Eshaver

If the Econoline returns , I'm splurgin as I was too dang busy manufacturing parts for these vans to even bother buying a plastic model kit when this was a current piece . I have managed to do scale pieces of every part I ever manufactured for the van kits so far .......

The detail is mind blowing here . I feel as though I'm standing alongside of this project .

Jim, indeed , it is ! This is , well was a private residence when built in Richmond Virginia about 1894 . It became a Parrish House for the Saint James Episcopal church next door by 1920. The basement was home to the Crossroads Coffee house, a Virginia Commonwealth favorite 1968-1983 .

Have you contacted the Tidewater Automotive modelers in Norfolk? They have a face book group and if I'm not mistaken , they meet at the Hobbytown in Norfolk too .

Here's a look back on A M T's 1965 Chevelle Malibu wagon , out of the box , well cept for a recent addition of AMT Parts pack tires , Virginia license plates for 1972 , Richmond City decal and an inspection sticker . The paint is Model master and it's akin to a early 70's Chrysler color

I'm blown away .......

Bruce makes an EXCELLENT point . My latest diorama rests on a 3ft X 4ft base

Michael , I too have no use for ANYTHING Boyd Coddington or Chip Foose . Boy oh boy , let the HATE MAIL POUR IN !!!!!! Now , with that outta the way , I'd like a CORRECT 1956 Ford cab , one that didn't have the "Bug eyed " grille or the over rounded corners the Revell kit has . Course too AMT could do us a favor by taking the Grille out of the old MPC 1953 kit and placing it in the ORIGINAL 1953 Ford F-100 kit . Ford NEVER offered a Chrome Grille in a 53 due to the Chrome shortage then ! YES, the TEETH ARE CORRECT , BUT ONLY ON A DELUXE CAB !!!!! ONLY the TEETH were chrome . . By the way , the hood on a deluxe cab SHOULD have a "Boomerang on the ID badges too " .

Here's to Motor City's 1973-4 Econoline Ford Van LWB : Overall, quality was anywhere from Nice to real nice . What it lacks , the Tie rod as it was unique to the 1969-74 models with the "Center Link " that was very troublesome in real life , a Center bearing for the two piece drive shaft on LWB models only and mirrors . OK, I made my own Junior west coast mirrors out of Evergreen and paper clips . I also made a copy of the Art Forms design 4 hole snack tray my company manufactured 1972 - 1983. The seats could have stood some improvements too had someone WANTED to have used the "Low Back " park benches . Inside , notice that the motor box was for the 289-302 V-8 , NOT the 240 cylinder six . The windshield that was sent and vacuum formed by Motor city took quite some doing to even fit half way close . I still install automobile glass and I could have probably done better taking Flat sheet and making my own . I'm told that robbing parts from the AMT Vantom Van will net parts not on the Motor city trans kit . Well, I had an Ala kart and a Revell 1966 Mustang . The kart has the same steering wheel offered optionally by Ford with a Bullet center . The Mustang had wheels that look right at home . Testors has the 1 coat lacquer French Blue that is a close match to the Blue offered on Econolines 1969-74 too. I suggest you shoot it over top of a red Oxide primer as one , THAT is what Ford used on the 1-1 van and TWO, it darkens the Blue . I can recommend this trans truck kit because one , Tom Elfrit , in spite of NOT having a 1973 Van in front of him seemed to get all the major proportions correct . Motor City deserves MAJOR kudos over having the guts to take on a subject that the model kit companies simply refuse to do !

I'm again very dubious of this effort . What logo folks ? Coca Cola changed it's colors in the early 1960's from Yellow and Red to Red and White . You can take this MPC 1932 Chevrolet sedan delivery as proof . I actually talked to Coca Cola bottling representatives here locally when I did this one ........

Bill, I just looked closely at the Bentwood chairs . Props Information Item: 04699 Quantity 36 Height 35″ Width 16″ Depth 17″ This isn't going to work too well in 1-24th or 1-25th scale .

IN TRUTH , you're looking at photographs combined with a Brick like embossed paper .I took Black acrylic paint and old T- shirts to create the washed soot and grime .

Tom, it's 1-24th ....

Welp , the former private residence JEB Stuart would have visited is finally finished . The Civil War general about Stuart is rumored to be a fact . See, this house was built decades before the Church, St James Episcopal was built . The church now joins the NOW Parrish house via a breezeway. The model was built at the request of several who were connected to a Coffee house that operated in the basement 1967- 1983 . I took several additions out and "Back dated the building as it appeared in 1970 . The model will become a part of the Lewis Ginter Botanical gardens miniatures and Holiday light showing in Richmond Virginia opening November 23rd this year.

Thank You Eric !

Jeff, this seems to be the business model of every Virginia Hobbytown . It's really sad too because now , they're the closest game in town for most metropolitan areas .

Not my style .....

Steve , add to that , 7-11 stores , hardware stores actually sold model kits and I mean Monogram, Hubley and AMT ....

Chris , have you seen the 1967 Chevrolet Impala 4 door HT ? I lucked into one as a Toys Is us closed . I'm impressed by this one ...

DECENT!!!!!!!

David , to answer your questions , the building rests on a 4 foot by 3 foot base . The base contains the bottom half of the basement . The actual building is about 38 and a half inches long , almost three feet wide and nearly four feet tall

I guess I'm lucky . Because my son orders soooooo much stuff from Amazon, I have an ample supply of boxes . Hey, go to Wal Wurl , get a roll of bubble wrap and start packin!!!!!

Me too.....

Since last November , I have been Full Time trying to complete an 1894 Queen Anne which was a private residence , now a Parrish house for an Episcopal church . From 1967 to 1983 , the basement also served as a Coffee house for local talent

Thank you for the kind words Manuel. I am still getting requests to show this diorama as it was first constructed back in 2013 for the Southern California auto club . They decided not to keep it and it was sent back to me on the East coast