Bernard Kron

Thanx guys. It certainly true that building a "rat" can be a lot of fun because it allows a certain exaggeration in style that replica builds don't permit. Plus it's a total gas wandering through the parts box looking for likely candidates! Raul's reference to the Future Rat's "evil twin" is based on a conversation we had where I mentioned that my build was the exact opposite of the '32 Ford Sedan "Future Rat" he built for this year's NNL West, It has a Flat 8 "future motor" and represents a current hot rod 30 years in the future. It occurred to me that my Tube Rat car represents a 60's Show Rod that has been neglected and was "enjoying" a second life in 2009 as a Rat Rod - the Future Rat's evil twin with it's ultra-gas-guzzling retro blown Cadillac. as compared to

Whoa! I'll be watchin'!

Really nice, both of them. As`a little boy I saw #3 run at Le Mans It overheated terribly. I remember sitting in the stands above the Cunningham pits in the middle of the night watching the US drivers wolfing down TV dinners while the mechanics packed dry ice around the engine block! Despite all their troubles the efficient Americans took half the time for their pit stops than the Ferrari factory entrants down the way.

What a gas to be able to share your excitement in working through this build. What started out as beutiful on the outside is evolving into a detailing and enginerring showpiece on the inside. Keep on buildin'!

Radical tube framed ’29 Ford Pickup rat rod built for the Rats ‘n’ Cats theme of this year’s NNL West. More pictures below. This build was a pure Parts Box special with a scratch built frame and 100% spare parts. It started with a Photoshop “sketch†of a concept for an ultra-light tube framed radical rod based on a leftover Revell ’29 Ford pickup cab I had: (Click on picture for larger image) The motor, transmission and headers (reversed) are from the Revell Parts Pack Caddy with a blower adapted from the AMT HemiSphere dragster kit. The exhaust pipes are scratch built from aluminum tubing with a dull coat. Aftermarket parts are limited to the American Racing 12 Spoke front wheels and rubber tires from Competition Resins, the gas tank from The Parts Box in Australia, the seats from Early Years Resin and the rear drum brakes, the ignition coil and a photo-etch instrument panel from Replicas and Miniatures Co. of Maryland. The front suspension is from a Revell 37 Ford, the rear spring from an AMT ’34 Ford, and the the rear axle and driveshaft from a Revell ’32 Ford. The steering arm is scratch built and the miscellaneous shocks, control arms, Panhard rod, etc. are fabricated from bits and pieces from the parts box. The steering wheel and headlights are from the AMT ’29 Model A Ford Roadster kit and the taillights are the Appleton spots from the Revell ’49 Merc kit with clear red paint on the lenses. The W.I.P. can be found here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17223 Thanx for lookin’.

The Tube Rat is done! Ready for the NNL West. Here are some final detail pics before it gets shipped off to be put Under Glass: I fabricated a steering arm for the TR: (Click on picture for larger image) And here are a couple of chassis shots: (Click on picture for larger image) Thanx for following along.

Yeesh! What an image. Based on your urgent warnings a last minute design change was implemented during final assembly: (Click on picture for larger image) My intent in this build was always to emphasize the tradition of safety and good road manners which has been part of the NHRA since its inception… This will of course be true of all future builds as well

These were among the first model cars I built as a boy, but never like this. I built the Talbo Lago, the Alfa, the Lancia and two sports cars, the Aston Martin DBR2 (?) and the Lotus Eleven. All mine had the decals for the wire wheels. Yours are Gorgeous!

As someone who has virtually never built a stock car in my modeling life I consider these sorts of builds totally awesome, an example of modeling discipline I can only hope to aspire to. The interior is, of course, stunning, but the foiling, the paint texture, etc. is all so "in-scale" that builds of this high quality are always a real treat to enjoy. Thanx for sharing.

I totally agree. This forum benefits from many things including a structure that's simple and easy to follow and a tradition of positivism and mutual respect and support for members at all levels. But clearly the stunning array of hugely talented modelers of all styles and, dare I mention it, degrees of experience, harnesses these other traits to create an environment that can only encourage any aspiring car modeler to get the most out of whatever drives them. In my case I was away from The Hobby for the better part of 40 years after having been an avid builder during the Golden Age and this Forum, more than any other single thing, is what got me building again some 16 months ago and which helps keep me going as I try to improve my skills so that I can express more completely what I "see" every time I start a project. I don't think it's an accident that hardly a week goes by when another great talent from somewhere on the planet is welcomed as a new member of this marvelous community.

James, thankls for the blow by blow. I'll read this over more than once for the simple and incredibly effective techniques. You may be a one trick pony but it's a heck of a trick!

Oh Dennis! I'm just completing the same sort of build, based on the Replicas and Miniatures Co. of Md. transkit, but this just takes my breath away! Your digging deep into the bones of the unloved AMT kit (which I think has a very nice sense of detail to it) to get the most out of it. I don't think you could achieve the fine detail and accuracy you are getting any other way. I will now rush to complete mine so that I can relax and enjoy following your build. It will be a delight. With all the effort and exquisite realism and precision you are putting into this build. the only suggestion I might make would be to use the Replicas & Miniatures grille shell and p/e grill. Besides the obvious impact of the p/e grill, it also comes with two superb radiators with engraving on both sides, one radiator for modern motors and one for Flatheads.

Holy cow!!! He absolutely nailed the color, and from what I can see it's a perfect respresentation of the bodywork. All us Old Skool Kustom fans are waiting with baited breath...

Very cool. Love the understated look and all the tasty little details. The cheater slicks are great!

Phun with Photoshop... (Clic the pic for a bigger one)

I've been hearing about this one for ages. I so want to see it. Maybe come NNL West time...

Very cool. How did you find this?

James, you're right. It's those kind of details that make this build really pop. Maybe you could tell us a little about the detailing of that Buick. The fuel system in particular is a knockout.

I guess despite all the tweaking and cursing you having to put in the "bones" of this kit are pretty good - the suspension details look real nice. This is going to be a very nice model when it's done. The extra care you're putting in to the textures and colors is really paying off.

The Hauler in full polished paint and stripes looks gorgeous and the Raptor and Hauler together look twice as good! Can't wait to see more pics of the Hauler and detail pics of the trailer, too. This is gonna be a truly beautiful ensemble.

Good call on avoiding the rusted look. Nice wheel/tire choice to go with the bodywork. Whatever troubles you may have had "building clean", you've certainly overcome them. Your perseverance has been well rewarded. The detailing of the engine and the chassis work are outstanding. And that paint job looks plenty sanitary from here! Two thumbs up on a cool rod! BTW, where do those very nice radius rods come from?

Lookin’ outrageously good as always. Regarding the rake and the tire, wheel combo. IMHO if you run wide whites on the rear you’ll need fairly wide whites on the front, too. Also, unfortunately big and littles won’t bring the front end down enough to get the rake you’re looking for, I suspect. Maybe you should consider reducing that downward curve at the front of the rails. If I recall, it was designed to accommodate the Chevy parallel leaf springs, but with that transverse leaf you don’t need it. Can’t wait for more – but you build so fast that I know more good stuff will arrive shortly!

Thanx again guys. Actually that logo was the inspiration for the build, and yeah, I made the decal, but I sure didn’t design it! It’s one of the icons of “Boxcar Artâ€, called The Colossus of Roads. I’m convinced Billy Gibbons patterned his whole persona after this image. Here’s an “explanation†by the guy who created it, from the great documentary “Who Is Bozo Texino?†by Bill Daniel: If you ever can get hold of this flick don’t miss it. Personally, I bumped into it by accident at 3AM on Public Access TV. Here’s the basic positioning statement of the movie: Extreme building – an old Hot Rod tradition. Gene Winfield circa 1954: (Click for bigger pic) Nothing like a live, spinning u-joint just below your elbow to keep you alert when maneuvering 1500 lbs. and 500 horsepower down the road!

Thanx for the detail pics on the chop, a good reminder to always look for the details you want to survive before you put knife to plastic! The lines and stance of this build are great. Should be a terrific fat fendered '41 when you're done. I've been looking for cool shift lever knobs in 1/25. Where did that tiny dice cube come from?

Thanx guys. What I'm enjoying most about this is that it's turning out looking very much like my original sketch - like a long neglected 60’s show rod enjoying a second life as a Rat. Also fun is that it's entirely either scratch built or from the parts box. Got some more done so here are some detail pics. The seats are from Early Years Resin. I also rewoprked the front hubs so that the wheels sit closer in to the disc brakes. I hope to have this Under Glass by the weekend… Thanx for lookin’. (Click on picture for larger image)