Chuck Most

I guess that's just where you and I differ... I can actually stand the Aztek, but I think the Rendezvous is uglier than a Nazi medical experiment. My guess is it sold so well because the typical Buick customer's eyesight is in such horrid shape they couldn't see how disgusting it was!

I think either orange stripe treatment would work for the back, I haven't really decided which one is my favorite yet- I like the amber in the taillamps. Don't the European market Mustangs feature a similar lens? I saw this build on your Fotki page early on, and thought it was a killer idea. Why pick which one of the new ponycars you want when you can have all three? And Bob? The Aztek may have been 'provocative', but what about it's corporate sister, the Rendezvous? That one was (I think) even more, ah, provocative...

Doing the paint and foil before anything else does seem a bit 'bass ackwards' to me, but everyone does this a bit differently. I've done the paint first, only to have it come back and bite me later, so I usually postpone it as long as I can, at least until I can check how it fits to my chassis, etc. On the other hand, I hate paint and bodywork, so maybe getting it all out of the way right off the bat has merit. I'm glad some guys can get it out of the way early on, but I think I'll personally stick with saving the paint and body work until near the end.

Craig- I second that! Let's not even get into the separate, deformed roofs... I can't believe I haven't blurted this one out yet, but I'd have to say the worst kit I've ever had the displeasure of building has to be the AMT (ex-MPC) '53 Ford Flip Nose pickup! Every part fights you to fit (and still doesn't fit well after all that effort), the flip front end never operates smoothly, and it' s never been 'updated', which can be good or bad, and is most certainly bad in the case of this piece of crapola! Molded in headlamp lenses, Carter-era wire wheels, and tooling that's seen better days make this one a 'must-flee' proposition, unless you are a glutton for punishment! The fact it has a Chevy engine doesn't help its case much, either...

Some of my all-time faves include: AMT '53 FORD F-100- Very nice parts breakdown and a nice scale representation of the second gen Effie. The De Soto Hemi and custom bits are just icinig! AMT '49 FORD Coupe- Pretty much for the same reasons as the '53. This kit has some of the best steel wheels I've seen in scale. Lindberg '34 Ford Pickup- What can I say? Possibly the best light-commercial truck kit ever produced. So many possible building styles for this one... just like the 1/1 truck! Revell '64 Ford Thunderbolt/Fairlane- The T-Bolt was nice, the recently added quasi-stock Fairlane parts made this kit even better! I've been waiting 20 years for those stock hubcaps in 1/25 scale! Too bad they didn't throw in a bench seat and a 289 (or even a 170 six-cylinder) while they were at it! AMT/Revell Deuces- They're apples and oranges, but I like any 1/25 Deuce. The AMT kits are a simple way to do a trad rod, and the Revells are the best jumping off point for a modern rod. Galaxie Limited '46-'48 Chevys- They're the 'wrong' make, but the kit is just incredible! That kit has the best Stovebolt six in scale form ever, though I'd still prefer a Flathead! AMT '29 Model A Roadster- Again, a nicely done kit with lots of possibilities. AMT '25 Ford Model T- (see above), the 430 Lincoln V8 is a definite plus as well! And a few others that emotion and nostalgia prevent me from remembering all at once...

Or just lay on the sofa all day (literally), and watch Mythbusters... which is what I did!

Just remembered another baddie- The old Revell Jeep J10 Honcho The body is clunky, the taillamps are molded into the bed endcaps, the grille looks wrong (either too narrow or too tall- or both?), and all the glass is tinted.. even the headlamp lenses! The wheels look like something off a Matchbox car! Still, like the Scout kit, I do like it!

Even though a '72 Cutlass would look so right with the formal roof. Tough looking, yet classy at the same time.

First off- Bill... you sure made that piece of junk shine! But, yeah, I'd like to see any mere mortal pull off a build like that! Dave- I don't consider engine and drivetrain detail to be 100% necessary. All of the Japanese kits I've built except two had engine detail, and the two that did not were Hasegawa's '67 VW pickup, where a detailed engine is kind of a moot point, and a Gunze Sangyo '56 Oval Window Beetle. Yes, the lack of an engine in the '56 bummed me out a bit, but I felt that the rest of the kit more than made up for it. I've never built any Japanese kits with what I'd call poor interior detail, but I know some of the old ex-motorized Fujimi kits are a bit wonky. ( The Trans Am even has- get this- a trench cut into the floor to clear the steering wheel, because the tub is so shallow!) Oddly- I don't consider the old 'Craftsman' style kits ('64 Comet, '59 Imperial, '64 Galaxie, etc.) to be lousy kits, despite their complete and total lack of engines, or even halfway decent chassis and interior detail. Maybe, for me, it has more to do with subject matter? Maybe just loving the 1:1 allows me to see past the flaws in a kit.

The '60 Bonnevilles by Trumpeter rank a close second- Lego-block engine detail, not one but TWO choices of incorrect radial whitewalls, poor quality plastic, fussy parts fit, and whoever's job it was to lay out the chrome sprue must have been smoking crack! I've never cracked into the '78 Monte (just not my kind of car), but I've heard it was quite a bit worse than the Bonnies. But the Trumpeter Bonnie isn't the worst kit I ever built- not by a long shot.... AMT '69 Mustang- as has been pointed out, it's underscale, the parts don't fit, and it really doesn't look all that great once it's all toggether. This one was more useful in it's original, molten styrene form. It did have some decent plated steel wheels, though. AMT '69/70/72 Chevelles- Another one you guys seem to hate passionately. What's with those two tabs on the bottom of the interior tub... they seem to serve no other purpose than to prevent the chassis from fitting up into the body! Lindberg '48 Lincoln Continental- Substandard detail in every assembly, a fussy multipiece body, and a rather toylike finished appearance. I often wondered why they even bothered. (The Monogram '41, however? One of the finest kits ever produced, in my opinion.) AMT '73 Mercury Cougar- Evidently, the rear of the body is just supposed to magically float in midair, thus ensuring a level body. Crude and ill-fitting parts don't help matters much, though I will say the Astro Supreme wheels included in the kit are among my all-time favorite kit parts. Revell '76 Chevy C-10 Street Machine- This one has potential, but the tooling is getting a bit rough. Still, I could do without the caveman-like engine and underhood detail. IMC/Testors/Union '48 Ford Coupe/Convertible- Detail and comprehensive parts breakdown are good... but there is a line you can cross. This kit not only crosses that line, but does the Mexican hat dance all over it! Look for the Revell '48 instead. Ertl/AMT-Ertl International Scout II- Just plain lackluster detailwise, and not very accurate. It's one of the worst kits ever, but I still love it! It can build into a very nice Scout II replica with a little skill and a whole lot of love! Any Resin kit produced before 1995 or so- Yes, I know there were good quality resin kits before then, but the quality we are used to today was nowhere near what it is now, even considering the fact that most any resin kit will not be as 'easy' to put together as a styrene kit. Any 'Reissued To Death' kit- I've said it once- I've said it a thousand times: If you don't want to spend the money to clean up the tooling- DON'T BOTHER WITH A REISSUE. AMT's '50 Ford Convertible and '72 Nova pop immediately into my head, for some reason. I must say, though, that the 'worst' kits are often the most fun to build!

Thanks guys! Now I've got to get one of Ken Kitchen's resin Flathead Ford I-6 engines! I can think of a vast number of applications for such an animal!

Now I know where those wheel covers in my spares stash came from! Thanks, Terry!

Something is dangling... glad to know it's just a participle! But I missed the panel lines on the cowl! I went with the body-color engine and chrome accessories as kind of a custom touch, like something I might do if I were to rebuild a 1:1 Scout II.

Now I feel stupid for trying to scratch up my own window surrounds for the Starliner! $25 will save me a lot of hassle!

While the plastic kit manufacturers continue to ignore the modern light truck market (for the most part), a few die cast manufacturers have picked up the slack. This is both good and bad. Maisto offers a 2009 Hummer H3 SUT (GM-speak for 'Sport Utility Truck') in it's odd 1/26 scale. It's a pretty decent kit, if you can get past the little hiccups common to die casts. For instance- 1. The front doors and hood open, but on fat, clumsy dogleg-type hinges. Much of the detail on the areas these opening panels expose is molded in, as well. Detail on the die cast body is chunky at best, but then, on a 1:1 Hummer, the detail is clunky at best as well, so what we have here may be the perfect candidate for a die-cast kit! 2. The factory applied paint (in this case, a bloody-vomit-like metallic burgundy) is poorly applied and splotchy, and sprayed right over any jagged mold lines that may be on the body. 3. The engine is a simple 'pancake' plastic design. However, in this case, there are printed logos and decals already on the part, and what is visible at least looks decent. 4. The front portion of the chassis (where the engine would go on a full detail kit) is wide open, giving the model a 'see through' look when viewed from the side. Moving on, what exactly does the kit consist of? Well, you get the aformentioned pre-painted body, which has the glass, bumpers, grille, mirrors, and charcoal-plastic-hood-scoop-dealie attached. Essentially, all one needs to do to build it is attach the dash, seats, chassis, and wheels, making it a great kit for a newbie, or, for a more experienced modeler, a great way to kill boredom for an afternoon. The only optional parts are the wheels- both stock style, in chrome or silver finish. I decided to disassemble the body on mine, strip it, and repaint it (Testors Lime Ice). I also got rid of the nasty mold lines. Be sure to use an etching primer on die cast metal! I also added the wheels, tires, and brake rotors from a Revell 'Uptown' Charger SRT8. I used aluminum tubing to replace the kit axle stubs. There you have it- a 'Donked Out' shelf model of a Hummer that's a bit different from the Revell H2 version, in less than two hours!

Thanks for digging it guys! To cover some of what you pointed out- My model was built from the '95 reissue, which had a 2wd chassis and the non-stock Flareside bed. There were four versions of this kit- this one, the original 2wd/Styleside 'Monroe Magnum' truck, the 4wd Flareside 'Bush Baby, and the '70's van style 'Cruisin' Van'. Truth be told, I see the Monroe and Bush baby versions of this kit more than this '95 reissue, and you can usually score a cherry, sealed example of any for less than $20. (The '95 issue goes for about half that.) Andy- there was also a guy who ran a Flattie in a second-gen RX-7 at Bonneville a few years back. 'Aerodynamic advantage' was his logic. And, yeah, I'm not a huge fan of stepside beds on 'late model' trucks, (I've turned down a number of this very kit, waiting on a Styleside bed version), but with the whitewalls, the flat black, and the Flattie, this build seemed to cry out for one! Once again, thanks for enjoying it, wasn't so sure I could pull it off!

Alrightie, folks... got her finished up Sunday evening... I used the headlamps and bar from a '32 Phaeton kit with the V8 insignia chopped off (I used it on the Flathead Courier I wrapped up earlier in the weekend). The 170 is on full display in this shot! I used the ever-popular '39 'Teardrop' tails, laid on their sides on the turtle deck. The smiley face decal is from a '32 Ford Tudor sedan (new Revell kit). And here's the inside- the shifter came from the same Phaeton that coughed up its headlamps. I also grunged up the '41 Woody seat a bit, and cut a windshield off a spare Ala Kart dash. I made the 'glass' from .010" styrene. And here it is- my first ever On the Workbench project is a done deal! Sheesh- next one's gonna have to be a bit more involved, I guess!

Here's my latest build, a Flathead powered Courier. I can't say that it's an original idea- I saw one in SAE centuries ago. Feel free to check out the WIP shots on my Fotki page: http://public.fotki.com/ChuckMost/77-ford-courier-fla/

Thanks for the encouragement, guys! Billy- check out the second photo- that should answer your question! The ol' workbench was a blur of activity last night... You might have noticed a few changes to the frame. The axle is now butted right up to the frame, and not on a hanger out in front of it. I also robbed the tie rod, as well as a pitman arm and drag link, from an old Watson roadster kit. I also redid the rear suspension- still the '29 Model A piece, but I replaced the spring with a less-flimsy MPC/AMT piece. I also replaced the split 'bones with short ladder-type bars from an AMT '51 Chevy hardtop. I also employed a carrier bearing in the driveshaft, so I wouldn't need to worry about a driveshaft flopping about directly underneath the driver's buttocks! Here ya go- Billy! I used the good old Ford steelies and whitewalls from a Revell '29 Model A pickup... but not the same one that donated it's axles. (Model A spares? I got 'em!) I'll paint detail the nuts and grease caps later. This was the first test-fit of the body to the completed chassis, at this point I still haven't fabricated a lower firewall to hold the front of the tub up. The grille/radiator is a cut down AMT part, I think it's from a Phaeton or Vicky. A little black wash to the grille and some metallic black paint finish her off. Why metallic black, when the car has a rusty yellow/black body and green wheels? I'm going for a 'built-from-cast-off-junk' kind of vibe since, well, this model is actually being built from cast off junk! Here's why it's 'not so much a roadster pickup anymore'. I'd originally thought of adding a shortened, T-bucket style pickup box, but for whatever reason, a turtle deck seemed to make more and more sense whenever it popped into my head. This one is from the AMT competition T body. I cut open the trunklid, added a floor, and installed the battery in the opening. I may add some other stuff to the trunk (wrenches, a toolbox, or something like that), but I'm not putting the lid back on! Some purists may scoff at a Deuce grille and T-turtle deck sandwiching a hybrid Model A/Model T body, but I like it! The Deuce grille has graced many a Model A, and a few Model As have had T decks grafted on. Why not both on one car? And here's the inside. The dash is just a slab of .030" styrene with foil copied gauges (the first time I've ever foil copied gauges, by the way!) The seat is a cut-down '41 Ford Woody piece, the gas pedal is a double ended open end wrench, and the steering column is from a Revell Lil' John (RIP) '26 Model T street rod kit, capped off with a '77 Ford Courier steering wheel. Still need to cough up a shifter (and possibly a hand-brake lever) and a windshield, but we're inching ever closer!

I nabbed a couple more damaged AMT Prestige series kits from a local guy- two '65 Lincoln Continentals. Five bucks for both, when sealed pristine kits of same sell for around twenty! Both have crushed boxes, and one kit has a bent and broken windshield frame, but they're both complete. I also got an extra Honda chopper (from the MPC Class Action Monte Carlo) from the same guy.

Here's hoping! Made a little progress last night: I scratchbuilt a simple little box chassis for the truck from Plastruct strips. I'll be running a (somewhat) traditional early Ford type buggy spring setup. I made up an "A-Bucket" style tub, using the cowl and doors from a '29 Roadster, and the back from an AMT Ala Kart cab. I'd originally planned to use the MPC/AMT '29 open cab, then thought about using the Ala Kart cab right out of the box, but finally decided to Frankenstein this cab together, since I liked the overall look of the Ala Kart tub, but thought the detail on the cowl and doors was a bit sterile. Here, my scratchbuilt chassis has sprouted the axle from a Revell '29 Model A pickup, and the four link bars from a Revell Deuce will come a bit later. I'm pretty sure I'll need to rethink that steering link, though. The chassis was basically built around the engine. I painted the roadster portion of the body in a pale yellow, and the Ala Kart piece black, to make it look like the cab was constructed from parts of two different cars. Once joined and painted, the whole cab was weathered. The gas cap is an old wire wheel knock-off nut. Yep, I'll be keeping the Model A gas tank in the cowl! And here I've added the rear axle from the same Revell '29 chrome sprue. I split the stock radius rod and connected each side to the frame. I also mounted the spring in front of and even with the axle tube, as opposed to the stock location where the spring is directly above the axle. This pushes the axle out toward the back of the car a bit, and lowers it a couple of scale inches. You'll also note the aformentioned Revell Deuce 4-link setup at the front axle now, as well. Starting to look like something, anyway!

I've always wanted to build a rod with a Ford I-6. I got this 170 inline sixer in a box of parts a few years back. I originally came with either a '62 Comet or Falcon AMT annual kit. This is how it looked when I got it- except for the missing valve cover (which was my doing!) Don't worry, now that the engine is done, the valve cover is bound to show up some place! Here, I've added the Stromberg 97 from a Revell '29 Model A pickup kit. The slash-cut exhaust pipe is from a Lindberg '34 Ford pickup, and the belt/pulley casting and generator are from my spares box. I also wired the engine, detail painted it, and added the finned Offy valve cover from a Slant six. I belive it came from the old XR-6 kit, but I'm not sure. And, yes, I know a '62 170 should be black (with a red valve cover and air cleaner in stock form), but I just liked the blue better, as red/black seems to be a bit overdone on hot rods these days! Okay- first hurdle is cleared, now it's onto the other 9,000 little items that make up a rod model!

Sweet! I'm going to have to dig one of these golden oldies up now, for sure! And yeah, I like my sig picture as well!

Not quite, Ken, I did draw the line there! I did, however, go for the closest thing I had!

Yeah- the way he worded it kind of threw me at first, too, but I got what he meant!