Chuck Most

Are you positive you aren't thinking of Modelhaus? I know for a fact Don sells just roof sections for select cars, I'm not aware of Tom doing that, though. At least, I've never seen separate roof sections available for sale on his site.

Ah, the Crispy Stang. First, and so far the only convincing, burned model I've seen. Love the details on that one, right down to the bubbles in the formerly molten front wheels.

Oh- I do want to get MPC's Vampire Van reissue. I've got a plan or two in mind for that much-maligned monstrosity.

It does appear that way, but... jeez, could the images be any more overexposed? Looks like the worn out stock tires are making a comeback as well.

The AMT/Ertl '95 S-Blazer had a decent set of Goodyear Wrangler All Terrains like Roger described, too- I think they're the same as the tires in the Tahoe kit.

Here is how they should look once installed.

On the earlier kits, there were some really long pieces left from the ejector pins- these should be cut off flush with the bottom of the wiper actuator. The knife blade is pointing to the mounting pin here. You may have to trim the mounting pin or open up its locator hole on the firewall a bit, but they should fit nice and flush against the firewall once in place.

Hmmmmmmmmmm.... Now, that one looks familiar. Wonder where I've seen that '37...

Or...

And sometimes the 'chrome' is anodized aluminum, which only dulls. It can be stained and streaked by rust from surronding steel parts, but aluminum doesn't rust, anodized or not.

Proper research of your chosen subject is an absolute MUST. Not only spotting common rust patterns on 1:1 vehicles (I can close my eyes and picture the rust spots on '80-97 Ford F-series pickups and fullsize Broncos, so no research needed for me there!), but also knowing what parts are made from what material. That Tamiya Jeep Wrangler built as a beater would look mighty strange with rusted-through fender flares, for instance! (That would be akin to the rusty Camaro spoiler you mentioned). It never ceases to amaze me how some guys just prefer to 'wing it' when a ten or fifteen minute Google image search can bring up more images than you'll ever need of what you want to find in most cases. All you have to do is look at examples of your chosen subject to get a feel of how the vehicle deteriorates over time. No two cars will age in exactly the same way, of course, so there's still a little bit of creative wiggle room for you there, but ignoring the basics spoils the whole effect. I never have judged a contest, and I never will, but if I had been a judge at that particular show, I'd have walked right past that Camaro upon seeing the rusty spoiler.

Personally, for me EVERYTHING is taking a back seat to the upcoming '50 Olds by Revell. Yes, even the '57 Ford gets second place for me, and I'm a Ford guy! I don't think I've been so pumped up about an upcoming kit since Moebius announced the Hornet was coming. I am looking forward to the Chrysler, but I have a feeling I'll be picking up the 1:25 Batman Tumbler first.

I feared that would happen as well, but so far, I've had pretty good luck doing the foil FIRST then prime/paint/clear (if applicable) shtick. A decal (or better yet a rub-on metal transfer) of the Twin H marking would have been nice, I will say that. A photoetch piece would be great, but each letter would have to be done separately. I can see somebody spending more time carefully arranging each letter than they spent on paint!

'59 is my favorite Buick (well, favorite late '50's Buick anyway), and Tom does cast some fantastic stuff, regarding both subject matter and casting quality. I like the wheels and stance on this one, I even like the color- its subdued, but just looks right on this car.

Those decals look way cooler on this than they ever did on the AMT '59 ElCo which sourced them. Gotta love the sheer 'twisted-ness' of a slammed out VW van sporting Prancing Horse running gear.

Anyone? If it does, I might be just a bit more inclined to pick one of these up! For that, I will not even speculate... I've never personally owned the Roth version, and it has been several years since I have poked around in one. All I will say for sure it it's 99% the stock kit- the rolling stock, tonneau, and and decal sheet being the most noteworthy differences. Although this kit does sport the small back window from the earlier kits (such as the Hot Rod issue) while the red stock kit had the wraparound rear window.

Bosozoku-styled vehicles are actually pretty diverse... I just intentionally posted pics representing the more 'extreme' end of the spectrum. Kind of like what some consider 'rat rods' they run the full gamut, from mild and tasty (like that Skyline Glenn posted) to borderline horrific and gaudy (see 99% of the stuff I put up). I've really been getting into the more extreme and weird examples of late- they look like fun and interesting modeling subjects, as well as a bit of a challenge. Best part is, building a model of one rules out any disadvantages of doing it in 1:1. With a model, you only need to worry about the 'practical' issues if you WANT to, because a model car will never be operated on the street.

You're right- the red stock kit had the stock wheels and caps, and some tall, skinny Firestones from very worn tooling. I think about the only non-stock part in that particular issue was a dropped front axle.

Thanks! I was trying to make the 'Hornet' paint job look as if it was peeling off an original green paint job. A mostly straight car that had seen a LOT of hard road use, mostly. Oh, there's this one- phantom pickup, stripped the chrome, and went out of my way to apply paint on it that was glossy, but not overly shiny... Can ya tell I'm rather fond of step-down Hudsons, and scale replicas of same?

Not anymore... And yes, this would be an example of the more extreme side of weathering.

Like on the seat of a dirt-track car? I've seen that detail on a number of models- you'd think the driver's body would block most of the mud and dirt chunks from getting onto the seat.

It's early '60's vintage tooling- that kit's biggest downfalls are the misshapen fenders and the somewhat fiddly fit of the hinged parts (the hood, doors, and tailgate all open). The engine and chassis are very nicely done, but for me the body kind of kills it. The 'Hot Rod' magazine version from the early '90's and the red stock kit from the mid '90's are more or less the same kit- it looks like this one has the small back window from the earlier versions, not the wraparound rear window the later stock kit has. Chopping it might be a bit involved, on account of the opening doors, but certainly nothing impossible.

Oh, I totally agree! If I'd known the thing was going to end up on the cover, well, I'd have probably paid a bit closer attention to a few details, to say the least.

Nope, never did a build thread on this one- I just kept an eye on yours while I was working on it.

Think of all you'd save on tires!