Bernard Kron

Got the tires from Modelhaus so this one is back on the bench. The chassis is complete so here are a coupla pics. The exhaust is from the Revell '29 RPU, front tires are from the recent AMT Double Dragster tin chosen because they looked more rounded than the dozens of AMT Firestones I have lying around (probably as a result of de-branding them) and the rears are Modelhaus T-150B Commander '78 blackwalls. I hope to have this one done in the next few days providing my attempt at white numbers works out... Thanx for lookin', B.

Oh yeah, that's genuwine aluminuminuminum....

GIven my ambitions on that build we should just about match pace... No metal in the chassis pics, just tons of Testors Metalizers.

I wondered when this would start to be a "TxRat Build"... Well, as the expression goes: Thanx for sharing! Inspirational and instructive as always - and the effort inevitably will prove to have been worth it.

I'll see about scanning some chassis sketches tomorrow. Looks like there's a race goin' on between our two Studes!

Just a quick update. These types of cars are incredibly simple and go together pretty much like a 1:1. So here are some pics of the completed chassis ready to receive the engine and bodywork. Tomorrow I hope to do the paint on the body panels and begin final assembly. Thanx for lookin', B.

Very nice so far. Nice choice of colors and metalics. The Hippie Hemi uses the AMT Garlits Wynn's Jammer chassis/engine combo, which is a real classic. Any plans for the body?

Thanx everyone! Glad you all like it. Nothing to show right now, just a bunch of layout sketches and measurements for the tube chassis based on the dimensions of the kit frame. But it should be back on the bench any day now... The slicks are from the Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster kit and the wheels are the Undertaker kit wheels stripped of chrome and finished in Testors Acryl Jet Exhaust. The Undertaker kit tires are really nice whitewall cheater slicks, way too nice for this funky old rail!

Nice job on the chassis. I've always thought the 130" FED's were the best proportioned and prettiest straightline racers ever created. They have an "of-a-piece" look about them that they lost when they got longer. And this one will be so tasty it will almost hurt!

Thanks Mark. It's my first double post. How can I avoid that happening?

My penchant for the more obscure backwaters of vintage hot rodding comes to the fore once again with this one. I'm working on a '53 Stude salt lakes streamliner with a Potvin blown Chrysler in it so I recently bought a Polar Lights Carl Casper's Undertaker Dragster kit for the Potvin drive details in it. Show rods aren't something I do so I thought other than that it would prove relatively useless to me. As it turns out it has a very nice example of an early three-point slingshot frame of the sort seen around 1958-59. So I thought I'd make a model of a local mid-field runner from it. The frame itself is quite well detailed but comes completely chrome plated so it went into the stripper. Here are details of the frame, the funky lever shock front suspension and the roll cage which puts the driver just barely behind the rear axle. The body is cut up from a Revell Tony Nancy Dragster kit, the engine is a Revell Parts Pack Caddy with an accessory drive from an AMT '40 Ford Sedan Oldsmobile engine. The seat is a cut down AMT '25 T kit item. Here's some pics with a mockup of the car and shots of the engine. Not too far from done, with the remainder of the parts mainly from the Undertaker kit A quick build while I work on a tube frame for the aforementioned Stude streamliner. Thanks for lookin' B.

Ed: Beautiful graphics! Your taking full advantage of what this approach can offer. I clear as normal over my decals, in my case either DupliColor clear or Krylon clear.

I make my own decals quite often. I use Adobe Photoshop so my graphics aren't vector graphics. My printer is a Canon Pixma 3000, an inkjet printer. Generally I print on clear decal stock (Experts Choice by Bare Metal Foil). Because I can't do vector graphics I make sure my art is at a minimum the highest resolution my printer will print. Generally I do my graphics 1:1 at 600 DPI. I have done occasional work on white stock but all the examples that follow are on clear so I make sure the background color is much lighter than the graphics. I have to say that Tim's black background on white stock in order to get the gray lace effect and white letters with red outline is terrific and it's an approach I'll definitely use on upcoming projects! Great looking graphics, Tim. Here's an example of the graphic sheet for a '37 Chevy I built. I always print up multiple copies of each decal so I can afford to mess up - one of the advantages of making your own! The Chevrolet logo is from the internet and all the rest are simple font based elements. Here are some recent examples, both fictitious early 60's drag cars. The nose logo on the Fiat was made by tracing an outline of the kit grill, then scanning the outline into the computer and making the outline stripe and text graphic at 1:1 in Photoshop. The rest is all simple font-based stuff. The trade decals are mainly from Slixx nostalgia drag sheets with some additional AMT stuff.

Pete J: Two great points you made: 1) that Garred's camera is a fixed focus camera; 2) that Garred's shopping for a replacement. The fixed focus combined with the low resolution and ISO pretty much guarantees fairly grainy images and difficulty with focus and camera shake despite the macro mode. So replacing it to improve the quality of the pictures is a good idea. Here's my personal list of basic features for model car photography as a shopping guide: 1) Minimum resolution: 5 mega-pixels. Anything less and cropping images becomes a problem. Currently lower resolution cameras than this tend to have lower quality photo sensors, lenses, etc. 2) High quality JPG mode (typically referred to as "Fine" mode). The JPEG or JPG technology is an image compression technology that analyzes the image and then creates a smaller image file by "summarizing" the information in the image, such as color values and brightness. "Fine" mode summarizes this information less aggressively leading to a more accurate and natural looking image with clearer, sharper transitions between colors (edges) at the cost of a larger image file. 2) Ability to program white balance so that color reproduction is relatively accurate compared to the actual model. Programmable white balance allows you to calibrate the camera by "showing" it a white object, such as a sheet of paper, that you consider to be an acceptably pure white, The camera software then adjusts all the other color values it records relative to this value. A variation on this ability are pre-programmed routines that assume the light source you are using such as "outdoor", "flash", "tungsten" (for incandescent light bulbs) or "fluorescent". 3) Ability to program the lens aperture (size of the lens iris opening) so that you can maximize the range of distance from the center of the image that things remain in focus (depth of field). The smaller the lens opening the deeper the depth of field. The downside is that the length of time the lens remains open (exposure time) increases as the opening gets smaller, making it harder to avoid blurring the image by shaking the camera. 4) Tripod mount and timer mode. This allows you to use a small tripod and a delayed exposure for hands-free photography. Combined with aperture programmability this permits tack-sharp focus of the entire model by eliminating camera shake. In my experience the best choices relative to performance when buying a new camera with full factory warranty can be found among recently discontinued models (up to 18 months out). Cameras with the above features can be readily purchased for under $200.00, and with careful shopping, for under $100.00. Speaking personally, my favorite brands of cameras with good quality lenses and photo sensors and excellent price/performance include Fuji, Canon, Kodak, Sony, Olympus and Panasonic. Here are 3 websites with searchable databases of prices, brands and features and clear, readable in-depth reviews: Digital Camera Resource Page: http://www.dcresource.com/ Digital Photography Review: (dpreview.com): http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/ DigitalCameraInfo.com: http://www.dpreview.com/

I looked through the manual for your camera and it's a very basic camera with fairly low resolution by modern standards - 3 megapixels and ISO 100 which means your pictures will be fairly grainy. Even so with a well lit model and using your closeup (Macro) setting you can get some pretty good pictures, far better than the example you show. Here are some basic tips I have found work for me in. 1) Use you macro setting. Your camera has a macro setting which is referred to in the section of the manual covering closeups. It lets you get in real tight, in your case as close as 17 to 22 cm. or about 6-8". Use you macro setting! It will ensure your shots are in focus and allow you to compose your shots in-camera without further editing (see below). 2) Use your "Auto" program. You camera is fully automatic which mean it takes care of the focus and exposure for you. But even with a more sophisticated camera, if you aren't into photography, use this setting combined with the Macro setting referred to above. 3) Light your model as much as possible. Where I live it rains a lot and it's not practical to take pictures in bright sunlight (we don't get much) so I use my kitchen hood which has 4 very bright spotlights in it. You can also buy cheap clip-on spotlights at your local hardware store that will do the same job. I use a plain white background most of time which reflects the light back onto the model. The more light the better. Your colors will instantly become more like the original and the auto-exposure capability of your camera will adjust to a smaller lens opening (aperture) which will increase how far back from the front of the image things remain in focus (depth of field). The result will be more detailed and have a more in-focus, professional look. Wherever possible you should avoid your camera's flash. heck in your user's manual and find out how to disable it. Flashes create a harsh foreground lighting with dark, bizarre looking shadows, especially when shooting small objects like model cars. 4) Frame your picture in the camera so it looks like you want it to look. Modern digital cameras have a display screen than allows you to compose the image before you shoot. Sometimes the image displayed isn't exactly like the actual photographed image but it's generally pretty close. In my case my camera records a slightly greater area than it displays so I can actually fill the screen with the main image knowing nothing will get clipped off. Framing your picture before you shoot will allow you to make sure the details, camera angle, lighting, etc. are what you want. It can also help you avoid having to edit the picture later which would require photo editing software. 5) Emphasize the subject of your picture, in this case your model. This implies that the objects surrounding your model will not attract the eye unduly. The most basic approach is to use a plain background like a sheet of paper or cardboard or a drop cloth. I use a large sheet of plain cardboard which I prop up with a bowl in my kitchen as my background. As I mentioned it's a white one, although sometimes I shoot with a gray or black background depending on the color of the subject and the effect I want. Generally speaking workbench shoots, while OK for W.I.P. stuff don't cut it for photographing the result of weeks or months of effort and creativity. IMHO, things like dioramas or composed outdoor shots are something you can get to later as you grow comfortable with your camera. These suggestions apply to all digital cameras no matter how basic and don't require an extensive knowledge of how your camera works, photographic techniques or further investment in things like photo editing software, etc. They can get you very, very far along the way to good pictures without worrying about how good your camera is or whether you have fancy lighting equipment or digital manipulation software. I started three years ago with a very basic 5 mega-pixel Fuji and it took me a few months before I got pictures I thought were acceptable. At first I thought it was my tools but then I realized the camera was showing me what my pictures would look like in its digital display. The rest was figuring out what the camera could do to get me taking decent looking pictures. The key for me was bright light and using the macro setting. I admit that I now have a 9 mega-pixel Fuji, that I crop my pictures, manipulate them in Photoshop, no longer use the Auto program, worry about things like white balance, depth of field etc. But frankly my pictures aren't that much better than they were without all that nonsense. It's like guys who can shoot awesome paint jobs using rattlecans and hardware store paint as compared to using an airbrush and custom blended specialty paints. With a smooth, clean surface (a good composition) and proper application techniques (good lighting and sharp focus) it doesn't matter what you use. At the margin the better tools and materials will help but the bulk of the effect can be achieved with most basic tools and techniques. I hope some of this is useful, B.

Simple, cooly elegant, with nice tasty details. Love the Lucas beams, the Dodge grill and the rear fender treatment with the nice tailights and exhausts. And, of course, who can ever object to Studebaker 'caps!

Beautiful work...

Niiiice! The faux wood came it great and looks real fine up against the maroon paint. Adding the interior, glass, small trim items, lights, etc. will really pull it together.

The Potvin driven blown Chrysler Firepower Hemi is done and establishes the ground rules for fabricating the tubular frame . It's very long, almost 64 scale inches, over 5 feet long! This compares to the same block and transmission with a regular top mounted blower at about 39 scale inches. But of course it's very low. The block, heads, pan, valve covers and in-out transmission are all from the AMT '53 Studebaker kit, the blower manifold, front drive, pipes and injector pump are all from the Polar Lights Carl Casper's Undertaker Dragster kit. As nice as the blower manifold parts are from this kits (and the only Hemi specific parts I was able to locate at a reasonable price), the main engine parts and blower from this kit are quite horrible so that's why I didn't use them. The main blower case and end plates and injectors are from the AMT Double Dragster Chevy engines. I stripped all the chrome and finished the bare metal parts in various shades of Testors Metalizer. The length and width of the engine determine the layout of the chassis which in turn will determine the exhaust manifold layout. That's next up on the to-do list for this project. Below are some pictures of the engine. Thanx for lookin', B.

Thanx Mike. Nice rendition of the underlying kit's approach to the chopped body. I like the McDonalds/Coca Cola theme. Are the decals from a stock car? They really look like the belong on this one. Any pictures of the interior work? I need all the inspiration I can get, It's gonna be heavy weather once I ditch the kit chassis!

I just finished a preliminary mockup of the engine and layed it into the kit chassis and body to see where it lands up. What was immediately clear is that the firwall will have to go, regardless. My plan is to scratch up a tubular frame and run the engine without a radiator, just a recirculating water tank. All of that gives me a lot of lattitude; without a radiator and flexibility as to where to put the water tank the setback won't be too bad. My biggest concern right now is chassis design and the tin work under the hood and in the driver's compartment. The fact that it's a streamliner with a full belly pan means that the car has to have proper wheel wells front and rear, unlike a drag car. This thing's gonna take a while...

Thanx Curt! I'm just playing catch up on unfinished builds which were waiting on missing parts. Vut I do have this compulsion to start new projects...

Thanx to all for the kind words! Curt, I considered using the Flintstone shell but I didn't wanna work that hard on the bodywork! But I do like his setup for a 'chute set into the rear deck lid. I'm trying to decide if I want to cut into it...

Me too! Ya got me! But I've got this stunning full fendered Deuce sitting on my shelf as a superb reference to modeling at its finest. I can hardly complain. Thanx!!!

Very, very nice. Superb paint job and great deatils and overall look. What's with the Studebaker thing? They're popping up all over the place all of a sudden! Of course that's nothing but grrrrrrreattttt IMHO.