Chuck Most

, because I can't put it into words!

The end result is worth the misery though, isn't it? Very cool model... and I'm not even a Tri-5 Chevy fan!

I did notice the machined caps on the Merc (very cool, by the way!), and in most cases those would be enough to rule it out as a purely box-stock model. The plug wires on the Chevelle may be a deal breaker for a box stock entry, but again, kind of depends on the show. Should be no problem at all on the Ram. If it were me? I'd just enter them all in the 'custom' class. Better still, I'd just show them, and not enter them in the judged competition at all!

I think AMT did to an XXX branded '67 GTO, but it was little more than a warmed-over retread of the already run into the ground '67 GTO kit. The 'Vette had some kind of trashcan shaped thingie to mount in the side window and a "Skateboarding is a Crime" bumper sticker decal, but other than that, it was just a reissue of the '98 Vette roadster kit.

I'd really like to jump in with that Transit, if it is deemed 'forgotten' enough to suit the spirit of the build off!

Liking what I see so far!

Greg- sorry, cats are fire-resistant. (I'd really rather not get into how I came across THAT little tidbit... ) One of these days I am planning to make up a spit for the MPI, though, along with a hand-carved Hogzilla to throw on it! But that's a ways off, if it ever even does happen.

Not if you're into the 'promo look'!

He must be- he's only been in the casting game for a short time and he's already THIS CLOSE to attaining legendary status!

Minor progress... I added the headlamps last night, they are from an MPC '28 Lincoln kit and mounted to a scratchbuilt bar.

Just 'guestimating' the distance, I'd say my house and mailbox are way further apart than the lighthouse and boat! And no, I don't use my car to check the mail! Maybe I should- looks like a good way to save wear and tear on the car if you're just using it to traverse your driveway!

I think the Baywatch truck was a 1:20 Lindberg, but it was a Toyota, not a Ford. LIndberg did an Explorer Sport in 1:20, maybe they did issue it as a Baywatch version, but I'm not sure. The AMT and Polar Lights Ecto kits are different tools, or HEAVILY modified versions of the same tool- the PL is more of a snap kit, while the AMT kit is kind of reminiscent of a Jo-Han promo, detail and breakdown wise.

I'll say this about the casting quality... you'll think you're looking at cream-colored injected styrene, not resin, when you look at these parts. Not a pinhole or run in sight, just small scale car part goodness through and through! Here we have the bolt nut/stud set, which gives you 208 very cool fastener detail bits in sizes ranging from 072" to .028"' Next up we've got this cool Keystone wheel which, again, is beatifully cast and even includes an AMT style metal axle boss on the back side.... these would look great on a muscle car or early street machine! Or, if you're more into early '60's street rods or even Indy cars, these Halibrand 5-holers are just what the doctor ordered... Speaking of mucscle cars, who could use a Hurst Dual Gate shifter for an automatic? This one's very nice -though you'll need to clean up the handle a little, and the 'Hurst' and 'PRND' jibber-jabber is not only present, but legible! (Though this lousy picture doesn't even come close to doing it justice! But, I'm saving the best for last. Need those very cool Dick Cepek paddle tires for that 1:25 sled puller you KNOW you want to build, but can't find the Orange Blossom kit, or don't want to raid one for parts? Well, Ma's gotcha covered there too... The tires are molded in a soft rubber which is way more pliable than the original AMT vinyl, and the wheels are cleanly cast. As with the resin stuff, the tires are well shaped and blemish-free. Now I just need to get meeself one o' them Amphicar kits!

One of 'em came with the wrong grille, I suppose?

And people think I'M lazy! Well, I am, but still...

Do it! And we'd better see it! The old center door T was an oddball, but I think the much more common 'one door' roadsters were even stranger. Why would you put only one door on a car... OPPOSITE the side the driver sits? My grandfather has a '25 T roadster with only the passenger door- he says he thinks the door was on the passenger side so that if you parked parallel to a curb, you wouldn't need to step out into the street to enter/exit the car. Anywho- I have made some progress... I made up a front 'subframe' using the drilled bumpers from an AMT '53 Ford F-100, and various scraps of Plastruct and spare parts. I also made up some carb stacks from 5/32" aluminum tube, slash cut and getting taller from front to back. In the side profile, they look about the same height, but in the front and rear views it looks like I made them stepped, so that's the look I went with. The pipes look wicked (you should've heard them belt out "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" ), can't wait until I figure out something for the headers! I decided against the mesh for the radiator shell, but instead added a 'slatted' piece of plastic, which was painted with a sludgy wash of red and black. I also cobbled up a radiator from scrap Plastruct... Then, I managed to hook everything up to my front 'sub frame', the rest of the frame will start being mapped out once I get the body (early next week if all goes to plan).

This thing is going to be killer!

And people think Car and Driver's John Phillips was the car mag industry's first devastatingly opinionated writer!

Don't drop it next time, and you'll do just fine! Can't tell you how many times I've rubbed through regular paint- maybe I'll have to give nail polish a shot one of these days.

There goes Harry again, making my photos look way better! I am considering the mesh in the grille, perhaps to match the pattern in the rear windows, or something that looks like a radiator. This might end up with a rear-mounted radiator, but that doesn't kill the possibility of a mesh insert for the grille.

These things are worth their weight in gold, just for Tom McCahill's reviews on the cars. (If you don't know who he is, check this out- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_McCahill) The rest of the magazine is cool too, full of all sorts of nutty DIY projects and such, but it's always the McCahill stuff that grabs me, and whenever I see an old copy of MI for sale somewhere, I jump at it! Yeah- I've got the AMT Tiger kit (not an Alpine, but close), and I think that Crosley bodied hunting rig and Mini Moke would make great modeling subjects!

Just a question, is there really any advantage to using nail polish instead of your tradtional hobby and automotive paints, other than perhaps cost (I've never seen a six dollar bottle of the stuff personally, but I see them all the time for one or two bucks) and quick drying time?

I like the longish trunk and the big wheels- If I'd built it I think I'd have lowered the stance a bit more, but what do I know, I'm nuts!

A couple of years back, Terry did a write-up about the Aardvark Center door model T in the Resin Talk column. The moment I saw it, I pretty much KNEW I'd eventually rat one out. I even worked up a rough little sketch to map everything out- Fast forward almost two years, and I'm finally getting around to starting on it! Strange thing- Andy Martin (owner of Aardvark and Modelmartin) told me I might be happier using the Jimmy Flintstone version of his body- as it is already chopped and costs a bit less. Kind of like a GM rep recommending a Dodge! At this point, I'm not sure which body I'll use, but in any case, this model is all somehow the fault of Gregg and Harry (for running the story), Terry (for writing it), Andy (for casting the body), and me (for having a twisted, some might say psychotic, imagination). This would be the first time I've ever used a drawing (one of mine or anyone else's) to map out a build, so that should be interesting! Maybe it'll help with the process, as I'm one of those guys who never takes measurements or notes during a project unless I'm modeling a specific 1:1 subject. (And even then I don't always do it!) I started out with the grille shell, which is a modified piece from an AMT '29 Model A (Woody/Pickup)- I scratchbuilt the Lincoln star badge for the opening, used some old kit radiator hoses for the bull horns, an old big rig cab light lens for the crank cover, and a Ford decal from a Revell '29 Model A pickup kit. For the front rollers, I pirated those straight from an AMT '34 Ford 5-window kit. The engine is 'supposed' to be a Lincoln MEL, but I actually made it from various spare Ford FE parts- mainly from the '66 Fairlane kits. I also reworked the 6-carb 'log' manifold and used the '25 T Double Kit's valve covers, as shown in the drawing. The carb stacks and headers will come later. I also moved some stuff around to help make the engine look a bit more like an MEL and less like an FE, though there's only so much you can do in that regard. And I wrapped up the initial flurry of activity with the construction of the front end- consisting of the '34 rollers, and an AMT '50 Chevy pickup street machine front axle with a scratchbuilt tie rod. That is all for now, next project will probably be starting on the front half the frame (using a '25 T coupe body to get the basic measurements), hunting up the various little detail bits, and, yeah, ordering a body!

Pure insanity, man! And of course, I mean that in a GOOD way!