Bernard Kron

Great color and stance and a killer underhood view! Who could ask for anything more?

Gut it to go with the sheetmetal bits. One bomber seat and a period Old School steering wheel should do the job...

I may show up with maybe 3 or 4 '39-'40 Fords. There's already the candy orchid Fordor that's done, this one if I don't screw it up, the chopped and sectioned '39 Tudor I just started (if I don't...), and I'm thinking of maybe doing a simple primered Revell Standard with some rake and no hood hot rod style to show off some sort of old-timey traditional mill. I just hope I can build these clean enough to look OK next to your '40 (when are you gonna finish that one?). And one by Curt? Gulp...

Ok, here ya go! First off the section was done at the base of the body, removing all the material from the bottom up to the lower door hinge. This is possible because this is a slab-sided body. Any curvature and you’d have to find the flattest areas along the sides and cut there. The chop was done by removing material around the base of the rear window along a curved line going to the corner of the rear quarter window, removing a section of the roof and B pillar in the middle, then fine tuning the line and angle of the rear half of the green house, measuring how much extra length of roof would be needed to fill the gap generated, and cutting a second roof/B pillar section to fill. Ed uses photo-etch saw blades to make his cuts so they are super thin and smooth and he loses very little material beyond what he absolutely wants to remove. He then uses flexi-files to clean up his cuts. The only filler used on this job was on the B and A pillars where he had misjudged slightly the material he removed. In those areas single slivers of .010 styrene were glued in place. The only .filler I had to use to finish things up was a light skim coat of Bondo over the cuts and a little more filler along the top of the roof to align the roof contour. It was about as easy as I could ever hope for! Here are some pictures to illustrate things. The yellow/green areas are where the cuts were made. I don’t have an extra AMT ’40 coupe so the “before†picture is of a Revell version which is shaped slightly differently. In the overlay picture I tried to match the wheel openings and wheelbase as closely as possible to show the effect of the section and chop.

Thanx for all the nice words, guys. This is the first time I've ever finished someone else's work. It's pretty daunting when the work done is of this quality! I agree that a gloss black paint job is a little scary. You can be sure that I'll be shooting a test body before I do this one! The pressure's on to come up with some super smooth bodywork... CB and Ed, I agree that it would look really cool in primer with red wheels. I've decided I'll shoot some red steelies and sequence the build so that is gets assembled in primer so I can takes some pictures before it gets all shiny. Of course, there's always Photoshop (except the wheels came out pink )...

Glad to see this one back. Lovely fab work as usual. Boy, there's a spate of sheetmetal-itis going around on these roadsters. Good call though, it's the only way to get a realistic thickness on a panel. The early flattie in the AMT '34 is actually ideal for a budget rod build. It even comes with a nice twin carb manifold and the block and head detailing is first rate. Looking forward to seeing more on this build.

It's Gold! And it looks good with the baremetal, too. Moon discs would look good if they have a real spun metal look, IMHO. Are you gonna spin your own? But I also think plain steelies would do thr trick (they look good in black already). The overall look has a real "practical racer" kinda vibe to my eyes. So my inclination would be towards keeping thngs simple.

I'm constantly amazed by the weird internal self-discipline that allows us to translate what's inside our mind's eye into concrete reality. Dang if all this seemingly random thrashing about hacking at bits of wood and lumps of paper mache isn't resulting in something that looks remarkably like the original drawing! Yer right, that old top hat needs a little crumpling and scrunching and then it'll look just fine...

Thanx! I'm flattered to have inspired someone. I'm still hung up on the sheet metal work so I would assume you're going to leave the sides of the engine compartment open to show off that nice flattie The prettiest flathead headers I have seen are these: (Apologies and thanks to Lyle Willits for taking the picture and to Bob Black and his awesome DPMCC site for posting it - Drastic Plastics MCC can be found here http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/ and here http://drasticplastics.proboards.com/index.cgi ) They are beautifully finished and polish up great after a shot of Metallizer. On your channeled roadster they would probably come out right at the body line. Both The Bluesman and Dave Zinn have deep knowledge when it comes to kits and whats in them. Perhaps one of them might also be able to recommend some kit-based sources for an exhaust solution. In any case, with your chops you could always make a set. But I would definitely leave the engine compartment sides open and run a set of outside exhausts.

Very nice. Super stance. And I especially like the sheet metal hood. It looks so good I'd be tempted to work out a look based on leaving it in bare metal. In fact, I think that satin gold with the bare metal pieces would look great. But this is a totally different direction than the car that inspired you... I, too, was inspired by this car. But, besides being based on a '29 A roadster body, my build has taken a totally different direction than yours. If you're curious here's a link to it: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=21932. Really great so far. Looking forward to more!

Boy Brendan, I always enjoy these builds so much. It's such a pleasure when all the meticulous care in prepping the basic car starts to pay off during the paint and decal phase. Can't wait to see this one up on its wheels!

A stunning tour-de-force. The chromed mills and fittings in the boat are immaculate! Were they rechromed for the build? And, surprisingly, no one had asked how the awesome wood graining was actually done - so I will: How was the awesome wood graining actually done?

Very nicely constructed but, in the end, like too many cars of this genre, it's a cynical and disjointed collection of cliches and must-haves, a "been there, done that, got the t-shirt" check-list build designed to appeal to "your gold chain buddies". It's funny how I will admire and enjoy this style when it's done in car modeling but in the 1:1 world I'm far less tolerant. I guess the thought that it claims to be driveable (and street legal at that!) is just a bit too much for me...

Last summer Ed Fluck III (of Drag City Casting fame – www.dragcitycasting.com) started a really nicely chopped and sectioned '40 Ford Coupe that he posted on the TRaK board (http://trakinscale.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trakinp ). Then he decided to sell it. I jumped at the chance to buy it to "go to school" on how a superb craftsman of Ed's skill approached classic Old School custom bodywork. I was not disappointed. Here's a picture of what came in the mail (actually it was a complete AMT Coca Cola '40 Ford Coupe kit): As you can see it's an elegant, conservative chopped and sectioned coupe with nearly perfect proportions. You can't see it in the pictures but there was no putty or filler other than some very fine styrene strips to close up a couple of small gaps. All the cuts were bone straight and were artfully placed so they are largely hidden within the contours of the body. Cleaning this baby up took very little work. This build is a dry run for a chopped and sectioned '40 Ford Tudor I have in the works. I'm 'rehearsing" some of the techniques I plan to use for it. As you can see from the pictures below, with the Modelhaus T-180C wide whites I'm running, the deleted running boards, etc. this car is dead nuts for the classic Valley Custom look that I'm going after. The chassis is a dummy setup I keep around but the stance is close to what I'm planning and I think I'll leave the rear wheel openings uncovered to show off the tires. In keeping with the period theme I'll probably run a twin carb flathead and do the interior in a conservative tuck and roll. Once I've slammed the chassis and decided on the hubcaps the rest should be pretty straightforward. Color may be gloss black with chrome trim if I have the chops to pull it off. I only hope I do justice to Ed's beautiful chop and section job! Thanx for lookin', B.

The mistake is mine not theirs. The box art on the 88 car says Impala. I've corrected it above.

For a handy reference here are the 2010 AMT New Releases. Included is a composite image from their catalog pages showing the box art or illustrations for most, although not all, of the new releases. AMT: 1949 Mercury Club Coupe 1961 Ford Galaxie 500 Styline Kit 1962 Pontiac Catalina NASCAR COT: #24 Jeff Gordon 2009 Chevy Monte Carlo Snap Kit #24 Jeff Gordon 2009 Chevy Monte Carlo Glue Kit #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2009 Chevy Impala Snap Kit #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2009 Chevy Impala Glue Kit Double Dragster in standard packaging Munster Koach - original box with bonus figure Dragula - original box with bonus figure White Road Boss Fruehauf Van Trailer Ford C-900 Stake Bed Myers Manx Bugaboo MPC: Fire Truck Fire Truck Special Edition - for Chuck Miller Builder of the Year - Detroit Autorama 2010 Zingers - all 8 Zingers - Special Edition - all 8 - molded in new Metallic Flake-O-Delic™ Plastic Road Runner & Beep Beep 'T' Wile E. Coyote & Wile E. Willys Road Runner & Rail Rider Polar lights: Batmobile (1/25 scale) Snap Kit Batmobile (1/25 scale) Glue Kit Batmobile (1/32 scale) Batmobile (1/32 scale) Collector Tin Batboat (1/32 scale) And here’s a link to the Spotlight board for a discussion of these and other new releases announced so far at iHobby http://wwwboard.spotlighthobbies.com/index.pl?read=1436054

Obviously the chassis work and detailing are stunning and deserve full compliments. But for me it's the overall look of the car, the color, the theme, the decals and the over-the-top aggressiveness that make it super special. Then the fabulous detailing kicks in and reinforces that awesome initial impression. Two thumbs up!

Beautiful proportion and stance. The chop is dead on and the bare metal approach is a great way to "sell" the louvers. No need for a back story, it looks just right!

How exciting to see a whole new world of possibilities opening up in front of you, n'est ce pas?

Definitely in the "how did I miss this one" category. But I'll be following along from here on out. Gorgeous stance and proportions (your right about the "B" pillar) and the custom parts work spot on with your modifications. The sloping hood is a marvelous touch and cutting down the front grill opening is fine, too. You certainly have the eye. The tri-carb engine from the Starliner would be period appropriate and look real sharp in the engine bay. This will make a beautiful full custom when your done! Don't stop now... P.S. A little bigger pictures would be great (800 x760 for example) so we can see all the fine work you're doing!

Thanx for the encouraging words. This project continues to crawl along. Lots of scratch building and trial fitting. This one will probably make it to the NNL if I don’t screw it up too badly on the home stretch! It’s definitely my most challenging build so far. Gary, I used the Inliner website for reference work when I built the motor. Great place full of cool info! Here are some more detail pics. The interior is almost completed. I have to fabricate a driveshaft and install the engine in order to determine the correct seat height to clear the drive train. The steering is completed including a tubular Pitman arm and tie rod. The gauges are standard aftermarket tach and gauge cluster typical of the period – nothing fancy since it’s a race car. They come from an AMT ’40 Ford sedan kit. The seat is a resin piece from The Parts Box in Australia and the steering wheel is the Bell race car wheel from the AMT ’53 Studebaker kit. Both are finished in Testors Metallizer Plate Aluminum with a Testors “Rubber†enamel painted steering wheel rim. I’ve also included some more detail pics of the front and rear suspension as everything is completed and installed now. I landed up making shorter track-style radius arms for the rear because of height and fit issues involving the floor pan. Things left to do are final detailing and installation of the engine, the aforementioned driveshaft, mounting brackets for the seat, pedals, shifter, etc., etc., etc. Details, details, details… The final two steps will be installing a p/e grill so you can peak through it to see the engine and making a removable cloth tonneau cover. I’m shooting for next weekend to get this one Under Glass! Thanx for lookin’. B.

Well... the text and images on the Preview are pretty small... I think I'll wait 'til my copy gets here to try and read it!

The flow and contour of the body you designed and made (!) is very successful from virtually every angle, but especially from the rear 3/4 view from above. It looks like your going for a flat Delahaye-like grill. Are you planning on a large chrome mass to go with the "on steroids" look of the main body? Good luck on the vacuum forming adventure. From you comments, win or lose, this car "will be built"! Can't wait for more!

Very nice looking with your trademark sanitary execution. The tires and wheels against the bright blue paint scheme really set this one off. For some reason you failed to mention that it's channeled, which ain't exactly out of the box!

It’s a roller! The front and rear suspension are largely complete. The front end uses a tubular dropped axle from the Revell ’32 Ford series with the shock mounts removed. The top two leaves from the spring have been removed and the mounting tab cut down to lower the front end some more. Vane type shocks (so-called “friction†shocks) from the Revell ’29 Ford RPU have been adapted. A steering arm has been installed on the left kingpin. The actual steering is mounted in the body so it hasn’t been installed yet. Split wishbones adapted from an AMT ’29 Ford Roadster are used. The rear suspension is almost entirely from Early Years Resin, quick change rear end and spring. Vane shocks from the Revell ’29 RPU and split wishbones from the AMT ’29 Ford Roadster haven’t been installed yet. Most suspension parts are finished in Testors Metallizer Gunmetal. Also included is a picture of the interior panels which are installed and finished out in Testors Metallizer Magnesium. Next up is fabrication and installation of the steering mechanism, finishing up the remaining suspension bits, and then detailing the interior. Final assembly can’t be too far away now! Thanx for the tips on bringing the resin hood back into shape. I combined the hot water and a rubber band to align it with the frame rails and it did the trick! Thanx for lookin! B.