Chuck Most

Are those from the '49 Merc custom kit?

That's exactly what I'm going to do. Between this kit's little teething problems and the fact that there are quite a few other kits I'd like to get more than this one, I'm in no big rush to get one anyway. That would absolutely help to cure the kinked decal sheet problem, but still wouldn't fix the distorted parts. I do like that idea though, it would be one less thing to worry about.

Well, he said "detail", not "accuracy". They're two entirely different things, ya know...

Can't think of what words to use to describe how impressed I am by this... ... so I'm just gonna shut up and gawk at it some more.

I don't wanna go back and read the entire thread, so sorry if this is repeaing someone else's post, but... I'm sure you've noticed the custom 'panel' graphics on the decal sheet have fuel filler cutouts for both sides, when only the driver's side cutout is needed, but take note- the two smaller scallop decals both fit DRIVER'S SIDE only. Shades of the minor Dirty Donnie Chevy van decal debacle all over again.

I've done a few "just the basics" curbsides myself- just enough of an engine to fill the hole, but for this one, I had the Comet chassis, and no other use for it, so I thought "Hey, why not?'. I think the next one will get a partial Mustang '66 engine stuck in there, just for that purpose.

I can get past the 7-lead distributor, but I can't really abide what I've seen in person and online from people who've bought this kit- horrendous flash on the chrome parts, warped/distorted parts, and bent/kinked decal sheets. I'm a bit timid to buy one of these kits after seeing all of that. I know first-hand that Revell is pretty good about providing replacement parts, but some of what I've seen with this kit is just silly. If they'd just make the box tad bigger that would cure the kinked decals and some of the distorted parts, but the issues with the chrome are just bad quality control.

Nope, that's the '64 Comet chassis- in hindsight I might have been better off using the kit chassis, I just didn't want that gaping hole where the engine would have been. Even though once the model is done it is likely I will never flip it over and look at the chassis. Weird, huh? I am using the kit chassis under the other one... yes, I've got another one in the pipeline... I just had to see how that big push bumper looked on one...

Just fun fact with the MSP becons- many of the Spitfires currently in use (which are on average about 25-30 years old, having been fitted to several cruisers at this point) have been switched over to LEDs, replacing the original sealed-beams. REALLY difficult to miss at night!

Just realized something- I added the missing cowl cut lines, but did not do the same for the lines separating the lower edge of the front fender and the rocker panel. Whoopsies!

Roger- easy to make progress when you're skipping over the stuff like adding a full detail chassis and engine and just making it a coaster. I'm way more interested in seeing how yours turns out.

Of them all, the original AMT "Trophy Series" kit (the one in that Diamond in the Rough set you were asking about) is the best of them all. The only real gripe I have with it is that the inner door panels are molded onto the inside of the cab shell, but they look great with little more than clen and careful building techniques.

If you go with the Comet chassis, you might have to adjust the front axle, so the tires will be centered in the openings- I also used the Mercury's black wall tires, and those are the kit wheels... I filed down the flange from the outer rim to reduce their diameter and make them look more like the stock small-diameter steel wheels.

Here's another plow truck I built several years back. I've seen tons of old plow trucks that are rusted so badly that the body is barely hanging on, and/or has been damaged extensively. Some of these trucks are relegated to "lot" duty (ie- they never leave the property they plow and will likely never see road use again unless a complete restoration is undertaken), and as such, are sometimes stripped of their bodies completely and turned into purpose-built plow rigs. This unfortunate machine began as an AMT/Ertl reissue of the MPC Jeep CJ-5, which I had purchased as an incomplete parts kit. The frame was there, as was the engine, but I had quite a few 'blanks' to fill in, so off I went to the 1:25 junkyard (in similar fashion to what a guy fabricating a 1:1 example might do in similar circumstances). The plow itself was an incomplete glue-bomb example of the uber-rare MPC Jeepster piece I picked up around the same time as the Jeep parts kit. So, that's one way to save a Jeep from the heap... even if, in the end, the Jeep would have liked the heap option...

I built this back in 2008, but never took any decent photos of it until just a few days ago. The plow is a resin repop of the old MPC Jeepster piece, from Norm Veber at Replicas and Miniatures Company of Maryland. This was the first resin part I ever purchased and used on a model, and I've been hooked on Norm's stuff ever since. He saw this Scout online and liked it, and thought this kit was a great recipent for the plow. This was one of my first serious attempts at weathering a model, and though it wouldn't pass muster for what I feel I'm capable of nowadays, I'm still pleased with this one whenever I see it.

Worked okay for me.

Thanks! Yeah- that's the one thing that's keeping me from really tearing into the one I have...

Looks like you haven't skipped a beat!

^What he said. It's a really nice engine too- better than the rest of the kit, IMHO.

9/16"

They may not have been the ones you wanted to get done this year, but they'll do for the rest of us. Not a loser in the bunch if you ask me.

Nice! Love the Crown Vic... but the Scout II is my absolute favorite of the bunch.

My thoughts exactly! Looks like you had a blast this year.

Love that Kubelwagen- is that the Hasegawa 1:24 kit?

I did one as a pickup last year-