randyc

Here's one I got thrown in with a Franklin Mint ebay purchase. $5. This took a couple hours and I am pleased witih it. Still sits too low and have some bad camber issues that I'm not going to fix. But much better. And only took a couple hours from start to finish.

Sweet! I'm getting ready to post what I did to a $5 Maisto I just got. But this is really cool.

They really did. I have been buying a bunch more when I can get them cheap and none of the others really compare. Franklin Mint isn't even close on the ones I have bought. I guess I'm in "starter" car range mostly. But have bought about 20 since this one and have [mostly] spent around $20 or less each. Got one bunch for $10 each plus shipping and everyone of them were complete. Fun new part of hobby.

nice!

I'm selling my 1/18s so I can display my built up 1/24,25s. Selling my Nascar 1/24s to buy "mint" cars. If you wait and look and make offers, you can usually get these for fairly cheap. Got a 60 impala franklin mint and a 48 Chrysler Town & Country for about $22 for both last week. Can't buy a single plastic kit for that. Both were complete and pretty clean. Week before, I bought 6 cars (1 was a parts car) from one seller for $50 plus shipping. All but the parts car were good. Did have to make a couple small repairs but easy enough using modeling skills we probably all have. I sold 17 NASCAR builtups last week, which freed up 17 display cases and made some extra cash for more new cars. It never stops..

NICE! I bought a Franklin Mint '55 police car a while back - hey don't hate me - was like $12. I thought a BelAir would be kinda flashy but it's a nice enough model. I really like your Buick. And ya can't get one in plastic. I think if I were to make any suggestion, it would be to paint over the chrome bumpers with some black Detail It wash fluid. It really makes chrome look less toy like, imo. And if that worked on this build, it would go from nice to spectacular. I have not tried it on a diecast like this, but have used it on kit chrome and HotWheels chrome. Really helps give the chrome some depth

I received my Hirohata. Opened it up, took it out, played with the features, made sure it was as represented. Put it back in box til September. It is my birthday present from my family. they all know and are contributing to pay for it. But OMG, what a fabulous, delicate model. LOTS of working features, up to and including the little wheels under bumper to keep the car from dragging the rear bumper off. The window frames are very delicate. Pretty amazing model. Working suspension.

Interesting. As a comparison - Harley announced it is moving some production overseas. Part of this, according to CNN (never thought I'd ever say THAT), is that the American Harley market is aging to a point where the consumer is agining out. Buying their LAST bike, not their irst or second. Same with models - the main demographics is aging. Heck, I'm a young sprout in this hobby at 52. And even I am not as crazed about it now as I was back in the day. I've built MOST of the kits being reissued and don't have a lot of interest in so many of the reissues. I have only bought like 6 kits in the last 2 years. And haven't finished all of those. And still have a ton of things unbuilt. I am going back and buying the "mint" cars - Franklin and Danbury because they made the things I want now. And the prices - if you shop carefully, you can get them delivered for about same price as a new kit and paints to paint with. Can or will I ever be able to build a Tucker? Doubtful. 48 Chrysler? Doubtful. And young people are doing other things. Other than modeling or buying high end motorcycles. Or going to a bar to hear a live band. Or, or, or. So I don't see a rosy future for American cars model kits in the American market. WE'll see.

Yup. Been there. Right now, I just dread cranking up to paint bodies. Airbrushing or even can paints. It's really the airbrush part because I try to do the interior base color with airbrush. Just not what I want to do right now. Lost my inspiration last winter when it turned cold. It hasn't returned yet and it can get quite warm in my building where I work. I have detailed some hot wheels and fixed a couple of cars that were losing parts, but that's about it right now. Nothing new coming out that I want to spend money on. The Bronco is nice, but waiting to see what all versions come out. And even then, it doesn't fit in what I've been building collecting lately. Have been here in the past. It will likely pass or I'll sell it off as I am currently trying to sell a lot of diescasts and builtups. To buy more different cars. Replacing all 1/18s with smaller scale versions, whether they be 1/64 up to 1/24. And he diecast folks are doing or have done things the plastics haven't done. 57 Buick? Olds? Pontiac? Chrysler? TUCKER? I don't need any more plastic kits of camaros, mustangs, corvettes, 32 Fords. And even Firebirds - I have at least 15 different Firebirds and I'm not even that big a fan - they just seem to accrue. So yeah, I'm feeling a slump too. In particular and in general. I do still pass through here everyday though to see what's happening and loook for more inspiration and to admire the builds. Someday, something will click and I'll be back at it.

I also bought the purple/pink(?) 50 Merc custom for $20. It hasn't arrived yet either and is going to need a spotlight and windshield when it gets here. I'm figuring when I can buy these on the cheap, they are about same as I would have invested in a plastic kit without all the time investment. The time can be used to build something I already have or detail up something or restore something. And the diecast market gives us a chance to have things that the plastic manufacturers haven't given us. My wife loves the diecast "mint" cars because she can openthe doors and such. And she doesn't feel like they are as fragile. We're working on that part. lol Plus I have built about all the reissues we get now at some point and have no intest in doing most of them again. So I am still collecting toy cars as hard as I can.

Those of you who know exactly what you have are very sick individuals.. And you are missing out on a LOT of fun of rediscovering things. I have things of all scales from Micro Machines up to the 1/12 motorcycles and the Tamiya 1/12 Porsche 935 turbo. And when they were packed by my ex, she did not pack in any sort of organized manner - she did pack carefully, but there may be 1/64, 1/43, 1/24-5, and 1/18 all in one box. And slot car stuff too. I've got to get rid of a lot of it - just not enough room in my life. Selling on ebay slowly, but need to step it up soon if I have any hope of getting rid of it all before I leave this coil. Thanks for the replies - great reading.

Was looking for my builtup of 41 Lincoln yesterday. I have moved twice since some of this stuff was packed. Some was packed by my ex to give to me during our divorce. So I found several "new" goodies and LOTS of builtups I had forgotten. Mostly NASCAR, but I'll put those on eBay I guess. But also occurred to me that whenever I want a new toy car, I should go down to my boxes and find one. LOL. Much cheaper that way. Anyone else find "new" stuff when you're looking for something else? Builtups can bring back some fun memories, especially. Kits and diecasts have their own rewards as well.

Well, I got one. Yayyyy. Now becomes the most expensive model in my collection. When it gets here. Also dug out my Dad's 3 Franklin Mint cars, 49 Buick, 1910 Cadillac, and 1913 Rolls. the Buick is the one that excited me. He was a haevy smoker, so had to dismantle and CLEAN it. OMG, poor cars. And his cleaning service was no friend to any of the three. They should be shot! lol. But I'll use what I know and have to make parts or replace things like door handles and hood ornament on the Buick. the others I'll have to wait and see what I can find.

I got the book last week and am happily going through and remembering a LOT of kits from my youth. And I always look forward to his articles. I have built every kit on the OPs list except the 69 GTO. And they are pretty much all "must haves", even if you don't build American cars.

Nice! I sold a 1/18 on ebay not long ago. Always thought it deserved the detail treatment, but I am trying to liquidate the 1/18s as they just take up too much space. I think I have a 1/43 road legend of this one as well. Randy

Sweet! Can't wait to see that - tucker is probably my second favorite car from that era. I have a 1/18 and 1/43 Yat Ming versions. Would love the Kyosho version someday maybe. Or the 1/24 possibly.

I have decided to begin the search for one of these. Have set up ebay to let me know when they appear. This has always been my "holy grail" car - my favorite Kustom of all times. I know a lot of people hate it and some just don't care, but this is my favorite of all times in this genre. If anyone has a nice one for sale, pm me. I'm going to try to stay in $100 neighborhood and they appear regularly. No rush on it, just starting to shop for one that is complete. The car mainly, but the boxes and box candy would be nice as well. bid on one for $61 last week that says was missing the windshield (!) even though it was in the pictures. And might be missing other parts. It went for $83 eventually. I see the JF resin body, but I know me and I don;t want to undertake that project to build. Don't want to have to run down parts and fab stuff. In this case, the DM diecast is perfect. Will go with my HotWheels 1/24 merc perfectly. And my other plastic builds. Am starting to look at other "mint" diecasts of things the plastic mfrs haven't made. 58 pontiac and stuff like that. If I can get smaller versions of things I have, I can ebay my 1/18s off which take up a lot of room, too. Randy

Yep, didn't remember that. Then 70 went to the hoop grille. Not as pretty, imo

LOL. I do like Catalunya. And Prague - probably my two best tracks when I am playing. Funny how that works. You and my son always start up front and I have to chase you down.

"68 had round taillights. And the marker lights. Otherwise the real cars were pretty much identical, right?

Your post above shows your grille looks very much like mine. I *think* I used some aluminum metallizer with a brush? Then maybe I wiped over it to make the raised part shine a bit more? Maybe. I did go to the 'net for reference and spent quite a bit of time washing and wiping with black. Left a little black around the signal lights. When I look at my indoor photos compared to yours, they look so similar I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't mine. I think you;re being too hard on yourself. And your engine compartment is way better - very nice. Yours looks great!

I added you. Your drivatar is tough and fast.

Love it! I have the HoJo version. One on my favorites because it is so unusual.

Make sure you secure a starter on the bench if you decide to test in that manner - those things like to jump when the power goes to them. LOL And be ready for a goodly spark.

Not to defend or anything, but ALL of these cars (real ones) were handbuilt. The sheet metal on the sides may have been an OEM door skin, OR it may have been fabricated. Just as has been stated - the chassis may have been under a whole other body. There were rules in NASCAR that allowed for differences in year and chassis. I read Petty say he loved the 71 Charger and used it til the end of 74, I think. Rules would allow them to use a body that was a couple years old. Petty would have stayed with that body over the replacement if he could have. The newer bodies were not as good. Not having the rule book, I can't say what it was at the time. the leaf spring car may have been an older car rebodied and then relegated to show car status. And if that's the case... It all depends on what they used as the reference car. As weird as it is, they probably did use a REAL car - why else would they make such seemingly glaring errors? I mean some of you guys act as though you built the real car. This is a model of a handbuilt race car. these things change from race to race. Sometimes they have to be changed on the same day at the race track, if they have to change to conform to a template or something. Crews in 67- 70 would often have to beat their cars out to conform when their aero "experiments" were discovered. Probably other years too, but I just finished a book on Bobby Isaac. Free on Kindle Unlimited. Should be required reading for a fan of that era of NASCAR You guys are wrapped up in the side line crease and such, but what about the grille? If it isn't identical to the Baker car, are you going to be all up in arms? What if you build the Foyt car? Are you going to correct the grille shape and trim to reflect the car you have a picture of? If you look, you will probably find many different grille and body configurations for any one given car. It's a "moment in time". Buy it and build it to the best of your abilities. Change whatever you see that needs to be changed to make it look like your reference material. I worked on a street stock car in the late 80s early 90s at Bowman gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC. Our car was an old Tommy Ellis Busch car. With Tommy Ellis, it won a couple, big crash at a different Bristol Race. (Was in the opening credits of the NASCAR show on TNN at the time). So my guy had it. It was a 78/9 Pontiac Lemans body. Hood, top, trunklid, and both bumper covers. My point about this is that the grilles were cut from sheet aluminum and varied from piece to piece. The nose caps could be from a Lemans or a Grand Am, which were slightly different. At one point, we had two different grilles, one had four slots, the other had five. Duh. But we used what we had. So IF JRS decided to kit a model and used that specific car with different grilles, could you guys still say it wasn't correct? No. I have Photos from the track photographer with the car in that exact configuration. We rebodied the car every year. Depending on the sheet metal guy, it might have creases in doors or it might not. It might have the sloping Grand Am nose or it might have the vertical LeMans nose. In our case, it depended on what was available from junk yards at the time. By the time I quit helping, it was pretty much a slab sided affair. Weld it at bottom and top and let it shape to whatever bow out it might have. I will cut them some slack and be glad to see some builtups. I probably will not spend $40 on the kit at this point in my life. I can't get everything I already have built and that's a large chunk for me right now. I do have over 100 NASCAR models built - all from the AMT or Monogram kits. Which means one body represents every car. Right or wrong. All with the same noses and such even thought the cars were different from race to race. I was happy to see decals that represented different air grilles on the front when I was building these. No matter what they put in the box, it will only be right for one particular car. If you are building another version, it will not be perfect. Ease up and be glad to have it or skip it. Your life will not be irrevocably altered.