Chuck Most

I'm thinking of Paris Fish's old '70's Street Machine from the bleak years of Hot Rod.

Crikey! Watch out for the rozzers! They can be bloody pillocks. (Did that make any sense?)

AMT apparently was going to do a plastic kit, but ended up doing it as an Ertl diecast instead.

Know what? I want every one of those kits!

Not bad for two bucks. Just ridding it of that big, honkin' cowcatcher up front makes all the difference.

For the most part, it seems to me the model companies specialize in their own country or reigon's product- the US manfacturers release US kits, the European firms do Euro cars, etc. There are always exceptions of course, but that seems to be the rule of thumb.

That's the one gripe I have with my Minicraft Model A pickup. Since I plan on tossing the fenders over my shoulder during the course of the buildup, I really need to dig up some alternatives. Well, that and the nasty sink marks on the cylinder heads...grrrrrrrrrrr.

This is Darin Bastedo. A model car builder from Kingsport, TN. And he is about to be reunited. Reunited with a kit he carelessly tossed by the wayside years ago, hoping never to encounter it again. Darin thought he was rid of the unwanted kit until the mailman brought him a package. A special delivery... from the Twilight Zone.

Up in central MI you can get those kits pretty cheap. A friend of mine bought the Hot Rod issue Pontiac Lemans flopper kit for $25 sealed, plus sales tax.

And, take into account that there is a fairly sizable number of modelers who don't work from kits in the first place. They are modelers strictly speaking, but since they scratchbuild most of what they build, they really aren't much into buying ready-made kits. Guys like Gerald Wingrove come to mind. Sure, probably a minority, but still something to consider. Even among guys who do work with kits, there's quite an array of genres. Some people build only 1:24 Formula 1 cars. Some guys only do 1:43 scale. I'm aware of a couple who build only sports cars, or just Corvettes. I know one guy who builds NOTHING but '57 Chevys. And I mean the Bel Air/150 type- the mainstream line. He won't do a '57 Vette or a '57 Cameo pickup to mix it up, only the standard car line. For modelers like that, the introduction of a new pickup, muscle car, '50's cruiser, or '70's car kit is pretty much meaningless.

Or how about those Jada plastic kits from a few years ago?

I have recently rekindled a stalled project, but it already has its own thread- so here goes: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=45539 Should get fairly interesting the next couple of days! I hope...

I've actually considered converting an MPC Stutz into a similar-vintage Olds, just because a Stutz isn't obscure enough for me, since it (obviously) already exists as a kit.

Andy- you master that '10 Olds Limited, touring and limousine bodies, and I guarantee I'll buy AND BUILD both. You might not like what I do with them, but I guarantee they'll get built. As far as hoarding kits? Guilty as charged. To me just looking for lost souls to fill the Demon Fleet is half the fun.

You're welcome. Don't come crying to me when you put the passenger's side vent window on in the driver's side opening, and the passenger's side mirror on the driver's side.

It is already shaping up to be one of the few 'Vette models I know I'll like.

And really- who knows how many active model car builders there are? There are 8,000 members on this forum. Even if you subtract inactive accounts, double accounts from the same member, troll accounts, and members who have passed on, I think you'd still be left with a fairly sizable number. And not every modeler is a member of this forum, or even any other forum- I'm the only modeler in my area who is active in model car message boards to any degree. I can think of twenty active modelers in my area, and I'm the only one who frequents any message boards. So, in my area anyway, there is a twenty-to-one ratio of modelers who do not use message boards. Would, say, 7,000 multiplied by 21 give a reliable number as far as people partaking in the model car hobby? Who knows? There's really no 'scientific method' in play with regards to that.

The car itself may be pretty stout,but picture no seatbelts and all the sharp, pokey knobs on the dash.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ezEjae4WyM

Jonathan- General Lee speaking, Danno ALWAYS has nightmares about General Lee threads. (And after Danno reads this I'm going to edit the post so that first GL reads 'Generally' just so he thinks he's losing it. )

Triumph... that was a product of British Leland at that time, right?

Well, it is merely just creeping along at this point. Did knock the dust off the truck and trailer, and dug out a chassis to plop down on the trailer. Not sure if this chassis will end up on the trailer or not, but I'm thinking the trailer load will end up being either an abandoned junker on its way to the shop for restoration or on its way to the junkyard to be scrapped. That, or an 'in progress' hot rod that's basically a stripped frame and a body. I guess we'll see. And I'm thinking of getting started on the proposed camper trailer, as soon as I gather up all the furnishings for the inside. The frame is a '29 Model A Ford front half, spliced to a Z'd '32 Chevy rear half. For the rear axle I used a Dodge Super Bee Dana 60, because that axle is also used in 3/4 and 1 ton truck applications with eight-bolt axles. The wheels are resin copies from the old MPC Dodge 4x4, and the tires are (I think) from an old 1:20 scale MPC Popcorn Wagon kit. Springs are '41 Chevy 1/2 ton truck units.

"If it doesn't stick that tells you there's something wrong with your paint job, not our perfect, godlike decal film."

The few that made it to 60,000 were pretty much guaranteed to be good cars. My uncle had one with well over twice that- he finally got rid of it because the body was shot. He worked for the Olds plant in Lansing from '66 until '96 (it became an engine plant later on, IIRC), but almost all the cars he's ever owned were Buicks. But yeah, his was more the exception than the rule.

Many good points Charlie. I'd love to see them at least provide some deeper interior tubs, when and if at all possible. I'd also be all for seeing a decent rendition of a second-gen AMC V8, and please, get rid of that 22 caliber bullet hole in the block for clearing the monster axle! If it's possible to use thinner, preferably metal, axles, or some kind of 'plug' that fits into the chassis and still has a mounting pin for the wheel/tire assembly, I'd love to see that. Oh- and if the '60 Plymouth wagon kit ever comes back.... inner front fenders, PLEASE!

You mean after I stop chopping them into pieces and build one box stock? (Wow- hurts my head saying 'box' and 'stock' in the same breath.)