Bernard Kron

Thank you all! It's very gratifying when you can get a model to "come across" with the look and feel you are going after.

FYI, here's a link to the thread: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=952785

Thanks once more for the appreciation!

Thanks Curt. Yeah, it's got fenders! This is one of Raul's old hand-me-downs. This old-skool AMT stuff just didn't push his buttons... He tried valiantly to stay close to the original kit but failed miserably and finally gave up! Needless to say the basic bodywork is flawless. It may look like one now, but it's no glue-bomb. I am clearly benefiting from his skills. Hopefully I won't screw it up.

Thanx Mike! Couldn't/wouldn't have done it without you! That roof is a beautiful piece. Hopefully it will survive...

I was given an AMT ’49 Ford Coupe by a friend who had started it and then decided he didn’t like where it was going. Using the most conservative custom body parts he had painted it a dark metallic blue, a color that neither he nor I cared for. So I stripped off the paint and then discovered that the A pillar on the passenger side was missing. In addition I was unable to find the original custom hood. But the rest of the bodywork was perfect and it was a shame not to use it. What to do? I started by putting out an internet request for a junk body so I could use an A pillar. As it turned out Mike Kucaba had an entire roof assembly that had been immaculately cut from an unmolested first release body. Mike offered it to me (Thanx Mike!!!), and when I received it I immediately was taken by the perfectly crisp molding and all the original window details. Right then and there I decided to replace the entire roof. Well, of course that meant I had to do something about the hood. As it turned out the box of ’49 Ford parts my friend had given me included a couple of stock hoods, one of which I’ve adapted to the custom grille surround. The sequence of pictures below shows the work so far. The top is glued in place using .010” styrene strips along the inside of the roof. The joints below the rear window and along the quarter panels where the roof meets the deck and fenders are being worked on to feather them in. And the stock hood has had the “C” cut along the leading edge filled, along with the slot for the hood ornament. I’m planning on doing a fairly classic AMT ’49 Ford Custom coupe, but, as you can see, this is definitely the hard way to go about it. It would have been much easier to simply buy a new kit! Fingers crossed that the bodywork comes out clean. I must admit I’m enjoying the challenge. I still have to decide the final direction it takes, custom or hot rod. I think shooting some primer to gain a solid color, and perhaps trying on some wheels and tires will help me decide. More to come… Thanx for lookin’, B.

I think the AMT motors are slightly nicer than their (surprisingly similar) Revell equivalents, with some particularly cool period parts that can't be found elsewhere (the Algon injectors on the Pontiac, for example). I built an AMT Parts Pack Altered based on the Pontiac mill and Parts Pack Competition T-Bucket a few years back. The Pontiac motor looks especially good de-blinged, I think. Very crisp and well detailed:

Thanks guys. I'm glad the model could "make the connection"!

Based on your comments I went back and carefully inspected the roof. While the mystery builder was indeed incredibly meticulous, there are some very minor flaws, blade marks on the lower edge under the driver's side window and below the center of the rear window that confirm that it is indeed as Mike Kucaba originally supposed, a roof cut from an AMT '49 Ford Club Coupe. Very impressive! I love the crispness of detail and have decided to include the entire roof in my project based on this body. So I mustered up as much courage and as steady a hand as I could and cut the roof of and trimmed the donor roof just below the base of the rear window. I then glued some .010 styrene strip along the base of the donor roof to allow a mating surface for gluing and to be able to snap the roof into position. The pictures below are with the rood mocked up into position but not yet glued. Along with the door lines, I used a stock hood as a guide for locating the cowl. The actual modeler remains a mystery but I'm pleased to be the recipient of his skill and Mike's generosity. Thanks to all for the insights. Now onwards to a new project!

I was a frequent buyer of parts from ThePartsBox.com for several years, only stopping with the recent strength of the Aussie dollar. Now that the AUSD has dropped down to the low 90's the cost is more in line with stateside items and I'm sure I'll resume buying from them. Shipment was prompt and total time from order to my door was typically in the neighbourhood of 2-3 weeks maximum. Parts quality, and they're eye for parts not found elsewhere, were second to none. Only once did I needed a part replaced. It had arrived damaged and the make-good arrived within 10 days. Replies to e-mail inquiries are typically within 24 hours. So... highly recommended. In fact I was such a fan I even built a tribute car almost entirely from they're parts!

What a great demonstration piece for modern modeling techniques and what they can do in skilled hands! The motor is breathtaking and the silhouette of the car, thanks to your re-fabrication of the tub, is gorgeous. These were beautiful cars and your model is sure to capture their graceful lines and efficiency. I'm glad you succumbed to the temptation of doing a mockup. Looking forward to more...

Thanx Greg. I almost ditched it for a thinner, more traditional, dashboard because it takes up so much space. But once the paint color and the kolor krome wheels were in place there just was no turning back! I had saved that dashboard, with its fabulous chromed instrument cluster, for some future project because it's so archetypical of the era. Those old AMT 3-in-1 kits are real time capsules!

Thanx Davo! I'd like to get beyond Old School hot rods but I have a backlog of projects in this vein I "need" to get out of my system that keep coming out. Part of it is getting the chops to do other styles properly. I've said it before, but so often for me "the grass is greener on the other side"; there are so many types of car models I admire that I haven't had the nerve to take on myself because they are, at least to me, so technically demanding. Showroom stock, for example, requires so much discipline and technical mastery to be done right that every time I see a great build in that style I am just floored and full of admiration. But classic rods and drag machines are something I know and appreciate so, for now, they are appropriate canvases for my growth as a modeler.

Thanks again, guys! Thanks Roger. They are as-is from the kit, stock offset at the front and reversed in the rear. Chromed, too! Couldn't have been better for this project!

I'm the first to admit my model history is more than somewhat wanting. Recently I was given an AMT '49 Ford coupe in a fairly advanced state of work: nosed, decked and shaved with the conservative custom rolled pans installed. The problem is that the passenger side A pillar is gone. I put out a search for a donor pillar and Mike Kucaba sent me a whole roof instead. He thinks it was cut from a body but inspection of the edges and the presence of a mounting tab in the center of the front cowl would indicate it's a kit part. It's styrene and came with the glass. It's a perfect match to the AMT body. The molding is super crisp and it even has a hole for an antenna at the base of the passenger side A pillar. Where does it come from?

Gorgeous. All that finicky detail serves a purpose in your capable hands. The impeccable fit and finish stands up beautifully to your close up photography.

Thanks for all the very kind comments. They are much appreciated. This actually came out looking pretty much as I would have wished it to. At the beginning of the build thread I showed pictures of the 3 cars that inspired me in the design of this model and of them the 1962 AMBR winner, the Barris Twister T, was the one I wanted to avoid looking like. I wanted to use this opportunity to do it in a way that looked good to my eye. It's nice to have done a model that's not seen that often in scale. Here's a link to the build thread if you're curious: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=91554&hl= . I'm glad you all enjoyed it, B.

Thanx Tim! As always your experience and support is very much appreciated. Is your LowBoy on your Fotki? If it is a comparo is possible...

Here some Photoshop-Phun with my latest build:

More extremely cool pictures and/or models. I especially enjoyed the Salt-T and the motorcycles on this page.

Thanks so much guys. I'm glad you like it. And thanks to all of those who followed along! It's done now and I've posted the "beauty pics" Under Glass. Here's a link: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=93367

Thanx for the insight. If the car is an indication of the crew you work with you all must be quite a bunch.

’27 T Ford Highboy Roadster Done Late-50’s Show Car Style (more pictures below) The late-50’s and early-60’s were the Golden Age of the Custom Car show, an era when Kandy Kolor, Metalflake, angel hair and chrome plating ruled and no car was spared the full treatment, whether it was a contemporary sedan, a race car or a classic hot rod. It was this era that I tried to capture in building my Ford ’27 T Highboy Roadster. As iconic as a ’27 T roadster may be, they are rarely built in scale, this despite the fact that 1/25th resin copies of this body are quite commonly available from several different suppliers. This is because, except for the body, virtually everything must be either scratch built or kit-bashed, including the interior and the frame. As a result this was an especially challenging project to take on, one which I had wanted to do for some time now, but put off until I felt I had some chance of success. The basic body is from Altered States Models (http://www.alteredstatesmodels.com/) and is a particularly nice example, crisply cast in thin white styrene-like resin with a well detailed firewall area missing from most examples on offer. The “donor kit” for the project was effectively one of any of the various Revell ’32 Ford kits which contributed chassis, suspension, engine block, transmission, drive shaft and interior, all of which were extensively modified to fit the ’27 T which is far smaller than the Deuce. Other major parts were either scratch built or adapted from a variety of other kits, all of which are listed below along with the work done. My hope was to be able to capture the spirit of this historic period in hot rodding with a unique model that would test my current abilities as a car modeler. Thanx for lookin’, B. Bodywork: 1927 Ford Model T roadster body made by Altered States Models (http://www.alteredstatesmodels.com/). 4” chopped 1932 Ford grill shell and photo-etch grill by Model Car Garage. Custom rolled rear pan fabricated from styrene strip. Recessed firewall adapted from Revell ’32 Ford Roadster kit. Windshield cut down from AMT ‘27T Phaeton kit (special thanks to Ace-Garageguy). Teardrop taillights from Revell Deuce kit with photo-etch trim by Model Car Garage. Home made ’59 California plates with Model Car Garage photo-etch license plate surround. Chassis and suspension: Revell 1/25th scale ’32 Ford shortened to 98 scale inch wheelbase behind passenger compartment and z’d 4 scale inches. Rear kickup narrowed to fit inside turtle deck. Frame rails notched at front crossmember to accommodate lowered front suspension. Front and rear suspension from Revell Deuce kits. Rear shock mounts relocated to fit inside turtle deck. Rear radius rods shortened to accommodate shortened chassis. Front hairpins and shocks from Revell Stacey David Rat Roaster kit. Front spring shaved, removing 3 spring leaves to lower front end approx. 2 ½ scale inches. Engine and Drive Train: Ford engine block and transmission from Revell Deuce kit. Block and heads reshaped and extended to accommodate AMT ’57 Ford Thunderbird valve covers, accessory drive, intake manifold and oil pan to represent 1957 Ford Thunderbird 312 High Performance motor. Pre-wired distributor by Morgan Automotive Details. Tubular exhaust headers from Monogram ’57 Chevrolet Nomad kit. Exhaust system scratch built from aluminum tubing, solid-core solder and plastic rod. Wheels and Tires: Chrome reversed rim wheels from AMT ‘51 Chevrolet Bel Air kit, trimmed in blue acrylic wash to simulate Kolor Krome. Tires by Modelhaus (T120 fronts and “I-forget” rears). Interior: Revell Deuce kit floor, seat and side panels cut and reshaped to fit. AMT ’37 Chevrolet kit custom tuck and roll dashboard. Upholstery finished in Duplicolor Oxford White with Duplicolor Wimbledon White accents and 28 ga. blue insulated wire piping. Corvette-style steering wheel from AMT ‘51 Chevrolet Bel Air kit, trimmed in blue acrylic wash to simulate Kolor Krome. Paint: Duplicolor Metal Specks Silver base coat, Duplicolor Medium Quasar Metallic color coat and Duplicolor Clear sealer. Floor pan finished in Duplicolor Oxford White.

Back, back we go... Perhaps Karl Benz wrote a song...

So we're at 1901. Only 15 years to go, assuming that Benz was the first to offer an automobile to the buying public (circa 1886), versus prototypes like Cugnot's steam wagon (1769) or Gustave Trouvé's electric 3-wheeler shown at the Paris Exposition of 1881. Let the Internet search madness begin!