Chuck Most

I heard years ago, somebody took this crude little motorized Arri T-Bird kit... And converted it into a Lincoln Mark IV. I was wondering- has anybody else seen it, or know who built it and where one could find a picture or two of it?

Are those Ford FE big blocks?

I've never really left the hobby (I've been at it since '88), but I've had my hot and cold moments, for sure! All I can say is- build what you want to build, to your own standards. If it doesn't make YOU, the builder, happy, then what's the point? Get back into it, get comfortable... THEN worry about the finer details!

Get rid of the month, and just go by the issue number. I'm sure it's probably illegal, or something, but hey... lots of things are, and we keep on just a doin' 'em!

Yeah- I'd hate to see somebody let a 1:1 Cutlass go like this, but it's cool for a model, right?

Glad to see ya back up and runnin'!

Shame my brain exploded back in 1997, so this has no effect on me whatsoever! Still, it does give me some ideas...

To tell you the truth, I'm really kind of surprised it took so long. My local Chrysler dealer hasn't even had one in stock for ages. Even though, strangely, the Chevy HHR, which looks so much like the PT I'm shocked Chrysler didn't sue GM for copyright infringement, seems to be flying off the lots. Well, at least selling as well as any of GM's anonymous transportation modules (Malibu, Impala, and so forth). And they aren't selling for 10% or more over sticker, as many of the early PTs did! The PT Cruiser was a novel idea, but it always seemed to have a "For Best Results, Use Before 2005" label on it somewhere. At least, to me. It had the same kind of retro style as the (also soon to be dead) New Beetle, but gave you some practicality with it's 4 doors and ample rear cargo area, but a car like that just isn't meant to have a long production life. Shame it didn't have enough power to get out of it's own way, much less enough to put that people and cargo space to good use!

He's right- I have had bad results using acrylics on resin without a primer. It does seem some resins take acrylic paints and primers better than others, but my standard MO with resin nowadays is automotive primer FIRST... well, after the body is properly cleaned and prepped, of course!

I've built the Revell Acura version, but I like the JDM versions way better most of the time. Very nice buildup- I like how you refrained from using over the top graphics and/or a gaudy body kit and instead chose a clean, uncluttered model!

Similar to what I had in mind!

I've been wanting to pick up this kit for a while... keep at it and you may convince me to tackle one for myself!

I love split window bugs, this one is very cool, and the history is unique, as well.

I've always liked these- your buildup is very, very cool!

If I ever build a second one with engine and chassis detail... you'll be the first guy to see it!

Ding!Ding!Ding! That's the gist of the thing- just a multipurpose utility vehicle, kind of like a Mini-Jeep. Oh, by the way, love that avatar!

Other way around- the Bug (and the earlier F-O-R) came first, but yeah, there most certainly is a resemblance! Hmmm... Mini Moke... maybe that'll be my next 'scratchbuilt from spare junk' project...

But if I quit talking to myself, I'll be all alone...

The only car ever designed that you could 'train' to roll over like a dog...

I ordered a '51 Nash Rambler Sedan Delivery kit (along with a '51 Buick 'Chopperhead' body) a few months back, and got a bonus Big Boy figure as well! The kit came with two or three extra sets of grilles and headlamp bezels (a fact which saved my hiney later on), and two sets of vacuuformed windows. A few days later, another box showed up... it contained the chassis for the Nash, which he'd evidently forgotten to throw in with the rest! I didn't even notice it's omission (I'd planned to use my own chassis, anyway), and I didn't call or ask him about it... he just sent it along. Can't beat that kind of service!

What's a Crofton Bug? Why, it would be a "Modified 1:1 Reissue" of a Crosley Farm-O-Road. What' a Crosley Farm-O-Road? Oh, come on! Just Google it already!!!! Here we have an almost entirely scratchbuilt 1:25 Crofton Bug, made up of spare parts and scraps of Plastruct left over from various old projects... The body is scratchbuilt, while I robbed a '41 Chevy kit for it's headlamps, cut down a '55 Bel Air grille to make a custom part for the bug, the seats were swiped from a '25 Model T, the steering wheel is from a Ford Courier, the wheels and tires are off a die cast pull back toy, and the rest of the kit parts are, like those masked WWE wrasslers, from 'parts unknown'. And to give you an idea of how small (63" wheelbase) this little guy really is, here it is with a '51 Rambler... ... and a '66 Fairlane...

Or, I could just throw a tarp over the interior...As described in Chapter 14 in my upcoming book "The Lazy Hack's Guide to Building and Detailing Model Cars". I was actually planning on doing that early on, then setting the car up on an AMT trailer to make it look like an old project car. But I've already built 20 or 30 other models just like that! (And I'm running short on trailers...) Truth is, though, I still haven't quite perfected my ripped up seat technique yet. Hopefully, I'll be able to do some shredded, mouse-strewn seats that look convincing soon enough!

No flux capacitor, but I've got an old warp core I can let you borrow! (I'd rather you not ask where or how I got it...) Man, this is one of the coolest rats I've seen in a very long time! I like to pretend the engine runs on pickled tofu residue. I'm going to have to get back to building rat rods here pretty soon!

Is it just me, or is the roof line a bit Karman Ghia-ish from some angles? (I mean that in a good way!)

Couldn't have put it better myself. It's all about the situation at hand, at that particular moment.