Bernard Kron

It's not often that we see the old AMT '40 Ford Coupe done this well, not just technically but also in terms of styling. The stance, rolling stock, colors and details all ring true to this more contemporary Street Rod look. Bravo!

Thanks to you all once more for the kind comments. They're much appreciated!

I use Brite-Touch primers often, either as a sanding primer, a finish primer or as a flat paint. I prefer the Brite-Touch red oxide primer for its shade of red to the Duplicolor equivalent. It's more like the classic hot rod red oxide shade. Their grey primer is much lighter in shade than the Duplicolor Hot Rod Gray primer which is so dark it tends to darken color coats. I use the Brite-Touch black primer as my general purpose flat black. I only wish they made a white primer. As far as performance is considered Brite-Touch primers have good blocking qualities, protect styrene from lacquers, and fill and sand down nicely, so no complaints, and at 60% of the price of Duplicolor it's becoming my go-to. I also can recommend the Brite-Touch gloss colors, black and white. Nice basic lacquers that can be used as final color coats with good results. I agree that Tamiya white primer gives superior results to virtually anything out their, but it's so expensive that it's shear folly to use it as a working primer for bodywork.

Thanks Claude. Here are links for Under Glass and the w.i.p.:

Great outcome in your first foray in RatRodness. I especially enjoy the fun you had with all the details. And the motor is a handsome piece all by itself. I, too, have only officially built one rat rod although I can think of a (very) few other models that were definitely influenced by the Rat Rod idiom. Besides the obvious freedom in parts selection and the weathering, the other thing I enjoy about Rat Rods is the elongated proportions and the lowness. It's a style that appears rarely in the world of "real" rods, although in past decade or so it's merging in the Traditional Rod world. Sometimes in Rat Rods that look can be overdone and the car comes out just plain ugly and misshapen. But in your case the stance and proportions are just right and you take full advatange of working in the Rat Rod style. Nice one! Just last week I finished a second version of my one and only official rat rod, except this time it was shiny and clean, full of chrome, with definite late 50's hot rod show car details and colors. I did it because I like the Rat Rod stance and proportions so much I wanted to blend them with those Traditional Hot Rod vibes. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your creativity coming off your bench!

Nice one, Richard! The MPC frame is my "weapon of choice" when I do FED subjects both because it's a legs-under designed which places the slicks in a particularly attractive positiona nd the approx. 160" wheelbase is ideal in its proportions. It's also well detailed with real round tubing unlike the Don Long 200+ inch wheelbase Ivo/TooMuch, etc. frame. I also have developed techniques to eliminate the quirky center lever steering gizmo. I did a Fiat coupe, myself, late last year on this frame. I like your more cab-forward, cut down body version. I'll have to try one at some point. Mine had a full roof and rear bodywork.

The television version was clearly the most evolved version of the car when it was still in Grabowski's hands. But I'm glad that the later owner's take on the car has been well documented before it was "restored" to the TV car. I put restored in quotes because when it comes to hot rods and customs, the notion of restoration is always up for grabs. Which version do you restore to? While I agree that the last version was really quite horrible, it made sense at the time it was done, and who is to say that things wouldn't have evolved so we that all thought it was the best version?

Thanks so much to you all. I'm really glad you dig it! Thanks Phil. Note that after your comment I changed the title. Hopefully it'll do the trick. Wouldn't want it to spend its life in Pickup Purgatory...

Thanks Bob! It's now Under Glass here:

1929 Ford Model A Roaster Pickup Late 50’s Style Show Rod (more photos below) For the 2016 NNL West Theme Table I built the one and only Rat Rod I’ve ever done. It was based on the ex-Ala Kart Roadster Pickup body shell that comes in the various AMT 1929 Ford Model A Roadster kits that have been issued over the years. Most of that project involved a style of build and techniques that were new to me, especially the stance the car required and the weathering and rust techniques involved. As it turned out it’s proven to be one of my favorite models and one I consider to be among my most successful efforts. But one thing I wanted eventually to do was to build a “clean” version, a kind of late 50’s A-Bucket show rod. This past month I finally got around to it. The second version is quite different from Version 1, even if the scratch .built chassis is almost identical. Almost everything else except for the main body shell is different. Instead of a near-stock and rusty small-block Chevy with a single 4-barrel this car has a full-race showboat Olds V8 with six Stromberg 97’s and plenty of chrome. The interior diamond tufted with tuck and roll buck seats. Instead of the dusty stripped down interior of the rat rod. With a candy red paint job and plenty of chrome plating throughout it stands in sharp contrast to my first effort. Below is a parts list of the kits and materials that went in to this build. Thanx for lookin’, B. AMT 1929 Ford Model A Roadster kit: Ex-Ala Kart ’29 Ford RPU bucket, windshield, dashboard, shift lever and steering wheel. AMT 1934 Ford 5-window coupe kit: Skinny front white wall tires. Revell Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit kit: Oldsmobile V8, tuck and roll bucket seats, dimpled baby Moon hubcaps, chrome reversed front wheels. Revell 1932 Ford 5-window coupe kit: Front and rear suspension. Aftermarket Parts: Stromberg 97 carburetors with SP tops, Oldsmobile Rocket Valve covers, “Shotgun” style lakes headers, 6-carb log manifold and oval gas tank – all 3D-printed courtesy of Chris Drysdale’s Maple Leaf Modelworks (see: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/maple-leaf-modelworks ). Lincoln whitewall rear tires and matching steelie wheels courtesy of Ed Fluck’s Drag City Casting (see: https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/member_dealer_directory/drag-city-casting-/ and https://www.facebook.com/dragcitycasting/ ). Paint finishes: Chassis and interior finished with Testors Pearl White lacquer and Tamiya Pearl Clear Coat. Miscellaneous gold paint on motor and interior is Tamiya Gold Leaf. Main body and grill shell finished in Duplicolor Cherry Red metallic. Gold striping body sides and back is Pactra Gold Trim Tape. Gold pinstripe decal on cowl from Revell ’49 Ford coupe kit. Miscellaneous chrome plating is Molotow chrome paint.

Thanks guys! I got this project finished up over the last few days. Below you’ll find a composite photo of the final post details and a couple of side-by-side comparisons of the original Rat Rod version and the new Show Car variant. The interior is done with pearl white and gold paint on the seats and a shift lever and steering wheel from the AMT ’29 Ford Roadster kits. The headlights on the front end are from the AMT ‘25T Double Kit and the steering tie rod is scratch built from styrene rod and tubing with the Pitman Arm from the Revell 1/25th Deuces. I’ll post a full project summary and “beauty shots” Under Glass later today or tomorrow. Thanx for lookin’ B.

Vroom, vroom! Nice one, Curt!

How cool is that to see you working in my wheel house. ? I'm looking forward to seeing you apply your not-insignificant skills in fabrication and historical research to this type of project. I was traveling in early September when you started this so I missed the send-off. As I read through the posts I thought of the very nice 4-bangers from the Monogram-then-Revell '29-'30 Pickup/Sedan kits, but then you went and scratched your own! LOL

Moving right along, now… I got the front suspension except for the steering tie rod completed. The hairpins are steering arms are from the Revell 1/25th Deuce kits. The tail lights are in place. They’re from a Revell Part Pack #C1154 Tubular Bumpers and Grilles. The bucket and grille shell have been painted with Duplicolor Cherry Red Metallic over Red Oxide primer. The gold stripe accents on the bucket sides were done with Pactra gold trim tape and the gold pin stripes on the cowl and rear of the bucket are from the Rhevell ’59 Mercury Coupe Custom kit. It’s starting to get the show car vibe now that the color and trim are in place. I’m pretty much ready for final assembly. It shouldn’t be long now… Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks to you all! Alan, below are some pictures I took just now outdoors in natural daylight. At least in this case the chronically gray, overcast weather we have on the eastern coast of the Pacific Northwest on the USA served some practical purpose by ensuring a nice, even, diffuse light! (And it wasn't raining...)

Thanks to you both. I'm making good progress on this and hope to post more in the next few days. In the meantime, Jon, I'm quoting you in the hopes you get a notification in order to thank you for your "Lowster" model of many moons ago, which has endured as an inspiration for all my attempts in this kind of model. Thanx! RRR's masterful Lowster can be seen here on the MCM board: And also here on his Fotki for lots of build details: https://public.fotki.com/jferren/t-latest-from-the-r/ Sweet!

Another sweetheart! Time to contact Ed...

I missed this one. Probably the best of your altereds. The details and proportions are spot on! The mainly metal multi-media approach reminds me of the multi-GSL winning models built my late friend Jerry Cardinal. Bravo!

Thanks guys! The motor is completed, the chassis painted pearl white and the basic suspension components painted and glued in place. Below are mockups with the wheels and tires mounted. As mentioned last time the grille needed to be cut down to sit at the right height. Also as previously mentioned, the motor is the Oldsmobile V8 from the Revell Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit with very cool 3D printed hop-up parts by Chris Drysdale’s Maple Leaf Modelworks via Shapeways (see links in my previous post). Chris sells a dress-up kit that fits all the various Revell Olds V8s. It consists of Oldsmobile Rocket valve covers, a 6-carb (or alternatively 4-carb) log manifold and beautifully detailed Stromberg 97 carburetors with gorgeous oval SP tops. The exhaust manifolds are also by Maple Leaf and are his “Shotgun-style” pipes specifically designed for the Olds V8. The block is finished out in Tamiya Gold Lead and most of the engine parts are either kit chrome from the Beatnik Bandit or Molotow chrome. Next up is detailing out the lighting, suspension and driveline and beginning paint and trim work. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks guys. Glad you dig it!

Both versions are beautifully executed, I actually prefer the chromed hemi but the Old School style flatty probably suits the nose piece better. Big thumbz upz to both!

Beautiful work Dennis. I waited for this release to place my next order with Ed. I guess I better pull the trigger! BTW, that's one sharp louvered hood. I've wanted a proper aftermarket one for many years. How 'bout we talk Ed into offering one?

In early 2016 I built a Rat Rod for the Theme Table of that year’s NNL West. While I’ve built seemingly countless traditional hot rods this was, my and so far, only attempt at a Rat Rod. It was a relatively quick build, taking perhaps 6 weeks at the most, and done on pure instinct since I had zero experience to fall back on. The weathering and the stance were particular areas that were new to me, and yet the whole project went remarkably smoothly. Nearly 4 years later, I still consider it one of my more successful models. Beginner’s luck, I guess… In any case I’ve always wanted to do a “clean” version of this car, a kind of late 50’s/early 60’s show rod variant with a shiny paint job, lots of chrome and a fancy hopped up .motor. Effectively as exact an opposite of Version 1 as I can muster. This project is my try at Version 2 of this A-Bucket roadster. The chassis is very similar to Version 1, scratch built from styrene stock, but this time instead of a buggy spring rear suspension and I-beam front axle I’m going with the coil sprung rear end and tubular front axle found in all the various 1/25th scale Revell ’32 Ford kits. Instead of the wide scratch built form fitting fuel tank of the 1st version I’m using this lovely little 3D printed cylindrical tank available from Cjrs Drysdale’s Maple Leaf Modelworks on Shapeways (see: https://www.shapeways.com/product/RAPQ683EW/1-25-oblong-fuel-tank-w-brackets?optionId=63895588&li=user-wishlist ). And the funky (and rusty) wire wheels have been replaced by chrome reversed steelies from and dimpled dome hub caps from the Ed Revell Ed Roth Beatnik Bandit kit at the front. The front tires, however, are the same super-skinny whitewalls from the AMT ’34 Ford 5-window coupe I used the first time around. The rear setup on the new version consists of ultra-cool Lincoln steelies and wide whites just introduced by Ed Fluck at Drag City Casting. The wheels were refinished with Molotow Chrome and trimmed out with the Roth dimpled dome ‘caps to match the fronts. The motor will be the big chromed Olds v8 from the Beatnik Bandit except instead of the 471 blower it will feature a half dozen SP-topped Stromberg 97’s along with some wicked “Shotgun” lakes-style headers, both 3D printed by Maple Leaf Modelworks (see https://www.shapeways.com/product/VHLWF2BE7/olds-rocket-combo-pack-2?optionId=108909169 and https://www.shapeways.com/product/FJZWQKK96/1-25-olds-quot-shotgun-quot-style-headers?optionId=63895539&li=user-wishlist ). More on the motor in my next update. Much of this type of model must be scratch built since nothing of the sort exists in kit form. The bucket-style body, of course, is the ex-Ala Kart 1929 Model A Roadster piece found in the AMT ’29 Ford Roadster kits. The windshield and dashboard, in this case Molotow chromed, also come from this kit. But otherwise the rest of the interior is scratch built from styrene stock with the exception of the little tuck ‘n roll buckets which come from the Roth Beatnik Bandit. The interior is so tight almost nothing else will fit. The transmission hump and tunnel is a handy little 3D printed item I found on Shapeways produced by 3D Model Specialties. To go with the show car style a resin ’32 Ford 4”-chopped grill shell from Model Car Garage has had a button-style custom grill adapted to it. The grill center comes from an original 60’s Aurora #592 Custom Grills & Trim parts pack. It’s very likely the grill shell will have to be further cut down by the time it finds its way into the completed car. That’s it for now. One other thing I might note is that with this project I am at last resisting painting parts as I go along, instead mocking everything up using tacky white glue before painting everything prior to build-up. While this may seem obvious to many of you, up to now I have lacked the discipline to paint only after trial fitting things. Hopefully this will pay dividends during final assembly. In the meantime so far things are going well and next time I hope to show the car up on its wheels with a completed powerplant. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks Dennis. Much appreciated. "time-capsule cars" are a popular trend right now, as people realize that the traces of materials and techniques of earlier times are potentially a valuable a part of the experience of the history of what the car once was. In modeling these things the challenge is to achieve some impact without going over the top and getting corny about it. Realism in general, whether like this, or with a concourse shine, is what I'm chasing in my modeling.

Thanks to you both. I'm glad you enjoyed it. More pictures can be found Under Glass here: