buffalobill

Look @ Ozark Miniatures white metal alloy bolt heads. They are primarily an aftermarket maker of model RR parts (1/24-1/20.3 scale), and cater mostly to older steam locomotive and RR car kit-bashers & scratch-builders, plus offer an extensive line of logging tools & equipment - many are useful for building vehicles, too, esp vintage trucks. Ozark offers more than several sizes of bolt castings, - hex head, square head, and most have cast in place washers & nuts (both hex & square). The ones w/ exposed thread poking thru the nut's side of the casting are excellent for replicating wheel studs. Since they offer a decent range of sizes, there should be some useful pieces for modeling vehicles in 1/25/1/24, 1/16. 1/12, & 1/8th scales, And, they are quite reasonably priced, too. Well stocked model train shops - esp those catering to G gauge/large scale RR type model trains - may stock Ozark Miniature's parts. Google: Ozark Miniatures for more info (for some reason, I'm unable to paste a link to their web address on this post??)

Very clean build - especially the paint work! What brand of paint & color did you use? I like it!

There's more than several '50s era cars that I wish that Revell, AMT/Round 2, or Moebius would make available in 1/25th scale. Perhaps our inputs will be considered by their respective product planners & marketing staff. . .One can only hope! I'm sure that everyone has their own favorites that they'd like to have - I'll kick this topic off w/ my wish-list. (note: some subjects have been done before, but are in serious need of updating to 'today's quality & accuracy standards', or they're body-style variations on already produced model year kits) '50-'52 Chevy 2 door sedan & 'fastback' '50 Olds 88 2 dr hardtop, 2 dr sedan & 'fastback' '51 Mercury 2 dr coupe '52-'54 Mercury Monterey 2 dr hardtop '53-'54 Chevy Bel Air hardtop '55 Chevy Nomad wagon '55 Lincoln Capri 2 dr hardtop '55 Ford T-Bird w/ both soft & hard tops '55-'56 Mercury Monterey 2 dr hardtop '56 Ford Victoria 2 dr hardtop '56 Chevy Bel Air 2 dr hardtop '56 Lincoln Premiere 2 dr hardtop '56-57 Continental Mark II '56 Olds Super 88 Holiday 2 dr hardtop '56 Buick Century 2 dr hardtop '57 Ford Ranchero, & 2 dr wagon '57 Pontiac Safari wagon '57 Desoto Adventurer hardtop '57-58 Dodge Royal Lancer 2 dr hardtop '57-'58 Studebaker Golden Hawk '57 Cadillac Coupe de Ville '58 Chevy Del Ray/Biscayne 2 door post coupe Most of the above could be expanded to include convertible versions, too, as well as eventually be packaged as 3 'n 1 kits.

Replica & Miniatures of Maryland offers a SBC Chevy intake for 3 - 2 barrel carbs. (part # SRD-1103) And, the 283 in AMT's newer tool '57 Chevy hardtop (the one w/ the opening trunk lid) is a very nicely done 283.

Any updates on this project?

Any updates on this incredibly well done Chevy? What have you done under the hood and to the chassis? Beautiful work & very informative text . . .Thanks!

Agreed - it could be a good subject if offered as a standalone piece in a Parts Pack-type kit. And, as long as I'm wishing & hoping, it would be terrific to also finally get a 427 Cammer in a Parts Pack. . .And, in order to keep the tooling costs down & to reduce the development time, they'd be just fine (at least for me) w/out all the fussy internal parts found in some prior Parts Pack-type engines, as almost no one never sees them, anyway.

re: my previous post - I recall that Perry's Resin once offered a 1/25 scale '27 Model T roadster body, including separately cast fenders/running boards. Problem is actually purchasing it from Perry's - except, possibly, at his hobby shop in Ontario, Canada. I have no idea if he's doing the '27Model T roadster anymore, or, for that matter, any resin items. [i have the chopped '32 five window coupe resin body that he did long before Revell released their '32 five-window, and it's very good. Perry said that he used AMT's ancient 5 window top grafted onto Revell's '32 roadster shell, since all of AMT's '32 Fords are very inaccurate from the belt line down, esp in the cowl & rocker areas.]

I would be thrilled to be able to get an accurate '27 Model T roadster. They were and still are a key part of the hot rod scene, whether they're full-fendered, channeled, or high boys on '32 rails. Many have been raced at the dry-lakes & Bonneville since the early days of hot rodding. If one of the manufacturers were to offer a 3in1 kit of the '27 roadster (in styrene), it could include a couple of track noses, a full belly pan (w/ louvers), a rear rolled pan, custom hood sides, a quick change diff, and other race-orientated parts. Engine choices, other than the flathead 4 banger, could be most anything, but hopefully an engine that has not been done before, or at least accurately. The biggest challenge would be tooling realistic original equipment-type wheels & tires. Revell would be my choice for offering such a kit, although AMT could do it, esp since their vintage '23 Model T kit(s) are less than accurate, and their optional parts could use some serious updating. But, since this thread is all about resin stuff, all we really need is an accurate 3in1 roadster body, incl fenders, hood, and a few trim pcs. All of the other pcs needed to build most any version (from any era) of a hot rod or race car are available in kits on the shelves now.

Boyd's 'Vern Luce '33 chopped 3 window Ford' is considered by many old fart hot rodders like me as THE car that put Boyd Coddington on 'the map. He build that trend-setting coupe in 1981, and it was based on a design study by Thom Taylor - a designer of hot rods & customs who's work was seen in "Street Rodder", "Rod & Custom", and "Hot Rod Magazine" back then. That car did more to define the super-smooth/barb-less style of hot rods for the better part of a couple of decades. Here's more, as told by Thom Taylor: http://www.hotrod.com/featuredvehicles/1309_1933_ford_coupe/viewall.html At the tail end of the above article there's a list of the many talents that were part of Boyd's team over the years; Chip Foose has been arguably the most successful of those in creating his own brand, and as most everything related to design & style, he's been influenced by, and learned his craft from many others, esp from his equally-talented father, Sam Foose. Chip Foose was only 18 yrs old when the Vern Luce coupe was completed (in '81), and he was still learning the trade working with his father, Sam Foose - who was perhaps best known for his chopped '48 Ford coupe w/ the black & white checker board painted firewall. (btw - that would be a cool version to build using Revell's chopped '48 Ford) I met both Chip & Sam at the Goodguys' event in Pleasanton, CA in 1989 when they invited me to display my chopped & channeled / track-nosed '34 roadster alongside Sam's chopped '40 Ford coupe (the car w/ the lengthened doors & slanted B-pillars), and Chip's baby blue w/ red scalloped, chopped '28/'29 Ford Tudor sedan. (that car was definitely old school w/ it's malbox-type 'swamp-cooler' hung outside one of the side windows, etc.- definitely not yet in the style that Chip is now known for) Chip didn't go to work for Boyd until 1990, and that was only as a part-timer, and 2 yrs later was brought on as a full-time employee. Boyd's signature style was already well-established by then; it was that Chip further refined it, and pushed the boundaries, but basically remained true to what Boyd had started. Earlier in Boyd's career, it was Boyd's close friendship w/ John Buttera that had pointed Boyd in the direction that he was best known for. . .Backing up a bit - perhaps the car that first got Boyd noticed (by the magazines) was his John Buttera-influenced '26 Ford Tudor that had an early version of his later trademark IRS. Boyd was still a mechanist @ Disney Land when he built that in 1976, and was constructing his cars in his home garage.. This article is recommended, and the many photos may inspire some new model builds, too: http://www.streetrodderweb.com/features/0808sr_boyd_coddinton_lil_john_buttera_tribute/viewall.html I need to add that it was Marcel Delay and his 2 sons that did a great deal of the basic fabrication of Boyd's custom hot rod bodies, and thus contributed greatly to Boyd's reputation and his signature-style. But, that doesn't diminish the contributions that Chip Foose made, either. The first car that Marcel did for Boyd was done in the early-eighties - as I recall (and correct me if that's not correct). That project was a turning point for Marcel who had been doing almost exclusively exotic fabrications for restorers before he discovered hot rods. My '34 was another of Marcel's earliest efforts - but, I was only able to afford to have him construct the hood tops, sides, and grill shell for my car. Marcel later went on to greater projects - 'Cadzilla', Chezoom, Alumina Coupe, the 'WhattheHaye' - a one-of interpretation of a '36 Delahaye, and many other examples of both his incredible talents & workmanship - and not just for Boyd, either. . .It was Delay that did the rough-in work for Boyd who then pulled the project together after he received the body & it's parts from Delay. Chip was an integral part of the Coddington team, as were many other talents that probably got burned-out working 24/7 for Boyd (as exaggerated on the pseudo-drama American Hot Rod TV series). And, for the record, the way that Boyd was portrayed on that over-the-top TV show was not the Boyd that I remember. Boyd was both a hard-nosed hot rodder & a fair businessman making a decent living - perhaps, one of the first hot rod shops to do that. . .Super Shops - the once huge aftermarket retailer - screwed Boyd big time when they ordered, took delivery of, and then never paid Boyd for a large number of Boyd's wheels. One thing led to another, and Boyd went thru Hell and almost lost everything, until he rebounded (that chapter was portrayed on 'that TV show') until he passed away. Chip's a terrific car guy in his own right, and is a master of color, stance, and subtle detailing that's not always handled well by other builders. He's also a really decent gentleman, as were/are those who I mentioned in this overly wordy reply. . .Didn't mean to hi-jack this topic, but, it's important to get the facts correct, and esp to not ignore those builders - many who have since passed - who had set the stage for the future of customs & hot rods. It's designers/builders - like Chip Foose - that now carry their torches forward. . .

The color combo, tasteful scallops, excellent chrome foil, and the stance are absolutely first class! I had to do a double-take to see that it was the ancient Monogram '56 Bel Air that you started with. . .Best '56 I've ever seen!

So does Norm @ Replicas & Miniatures of Maryland. No website - you'll need to call or email him, but he does have a print catalog. email: replmincomd@aol.com phone #: (410)768-3648 Norm makes 1st class resin stuff, including many wheels & tires in 1/25th scale.

Bandit Resin's '53 Studebaker post coupe is absolutely perfect, and it's priced reasonably. It'll require less prep than the body in AMT's '53 hardtop version. I've had mine for 2 or 3 years now, and it hasn't warped a bit. Guess it's about time for me to finally build a replica of the first car that I purchased (in 1962).

Beautiful build! It's good to see someone take the time to do justice to this kit. What color/brand of paint did you use on the exterior?

U-joints are very noticable on mid & rear-engined race cars, esp open wheel types. Ditto on street rods, whether or not they have an IRS. As for having U-joints that are accurate for each application, I think that only a relatively small variety of U-joints would actually be req'd to model most cars, and any differances would primarily be due to the size of the U-joint, and not the small details unique to a particular vehicle.

Guess that I'll get ahold of Jimmy and order his '58 Chevy s/d body. I might also get his new chopped '50 Olds coupe while I'm at it. Just what I need: 2 more projects! Hope that Jimmy can make it to the NNL Southern Nats in the Atlanta area this November. It's a terrific show and swap meet. . .

Independent rear suspensions (IRS) require 4 U-joints per vehicle, so that eats up a lot of kit pcs quickly. With so many C2-C6 Vette kits, as well as newer sports & racing cars w/ IRS being kitted, that should only add to the potential market for some decent U-joints. And, they'd be most useful if they were cast as two-pieces per joint, so that their angle could be adjusted by the builder depending on the track width of different IRS transaxles (or, for different driveshaft lengths for rwd applications). As Art described, having a metal pin for insertion into the trans & diff. would be the best way to go, and that would also apply for IRS applications for insertion of the half shafts into the transaxle & outer hubs. As for donor kits for U-joints to use as a starting point, some Tamiya or Fujimi kits may be worth checking into. . .

Jimmy's '65 Chevelle 2 door station wagon is terrific. Whoever did the master did it right. The casting is just about as thin as a typical styrene body shell, and the details seem correct to me. There's the typical flash, but it's easily removed in a few minutes. (and it comes w/ an interior bucket, too). Highly recommended! His '50 Olds fastback is quite well done w/ only a few gripes - mainly how the Chevy fastback body was mated to the Revell Olds body @ the B pillars. There is a kinda rough texture to the top surface of the resin body, however, and the entire body will need some tedious sanding in order to achieve a good paint finish. It's fixable w/ some work, and at his asking price, it's still a good buy. I've also had a couple of his earlier subjects - a chopped/Carson topped '49-'52 Chevy body shell w/ both the hood & skirts molded to the body. It's very thick and lacks crisp details. I also have his '50ish chopped Buick? fastback slammer body. It's also very thick, and it'll take a lot of work to make it into something decent, although someone @ the NNL Southern Nats a few years ago made one into an awesome looking roadster. His '27 Model T track roadster body, hood & track nose is too thick, but workable, and will build up into a good lakes-style or street rod type model. I'm quite disappointed w/ the chopped '37 Ford pick up cab, however, as the windshield area is not correct, and the detail - overall - is either too soft, or completely lacking. It'll take more work to correct than it would for me to just chop the Revell cab that I have. Question: has anyone purchased (and built) his '58 Chevy sedan delivery? I want to convert one into a phantom Nomad 2 door station wagon using both Revell's and AMT's '58 Impala kits as donors.

I know these are Fords, but there's never been a '33-34 roadster done in 1/25 or 1/24th scale, nor an accurate '34 3 window coupe except Monogram's old tool 1/24 th scale '34 stock height coupe/cabriolet - one can use the chopped top part from the various ZZ top kits based on it, but the ZZ Top kit was very lacking in so many ways, esp the chassis, etc .) The only resin '33-34 roadster bodies that have been done (to the best of my knowledge) are not accurate, as their doors are too long (they should have have shorter doors that are the same length as the '33-34 five-window coupes). And, I think that they were based on Monogram's 1/24 scale '34 or the ZZ Top kit. AMT's '33-'34 five-window coupe, but, not their awful Tudor sedan kit, could be used, w/ suitable upgrades, as donors for 1/25th scale bodies. A 1/25 scale '33-'34 Ford Tudor sedan body & fenders would be welcome, also. I'd also like to be able to get either a 1/25th scale '28-'29 and/or '30-'31 Model A coupe in 1/25th scale (so that the plentiful amount of hot rod parts found in many plastic donor kits could be used with those bodies. AMT's '29 Model A roadster kit could be used as a donor, as well as Revell's '28-29 rat rod pick up kit, or their '32 chassis for building highboy hot rods. Lots of aftermarket suspension bits, photo-etch parts, etc are out there already for doing many versions of both '33-34 and Model A Ford hot rods. Also on my wish list - all would be 1/24 scale, most likely - - '39 Lincoln Zephyr (use w/ Monogram's '41 Continental kit) - F&F bodies (use w/ Heller's Delahaye kit) - Weymann boat-tailed Duesenberg (use w/ Monogram's various Duesenberg kits) - '38 Buick Century coupe (no idea what to use as a donor) - 38-40 LaSalle - any body style (again, no idea what to use as a donor) - '41 Chevy coupe (could possibly use w/ Monogram's '39 Chevy kit) - '39-40 Mercury coupe and/or convertible w/ a Carson-type top (use w/ Revell's '40 Ford kit)

Is R&M of Md's 'chopped model A' based on Monogram's 1/24 scale kit, or is it 1/25th scale?

Williams Bros used to offer a nicely detailed (but somewhat complex build) of a '30s era racing plane w/ some nice Gilmore Red Lion decals - not sure if any of them would be suitable for 1/24th scale, but the kit includes a large sheet of decals w/ more than one size of the Gilmore name/logo, as well as their trademark 'red lion'. That kit can be easily found on eBay - often for less than $15. (note that the kit also includes decals for two other aircraft, in addition to the Gilmore version) The decals are very high quality (re: registration, color density, & are quite thin), and they respond nicely to decal setting solutions,. The decal's clear film disappears completely under a light clear coat of either gloss or a dullcoat. (I intend to use them on a vintage/what-if LSR car project (one of these days. . .)

According to an online source - the stock tires on the '55 300 were 'special 6 ply tubeless 800x15 Goodyears. Note, that they're 15", not 14" as some wrote in this thread. As far as I can recall, 14" tires weren't available until 1957, and were introduced during the 'lower is better every year' era in Detroit. 800x15 tires are huge, fat tires, but the wheels in (at least some of the images posted in this thread) don't look quite right to me, as they appear to be too small in relation to the tires, esp w/ the kit's wide whites. The '55 Chrysler C300 was almost 219" long w/ a 126" wheelbase, so 15" wheels might look small on such a large car. And, the gangster style wide-whites probably exaggerate how small the wheels look to me. Also - to further nit-pick, the tire's sidewall engraving appears a little heavy-handed - at least in the close-up images. But, even if there might be an issue w/ the tires and/or wheels, who really cares, as that's relatively an easy fix - if it's needed at all, as I could be completely wrong w/ my above impressions. But, the overall model is a gem! Moebius is to be highly congradulated for doing justice to this rare subject! And, could they have a '56 300B in the works? Seems a natural, as the only significant differance between the '55 & the '56 are the rear quarter panels, tailights, rear bumper, and a couple of badges. Or, perhaps we'll soon have a quality resin conversion for a '56?? Either way - here's hoping. . . And, I'd hope someone (Moebius or Revell?) would do a 1/25th scale '56 Olds Super 88 and/or same year Buick Century, a '57 Cad (not an Eldo), and a '56 Continental Mk2. Great replica stock & customs, and consider all the neat vintage drivetrain & trim pcs for other custom projects. Just my 2 cents worth. . .

I agree w/ Harry, and none of the comments that I've read are those of armchair modelers w/ massive egos. They've all been honest remarks meant to critique a new kit, that's all. There's lots of enthusiastic anticipation surrounding the release of the Hudson & Chrysler, and we'd be remiss if we didn't raise the issues now, esp since neither kit has been committed to tooling yet. . .Would it be better to remain silent, and wait 'til the kit's on the shelf, and then complain about discrepencies that would keep one from purchasing it? That would not benefit Moebius nor us modelers who eagerly await these subjects. 'Good enough' is not what I think Moebius has in mind, nor should we settle for what might have been.

I wasn't being negative w/ my comments re: the issue I raised re: the shape of the rear quarter panel (approx 12" behind the door's rear cutline) but quite to the contrary, my comments were based on the images of the pre-tooling example, and, that particular character line doesn't seem to replicate one of the most pleasing & identifiable features of the '55 Chrysler's design. This kit is obviously being aimed at the adult marketplace, and w/ the approx $30. msrp, one would expect to get an accurate replica of such a 'milestone' car. Ditto for the apparant issue w/ the too-fast roofline. Moebius is obviously sweating the details on both the Hudson & the Chrysler; I hope that they get them right, and that both kits exceed their sales expectations. As a contrast, Revellogram flopped w/ their alleged retooled '70 AAR Cuda a few years back, and discerning modelers walked away from that kit. . .

Let's hope that Moebius also corrects the shape of the 300's rear qtr panel - specifically, the area above & in front of the rear wheelwell; in other words, the 'hump' of the character line that ties into the horizontal body side sculture just above the side trim, & approx 12" rearward of the door's rear cutline. The test shot shows a much too edgy & severe character line in that area, while it should have a much softer & more rounded profile, esp noticable in a 3/4 frontal view. http://wallpapers-free.co.uk/background/transport/cars/1955-Chrysler-C-300-at-Chrysler-Technology-Center-Lobby-Red-High-fvl/