Bernard Kron

Wonderful silvery tastiness, yum, yum....!

Bob, Thanks for the beautifully written and moving reminder of what this endeavor can mean, hobby or profession or otherwise. It's far more important than piling on the to poor devil whose e-Bay posting happens to have caught our mischievous eyes. Joe Wheelock will no doubt be thrilled by this finely turned out model and the commitment that I'm sure he already knows comes with it.

I made a good deal of progress in what is as pure a parts bin project as I’ve ever done. There will be virtually no trace of a basic kit in this build when it’s completed. For starters I decided that the pickup bed sat too high in relation to the rear tires and needed to be channeled lower over the frame. To do this I cut out the floor, glued some styrene angle strip in place higher up into the bed sides, and then fashioned a new floor from diamond plate styrene sheet stock, which I finished in Testors Metalizer Aluminum Plate. The wheels are wide-5’s from an AMT ’36 Ford Coupe kit, finished in Duplicolor Dark Toreador Red. The front tires are AMT Firestones and the rears are 8” dirk trackers courtesy of Replicas & Miniatures Co. of Maryland The chassis is finished in gloss black. Both the front and rear suspensions have been fabricated and the rear suspension installed. The front suspension is still in pieces and I’ll show it in my next update once I’m sure everything works. The rear suspension is adapted from a Revell ’32 Ford kit, with the various parts trimmed and relocated to fit the modified Monogram ’37 Ford truck frame. The interior will be largely scratch built. The upholstered door panels and rear of the cab are made from styrene corrugated sheet to simulate tuck and roll and finished in Duplicolor Dark Toreador Red. The dashboard, seats and steering wheel are yet to be determined. The motor is a Buick Nailhead cobbled together from various sources. The block and heads are from a Revell Tommy Ivo showboat kit. The stock style valve covers are from a Revell Tony Nancy Double Dragster kit. The transmission, oil pan and accessory drive are repops of the parts from the now very rare Revell Parts Pak Nailhead. They are available as a kit from Replicas & Miniatures Co. of Maryland but they aren’t listed in the catalog – you have to ask for them. The generator, pulleys and fan belt, as well as the carbur6etors, air cleaners and intake manifold are from the AMT ‘39/’40 Ford Fordor kit. So you see, this really is a parts bin special. Besides finishing up the interior, I still need to get the front suspension sorted out, the bodywork painted (probably in some shade of silver), the by-now-standard-procedure-for-me custom decals designed and made, and final assembly. All this fabrication work is throwing up its challenges but things are coming together surprisingly quickly. Fingers crossed that this project continues to flow smoothly… Thanx for lookin’, B.

While researching the color issue I found this image and reference: Here's a link to the page: http://www.zero-paints.com/Mclaren_Orange_Paint_60ml--product--64.html

Below is a relatively "true" rendition (at least on my monitor) of Tamiya Camel Yellow, shot over white primer. While it tends towards the red end of yellows rather than the blue (I.e. orange vs. green), it is most definitely not McLaren Orange, more like the color of the Ayrton Senna era Camel-sponsored Lotus 99T (after which it's no doubt named).

i see the pictures fine, Jon I see the pictures fine, Jon. And MCM isn't a "Big Boy forum". It's a general interest auto modeler's forum for builders of all levels, "thin skinned" or otherwise.

Sinister indeed! I love it's exaggeratedly stylized impact. And you managed to photograph it in such a way that it looks colorized, with the pink highlights contrasting with what would appear to be black & white photos. Awesome!

Agreed Harry! Thanks for all you do.

Harry, the "indignation" as you call it has to do with what I believe was the intent of establishing the category in the first place. Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial implies these vehicles in their intial life as practical transportation, not in the stylized mode of a custom or hot rod. As an example, does the Deora belong here rather that in the more general category? After all it's van or pickup or something, even if it is a radical show vehicle. The "problem" if there is one (and I guess I think there is) has as much to do with a proliferation of categories and my own feeling (which I'm certain is not shared by everyone) that they "shield" us from encountering great modeling wherever it may be on the forum. Your own beautifully turned out models, for example, are "officially" ones I'm not very interested in, since they tend to be from the pre-WWII and even pre-internal combustion eras. But they are available to me in the more general categories and I enjoy them tremendously. I also enjoy heavy trucks and semis. And the non-automotive subjects in the "everything else" section. But I only encounter the heavy trucks and fantasy figurines because my personal solution is to use the New Content filter which reaches across all categories. OK, so that's my solution to the proliferation of categories. But many Forum members rely on Categories as there "first-cut". Indeed, it's why members requested the "Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial" category in the first place, viewing it as a home for like minded builders. But I seriously question whether moving a hot rod build like this one from the general W.I.P. category where hot-rods, so far, still reside, to a category that I would suggest has to do with pickups still functioning in their utilitarian mode (which this poor creature will have lost by the time I'm through...) accomplishes anything constructive. That's my point. The fact is that these specialized categories have far narrower viewership, and indeed are pointedly ignored in many cases by those who have pre-judged their potential interest. It's why members persists in posting their Drag Racing subjects, NASCAR racers, and Bucket-T pickups, etc. in the more general category - in the hopes of reaching more interested members. It could be viewed as selfish, and even egotistical, to do so, and certainly contravenes the strict interpretation of the category titles, but it is the issue U am raising and I believe it needs to be aired out. In a related note, I would observe that MCM is by several orders the most actively used forum for vehicle modelers. It is the premier general interest forum for our hobby. The other main interest forums either have virtually no structure or have so many categories that it is nearly impossible to "guess" where you will find like minded members. Each extreme is so bad that it makes it very difficult, either by accident or through guidance, to encounter great modeling. It shows in the declining frequency of posts on these sites in recent years. Overall, MCM gets the balance far more right than anyone and it shows in the vibrant life it enjoys, thanks in no small part to the hard work and commitment of its moderators. While I may believe that we should establish subject categories with moderation, if at all, these are more in the way of details than a criticism of the group in its entirety.

Yes I have, more than once. Although I think it happens less with drag cars for some reason that hot-rod or rat rod style pickups. That just happened to me again with a chopped and channeled hot rod pickup I just started. It's now in vans , suv's, commercial vehicles, etc. Silly...

Nicely done, Ray. The color is especially cool and it's super clean, too. Bravo! Watch out, though. You may find your model moved to Drag Racing where it will languish in relative obscurity...

Thanks Mark. I'm not the one who moved it. It's board policy to enforce the categories as interpreted by the moderators by moving a thread. Unfortunately the categories can be somewhat coarse and it leads to this sort of thing. Apparently this hot rod is someone's idea of a pickup, a van, an s.u.v., or a light commercial vehicle or it wouldn't have been moved. But it's my view that for most members it's primarily a hot rod and, so far at least, we haven't introduced yet another sub-category for those! And yes, TRaK is still very active, especially in recent months as core members have come up with some exceptional builds. The sites founder and head moderator is struggling with personal issues of late so the site suffers somewhat from neglect but it's still the best thing going if your in to traditional pre-1969 hot rods, customs and straight line racers. Thanx! I agree with you, the best way to view this fast-moving Forums sit is to use the "New since you last visit" filter, which I do as well. And yes, as far as I'm concerned I would rather avoid all these categories and be free to choose what I view without pre-selecting by category. You have can too many categories, to the point where things get radically under-viewed because members are robbed of a "happy accident" by limiting themselves to what they think might be of interest to them. It's not too bad here (although I think it's gotten worse in recent years), especially when compared to the SA board. I would contend that the proliferation of categories and subcategories there, along with a very poor set of filters, has contributed to its radically diminished activity in recent years. The filtering tools here are very powerful and I think are one of the reasons it's the most active model car site by far. The "New Content" filter is a must in my opinion. But many members still have their "go-to" categories and anyone who has decided they have no interest in pickups, vans, s.u.v.'s, or light commercial vehicles would have missed some mighty fine hot rods and customs over the years. Ditto if you're interested in race cars but have decided drag racing isn't your cup of tea.

That nails it, Gary!

This project was moved to Pickups, Vans, SUVs Light Commercial. Don't want to raise a stink, but this is nobody's idea of a pickup, a van, an s.u.v., or a light commercial vehicle. This is absurd! I've kept silent up to now but this really needs to be aired out.

This project is inspired by a CPB on the TRaK board (Traditional Rods & Kustoms in Scale - http://trakinscale.proboards.com/ ) centered around the AMT/Lindberg '34 Ford Pickup. But this project has zero genuine parts from that venerable kit, so we'll see if it's accepted. If it's not I will totally understand! The basic body is one of Ed Fluck's super-fine resin chopped AMT '34 Pickups, saving me beaucoup work and yielding a better result that I'd probably come up with. The pickup bed is from the Revell '29 Ford RPU kit, massively shortened. The chassis is a severely modified Monogram '37 Ford pickup frame which is sort of naturally z'd. It has been shortened, narrowed and the front crossmember replaced. The motor will be a Nailhead. I was considering using the one from the new Revell A-Roadster, but it comes with a massive modern automatic tranny which would require serious work to convert to a more compact manual like a LaSalle, so I'll probably build one up from some Tommy Ivo or Tony Nancy short blocks and maybe just use the new Revell 6-carb manifold and lakes-style headers. The most ambitious thing will be attempting the style of front suspension where the spring is behind the radiator but the beam axle sits in front of it, like on the Jimmy Shine pickup. I have no idea if I can pull it off. I have a couple of options, including possibly doing 1/4 elliptic springs. Here's where I'm at so far. Thanx for lookin', B.

Chris, I know that however you get to it, once you make your wheels to your satisfaction they will be as realistic as we can hope for. It shows in all the models your do. I think that a laced wheel approach is surprisingly close to an affordable solution, at least at the quality and level of Norm Veber's products. The key is to be able to accurately do cast-in holes to 1/24th scale and produce hubs to scale. The hubs in Norm's p/e wheels are small enough but I don't think they could accept flanges to scale wide enough to cast holes in place.

Thanks for the link Chris. Several things jump out at me: First off is that the WWI style wheels are probably too balloon-like as-is for dragster use (which is the direction of this thread, presumably). However there are plenty of wheels and tires in plastic kits that can serve as examples for what's required, and even though by far the largest market is in 1/24th-1/25th scale, the 1" wheels they do now aren't far off the mark. I think even providing machined aluminum hibs and rims, as they do it currently, could be attainable in somewhat smaller versions. The second thing to observe is that the approach they use is quite literally how wire wheels are laced. They use pre-drilled hubs and rims just like in the 1:1 world. (I used to race bicycles and I've laced more than my share of wire wheels...) The "kit" consists of the parts and the instructions, but, in fact, there is no jig as such, just instructions to make a circle with a compass and pin the hub to the center. Skilled modelers working even in as small as 1/25th might very well be able to drill kit hubs and rims and accomplish the same thing. It would be no picnic, for sure, but more epic tasks than this have been successfully pulled off before. Jumping off from my second point, resin cast hubs and rims, even down to 1/25th could be made which include cast-in holes and a kit sold with a rudimentary alignment jig for a cost somewhere between the RepMin system (which includes a simple clamping jig) of around $15.00 IIRC and Arizona Model Aircrafters' machined aluminum hubs and rim price of $85.00. A sub $50.00 price point might work, at least for some modelers. Anyone who has seen Curt Raitz's fishing-line laced wire wheels knows that they are well worth a substantial premium for the impact they have on the finished model. Photo-etch wire wheels, when done well, as the for-now-defunct Replicas & Miniatures most certainly were, can be surprisingly real looking, but real round section wires, such as those done with fishing line are fine wire, can make a model look extraordinary. While the techniques for achieving them already exist, the skills and patience required can be daunting. The Arizona Model Aircrafters approach pints to a possible solution. The exceptionally fine resolution at which Norm Veber can cast resin shows that this technology could be used to make cast-in pre-drilled rims and hubs in 1/24th-1/25th scale to come up with a compromise-priced approach to this impactful approach.

Bill has pretty much said it all. I generally wait until the next day to buff my Metalizers, but regardless it should be completely cured and hardened. Fortunately this is a matter of hours and not days. Waiting overnight ensures that it will resist rubbing off when handled (it's not fool proof but it helps enormously,) I get very good results with a soft old t-shirt. For most parts, if they are styrene and I know ahead of time that they'll only get a Metalizer finish I apply it directly to the styrene with no primer coat. If I've had to sand the styrene then I polish the plastic completely to a smooth finish before applying the Metalizer. It Shows Everything!!!! As much as possible if I'm applying it with a brush (yes, despite Testors indications, I apply the jar stuff to small parts with a brush) I try to get it down in 1 coat. For medium to large areas spraying is a must and applying more than 1 coat is generally trouble free.

Everything else is so impeccably turned out on this model that the lace roof paint is almost (but not quite) superfluous. Great colors and details throughout and super stance. The Firestone detail on the whitewalls is the final touch. Bravo!

The new Revell release may be getting all the attention but the old Monogram kit has plenty, plenty soul IMHO and constitutes pure raw material rather than spoon feeding you a ready-made contemporary rod. It may be crude and ancient but it does build up to some pretty nice hot rod material, as several of posts in this thread will attest. Here's a chopped top version I did several years ago (I even anticipated Revell's Nailhead included in the roadster version...).

Small local car show. There's plenty of retirement money near this Oceanside community so the car quality is surprisingly high - although virtually all the cars were bought=in rather than owner projects. Still, some nice stuff. Below are a few samples and a link to all the photos I took: http://s1287.photobucket.com/user/mvedreen/library/Edmonds%20Car%20Show%202016?sort=2&page=1

I remember this car. Such a beauty - flirting with perfection IIRC. Wish you had found more pics - people would be blown away.

Holy moly!!!! This hasn't been added to in over a year! Surely some Deuces have been built since then... LOL! Here are my two in the past year. The Devil Deuce coupe, from December 2015: 1940's era Highboy Roadster, fresh from a day at the dry lakes (just finished last week):

Thanks everyone. I'm delighted that it could make the connection! Frankly I'm relieved it actually finished up as well as it did. The paint issues means I have still to build a proper street version of this period. If you've ever had the pleasure to see cars from this era in the 1:1 you will be struck by the extraordinary craftsmanship that went into them. The grainy b&w pictures of the era give them a character that disguises this aspect of them If you ever have the chance, visit the NHRA Museum in Pomona, California and you'll see what I mean. Speaking of grainy b&w, here's a couple of shots of the model in that style:

Oh Harry...