Chuck Most

I'm thinking I'll spray the insides of the panels first (including the door jambs), then try taping the whole wicked mess together once that first inside coat cures. Unless I decide to use different colors on my Samba Bus build (I'm thinking of a Damncrankian- 'Built from spares' kind of vibe), it may still prove to be a bigger than necessary challenge!

Wish my back yard was full of old International trucks! The last Travelalls look like they'd be easy to scratchbuild, maybe with a few kit parts tossed in to ease the work. Then again, I've been wrong in the past. I thought adding the detailed chassis from the AMT '66 Riviera to the older, '69 kit would be a piece of cake. It so isn't! That one's been unfinished in the box for two years now.

I once saw a '78 Monte Carlo with a '78 Olds Cutlass nose for sale in the local auto trader. It looked, well, like a Monte with a Cutlass nose slapped on. I never checked on it, but I can only imagine this guy's reasons were the same as the owner of the Olds Camino you saw. Man, I wish you'd had your camera with you at the time, too- and I'm sure many other guys would agree!

That may explain why K Mart only sells the citrus-fresh non toxic junk!

No, and thank God! One less reason to set foot in THAT dump! As has been pointed out, K Mart still carries them, but your selection is quite limited. My local KM only stocks Revell plastic kits and Maisto die cast kits. The prices are okay, but they really aren't much less than the prices at Hulings or Dean's. Check your local 'dime' and 'variety' stores. Most of those places also carry kits, though the amount of selection and prices can vary quite wildly!

Hey, Jairus! Didn't you do a '78-'87 El Camino/Grand Am a few years back for a Hot Rod Mag sketchpad? There was a Volare/Aspen, a Mercury Zephyr, and a 'could have been' based on then-staffer Jeff Koch's old Caprice (or was it an Impala?). Have you ever done a similar El Co morph, only with an Olds nose instead of a Poniac?

I bought my Samba Bus kit (Revell AG labeling) at Hulings Hobby House in Alma for just under $25. And Ed was complaining about how he thought that was pricey... and here guys are saying it was selling for ten bucks or so north of that? I don't think the price is too out of line with what you're getting. Heck, I'd rather spend $25 (or even $35-$40) on a detailed kit like this than a curbside, and some curbside kits are knocking on those prices as it is!

Cool and unusual! Me likes.

I'll tell you who it ISN'T... IT ISN'T JERRY CANTRELL!!!! And Jerry Cantrell is the guitarist of the recently rejuvenated Seattle grunge/metal band Alice In Chains!

A shame the world will end in 2012, and we'll never get to see the real deal!

I love 'em all, Terry, but I must say the Jo-Han Coupe DeVille lowrider is a favorite! I've got one of those gathering dust on my shelf somewhere!

My very first model was the old Monogram Snap Tite Fox Body Mustang (represented a '79-'81 model). I remember it was a light tan, and had the fadeaway pony decals. If I recall, I only managed to break one wheel off when snapping it to the chassis! I was six years old when I built it- it's long gone now. From there- it was an AMT T-Bird stock car (Bill Elliot's Coors Beer car, if I recall), which was, as it turned out WAY over my head, and then Monogram's '30 Model A Roadster (again- Way over my head). Both of them are long gone, though I think the body to the A Roadster is still up in Mom & Dad's attic someplace.

The Syclone was pretty much identical to the S-10- the Syclone's turbo charger and plumbing, AWD system, wheels, GMC grille and ground effects package were about the only differences. I believe the tires on the two kits were different, as well. In fact- I think the standard S-10 kit (the Cameo EL issue, anyway) comes with the front diff (but no CV axles), and Syclone intake plenum (but no turbo).

Wow! I've been building for just over two decades, and few of my models look this good! Seriously! My first one sure as HECK didn't look like this... though my first model was a Mustang (Monogram Snap Tite Fox body). Great job, Emily!

Really, the only two Caddy kits I can reccomend are '59's- the Hardtop/Convertibles by Monogram that you mentioned, and the AMT Ecto 1A (ambulance). The Monogram Caddy has been discussed at length, and deserves all the praise heaped upon it. The Ecto 1A, on the other hand, is really more like the JoHan kits- slab chassis, somewhat shallow interior tub with most everything molded in place, but the body looks nice. The grille has a couple of divots molded into it to accept flashers, and the headlamps are molded in. But the Monogram grille, with it's unblemished grille and separate clear lenses, fits the Ecto body pretty well (though some gap filling along the bottom edge of the hood will be required. You'll also need to remove the mounting points for all the Ghostbusters stuff that mounts to the body. A bit crude? Yeah, but it would be quite a bit easier to find than the Jo Han Caddys, and you don't see too many of them. If you're really brave- you could probably even use the Ecto 1A body on the Monogram chassis. I wouldn't go that far, though!

Hey, Terry- Steve Magnante plugs this book in the latest issue of Hot Rod Deluxe- he mentions it doing an article comparing Monogram/Revell's Big T to the Lindberg Big Red Rod. I never even knew you'd done a hot rod model book until then!

And there's a separate tape deck for the interior, but no CB!? Come on! The kit has it's hiccups, to be sure, but I will give it this bit of praise: As I said, I'm a total big-rig neophyte, and I've had no trouble whatsoever in assembling mine so far. Well- some trouble, but I promise you that was MY doing, and not any fault of the kits. I've even managed to work around the substandard instructions sheet! I've heard these old AMT rigs are a real pain in the arse to put together, if this W-F kit is a decent representation of the other kits in the line, I don't really see why. I think it's a cakewalk, compared to, say the Lindberg l-700.

ANOTHER TIGER WOODS JOKE: Did you hear the buzz about next summer's blockbuster movie: "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Hydrant"? ---------- Jerry came home to his wife and told her: "Honey, you better pack your stuff, and quick. I lost you in a poker game." Dumbfounded, his wife replied "How the h*** could you have done such a stupid thing?!" "Well, it wasn't easy," Jerry replied. "I had to fold with a full house!" ---------- A RECENT CLASSIC: Q.- What's the difference between a screwdriver and Bill Clinton? A.- A screwdriver turns in screws, Bill Clinton screws interns. Thank you, good night, I'll be selling autographed copies of my latest DVD from a van in the alley!

LDO was talking about the Maybach he saw, evidently, it happened here quite a bit during the lean years of WWII, as well. Many a Lincoln, Cadillac, Dusenberg, etc., had it's body hacked up to become a truck of some sort. These old luxo-yachts had staunch frames and suspensions and powerful engines, and could be gotten for cheap. In my area during that time, there was a 1920's LaSalle that became a flatbed farm truck during the war years. I love it!

Here's one that's a bit less timely! Sir Paul McCartney was on a television show, when the subject of his divorce came up. The host asked Sir Paul: "Do you think you'll ever go down on one knee again?" Sir Paul scowled and said "Her name is Heather." ----------------------------------------------- Monday Morning, Bobby's teacher asked the students to write about something exciting that had happened over the weekend. When Bobby's turn came up, he walked to the chalkboard, drew a small dot, and sat back down. "Bobby," the teacher asked, "what is that?" "It's a period." Bobby replied. "I know that," the teacher responded, "but what's so exciting about a period?" "Darned if I know." Bobby said. "But Saturday morning, my big sister was 'missing' one. Mom fainted, Dad had a heart attack, and the boy across the street joined the Army!"

Tim- I was going to point out those hiccups- but you beat me to 'em! My other two gripes are the molded in wipers (why- everything else is molded separately), and the missing grab handles just beneath the wipers, which are so promenent on the box art but nowhere to be found in the box! I'm in the middle of my own White-Freightliner buildup from this reissue. This is my first big-rig model, and so far so good! (Okay- I've built a couple of Ford C-cabs, and a couple of Dodge L-700s, but they're more medium duty rigs than big rigs. Still, they helped on this one!) I've long wanted to build a big rig, my LHS had this one, and the price was right! I'm basically just building it to get my chops honed, since I will definitely be getting the International Transtar Conventional kit when it's back on the shelves, and maybe, just maybe, that Moebius Lonestar we've all heard so much about... Here's how she looks so far: I've added diamond plate over the rear of the frame. I still haven't decided if I'll use the kit fuel tanks and smokestacks, or if I'll run big, polished tanks and straight pipes. Those are pretty much the only reasons I haven't completed it yet! Tim (Studioman)- I trust you'll keep us posted?

Only one question, Bob... where's the ugly one? I can't seem to find it!

Thanks guys! I forgot- I've also got the MPC/Model King '70 Bonneville kit in my stash. Going to have to do something with that one someday, as well!

The wheelie bar is history, as is the blower hat (that's where the scoop I didn't use comes into play), and no slicks are included, just those tacky Goodyear Rally GTs. Not as bad as the '55 and '57 Chev kits, but fewer parts nevertheless!

HEAVY ON THE 'FLAKE- that's for sure!