Randy Kern

My initial gut reaction was real, so I'm going with that. I guess it's a combination of all the little details. Anyway, I'm on a roll getting the last two right

Welcome aboard, also. Now, let's see some builds!

Welcome, Mike. The more input the better, and the more you'll get out of it. The best forum around.

Fantastic work on these, Irv. I wonder what the 'Grump' would think if he saw them! By the way, do you build a chassis for each body, or use the same one for the same wheelbase bodies? To have a chassis for each, you must have a fortune wrapped up in them by now! Hey, the V.P. says bring these to the January CPMCC meeting!

Very cool, Phill. The stance and wheels really make it. My favorite year... uh... rear-end!

Very nice job on that, Billy. I like the older Nascar body styles, when they actually looked like the car!

Uh... Raul, you have a thing for '55-'57 Chevy trucks, eh? I love this one, too. The only thing I would have done differently is leave the space inside the bed trim orange. Flawless execution on everything. The detailing is great, and not overdone. Is the finish the new line of Testor's that just came out, and did you polish it, or is that the clear alone? Thanks.

He's Chumley. Yes, named after the Walrus in the old Tennessee Tuxedo cartoon

Virgil, you may be off your rocker, but this is an idea I'd love to see happen. I always find it interesting to read about the finest builders out there. Up and coming young guys are great, but time is of the essence to profile the many older pros!

I would say model. My only clue is the screws holding the grab handle should be on the outside. At least every shot of a 300 SL I've seen has them oriented like that. Harry, can you fold the wheel down?

Raul, I like every modification you have done to this truck! You can't go wrong blending newer 'Vette components with an older Chevy car or truck. What's really cool about it, is every modification looks right. The scallops break up the large expanse of side sheetmetal nicely, and the front and rear treatments blend in smoothly. I'm not one for wings on pickups, but here again it blends in smoothly and looks good. The forward tilting hood is neat, as is the bed cover and tailgate. I also have to comment on the fit and finish of everything, it's perfect! I'll take a 1/1 like this In fact, this is how Chevy should have done retro, instead of that goofy looking SSR.

Geoff, the color is Tamiya Metallic Green, from the can, cleared with Dupli-Color and polished. Hey Jonathan, I had the whole Thanksgiving week off, so I was able to get some good building time in! The only thing I would have added to the kit, is if I can find a set of the Fujimi Panasports. Minilite type wheels always look killer on sports cars!

This is the Tamiya Lotus Europa Special kit. A friend had one of these after graduating high school, and I remember it as one of the coolest, lowest sports cars around! It wasn't very reliable, though . The paint is Tamiya Metallic Green, and the interior is Tamiya Flat Tan. A great kit out of the box, I only added engine wiring and carpet. Thanks for looking!

Yow! Smooth doesn't even begin to describe that look. Love the color, & my favorite custom grille. Although, if after laying that kind of finish down, putting an exacto knife on the body to trim the foil, I would probably look like Barney Fife trying to load his revolver!

Wow John, that is classy cool! I remember seeing this on e-bay also, thinking that is the nicest built rod I've seen on there yet. I love to see a really well detailed model, not overdone, and you nailed it. Everything clicks and looks right, too. I wouldn't be able to let that go, either!

Cruz, that is pretty cool! I want to see you put some miniature poker cards on the frame, to make a racket on the spokes!

Thanks all for the kind words, but as Virgil said, this kit makes a novice look good. It's that great a kit. I had absolutely no glitches building it. If you look back in the On the workbench category, I did the embossing powder technique for carpeting on my Lamborghini Miura, instead of flocking. It works much better. I'll have to bring it along to the next CPMCC meeting, or get down to the next MAMA one!

Mike, there was an article in the March 2007 issue of FSM, showing how to use Future to improve clear parts, especially if they're scratched. They show an airplane canopy, but car windows would use the same method. I'll PM you with the instructions.

I hope you're all not tired of these yet. I decided to try a 'less is more' approach with this kit, and do a clean, simple street machine. The paint is Tamiya Pearl White. I started to clear coat it, but it took away some of the pearl luster, so I re-shot it and left it straight from the can. I wanted it to look like a real pearl, and I think it comes very close. The interior is Tamiya flat tan, with gold embossing powder on the floor and rear shelf. Pretty much OOB, with just engine wiring, bigger alum. exhaust tips, Rep & Min Co of Md. 2-spoke custom bullet steering wheel, and rolling stock from the Speedwagon kit.

Different and cool, it's got that gotcha factor! I'll take this over a Humvee any day .

Jonathon, it looked way ratty! Great to see it at the meeting, as it turned out pretty cool. So, who's next to go over to the dark dirty side? A rat Bugeye?!?! Here's that shifter close-up you wanted.

I would have to agree with Jeff about Tamiya, and also recent Hasegawa and Fujimi kits. I've just recently completed one of each, mostly out-of-box, and the parts fitment, seals, decals and moldings are all top notch. I especially like the way the chassis attaches to the body usually without glue. Most have workable steering. The vehicles usually sit right, OOB without any tweaking. It doesn't matter too much if there isn't an engine, as the sometimes rare and varied subject matter makes up for that. All the recent builds I've done have engines, and well-detailed ones. Very few glitches. There is a price premium, but sometimes you can find discounts. I don't mind the extra cost for a well-engineered, good parts-fit kit. I am now finishing up the '49 Mercury, and there wasn't, and doesn't seem to be one problem at all building it! A great kit Revell, now keep it up!

Geoff, the Mini looks beautiful. My second favorite small car of all time (can you guess my first? ) Tamiya did such a great job (as usual) on these kits. I've gleaned some good info from this build, as I have all the versions to do, and started the Morris racer. Very nice foil work around the wheel openings, a hard-to-do area. These little beasts were tiny, but kicked butt!

That came out great, Mike. Looks mean, too! Back in the day when I hung out at Maple Grove, I could've sworn I saw Bruce Larson in one of these before his Cobra Can't wait to see it at the meeting.