mrglubaum

Nice work! This medium duty stuff is my favorite! Not near enough out there! Lee

Finished this one this morning, the old Monogram '53 Chevy Bel-Air. This was the lowrider version, so I used the low suspension and the wheels/tires from the latest issue of the Monogram '36 Ford coupe. Paint is Testor's lacquer in tropical turquoise and classic white. Pictures of the build from start to finish at this link: http://images56.fotki.com/v127/photos/1/365701/9389397/IM000242-vi.jpg Thanks for looking! Lee

Walmart doesn't have them, you can get them from Die-cast Direct ( www.diescastdirect.com ) Lee

Nice job! I remember the Sherman Bros. trucks very well from when I used to run I-5 for May Trucking! Lee

Ed, Thanks for the compliments! The trailer came from the "Fireball 500" kit. Not too many people realize that kit came with a trailer, it isn't mentioned anywhere on the box! I did change it around a little to make it look more home made and used. I originally built the trailer to haul my "barn find" Model "A". As for the Willys idea, it had crossed my mind, the AMT Hogan's Jeep had hop up parts in it for the four banger. The biggest reason I liked the idea is because I'm lazy, I figured I could hide the cut out rear wheel wells with fender skirts! Lee

That is really sharp! I love that paint job! Wasn't that car on the cover of Hot Rod magazine in December of '57? Lee

Great old beater! Looks like it's been well used! Lee

Clutch, I've got an unbuilt one, AMT Snap-Fast. Lee

Thanks, Mike! That backdrop is a "G" scale railroad item I got from Walther's Lee

Thanks for the kind words! That's real rust on that Willys! The first step is a grey paint that you brush on, it has iron filings mixed in the paint. After that dries, you brush on the second step, a mild corrosive. The rusting starts right away, and it only took about an hour to look like it does now. Lee

I finished this one today, along with the Willys on the trailer. When the Monogram kit first came out years ago, I wanted one, but couldn't swing the big bucks with my 50 cents a week allowance. I really liked the stock '40 Ford pickup. This one was actually built from a current kit, I sanded off all the louvers from the hood and tailgate, and the patterns off the seat and door panels. Did a lot of de-chroming and moved the spindles on the dropped axle to bring the height back to stock. The wheels, tires, and hubcaps are from the Revell '56 Ford pickup kit. I left all the hot rod stuff on the engine, cause that's the way it'd be if I owned the real thing! The Willys body came from the junk box, I wanted to try out the Sophisticated Finishes Rust System I got from Michael's Craft Store. That stuff is great! Lee Hartman

Clay, here's the Stude truck! Proportions aren't too bad except I think the windshield is too small. I may try to enlarge it, haven't decided yet. Lots of clean up, but I've seen worse. The big truck kit came with a frame, but I'm not too keen on resin frames, might use it for a dio or something. I tried it on the same chassis as the Dodge, but the fuel tanks are in the way. The size is about right, though. I'll probably sacrifice another 1/32 die-cast for the chassis. Lee

Aaron, here's the Dodge, it's a '48-'50. The cab has some shape and proportion problems, but you can definitely tell it's a Dodge! The cab is a bit too rounded, and the windows are too small. Too much cab below the belt line, not enough above. It'll never be perfect, but I can make it look somewhat better. I tried it on a chassis from a New Ray 1/32 scale die-cast Peterbilt. I put 1/25 wheels and tires on it. The chassis is from another project, I just wanted to see what I was going to need to make it work. I did notice one goofy thing, the name Dodge on the front is mis-spelled D-O-G-D-E! Lee

Hey, it's your kit, build it however you want to! Geez, what a boring hobby this would be if everybody built straight out of the box! Besides, the Mack is supposed to be reissued this year, everybody can stock up on them! Lee

Kostas, Here is my most current resin project. It was sidelined due to paint problems, but now I'm ready to press on with it. I like the older trucks, this is a 1948 Peterbilt 350. The kit was made by Silver States Specialties. I used an AMT Peterbilt 359 as a donor, but the transmissions and rear axle/suspension is from the AMT Kenworth T-600. Lee

Interesting! I'll have to watch this one and see how it turns out! Lee

Dingo, Nice looking transport! Lee

Great job, Carl! I love this era in trucking! It brings back memories of riding with my Dad, and the kind of rigs that I started out driving. Thanks! Lee

Aaron, I just got a Dodge, but haven't been home to really take a close look at it. If you don't mind waiting a few days, I'll give you a review on how much work it'll need. The GMCs and Chevies, and Stude I've gotten so far haven't been too bad, mostly a lot of cleanup. The Stude windshield opening looks a little off, but I haven't checked it against my references yet. RMR also has some Dodges, everything I've gotten from them has been pretty decent. Lee

Custom Hearse, I'd have to agree that Caddy hearse looks pretty rough! But I've bought several trucks from him and found all of them of acceptable quality, even the ones he sold me as seconds. Even though I know I'll be doing some work on them, there isn't anyone else casting the kind of trucks he does. To me, the quality seems better than some of the old MTFA truck kits. It appears that he has lowered some of the prices, I just bought a couple more items. I'm not knocking anyone else's opinions, just presenting my own. Lee

You're right on the money Bill! I've seen a couple done that way and they make a nice car! The Jo-Han chassis would be okay for a curbside model, but it's way off when you open the hood! The Mustang underpinnings also work well in the '61 Ranchero. Lee

I stripped a resin cab once with Super Clean. It came out looking okay, but the resin was sort of pliable, felt like the soft plastic they make toys out of. I left it out for a few days, and it seemed to recover most of it's old hardness. Been kind of leery ever since. Modelhaus recommends Westley's Bleche White (tire cleaner). Lee

Thanks, Tim! I have a more recent picture! I'm kinda stuck there, wondering if I should weather it. One of the smoothest, shiniest paint jobs I've ever done, and it's on a dang cement truck! I guess I have to weather it at least a little bit, what a shame! Lee

The Modelhaus kit is the '64-'66 C-series, same size, but a little older. Nice kit! I have a couple of them in progress, here's one of them: Lee

I may have gotten the first one that was sold! This is one of the best resin engines I've ever bought! I haven't decided what to put it in, or whether to use the speed parts that were included! I have a hunch that I'll be getting one or two more of them! Lee