Bernard Kron

Very nice contemporary street rod circa 1998 ! Sweet paint job. Are those home made decals?

Thanx guys! Dennis, the Khougaz Deuce was certainly an influence. In fact I’m a bit frustrated because I didn’t slam the body down over the rails as much as I would have liked. Then the fact that you can’t see the bellypan work that much would have been less of an issue. On the Khougaz car the belly pan barely shows except at the rear and just forward of the firewall where the frame swings up a bit. One thing about the Khougaz design I never cared for is the fairing at the front which covers the frame ends and hides the lower part of the grill. It’s very aero and beautifully done but to my eye this technique (which was used on other lakes cars as well) always looks awkward. That’s why I pinched and bobbed the rails so they end behind the grill. Anyway, this ’32 does look pretty "elegant" in its wide whites and more prudish stance so it is what it is and now I will finish it up. As I wrote, this is destined to be a very simple build, sort of the roadster equivalent of a curbside. But I'm sure the techniques developed to make the bellypan are repeatable and I'm already planning at least 2 more. First a '29 sitting pretty low with a suicide front end behind a '32 grill and a deep z in the rear. This will be an early drag car most likely so I can delete the radiator and show off the front suspension and motor peaking through a p/e grill. Then, later, when my chops are up to it, I would like to build a full detail tubular framed lakes highboy in the contemporary vein with a tubular frame and roll cage and a really massive contemporary blown motor. I recently saw a pic of a gold Bonneville Deuce I think run by George Poteet with a nicely faired in top mounted blower and a really sweet belly pan that wraps up around the frame rails and runs under the rear suspension. "Alyn" 's recently posted lakes build ( http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18415 ) is something to strive for in this regard. It's a stunner! As you say, there never seems to be a shortage of ideas and inspiration to clutter up the brain as we struggle to stay focused long enough to finish a build. That's the curse of car modeling where the time spans and costs are compressed enough to make the wandering imagination an ever present threat!

I'm doing this as a quick and simple build based on the Revell (ex-Monogram) Basic Builder 1/24th '32 Roadster I picked up on sale at my LHS for $8.00. It's my second attempt at a full bellypan roadster (I started a '29 A lakes style roadster last year which I haven't gotten back to). My aim is to see this build through so I know what the techniques are that I need to master in order to successfully build a full bellypan hot rod. So far I've noticed that you need to pay close attention to how the bellypan section joins with the body seams. Also, I think I could have made the bellypan section deeper so that the roadster appeared lower to the ground and the bellypan was more visible. Still, I like the stance and lines of the car so I will continue with this build in the form it is now. The frame elements and bellypan are scratch built. In the photos they are the white styrene bits. I will add fairings to cover the clearance holes in the bellypan for the oil pan and rear diff. Because this is a kind of prototype build, detailing will be limited and I'll use as much of the kit as I can. I will use the kit motor, a small block Chevy, the kit suspension and the kit interior. The tires and backing plates are from The Parts Box in Australia. I don't know what color it will be, except it won't be black because I want the louvers in the hood and hood sides to be clearly visible. Perhaps a metallic bronze or blue. Thanx for lookin', B. (Click on picture for larger image)

Brilliant! Just Brilliant!

Over the past 48 hours several drivers have commented on the change, somewhat tentatively in most cases, couched in language about the suddenness and immediacy of the decision, but generally questioning why it is necessary to constantly fiddle with the rules. This is symptomatic of a sport in full crisis, not just Formula One but the sport in general. A sport which has bet heavily on corporate sponsorship as the means by which to fund various formulae which can otherwise prove to be ruinously expensive. Formula One is just the "pinnacle" of the sport and thus the most dependent on corporate largess to stay alive. Now that money spigot is being turned off and the various principals in Formula One are having to assess what to do to keep their sport/business/passion/investment (depending on who you are) alive. Gradually over the past couple of decades we have seen a concentration of the most important formulae in fewer and fewer hands. Even inherently populist spectacles like the World Rally Championship have found themselves struggling to attract sponsorship/viewership/attendance as they price themselves out of participation in world markets. Other corners of the sport have seen themselves "dumbed down" to idiotically manipulative formulae under the guise of preserving competition and cutting costs (i.e. NASCAR, CART, IndyCar. GrandAm, etc.) Now Formula One, whose very reputation was based on technological excellence and the uniqueness of individual efforts to prevail, is going down the same path. But the sport in general, and Formula One in particular, has survived crisis of this sort before. Clues can be found on the MCM board itself. Look at the excitement that builds like Dale Watts' (fordsixty) two "pigs" (see "'31 Model A LMP2, ...another pig out of the pen", http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18723 ) have created, or the interest in a comment like lilsquirt's "Gimmie tha old NASCAR racing, MY OPINION" ( http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.p...mp;#entry164694 ). Alongside lilsquirt's resentment of the rise of "foreign" manufacturers like Toyota is a critique of silhouette racing and restrictor plates, which goes to the heart of the matter. Motorheads will prevail. We will enjoy our sport where we find it. Whether it's the relative openness of LMP, the Pinks phenomenon with its explicit evocation of weekend drag racing (Pinks AllOutakes), or the global developing-world phenomenon that is GP-style motorcycle racing, the clues are there. Perhaps in F1 died-in-the-wool motorheads like Ron Dennis and Frank Williams from the older generation, and now Ross Brawn and Norbert Haug from the middle generation, and no doubt countless younger F! die-hards, will finally make their disgust known and we will see the emergence of lesser non-championship F1 races as an excuse to run their machines under more open rules and begin to develop a path out of the bind they find themselves in. It's happened before... How about a North American "Tasman Series" for F! cars running less restrictive aero packages? Bernie, Max and the investment bankers would be furious!!!

I believe that entrants must participate in all races during the season in order to qualify for the championships and the related revenue streams. Of course, nine wins under any circumstances in F1 is no simple matter. But it should mean incredibly aggressive starts and finishes to races up at the front. Also, once a teammate is clearly out of the running he might find new life as "designated hit man". The biggest problem with this approach will be if a single driver dominates long enough during a portion of the the season to get to whatever number race wins required to put the rest of the field out of reach significantly before the end of the season. With the trend to fewer rather than more F1 races this could land up being a very real issue. As long as there are three driver/car combinations that are very competitive this approach should work, but a classic Schumacher style dominance would land up being as boring as ever with the added problem of coming earlier in the season.

Nice F.I. I presume it's made from your parts, right?

Nice start. Love the interior panels and the seats. Great scratchin'!

I always look forward to your latest. I really like the full body style of this one. The chassis, as always, is really nice. The decals just get more crisp and affirmative with each new build. Somebody has to get this guy an Alps!

I don't kinow if this one was the first, but for me this was the one that started what I hope will be a continuous series. Perhaps not quite as complete as the '53 GS Chevy but the W.I.P. was riveting. I couldn't wait for each step along the way. And when it dropped off the radar I wondered what happened to it. The completion is stunning. The decals really add to the results. This is so original, so full of energy, so captivating. "Imagineering" at its finest! Can't wait for inspiration to strike again and No. 3 suddenly to appear.

Unless there's a model car show in a Puyallup near Wisconsin this must be adressed to me. Is this the Goodguys meet on July 25th to 27th? If so, how can I not go with such an act of generosity. C U There! B.

Totally understandable. Frustrating as heck, but totally understandable. Luckily I'm a subscriber. Will you show it at the Pacific NW NNL Model Car Fest on April 18? I'm planning on coming down from Seattle for it (missed the Bob Paeth Memorial due to going to the NNL West) and was sooo loking forward to seeing it and perhaps meeting you and Fletch.

As someone who builds a lot of hot rods here are my thoughts on readily available hot rod frames. The '25 T frame is ideal for a T-bucket, includes a quick change rear end and hairpin fronts and a suicide front axle. It is often overlooked. On the other hand, the frame is too narrow for anything but the t-bucket. If you're channeling the frame then the appearance of the sides is not relevant. The best looking frame forward of the firewalls is the Revell '32 and the front suspension is nice looking with its tubular dropped axle and parallel links and is simple simple to install. It does need slight lowering by trimming the mounting tab. For a rear suspension, the Revell '32 has a modern airbag setup with a nice 9-inch rear axle and is simple to install, which can be a benefit when you're doing a lot of frame cutting, but it lacks character and funk value in a traditional/rat build. The ladder bar rear radius rods are hard to accommodate once you Z the frame and required a fair amount of modification. If you are planning a suicide front suspension and channeling (pretty classic rat rod stuff) then any frame will do since most of it will be either cut or hidden. In this case, I would strongly consider the Revell '29 Ford Roadster Pickup Rat Rod Kit, or the similar '31 sedan kit. The front suspension on these kits is the best looking with its I-beam front axle and the option to make it posable. It's great raw material for a suicide front. As regards rear suspension, the Revell '29-'31 model A kits has better raw material with a really nice rear spring and axle setup and a great traditional rear cross member. The frame rails are a bit thin and taper at the ends but you will be cutting them up anyway so it won't be a big issue. I agree that the AMT Phantom Vicky has an excellent contemporary '32 frame and suspension setup but this is not relevant for a rat rod build.

Only one image shows for me, the second image, the rear view of an open wheeled formula car. It looks good. I'd love to see the other three.

Oh yeah, now I remember this from the W.I.P. on TRaK. Thanx! They are exceptional, superior to anything in the aftermarket and well worth the effort. They'd make great masters for re-pops! I'll definitely try my hand at a set, but I have to admire how straight you got the holes drilled into them! B.

I keep going back to look at this guy. Coupla questions: Very cool seats. Did you make them? If so, how? Also, great tires, especially the rear slicks with the really nice sidewall detail. Sources?

Well now, Dave, this one has always been your best, IMHO! A classic! Welcome aboard.

Glad to see you over here. This has always been one of my favorites of your builds, too. Glad you introduced it to everyone here.

I'm afraid not. However, Bob Black recently posted the 2009 price list on his section of the Drastic Plastic Model Car Club (DPMCC) website. Here's the link to Bob's DPMCC Fotki pages starting with the latest new releases sheet. http://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc...oct2008web.html Hit Next to start viewing the current price list. I also strongly recommend spending the $4.00 for the catalog because it includes over 30 pages of detailed product descriptions and occasional photos of their huge selection.

Nice choices of parts details to add variety to the basic Revell '32 kit. That RepMin chopped body is very tasty. Any issues using it? Very cool little coupe overall.

Great to hear! Best of luck for a fabulous show this weekend!

Glad to see more of this. The chassis work, despite your travails, is like all the rest of what you've shown us: superb. I love the thoroughly engineered look and all the mounting tabs. It's the real deal.

Thanx Fletch. See you in April...

I actually agree with what you say. But only because old AMT Merc kits are available in the auction market. Otherwise, we would be SOL. I think a chopped 5-window is far more problematic, since the AMT equivalent is not as easily available and, as you point out, not exactly the greatest replica around. I suppose I should be careful not to be snobbish and should, instead, appreciate the importance of Revell's commitment to our hobby and their chopped Merc in particular.

Kitbash (Parts Stash); Kitbash (Parts Stash); Kitbash (Parts Stash)