniques that would help me accomplish the first thing. So #2 gets me to the workbench and trying stuff and #1 gets me to finishing a build with some regularity because if I don't that darn picture in my head won't be realized in model form. So that's my relationship with the hobby and probably why I'm fairly productive. If I haven't got the skills yet to see a project through then it goes back in the box. For me there's no lack of other potential builds to get to. I consider it both a blessing and a curse. Other issues, like time, skill, efficiency, and even budget and materials also have a bearing on your output. But in the end it all doesn't matter (unless it really bothers you that you're not getting stuff done, in which case you should do something about it). Each of us has a unique relationship with our hobby and what we do about it is an expression of it. The rest is just details...

This is taking me a bit longer than I thought, but progress is being made. Doing a replica build has its own peculiarities including proper scale and placement of details. As mentioned earlier I'm leaving the Revell floor pan in place since removing it would require me to totally disassemble the chassis. Instead I've finished the floorpan in Testors Metalizer Gunmetal applied with a brush in multiple layers, which I've found creates a fairly realistic worn undercoat effect. The white parts of the chassis in the pictures below will be finished in body color. The tabs on the bottom of the frame rails are brackets for the suspension control arms. Also completed are the front and rear suspension subassemblies. The front axle and spring, as well as the rear spring and backing plates, are finished in Testors Metalizer Gunmetal and the brake drums in Testors Metalizer Exhaust with the backing plates foiled in Bare Metal Foil Chrome. The rear axle housing are finished in Tamiya Semi-gloss Black with the Halibrand center section done in Testors Metalizer Aluminum Plate. The rear suspension is from Replicas and Miniatures Co. of Maryland Time to break out the red paint! Thanx for lookin', B.

I dig the roof color and the slammed stance. Great job on tackling this primitive beast of a kit! These cars are so cool looking it's almost worth it...

Congrats. You do this style of build so well. I'm surprised you haven't gotten the recognition before. Thumbzup!

Generally available at on-line retailers and e-Bay for between $25.00 and $35.00 plus shipping. Buy it now on e-bay for $24,90 + sjipping with one other up for bid. $35.90 + shipping at Model Roundup.

Thanx to everyone who's following along. I hope you're having as much fun as I am! The "upholstery" is now completed. I got the name of the color wrong in my examples above. I used Insignia Red for the seating surfaces, not Guards Red (which would be way too bright). The carpeting and seat base are Testors British Crimson. The differences don't photograph well but are fairly obvious in real life. The large seat back bolster remains separate from the rest of the interior and will be glued in place from above once the interior bucket is inserted in the finished body. I'll also add door handles during the final assembly process. In the pictures below I included shots of the basic seat bucket that comes in the AMT kit for contrast. Now back to the mechanical bits and bodywork… Thanx for lookin', B.

The engine is pictured above (Post #36). The engine is a flathead so I painted it Ford Engine Green. If it had been the SBC I would've gone with a red. I should have pics of the interior in colors in the next day or two. Looks like the rear bolster came out quite nicely and I've cut new side panels that fit far better than the first pass. I just have the seat bottom and back pleats to do and then paint. I need to move on to the body, chassis and engine. But I must admit, the interior is a critical part of the overall look. Interestingly, that old-school rear bolster isn't found on any scale model roadsters of any kind that I've found. Even the Revell Deuce Roadster that I took the original piece from places it inside the bodywork and, of course, it is smaller than the Challengers'. Film at 11:00... It occurs to me that some enterprising scale model company should make a Deuce of Spades double kit of the Challenger and DOS. It would sell like hotcakes! There are no decent traditional roadster kits of either the Model A or Deuce. The best, the Revell '32 Ford Roadster, is very nice but definitely a 90's style ride with small block Ford, automatic transmission, air conditioning, tubular front axle and (argh!) airbags. There's a major aftermarket industry for conversion parts to build traditional A-V8 and Deuce roadsters.

I'm thinking of Guards Red for the upholstery surfaces: ...and a slightly darker red for the for the carpeting do give some sense of depth: I agree about the Torch Red, it'll probably work pretty well. I'll bet! But that's what it's all about, isn't it? I used to own an old Triumph TR3A where you could easily remove the windscreen. Driving that thing in the middle of the night with it's cutaway doors and very low stance, not to mention its dicy headlamps and primitive suspension, was a real trip. (In the experiential sense, not the geographical. ) I must admit to taking friends out in it just to freak them out, but personally I loved it!

Immaculate contemporary "neo-traditional" build full of finely executed details. Love the stance in the rear 3/4 view. The AllClad is a nice touch, it makes a lot of the small bits realy pop and adds texture in all the right places. And the door hinges deserve a special mention since they are almost unoticeable, which is the way they should be! Massive thumbzupz!!!

This thread reminded me of a larger issue - identifying colors available from Duplicolor (a paint I like to use). It turns out the the "Application Guide" is their color book as well (although with no color swatches ). It's available on their web site. Here's the link. Duplicolor Perfect Match Application Guide pdf file If you go to pg 27 you'll see Torch Red listed as a 2010 color available only in the touch up pens and, guess what, in a 5 oz. can under the "Auto Spray" line (DSGM510). Searching on line I wasn't able to find any but maybe that's what Len was able to buy!

Autozone has an excellent search facility which allows you to screen down to specific colors and delivery systems within a brand. Here's the search for Duplicolor Perfect Match Reds in the new rattle cans. No Torch Red, but that's strictly on-line. No saying what they have in the store.They do have something called "Bright Red" as a GM color BGM0398. Looks like a really good candidate. Here's the link: Duplicolor Perfect Match Rattle Can Reds

Thanx Jerry. But that is a terrrrible pun.....

It is cool, isn't it. Curt's right, my whole approach to this build has changed since Jerry showed up and shared with us all the great pictures and inside details. Unfortunately the die is cast in certain areas, notably the chassis, where the Revell floor panel is an integral part of the stricture. I looked into tearing it apart but sadly I did such a good job of gluing that it would have ,meant almost as much work to cut the panel out as it would to scratch up a new set of rails. I'll try to capture the spirit of the original while keeping what I''ve got (kinda like Jerry's stealth 4-link). I have, however, completely torn apart the interior for a redo, Tonight I made up a larger and deeper bolster for the seat back. This is so there's a continuous line between the back and side trim pieces as Jerry pointed out. I also moved the lower panel in the seat back further rearward. This means new side panels and seat bottom as well. That's next up but won't look any different than the first try. I started with the original Revell Deuce Roadster piece and extended it downward using various pieces of have round and quarter round styrene. Then I added some half round side bits to extend the sides to meet up with the two side trim pieces. Finally I sanded and files the whole mess into a shape resembling the original. Tomorrow I'll add filler and sand some more ... and add filler and sand some more ... and add filler and sand some more ... and... Finally, in the amazing but true department here's something Dave Zinn noticed in Jerry's picture. of the underside. When they hoisted the car up on the fork lift for the CGI shots they left the motor running!!!! Have a look (this is a blowup of the photo Jerry posted): The only thing I can think off that makes any sense is that the CGI guys asked that the shots resemble the action in the movie as closely as possible, The special effect where these photos are used is one where The Challenger's motor is running wide open (but I won't reveal why - see the movie!). Anyway, thanks to every one for the gracious and kind comments (although I've got an awfully long way to go to achieve the abilities of some of the builders on the boiard...). I'm trying to get this puppy done in time for the NNL West at the end of February so there better be some more updates from me real soon.. Thanx for lookin', B.

It's not a hobby spray but Duplicolor carries GM Torch Red in their line. I've used it more than once with excellent results and it's a very bright red. I wasn't able to find the new part number for the 8 oz. can but in the old 5 oz. cans it is DSGM510. It's a color that's generally available in most auto parts stores that carry Duplicolor rattle cans.

I'm looking for thoughts and experiences on the best way to make one of these. It amazes me that nobody offers it in the aftermarket! I'd love to see examples, too. Thanx, B.

Thanx again Jerry. The honor is mine (or is it foolhardiness? We'll see how the build comes out...). The additional detail shots are invaluable. You can never have too much detail. For example I had thought the carpeting was black and that the panels were a darker maroon than they appear to be. They're almost body color. The basic accessory panel is available in a ton of AMT kits but the manual fuel pump is fairly rare. I have one and I'll try my hand at replicating this great little piece. It would be a cool detail, just like in the 1:1! BTW, the orginal picture of the interior you posted got lost during the recent hacking attack (see post #16 above). Would you be able to repost it? Also, a front view of the interior would be cool. (Am I getting greedy or what?...)

Wonderful preservation of a fine period build. I imagine finding a replacement hairpin must have been a challenge. The model has tremendous atmosphere and character, a real evocation of the first Golden Age.

I've kinda been jumping around from one part to another on this build, the nresult being that I;ve gotten a little bit done in several areas. I've gotten the interior to the point where it's starting to resemble the original. The bolsters along the top of the seat and along the front of the bottom are cut from the Revell '32 Ford Roadster seat. All the rest except the floor, which is from the AMT '29 Ford Roadster kit, is styrene stock. This is a rough mockup held together with rubber cement. The seams will be filled in with quarter round styrene. I'll paint all the panels separately and then assemble them to get as clean a separation between panels as I can. I still have to figure out how to model the contour of the seat back bolster where it meets the tops of the doors. I did the rear crossmember before Jerry sent me the undercarriage picture. As mentioned above, it's based on a screen grab from the DVD. I guessed pretty well as to the shape and location but the 1:1 has a square tube crossmember so I'll remove this and substitute the square stock when I buy some this weekend. I'll probably keep the Revell floor pan instead of making up one like the one shown in the Jerry's picture because it's an integral part of the frame structure and cutting it up at this point would be a major nightmare. I will, however, fill in the slot down the middle. This is the motor which is about half done. The block and transmission are from the Revell '40 Ford coupe. The heads are beautiful renderings of Evans high compression heads from Model Car Garage. They also make Sharp, Offenhauser, and Edelbrock versions, all in both front and center port variants! They are drop dead gorgeous. Unfortunately they're a little tall for the Revell block, even though they're the proper width, so I had to add some material to the deck of the block to bring the intake manifold in alignment. The intake manifold and the offset fanbelt are from Early Years Resin while the carbs, air cleaners and Mallory "crab" style distributor are all from Replicas & Miniatures Co. of Maryland. Yeah, I know, the carbs are all cockeyed. I've already removed them. They go on straight the next time! These are the rear tires and wheels. The tires actually off of the Monogram 1/24th'57 Corvette but they measure out almost perfectly for 16" wheels in 1/25th. The red color was painted in using Photoshop to get an idea what they might look like. The 16" Ford style wheels are from ThePartsBox.com. The baby Moons are from the AMT '40 Ford Sedan Delivery kit. The front tires are planned to be Modelhaus T-120C's, but delivery from them will take several weeks so either I find an alternate source for them or a proper substitute. Since the tires and wheels are so much a part of the signature look of the car this is important stuff. You'll note that the rears aren't dished as on the 1:1. This is in keeping with the "idealized" version along the lines of the flathead power (that's my story and I'm stickin' to it). Finally, here's a picture of the front axle I'm using, courtesy of ThePartsBox.com. A very nice resin casting of a genuine I-Beam dropped axle that fits the Revell front crossmember perfectly. It comes with finned front drums which I've sanded off to represent the plain items on the 1:1. That's it for now. Massive thanks to Jerry for all the great pics and background info. Thanx for lookin' B.

Not only is Walter uber-kool (what a terrific idea in the first place) but the website is worth a trip in itself. Really in sync with Walter himself. Thanx for sharing this.

Hi Jerry, Thanx as always for the copious info. With the website down I forged ahead based on some screen grabs I made from the DVD. Also, with the substitution of a period correct Flathead and transmission the front crossmember will be slightly different in location and shape. Later today I'll post some pictures of the work I've done. I've sort of been jumping all over the place, working on the engine, interior, and chassis as the mood strikes me. I've also identified what I think will be a proper front axle for the build. Looks like I've gotten most things fairly correct. From your comments. the one thing I did do that is probably incorrect is install a rear tubular crossmember based on the screengrabs. Before I remove it I'll publish a picture of it just to be sure I should. It certainly seemed to be there in the screen grabs I took, but... nothing like the real thing for reference! Thanks again so much for all the objective facts on this car. I have gotten several nice messages from folks commenting on the look of the car and how "cool" it is. I'm sure it has piqued the interest in the both the car and the movie by some that might have overlooked them. Bernard

As was said, "liquid black" indeed! Two great looking Willys. B) If you don't mind, how do you lower the front suspension? Thanks!

I agree with all the comments on the color choice, it really enahces the wood paneling. This looks to be a ,marvelously detailed kit that brings out the best in a modeler's bag of tricks. A great way to finish off the year!Thanks for sharing this with us.

Absolutely on the money. Really fine work on a well thought out build. Thumzupz on this one!

Congrats on a superb 66.66% year! Cars of this type cut the builder no slack at all, technically speaking, IMHO. They demand a clean, precise build to look right. These are all "in the pocket" and absolutely do the 1:1's justice and then some. :lol:

Yes. See post #22 for a brief discussion of the limitations of these decals under glossy paints.