charlie8575

Progress on mine hitherto can be tracked here. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35291 Charlie Larkin

With my rediscovery of the wonders of the early American compact cars and the present resurgence in small cars, I thought it might be fun to do a community build for them; a retrospective of that place from whence we came, and have returned to. The rules are very simple: -Any scale, any detail level from box-stock to GSL "Best of" quality or anything in-between. -Must be street-legal. -Due date October 1, 2011. With so many of us with multiple big projects, life in general, etc., this should allow all of us (even me!) to get something done. -Multiple entries allowed. The following cars are eligible: Postwar Crosleys 1959-63 Studebaker Lark 1950-63 Nash Rambler/Rambler American 1954-57 Nash Rambler/Hudson Rambler (these were a bit different from the first Ramblers and from the 1958-60 Ramblers, which were more "midsize.") 1960-63 Valiant/Plymouth Valiant (remember, Valiant was a separate make for 1960.) 1961-62 Dodge Lancer 1960-63 Ford Falcon and Ranchero 1960-62 Mercury Comet 1960-64 Chevrolet Corvair 1961-63 Buick Special 1961-63 Oldsmobile F-85/Cutlass 1961-63 Pontiac Tempest/LeMans 1962-65 Chevy II/Nova The entries will be tracked here. Charlie- 1962 Olds F-85 Cutlass Mark- 1963 Chevy II Nova convertible Matthew- 1963 Chevy II Nova coupe Doug- 1962 Olds F-85 convertible; 1963 Pontiac Tempest sport coupe Ron- 1960 Corvair Glenn- 1961 Ranchero (or 1960? Glenn- please confirm year.) Jim- 1960 Corvair Charlie- 1962 Studebaker Lark Nick- 1966 Pontiac Acadian Sport Deluxe Date extension: Due to life having gotten into my way too (and it looks like a few other people's,) I'm strecting out the date to January 1, 2012, and may be extended again if needed. Charlie Larkin

Just about any of these would qualify, but I'd love to see that Red Chinese limo or the Le Car just for something different. Charlie Larkin Harry, Gregg-someone. Perhaps we should compile all the forgotten kit threads into one thread? Charlie Larkin

Sounds like a great shop, Ryan. We're fortunate that there are many quality hobby shops around the country that provide not just good service and selection, but the small courtesies that make doing business with them a pleasure. Charlie Larkin

Just a small update. I put the body back in the stripper just to see if I can get that last little bit of shmutz off. Also, I borrowed some windows from a MassCar member out of what i believe was the Rat Packer Nova. The windows are very, very close, but with vacuum-forming, I think the excess plastic will help compensate for the small fit issues. An exciting, and welcome piece of news. Charlie Larkin

Second the request. Charlie Larkin

That's a nice color, Jared. Great work on this. Charlie Larkin

Excellent work. That rebuilt interior came out beautifully. Charlie Larkin

Interesting execution. The interior is a neat treatment, too. Perhaps Chrysler should start doing something like that to break up gray and gray-black. Charlie Larkin

Very nice build-up. The color looks great on it and the interior, easily the worst part of that car to do because of the upholstery, is excellent. Charlie Larkin

I saw this one in the plastic today, folks. It's as good as it looks. And Mike is a very nice guy. If you have the opportunity to venture to our little corner of the world, make sure you introduce yourself. Charlie Larkin

So that's why the interior tub and glass don't seem to quite go together right. Thanks for that, Mike. Brandon- keep it coming. The engine looks good and I'll look forward to seeing the rest. Charlie Larkin

Very good work on the i/p, Jared. It might be easiest to get a picture of a gauge cluster, radio, etc, and photo-reduce them. Charlie Larkin

Mine will be Thistle Gray with the gray and red interior and black top. The interior I noticed was all gray with leather accents in blue, red, black or green, and either tan or black tops. The interior and floor-mats should be matched to the leather bolsters. I was very surprised to see just how limited the colors were on Chevies in 1951. All interiors in closed cars were gray. The wagons came in tan only. The Bel-Airs came in gray cloth with red, blue or black leather. For myself, two-tone Thistle Gray and Burgundy on the Bel-Air is my choice. My fastback...haven't quite decided, but no closed model other than the wagon came in green, unless it was special-ordered or a dealer repaint. Perhaps that'll be Trophy Blue, because that is such a pretty color on those cars. This is a great little kit without huge amounts of work. Charlie Larkin

Ahhh....an F-Series with the old Ranger trim. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I'll enjoy watching this come along. Charlie Larkin

Having seen the other Mustang and the Charger today, I can tell you now, folks, these models are treat to look at. What are you using for that paint, Mike? Charlie Larkin

I'll start making some phone calls tomorrow. This might help some poor slob in need of a little extra money as the Chinese have decimated the jewelery industry in the eastern Blackstone Valley. This could be a real boon for a company that needs it. Charlie Larkin

Well, there's a retirement fund if ever I saw one! Even if everything was built, it would be a substantial amount of money. Can I have the windows out of the F-85? Charlie Larkin

If it's metal spin-casting, I might have a resource for you. One of my friends supplies materials for the jewelery industry that's still around Attleborough and North Attleborough, Ma. Most of his clients are in terrible need of new product lines, even if it's just a small inflow of cash, one of them might be interested. Ben- let me know if she wants to move forward. I'll start trying to line up some resources in the interim. Charlie Larkin

The color in question is Balboa Light Aqua, and that plastic isn't too far off from it. I'm not quite sure what I want to do mine in. I'm toying with two-tone green or two-tone blue. Here are some nice pictures of various Marlins. Gone fishin' Charlie Larkin

Agreed 1000%. Bobby- great work; this is a beautiful example of how to take what's already a great model and make a great model that can be said to border on work of art. We really are a nice bunch of people here, don't let the occasional silliness and sword-throwing scare you. Sometimes discussions get a bit spirited, but we it's usually in the spirit of trying to take us all to the next level. Charlie Larkin

After reading how nice some of your wives and girlfriends are, perhaps I should start a dating/marriage site for women tolerant of model builders! Hey, it works for Russian girls wanting to escape the C.I.S. Why not? There have to be more of their kind out there, and it might cause me to rethink bachelordom! All (quasi-) kidding aside, I think the hobby will survive. I've found there are a lot of younger people who are looking for something slow-paced and individual to do, but haven't considered this. I introduce them to my modeling. Through magazines, occasionally showing what I'm working on, and it captures their imagination. The key to survival is publicity. I advise De Molay and Rainbow. I'm working on putting together an exhibition for, of all things- hobbies! Not just model building, but all kinds of things. Fishing, bowling, ham radio, modeling, knitting, photography, game playing, painting and the list goes on. So many of our youth are looking for something to do during their down-time and modeling might appeal to a lot of them. School, helicopter parents and over-scheduling has burned our children to the nubbins and by showing them ways to relax and actually enjoy life, it might lead to a resurgence of many things. We need to show people that this isn't a pastime for geeks, losers or whatever other negative stereotype those of us with a passion for soemthing other than work, sports or social vices seem to garner. Sponsor a contest, start working with kids through Scouting, your place of worship if you have one, or volunteer at one anyway, many of them are looking for youth activities of various types, other youth groups, your school department, the ways to reach out go on and on. There will be a future- if we're willing to try and ensure it. Charlie Larkin

Skip's posting of that Model A caused me to poke around a little. This same dealer has a very nice 1937 Packard Super 8 convertible. Fantasy Junction, Inc. Charlie Larkin

Great find. Wish I had some discretionary funds, I'd seriously consider purchasing that. Charlie Larkin

My thoughts exactly, even with the redirect. I thought these were shots of the objects being modeled. Stunning, beautiful work. Charlie Larkin