Chuck Most

A lot of kits do have the window surround molded to the clear part- the Revell '41 Chevy and '37 Ford pickups, '41 Willys, and Moebius '53 Hudson come to mind. Maybe it's just me, but I like that particular setup- and in the cases of those particular kits, distortion doesn't seem to be much of an issue. The chrome thing still kind of bugs me- on their latest '32 Fords Revell went the extra mile to have some of the sprue attachment points hidden a bit better on the plated parts, attaching the pieces to an area that, once cleaned up, won't be visible when the part is installed. Mold lines are a necessary evil, but it does seem the capability is there to minimize the effect of sprue attachment points.

Or 'downgrade' it to an Esprit.

What Ranma said, if I recall. I know for a fact Chevys had the X-frame until '64. I've never been under a '65 (or built a model of one), but my buddy's old '66 most certainly did have a perimeter frame.

Sweet! Speaking of after-Christmas sales... just picked up two more Hornet kits! Might not be seeing my '52 for a bit, I'm kind of wandering into the next one- Yes... that is a Hudson pickup. The top one is an actual 1948 prototype built by Hudson- the modified bed is from a '47 Hudson pickup. (Yes, Hudson built pickups, too.) The '52 appears to be a custom job, based around the same premise as the factory prototype. Both appear to be based on the sedan, but I won't be moving the door cut lines or b-pillar. Mine will have a bit more legroom in the cab, I guess. I'm also not planning to change the front to the '48 style, I will most likely leave the '53 nose, or do some kind of custom setup.

'62 Catalina would be the more accurate choice- it has a perimeter frame. The kit has an X-frame, but only Chevrolets of that era had an X-frame. Not sure if the wheelbase is different- I do know the '62 Bel Air chassis is too short to work in the Electra body.

What's up with that big hole in the 'engine'?

Mike- you know how I voted, right?

Just be careful with R&R kits- they can be a bit 'iffy' as far as casting quality goes.

I knew that. Just being a smart-alec!

That's true- but maybe that's an old WIP photo and it's closer to finished now. Even if not, I'd hate to have to repair and repaint it after it was damaged having a mold pulled from it.

I'm pretty sure you're thinking of Happy Days. Speaking of- anybody remember that episode where Fonzie said "Heeeeeeeyyyyyyy"? Awesome.

Every as-original Manx I've seen had black gelcoat on the underside- only the top of the body was painted, but I've seen restored and modified Manx buggies that have the entire body painted, top to bottom. I say go for it- non-stock paint schemes are a simple custom touch!

You'll need to trim the back of the 'cab' piece for it to fit over the kickup in the frame, but other than that it's a pretty good fit.

Yes, it would.

If I can find that Blue Oval kit, I'm turning it into a Mercury Colony Park, just because.

I know Norm has a '32 Ford grille shell reworked to fit a '37 truck insert, haven't seen any others from him though.

Ah. Okay! The Reliable castings I've seen were cast in a darker resin. I'd still try carefully heating it carefully one area at a time.

Finished 22, bought (or otherwise obtained) about fifty, and sold about thirty I'd had stashed, so I guess I can at least keep things in check.

I think that's an AAM body- in that case, a replacement would not be possible. Best I can suggest is using a hair dryer and CAREFULLY heating the afflicted areas, and reworking them by hand. With resin that thick, might be a bit of effort, but certainly not impossible.

Jim built his buggy from the start to run a 4.3- it does have quite a bit of rear overhang to make room for engine mounts, and an obvious rear-weight bias. His problem is he uses off-the-shelf half shafts (basically replacement OE units) and has a right foot made of lead. I will say the guy has been running buggies for longer than I've been alive, and all his previous ones had VW engines. I have heard of some of those issues with Corvair powered buggies, though I've only seen a handful of those compared to the VWs. Guess I know why now!

I heard Blue Oval Resin casters was out of business? I'll have to seek out one of those '88/91 kits, though, regardless.

Tell that to my neighbor- he has a buggy with a rear-mounted 4.3 V6. Talk about causing problems. To say the thing gets squirelly if you so much as look at the gas pedal funny is an understatement! And nevermind the number of half-shafts he's managed to rip to shreds on the dunes.

Same here. You can get the body style before that (Missing Link Resin) and after (Lindberg '97 Police Interceptor). Now that I think of it, nobody does the '98-up style either, so I guess that's two fullsize Fords not in kit form, though the 98 style is available in diecast.

I believe the Bandit transkit also has the early-style small bumpers as well.

Bad news- the '78-'91 Crown Victoria LTD is the one big Ford that hasn't been kitted, in plastic or resin.