Chuck Most

This is the Moebius 65 kit done up to resemble an old junk man's truck. It has a 66 grille, wheels, tires and suspension from the 67 ramp truck, the power brake booster and 1970s steering wheel are extras from the kit. The fender extensions, gantry, and chain block are scratch built. The engine is a 428 Cobra Jet because why not. It's the Moebius bottom end and front cover with AMT 68 Shelby parts up top. The fuel tank is removed from behind the seat and replaced with dual frame mounted tanks. Those, the 8 bolt wheels, independent front suspension, dual chamber brake master cylinder, and "late model" steering wheel are there to indicate the 66 cab sits on a newer frame.

*cough cough*

This is the old Nitto kit. Since just building a rare kit of a rare car wasn't gonna be enough, I had to go further. Shadow Spoke wheels and tires from Aoshima were used, which required some suspension mods in addition to the ones made just for stance. The stock air cooled flat twin was jettisoned. In it's place is a 4A-GE from an Aoshima Trueno. That kit also supplied the radiator and brake cylinder. So I guess now it's a Sports 1600? In the trunk you will find the battery box and fuel tank from a Revell Model A. The paint is Testors Star Spangled Blue overall with the targa panel done in Graphite Dust. If you're interested, the entire buildup is chronicled here... https://public.fotki.com/Madhouse-Miniatures/completed-models-au/toyota-/1966-toyota-sports-800/

Years ago I stumbled upon some photos of 4x4 pickups and even front wheel drive cars converted for use as seaplane tugs. I've never seen a model of such a contraption built, so I went for it. Basic kit is the Moebius 1966 F100, with the chassis behind the cab cut away. The kit V8 and manual transmission were replaced with a 240 straight six and automatic transmission, the wheels were modified to accept MPC snow tires, and the side trim was removed for a base model look. I carried that into the interior by removing the horn button ring and making a flat instrument cluster with a gauge decal from a Revell Bronco. The seaplane platform is made up of various plastic strip and Hasegawa Subaru 360 wheels and tires. Various parts box castoffs fill out the rest.

I slept on the Hasegawa Nissan Sunny kit for too long. I finally got one in December and threw it together. Everybody likes to yap about how great Tamiya kits are. But personally Hasegawa is the gold standard for me. This is the 1979 version that shows stock only on the box but includes Watanabe wheels and a lowered suspension option, so I used those. I also used the chrome mirrors and one piece bumper meant for the earlier style version but still present on the sprue. The license plate decals are the only deviation from box stock. The paint job was inspired by a Japanese municipal Nissan pickup I found online. The rust was inspired by Japan's soup-like coastal climate. And the door markings were inspired by conversation with coworkers about botched tattoos. One guy said "My luck I would have the Japanese character for 'strength' or something tattooed and years later I would meet a Japanese person and they would ask me why I have a 'spicy mustard" tattoo." So that's what the doors and tailgate say.

Very nice! I actually have a Revell pickup truck parts pack around here somewhere. One for vans too. I always thought it was funny that Revell used illustrations of MPC kits on their parts pack boxes. ? I have a grille from this kit. Never knew where it was from until now. My only gripe is minor.... That's a C10. The C1500 moniker didn't come about until 1988. ?

You're thinking of the Revell C10 street machine if I'm not mistaken

Here it is. Likely my final model for 2022. It is largely out of the box, with the following exceptions... Scratch built front bumper (C channel) and grille guard with a steer skull from Larry G Scale, and Plastruct stakes (I think they were meant to be O scale fence but whatever) containing a Schleich goat. Less visible but present is a Parts by Parks distributor. The door lettering was done with Woodland Scenics dry transfers.

Nope. Trimmed from behind with a fresh #11 blade. Whenever I've tried to use a Dremel I go too far. ?

This is the new Moebius 1972 kit. I only have 2 issues with the kit. It has a 1971 grille and the front and rear driveshaft part numbers are switched on the destruction sheet. Moebius is aware of both issues so that can be addressed on the next run. Test fitting revealed the driveshaft callout mishap and since I was going to use a 1970 grille the kit may as well have not included one to begin with. ? Anyway. Mine has the aforementioned 1970 grille, along with the additions of an AMT light bar, MPC Datsun monster truck wrecker boom, Olson Brothers tool boxes, Gofer Racing door graphics, and a smattering of parts box doodads. The snow is actual snow and the wind quite brisk so I apologize if the photos look a bit rushed. ? Naturally the truck was weathered and distressed to the point of ridiculousness because a 1970 F250 used as a plow truck in Michigan probably would have looked something like this by 1975. Might do the next one as a showroom fresh example but this was a fairly fun project.

Not to be Negative Nancy here, but I hope there's time to fix the mirrors on the dually. The S10 Blazer style side mirrors were a head scratcher on the original dually. Would be a shame to go to through the trouble of doing an all new kit and keep that very visible screwup intact. Since these have separate lenses hopefully that weird vertical groove won't be in them this time. ?

Hmmmm. So despite the rules of every show and contest I've ever been to or read coverage on, police cars aren't in the Light Commercial category now? Huh. Guess I'll have to make a note of that.

This was an MPC Dukes of Hazzard Dodge Monaco. It was treated to a Plymouth grille and 6 hole police wheels from Ra-Sti on Shapeways, a Campesino Plastics rear bumper and taillights, Chimneyville decals, 1940 Ford sedan delivery spotlights, a scratch built hood light, and a modified Johan Rambler beacon. Kit is curbside with only lower engine detail because this kit is a raging dumpster fire. ? Eventually it's getting an antenna and front bumper guards. Maybe. It's numbered 141, meaning it is based out of Post 14 (now defunct Ithaca post) car number 1, just like the 1997 Ford I built 6 or 7 years ago. So they're the same unit two decades removed.

Built the Plymouth Arrow (MPC Dodge D50) some time ago. Just finished up a base for it. Base itself is an old AMT Prestige base, the rest is mostly ols scale railroad stuff. The pumpkins are some dehydrated things I found at a local craft shop. The signs are all made from craft sticks. The leaves are from AK Interactive. They're 35 scale but since as far as I know leaves aren't a standard size they look fine in 25 too.

A while back I did a brown over gold 1989 Chevrolet C2500 extended cab, starting with the AMT 1993 snap kit. I had the GMC grille (phantom dually piece with the GMC logo from a Sonoma) done some time ago, and I had another perfectly good extended cab (or Club Coupe as GMC called it) kit so I decided to do a slightly newer GMC version with the color scheme flipped. Wheels and tires came from an AMT Escalade EXT, and the 2500 emblems and Sierra tailgate badge came from @echoxrayniner, aka Ray's Kits Decals. The gmcers.org sticker was printed off the internet. Needs a little foil touch up but it's a decent shelf model and a nice companion to the 1989 Chev.

This was a Heavenly Hearse kit I've had laying around for years. The idea was to make it part of a Halloween display. The overall rundown appearance was inspired by a 1:1 70s Oldsmobile hearse used by a local haunted attraction. Other than some AMT wheels and tires and a crate in back it is box stock. The graphics were done by my buddy Erik. Eventually the rear will be full of ghost hunting equipment (hence the crate) and set on a base.

This is the @IceMan Collections printed resin kit. It was a limited run and I managed to nab one of the last of the milk truck version. After debating on a paint scheme I thought "why not just use the supplied graphics?" It's tubbed at both ends to represent an "aired out" suspension with Pegasus wheels and tires. Paint is good old Krylon chalky rattle can paint, distressed with salt, Vallejo rust washes, AK Interactive weathering pencils, and Monroe powders. Inside is a GM tilt column, a ridiculous stereo system, the air suspension components... And a crate containing a quartet of milk bottles.

The wrecker is the new Sunoco reissue. I kept it mostly box stock aside from some 53 F100 wheels and some extra junk in the bed. I used the kit supplied 390 but I wanted something a bit more utilitarian than the three two setup, so that was replaced with a 4 barrel intake and heads from a Moebius F100. The street rod is a 2000s Lindberg reissue but was inspired by the AMT Sunoco box side panel. Again it has F100 wheels and covers this time. The pleated tonneau cover came from a 1992 Lindberg reissue. Decals, of course, are left over from the Wrecker. About those decals. They adhere right now and don't like to budge once off the backer. Wetting them and the doors with soapy water was a must to position the things. Not really a problem... If you're expecting it. ?

Been a long time since I built a hot rod. So here we are. The cab and bed are from the AMT/Ertl reissue of the old MPC '29 Ford Woody/Pickup. The cab was modified to fit the firewall and interior from the Revell '29 Model A Roadster, and the bed was cut down. Speaking of the Revell Roadster, that's where pretty much everything under that cab and bed came from. The entire chassis from that kit was used, along with the radiator, grille shell, and headlights. The wheels and tires were donated by a Revell Rat Roaster. The kit's Chevrolet engine was swapped out for the 5.0/AOD combo from a Revell 1932 Ford street rod. It was capped off with the staggered dual quad intake and twin McCullough superchargers from the AMT Barris Surf Woody. The conical air filters are from Iceman Collections, and the hitch is from Scenes Unlimited. The blanks were filled in with minor scratchbuilding and kit parts.

But that would mean we would need to change the way we do things, which would be hard. So why not wait until the consequences come around to bite us? Then we would need to change the way we do things, which would be hard... but we don't have to worry about it right now. We can do it later! (Note: For the people seated in the back, my remark is what we call "sarcasm". Tom has a salient point here.)

That's just typical Sony. They really need to stick to consumer electronics.

Fun fact... the vehicles and gadgets in these movies were designed to be "toyetic", a term Schumaker had said he'd never heard before helming these Batman flicks. Basically the producers worked with the prop designers to make the movie props easily marketable as toys. Probably explains quite a bit for how this version of the Batmobile looks. I know this because I watched the special features on the Batman and Robin DVD... the movie makes a lot more sense then. Pretty bad when the behind the scenes featurette is more interesting than the actual movie.

I didn't so much build this kit, as put it out of it's misery. Sheesh. This thing had more warp than five seasons of Star Trek. Which series? Pick one. The best parts on it are the Missing Link hood and wheel covers. Said hood fit perfectly, better than the kit hood, even... until the chassis was inserted. Now it's a little high at the driver's rear corner. It was worse but with a little trimming to the underside and a bit of gentle bending I got it somewhere near presentable. Other than those and the tires (robbed from an MPC 1978 Dodge D150) it's box stock and coated in Testors Root Beer. Well... the plates aren't fromt he kit. The front one is from Best Model Car Parts and the rear one is from Three Inches Under. I managed to find a small strip of unused BMF from before it was "improved" so at least I wouldn't have that headache on this one. Kind of a junker but I'm guessing the actual 1973 Satellites weren't any kind of master class in craftsmanship either, so I guess it fits. At least that's what I'll tell myself. I've heard blowing up models with firecrackers is fun, but it's a decent enough looking shelf model for what it is so I suppose it doesn't deserve that kind of fate.

It hit me as I was working on this that, despite 30+ years of building models, I had never tackled a monster truck. Originally I bought the Coke-branded reissue of the USA 1 as a parts donor, and for the decal sheet (which includes some new badge decals as well as two sets of gauge faces) with the mind to cut down the suspension and build it as a mud truck. The first thing I did was test out the Testors Root Beer/Pure Gold combo and the Ray's Kits Decals (2500, Silverado emblems, 4x4 markings and tailgate banner). I figured worst case I would have a painted body to use on a stock '88-90 annual. Yes, the 4x4 markings are oversized. Neal at Ray's knows about this and is working on addressing that problem. I used them anyway because in this case I thought they went well with the oversized tires. Despite my original intentions I kept an awful lot of the box-stock parts. The exceptions to that are... '88/89 grille, stock hood, bed rails and roll bar from an '88-90 annual kit. The monster truck kit has a roll bar but I liked the one in the 2wd kits better, so I went ahead and used it. The lights themselves are the same in both kits. I used a 454SS interior tub because it has no hole for the shifter and omits the molded clutch pedal. Each differential has a parts box rotor/caliper casting. And finally the engine, which is an old Ross Gibson "Alley Rat" 502 backed up by a 350 transmission robbed from a Lindberg street rod. The USA 1 plates came from a '57 Chevy Sportside decal sheet, as a nod to the monster truck kit's origin. It may eventually get some door graphics, and maybe I'll hang a hook off the winch fairlead, but otherwise it's done for now.

It's from the phantom dually kit. Fit isn't great but it looks good once everything is fitted and blended.