Bernard Kron

This is another project I’m preparing as an entry in this year’s 2018 TRaK Autorama ( see http://trakinscale.proboards.com/thread/18269/rules-guidelines ). With several hundred dollars’ worth of actual prizes on offer and 4 different categories (Rod, Custom, Street, and Racer) I thought I’d spread my luck and go for all four. The Rod entry is completed, the Racer entry nearly so and this one is my Street entry. While I’m pretty sure this one will be done in time for the December 31st deadline, it remains to be seen whether I can make the Custom entry happen. I’ve always admired the ’49 Ford Shoebox for its purity of design. It was truly revolutionary in its day, banishing any vestigial trace of separate fenders once and for all. I also like its compact and balanced proportions. It doesn’t hurt that the basic AMT ’49 Ford Coupe kit is one of AMT’s greats and a delight to work with, everything fitting well and with lots of 3-in-1 customizing and hop up parts to work with. This project is designed to exploit all these attributes. Starting with the bodywork, my first task was to completely shave any trim from the body including side trim and door handles. Fortunately AMT did some of that work for me since the nose and deck are already trim-free. Then came the signature detail, molding a set of Revell ’32 Ford Roadster hood louvers into the top of the hood. There’s still a very slight amount of cleanup left to do, but after a ton of filling and sanding, filling and sanding, filling and…., etc., etc., it looks like I ‘ll be including this feature. But just in case it fails at the 11th hour the car will be styled to run sans hood, with a contrasting color engine bay and lots of chrome engine parts. This is an Autorama entry, after all!. But the spirit of the car is definitely as a drive-in cruiser and street racer, two of the most important functions of a Street Rod, IMHO. So the design features a radical early 60’s California rake, and big whitewall cheater slicks accommodated by the cut out rear wheel well openings. Other than the cheater slicks, these were all details included right from the original issue of this AMT classic. And, despite their less than utilitarian aspect, I’ve always admired the job AMT did with the molded grill surround and front and rear molded pans. So these were included, along with a thin bar grill cut out from the custom grill included in the AMT ’51 Chevrolet Fleetline Coupe kits. The rolling stock once again addresses the early 60’s Autorama featuring baby moons and chromed reversed rims, sourced from the AMT ’53 Ford Pickup Truck (fronts) and AMT ’29 Ford Roadster (rears). They complement the whitewalls nicely and will be further detailed with Color-Kromed wheel centers to match the body color. The tires are the nice pad-printed whitewall Firestones included by Round 2 in many of their more recent releases (fronts), and the lovely whitewall cheater slicks are from Morgan Automotive Detail ( http://www.madmodeling.com/index.php?app=cms&ns=display&sid=ca9x7dz26150ds5p04k7o85rpig8xg9w ). Interestingly, Round 2 in its most recent “Gasman” re-issue of the ’49 Ford is now including similar whitewall cheater slicks. (See A below) The interior has been modified to delete the rear seat and replace it with an angled filler panel. The car will get a full tuck ‘n’ roll treatment to complement the beautiful Stone, Woods & Cook style bucket seats I have coming from Drag City Casting ( https://public.fotki.com/drasticplasticsmcc/member_dealer_directory/drag-city-casting-/ ). In keeping with the street racer aspect it will also get the kit roll over bar. (See B and C below) To keep things simple in the interests of actually getting this done in time for the Autorama I’m using the kit Cadillac engine. The 6-carb log manifold comes from the Revell Parts-Pak Cadillac motor and will remain chromed. It sits above a ribbed valley cover I made from styrene stock and chromed with my handy Molotow pen. (See D below) To add visual interest it will get a lovely set of highly detailed 3D-printed Stromberg 97s from Mapleleaf Modelworks ( https://www.shapeways.com/shops/maple-leaf-modelworks?section=1%2F25+Hot+Rod+Parts&s=0 )which feature the rare and exotic low-profile ovoid SP intake stacks. The carbs will be finished in their classic anodized bronze-like finish and the stacks will be chromed (see E below) Thanx for lookin’, B.

The all-time most beautifully conceived and executed USA race car, IMHO. And you've done it complete justice. My dream is that someone, somewhere, in some form will do a 1/24th full detail version of this legendary machine. Thanks for sharing your masterful rendition with us.

Thanks again. Box arts are always fun, and even more so when you set yourself some extra challenges, whether its like this one by using different parts and sources than the original, or trying to capture the liberties the artist took with his illustration.

This thread went dormant again. There hasn't been a contribution since last January. And I guess, Deuce-wise, I went dormant, too. But finally here's another Deuce off my bench. Imspired by Mr. Moto's superb real Box Art AMT 32 Ford Roadster at the top of this page, except mine was made almost exclusively from Revell parts!

Just finished this one. It's a replica of the box art channeled roadster from the conver of the original issue AMT 32 Ford roadster kit, except it was built almost entirely from Revell parts!

Thanks guys! After wrapping up my Trophy Series Deuce Roadster box art project I’m back to the Tudor. It’s largely an out-of-the-box build so, with the car finally up on its wheels and the main body glued in place it, it was time for a stance check. Those artillery wheels sure do fill the fenders! Now it’s ready for final assembly. In the style of 60’s Resto Rods that means lots of antique details like cowl lights and bumpers. From here on out it’s a matter of staying disciplined for a clean outcome. Shouldn’t be too long now… Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks again, to you both, for your inspiration and for your support . I meant to go to the last one but time and budget made it impossible and I sincerely hope to make it this time. But this Deuce fixation of ours does lead to un embarras de choix, as it were

Thank you all! It's greatly appreciated. Thanks Tim. You are too kind! Thanks Manuel! Your True Box Art project was the inspiration for this one, and I referred to it repeatedly as I worked through the details of my Revell clone. You are right about box art illustrations., A few years back I did a box art rendition of an AMT '39/'40 Ford Tudor Sedan, the yellow custom version on the side panel of the original 1st issue. I swear the artist worked largely without benefit of a completed model. But somehow he got the "feel" of the completed model right, and that's what I used as my guide when doing it. Box Art modeling is its own bizarre sub-specialty...

Thanks for all the good info and discussion. I ordered a Fiskars handle on eBay. It was reasonably priced at $6.71 USD including shipping and arrived in 3 days from ordering. Below is a photo of it next to my quite old but no longer so trusty X-Acto knife. The Fiskars is really quite different even though it's still a fairly conventional cylindrical handle design. The handle is longer and fatter than the X-Acto and it appears to be made of chrome plated steel rather than aluminum. I like the larger diameter and the heft of it in my hand. I did some foil work with it and it draws steady. Even though there's no hexagonal anti-roll nut, the soft ovoid hand grip seems to stop it from rolling just as well. Overall I'm pleased with it and it already feels better to me than my old Excel soft handle even though I still have to get more used to it. Overall I'm pleased with it. I've used other Olfa products before and they are well made. I may indulge in an Olfa handle and blades and give them a try, too. Again, thanks for the invaluable feedback, B.

Revell/Monogram based box art model of original issue AMT Trophy Series No. 132 ’32 Ford Roadster Street Rod illustration (more photos below) This is an idea I’ve had for several years now. The inaccuracies and distortions of the old AMT ’32 Ford models are well known, and yet they build into very compelling hot rods despite it. In particular I always admired the blue “Street Rod” roadster on the box top of the original issue AMT ’32 Ford Roadster kit (No. 132) from 1959. The 1/25th scale Revell ’32 Ford kits are far more accurate in both detail and proportions. I thought it would be fun to try and capture both the flavor and the specific details of the illustration in a model using Revell parts to the maximum possible. To be clear, since it would not be otherwise possible, by “Revell” I mean the Revell family of models including Monogram. Now box art builds are always problematical, even when you build out-of-the-box. This is because box art artists typically take great liberties with their illustrations, often distorting the proportions of the car and rendering many of the details in ways that will not be found in the box. This is especially the case with this example, where the flames are nearly twice as big as the kit decals, extending all the way back to the rear wheel well arches. The car itself is severely foreshortened in perspective and many of the details, such as the headlight mounts, shock absorbers, etc., are simply missing-in-action. The dwarfed supercharger presents quite a challenge, too. So capturing the “flavor” is as much matter of re-interpreting the artist’s intention as it is rendering the details with any sort of scale accuracy. It’s all a matter of “picking your battles”, which is exactly what I did. Below is a list of the parts sources I used to build this. I started by focusing on the signature detail of the illustration, the decals. Beginning with a set of original issue decals lent to me by a friend I scanned them and rescaled them to the Revell Stacey David ’32 Ford Roadster kit that would form the basis of my project. I then re-drew them using Adobe Photoshop. I used the decal sheet from the Revell ’32 Ford 5-window coupe as my guide for details like the cowl decals. Once the design work was done I had the new art work custom printed using an Alps printer which allowed for a white underlayment so the colors would hold up over a relatively dark body. The same Revell ’32 Ford 5-window coupe kit provided the Hemi engine. The artist’s scrawny little rendering of what is presumably a GMC 6-71 blower was reinterpreted as a smaller GMC 4-71 unit sourced from a Revell Roth Beatnik Bandit. And so it went, stepping my way through the original AMT version and finding equivalents in the Revellogram universe. But one part was impossible to translate. That was the cycle fenders. There were simply no equivalents in shape and proportion to them in a non-AMT kit. So, thanks to the generosity of a fellow modeler who prefers to remain anonymous, I was able to obtain a set of original issue fenders, which, fortunately, fit the Revell Deuce quite well without significant modification. As a result the fender flames are 1:1 renditions of the original decals unlikely the body decals. Three other AMT parts found their way onto the model. The shiny chrome wheel covers, AMT’s interpretation of Moon discs at the time, can still be found today, although not in an AMT ’32 Ford kit – they’re in the Round 2 re-issued AMT Double Dragster kit, and, as luck would have it, fit the Revell ’48 Ford steelies I was using perfectly. And the wide whitewall tires from that same ’48 Ford kit fit the ancient AMT cycle fenders just as perfectly. Phew! The paint color I chose is the same as that used by MCM board member Mr. Moto (see http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/123803-amt-32-ford-roadster-1959-box-art-build/ ) in his excellent real AMT box art build which I used as my guide. It’s Duplicolor Bahama Blue Metallic. Interpreting box art colors given the relatively crude color printing of 1959 is a black art in itself. I thought that color was a good choice and would show off the decals to advantage. In building the chassis I tried to emulate the AMT setup wherever I could. That’s why I converted the rear suspension to a transverse leaf spring setup. But overall my goal wasn’t so much to duplicate the AMT model using Revell parts as to interpret it, capturing as much of the feel of the box art illustration as I could. Here’s the parts list: Base kit used: Revell Stacey David ’32 Ford Roadster kit. Body and chassis. Revell 1/25th scale ’32 Ford Highboy Roadster Street Rod kit: Interior bucket, dashboard, grille shell, radiator, windshield, head lights, tail lights and firewall. Revell 1/25th scale ’32 Ford 5-window Coupe: Flame decals used as guide to redrawing AMT flame decals. Revell 1/25th scale ’32 Ford Sedan: Rear seat cut and reshaped. Revell/Monogram ’37 Ford Delivery Van: Rear suspension. Rear axle narrowed to fit. Suspension control arms, front and rear. Brake backing plates, front steering parts. Revell/Monogram ‘30 Ford Sedan: Houdaille vane type “friction” shocks. Revell/Monogram ’40 Ford Pickup: I-beam dropped front axle. Revell ’48 Ford Coupe: Front and rear wheels and tires, steering wheel. Revell Roth Beatnik Bandit: GMC 4-71 Blower Revell/Monogram 1/24th scale ’32 Ford Roadster: Wind wings. Filigree engraving sanded out and polished. Revell Parts Pak Ford 427 V8: Headers AMT Parts used: Cycle fenders from original AMT ’32 Ford Roadster kit, chain drive for supercharger from AMT ‘39/’40 Ford sedan kit, DeSoto Hemi valve covers from AMT '53 Ford pickup kit, chromed wheel discs from AMT Double Dragster kit. Aftermarket parts: 3D printed Stromberg 97 carburetors from Maple Leaf Model Works (see: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/maple-leaf-modelworks?section=1%2F25+Hot+Rod+Parts&s=0 ), Photoetch 7 gauge dashboard courtesy of Replicas & Miniatures Co. of Maryland. Scratch built parts: Carburetor stacks, headlight mounts, miscellaneous chassis fittings, rear rolled pan. Thanx for lookin’, B.

This will be the final update. Everything’s done except for the final “beauty shots” photography. My biggest concern was the windshield area, in particular the wind wings. As mentioned earlier, the wind wings were cut out from a Revellogram 1/24th scale ’32 Ford Roadster kit. The version I had parts from had filigreed engraving in the corners of the wind wings which had to be sanded out and then polished. Then I trimmed away the main windshield glass being careful to preserve the mounting brackets which I reshaped to fit the full height windshield from a Revell ’32 Ford Highboy Roadster (1/25th scale) kit. The brackets were finished out in Molotow chrome. Then the wind wings were epoxied to the windshield frame. As it turned out everything went off with minimum drama – much to my relief… The wheel covers from an AMT Double Dragster kit were a perfect fit to the Revell ’48 Ford steelies so no dramas there, either. Phew! Below is the final summary composite shot, showing some close-up details of the rear roll pan area, the wind wings, the final front view featuring the front fenders, motor and chrome wheel discs, and an interior shot showing the full width photo-etch dashboard from Replicas & Miniatures Co. of Maryland. The next post will be Under Glass. Thanx to all who followed along, B.

Thanx Bob! I’ve just about got this project wrapped up. I got the body mounted to the chassis, the wheels and tires glued in place and the grill and headlights installed. I made simple tubular headlight mounts from Plastruct .020 butyl covered wire and mounted the small King Bee style headlights that come in all the 1/25th Revell Deuce hot rod kits. The model is starting to drift slightly from the box art. Almost all of this is being imposed on me by the realities of using the Revellogram kits. For example the headlights are mounted much lower than in the illustration, but mounting them up high would look odd using the small headlamps so I chose a lower, better proportioned mount. You might notice that I didn’t use a stock style firewall either, despite calling it out in the introductory post. It turned out that the only way to get the Revell Hemi from the 5-window Deuce kit properly mounted required using the inset firewall that comes in all the 1/25th Revell Deuce kits. But some of the most critical details still remain including mounting the front fenders, the windshield and the wind wings, and the shiny chromed Moon-style wheel discs, all important components of the box art. Below is a summary composite photo of the recent work. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks for the input so far. John, all my all-metal handles like your recently purchased Excel have that problem, either when new or over time. Peter, the Fiskars looks nice, similar in approach to the soft handled Excel, with the hexagonal knurled knob at the ton for tightening and to keep the knife from rolling. It's definitely on my short list now, since it's an opportunity to get a non-Excel, although the handle color geature is a nice touch. Keep your comments coming! The more options to consider the better!

I just had my favorite hobby blade handle wear out. It was an Excel soft grip. The soft plastic just above the blade jaws starting giving out about a year ago and finally split so that the handle no longer holds my blades reliably. There was a lot I liked about it and I can't complain since it lasted almost 10 years. The various aluminum blade handles with the knurled tightening portion just above the jaws never held the blade as surely as the Excel, but the way the handle was designed it was just a matter of (a very long) time before it wore out. I wondering if there are other handles out there that I might consider. I can't think of a more important or basic tool on my workbench so cost, within reason, is not my primary consideration.

This is a brief update but actually reflects a fair amount of work, mainly on the chassis, and the final fit of the main body to it. The chassis is now complete. IU decided that the undercarriage should resemble the AMT kit as much as possible. I deleted the modern hot rod front and rear suspension setups from the Revell kits. The rear suspension is adapted from Revellogram ’37 Ford Truck and Delivery Van kits including the rear cross member, transverse rear spring, and rear axle. The rear axle was narrowed to fit the ’32 Ford body width. The front suspension is based on a Monogram ’40 Ford pickup dropped front axle and spring. As on the AMT kit, the front and rear shocks are Houdaille van type (so-called “friction shocks” but actually hydraulics). They are out of Revellogram ’30 Ford Sedan kit. Both sets of control arms, front and rear, are sourced from a Revellogram ’37 Ford Delivery Van, but swapped so that the rear set is mounted at the front and vice versa in order to fit the dimensions of the ’32 Ford frame. The steering is a combination of the Revell ’32 Ford steering box and some fabricated bits. The taillights are the ovoid ’48 Ford pieces from the various Revell Deuces, thinned down for a more realistic appearance. The license plate frame is the kit piece from the Rat Roaster kit to match the Rat Roaster rear panel. I also began work on some of the more challenging small details. I am adapting the wind wings from a Revellogram 1/24th scale ’32 Ford Roadster kit. They come with etched floral patterns on them and I was able to sand and polish them out. They will be adapted to a Revell 1/25th scale Deuce Roadster windshield frame which, like the AMT version, will remain stock height. I will also fabricate tubular headlight mounts for the small Revell Deuce headlamps. Below is a summary composite picture, showing the completed body and interior mounted to the frame with the wheels mocked up in place and a view of the completed undercarriage. Thanx for lookin’ B.

The execution of this wonderfully imaginative idea is so well done that it stands up handsomely to the merciless close-up photography you've provided. All the better to enjoy the meticulously correct detail work you put in it. It's totally believable in every way, somewhere between what Bill Devin and Jim Kellison would have created had they collaborated on a race-worthy successor to the Devin SS, and the last-gasp success of the Chaparral Mk I in its final year as it it did battle with the rear-engined lightweights, all scoops, flaps and air dams. Suddenly it's 1963!

Thanks Dave! That's Duplicolor EBGM05337 Bahama Blue Metallic lacquer over white primer. It's looks a little saturated in the most recent picture. The earlier photo without the decals is a closer approximation. Once its cleared, though, the decals should really pop!

Thanks guys! I’ve got 4 modeling projects going at once right now, two of which required custom-printed decals. The decals arrived yesterday and it was time to apply them to The Deuce (that’s the name AMT gave this model on the box of the first release). They came out very nicely indeed and the fit was exactly as I intended, allowing not only for the different proportions of the Revell body (vs. the AMT original) but also the oversized and distorted artists’ impression of the kit decals as represented on the on the box art. While waiting for the decals much of additional work required got done. The chassis is near completion and will be the subject of the next update. In order to finalize the chassis modifications I had to complete the motor as well. As mentioned earlier it’s the Hemi from the Revell ’32 Ford 5-window. The GMC 4-71 blower is from the Revell Roth Beatnik Bandit. The super-detailed Stromberg 97’s are 3D printed pieces from Maple Lead Modelworks and can be found here: https://www.shapeways.com/product/BFYHQDNSX/1-25-6-pack-stromberg-97-carburetors?optionId=63101329 . The carb stacks are styrene tubing finished with Molotow chrome. The period correct chain drive is one of the few AMT parts I’ll be using and comes from a ‘39/’40 Ford Tudor kit. The interior got finished out, too, and is ready to slip into the body. Assuming the chassis mods go OK I’m pretty much ready for final assembly. Shouldn’t be too long now… Thanx for lookin’ B.

Zowie! That interior came out great - well worth all the effort you obviously put into it. Despite the inherent "rightness" of the concept itself, I think the interior is what will make the model since it, as much as anything sells the realism theme. By your standards this a "quick build". You certainly know where to place the emphasis You should have fine time tomorrow showing the results!

I saw this in the recent newsletter you sent out and I was impressed not only by the quality of the result, but also the rigor and discipline involved in getting so many of the details right. Quite the replica build! And the Gloy Lo-Boy is perhaps my favorite car from Roy Brizio's shop. The proportions and inherent sophistication are just staggering. You can see Tom Gloy's influence as a road racer and it exploits everything that Brizio does so well. If anyone can do it justice you're the man!

Like many of us, I’m certain, I often get inspired by the articles and photographs in The Rodder’s Journal for my hot rod projects. Last year I built a jet black open-wheeled ’32 Ford Tudor inspired by a feature article about George Poteet’s 2017 Street Rod of the Year winning car. While not identical, since I seem to be congenitally incapable of building true replicas, it came close. The closing 2-page spread, the traditional panel with all the detailed specs, showed the car paired alongside a stunningly handsome unchopped, full-fendered Tudor belonging to John Kokoska. It looked virtually stock excepted for some striking big ‘n’ littles based on ’37 Ford truck “artillery” wheels and a tasteful rubber rake. Even as I was building that first Tudor I already knew I would have to build a companion full-fendered version. Inspired by the Kokoska car, I’ve made some changes. Most obvious is the two-tone maroon (Tamiya TS-11 over Duplicolor Bright Red) and black (Duplicolor Universal Black) paint scheme. Also, perhaps less obvious, is a mild 2 ½” top-chop. The wheels and front tires are from a Revellogram ’37 Ford Delivery Van and the rear tires are my go-to traditional rod rears, Herb Deeks bias ply truck tires. Most of the rest of the car is straight out of the box Revell ’32 Ford Tudor. The small block Ford V8 gets the same hop-up I did on my Poteet-inspired rod, a Cobra-Jet 3-carb setup courtesy of BNL resin. The front suspension was lowered by removing 3 leaves from the front spring, and the rear suspension lowered a like amount, so that the rake on the car will be due to the difference between the tire diameters, like on the Kokoska car. This is a relatively simple project, although the wheel and tire swap combined with the full fenders and the lowered suspension has required a surprisingly lengthy process of fettling to get things fitting right. This w.i.p. would be very brief since I’m ready for glass, foil and final assembly. But, while I’m waiting for some custom decals for a couple of other projects this seemed like a proper candidate for some bench time. Thanx for lookin’, B. Last year’s Poteet inspired fenderless Tudor: The John Kokoska full-fendered Tudor in TRJ: My progress so far:

One of the most original subjects for a Box Art Build I've seen in a while. Surprisingly straightforward once you crack the code. I'm your sure you'll do it more than justice. Looking forward to seeing more, more, more...

A competitor to Porsche in the immediate postwar years until up to around 1960 was Denzel, a VW based sports car with a similar approach to bodywork.

While I build an awful lot of hot rods I have built precious few T's. Here they are... 25T Altered 25 T-Bucket 27T HighBoy 27T LoBoy