Chuck Most

One of mine will end up looking a little something like this- Yes, that's a Model A Ford in the picture, but that would be too easy.

Yep... I guess there's a local guy with a bit of a Canadian fetish going on- you'll see both of these cars on display at most of the local shows.

One weird thing about that Panel... notice the side panels of the hood having those chrome slats on the side? All the '31-33 Chevrolet Panel trucks I've seen have vertical louvres punched into the sides, but not the bright flaps seen on the kit. Were those optional on the commercial vehicles?

The Cabriolet was reissued as late as 1987, so I'd guess the tooling still exists. That reissue was a bit rough in spots due to wear on the tool, and I doubt 25 years of sitting in a warehouse has done it much good- might be why Round2 has not announced anything with it. I'm hoping it didn't get lost in the shuffle when production facilities were moved to Mexico, then China... that would REALLY suck, as that Cabriolet is actually a pretty nice kit. And remember, this is a FORD guy talking! No there never was a real Vampire Van- it was a pure flight of fancy from an MPC designer named Bill DuPuy, same guy who did the Jolly Roger. It's called 'The Twilight Effect'.

It has a somewhat glossy finish- but I'd reccomend against using it because it does not stick very well, and seems more prone to tearing than plain BMF.

Contract? Are you sure it's expired? There might be a snag or two hidden in that fine print...

Oh... I've learned the ins and outs of working with separate door handles and wipers. Just isn't something I want to concern myself with if I don't have to.

Then go through all the 'fun' of removing any mold lines/sprue attachments from those separate handles and wipers. Oh... and that is after you manage not to break and/or lose them in the process of getting them off the sprue. I only have two gripes about this kit, and both are minor. I wish the box were just a little bit bigger- the way things sit now, the box is a little bit 'crammed', and both the 300s I've bought have had a few parts knocked off the sprues. Nothing broken or ruined as a result, but I think the quarters are still a bit too tight in there! The second is the front plate mount, or rather, the molded-open locator holes for it in the bumper- I wish they'd flashed over them instead of leaving them open. Doesn't look like it will be a fun fix if you choose not to use the front plate. They did it on the Flock version, why not the factory stock version? Other than that, I'm really impressed with the kit. I almost hate to say it, but I think they pole-vaulted past the Hornet kit in terms of quality... and this is coming from a guy who likes Hudsons way more than Mopars. The Motor Wheel wires are especially tasty, and I can see that Hemi stuffed into a few other applications besides the intended one.

Loving all the details! Let me guess... Opel Blitz chassis, or at least the wheels.

I have none... but I'd maim somebody pretty badly for one of those IH 4300 race trucks.

I recall this one.

Yes... Round 2 doesn't remove their sidewall lettering. I've got the original '89 version of the kit, now sporting a widened El Camino roof. It was going to be a hauler for a Revell Midget (as the cargo bed has room to spare), but I overlooked the one minor detail of the Midget being too wide to fit through the tailgate. Oh well...

^ Another good use for this reissue would be to source those dainty, in-scale suspension parts on a glue-bombed Panel (and by dainty and in-scale I mean guaranteed to be broken).

Sweet! I've finished a few, and have a few more planned. First one... Revell Beetle Convertible with a Corvair engine. Then came the Pink Panzer, again a Revell body with a Corvair engine. ;56 Beetle with '27 T fenders The Kubelrodd, which has been damaged and is due for a rebuild. The body is Plastruct sheet and powered with a Corvair engine. And the most recent one, a '63, based on a Polar Lights Herbie body on a '66 Tamiya chassis.

That looks VERY cool! I wonder if you could use that old 'generic' AMT semi tractor kit for the cab. Welcome to the forum, Keith!

Love it!

Oh... did a bit of detail painting on the grille as well. I used BMF on the back of the clear lenses to hide the ejector pins in the reflectors, I didn't think I could remove them without doing more harm than good.

Engine is more or less sorted out. The basic block and heads are from a Revell '72 Cutlass, with the chrome custom valve covers from a JoHan '70 442. The blower manifold and case are from the spares box, while the front and rear covers are from an AMT Lil Mixer- the blower drive from that kit will probably also be used. The carbs are Holley Domniators from Model car Garage. And... decided not to go with the School Bus Yellow, but Sun Yellow from Krylon- it's a few shades lighter and TONS brighter.

Norm Veber at Replicas and Miniatures used to cast the Panel body, but dropped it from the lineup because it was an extremely poor seller for him. That being said... I did ask Norm about any chance of reissuing it, and he said that if he could get roughly two or three dozen seriously interested parties interested in buying one, he'd be willing to bring it back into the lineup... ;)

Very nice! I'm thinking the Astro is my favorite rig with it, too. I will say this- I'd advise against rebuilding the W900. It's part of your modeling history! What I'd do is buy the W900 reissue, find a set of those details, and build the new kit as an improved version of the old one. Then display them side by side, to compare the progress you've made over years of building.

Gimme a month or two, Greg... I plan on showing a few different ways this kit can be utilized.

Fantastic comeback, Harold!

Extremely cool!

Well, I did (literally) blow the dust off the camper just yesterday, if you believe that. Nothing in the way of building, but digging it out of the purgatory pile did make me want to get cracking on it again. I suppose we'll see here pretty shortly.

Love that '60! For some reason, those Chevy Apaches just look natural as 4 wheel drive Forest Service trucks.