Ben

Wow! Even better! Really nice job on the six banger!

I wish I could say that I still had that great eyesight! It started fading in recent years. Mine is a regular cab, short bed. I cut the cab, interior, chassis, inner bed, outer bed sides, fuel tank, exhaust and drive shaft. I think that was everything? I'm pretty sure I cut a section out of the frame to shorten it, somewhere in the center. I did it when the kit first came out so it's been a little while. I still have it. There's pics of it in my Fotki albums in the "Light Commercial" folder. I painted it red. http://www.public.fotki.com/lotso

Freds Model World has them every so often. His prices are usually lower than anyone else's too.

Nice!!!!!!!!!! That's my all time favorite car!!!!!

Very nice work!!!!!!!!!! I know exactly what all you did as I did the same thing when the F-250 kit first came out. I made it into an F-150 short bed though and it remained two wheel drive. For the F-150 side emblems, I took the F-250 emblem, cut it apart between the "-" and the "2", I then cut the "2" off, made a #1 out of tiny strip plastic, covered it with Bare metal foil and glued that assembly to each fender.

Cool little bug!

Hi Jameston, can you post a picture of what the material looks like? I might be interested in purchasing some too if you have more? Thanks

Yes, I've bought from ModellTruck as well. Great service and products!!!!!!!! We need to find out who sells those tires!!!!!!! i want some!!!!!!

Hey Chris, yeah, this is one of those kits that I want just to have it. The little Virage race car is pretty detailed and builds into a neat little replica. The Toyota isn't really detailed but that was the second real vehicle I owned so I think it's kinda cool.

Hey Tony, who sells these tires?

Hi Dave, yes the emblem arrived on Monday. Thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!!! I kept meaning to go back and find our conversation to let you know but I kept getting side tracked. Thanks again!!!!!

Not to put down anyone else's opinion but those tires in the Revell kits are totally wrong as float tires. The sidewalls shouldn't have the huge, raised lettering and I have yet to see a real high float with that style tread. If you want a really nice, very accurate front float tire in rubber resin, Jamie Rahmoeller mastered and cast two different types. They were patterned after the most common high float used currently. He also makes really nice accurate ten hole wheels to fit them. If you would like to contact him, email me from here and I'll give you his email.

Revell released a 1/16 scale Jeep kit back in the eighties. That's where these tires first appeared.

That's sharp! Very unique! I like it!

Yep, control-v worked. Weird? Thanks for the help!

Ok, I was finally able to add the pic.

I was wondering if anyone else is having the problem? When I copy a link or picture and the come back here to post it, I right click, but the word "paste" is not highlighted and I'm not able to click on it to leave the link or picture in my post?????? This just recently started happening after the site moved.

Hey guys and gals, I had a couple of the Revell, 1/25 Snap Together Malibu Grand Prix kits from 1980 when they first came out that included the long bed Toyota pickup, trailer and Mirage race car but all that remains are some of the pickup parts. I have been watching Ebay for a long time hoping to get another one but I don't remember ever seeing one on there?????? I have seen the trailer and race car built up in one auction and later the pickup appeared as a built up by itself in another auction but I've never seen an unbuilt, complete kit go up for auction? Anyone else seen one? What's strange is that Revell made several of these "combo" type kits like "The Sand Man", "The Ridge Runner", "The River Rat", etc. and I've seen these kits many times but never the Malibu Grand Prix set?

Oh, that one made me laugh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Mike, the photo etch is actually real metal. It can be made out of brass, nickel, stainless, etc. The process is pretty involved so I'll try to be brief. A drawing is made of what the person wants made in photo etch, the drawing is the reversed. This drawing is then made into a thin transfer film that is applied to a thin piece of metal sheet. A special, light sensitive acid is the poured on the metal and light is applied. Everywhere that the light is able to "see" the exposed areas of the metal, will be eaten away. What is left is a thin piece of metal with precise holes etched either half way or all the way through the metal. Kit Form Services, for one, sells "kits" of photo etch for specific trucks as well as generic sets for use on any type of truck. These kits usually include two flat muffler guards that need to be carefully "rolled" around your Exacto knife and other round objects to bend it into it's proper cylindrical shape. The sets also include badges for the trucks, mudflap weights, etc. http://www.kitformservices.com/photoetch.html

The real stacks would have a silver painted muffler with a stainless screen (heat shield) going 3/4 around the muffler. There would then be a stainless exhaust pipe clamped to the top of the muffler. The best way to replicate this would be to strip the chrome from the muffler halves, sand each half on a piece of sand paper that's adhered to a piece of glass or something very flat. This will ensure that both mating surfaces are flat with no gaps. This will also minimize the need for putty. After the halves are glued together, lightly sand the seam where the two muffler halves meet. If needed, apply a small amount of putty to make the seam disappear. Paint the mufflers silver, glue a piece of polished aluminum tubing on top and use some photo etch screen for your heat shield. There's many, many options out there for the screen. Several companies make photo etch screens specifically for truck stacks. Something else that could be done is to simply use some Plastruct tubing in place of the kit muffler parts and not have to deal with a seam at all!

That's a SWEET lookin Transtar!!!!! If I were building it, I would get that toolbox drawer liner material and either spray it with Alclad chrome or cover it with Bare Metal Foil. The end result should look exactly like that under cab insulation.

Hey Mark, rather that narrowing the front axle which will make it very weak, try to bring the wheels in on the spindles by shortening the axle pins and recessing the area where the pins go into the wheel backs. For undercab insulation, you can use the foil from a cigarette pack, it has a nice surface pattern. Another thing I have seen used is the thin black foam that is used to line the drawers of tool boxes. Then there's always tissue paper, dipped in a mixture of white glue and water. This will conform to all the contours on the botom side of the cab floor. After it's dry, just spray it flat black.

It's hard to tell from the pics but the rear tires are Revell and the front tires, if they are solid, soft rubber and say "Unisteel II" on the sidewall, they are from a Revell diecast Peterbilt.

Man, that turned out nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How much did you stretch the frame rails? Really looks cool!!!!!!!