Bernard Kron

Thanks guys! The basic bodywork and base coats for the paint are completed now. The nose piece has mounting tabs which are just visible in the pictures below. They align the rear section with the frame. The paint job consists of grey primer followed by Duplicolor MS200 Metal Specks Silver which is a coarse metalflake-like silver lacquer paint. It leaves a slightly rough texture but I didn’t want to sand out the flake so I followed up with four coats of Duplicolor Clear lacquer to smooth things out. Then I shot 2 coats of Tamiya TS-73 Clear Orange which creates a deep gold undercoat. This will be followed by a masking job to create gold scallops and stripes, although at this point the final design is still up in the air. Then a final color layer of two coats of Tamiya TS-74 Clear Red to make a candy red metalflake will be applied. I’ll have some gold decals printed once I come up with a final graphics design and car name. These will go on along with various trade decals and then the whole thing will be sealed under multiple coats of clear and rubbed out. Below is a composite showing the Metal Specks Silver and gold metalflake base coats along with an inset showing what the final body color will be. The motor is completed and the chassis is waiting for the bodywork to be done before I can work on mounting brackets, the front wing, etc. I still need to do something about getting a set of true wire wheels, too. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Thanks for all the answers! It seemed like such a basic question but it really needed to be answered, especially after going to the trouble of laying down and polishing out a good quality paint job. I landed up using most of the techniques you all suggested. Soaking the body in soapy water goes a long way towards softening and floating away the bulk of the residue. Then most of what little is left can be removed using a soft used tooth brush, followed by careful work with a toothpick. I did notice, however, that to really get the panel lines "tight", clean and sharp you should probably prep them by deepening them before applying paint. I noticed that the plastic in the grooves can be irregular in depth and would benefit to some evening out with the back of a #11 right at the start. Anyway the result of your advice worked out just fine. Thanks again! B.

I can only agree. And I've always been tempted to get one of these kits because they seem so "on the money" regarding detail and proportion. Built to this level makes it all the more impressive.

Thanks Dann! Here's a link to the Under Glass thread for more angles:

Nice!

Thanks Dann. It is done! LOL... This is the Under Glass thread. Or did you mean the technique, perhaps on a whole body? Like this:

This is part 2 of a question I originally posted in October of last year: I've been getting great results using Tamiya Polishing compounds but now I have a new problem. The polish gets stuck in the panel lines on the model and is very difficult and laborious to get rid of. I've tried scraping with a back of a #11 blade, picking it out with a sharp tooth pick, etc. Is there a way to wash or dissolve it out that you have found successful? Any recommendations will be appreciated. Thanx, B.

Thanks again for the additional kind comments. Getting plastic to look like metal, painted, rusted or bare, is something I work at. It didn't occur to me at the time, but it does look like a weathered metal toy car. Below is a picture of the bellypan, which uses a technique I developed to imitate bare steel. The base finish is simply Duplicolor Silver Metallic (any standard glossy medium colored silver paint, like Tamiya TS83 Metallic Silver , will do). The transformation occurs when you rub a metalizer powder like Kosutte Gin Sang over it. Below is a picture, and here's a link to the post I did about the technique:

Go to the home page: https://thesalesshack.net/ Click on Shop at the top of the page which should take you here: https://thesalesshack.net/shop?olsPage=products This should be the View All Products view which currently goes on for 86 pages. Below on the left is a list of several sub-category filters allowing you to filter by make of car or kit manufacturer, etc. I generally use their search box at the top of the page and search on the appropriate text, i.e. Revell 32 Ford Coupe, etc. What I described above works for me. I'm using a 1600 x 900 dpi monitor and the first 3 product images show on the page (right now Tamiya paint stand set new in box, Men’s XL Model Hut T-Shirt, and 1969 Ford F100 Factory Sealed sorted by Most popular, which appears to be the default). If you can't see what I described I suspect it has to do with the type of computing device (cell phone, tablet, laptop, etc.) and the browser your using and specific settings you have.

Yes. After changing hands and paint jobs several times it landed up in Atlanta Georgia in 1971. The owner since then put it up for sale at the end of 2017, asking $765K. It had been thoroughly restored and refreshed several times in between, shown at Amelia Island in 2009 and last repainted under Dean Jeffrie's supervision in 2011. Here's a link to the sale page, Jeffries Kustom Karrera For Sale 2017 and below a picture from that page:

In the beginning there was Jeff...

Summer is here at last in the Pacific Northwest and my work rate at the bench is suffering, I’m afraid. Still, progress is being made on all fronts. The motor is largely done. It’s a 392 Chrysler Hemi from an AMT Piranha kit with various detail parts such as the fuel pump and Cirello “Frankenstein “ magneto from an AMT Too Much kit. The headers are from the Ramchargers kit. The drive pulleys are courtesy of Speed City Resin. They make a Funny Car Parts Pack that’s full of highly detailed engine goodies including these pulleys. They also make a toothed rubber Gilmer belt that will go on the motor. I was going to use their Scott Super Slot Injector as well. It’s very finely made and, like all their parts, absolutely top shelf. But I preferred the slightly different shape of a Super Slot from Altered States Models which I had used on an earlier digger build so I stole it off that motor and will used the Speed City injector as its replacement. Finished on all the parts are the usual assortment of Testors Metalizers with the ribs of the blower casing picked out in Molotow Chrome to simulate polished aluminum. I’ve started on the body work which is turning out to be quite extensive. First off I had to extend the side panels of the nose piece to meet up with the firewall. I’ll probably land up filling the seam where the additional styrene piece meets up with the resin. But the real work comes as a result of the decision to make a flip-top rood panel and fill the rear of the cab with a window panel. The whole thing is done so the back of the roll cage will just barely pop out through the window opening when the body is properly located. I made styrene panels which had to be built up to match the thickness of the resin. It’s based on the restored Cacklefest version of the Flamin’ Frank Pedregon Fiat which, unlike most of the original versions, has a fully covered cab. It’s very smooth and sinister looking so I took the bait and went for it. Below is a (very) rough set of workbench photos. There’s a great deal of sanding and shaping and filling to do to get the body ready for paint. Then there’s the question of a show-worthy paint and decal scheme. So this project will extend into the cooler weather of fall. Thanx for lookin’, B. The modern version of the Flamin’ Frank Pedregon Fiat:

Yes! Preferably in 1/24th - 1/25th if the print resolution will stand it.

Ah so! I've been seriously considering those Monogram rod kits as parts kits. They're so rich in nice detail parts and capture the era so perfectly. I converted a set of the wires from the Revell '32 Ford Sedan kit to fit old school narrow tires and i agree, it's no picnic! It bewilders me that it took so many years for the only active American hot rod model company (Revell USA - r.i.p.) to stop fudging it's traditional wheels to fit its billet era tires. Grrrr.... And then, just as they started to get it right, the went bankrupt! Grrrrrrr...... x 2!!

I can't believe I''ve participated in this thread but I never actually posted any of my several '29s that I've done. So here goes... First off, the one and only Revell '29 I ever did. Perhaps it will be the last?... (I hope not!) I tried to correct the mile high stance of the kit channeled version and go with a more traditional look while using as much of the kit as possible. From the AMT kit, Race of Gentlemen style roadster for this year's NNL West: Early 50's style 6-banger powered drag roadster (from the AMT kit):

Nice builds, both of them! Alan, what's the source of the rear tires? The flathead, AMT wires and the choice of rubber, along with the black paint, give it a classic look that's a nice alternative to the direction Revell chose.

As Peteski indicated, Fernando Pinto also sells via eBay and his wheels are hand laced true wires, not photo-etch. He sells them paired with appropriate tires and with the the correct pattern and spoke count for each style. His eBay seller name is crazycar19. His eBay page is the best way I've found to see all the various models he currently has on offer and to see the different style of wire wheels he has developed. Here's a link to his ebay page: Fernando Pinto Model eBay Seller Page If you prefer you can purchase directly from Fernando Pinto, which is what I landed up doing. He can be reached directly at this email address: fppmodels@gmail.com Last year I built an AMT Ferrari 250GT Berlinetta SWB which comes with dreadful plastic wires and ugly 70's style tires. In researching a substitute for them I found that the most logical choice, the Fujimi aftermarket photoetch set, Fujimi Dup12 110172 1/24 Scale Detail up Series, could be had from Japan for around $34.00-$48.00 a set including shipping (see this for current eBay prices: Fujimi Dup12 110172 1/24 scale Detail Up Series . This didn't include tires, of course, and they are generic, rather than specific for the type of car you're building. I contacted Fernando and told him what I needed and he selected the appropriate set, including tires. Total cost was $62.00 USD including shipping and took just less than 2 weeks. While this is serious money for an aftermarket part, I felt, given my options, and that they were ready to mount on receipt, that it was well worth the price. Here's what they looked like, in closeup and on the car:

Thanks everyone! Resin bodies come in different flavors. Some are meticulously conceived transkits, designed to provide an alternate body design for an existing model kit. There even complete stand-alone kits, the best of which rival or even exceed the quality of the finest plastic kits. Then there are bodies which are not specifically designed to be adapted to a specific kit, and indeed may be purposely aimed at the scratch builders and kit bashers among us. This Fiat Competition coupe by Fremont Racing is from this last variety. It’s very nicely cast from relatively thin and smooth white resin, but exactly which chassis it’s designed for is not indicated. It doesn’t come with instructions! And to make things more confusing, it can be had with 2 different length noses depending on which chassis you might be using. Originally I just bought the body, thinking I would adapt a nose piece from my stash. But then I saw the design of the shorter Fremont Resins nose. I liked its shape and got myself one. But before I embarked on any body adaptation work I need to figure out what chassis I would use. I asked Joe Curtis at Fremont and he told me that he had 2 chassis in mind when he did this body, and has built models with both. These are the long wheelbase AMT chassis that can be found in kits like the Tommy Ivo FED, Don Garlits Wynn’s Charger, and Too Much, and the shorter wheelbase MPC chassis found in the Ramchargers FED and the recently re-released Jawbreaker kit. Checking the body against both chassis I found that the distance between the firewall and the rear axle centerline on the Ramchargers chassis is an exact fit. Since this is just about my favorite kit FED chassis, with its radically low legs-under stance I went with it and ordered that slick looking short nose. But there are a few of adjustments that needed to be made. First of the one piece wheel well assembly (A in the picture below) is slightly too narrow for the chassis and I had to cut it up. Fitting the wheel well pieces to the cutouts in the body sides revealed that they are slightly undersized and leave gaps o the sides. (See C below). I decided to align them with the tops of the arches on the bottoms of the window openings. I made panels that fit the body sides so that there would be plenty of glue area for a firm fit. (B below). The result is shown in D below. The firewall need a slight arched relief to match the Ramchargers firewall and, as the lower two images show, once the nose is fitted to the chassis and aligned with the front end it’s clear that I’ll have to extend the side panels rearward a bit. As I said, I’m using the Ramchargers chassis. It’s largely stock except that I’ve never been fond of the somewhat narrow front axle so I adapted the pretty the pretty little tubular piece from the dragster half of the Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster kit. I’m also using the slick looking American Racing 5 spokes mags from the Tony Nancy kit, mated to the wheel backs from the Ramchargers kit. I left the wheels plated for a polished mag look since this will be a show car, and I “chromed” the back halves with my trusty Molotow pen. The tires are from a recent AMT parts pack. The mockup below uses the Ramchargers kit front wheels and tires but I hope to be able to use true wires on the completed build. Next up is building a blown 392 Chrysler Hemi and starting on the bodywork and paint. Thanx for lookin’, B.

Nice! A huge labor saver with a handsome result. It looks like one of his better castings, too.

I hope you have a swing at another one. I went to Flintstone's site. He only offers a chopped '50 Chevy Cab. Did you have him cast the full body set?

Lovely bodywork, stance and proportions. The wheel/tire combo works just right. IMHO, you should do another one the same way but with a high-finish show paint job and more visible/contrasted interior. The rusty finish somewhat undersells the beauty of this model.

I just got this resin radically chopped Fiat Competition Coupe from Fremont Resins off of eBay. It will be the basis for my entry in the Competition class of the 1st annual Autorama contest over on the TRaK board ending on December 31st. I've already built one Fiat Competition coupe but the body was more moderate than this one. This body is clearly based on the second, more radically chopped version of Pete Millar's (yes, of DragToon's fame) Chicken Coupe which he built using the body from, and the help of, Eddie Potter and his Sudden Death fuel competition coupe. A first look at the body shows a lot needs to be done to get it to where I'll want it. Here's the resin body as I received it (photo from Fremont's eBay listing): One of the things besides the body design that appealed to me was the wheel tubs. Unfortunately they are slightly undersized to the body wheel opening. Also I checked the wheel tub assembly with both of my go-to FED chassis, the 147" wheelbase Ramchargers dragster and the Ivo/Too Much 200"+ wheelbase digger. The Ramchargers chassis is my favorite - I prefer the moderately long wheelbase and the radically low legs-under stance. The Ivo chassis is a little long and lacks the near-perfect proportions of a circa 1964 Fuel FED. Unfortunately the space between the wheel tubs is acrtually too narrow for either chassis. So the wheel tubs will have to be cut apart and the tub sections molded to the coupe body. Also, I plan to fill in a portion of the open top and rear window area. The original Fiat I did, the Terrible Toplino, had many of the features I like in a digger, but, with it's open-chassis front end, it lacks the nose piece that I want to include for a real show car paint job, perhaps in radical boat-flake. Power will be with a blown Hemi with Scott fuel injection like Sudden Death. Eddie Potter's original Sudden Death: The evolved version as Pete Millar's Chicken Coupe with full nose piece: Flamin' Frank Pedregon's (Cruz and Tony's father) coupe was the best looking of them all. If I can achieve these proportions but with a more elaborate paint job, I'll be more than pleased: The Terrible Topolino was based on a shortened Too Much frame with an open chassis front end: The front half and stance will be like this digger I did on the Ramchargers chassis:

Lovely detail on this. And very crisp! I've done several of the AMT '29 in this period style. including at least 2 4-bangers. IMHO it totally shades the recent Revell offering precisely because it does such a good job of delivering the original basis for a '29, an accurate rendition of the stock machine. You really did it justice with this one! Bravo!

The other great, aggressive and outlandish road racer body of the same period as the Devins and Kellison, were the Bocars. Now this I doubt will ever be done in any form, but what a beautiful model it would make. This was another car available with a complete factory chassis. In fact most Bocars were sold that way: There was even a Meister Brauser Bocar (Meister Brauser III) with it's trademark Scarab-style paint job: And even less likely to be kitted, but perhaps someone would be crazy enough to make a body (????) is the final Bocar, the Stilletto, with its long nose to accommodate a Potvin blower (!!!!).

While at least a full kit, or just an aftermarket resin body, of the Devin D or perhaps the Moonbeam for an SS is at least somewhere in the realm of possibility, even if just barely, the incredibly aggressively style Kellison coupe is available in the aftermarket - see T.M. Resin Kellison J4 . It's on my "maybe" list for 2018 - I'll probably buy it and then try to figure out a chassis and interior. TRaK member ChrisV actually owns three of these sweethearts in 1:1!!! They were a popular drag car body as well as a road car: