Chuck Most

Yeah- this one has replacement bumpers from a standard Scout II. The originals were a little bit mangled.

The Ford rig rod and the Finned Phaeton have been on/off projects for quite a while, but the Chevy was a bit more recent. This one is a '50 Ford cab on a modified Lil Mixer frame, and powered with an IH V800 turbodiesel. It was another one of my 'kill some spare parts' projects. This is a '29 Chevy Roadster, but it began life as an MPC Vampire Van. The frame is Z'd, it is powered by a 392 Chrysler Hemi, and the rear half of the body is a cut-down '57 Chevy 150. And the last one is the Finned Phaeton. The body was made from a Model A cowl and '57 Chrysler quarter panels. It is also powered by Chrysler- a '32 Imperial straight 8 in this case.

Sweet! Know what would go well with these?

Well, that one (and two other long-stalled projects) is finished! Keep an eye on Under Glass.

Very nice!

Clean work on that body seam- I'm not looking forward to that on mine.

I'll probably use the '93 Ranger Splash (Flareside) kit, not sure about what engine to use at the moment. Probably a small block Ford from one of the Revell Deuce kits, or I might go nuts with a 385-series big block. I guess it depends on how far I want to go with chassis mods- that big block would require a bit of re-engineering to both ends of the chassis.

There'd better be. The only criticism I have of this project so far is the lack of recent updates!

Yeah- one thread makes a whole group look bad. Not that I care what the general public feels about what I choose to do as a hobby anyway. If they like it, fine. If not, I couldn't care less. And if they think less of me for gluing together little plastic cars, so be it. For all I know, they're hobby is torturing rats or something. Want 'internet drama'? Go to NASIOC sometime. It's basically the automotive-forum equivalent of 4chan. (And if you've never heard of 4chan, you are very lucky.)

No, I meant missed like a long lost friend, not missed as in 'didn't see the thread'.

I missed this one.

Haven't touched this one since August of last year. Well, until today, that is.

Chevy's aren't as cheap to build compared to other engines anymore. Still a bit cheaper, but by how much is arguable. I'd personally go with the Monaco just for kink factor (that and the kit already has a big block), but that Mustang would be very workable as a bracket car.

But here's the thing- EVERY kit has something off about it. Yes, even Tamiya kits. If it isn't body proportions, it's the detail. Even the Polar Lights Batmobile has a few hiccups, and it was based off scans of the actual car. Not many, mind you, but they are there. When you consider that this is only Moebius' second all-new automotive kit (third counting the Lonestar, IF you discount the fact the body on that was based off International's own CAD files, not a total clean-slate job like the Hudson and Chrysler, and not counting the two '52 version spinoffs of the '53 kit), I'm pretty impressed with the kit so far. Really- does this look like a product from a company which was a non-player in the automotive hobby kit market just a few years ago? If I put money on any manufacturer getting a classic American subject 100% right, I'd put it on Moebius. At any rate, I guess I just don't get people constantly comparing quality and engineering between such-and-such American kit manufacturer(s) and Tamiya. You're talking about two entirely different companies (in two entirely different countries on two entirely different continents no less). Of course they aren't going to approach things the same way! I will say this kit, in terms of layout, engraving, and engineering, kind of reminds me of the Galaxie Limited Chevrolets quite a bit more than the contents of a Tamiya box, though. I suppose it boils down to your own personal preferences, and how anything that may be off looks to your eye. For me, this one falls WELL within the acceptable criteria.

He said side-by-side, not end-to-end. But if done end to end, yeah- where would you park the freakin' thing?

Maybe it's off a tick- but just imagine how hillarious this kit would be if Trumpeter had kitted it instead.

Basically what I'm getting at. Even someone who might be lost in earlier automotive era could pick a Fusion or Camry out of a lineup of modern-day sedans. I just think the 'all cars look the same' mentality is questionable when it's only applied to modern cars, because it has pretty much held true the entire history of the auto industry. One manufacturer comes out with a style or design that 'works' with the buying public, and the competition will follow suit sooner or later. Same as it ever was.

Same size, same shape, same style cars. You mean like the '50's, when every car was 20 feet long, had tailfins, a huge wraparound windshield, and acres of brightwork? Or the '40's, when every car had pontoon fenders? Or maybe the '70's, when all the US manufacturers had full-blown love affairs power-bulge hoods and formal roof lines? Yeah, this 'all cars look the same' idea must be a symptom of the modern era.

It's one of these, which one kind of depends on what kind of mood I'm in.

I do have a '93 Ranger that 'needs' a V8, so I might be able to cook something up.

Love it! Greatest movie starring an alien EVER.

Nice!

Go back and poke through SAE's annual 'most wanted new release' polls, then do a quick inventory of what has actually been introduced over the last couple of decades. In fact, I posted something about that a while back- http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=49545&hl=lunatics&fromsearch=1 Obviously, the kit manufacturers DO listen... they don't just pull subject matter out of thin air. And at least one kit manufacturer takes what online forum members have to say quite seriously (cough, cough, Moebius), as they have formed a habit of posting test shot photos and asking the forum members for their input. And quality is much improved- lack of tire lettering aside, the kits introduced the last decade or so pretty much blow away the stuff we were getting even in the late '90's as far as detail and accuracy go. That would never have happened if the manufacturers had not paid heed to the 'serious' adult modelers. I think the kit manufacturers deserve a great deal more credit for listening to what we have to say and following through than we may give them sometimes.

True, but a Merc would look silly with pasties.

Exactly. One change begets another. And another. And another...