Dr. Cranky

Oh, one more thing, most of my rat rodding ideas (specially painting ideas) comes from the fact I am a big fan of Kow Yokoyama's work . . . the man who invented and designed the SFS-3, Nitto, and Maschinen Krieger . . . If you are interested, you can get lost this morning at this site: http://www.maschinenkrueger.com/

I saw that J, which is why I wanted to be tongue-in-cheek about it!!! Suddenly there's a hubbub of rat rod activing at the MCM, which is great . . . it helps loosen us all up!!! I remember at last year's BAMA show I told Steve Boutte he needed to give rat-rodding a try . . . he didn't say anything, but I'm sure he's been thinking about it. Some builders are really addicted to the slick, glossy, shiny, immaculate paint jobs, which I respect, but you won't dance until you build one of these rat rods!!! It's like going sky diving, jumping off the plane, and then remember that one: you didn't take any lessons, and two: you forgot your parachutte!!!

That's great work, Mike. Man, I'm loving this thread and it hasn't even turned the first page yet!!!

I love it . . . in particular how the paint has flecked off to expose the bare metal . . . fabulous . . . great work!! Thanks for sharing it.

It's looking real good, buddy. You are making great progress . . . perhaps you have been drinking my brand of coffee!!! I can't remember if you have already made a decidion not to Z the back of the frame. Rememeber that you can make this sucker go lower, if you want it to . . . Looking forward to more!

Al, normally I would agree with you about the die casts, but I enjoy articles about how to repaint them, detail them, etc . . .

If you Z the rear, it will drop much lower but then you have to be careful to achieve the stance you like . . . I think you are making great progress . . . it's looking killer, buddy . . . keep it going . . .

Bob, that's a great idea . . . anything to make the frame stronger, this way you don't have to be too careful in handling the model later . . . it's important in terms of feeling confident . . . I learned that from Jairus . . . if you pin it and hold it together right, the thing will travel 3000 miles on muleback and not break!!!

Jonathan, that's looking great . . . I like it . . . and the mock up already is showing great personality. Keep it going. The only advice I can give you with the frame is to use liquid plastic weld (I used Tamiya Ultra thin) because personally I like for the plastic to really melt and stick to itself . . . makes me feel like the frame is extra strong this way. I'm sure super glue does a great job too . . . So far so good. Keep it going . . . .

Now that I've had a bit more time to reflect on your question, I think most of what you guys do in the magazine is pretty cool. I like the G & J column because it is quirky and funny sometimes and it really goes to show that you guys are cool and don't take yourselves too seriously. I do like the idea of an annual contest issue because you sample the contest more broadly out west and in other places like Puerto Rico, etc . . . My idea of the "Great Builders @ Work Series" has a lot more to do with just focusing on one person's work . . . the way Fine Scale Modeler does it, but go further like even talk to people who are appearing on everyone's radar as great builders like Andy Johnson, Steve Boutte, Ted Chopper Lear, Clay Kemp, and so many others . . .

I would love to see a "Master Builder" profile page with a brief interview with the builder and maybe a small portfolio of their work . . . Something like Conversations with Master Builders, etc . . . A picture of them and their work and maybe one of their work bench!!!

I've started to go to more shows in the last couple of years because I get tired of spending the year cooped up just modeling. I think shows do offer a great chance to meet other builders and see the stuff in person and up close. Some shows, I find, like the NNL East are so huge they are a bit overwhelming, but you have a blast . . . oh, and no matter how strong you are you end up breaking your piggy bank to bring home some goodies.

My name is Virgil, and I've been back in the hobby now for about 8 years or so . . . and in that time, as most of you have done, I have had to work hard to catch up and get some tools and kits, that now that I am an adult I can half afford to get, like a lathe, mill, and a spray booth, etc . . . Most of these years, I've hung out at different diorama forum because though I build cars every once in a while, it is the diorama that really intrigues me . . . and so I've been busy building a few of those and a train layout that is now sitting where my 55 Chevy should be . . . but I finally got the Chevy running so it's become my daily driver . . . Anyway, I build all sorts of models . . . and lately I've really be quite taken with the whole rat rod scene . . . In real life, I am a professor at a big, big, BIG Florida University . . . where I teach creative writing and literature . . . For samples of my work, you can check out my Fotki archives.

That's a great looking model. A wonderful addition to your collection! Congrats.

The other aspect of the interior I've been preparing for is all the posters, cards, and signs that are going to cover some of the headliner (don't ask me why someone would cover the headliner with graphics, but I think I have see stuff like this somewhere . . . And also, getting some of the fabric ready for the seats and the door panels, etc.., some of the other accents that are going to make this build unique. I decided to go with lots of Lucha Libre (Mexican Masked Wrestling, since it is a BAJA vehicle, afterall), the Loteria (Lotto/Bingo) cards, and a whole bunch of other cultural stuff . . . I will probably not use all of it, but I am trying to achieve a particular kitschy feel to this, which borders on the Tiki/Tropical!!!

Okay, so here's picture of what I've been working on and then I will explain it . . . I'm trying to make some fringe tassels . . . You take about 5 strands of different colored threads, you cut them to length, then you fold them to double them so you end up with ten, then you go making knots every 1/2" or so, making sure the knots are really tight . . . Then with a sharp #11 blade, you cut them to size . . . To experiment, I am going to glue some around the front windshield with tacky glue and see what that looks like. If I don't like it or it looks too out of scale, I will cut them down further . . . I hope I am on the right track here . . .

I have a few of these now and I have to say it's a very nice kit. I've build a few and they've turned out pretty nice . . . Thanks for the review.

I say it looks like a bat out of hell!!! Absolutely GORGEOUS!!!

John, buddy, I don't know if I have a great mind, I do know it is rotting though!!! I have not been able to get anywork done in the last couple of days because though my back is feeling better, my wife and I have been getting everything ready to host our family for Thankgiving . . . which is what you are all in the process of doing too, I would assume.

The drum brakes I got from a friend of mine in West Virginia, and they seats I made from some Warhammer two part epoxy they sell at Gaming Shops . . . I think the company calls it "Green Stuff" or "Green Goo," something like that . . . you work it like playdough and then form it into the shape you want or that looks right . . . it takes a while to set, so you have plenty of time to cut it, rework it, etc . . . then once it is dry you can sand it down, drill into it . . . it's pretty good stuff . . .

Man, what a great build. The weathering is right on . . . love it, it's got just the right look.

That is one cook looking vehicle. Great job.

Did your kit come with the cone-shaped custom rear lights . . . mine didn't, and I see that you are using the regular ones in this kit. Just curious . . . I was under the impression that both sets came with the kit . . . hum . . .

Thanks, buddy, I really appreciate you pointing that out . . . and you know what, is has to be the influence of going back through some of those 50s and 60s ROD&CUSTOMS mags where it's always a breath of fresh air what people were doing to their vehicles just to have fun . . . Some of that culture, I think is still alive and kicking with a lot of gearheads . . . I think the motorcycle craze of recent has also played an important role in waking up many people . . . Beside, it's not like you are getting into a serious money pit by building the real thing . . . which is again what makes being in the hobby so much fun!

I dig it. Great job!!!