Bernard Kron

I agree with Jim and Mike. I have a Stylus and it's super comfortable and very flexible in how you can hold it. I bought the combo pack but I never use the drill for my modeling work since I work almost exclusively in plastic and resin. However the drill is the best small cordless drill I have and is my weapon of choice for small jobs around the house. If you don't really need the drill I would stick with just the Stylus unless you can get a crazy good deal on the Combo pack.

Thanx Raul! The good BMF certainly made life easier than the POS I had before, but the engraving on the side trim of the AMT 40 Ford is pretty vague so determining where to cut the BMF was really quite difficult. I had to do it several times to come close to something that looked OK. The windshield trim and door handles were way easier than the side trim! I've still got a radical custom Tudor planned and maybe a coupe as well, so maybe 2009 is the Year of the 40 for me... So far it 's certainly the Year of the Fat Fenders ('37 Chevy and now the Fordor).

Thanx to everyone for the kind comments. The Fordor body certainly has The Look and just begs to be slammed. It totally sucked me in. I have no idea where the color came from. I was just in the paint section at my local auto parts store when I thought “Hmmmm….. transparent paint, candy apple purpleâ€. The orchid color came out because of the gold base I used. Special Thanx go out to Lyle Willits and Steve Milberry for getting me through the Metalcast adventure. Lyle warned me about the problems he’d had and that it probably wouldn’t work. Without his heads-up I would have totally trashed the body! But Steve had figured out that if you clear the Metalcast immediately after you lay it down it won’t craze the way it does if you let the Metalcast dry and then clear it. Because I had a one-off resin body I tested everything. Lucky I did. It’s really pretty paint once you understand how to clear it. The whole thing is spelled out in the workbench thread. Thanx Curt! Actually I’ve got 2 or 3 models backed up on the bench now. I just was able to get this one out because I needed a simple build to keep from getting a bad case of builders block. But these simple largely out of the box builds can be very seductive, that’s for sure. The art work is a result of my really bad addiction to Photoshop. I haven’t totally mastered the black background technique but I’m workin’ on it. Tryin’ to get that “in the studio†Rodder’s Journal thing happening…. Thanx Sigmaman! I very consciously kept this one close to out of the box. The resin body was very good and needed only a little clean up, no more than you would get removing excess flash from a styrene body. No filler work of any kind. Other than the paint, the only extra work came in lowering the stance. So really it’s just a standard kit build with a few tweaks. I wanted a break from some more elaborate projects I have going. More than anything I just went for The Look and kept the bodywork and detailing to an absolute minimum.

Low slung Candy Orchid 40 Ford Fordor Mild Custom done early 50’s style. Based on the R&D Unique resin 40 Ford Fordor and the AMT 39-40 Tudor kit. Radically lowered stock frame, stock interior done in matte white with gold trim, kit tri-carb Olds mill, flipper caps and De Soto bumpers from the AMT 40 Ford Sedan Delivery kit (the ultimate parts kit full of cool goodies for all kinds of traditional builds). Whitewalls from the parts box. Two coats of Duplicolor Metalcast Purple over Duplicolor Sunburst Gold Metallic to create a deep Candy Orchid. Really a pretty simple build but full of first-time attempts on my part including first time with Dupicolor Metalcast, first candy paint job, first resin body build, and first completed Bare Metal Foil job. I did this as a quick recreational build to take a break from some more ambitious projects I’ve got going. It was quick (about 3 weeks which for me is very fast) but all the firsts meant it was a good deal more than “recreationalâ€. Still, it came out how I envisioned it and it was a lot of fun to try all this new stuff out. The Metalcast paint is especially tricky to handle but it sure looks great! You can learn more about the paint and other trials and tubulation on the workbench thread here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=20596 . Thanx for lookin’! B.

All done! And a very quick build by my standards. I sure tackled an awful lot of “firsts†on this one: First time with Duplicolor Metalcast paint, first Candy paint job, first BMF completion, first resin body build. Yikes! Pretty ambitious for a “quick buildâ€. But it was a lot of fun and it came out pretty much how I saw it. Thanx to everyone for all the kind comments and especially to those who helped out with all their knowledge and experience to get me through all the potential disasters along the way. Here’s a teaser pic. The final pictures are over in the Under Glass section here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.p...c=20912&hl= .

Thanx 3men2s for thinking of this massively cool idea. I've got several builds in the queue before I can get to this one but I absolutely must participate. I've never built a replica model - I usually build "in the style of" but haven't gone the extra step towards the self-discipline of an accurate scale reproduction of a car. I love this period and the whole SoCal weekend dragstrip scene. Don't know if I'll build a FED, Altered or Gasser but I will build something! Dec 31st is plenty of time! It will be loads of fun. Here's a "bare bones" FED from the LADS era I built last year ( http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.p...;hl=bare+bones) :

Nice and simple. In fact I wasn't expecting something quite so elegantly to the point. Sure beats actually reproducing a piano hinge with all the little cut outs. Thanx for this excellent tip!

Now this build is hitting its stride! The color, the open roof revealing the cool chassis work and freeing you of any pretence that's it's anything other than what it is - a radical ride. - says it's time to go for it. I'm guessing the rest should just flow from here on out....

Thanx everyone for the kind comments. It's unanimous, you all said to leave the paint as is so I have. I'm almost done with foiling. I hope to have this build completed by tomorrow night. In the meantime here's the interior.

Phun with Photoshop (ya can't beat it). Looks Real Nice!

I'd say don't chop it. It sits nicely as is. The open look of the greenhouse complements the big wheels and the long nose. Chopping it will probably make it look squashed. But I guess I'm the only one....

I just looked at the instructions for the Hippie Hemi and I'd say that yes, this is virtually identical except for the body, which you might not need anyway. The one advantage of the Hemi Sphere kit is that you could cut down the kit body to make a "shorty" body which is what I did (the rear portion behind the wheels is scratchbuilt from pie tin aluminum). Here's a link to the e-bay search for the Hemi Sphere: http://toys.shop.ebay.com/items/Models-Kit...d=p3286.c0.m282 And here's a link to Model Roundup Online's listing for the Hemi Sphere: http://www.modelroundup.com/mrcategory1020.htm

For the 120" wheelbase era I would recommend the HemiSphere as almost ideal. It is more or less generally available in your LHS and on line. 7-8 of them currently on e-bay at around $18.00 By-it-now and similar price at Model Roundup. Very nicely detailed throughout and looks good as a stripped down rail. Nice interior details and decent fuel system. Great blown hemi with separate pulleys and rubber drive belt. Here's a bare-bones Nailhead powered rail I did last year from it: Bare frame: (I pinched the nose and made my own fuel tank) Built up: (Except for the rear bodywork surroundng the driver's seat, the parachute pack, and the engine, almost all parts are from the kit) The only gripe I have about it is that it has a Garlits' characteristic roll-hoop and so doesn't look quite right as a West Coast Woody Gilmore style rail circa Lions 1964. For this the Ramchargers kit provides a better frame. But unfortunately it is very hard to find. This Fall AMT/Round2 will issue the Tommy Ivo FED which would also be very fine for your purposes. Most people would probably not notice the difference, maybe...

It's been six months since the last replies on this topic. Thanx to everyone for their suggestions. I think I may have found the solution for those, like me, who have very bad allergies to CA and can't tolerate even the low odor "Supergold" type CA's. I've tried them all, even going to the point of wearing a respirator and timing my sessions (like less than five minutes). The real problem isn't so much the initial exposure, but, rather, the gas-off period afterwards. This can be as much as 24 hours long. So any parts I would glue with CA would have to be put away somewhere for a day or so before I could even consider getting near them. An example of how bad this can be was when I did some quick repairs on some models one evening that I was taking to my local model car club meeting (Puget Sound Automotive Modelers Association - PSAMA). I did the work, segregated the cars out in the garage and went to bed. The next day all was fine. I loaded the models into the car and drove out to the meeting. Everything was still OK except I noticed the odor of the CA in my car. But on the way home the gas-off fumes caught up to me and by the end of the hour-long drive I was pretty sick. It was then that I decided that I had to find a way to avoid CA virtually completely. Up to then I had been using a contact cement like Goo: It provides a very strong bond but is like its name, stringy and gooey and hard to control. Also, the bond is flexible which isn't what you want in many instances. I still use Goo sometimes for large surface bonding where any residue will be hidden. It is virtually useless for small joints since it's so messy and flexible. But recently I though I would try Testors Cement for Metal and Wood: This is indicated for bonding wood to wood, metal to metal and wood to metal. The solvent base is acetone which is pretty harmless and doesn't effect me. Since metal and wood are dissimilar materials I thought it might work with resin to styrene bonds. Bottom line is IT WORKS GREAT!!!! I've tried it on very small joints like spark plug wires inserted in styrene, small resin to styrene joints like mounting resin carburetors to styrene manifolds, metal to styrene joints like metal axles to styrene suspension parts and even styrene to styrene because I think it is kinder to surrounding areas as compared to styrene cement and may actually bond more strongly than a styrene weld in some cases. It is easy to handle, allows very small amounts to be used while still providing a good bond and is relatively thin so it's not messy. The only downside is that it isn't very tacky and takes a minute or two to set firmly. Since there is no accelerator available for it you have to hold the joint in place or use a pinned joint. Still, for 95+% of those cases where I would use CA it's a very good substitute. I still think there may be a few cases where I will have to resort to CA, but these will be few and far between and I can plan carefully in advance when I have to use it. I hope this is useful info for those who may have or be developing CA allergies.

Thanx Tim!!! Do my eyes deceive me or does it actually come with drum brakes?????

I think you may be surprised what a nice model this lands up being. It's a beautiful design. Your detailing will serve to enhance it. The seats turned out particularly nicely. Too bad it's a curbside since those Alfa straight eights are gorgeous motors - you woulda had a field day on it!

Really nice stance and good looking body. The hood looks like you've installed a piano hinge of some sort. Is that scratch built? And the interior looks like it will be very nice.

Which brings up an important point regarding wheels in general for this series of kits. The "Kelsey Hayes" wheels in the Tudor were ruined IMHO by the fact that they had to be wider to accommodate the tires that have been included in this kit since the very beginning. Massively too wide front and rear not to require significant narrowing for anything resembling old school. At the least this means the chrome is toast and for many builders it means either the car looks "wrong", significant work has to be invested in narrowing them, or they have to be avoided altogether. I recently saw a stunning '32 roadster at a show that was virtually perfect as an authentic late 40's replica, exquisitely turned out, but looking really dodgy on its Revell Tudor Kelsey Hayes and Goodyear Sports Car Specials. The steelies in the new 5-window kit and the questionable whitewall decals are symptomatic of this problem. Of course, once you spec narrow tires what happens to the Torq-Thrusts? It's kind of like the small-block Ford issue - two retro motors vs. one each from each period. It's a very slippery slope down towards an all-old-school kit. The 29 RPU and 31 Sedan from Revell are prime examples of great parts kits that are almost too old school (no V8) and specialized to allow all but a distinctly retro or rat-rod build up. It just shows that you can't win and that kitbashing is the proper "compromise", allowing both creative flexibility for the modeler and increased kit sales for the manufacturer. Having said all this, this kit is AWESOME as both a parts kit and as a stand alone kit. The obvious creativity and enthusiasm for making a top line product that the Revell guys are showing makes me optimistic for more great kits in the future.

That is one tuff sled. Super cool gift definitely. But not undeserved... Time for a little photo session with a side by side of this baby and you '58 Impala.

Thanx guys! First a brief note about Metalcast. I did shoot a test shot of DupliColor clear on the hood after a 24 hour cure, and while it didn't go nuts like the earlier crazing it did still craze. So while it may not be as bad this time, I think Steve Milberry's observation still stands alongside Lyle Willit's warnings. If you're gonna use Metalcast, be sure to spray color coats and initial clear coats in quick succession. My experience indicates the sooner the better, basically as soon as it sets up. In the warm weather that I shot this stuff that means, as Steve indicated, the the clear goes on 5-10 minutes afters the last coat of Metalcast. Here's a good a shot as I could get of the crazing this last time around. As you can see, it's not as terrible as the last time, but still enough to ruin your day: I finalized the chassis and wheel setups and mocked up the build with tires and bumpers with the color and clear. The bumpers need to be curved some to conform to the lines of the front and rear and the rear bumpers need to be taken in closer to the bodywork. Here are some pictures. The big question I have right now is whether I should shoot some more clear or leave well enough alone and move directly on to BMF. I've got about 1 1/2 coats of clear on now, probably not enough to hold up to a good polishing. On the other hand I have a lot of gloss ond almost no orange peel to speak of. Should I risk two more coats of clear and a polishing or skip polishing altogether and leave it as it is?

Awesome! For us died in the wool Old Skool builders; this one is sure to make us all Old Old Skool builders! I see an open wheeled race car with the Fronty engine from the AMT T Phaeton in its future. Keep us posted on availability. The thought occurs to me that a narowed variant offers great possibilities for a pre-war dry lakes modified. Hmmmm.....

Such a tasty selection of kit-sourced and after market parts. They really take this build to another level. Looks great in every respect. I especially like the wheels, the exhausts and the whitewalls contrasted against the body color. Bravo!

Paper modelers go where we mere mortals fear to tread. The Chinese sedan, even if it were scratch built in plastic or wood wood be a stunner, in paper it is beyond comprehension.... Absolutely astounding stuff! Thanx for sharing!

Very clean and crisp underside. Nice overspray, especially from a can. Are the frame rails and other black details hand painted?

Lookin' better and better, Charlie. It made me get off my duff and send you an order for some fittings, magnetos, etc. BTW, whose basic engine are you using, the kit one? Also, where'd those loverly stacks come from? And finally, what size hex fittings did you use on the injectors? B.