Terry Sumner

I've learned to shut my written mouth when it comes to trying to help other modelers out with correct information. I.E. when drag cars are mismarked or someone labels an Altered or an A/FX car a Gasser, or they put wrinkled slicks on a car that's sitting still or something else is totally wrong. Doesn't do any good and folks take offense too easily and get P.O'ed at you for making comments such as these. So now when I see stuff that is screwed up I just don't say anything. When I do see something that is good I will praise it but I'm not going to make any corrective comments anymore. I'm already labeled the Gasser Nazi ... and...that grumpy old bas.....d in spite of the fact that I'm one of the most easy going guys around!

Here's the beach I've gone to since I was a teenager.... The round thing in the middle is a carousel. The road is completely covered by beach sand that was washed up and over the embankment that used to be there. You can see all the telephone poles but you can't see the road! At about 11:00 from the point of the carousel roof is a club called The Atlantis where my wife and I had our first date 32 years ago. Hope it's still there... Just above the airplane's wingtip you can see some mobile homes. That area right there was a campground and had lot's of campers in there. Looks like there were a few that the owners didn't heed the warnings! Hosted on Fotki From the line of rocks you can see here, the beach was at least 100' down to the waterline! Not now... Hosted on Fotki This or WAS..my favorite night spot on the beach...Paddy's. Always had great bands playing in the evenings and great food. Hope they rebuild but I dunno...total loss! Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki An aerial view of what used to be Paddy's.. Again you can see the telephone poles but the road is covered with beach sand... Hosted on Fotki

I'm in eastern Connecticut, supposedly on the "bad side" of the storm as far as the wind goes. Well it did blow pretty good but I only lost power fro a few seconds 5 times. But never lost it for good. I think all the constant tree trimming around my area did the trick this time! Had my generator all set to go but never had to pull that starter cord!

Wow! That's truly impressive!

Been in that same rut for two years! You're not alone Bud!

Here's a little tip on chopping a top on a 32 and it's how I did this one in the attached pic. I use two bodies...when you lower the lid, the roof needs to be extended a little so I use one body as a sacrificial lamb and use a razor saw to cut out a small strip of the roof, side to side. I then cut the lowered roof in the middle, side to side and glue in the strip I cut out from the sacrificial body. This way you have all the small details of the window area already in place and only a small amount of filler is needed. Same thing goes for if the roof needs to be widened a tad. This roof was chopped using this method and it was actually pretty easy... a lot easier than trying to get pieces of strip stock to be perfect! Hosted on Fotki

Mike...got any pictures of that build? Always eager to see a BOS model!

Geeezz... that's beautiful!

You've come a long way son!

Nice job Bruno! If you've seen my posts you know I'm a fan of accurate builds..and you did it right with this one!

In all my years judging thousands of models whether they be airplanes, cars...whatever, I have NEVER seen one model without SOME flaw. It may have been a really tiny flaw but it was a flaw nontheless. I have however judged a few that were so doggone near perfect it was almost impossible to find that tiny flaw though. Those models I marvelled at! And by the way..none of the latter were mine!

I wonder how many of you fellas who have been voicing opinions on this have been consistently judging contests? Myself, I've been judging at IPMS and non-IPMS contests for 20 years...since around 1991 or 92. And I will tell you from my experience that it matters not one bit where a part came from, whether it is plastic, resin, photoetch or 3D... What matters is the final quality of the build...period. A modeler can spend all kinds of money on resin parts etc...but if they aren't installed properly...meaning no glue marks, fingerprints, misalignment etc etc..it doesn't matter a bit as that model won't win. Likewise for paint. If a car model has noticeable orange peel in the paint, no matter how many dollars the guy has put into aftermarket parts, 3D or resin, it's dead in the water at the get-go! Or if there are decals on the car and they are all silvered underneath, that model is a goner too. Lot's of car modelers aren't all that familiar with the proper techniques for laying down decals so they look painted on. Some guys will stick decals right on top of a flat black hood and wonder why they don't win when the decals are silvered like crazy. And 3D parts aren't any kind of guarantee that they are good. The inherent process of making a 3D part means the part is built up in layers. From what I've seen these 3D parts need some finishing work done to them to make them acceptable in surface finish. I kind of get a kick out of guys who espouse the old..."Don't build for contests, build for yourself." Well for me, building for contests IS building for myself. Contests are the single best way to hone your skills to build much better models. If it weren't for all the contests, the art of model building today would be no where near as advanced as it is presently. And having the opportunity to talk with a judge about what they observed right or wrong on your model is the best way to learn how to improve. If you want to be a hermit and just build models without any interaction with other like minded individuals, that's fine. But to me that's a cancerous opinion and I wish you guys wouldn't tell other modelers to do that. You do them no favors by trying to get others to shy away from competition. That's just my opinion...others of course will vary....

Harry...I wouldn't pass out! ...because I'd already be DEAD from the heart attack I had the instant I left the vessel!!!

Looks darn great for reworking a gluebomb! May I ask though...what's holding the rear end in there..? Should be able to see the leaf springs...

Yeah maybe so Drew. But remember, those full tube frame cars were not allowed to run legally in the gas classes. The key word here being "legally." Those tube frame cars with the flip top bodies etc were never run in a regular competition gas class...they were only run in all those "Match Races" that were part of the drag racing "shows" at various tracks around the country. I have a 1979 rulebook which still does not allow tube frame chassis in the gas classes... they still were required to be "stock automotive type." (quoted from the 79 rule book) So while I agree with you that the tube frame cars like you speak of were indeed the beginning of the end of the "true" gas classes, those cars with the flip top bodies and tube frames weren't competing against the cars in the regular gas classes. They were an entity unto their own...like when the A/FX cars first started.... I was one of the announcers at Connecticut Dragway in the years 1971 thru 1973, and we still had some true gassers running then. However...a helluva lot of Gassers, MP, Altereds, Stockers and what have you began to run in those doggone Bracket classes. Man I hated those brackets. All that sandbagging stuff.... Anything went in the brackets...didn't have any specific rules to go by...just your own stated index...

Drew my friend...while I have great respect for you and your knowledge, I must disagree with your assertion that Corvettes were not eligible for the gas classes....at least if you meant they were never in gas classes. It depends on what years you are talking about. Up until 1967 Corvettes did indeed run in the M/SP classes. Until 1968, that is when the MSP class was removed from the NHRA rulebook. In 1968 all Corvettes that were running in MSP were switched to their appropriate gas class for their weight break. So it all depends on what year the Corvette model is supposed to represent. In 1969, the Modified Production classes were getting very popular and a lot of Corvettes simply bolted on a tunnel ram and a few other mods and ran in MP. And another part of the reason Corvettes were in that older MSP class was because they were made of fiberglass. Quote from the 1968 rulebook..... "These classes will include fiberglass-bodied cars that are classified as sports cars."

As I said before, my brother is the driver of the hauler and the gas man on the pit crew for the March Racing/Sonny Whelen #31 Corvette in the GT class of the Rolex Series and we got to be guests yesterday at Lime Rock. But actually we got to do more than that..we actually got to help the team as pit crew members! We were right there in their pit box during the race! We helped with tires and fueling and moving things to and from the pit box. It was a really great day! So here are a few pics... there are 25 pics in this album with a few closeups of the car... http://public.fotki....y-at-lime-rock/ Here is me, my son TJ and Boris Said under the canopy on the trailer... Hosted on Fotki This is TJ, my brother Marc and me in the pit area just before the start of the race. And he is very proud of the team jersey they gave him! Hosted on Fotki Obviously the 31 before the race.... Hosted on Fotki And the 31 AFTER the race! One of the other cars brake checked up in front of Boris and caused this collision damage to the left front. But he continued right on and the car finished the race one lap down in 7th position! Hosted on Fotki

My brother is the driver of Whelen's big rig that brings the #31 Corvette to all the Rolex Series races around the country. And he is on the pit crew as the gas man. This weekend is the last race of the Rolex series and it's right here in Connecticut at Lime Rock. My brother invited me and my son to come up for the day and hang with him in the pits and the garage area and he's going to introduce us to Boris. Man this is cool...really looking forward to Saturday! Gonna take as many pictures as I can...might be of some value to some modelers! Anyone got any particular photos they'd like me to try and get? Can't guarantee I can get particular requests but I can certainly try!

Yeah..the restrictor plates are on the Light Modifieds.....

Ummmm....if this isn't even close to your best model would you mind throwing up a photo or two of what your best is? Cuz this one is pretty darn good!!!!

Love it! Probably my most favorite and most built model when I was a kid in the 60's!

Dang...too bad. I recently got back into circle track racing this summer and fell back in love with the modifieds. My son TJ and I are on the pit crew for a friend's Super X car he races on Wed nights and we've been having a blast! So much that we may be building a car for that class for next year!

What the title says... If not, are there resin parts available to make one?

I like this...keep at it man...unlike me who stalls on everything lately!

"Hey" back atcha! Like I said in the other newbies intro...new guy gets to buy the oldtimers a round. Maybe I'll come off the Weight Watchers for this one time...I'll have some Glen Levits on the rocks please!