Bernard Kron

I think, as always, it's all about how they're used. I recently used some "Divco" or "Artillery" style wheels, really Ford 18" truck wheels, on a project and they provided the unifying keynote I needed. (Picture in my signature) But a novel design feature for the simple purpose of providing a shocking effect or checking it off your list "of"cool stuff I gotta use" can often be a visual disaster.

Thanx to you all, once again! It's really cool how peoples' preferences are all over the map! Somehow I think I build in a pretty narrow style but it's more like I go on jags and get hung up in an area for a while. Like recently I got hung up on Deuces and earlier in the year it was old drag racers and before that mild customs. Of course, it's all resolutely Old Skool. Oh well... Happy New Year to everyone here on the MCM board. You all keep me keep on buildin'! B)

Thanks so much for the license plate, Jerry. I'll use it make a plate for the model, a very simple procedure. Very cool story, too! As long as I have the luxury of getting the straight skinny from "the horses mouth", how about a shot of the underside (although I don't need all 700!)? I haven't firmed up details like crossmembers, exhaust routing, etc. Meanwhile I'm homing in on tire and wheel choices, have selected a very cool manifold for the tri-carb setup, and lots more... BTW, what is the finish on the front axle and wishbones? Looks like it they might be painted a semi-gloss black. And of course, do you have any idea what that very bright red might be? Despite all these questions, I think I have a pretty good idea of the details now. Hopefully I can build a model that will properly represent this remarkably charismatic car.

Drew: Thanks. Yes I have, see post #22 above. B.

Is this too cool or what?! Thanks again, Jerry. The interior pic is just what I needed. I won't worry about the pedal placement. My car will have a manual transmission! Regarding accuracy, my inevitable "drift" from meticulous accuracy is already "in play" with the discussion about the wheels. Another area will most likely be the rear deck louvers. The Archer decal louvers are not very tall and tend to get buried under paint. While they work well under thin metallic paint as I used on the hood, under layers of primer, color and gloss they tend to get lost. So I'm considering using the louvered rear deck from the Drag city Casting which is based on the Revell '32 Ford 5-window coupe. It adapts fairly easily: The other option is to paint the car and wait until I'm ready for the final color coat and clear and apply the resin decals. I suspect it still won't be "strong" enough. I haven't decided which way to go yet, but as you can see the molded deck lids louver pattern is the reverse of your louvers (top to bottom V). A far more skilled modeler than me would make a deck lid out of brass and punch louvers in it! Regarding the CGI, this is another DOS "miracle" (to quote Faith). It's great to know what was involved. When I saw the underside of the Challenger during the climax to the final racing scene I wondered how it was done. Thanks again for another DOS insider's tale!

Why don't you build one too, Donnie? The car has a mythic character that leaves it open to a variety of interpretations.

Thanks for the follow up, Jerry. The new pics show how nice you've gotten the car to look. I'll think some more about the wheels but definitely will go with 15's on the front and 16's on the back. This originally was going to be a fairly casual build, but, like the movie, it's starting to take on a life of its own. As I mentioned earlier I'm not by nature a replica builder. I tend to focus on the "feeling" the completed model projects. But I think it's important to "show respect to" the mythic character of The Challenger, which it shares with the Deuce of Spades and which, of course, you all took such great care to transfer to film. (Isn't it interesting how this is a work of fiction which all those whom it touches feel obliged to treat as if it somehow has become fact?). As a result I think that all the particular details of the model may not necessarily be the ones that were physically photographed for the film, but they most certainly should be the ones that are in the car we imagine we saw on film. That will be my guiding principal. Pictures of the interior and any comments you have about it would be invaluable. I already now that my rolls along the tops of the doors are too fat and need to be changed. I also noticed that the car has pleated door panels and seating surfaces which I 'll need to add. Also, the upholstery is two toned, black and a deep burgundy, I think. The transition from the roll along the rear deck to the side panels is something that still eludes me. What is the steering wheel (and what would it be?). It looks like a modern rendition of a Bell four spoke or similar. This seems all too wonky to me, but the overall impact will be the sum of the details so it''s best to ask now... Thanks again for your interest. B.

Wow Jerry, more Deuce of Spades magic! When I saw your handle I thought, "No, it couldn't be…" Cool! Thanks for jumping on and sharing some of the inside info on your car. I new about the dubbed flathead audio, which I think Faith mentioned on one of her posts on the H.A.M.B but forgot about it. So I'm back to the flattie after all, this time with three 97's. I have some very nice Evans heads and Fenton style headers and a Mallory mag. I'll do my best to make sure I do the mill (and the back story) justice. It's obvious that Fresno's car was Fast! Also, thanx for the dope on the wheels. The front reversed rims seemed a bit odd. I think I'll go with period correct '40 Ford wheels. But I'm sticking with the whitewalls, they are definitely part of the look of The Challenger! Thanx for the compliments. I'll try hard to live up to the commitment and vision that Faith and you and the whole Deuce of Spades family have shown in bringing us this marvelous hot rod fable. B.

Thanx again! Yeah, she's Hiboy Girl. Her posts when she was refurbishing her Deuce while she was shooting the film were fantastic. She is definitely the Real Deal. We'll see how this build goes. I'm sort of genetically programmed to resist doing replicas. My projects tend to drift from the 1:1's. If it looks like it's sticking close to home I might do it. She's certainly a very friendly and approachable person from what I've seen.

Thanks for the extremely generous words, guys! :rolleyes: Now for an update regarding the engine. For those of you who haven't caught this flick yet, Johnny Callaway is the hero of the picture and the builder/owner/driver of the Deuce of Spades. A friend of mine reminded me that in the director's commentary (which I had watched) Faith Granger (the director) points out that the line in the movie that Fresno's car has "triple trouble" just like the Deuce of Spades is code for Johnny Callaway's TriPower SBC under the hood. Early in the movie Johnny Callaway' s pals sneak a peak under the hood when Johnny's not around to figure out why the Deuce of Spades is unbeatable. They learn that Callaway has an early example of the lightweight small-block Chevy which he's gotten from GM. He's adapted triple Stromberg 97's and boosted the power from 162 hp out to 250. In the group is a little kid, somebody's cousin and he's from Fresno. The back story is that he gives the Deuce of Spades' secret away when he goes back home and thus The Challenger is born. The actual line in the movie is pretty incontrovertible evidence that at the very least the car has three carburetors, and that the director/writer intends it to be powered the same way as the Callaway car. The fascinating thing is that GM actually was known to have done this in California, I guess to generate some "street buzz" on their hot new motor. So I guess I'll bag my 4-carb full race flattie for another project (those Evans heads look mighty sweet...) and build up a three carb SBC (I have a manifold for it). Darn! All of this serves to remind me that the movie is a romantic fantasy and it's probably wise to respect this. The Challenger's car looks at its best without the windshield (but then what car doesn't?) so I'm building it as seen in the movie.With details like it's whitewall tires, quick change rear end, profuse louvers, baby moons, bare metal hood and rolled and pleated interior, all on a largely stock body with a relatively conservative stance, the car has a "contemporary traditional" look to it that's shared by the movie as a whole. So I think I'll stick as close to the the car's signature look as I can.! As an aside, regarding the whole issue of the "contemporary traditional" look, on the builder's Photobucket alongside photos of his car are pictures of the Wally Parks A-V8 which is clearly his inspiration. It's instructive to compare the two.

Here are some frame and body mockups: Thanx for lookin’, B.

The new hot rod movie Deuce of Spades is constructed around the story of an absolutely breathtaking black Deuce highboy which is the mythic star of the picture. But as stunning as it is, my eye was drawn to the car driven by the antagonist in the movie, "Fresno". It's a truly striking bright red '29 A-V8 on Deuce rails with a signature bare aluminum hood. When I saw it, I knew I had to build it. Here it is as it appears in the film: Unfortunately the car only appears for about 15 minutes in the middle of the picture and there are few detail shots of it. So I starting searching on the internet in the hopes of finding shots of it before it starred in the movie, hopefully with more mechanical and interior details. After a lot of work I found the Photobucket account for the car's builder which had quite a few shots. Here are some: If I couldn't model the iconic bare metal hood with all its louvers there was no sense in pursuing this project. Fortunately I had a resin hood I got from Replicas and Miniatures Co. of Maryland that's designed to mate the AMT '29 Ford Roadster to a Revell Deuce Grill shell when sitting on a set of Revell Deuce frame rails. I also had some Archer Fine Transfer louver decals so I combined them to model the hood. Here's a picture showing the steps involved beginning with the layout tape to help align the rows and ending with the hood finished out in Testors Metalizer Buffable Aluminum Plate: Also necessary was to adapt the Revell frame to the Model A body shell and to convert it to a buggy spring rear end as used on the 1:1. This involved shortening the rear ends of the rails, narrowing the floor panel and cutting a slot for the Model A arched cross member: I'm using the AMT kit interior bucket but I've added the bolster across the top from the seat in the Revell '32 Ford Roadster kit as well as some styrene rolls along the sides. I'll also add some pleated side panels and seating surfaces as seen on the 1:1. Incidentally the 1:1 is powered by a small block Chevy and as you can see the car is pretty basic. In the film they make a point to say that the car is very fast and its source of motivation a mystery. But the movie is set in 1955 and owned by a young kid so it would be highly unlikely to be Chevy V8 powered. So I'm installing a period correct full race flathead with 4 Strombergs and Evans heads. More on that in the next installment… Continued Below....

Nice 'n lo! :D I really like the pinned hinges. How id the disaster happen. It looks like you've got it handled, but OMG...

With all the vacuform work tou were doing it was easy to overlook the (only slightly) more conventional builds that you have done. Indeed, there are several in this group I don't recall seeing at all, and given how unforgettable they all are, I must have overlooked them as the year went on. Each build has some exceptional and creative tour-de-force, either technical or aesthetic, and often both. I will have to take the time to search the Under Glass for several of these to enjoy them in more detail. My personal favorite is the snake skin Viper. Superb colors and graphics on this visual pun. BTW, was the vacuform Corvette dream car a 2009 build? I don't see it here. Thanx for sharing with us a truly great 2010!

Amazingly, I remember almost all of these. My fave in this group is the Villeneuve F1 Ferrari. Came out great!

We'll be counting! Love the micro-Maseratis!

5 builds ain't so bad... I like the tank plowing its furrow... You will have to get something else done in time for NNL, I think. The ProStreet '40 Ford was a real standout last year, and the Raptor set the year before... Whadya think?

Thanx Curt! I knew that would get your attention! :D But don't hold your breath, it'll be a while...

So much that''s so right about this finely detailed early postwar custom. You really got the most out of Ed's great chop job. Bravo!

Oooooh! It's a '29 A Bone hot rod. I gotta like it! Very nice! Your friend should be delighted with this thoughtful gift! :)

Thanx for all the nice words guys! Looking back over the year is always a little surprising for me, remembering all the challenges and little victories I experienced in each of these builds. I'm also surprised how resolutely Old Skool this year turned out to be. Someday I'm gonna build me a detailed modern F1 Ferrari, I swear!

Thanx for the props, guys! Curt and Raul, the trek south for the NNL West in February is something I look forward to every year - the chance to indulge in breakfast excess followed by modeling excess, it doesn't get any better...

Beyond cool! Creativity, skill and imagination to the max... Brilliant! Bravo!

Thanx guys. I'm glad you all liked it. This build fought me big time near the end but it turned out the way I imagined it so I guess it was worth it... Yes, it''s from Model Car Garage and it provides such a boost to the overall look of the car that I almost always use them! Thanx again for all the kind words!

Welcome Jim. Looks like you're hard at work getting the most out of the Revell Deuce family. I agree, the red on red highboy roadster is my fave. Very nice. It really takes full advantage of the stuff Revell has on offer. And the fit, finish and detailing are first rate. It would be interesting to work out what "each major body" type is. If we include the Vicky, Sedan Delivery and the Pickup (which as a Revell compatible type are only, as yet, available in the aftermarket), then that makes 7 basic types (Roadster, 3-window, 5 window, Tudor, Vicky, S.D. and Pickup). But then I notice you've already done a fendered and fenderless 3-window, so we have to dial in variations. How 'bout fendered, fenderless, highboy, channeled, chopped, and unchopped? Taken to an admittedly ridiculous extreme that would be 117,649 combinations! Even limiting yourself to the 4 Revell kits and just fendered, and highboy makes it 16 builds and you've just scratched the surface. It doesn't even take into account Old Skool and Modern, Street and Drag, etc., etc. It's obvious this is a potential bottomless pit!