Chuck Most

I'll be dragging this out on select weekends. 1946-ish Michigan Noiseless reel mower by REO. The name says noiseless but it's only about 80% accurate. ? Needs a roller (original is a bit rotten) but works well enough. No, I don't use it on the entire lawn. I have a rider for the yard and a Ferguson 30 with a 3 point mower for the "back 40". I've so far been too lazy to jump it so for now it's actually a mowing obstacle.

People keep saying the economy is in free fall. And yet, record numbers of people are remodeling perfectly good houses they already paid wayyyyy too much for, paying well over MSRP for vehicles that wouldn't have left the lot without a 5k rebate just a few years ago, and paying a million dollars for a Challenger because... it was owned by some knob nobody ever heard of? Who street raced it? Like everyone else who owned a muscle car in the 70s? Okie dokie... Stuff like this is why I drink. ?

Not as curvaceous as the other Seven of Nine, but it looks good anyway. ?

The history books will tell you that the two oldest Chevrolets exist in museums. Both are 1913 models. Serial number #323 is restored to it's original glory and resides in the Sloane Museum in Chevrolet's ancestral home of Flint. #93 is in much shabbier condition and calls the Reynolds Alberta Museum in Canada home. But, at one point, there were three known to exist, and this third example has a unique story. And a little mystery... as far as anyone knows, there's a chance it might still be out there. It was 1958, and Harlan Henderson had a plan. Chevrolet was going to be celebrating it's 50th anniversary in 1961. He hit upon the idea of displaying an example of each decade of Chevrolet production in front of his show room for the summer, and he had already lined up some of them. A local farmer had agreed to loan a 1921 stake truck, a friend of Harlan's offered his 1931 coupe, a customer would provide a 1941 sedan delivery, one of his mechanics was the proud owner of a 1951 Bel Air. He also had a backup of a 1941 pickup, which ended up being a part of the display alongside the sedan delivery anyway. And he had planned for the entire 1961 lineup to represent 1961, of course, with a Corvette and an Impala taking pride of place. One problem. Harlan really wanted a Series C Classic Six to represent 1911. Thing is, only one was ever built, a prototype that differed a considerable amount from the production version. After two years of beating bushes, Harlan was able to track down a 1913 model, serial number #352, which had been parked in an unused grainery since 1933. Having secured the car, which was understandably in somewhat rough shape, Henderson Chevrolet's mechanics treated the car to a cosmetic restoration. The car was also modified to resemble the 1911 prototype, although the guys did miss a few things. The nickel plated radiator shell differs from the brass version used on the prototype. They were able to locate nickel plated cowl lights to at least match the appearance of the prototype lights. The car's body was also painted blue, while the actual prototype was most likely black. So it wasn't totally accurate but... Harlan at least had his Classic Six to stand in as a 1911 model. And at least the plates were authentic 1911 vintage. After the summer spent basking in the glory of Chevrolet's first half century, the car spent a few years living in the Henderson Chevrolet show room. The guys were never able to get the car running particularly well, but the spongy old cast iron block still dripped oil, despite the crankcase being empty. This was the main reason it ended up in an unused service bay, as Harlan (and others) began to wonder if having an always-wet drip pan under the car in the showroom was a fire hazard, or at least a particularly healthy thing to have in a common area. After the dealership was sold in 1964, so was the 1911-in-air-quotes car. It bounced to a couple local collectors, before ending up in a warehouse in Chicago. It was beloved to have been destroyed when that warehouse caught fire in 1984, but rumors persist to this day that the car is squirreled away somewhere, waiting to be found. It might still be in Chicago, at least one guy swears it's in northern Minnesota, and a few people (incorrectly) think it's the Sloane car. Maybe it'll resurface one of these days. Okay. So that story you just read is total BS. Mostly because I can't say much about the actual model. It is the Missing Link 1911 Chevrolet. I got it just after Kevin stopped casting them, around 2014 or so. It sat around all this time until last weekend. Actual assembly took mere hours. It's a simple kit and Kevin's castings are always wonderful. It's built straight from the box aside from a crank bent from brass wire (because I lost the kit crank) and 1911 Michigan plates from Three Inches Under. The backstory about a 1913 dummied up to resemble the 1911 prototype came about because it was fun ( for me at least), and let me avoid the whole making a windshield, cowl, and top and changing the lights to make it a proper 1913. This kit is oddball enough I didn't feel like going the extra half mile. ?

They're just whatever font I had that looked kind of close and printed on clear decal film. ?

That's just a Moebius F100 bumper trimmed a bit to fit the Chevrolet.

Oldsmobile may be gone, but Heider Auto Sales, which sold them from 1932 all the way up until the end in 2004, is still around, selling and servicing all used makes and models. Every car show season, service manager Dan Hopkins, takes it upon himself to get the old shop truck ready for summertime cruise duties. The truck is stored for winter in a room that was once used to prep new Oldsmobiles for delivery to their new owners. Now it is just where the 1963 Chevrolet "company truck" lives. Over the years Dan and Dan... The other Dan being Dan Heider, owner of Heider Automotive, have decorated the room with Olds and Case signage (as the Heider family got their start selling Case farm equipment almost a decade before they got into the Oldsmobile game). The display itself is just two pieces of Midwest plywood, fastened together at a 90 degree angle. The floor is Evergreen tile, and the various filler items are from the spare parts pile. There are also a sprinkling of Iceman Collections items... A spray can, a milk crate, and a beer keg.

The Pierce Brothers have spent the last twenty odd years making a name for themselves doing Cummins 6BT retrofits. But Arvid "Pat" Patrick came to them with a different project. He wanted to try an EV conversion. He had an EVs West Tesla S crate motor, some Foose wheels, a 1978 Dodge truck with a blown 360... And a saddle toolbox from another light blue Dodge he owned years ago. Eager to try something outside their normal projects, the brothers put the pieces together, adding big disc brakes, LED headlights, and a touch screen, along with an updated sound system. Aside from the door markings, the truck's worn original finish was retained. Model is the MPC kit with a Tesla power unit from Iceman Collections , Olson Brothers tool box, Revell USA Foose 56 Ford wheels and tires, and door decals from an MPC Vega stocker. The paint is Colorshot Splash, distressed with the Vallejo Rust and Steel Weathering Set, and sealed with Revell flat clear. The LED headlights were made with plastic discs and photoetched rings.

Simple build of a simple kit. A simple, lumpy, warped kit. The wheels came from a 1970 Ford cop car, printed Firestones came from the spares pile. I robbed some side mirrors from a 1960 Ranchero. The rest is box stock. The matte Krylon teal was distressed with a Vallejo rust paint set.

Moebius kit weathered and "laid out" on an air suspension. The wheels and tires are from the AMT 1949 Ford. I don't remember where I got the air suspension setup and fuel cell but they're a combination of cast and 3D printed resin. It also has the Olson Brothers wraparound rear bumper.

Grandpa's old farm beater updated with a 6BT Cummins. The engine came from Iceman Collections and the 1969 Monaco wheel covers came from Fireball Modelworks. Aside from that it's alarmingly box stock. Eventually it might get an aluminum topper with some kind of fishing related mural on the side.

In my mind it started out with a 361 but it has what's left of the kit Caterpillar diesel engine. ? Much like the model is a hodge podge of parts for a couple incomplete Louisville kits, I wanted it to represent a truck that's a hodge podge of salvage parts. So it's called an 800 mostly because the cab in my scenario came from one.

So... I had an incomplete AMT plow truck, a box or two of spare Louisville parts, some AITM rear wheels and tires, and some Models by Dave cab steps. I decided to combine the whole mess into one tattered tractor. The quad headlights came from a White Road Boss, I added them after seeing a junkyard Louisville that had been fitted with a similar setup. The paint scheme on the hood was inspired by a neighbor's old LNT dump truck.

More or less out of the box build of the AMT-Ertl kit, painted in Krylon School Bus Yellow and lightly weathered. Not the greatest kit you'll ever see but looks good on the shelf, which I find as the years go on, that's all that really matters.

This is an original T596 kit that I bought a couple of years ago. I just love that old rigid plastic. ? The hardened vinyl tires I could do without but hey ... That's the tradeoff I guess. Inspired by the box art I used that and a Purple Wave auction listing for a 1969 C700 as my guide. The paint is Tamiya Camel Yellow overall, with the bed finished in Krylon Scarlet. The chrome was stripped (no thick nasty undercoat in 1971... Another plus for the old kits) and refinished in Krylon Colonial Ivory, which is a decent match for aged Ford Oxford White. The Speedy decals are from Gofer Racing, I changed the location from Chicago to Detroit with a section of old Fred Cady graphics. Wheels and underside were lightly weathered. The Bender's stickers are from the AMT Autocar dump truck. The box art showed the door emblem above the character line, 1968-1970 style, while the actual cab has it below, 1971-1990 style. I sanded off the original emblem and replaced it with the Moebius 1967-1972 F100 hood emblem. There's a "bonus" set of these in the 65 and 66 kits. Speaking of, I modified a 65 F100 bench seat to use here. The crates were painted Tamiya Flat Flesh and dusted with weathering powder.

Used and abused MPC kit. I mangled the fender, mismatched the hood, and made a grille from grooved plastic stock. The bed is made up of basswood, and the window AC unit was built from various leftover plastic stock and aluminum mesh. I went with the optional turbo and used an Iceman Collections conical air filter. Leftover junk fills out the rest.

My brother got this for me for Christmas a few years back. I didn't do much aside from strip the chrome parts and stick it back in the stash. About a year ago I ran across some aftermarket decals, featuring a grille pattern and Caterpillar graphics. I don't know who printed them, they came with an envelope of various decals I bought along with a few other farm and construction kits. Anyway... Earlier this winter I finally decided it was this kit's turn at the bench. I kept it mostly box stock, with three exceptions. Obviously the aftermarket decals, and also a milk crate for a little extra storage, and seat cushions cut from balsa foam. The balsa foam was painted Tamiya Rubber Black and then sanded to simulate exposed padding. I went with the drawbar option instead of the ripper. Paint overall is Revell Matt Yellow, with Tamiya Linoleum Deck Brown on the tracks. LDB was also brushed and misted to simulate rust and grime, along with Tamiya Hull Red. The blade face is Revell Steel misted with more LDB and washed with Vallejo rust wash. Monroe weathering powder was also applied throughout. I definitely wanted a weathered appearance but something a touch more subtle than how a lot of people tend to build these. It's actually a pleasant kit to build, despite what I've heard about it. Kicking myself now for waiting this long to tear into one. Eventually I may add some hydraulic hoses but overall I'm happy enough with it.

Well, my recent Morris Mini trilogy ends. ? This is the old Scale Kraft resin transkit combined with the Tamiya Morris Mini Cooper racing car. I cut out the pickup grille opening and splash apron and grafted in the Tamiya part to use the passenger car grille. The front flares are modified to clear a factory bumper. Paint is Testors Star Spangled Blue. The Beatles front plate was home printed and out back is a 1963 Michigan plate from Three Inches Under. My panel washes need a little cleanup and some foil work needs touch up (again... Gotta love digital photos and natural sunlight) but overall I'm really happy with how this came out.

This is my other Morris Mini Van. I actually started this 5 or 6 years ago but it languished in the box until I finished the green one I posted a few days ago. It's a slammer, since it will ultimately become a trailer/flatbed load I chose not to go crazy with the details. Wheels and hubcaps are from a Revell 64 Chevrolet pickup, with parts box Dunlop tires up front and Mickey Thompsons out back. The body has shaved handles and wipers, but the A panel seams missing from the resin body was added using Evergreen D strip. Paint is Colorshot Stiletto (red) and Marshmallow (white). Told you the next Mini would not be green. ??Spare Tamiya kit parts fill out the rest.

Nice! Going with the meatier tires was a good choice.

Built this a couple years ago and just recently added the camper. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/162663-1964-oldsmobile-p-85/#comment-2688837

Mostly box stock buildup of the AMT kit. It's been treated to a hasty, "get it done before the shift starts" pink paint job (Krylon Colormaxx Matte Sunrise) and lettering, and some cutesy Ms. Piggy graphics to go with the color. Eventually it will get weathered and filled with trash. But for now it's just for show because Mr. Tremonti wants to show that he runs a legit business and not a Mafia front company... Wait... Forget I said that last part...

Nice! This is the Lindberg kit, which is currently available again as an AMT. It's the only full detail glue kit of a tenth generation F150 with a four wheel drive chassis, and if I remember correctly, a manual transmission. The Revell kits are all rear wheel drive and the regular cab Flareside Revell just reissued is an SVT Lightning.

Just a fun little combination of an incomplete Tamiya kit and an old resin conversion kit. Paint is distressed Tamiya Park Green on the body and Krylon Colonial Ivory on the wheels. Monroe weathering powder simulates rust and London grime, with help from Vallejo rust washes. The body was missing A panel seams and fuel filler cutout. I used d-shaped plastic strip to add the seams and completely forgot adding that fuel fill cutout. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson... D'OH!!!! The pickup in the last picture was built years ago from a Tamiya kit with a Scale Kraft transkit. It recently got new number plate decals as the original front plate had chipped badly. Next Mini I build won't be green. ? I think. Possibly.

Just the Atlantis kit, thrown together basically out of the box with the exception of door graphics from the Atlantis Chevrolet flatbed. Not the greatest end result but I just wanted to get familiar with the kit. Next one will probably be stretched and fitted with a flat bed.