Bernard Kron

Now that's a breakthrough. Excellent draftsmanship while progressing within your already established style. Bravo!

Here's a link to Tim Boyd's classic step-by-step article on chopping the AMT '49 Mercury. Should be everything you'll need to know... http://www.cjhilton.com/models/chop.htm or http://cs.scaleautomag.com/sca/general_discussion/f/3/t/64000.aspx A simplified set of steps from an acknowledged master of scale styrene traditional customs, Steve Boutte, as shown on Custom Car Chronicles: http://www.customcarchronicle.com/forums/topic/1949-mercury-in-scale/

The Pontiac Club de Mer always looked like a race car to me and I’ve wanted to do one in that manner for a long time. Thanks to Curt Raitz I was able to score one at last year’s NNL West and I finally sat down the other night and did the basic work needed to do the conversion. The Club de Mer always had race genes in it, clearly being influenced by European sports cars of the period, especially the Pininfarina Disco Volante series of Alfa Romeos which eventually became the classic and long-running Alfa Romeo Duetto production sports car. Here’s photographic evidence of the race car influence from the pages of Mechanix Illustrated at the time the Club de Mer was first shown: One of the interesting things about the Club de Mer is the fact that Pontiac did everything they could to make the car as low and sleek as possible, even going so far as using smaller 14-inch wheels and tires. Unfortunately the result was a car that looked great all by itself but somewhat awkward with real humans sitting in it. This is especially true in the Revell version if you use the included figurines, but even the relatively petite model in the original publicity shots back in ’56 stuck quite a ways out of the bodywork. The original Bonneville Pontiac was a dream car from 1953 called the Bonneville Special, unfortunately not exactly the best work come out of their styling studios. My concept was to do a kind of Bonneville Special II or Club Bonneville, as if Pontiac pulled a mold of the Club de Mer bodywork to use for a record run on the salt flats with a real streamlined race car. Perhaps they might even have tried their hand at road racing the way Chevy did in ’57 with the Corvette SS. Here’s the original Bonneville Special from ’53, a much larger and ungainly car: As Pontiac would have done at the time, I’ll try to maintain as many of the Club de Mer styling cues as I can while still remaining true to the race car concept. The first order of business was to set the driver’s seating position further back so he didn’t sit upright in the wind like he does in the show car. Next was to build a metal tonneau cover, kind of D-type Jaguar style, over the passenger area. The dorsal fin was retained but removed from the center of the rear deck and incorporated in the headrest, again reminiscent of the D-Type which doubtless would have been an influence at the time. All the busy chrome trim was filled in to smooth the surfaces, and the wheels and tires swapped for period Halibrand 15-inch mags and Firestone tires. The paint job will be a period American racing colors white and blue scheme, either white with blue stripes where the chrome trim once was, as Briggs Cunningham did, or the inverse, in which case the car will be metallic blue with white stripes. This is where I’m at so far. All the basic conversion work has been done as sort of a proof of concept. In one of the pictures below I included a driver figurine to make sure he sat down in the cockpit properly. Any blue plastic you see is from the revel kit, while anything white is part on the conversion, mainly copious amount of styrene strip and sheet although Halibrands are courtesy of Replicas & Miniatures Co. of Maryland. Like the original Revell kit, this will be a curbside. If I went full detail I would be still building it late next year! That’s a battle I save for another project! For the moment there’s plenty of sanding and filling to do before I can tackle the paint. Thanx for Lookin’, B.

Alonso and Hamilton have 9 years of F1 together since their blowup at McLaren. They seem to have the maturity and self confidence to get along now. So it is possible... However, there has been a further interview with Toto Wolff. After the Sky interview quoted above he talked with the German news agency DPA and further clarified the situation as it stands right now (courtesy of Motorsport.com): Toto Wolff is very sensitive to the whole issue of poaching drivers. This year's poacher may be next year's victim and the potential for an escalating price war is very real. The simple solution is Wehrlein if it weren't for his lack of convincing experience. My point earlier about the value of a bona fide first rank driver when it comes to data collection and car development is clearly referred to by Wolff in this interview. I'm sure this is a view shared by Hamilton, Lauda and McLaren design chief Paddy Lowe as well. Wehrlein is quite likely not ready for prime time and moving him to a top team too early might ruin both a promising career and Mercedes' championship chances. Valterri Bottas' name is quietly emerging in all this as well. He would be a good compromise so it may be a question of money and where to put Wehrlein. We'll see... In the meantime here's a wild card I haven't seen - the situation gets so bad that Rosberg finally cracks and agrees to one more year at Mercedes. I'm certain this would be Lauda's preference and quite likely Hamilton's as well. Lauda has referred to Rosberg as having "broken his contract". Unfortunately it would be a real negative for Wolff who has been a vocal supporter of Rosberg's decision all along.

I just spent the past few weeks finally cleaning up my work room where I build my models. The entire floor was covered with boxes of kits from my last few projects and I could barely get around. Now that it's all cleaned up and ship-shape, it's time to think about setting up an airbrushing area. I have wanted to airbrush for many years. I'm convinced it will permit me to dramatically improve my overall paint quality, improve accuracy and control, and allow paint techniques impossible with rattle cans. I was even given a couple of airbrushes and went so far as to buy a compressor. But I never got to it because there is no obvious place in our home to do it. Finally, with this clean-up I had a window exposed through which I could vent the spray. But it turns out it may be permanently painted shut! I've noticed that airbrushing has very little overspray. Is it possible to spray without venting to the outdoors? Are the spray booths that come with filters adequate for this purpose? Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanx, B.

Yes it still is a bitchin' little model after all these years. Betcha Ed thought so too!

I noticed that everyone, even Niki Lauda, as pissed of as he is, has voiced nothing but respect for Rosberg's choice. He may be faulted for the suddenness of his decision, but in a game of inches and instinct, where injury and death are never far away, it's probably the right call. I can't help but think that it must have shaken Lewis' to his very core. They have known each other since childhood and for Lewis, for now, there is no question that he must continue to race, .... and to win! To choose otherwise, especially in the sudden manner that Nico did, had to have been a tremendous shock.

Lots of interesting things about this situation. Obviously Mercedes has zero time to get this sorted out. As Toto Wolff pointed out in an interview, they need to settle on a strategy, screen available drivers, pick one and train him on working at Mercedes, the team culture, and get him on the simulator all before the end of the year (less that 4 weeks...., Yikes!). Niki Lauda has admitted to being very pissed off at the situation, although I doubt that that'll last very long. Lauda is a great one for working under pressure. It already looks like Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso have been eliminated per Wolff, and Max Verstappen can safely be struck off any list of prime drivers since he's under contract to Red Bull and is the biggest prize catch of their driver development system since Daniel Ricciardo. Which leaves the fast "B" drivers like Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg, or the young new crop like Carlos Sainz,Jr., Lance Stroll, Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon. Of the "B" drivers, Hulkenberg is probably off the list since he quit a Mercedes client team (Force India) to go to a factory team (Renault). Bottas is also at a Mercedes client team (Williams) and Wolff has admitted it would be hugely disruptive to poach a rival team's "A" driver in December, just as testing and development heat up. I would think the same would apply to Perez at Force India. Which leaves the young up and comers. Sainz is a Red Bull driver development system product and so least likely to be picked. Lance Stroll will want the influence and control his family's money apparently has brought him at Williams and is an unknown in Formula 1. Which leaves the two Mercedes driver development system pilots, Wehrlein and Ocon. Ocon has never raced in F1 even though he landed the second seat at Force India. He's highly rated nonetheless. But he was probably placed there through Mercedes influence and it might be difficult (and expensive) to yank him from Force India. Ocon was the surprise pick over Wehrlein, many felt unfairly. The simple choice would be Wehrlein but his performance at Manor Racing in his rookie year has been mixed at best. He was fast and impressive at times, driving what is clearly an outmoded and underfunded car. But at other times he seemed more pedestrian and it's unclear if this is down to the car or him. He would be a clear #2 at Mercedes but how useful would he be in developing a new car? Frankly, is he fast enough to push the car to the limit? This was Nico Rosberg's clear advantage from the beginning and, ignoring the manufacturer's points he earned them, and ultimately the huge publicity of his rivalry with Lewis Hamilton, the data he generated pushing the cars to the absolute maximum will be sorely missed. Which brings us to Lewis Hamilton himself. Little noticed or commented upon is that in his time in F1 Hamilton has never had any but the very best drivers as team mates. As I mentioned, this means he has had the benefit of the very best input on car development. While it may seem obvious that a driver would wish to be a clear #1 it has its downsides as well. Hamilton has said he will "respect any driver who wants to be my teammate" (LOL) and that may be the most perceptive thing anyone has said about the whole situation. You could say that the pressure of being Hamilton's teammate drove Alonso from McLaren and Rosberg into retirement! But they were ultimately both world champions. How would Hamilton respond to having anything less on the other side of the garage?

Really exceptional, James. It may not seem perfect to you, but it's refreshingly original, a unique blend of the old and the new. I especially like the innovative asymmetric panel paint job. It's based on traditional show rod details but it is completely your own in its approach. The low key rolling stock also goes well with the cream and autumn colored scheme. Nice one!

Simple and stylish. Great to see your fine builds back on the forums again!

Well put Rob.

Here my thoughts on rising kit prices. First off I have noticed lately that prices are continuing to rise sharply, something that became more apparent within the past year or so. As an example, several Round2 kits from the initial wave of releases after they acquired the AMT-related brands have been dramatically re-priced - for example some of the basic stocker kits like the '55 Chevy Nomad, which initially were on retailer's shelves in the very high 'teens are now in stock in the mid-20's. Virtually any first-time release from Round2 now is priced significantly over $25.00, and quite often in the $27 -$29.95 range. For this type of kit the current "problem" will probably be who has the guts to put it on their shelves with a "3" handle... The demographic for the modeling hobby, whether it's trains, planes, ships or cars, long ago ceased to be a child's hobby. Indeed vehicles themselves are of far less interest to young people than they were in the immediate post Depression/WWII era. People forgot a long time ago what a dramatic change in standards of living the post-war era brought and how relatively rich with purchasing power families felt in the 1945-1975 period. In real terms toys, including model kits, were cheap and as children Baby Boomers' indulged accordingly. Today, most models are targeted to adults and the hobby is smaller and more expensive, even adjusted for the huge inflation of recent decades. The impact of this is that the cheap kits that many bought as children and threw together are, even with the spending power of adults, now far more carefully considered purchases. For me it's beginning to feel like it may actually impact my build style. I have been an almost pure kit basher my whole modeling life. I virtually never have built a replica or showroom stock model. And I can probably count the number of Out-Of-The-Box builds on the fingers of one hand. But this may be changing because it is becoming harder to justify buying pure Parts Kits. As a result I've purchased some models recently to build largely from the kit with few modifications. And where I might have broken up a kit in the past for some detail parts I find myself doing far more fabrication when I can to avoid doing so. Another impact of rising prices is that I'm far more sensitive to how close to my desires a particular new kit is in stock form. For example, the recent Revell '29-'30 Ford roadster/coupe kits, excellent parts kits by most measures, were deeply flawed from my perspective, requiring dramatic changes to chassis, stance and even motors, to get them to where I personally wanted them. In the past this would have been no big deal and I would have purchased them purely for their tires, wheels, interior bits, the idiosyncratic Nailhead (of limited use except to make a particular statement) in the roadster, etc. But at nearly $30.00 I find myself wondering if I wouldn't be better off starting with an older AMT or Monogram kit already in my stash. And as others have pointed out, the higher prices have had the unexpected, and perhaps perverse, effect of making the aftermarket suppliers more attractive... It's possible that this is only a passing phase and that time and circumstance will make kits appear to be cheap once again. But for the moment I believe modelers will be far more choosy about the kits they buy and of how they buy them.

Thanx Gator. Glad you like it!

Superb. You're from Colorado and you've captured it in your basement. Besides the impressive fabrication and realism, I especially enjoy your choice of backgrounds photos and how well they're integrated into the 3-dimensional stuff. Terrific!

Thanks Randy. Likewise, as you know. Looking forward to seeing more on your Tipo 51!

I'll follow this with interest. I recently bought the AMT release of this kit to build in the not to distant future. I'm enjoying your thorough approach to body prep and look forward to seeing your approach to the kit's motor and interior details.

Everything about this is just stunning. Panel fit is crisp and precise, the paint work is immaculate and the subject matter well researched* and executed with just the right amount of detail to be believable. Bravo! Truly exceptional. *Most pics of this car are of the Dark Horse 2, the blown version. Finding references for the injected version mustn't of been easy...

Glad to see this back. As mentioned above, I'm carefully following along to liberally steal some excellent construction concepts, as evidenced here in your latest post!

It's already November and we haven't had the pleasure of your return. Hope this project makes it all the way back. I have my space frame Deuce project barely mocked up so I shouldn't talk, but boy would I love to be inspired by your great work!

This build got buried in the no-man's-land that's Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial. No rust or outrageous powerplant, but it's bare metal and aggressive and in some corner's has been termed a rat rod, so I thought I'd post my most recent completion here, The w.i.p., can be found here: '34 Ford Pickup Lo-Boy Hot Rod . The completed build with more pics, here: '34 Ford Bare Metal Bobber . '34 Ford Bare Metal bobber:

That suspension bracketry shows your working to the same rigor and detail, using very much the same techniques, as the Olivê Sans example, except, as I said, yours is in 1/24th rather than 1/10th! We are all inspired by this project. Can't wait to see more, more, more...! BTW, another master from this era (the late 50's forward) was an Italian modeler named Michel Conti*. Like Olivê Sans he worked in large scale and was a professional, selling his models to wealthy collectors. His subjects were typically the contemporary racing and GT cars of his era. His detail is nearly as thorough as Olivê Sans. He is survived by his son Maurizio who carries on the family business. Below are some links - no pictures this time since we are all firmly focused on your wonderful model! *The third of the Big Three professionals of that period was of course Gerald Wingrove. Conticollector.com - History and appreciation of the Conti models. World Collector Conti Web Pages - British business re-selling collector's models where Conti models are offered.

Thanks, Tom! The ghost cutaways are always fun to do, 'though not always possible. It depends on the type of car and whether I can photograph it in fairly complete form before I glue it all together. Hot rods and races cars are the most straightforward. Vince, I hope you get a "quote" notice 'cause you know I couldn't have done it without you! Sorry I didn't acknowledge earlier....

Thanks to you both! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Bill, I certainly was trying to create an aggressive look so I'm glad it came across. Sometimes our intentions in building these things don't quite make it to the final product... Regarding the bare metal finish, there's really not much to it. The Kosutte Ginsang product is very strong and immediate in effect and seems to "metalize" just about any finish you put it on, even clear plastic. It's not very subtle and, if you make a second application it begins to darken and cover anything underneath it - the red stripe that I had put around the beltline immediately began to disappear on the first coat so I had to apply second coat in that area to disappear it completely. As you can it covers pretty thoroughly. On the other hand I find it does a very poor job of simulating chrome and long ago gave up considering it for that purpose.

Wow, Phil, you are really in your element with this project. I know the special regard you have for all things Gurney and it shows in this one. It will be a stunner when you are done. And thanx for the first-rate detail photography to take us all along for the ride. What a treat!

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone. I was going for that hot-rod vibe so I think switching to the bare-metal look (I had started with a plain silver gloss paint job with a red accent stripe around the belt line) was the way to go. This was super-fun to do, although my hobby room looks like a bomb hit it right now with all the half-open boxes spread around! It's definitely clean-up time before I start my next project!