Chuck Most

Chuck K brought up a few examples of what you might call 'cartoonish' military kits (not that I understand why some car modelers keep comparing us to military modelers... why don't ship or aircraft guys ever get dragged into the conversation?), and I've seen a few examples of military guys having a bit of fun at the shows I've attended. At one event, I saw a very nice diorama of the Red Baron being persued... by Snoopy. And I remember a very amusing 'Maus Trap' diorama from an issue of FSM a few years back. So there are a few military modelers out there who just like to let their hair down every so often. Now, are there more modelers in the military segment who take realism more seriously. I'd think so, but consider... they're building machines of war. War is not a fun subject, so there isn't as much room for 'fun stuff' if you are working in that medium. And there are only so many ways to build an M-1 Abrams, but a nearly endless number of ways to interpret, say, a '63 Galaxie.

Never was too hot on the '57 Chryslers, but a few more done up like this one might change my mind. Love the way those Rallyes look on it.

Very nice! And a 'no' vote from me on the hood pins, but it's your model, so if you do plan to add them later on, I won't get too worked up over it.

Another beauty!

Love that color combo.

WIP and explaination here- http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=57970 End result here-

Turns out, the green car in the first post DOES exist. Might be a Tempest, actually.

This one's done! Uploading pics as I type this.

Keep in mind- kits like that were originally inteded for kids, not 'serious' modelers. The majority of Monogram's Tom Daniel kits could be lumped into a similar category- they are more cartoon than replica. As to why they appeal to some adult modelers. Some guys built these when they were younger, and want to reconnect with that. I personally haven't built many of them, but I like them because they aren't dead-serious subjects. I don't need to worry about making it accurate or realistic, I'm just having some fun at the workbench, which I think should be the whole point of the hobby, whether you're building a replica or a caricature.

Very cool! I'm toying with the idea of doing one of these in 1:25 with an AMT C-series cab and a bit of scratchbuilding.

Latest update- frame now sports a 222" wheelbase. this was done by cutting 58 scale inches out of each framerail. First cut was made about 3/8" behind the fender mounts, and the second, well, 58 scale inches to the rear of that cut. I wanted the seam to be in an inconspicous place, so that any reinforements I might need to add wouldn't be visible. I used a couple of strips of Plastruct 2mm square rod to strengthen the joint. And here's a quickie mockup with the cab in its rough position. I also shaved the door handles and LoneStar scripts from the doors. Kicking around an idea for the color- Cat yellow with flat or semigloss black fenders and chassis. I know Cat yellow might seem a bit odd on an International, but after all the Maxxforce is a Cat design, and Cat yellow just plain looks cool!

Well, work has officially begun on the '79 Toyota. I'm going for a bagged and bodydropped mini. Here's what I started out with, a three dollar built up from Dean's Hobby Stop. It's a snap kit, so I guess I can't call it a 'glue bomb'. A soak in Purple Power removed the decals, and I misted on a few coats of primer so I could spot and remove any mold lines. The molded-in engine and bed floor were cut out. This will be done as a curbside, so I glued the hood shut. The tonneau is just a piece of .030" Plastruct stock. Fun's just getting started!

I like the way the Lonestar looks, but I do think it looks a LOT better as a day cab. With the sleeper, all the aero stuff on the roof makes the truck look like it is wearing a giant codpiece. That doesn't just go for the Lonestar- pretty much any modern truck with a sleeper has the same effect on me. I did check that out- that thing is a jaw-dropper! I'm not even going to try to add a fraction of the detail he added to that one. That truck is in a whole 'nother realm.

Wow. I've DREAMED of something like that happening... so far, no luck. I'd go with what Mike said. If you plan to trade them, you could just post some pictures in the 'Swap,Trade, or Free' section. You could also ask people to identify what's what in that post, but you might have better luck finding out what makes/models/years the cars are with a "Help me ID these kits" type post here in General.

Did some work on the front fenders. I filled in the openings for the stock headlight lenses, in anticipation of adding small, round headlights (like the kind on the Harley edition). But truth be told, I'm beginning to like the look of the front end without the headlights, so I may leave them off entirely, and move the headlights down into the fog light openings after enlarging them to fit a standard 7" sealed beam style light.

Not really a fan of the Camaro, but I do dig the F-Bomb, so I'll be keeping an eye on this one.

Here's his Fotki link- his email should be in the 'About Me' area. http://public.fotki.com/tomcoolidge/promolite-product-list/

I was leaning toward the 215" wheelbase, but the 222" might look good too. I am thinking of keeping the Moebius kit tallights though.

Speaking of 'O' scale, there's this- This one would at least give you a heavier chassis and wheels, but you'd still need to shorten and widen the nose and rework the grille like you would with the AMT '55.

Yep, starting on another one! This one might take a bit longer, though, as it'll require quite a few modifications to the base Moebius kit. Here goes... Since I'm using a Models by Dave daycab, here's some of what I'll NOT be using. I WILL be using these, however, not without a little bit of modification. Here are my Models by Dave pieces, the custom Harley-edition based grille, and of course the day cab. I don't remember if I bought the parts just as an excuse to buy another Lonestar, or if I bought the Lonestar just as an excuse to buy the parts, but I think it was the first reason. Should be fun no matter what. Here's the surgery so far. I assembled the three parts of the dash for test fitting, and cut down the floor and side panels to fit in the new cab. I basically just trimmed, then test fit, trimmed, then test fit, until the reworked interior fit into the cab the way I wanted. I'm pleased to report the Moebius "glass" fits nicely into the resin cab. The grille also fits the opening in the hood very well- you can't always expect resin parts to fit right the first time, every time, but these gave me no fits. The idea here is to make a customized rig, something that could be taken to shows, but still be used as a practical tractor. I'll be cutting the frame down for a shorter wheelbase. As much as I like the look of custom rigs with long wheelbases, the stock 280" kit wheelbase just looks ridiculous with a daycab on this truck, at least to my eye.

Very cool! Allison powered Mopar... EJ would have approved.

I actually have the sleeve from his greatest hits LP (yes, sleeve from an LP) with this same car on the cover. Always wanted to see it done as a model!

RMR and Frontier sell the generation before the one Chucky is looking for- he's after a '55-59 stub nose conventional. I've seen a few conversions done to the AMT '55-57 pickup cabs, but none in resin. If somebody made one, I'd be right in line behind you for one. There's a local truck I've wanted to model for a long time-

The PT an HHR were also practical cars- once the 'cuteness' wore off, you were left with a practical, economical car that just didn't look like every other hatchback in the parking lot. A lot of the other 'niche' cars were more or less just driveway jewelery which did nothing but look cool, though I guess that depends on personal taste.

Never understood that one. Take the worst elements from the El Camino and make them worse. Then price the thing at about 40 grand. Yeah, that'll sell.