torinobradley

Outofthebox??? I think thats a illness, isn't it? I tried. Really tried... The Platinum Smoothster I just finished was that attempt. In the end, I was able to get away with only adding plug wires and a shifter. Probably due to the time limit I had. Now the way I usually build, does not involve box stock... My last few projects ended up being cut five ways till sunday and had parts from all over, other kits, photo-etch, scratch, resin, some even include parts not part of our hobby. The motor mount bushings for my '34 Ford Roadster Pickup are little o-rings out of disposable butane lighters... That OCD bug sure hits hard! My latest project was just supposed to be a quick build with a little attitude adjustment cutting but OCD took over and now the front steering works and looks as if it was really bolted together, it has custom headers with all the right bolts, and so on, so forth... Of course, its going to look great, if it ever gets finished...

I've always wanted to do a hot rod ice cream truck... Hey, did anyone else love all the cars in that movie (Indiana Jones/Crystal Skull)??? The 32 roadster with the BRAND NEW small block Chevy???? At the time in the movie, the SBC had only been out a year or two... Isn't that the same as putting a new aluminum corvette motor in an '82 Malibu???

The best way to keep it strong is to try not to bend it. Bending it damages the crystaline structure of the metal and makes it softer. Other than that, I don't know of too many other ways that don't involve major work or recasting... I don't think you can temper the white metal because it reaches fluidity (is that a word?) at a lower temperature than it gets red hot. The stuff goes from solid to fluid in a few degrees... Too hot and you got a puddle of shiny metal with no indication of what it used to be... Is it possible to make a few of the main supports from brass and keep the others in white metal?

Looking great so far!!! Those little guys are really working hard and earning their little dollars... I just finished this kit (Platinum Smoothster in the Under Glass section) and I offer the following words of advice for this kit... The frame to fender mounts on mine were off causing the car to lean very noticibly to the right. I found this out only after glueing it all together. I fixed it by breaking it apart, filing down the front right (passenger) fender mounting tab and filing/scraping the right (passenger) rear frame down to make it sit right. Check yours before using glue... Also, the windscreen is in need of major adjustment. file/sand it to the correct contour including notching it for the guage bulge (something the kit designer didn't think was needed???) before finishing it and installing it. I found all this out by trial & error. If you run into any other snags, hit me up and I'll try to help out.

I did some things with it but it seemed to always come out sticky and shrank a few scales... I have a few casts of a 1/27th scale big block chevy...

Thanks for all the kudos. As I said before, a nice kit but a bit of trouble putting it together. This is the Testors model of the Boyd Coddington Smoothster which I believe is very loosly based on a 1937 Ford. I built is pretty much straight from the box with only some plug wires added.

Awesome build and very original. How many Caddys do you see with injectors sticking out the green flamed hood? I have a question on how you narrowed the wheels and tires. Care to share your secret method?

My first post in the Under Glass section!!! Though, I just have to do some touch ups and repaint the top for the third time... It's done. I need to get some natural light pictures as the color changes with the light I use. The first picture is closest to the actual colors. All in all, not a bad kit, not a great one either... The kit out of the box lists noticibly to Starboard due to the mounting points on the fenders being all messed up (design flaw or warped?)... I had to fix that with a partial dissasemble and some scraping and filing. Enjoy!

Just a bit of a teaser about one of the projects I am working on... I had an idea churning in the back of my mind to make a '34 Ford Fastback Salt Racer and even put down a couple of rough sketches. I had thought to put an allison motor in it. I found a Revell '34 ford body and top section in a parts lot and figured I'd throw a few pieces together. My plan was to make a quick curbside but when the wife asked about entering contests with it, I knew it had to be a full detail. A front mounted blown small block (allison was way too big...), salt disks and all the other period go fast goodies are going in, as time permits. Hope you enjoy and as always, coments and ideas are welcome.

I would be more than happy to help in any way possible. A friend of mine worked for a wood shop and they had a CNC cutter there. I had sent him designs for a few items and he was able to cut em out. Just did simple bitmaps. Awesome stuff! He had cut me a very nice Orion Pirate Ship from a design I sent him. What is the resolution/cut width? When you consider everything as a sum of parts, you can pretty much make anything. Albiet some things are much more difficult than others... I was looking to see just how much those things cost and the little "entry-level" machines can get into the 10k range! Way beyond cottage industry...

I think it would be easier to tell you what you couldn't make with it... From multi-leaf springs of all shapes and sizes to multi part assemblies like moon tanks (two end caps, inner support, exterior skin, filler neck, cap, and mounting brackets) , radiators, frame rails, roof sections with cutouts, hood sides smooth or with cutouts for the also laser cut vents, super detailed fans, cutout grill covers, wheel centers, interior door, hood and trunk skins, suspension mounts from rear bat wings for four link/ladder bar to front radius rod mounts, engine dress covers, brackets, motor mounts, disk brakes (drilled, slotted or both), etc... Considering multi piece assemblies, pretty much everything can be broken down and made in layers. Imagine the '32 frame... side rails would be two parts each for the side profiles, one inner, one outer with the side reveal. You laminate those together. Then cement the thin top profile piece that makes up the upper portion of both frame rails as well as the upper part of the inner crossmemebers and spring pockets. then you cement the inner support for the inner crossmembers and then attach the bottom profile piece to tie it all together into one solid and fairly correct looking frame that has a frame look rather than the boxed look of traditional kit molding processes. I am sure anyone could do this manually but all of the cuts would take forever and a day whereas a laser cutter could cut the entire frame out in a heartbeat with nothing left but assembly. You could even cut a jig to line it all up. And, with just a few changes to the artwork, you could modify the frame for any size Z you want and any crossmember setup, narrowed for an A body or whatever else you can dream up. I volunteer to build the test samples and write the assembly instructions...

One good thing about us down here in Texas... no basements... (I think three houses have 'em here in San Antonio) But nor can we put our collection in the garage unless it is somewhat insulated and the attic is a definite no-no... The price we pay for three days of winter, I guess... We have seen a fair amount of 100 year floods in the past few prompting me to suggest an evaluation of what a 100 year flood is... I have lost more models to heat than anything else. It warps the bodies and parts as well as cooks the decals. Bakes em to a golden yellow-brown. My heart goes out to all of you who lost loved ones (people and things) to natures fury.

I sure would love to see a Mustang P-51... The Roush P-51 Supercharged Mustang Convertible would be a great kit... The local dealer has one and it is rather nice. I still can't convince em to let me have it for a weekend...

One other thing to point out. Don't overlook all the stuff you have around you on a daily basis. You can harvest many, many parts and pieces from everyday objects such as lighters, plastic bread ties, hold down wires in every toy now, etc.... There are many threads here about uses for all kinds of non-model related items and what they can be turned into in our little realms... Also, check out the train scratchbuilding supplies in your hobby shop for all kinds of bolts, lights, chains, mesh and other nifty stuff. Look beyond what it is and see what it can become...

Another trick to use is to paint the white with flat white paint as it goes on much thinner than the glossy counterparts. Then, after hitting it lightly with fine sandpaper to remove some of the texture, to hit it with a few coats of clear. I had always had trouble with the paint buildup due to the white not covering that well. This trick seems to work without burrying the detail.

Hollywood Knights...? How about this one... "Look, man, if there's one thing I know, it's how to drive while I'm stoned. You know your perception is completely f***ed so you just let your hands work the controls as if you were straight." Not technically a "car" movie but has a cool one in it driven in a unique way...

Instructions? Is that the protective sleeves for the decals or the workbench liners?

Eddie (Meatloaf) in Rocky Horror Picture Show... Said by Dr Frankenfurter (Tim Curry) after he killed him in the freezer... Just don't ask me how I know...hehe

The last few projects to feel my blade... '25 Mack Bully streetrod '34 Ford roadster pickup Boyds Smoothster '57 Vette flip-nose sbc gasser turned bbc pro street Only the Smoothster hasn't undergone major plastic surgery...

How about "Ya-old Fart..."

Look at the details on the truck, the panel thickness, the thin headlight rings, the rear suspension bolts, the mirror mount. Either real or a VERY well done and large scale model. I'm sticking with real.

Just showing the progress. I had this on another board but forgot to put it here. It is a bit further along now... Enjoy! How 'bout that OCD for super detailing...?

I jumped on model too but then started looking at it. I am going to have to say real truck with photoshopped background to make it appear to be a model...

You all make valid points... I guess... It doesn't have to work as long as it looks like it works... The point about the time spent certainly hit home (pun intended) as demands on my time are sometimes great, which really cuts into my modeling time. While I admire and respect all the operating features on the works of art some of these guys put out, it's just not in the time budget for my builds... I will just collect all the parts to do it for when I retire and have the time to spend on elevating my models to the next level...

I was looking at the watch gears I have but I don't have a worm gear. I was thinking of the little hex key locking screws that go in the holes for towel racks and such. I will have to see just how small they get. Then, maybe a watch gear or two cut to the right shape and glued/soldered to the steering shaft. Now, I will look for more watches so I can sacrafice them to the Gods of Scale, especially winding type ones. Thanks for the tips!