Dennis Lacy

After what you did with the sister roadster kit I can't wait to see what you do with these. The topless Sport Coupe idea sounds sweet!

It looks like the Happy Days version and later but similar version to its right have the Orange Crate wheels & tires transplanted. If they're not from the Orange Crate then they're nearly identical. Either way, I think it looks pretty neat like that!

Thanks for your comments, everyone! It would have a hand pressure pump mounted within reach of the driver like the one shown above. I didn't do any cockpit details so there's no hand fuel pump, brake lever / master cylinder, clutch pedal, accelerator pedal, gauges, etc. Like I mentioned above, the dragster is more of a prop for displaying the engine. in hindsight, I guess I should have pushed myself to add all that stuff but I'm just glad it's not a pile of parts in a box anymore.

This little early 60's retro dragster started life as a mid-60's Revell Dragmaster frame parts pak that was given to me by my friend Jon Ferren. As it came from Revell it was very similar to the Mooneyes dragster frame kit from the same period. It is also very similar to the dragster frame found in Revell's Mickey Thompson Attempt 1 land speed car. The frame kit is bare basics providing the frame rails, body side panels, cowl top panel, firewall and dash panel. It is up to the builder to provide the rest of the parts. I rounded out the chassis with the narrow tube front axle & tierod assembly from Revell's Kurtis Midget's, side steering pitman arm from AMT's Double Dragster with a scratch built drag link, hairpin rods and Halibrand quick change rear axle from Revell's Tony Nancy 22jr double kit, rear brakes from Revell's Ed Roth Tweedy Pie T, Halibrand resin front wheels from Drag City Casting, Halibrand rear wheels from AMT's '33 Willys, T100 front tires from The Modelhaus and AMT parts pack slicks. The seat was also narrowed and shortened from the 22jr kit. Paint is Testors one coat Icy Blue and the wheels are finished in Testors Model Master Jet Exhaust to replicate the Dow7 anti-corrosive coating applied to magnesium wheels back in the 60's. The decals are from Revell's Edelbrock Kurtis Midget. The centerpiece of this model is a Model A 4 cylinder engine with an Ardun overhead valve conversion of my own design. (Ardun 4 cylinder conversions never existed in the old days but a handful of them were created and sold in modern times.) I used the very well rendered engine block, oil pan and custom Ansen side valve chamber cover from Revell's '29 and '31 Model A kits. The clutch housing and direct drive transmission are from the 22jr kit. To build the Ardun conversion I scratch built the cylinder head and intake manifold. On the front of the head and side of the block I used the little finned block off plates that come on the hot rodded flathead from Revell's '40 Ford's and '32 Sedan. (These indicate where water inlet and outlet/water pump would be if there were a cooling system.) The Ardun rocker arm cover is from Revell's '50 Ford Pickup. Up front a Chevy finned timing cover from Monogram's Slingster dragster was modified to fit and I scratch built the right-angle magneto drive. The magneto itself is from AMT's modern-tool Ala Kart and ignition wires were added to it. I also scratch built an oil filter mount on the rear right corner of the engine and ran oil hose to and from it. The header is a modified piece from AMT's Double Dragster kit. The carburetors are from the Ed Roth Tweedy Pie T. I built a small tee-fitting and ran fuel hose to the carburetors and down to the Moon fuel tank from Revell's '32 5-Window. I also added a little retaining tab to the frame to keep the long hose from flopping around, a finned oil breather cab and a dipstick. The engine is painted Tamiya Gold which is a real good match for the decals. This engine was a long time in the making. It originated it a different, now abandoned project before being re purposed in this dragster where it continued to evolve. I'm very happy to see it finished. The rest of the model didn't receive any extra special detailing. I more wanted to use the dragster as a way to display the engine. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki

When I opened this my jaw hit the floor! Aaron, this is seriously fantastic and my new favorite version of this kit. The colors, the styling, the proportions - it's got 'em all and at the same time it just looks all-business. PS: The magnesium finish on the wheels is superb! Please tell how you achieved it.

Thank you, everyone, for your comments. They are always appreciated!

I called my local shop today and they still don't have this in stock. I was told possibly the coming week and I'm one of many who has called asking. I. Want. One.

I have a couple but i bought them purely to rob parts for other projects. I've seen enough box art Blue Beetles and Banditos that I don't need my own.My local shop, Pegasus Hobbies, still has 'em on the shelf. I'm happy to have all the retro parts I can get but I still think it's too bad they couldn't get the Cadillac script back on the valve covers.

All that power with such a short wheel base would make for one scary ride down the strip!

I really like this model! The overall look you've achieved is actually quite representative of what's going on with young hot rodders in Scandinavian countries like Sweden and Norway right now. The tall ride height paired with the aggressive chop, the colors, the vintage airplane references with the header tips painted red, the horn mounted on the frame rail along side the engine, the somewhat rare but out of character (date-wise to the rest of the components) 60's mag wheels. These guys over there just get this certain look that guys here in the States don't get even though we have the same cars and parts. I also think the weathering on the body is fantastic and that pealing sun visor is such an effective accident.

That's pretty freaking nice for 7.5 hours! If there's a better color than Maroon for these 40's Ford's, I don't know what it is?

This is the first showing of this new kit that I know of and I like what I see. The Anglia grill works surprisingly well and your tweaks to the stance look good, too. Interestingly, the very modern engine doesn't look out of place against all of the otherwise traditional styling. Sweet! Question: Did you attach the roof before or after painting the body? Is there really any reason why the roof shouldn't be attached ahead of time, despite what the instructions show?

Thanks, B! You'll probably be surprised to know that I made no modifications to the suspension that would change the stance. It's all a result of the rubber rake and channeling the body which makes those big slicks tuck right up into the wheel wells. The 3-Window trunk lid is not only wider and slightly shorter, it's on a softer curve as well. I had to manipulate the shape of the 5-Window trunk lid to match the curve of the body then fit it in while leaving the original molded panel lines to the left and right intact. In the full scale world it would not be practical or plausible to alter a 5-Window lid into a 3-Window, or vice versa. Good thing we work in plastic! I've had better success blacking out between the grill bars using a black Sharpie and quickly wiping away the ink from the tops of the grill bars with my thumb. I learned that from our young friend Florian Dylinski (from TRaK). You gotta be quick, tho! I would have done it this time but my Sharpie is MIA. Most likely my toddler is to blame...

Thanks! The carburetors received multiple steps. First, they were primed in Duplicolor Gray Sandable Primer, the bases painted black and the bodies painted Testors Model Master Jet Exhaust. They were then sealed in Tamiya Semi Gloss Clear. After that the scoops were painted bright silver and the throats touched in with flat black. These carburetors represent mid-late 30's Stromberg units which had black painted cast iron bases and natural colored pot metal center bodies and tops. Some carburetor restoration places coat them in a color similar to what I used on the model. It's not correct for an exact restoration (and I would never do it on a real carburetor, haha) but I like it on my models because it adds some accent and interest.

It does have a wash, although it came out a little thin and the camera flash isn't doing it any favors... I guess it'll have to be, "Good enough for the girls I go with." Hosted on Fotki

This is my first finished model since September of last year! My projects are usually pretty heavy on modifications and fab work so I decided to take a break from those and throw something together that would go pretty quick and fill another spot in my display case. I used mostly Revell '32 Ford series parts for ease of interchangeability but deviated with a little back dating by replacing the disc brakes with early Ford drum plates, skinny bias-ply front tires, rear mags & slicks from Monogram's Lil' Coffin, valve covers with Moon breathers from Revell's Mazmanian '40 Willys, a parts stash log intake and 6 carburetors from Ed Roth's Tweady Pie T. The body was channeled and got the louvered trunk lid from the Revell '32 5-Window grafted in. For interior I used the 5-Window floor, pleated bench seat and '40 dash with pleated side panels from Revell's '32 Sedan and a parts stash Bell Auto steering wheel. For paint I decided to use up a bunch of partial cans that were laying around which include some Testors 1-Coat Fiery Orange, Duplicolor Gray Sandable Primer and various shades from Tamiya. Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki And a parting shot with another channeled but not chopped '32 3-Window I built about 8 years ago right when I got back into the hobby. Hosted on Fotki

I think there's a lot more going on here than a lack of tape measure. I think, perhaps, the builders eyesight was compromised. As in, completely blind.

Fantastic model of historical and unique vehicle. I enjoyed following the build thread. Will you be bringing this to the Lower Left Coast NNL in August?

I've missed out on this event the last couple of years due to other obligations. Really hope to make it this year!

Both of your Uncertain T's are great but that trailer is just plain rad!!! Did a trailer like this exist for the real UT? Also, very cool to see the original and final iterations side by side.

I think this is an excellent point, Chris. The word criticism just has a negative connotation and by definition it's not intended to be a positive. To criticize is to find fault in someone or something, period. However, to critique is to analyse someone or something and to find both the positives and the negatives. Critique is the word that we should be using as it applies to viewing and commenting on members models. When it comes to actually putting my thoughts into words on a forum I have always found it best to mention a thing or two positive before addressing the negatives. There's always something positive to say. Even if the model is rough the builders intentions can be complimented (concept, color, wheel choice, etc...). I also find it important that if a flaw is going to be pointed out then the person pointing it out should also include advice on how to get better results on future projects. Speaking of models and semantics, models are what we are all building here. We're not building builds.

What I was getting at (but failed to, haha) was that the actual model will most likely look better than the picture that's been photoshopped.

I'm down for getting in on a community thread and I would do my own in the Workbench section for those that never venture down the category menu.

Duh!

The Ebay prices of Lindberg '29 Mercedes just went up!