Fletch

Nothing like a little self promotion there Big Bob!!!!!!!! Seriously, I have no regrets for the hours I have spent on Traditional Rods and Kustoms in Scale. It's a great place for the free exchange of ideas, tips and tricks. A faithful TRaK Junkie!

If you're into Traditional Rods and Customs HAMB is the place to be. One thing is for sure you will never run out of projects. There are several "Social Groups" that cover specific makes and models of cars and trucks. There's even a Model Car social group on HAMB.

When I first read Rob's account of this story my mind went to the Darwin Awards. You feel for the guy but, if he won't take the time to read the warnings.... well things go BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you can see each one of us who take on the yoke of judging have different things that push our buttons. As Ken alluded to interiors are not all flat black PERIOD! They are a combination of metal, plastic/vinyl/leather and cloth. Check out the interior of your own car. If you have a car that is vintage enough to have a metal dash more often then not it has a gloss finish. Look at the seats and door panels. If they're plastic, vinyl or leather they will have a semi flat finish to them. Cloth seats are almost always going to be flat as cloth does not shine up well at all. Wood grain, chrome trim is going to be bright and shiny. The GSLIMCC was brought up earlier in this topic. They are typically much harder when it comes to judging then most local contests. One thing I know about the criteria used for the GSL is EVERY section of the model should be built as if it were going to be in a contest devoted to that section. What I mean by that is build the engine like you would if it were being judged against all the other engines in the show. Same with the interior, chassis, etc. If you build for pleasure and someone else builds for the sake of winning contests and if they build each section as a stand alone piece don't expect to win. I have had the honor of receiving a couple of "Best in Show" awards over the years. Then I've taken those same models to another show and didn't even get an "Also Ran" out of it. When you enter a contest survey the other entries. BE HONEST with yourself. You will know if you have a chance of winning or not. If you don't win pick the brain of the modeler who did win. Notice I used the term "MODELER", like it or not women build models as well and they win contests!!!!!!! Be as gracious in winning as in loosing. Leave the sour grapes for someone else. If you want to know more about judging ask the group sponsoring the event. Apprentice under one of their experienced judges. It's the best way I know to get the experience to know what to look for. You'll find out more often then not it's just common sense. Above all else, remember it's a HOBBY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Eric, the best advice I can give you is to sponsor a build night. Get a stock pile of kits and the tools needed to build them and invite you friends over. You will find building plastic models is not for everyone, but if you have one convert that's one more then you has to start with. Good Luck, keep us posted. Dave aka Fletch

Rob, I agree completely with all your points. As someone who has been judging contests for over 10 years. Finish is the #1 thing that draws the attention of every judge. I use the term Finish as the best painted model on the table may not be the shiniest. I have given Best Paint to a well done, well planned rust bucket, because above all else execution in laying out the finish is what we're looking for. More often then not the well weathered model has had significantly more time and effort put into it then polishing out the latest color from Testors or HOK. Also, I don't know about the contest that the rest of you judge but we encourage builders to put a fact sheet with their entries. A lot of the time there are things done to a build that in the short time frame of judging gets overlooked. If you've managed to correct a flaw during the build that you feel enhances the model, put it on a facts sheet and display it with the model. Something that may get a cursory glance, if it's call to our attention by a facts sheet can be the difference between not placing at all or taking home the first place trophy. Some judges will take away points if your model doesn't roll. I for one will take away points if it does roll, after all it's meant to be a static display not a toy. My #1 pet peeve when it comes to judging a contest is glass. If you can't take the time to make sure the clear parts remain clear you're in trouble. Scratches, glue smudges, windows not fitted to the opening. Guys, that one thing I will tell any one who asks "Why didn't my model win?", EXECUTION!!!!!!!!!! You had the right idea but just didn't take the time to execute the idea. Every year someone brings in a model that they are so proud of it's not even funny. And, they always make the same profound statement, "I just finished this one an hour ago!" I always ask the same thing, "When did you get started on the build?" and the response normally is they built it in the last couple of days. And, it always looks like it. As a judge I would rather have them take their time and BUILD the model then throw it together just so they can have something to enter. Judging is extremely subjective. For years I showed Scottish Deerhounds in AKC shows. When you got your entry forms it always let you know who the judges were going to be. Not only the Breed Judge, but the Group Judge as well as the Best in Show Judge. With this information you knew how well you dog would fair based on the likes/dislikes of the particular judge. It's not that much different when it comes to judging model car contests. We all have our likes/dislikes and we apply them accordingly while we're judging. I don't say any of these things to discourage any of you from entering a judged contest. But, as Rob indicated ask the judges what you can do to make your next build the winner that you feel it deserves to be. DID you get that? ASK!! OK, I'll get off my Soap Box and get back to the bench. After all I have contest to enter!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent work guys. the kit certainly looks to be even higher in quality then recent Revell releases. With the cost of kits going up every time the Hobby Shops restock, guess I should make an appointment with the loan officer at the Credit Union. That way I'll be ready when this jewel is available.

One things for certain with all that was there if you couldn't find the inspiration for your next project you must have been looking in the wrong direction. Thanks for posting the link.

Not sure John as the Edsel caps are meant to be the wheels as well as the wheel covers. I do know that the centers of the caps are going to be painted red before setting the center spinners on the caps. Wouldn't be that difficult to pop the covers back off and mock up a set of steelies to see how it would look.

To the best of my knowledge there has never been a production model of any car that Kyle has driven. There are currently no Toyota NASCAR models available at all. The best you could hope for is to build a Chevy from his days with Hendricks. I don't know if Slixx or some other decal mfg produces decals for the #5 while Kyle was driving it. Neither Revell or AMT have offered any models that represent the COT, no matter which of the manufactures it was meant to represent. With the fact that Revell has pretty much dropped their line of NASCAR models I wouldn't expect any production models for Kyle or any other driver in the near future.

Hey Mr Dave, the middle 2 pics are primer only, the last 2 are with the Testors Once Coat Lacquer. It's great paint, but like any paint, unless you're extremely lucky, requires additional work to get the desired finish. So, it has been sanded out and is now ready for the second coat of paint. Not sure if I'll use the Testors Lacquer for the second go round or the HOK "Snowhite". More then anything else it will depend upon the weather. Either way it's definitely going to be White Pearl.

This is one of 3 projects that I hope to have completed before The Bob Paeth Portland Classic Model Car Contest. The Bub Johnson '29 RPU is now completed. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17951 The '32 Vicki is in primer after some additional body work was completed. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=17607 So, time to get back to the '50 Pickup. I have chopped several of the Revell '50 Ford Pickups over the years. This time around I tried something different. By quartering the roof the chop went a whole lot smoother then in the past with cutting wedges in the roof. The ride height was adjusted by mounting the stock front and rear axles on top of the springs. The tires are from the '50 kit with wheel covers from AMTs Edsel Ranger. I had originally planned to use the 352 from the Edsel as well but one of the T-bird engines from the Mysterion ended up under the hood. Originally this was to represent a well kept parts chaser for some speed shop. A duel purpose pickup, chasing parts Monday - Friday and winning shows on the weekends. The plan for paint was yellow with red scallops, but after seeing it in white primer the plans changed. Hosted on Fotki The paint is now Testors One Coat Lacquer "White Lightning". Left to do at this point are the finish the Red & White Tuck n' Roll interior as well as the toneau cover which will be finished to complement the interior. I'm down to less then 3 weeks before the show, so time to get back to the bench. Thanks for checking out the build. Your comments are always welcome. Dave aka Fletch

Lyle, I certainly can appreciate where you are with your concern over having 2 events within 3 weeks of each other. It is something we have suffered here in Portland. For many years the show now known as the Bob Paeth Portland Classic was the only show early in the year. The event is now in it's 39th year and has always been held in conjunction with the Portland Roadster Show. About 15 years ago the promoter of the Roadster Show got booted. So, he started the Portland Rod and Custom Show. They too had a model car contest. If the Rod and Custom were still in existence it would be this weekend, just 2 weeks before the Roadster Show. This was of course a strategic move to try and run the Roadster Show out of business. I include this bit of history to say that the first year of the Rod and Customs Show we saw the entries drop to 1/2 of the normal. We went from the normal 400+ to just barely 200. Those entering the "Other" contest thought they were entering the Portland Classic as it had been for 24 years the only game in town. The Roadster Show has managed to weather the storm and come out the other side of the storm as once again the only game in town. We are hoping for a resurgence in entries this year, but time will tell. After all, this is a hobby, many thing have to come before money to play with. It's a precarious time in the world considering the current economic conditions. We will certainly take into consideration the dates for the Toledo NNL when we pick a date for the event. Time is short trying to come up with a date and location for this year. But, rest assured that a new National show is on the Horizon.

Thank you guys for your kind words. I had the opportunity to sit down with Bub a couple of years before he died of Cancer. He spent a evening at a cruise-in just BSing about his pickup. He told me that he doubted that I would ever be able to build the a model of the pickup because of the unique intake adapter. He was almost right, as it was the thing that kept the build from moving forward. I had attempted to scratch build the adapter a couple of times but wasn't happy with the results. So, they went into the scrap styrene box. Then I found the adapter from RMoM and the build was back on. Any other Flat Heads I have ever built either was from the newer 59AB block engines sp they had the distributor on the engine front cover or I didn't bother with any of the plumbing at all. It's amazing what you can do if you just allow yourself to actually do it. Bub's widow still has the pickup and attend any event she could following his death. The 1:1 pickup is in the shop being rebuilt as it made a sharp right turn off the interstate last year on the way home from a show n shine. Needless to say it didn't do the little pickup any favors. The club members ask last Sunday night if I planned to have this finished before the 1:1 was back on the road, they all laughed. For once I get the last laugh.

Yes, we are aware that models can now be taken as carry on baggage. More then anything else guys what I am looking for is your input on whether or not you would support a new event. Keep in mind that I am specifically talking about the Pacific North West. But, think about it in larger terms. Would you support a new event in region where you live. What things would you like to see at an event if you were ask "What can be done to enhance your event experience?" We are aware that factors in this equation are travel and the time of the year, both related to the weather. All of the shows now in the Pacific North West are held between early February and early May. I don't know about you guys but that is a very short show season. Granted there are a couple of "Local" events in October that are poorly attended due to location. We have seen shows here die due to lack of participation. One Show opened the doors at 9am and at 4 pm there are 30 models on the tables and 16 people through the door. Not only does it not pay for itself but vendors that flew in for the event sold less then $100 in product, well you get the picture. We don't want to produce a similar disaster. Our idea is to produce a show in early October so the weather shouldn't be as big an issue. Of course it is the Pacific North West where we live by the Motto of "If you don't like the weather just wait 15 minutes". We are in need of your input as we are serious about producing a high quality event that can become nationally known. But, if we can't get any input, perhaps it's just best to let sleeping dogs lay. Thank You for your input. Dave aka Fletch

Bryce, great build of what is the quintessential Hot Rod. If the Graffiti Coupe did nothing else it exposed another generation of people world wide to American Hot Rodding. Most any place in the civilized world knows about American Graffiti. It's tough to build an Iconic model as everyone will be looking for any and every little flaw, always comparing it to the 1:1. As always my friend a cleans outstanding effort netted you another winner.

The Bub Johnson tribute '29 Roadster Pickup has finally made it off the bench and on to the shelf. I'm pleased with the results, it captures the look and feel of Bub's little jewel of a pickup. The build started with a Revell '29 Pickup kit. The rear of the frame was Zed to get it down to the ride height it should have been. The front cross member was cut down to get the front end down as well. The bed was shortened a scale 10" and the rear fenders were bobbed at the upper body panel. The engine came fro the Revell '48 Ford Convertible using the stock single card manifold. A Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland 2-1 intake adapter was used in order to run 2 97s on the stock single carb manifold. The engine has been fully plumbed with plug wires, fuel lines, and oil lines. The interior received the tuck n' roll treatmentusing Evergreen Half-round. The seat was cut-down to fit the new interior tub. the center section was removed and replaced by tuck-n' roll. Steering wheel is out of Revells 1960 Impala. Hub caps are from AMT's Edsel Rangeer kit as did the rear end. Radiator grille and shell are from an AMT '32, headlights are from the latest issue of Monograms '30 Woodie. Color is Plasti-kote 5431 Nissan red. Here she is: Hosted on Fotki As always your comments are welcomed.

Besides where would the short tracks of the world be without the '70s Camaro? I see track refugees on the road every day. I'm not trying to be a smart a** just the cold hard facts. I should know I'm the tech official at the local 1/4 dirt track in Banks Oregon. 80% of the Street and Pure stock classes are '70s Camarps.

Don't know if you've seen this one before but it might give you some additional ideas.

I can tell you without a doubt that as good as the pics are that Dave is posting, they don't EVEN begin to do this build justice. I got to see this jewel up close this past Sunday night at our club (SABA) meeting. The craftsmanship is outstanding. Great Build my Friend.

February was the annual Pizza Meeting. Hopefully we all survived. Hosted on Fotki More pics http://public.fotki.com/dcfletcher/saba/2009/february/

Believe me Ron, I've seen and done a whole hell of a lot worse on chops then yours. It looks pretty good from here. The concept is definitely sound. Looks like it should be a cool finished piece.

Dennis, FYI the AMT '34 Stock Version does have speed parts for the 21 stud flat head. Unless you happen to get lucky and find a shop that still has the "Stock" version of the '34 5 Window you'll find it's no longer available. However, the current release of the "34 5 Window Street rod version comes with all the parts from the stock as well as the street rod version. Most shops have no idea that booth versions are in the same box. AMT added a "2 in1" logo to the box but never announced that they were releasing it as a 2 in 1. It's the best value in the current AMT line still retailing for around $15. Short of a second body and frame you get 2 full kits in one box. The speed parts for the 21 stud are pretty nice.

Actually I did Dennis, the reason that I didn't was the the AMT upper body is narrower then the Revell shell. So, instead of using the Revell windshield and needing to narrow it up by close to 2mm my choice was to leave the AMT windshield intact. However the way around the hideous AMT chrome piece for the windshield is to lay in the clear that I intend to use and outline it with Live Rubber. Live Rubber is what I use when tying flies that are to represent bugs with legs. It comes in sheets in varying sizes and colors. You just pull a strip from the sheet and apply it with Microscale's Micro Krystal Klear. And there you have a new windshield with a border that represents the rubber gasket around the glass. It comes out pretty cool. When I get to that point I'll put it in the thread so you can see how it works.

Gary, the project started with the AMT '32 Vicki and a Revell '32 Roadster. The goal was to get a finished Vicki that had the correct body panels and the correct curvature of the cowl. Of course there are pitfalls to attempting any kitbash using models that were kitted 40 years apart. The body in the "Boyd Coddington" '32 is the body that MPC used for the Graffiti coupe. It wasn't even remotely correct in the late '60s early '70s, so putting 24" rims under it won't make it any more correct today. Today, I have the area below the quarter windows sanded and getting ready to recreate the bead around the fender wells, then is back to primer and final paint. The goal is to have this completed by the first full weekend in March as that is the 39th annual Bob Paeth Portland Classic Madel Car Contest. If things progress as anticipated it shouldn't be a problem.

Finally, got the flier for the 19th Annual Pacific North West NNL Model Car Fest. The theme for the 2009 NNL is Cars of the '60s. If you need additional information it can be found on the SABA NW website. http://www.sabanw.org/pacific_nw_nnl_model_car_fest The Theme for the 20th PNW NNL Nodel Car Fest will be "Yeah, it's got a Hemi!"