Mr. Metallic

I keep bouncing around in my head whether to do a faux-vivor from the late 80's of stuff that was only available back then and what I would have done at the time, but finished to my current skill level. Or doing a full detail build throwing the full gamut of parts and techniques currently available. They may sound the same to everyone else, but to me they are quite different things, and I just don't know what to do. The faux-vivor should be a relatively quick build, so I may lean that way.

Anyone remember who made this body? I've been after one for years. Morgan Automotive Detail (or one of the other Detroit guys) made a chopped wagon body, but it was based on the woody kit. This is all steel. Tom Kren did a beautiful build with that body way back when, and now seeing Gerry's beautiful build it has reinvigorated my search.

Thanks for taking the time to do this. I think a lot of the differences in the rear roofline and lower window contours has to do with the slightly different angles that both photos were taken. even 1-2 degrees will make a difference. Notice how all the upper surfaces of the blue car are higher than the red model. Or I could be off my rocker. I'm still buying one

Can't wait for vindication on this if this kit is truly made up of a few "parts packs" like it sounds. I've been saying since Atlantis bought the R/M molds that weren't in China, that the parts pack tools were probably in the purchase. And that releasing them as kits instead of separate packs was the better idea with regards to potential sales. I guess we'll wait and see when more details arise.

Purposeful alterations to the basic kit, well executed.

Thanks for sharing the side by side. This is close enough for me, I'll be purchasing the new kit for sure

That wheel/tire combo is excellent, especially the fronts. And you nailed the stance. Great looking hot rod you have there

Dang it Dennis, you're killing me. In the back of my mind I've been toying with the idea of doing a billet-ed out 80's/early 90's street rod for awhile now. Like you, that time period was when I was just getting into the hobby and it was all the rage. This build may just push me over the edge into actually doing it. I've already started gathering parts in my head, and I may just have to pull together a mock up over the weekend. But almost certainly I'll be using those wheels from the first issue 37 Ford. That kit was huge for me in my formative model building years, and even now I still think they're a great looking wheel. Which is why I'm glad you decided to switch to them for this project. As an ode to the man that provided so much inspiration to us over the years. Yer killin me.

Never the one at the back of the stack either, because that's where news stand readers try to stash their evidence ?

I dig the rear tires. May I suggest a slightly deeper offset wheel for the rears if you have any available.

Jimmy Flintstone offers the panel truck body.

Exactly my point. And the fact that people will continue to miss that point or deflect it into a different meaning is why I knew while I was typing it that it was a pointless endeavor. But I posted it anyway because I am just expressing MY opinion too.

So, after all of this, what is the actual point of a thread like this? I don't like this thing, who else doesn't like this thing? How does a thread like this enrich the community? Sure, it sparks debate (obviously). But all it really does is ... 1-reinforce the opinions of people who agree with the opinion 2- identify those who are opposed to said opinion and most importantly, though usually not the intent of the person who starts a thread like this... 3- alienates people who happen to not agree with said opinion. It's not about everyone liking the same thing or that nobody can have a difference of opinion. What it is about is developing an air of exclusivity on what is supposed to be a general interest automotive model forum. If it is a niche forum or board where it's clearly defined that only certain types of models are discussed, then sure, exclude away. Because those parameters are set. But for a general interest board for a hobby that is struggling on it's own to be inclusive of younger/new members to completely dismiss what many of them are into is just shooting ourselves in the foot. How do you think a lurker, or incoming person would feel if they can see that what they are interested in is looked down upon. Even if it is by a vocal minority, someone coming in doesn't see that. All they see is the negativity. Opinions, everyone has one, and is entitled to one. But I just fail to see the purpose of a thread like this. And jamesG, this is not directed at you. it's just my take on this type of thread as a whole that has been present since message boards and forums became a thing 20+ years ago. +flame suit on+

It's hard to tell because of the weird angle of the pic, but do you think the body could have been moved back on the frame to create more room for the engine? Thereby exposing more of the rear wheel opening? I know that's not really a typical mod, but i thought I'd throw it out there.

It all depends on what type of paint(s) are on your stand. Super Clean won't do anything to most lacquers. I would do what gotnitro suggested, since you're not stripping paint off part and just rub down your paint stand with lacquer thinner until it's cleaned up to where you want it.

896- Cobra Chopper Trike 897 - Torque Custom Trike The final 2 choppers to complete the 6 chopper series? These should be the two that haven't been seen since the original issue, right? I'm guessing the Torque Custom Trike is the former Black Max? If it is I wonder why they couldn't use the Black Max name. I'm sure it's a copyright issue. And the Cobra Chopper trike is obviously this one

Look up Speed and Kulture. They bought out all the backissues of the old mag, so you can fill in any holes in your collection.

You really need to give them some time. While I understand that SA subscribers aren't happy about having their remaining subscription fulfilled by a magazine that contains very little automotive content, you have to give them time to transition. The final issue of SA and the latest issue of FSM are hitting the racks and mailboxes at virtually the same time. FSM probably had little notice of what was happening before they went to print, so altering an issue that was ready was out of the question from a financial and deadline standpoint. I say give them anther couple issue to up the auto content before writing them off completely. Best we can do is keep our fingers crossed that MCM gets up and running again.

Not sure if you were a fan of Traditional Rod and Kulture Illustrated, which folded last year. But that mag has spun off into a new venture called Speed and Kulture which is definitely worth checking out. They are 4 issues into publication

thank you for saying it!

Glad I found this one while catching up on the Under Glass section because this one is a show stopper. There's a lot of subtle things going on that set it apart from most raditionally styled builds. there's not a thing on this that isn't an absolutely necessary addition from a performance standpoint. That chop is perfect, and the wheel/tire package is just baaaaad. Great build sir.

Alan, I think this is probably the nicest (near)box-stock build of this kit I've seen. Even better that it is a restoration of an old builtup, making your work harder trying to save and improve all those glued up pieces. I have built two of these over the last several years, one a chopped sedan, the other rebodied with a Vicky body and shortened interior. I'm am currently on the hunt for an unbuilt version of this kit so I can do something similar to what you have here to complete the triple build. Your color choice is stunning, and your conversion to RHD is a detail many might miss when looking at it. Thanks for sharing

Tim, here is another one of your AMT 34 builds that keeps tugging on my sleeve and whispering "you should build one too" along with your emerald green hot rod featured in the other mag a few years ago. I have a couple on the list, including one using one of Drag City Castings beautiful chopped top bodies, and a sedan-turned-phaeton hot rod. Just too many darn projects piling up on the list. But maybe this one will prod me to finally pull the trigger on at least on of them Thanks for continuing to provide inspiration after all these years.

Here are the two versions you should seek out, in my opinion. While the original street rod only version of the 34 5W is decent, these other two issue include cooler parts. The stock kit, which came out around the same time as the rod-only version has some great wheels and tires. The tires especially can be repurposed onto lots of traditional hot rod projects. the kicker with this version is the very nicely done speed parts for the flatty. It was later re-issued as a black car on the box. The other one is the 2n1 version. When this one came out many people dismissed it as a straight re-issue of the street rod only kit, but all the stock parts are actually jam packed in here too. So, it's a great source of parts for all types of builds. Jut make sure you see the 2n1 logo on the boxtop. RC2 did itself no favors by re-using this boxart because it was overlooked as a straight reissue and many ended up on the clearance rack.

This is krazy kool. The paint work is well done, and your subtle body mods compliment the classic lines of the 1st gen Camaro. Thanks for sharing