Chuck Most

GMC exists for the sole reason of providing non-Chevrolet GM dealer franchises a truck line to sell. If Buick gets the axe next, GMC is probably a goner a week from Thursday. Then again, my money was on Buick being the next GM 'brand' to be shed after Oldsmobile was euthanized... the Pontiac thing was totally out of left field to me- you see WAY more Pontiacs than Buicks in my area.

Not to be the Negative Nancy here, but I really don't see the reason for Mercury even existing anymore. The multi-tiered branding so famously run into the ground by Generic Motors has been obsolete for at least three decades. Who wants a 'sub-premium' line, right? Yeah, I'd hate to see Merc go, but it does make sense. The whole reason Mercurys became rebadged Fords was to prop up sales at Lincoln-Mercury dealers- Lincoln sales volumes weren't enough to support those dealers alone. Now that Lincoln has the broadest product line it's ever had, and selling quite a number of them, Mercury really seems redundant. No matter what, though, I'll continue piling on the miles on my '98 Tracer (4-door Escort with a different nose and tail)and keep the good times in mind!

I never even liked these until I saw your buildups of the kit. Another jaw dropper, my good sir!

No, sir, I assure you I don't! I just happened to be shuffling my old SAE issues around a day or two before I read this!

O- yeah! Finally paid off my truck- so I felt a celebration was in order...

That's what the wallet said!

How's this for eerie... Man, those underwater images give me the willies!

I've built a number of these kits, and I have never had any significant assembly problems with them. The stock engine goes together well, but the optional V8 (I think its supposed to be a Mopar 340) can be a bit fiddly. I've had some trouble with the splash aprons not wanting to go on straight, but it's nothing a little prodding won't cure. Overall, it's a fairly simple kit to build, and looks really nice when done.

Lyle... wasn't that woody of yours featured in a woodgrain how to in SAE 'bout 15 years ago? Seems like I have seen it somewhere before. Tom... Dude, you suck!!!! Sure wish I had those in my stash!

This is just unreal... http://www.insideline.com/bugatti/resurfaced-1925-bugatti-brescia-type-22-roadster.html

Same here! Not that body style, but an F250 just the same!

Really digging these, but I must ask- any plans to repop the Bogger TSLs from the Aoshima '95 Toyota pickup kit?

I've only built one A-Team van, and in my kit, ALL the decals sucked!

Tell me about it! I wish somebody would make resin repops of those Renwal Revival kits! I'm willing to bet if you sold a resin repop of any one of those for even $50-60 bucks you'd do okay. (Hey- I've got the Packard version, if anybody's interested in making molds. )

Since it's in the 'on the workbench' section, I must ask what you plan to do with it? This kit is on my modeling bucket list!

Clean build, and a very nice presentation with the base! Top notch all the way, sir!

A Teresi built Nash SD quarter miler? I'll be waiting...

Nope... this was a totally different Nova kit (the body you now have was the stock version)! I'm the kind of guy who buys a kit just for a few 'key ingredients'...

It's an easy one to convert to RWD! In fact, Mopar performance once offered what they called a RWD Conversion kit. The 'kit' consisted of a modified front subframe... it was up to you to add the drivetrain hump, appropriate RWD suspension, you know, nearly everything!

The horn is from the AMT '53 F-100 kit. The engine is a hodge podge of Johan and downsized Monogram parts. The radiator puke can is a Valvoline can from a Fujimi part pack, and the rest I dredged out of my spares box or made myself!

Very well, then... As for graphics, I'm still up in the air. I mean, you EXPECT to see graphics on a panel, and since when have I ever done the expected? I might weather it, though.

I've only built one Tom Daniel kit (The Paddy Wagon was a Tom Daniel kit, right?), and I keep telling myself I need to build them all! Mine will never be this nice! Killer job as usual, John!

About a year or so ago, I built a '61 Rambler drop top using a snap kit body, '66 Nova pro street chassis, and some choice bits from a Johan Pro Street Rambler. (Read all about it here:http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=25375&st=0&p=236289&hl='61%20Rambler&fromsearch=1&entry236289) I was never too happy with the wheels and tires, the side exit exhaust, or the mile-high bucket seats, and a recent accident while takig it to a show allowed me to make a few changes... The new big-inch Torq Thrust Ds and brake rotor/calipers are from the Revell '65 Chevy C-10 kit- the C4 Corvette suspension still supports them up front, but I replaced the rear suspension with a Mustang rear axle supported by a 'truck arm' style suspension. I used a different set of Super Bee pro street mufflers (one of the originals was lost in the accident), moved them to the back, and used solder to create pipes from them to the headers. The low back buckets came from, of all things, a Jeep CJ-7, and not only do they keep the seats from jutting over the beltline way too much like the old Acura seats, they keep the Rambler all American (Motors, that is)! I also lowered the car a bit, but it was offset a little bit by the taller wheels. All in all, I think the car looks way better than it did with the dated old Center Lines. Now, that purple paint doesn't look so good anymore, and I'm really not as big on the '66 Pro Street Nova engine compartment as I was when I first built it. Oh, well... maybe there will be a 'Version 3.0' in a few more years...

A lot of it appears to be subject related, too. You're always going to pay big bucks for a Renwal or Pocher kit, unless you are buying it from someone who's clueless to it's value. Some of the 'rare, but still somewhat common' kits aren't as dear, and I think you'll more likely see those selling for less than what you'd traditionally expect. Hey, we are in a recession, right?

Here's my latest "effort", the Jimmy Flintstone '51 Nash body on a heavily butchered AMT '66 Mustang chassis, with a scratchbuilt interior, and a Jeep V8 made from spare JoHan and Monogram bits. The tires are from an AMT '70 Monte Carlo lowrider- I painted on some whitewalls, painted over the spokes with red, and used '53 F-100 caps. Enjoy!