Bernard Kron

Nothing like quoting yourself! It's only 18 days later than when I said I'd post some stuff! I came down with a mild case of Builder's Block so I landed up working Verrrrry Verrrrry Sloooowwwlllly. I did get some preliminary work done on the chassis, and the complete rear suspension finished. I removed the gas tank and spare tire well and substituted some Plastruct ribbed stock. The gas tank will be in the trunk and the spare behind the seats in the interior - real Old School road race style. (Click on picture for larger image) I got started on the motor. The manifold and fuel log are installed, the motor parts painted and the carburetors assembled. I'm thinking of ordering some braided line and connectors from ProTech to do the carbs justice. Here's a picture of a very rough mockup so far. (Click on picture for larger image) I made up some protective panels for the exhaust exits (what are these things called, anyway?) and mocked them up in Matte Aluminum BMF to see how they will look. (Click on picture for larger image) And lastly, I got started on the grill. I decided to do a variation on the approach steveqt738 took to adapting the stock grill to the rolled pan front end (see his pic at the top of this Topic). Like Steve I’m trimming the grill bar so it sits inboard of the grill opening, but I’ve added driving lights in the corners. (Click on picture for larger image) Thanx for lookin'! B.

Thanks for all the very helpful discussion. I got my order last week from BMF Co. I haven't used the chrome foil yet because of the job of removing the old (bad) stuff. But I have used some the Matte Aluminum I sent for and it went on well with no wrinkle or other issues. I though it would be useful to publish a before and after of the crummy stuff vs. the good stuff: THE CRUMMY STUFF: The GOOD STUFF: No dry lake bed effect or wrinkled edges here. Quite a difference, I'd say! And here's a picture I made up showing the packaging with a blowup of the "New and Improved" sticker overlayed on top so people know what to look for. The sticker is in the upper left hand corner of the window showing the foil in the package.

Because I only began modeling again about two years ago in the Fall of ’07, every build so far is my most difficult yet. This is because every model I start involves several new things I’ve either never done before or have just barely begun to master. The learning curve is probably at its steepest at this point but that’s what makes it fun! If there’s one thing that’s happening lately it’s that I’m reaching for higher levels of precision and finish in my builds, so it’s getting harder to accept any setbacks or mistakes. The first build where this became an issue was an early 50’s style ’32 Ford roadster with posable front suspension and a highly detailed flathead. I developed a nasty allergy to CA and the project was stopped dead in its tracks. But I was already having trouble detailing the engine and getting the fit and finish I was reaching for. Since then I’ve completed two more cars, both being all-styrene models so I could avoid CA and my painting, detailing and general build skills have improved. In addition I’ve developed substitutions for the CA so it’s probably time to think about getting back to the ’32. Here’s the “evil†’32: (Click on picture for larger image) Currently I’m building a pair of ’49 Ford shoeboxes and have encountered a bad batch of Bare Metal Foil just when I decided to learn how to use the stuff! I’m also doing a highly detailed small-black Ford V8 with 4 downdraft Webers on one of them. So I’m back to fine detail work. I think my hands will cooperate better this time! Definitely a case of “two steps forward and one step backâ€â€¦. But I’m lovin’ it! Here are the Traditional and Pro-Touring ‘49’s and a (very rough) mockup of the engine from the “road racing†flavored Pro-Touring version as they stand so far: (Click on picture for larger image) The most important thing is to be patient, enjoy what you’re doing, and keep on buildin’!

Cool!!! It's already showing signs of being a carefully considered and executed build. Probably gonna be very tasty indeed....

As already mentioned (while I was typing my reply - gotta move fast here! ) the MCM Forum makes adding an avatar really easy. Officially, here are the only limitations: "Your avatar must be no bigger than 150 pixels by 150 pixels in size. Uploaded avatars from your computer must be no larger than 55 KB. The following file types are allowed: jpg,jpeg,gif,png,ico" But as long as the file you are using is smaller than 55kb the Forum's software will shrink it down for you! So you don't actually need to find or create a 150 pixel wide or tall image. The software maintains the aspect proportions of the original image. Very cool! You have two choices: Choice 1: You can enter the URL (web address) of an image you found on the web After you've found a picture on the web, right click on the image, select properties and drag your mouse across the URL displayed to highlight it, then right click again and select Copy to copy the address, then place your cursor in slot in the Avatar section under "Enter a URL to an online avatar image", right click and select Paste. Virtually all web images will be less than 55 kb in size. Choice 2: Even easier, just select Browse under "Upload a new image from your computer" and find and select an image already on your computer. The only thing to make sure is that it's less than 55kb in size. A variation on Choice 2 is to find an image on the web you like, right click on it, select "Save image as", save it to your computer and proceed with the rest of Choice 2. If you want to get fancy you can use a photo image editor like Photoshop to create an image, buy that's a whole other kettle of fish... PS: The instructions above are for a Windows PC. Unfortunately I'm unfamiliar with Mac procedures, but these are such old and well established techniques I'd be surprised if it isn't very similar for a Mac.

Thanx for the scoop on this one Bob (and thanx for askin' about it, George). I noticed it too and wondered - although my first thought is almost never that anything is a new tool... That windshield area is a real nightmare! I'd love to see how you plan on wrestling that one into shape!

Keep on buildin'!!!

Resurrected from December 30, 2006. So glad it was. I've never seen it before. Breathtaking in every way. A real inspiration.

The hop up parts for the I-6 are in all the releases of the "full" version of this kit as far as I know. Indeed, the version I got even had a few odd parts from the convertible, so, through some twisted logic one would assume the convertible also has the hop up parts. Stevens Internattional held the manufacturing and distribution rights to the AMT/Ertl tooling prior to Round2/Auto World who took over those rights last year. I was about to say the 37 Chevy Gasser kit is commonly available on line and at many LHS outlets, but I just checked and that's definitely not the case. There's one convertible available on e-bay at $14.95 Buy It Now and none for auction. Two of my LHS has/had a one or two coupes but most on-line stores I checked didn't have any. So finding any variant may be hit or miss. Here's a link, but you'll notice they're out of stock ( http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/stv/stv38556.htm ). And the Salt Shaker is another matter altogether!

Boy did I sell this one short! Art, your "short story" from the golden age shows what a creative and committed bunch you guys were. That box art build is, of course, today a classic. And it was achievable with the thoughtful array of parts you all included in this very special kit.

Cool! Was there a dropped axle as well?

Hi Dennis, The Salt Shaker kit is simply a heavily de-contented AMT '37 Chevy kit. It's missing all the stock parts, the front fenders, the clear "custom" hood, and even one of the two "custom" bucket seats. The inner fender panels are present in the full 3-in-1 version and, most importantly, the Salt Shaker contains no additional parts when compared to the full kit except for the different decals. The tires are the same in both kits, i.e. narrow street fronts and drag slick rears. No Bonneville tires. The smooth hood sides are achieved, per the Salt Shaker instructions, by sanding the stock hood smooth. Most significantly, while the cover art of the Salt Shaker shows a raked car with an apparent dropped front end, this cannot be achieved using the kit front axle setup, since it is simply the stock one. To bring the front end down you must mount the front axle above the front springs, not below them as shown in the Salt Shaker instructions, and will have to modify slightly the front frame clearances and shock mounts as well. Per the assembly portion of the instructions, the Salt Shaker does not come with a dropped front axle. The parts illustration does show what appears to be a dropped axle but I really doubt that one is included, since it would be the single unique part provided in the kit. While my recent '37 Chevy Bonneville racer, built from the full kit, was full fendered. I did have smooth hood sides. However, I used the single piece clear plastic "custom" hood and simply painted it. I lowered the front end as described above and lowered the rear using lowering blocks. To make a box art Salt Shaker from the commonly available Stevens International full kit re-issue you would need to locate replica decals (I checked Decals by Gooche but could not find them there). Otherwise everything else from the Salt Shaker kit is in the box. However, you would need to smooth the hood sides and lower the front end. Bob Black's excellent Instruction Sheet archive on the Drastic Plastic Model Car Club (DPMCC) site contains both instruction sheets for comparison: Full Kit: http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc..._1937_chevrolet Salt Shaker Kit: http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc...alt-shaker-37-/ And here are some pics of my Bonneville '37 showing the single piece hood and the lowered stance. The smoothed Bonneville style tires were made by Raul Perez by taking a set of narrow AMT street tires and simply sanding them smooth with his Dremel.:

This continues to be sooooo tasty! Fans of race car chassis construction have got to be over the moon. It almost makes me forget just how pretty the body that goes over all this truly is. I'm really torn. I can't get enough of this chassis building madness, but I'm also impatiently waiting to see this whole thing come together.

Wow! Sticking with that Pearl White has paid off with those clear coats. Looks Really Nice!

It's a Bugatti "Sacrilege" don'tcha know!

That's good to hear. There's hope. Looking forward to another epic session of snip, snip, rub, rub, cut. cut, rub, rub, snip..... etc.

Well, you're getting your money's worth in visual impact. And, oh yeah, I agree with Dave Z, the headers with those amazing curves and the weld lines are truly awesome!

Dave and Chris. You are both no doubt right regarding NASCAR and Circle trackers if measured by quantity of comments and replies. But frankly, as someone with a decided hangup on Traditional Rods & Customs I kinda feel the same way. Go figure... What I do enjoy about this board is the huge range of styles and categories of building and the tremendous talent one encounters among them. If fact, I just select "View New Posts" so I don't miss something cool! So, whereas it's always great to have someone like what I like, great modeling will win out regardless. This build is another fine one from you, Chris and I'm enjoying following along even if I don't say anything. And Dave Z (not to be confused with another Dave Z ). is definitely one of my "go-to" builders as well. So, NASCAR, Sportscars, Formula One, Circle Track, Factory Stock, Led Sleds, Rat Rods, Heavy Commercial, Straightline, or meticulously historically accurate, keep those great builds comin'! PS Chris, I know you scratch build an awful lot of your stuff - did you scratch those pulleys?

Raul's been there already and I've got the balsa wood! I agree completely. I actually feel pretty good about the whole experience. Thanx to everyone for confirming my suspicions and for all the great tips. I'm really glad I posted the picture. Hopefully it'll help other BMF newbies avoid the Bad Stuff! My only remaining concern is taking care when I remove the old stuff, and having the discipline to remove everything that looks funky. ... Chuck, I have the Bright Chrome stuff, too, and it does seem to go on better. I suspect that it's mainly because it's not the "Dry Lake Bed" variety , but it appears to be perhaps a little thicker and more stable. But the Chrome stuff Really looks like Chrome. The Bright Chrome looks more contemporary and more like Stainless or Aluminum trim.

Curt, thanx for the detailed pointers. It does still stick OK, although as you point out, not to itself so well. It works best if you do the corners first, then the longer stretches, an approach that Dennis Doty emphasizes in his excellent how-to on the BMF website. It's definitely going to be used for small details and for masking. And your right, it absolutely reminds me of decaling - tedious, somewhat nerve wracking, but with big time rewards for a job well done. Speaking of a job well done, it was the really nice foiling on the GTB4 you sent me that tipped me off that the stuff I had might be funky - I may be new at BMF but it definitely was not cooperating in achieving results like that! B.

You got that right Gray. Whereas I mainly e-mail Norm, either way he can be extremely helpful with your needs. You would be amazed what he has that's not in the catalog. In many cases he has mastered stuff for his own use or for others that seemed, at the time, too obscure to promote in the catalog but which turned out to be just what I (and no doubt, others) needed. For example one item not in the catalog is a complete conversion set to make one of the gorgeous competition-only Nailheads in the Revell Tommy Ivo Showboat kit into a street engine, including accessory drive and transmission. Apparently this item was only shown locally at MAMA meetings and popped up on someone's build on one of the boards which is where I saw it. I was all over that one like a cheap suit! So, e-mail or phone, tell Norm about your needs ... you'll both be pleased.

Very nice. Clean, simple and to the point. I especially like the rear 3/4 view and the pinners and Cragars setup.

Cool! If they ship on Monday from Michigan I'll have it Thursday or Friday at the latest. Then I can re-do all my BMF (not so cool... ).

Thanks everyone. It's as I had feared. I have gone ahead and ordered fresh stock directly from BMF Co. Unfortunately, I can no longer recall where I got this sheet, although it was only a few months ago. Otherwise I would most certainly have returned it! Incidentally, the sheets direct from BMF are pretty reasonable at $6.50 each, but since shipping is $8.70 you should be ready to order more than one sheet. In my case I also needed some aluminum sheet and clear decal paper so it will all work out. I'm looking forward to a less trying BMF experience in the near future! B.

Norm Veber answers his phone promptly during business hours so you can order by phone using the info Harry provided. Personally, I usually make my inquiriees and order from them via e-mail, attaching a document with my order and billing info, etc. Norm Veber's e-mail for RepMin is replmincomd@aol.com . He's very prompt about answering. Most retailers are very selective about what they carry from him, since his catalog is so huge. You'll need to find one that caries what you're looking for in their line. Otherwise, ordering direct ensures you'll find what you need. A few other points. Shipping is a flat $7.50 via US mail delivery confirmation. If I recall correctly, there is a minimum order of $20.00. He takes MasterCard and Visa. Replicas & Miniatures makes some of the finest resin parts in the after market. I highly recommend you spend the $4.00 and get the catalog. There's over 30 pages of descriptions of many of the parts he offers and its well worth it. However, sometimes Norm is very backed up and he indicates that orders can take as much as 6 weeks to fill, although my experience has been that wait times are somewhat shorter. This may be a reason to order through a web retailer if you can find what you need, but my experience has been that this is very difficult.