Chuck Most

The KB may have been what I was thinking about- I still have the magazine somewhere, I'll have to go dig it out.

First off, this is my hobby. I do this purely because I love it. I care not a fiddler's fart for trophies, plaques, cash prizes, or any of that happy horse-poo. That's one of several reasons I don't go to judged contests. It's just become a popularity game, it seems, and I'm sure they've scared off many modelers. Some to the point they no longer build. But, to discuss your issues directly- 1. One good builder doing another’s work, which ranges from the motor, detailing, body work, paint to even the entire model. This does not include use of aftermarket products in which the owner/builder contributes the work product to the model. Another is a contestant hiring a commission builder to build a "phantom" model for him, on the sly. This has been happening in the 1:1 world for centuries now. Sure, George Poteet gets all the ink for his rods, but he never built one of them himself! It was only a matter of time before it began happening in the scale model world. 2. Entering models in the “gray area†in categories. This is a somewhat sophisticated approach when the entry knows the cars to be entered and uses his own discretion to enter his car against supposedly weaker competition. This is insecurity at it's very finest. 3. Inaccurate description of work, For example, I have seen modelers take credit for opening the trunk and adding hinges to an AMT 49 Merc. An unsuspecting judge will award body work points to a factory provided feature. I've actually seen this- where a Revell Merc was passed off as an AMT. Now, it may have been an honest mistake, but seriously there are a few SUBTLE differences between AMT's old warhorse and the Revell offering! I don't remember if the builder 'took credit' for the top chop or anything like that, but it raised my eyebrows. 4. Using pre-painted bodies and taking credit for the paint job. Or this- polishing a molded-in-color body and passing it off as paint. Yeah, I've actually seen at least one shady character get away with it. 5. Entering a specialist’s motor or chassis detail to the entry built by the contestant. Again, no different from having a pro build the engine or chassis for your full-scale rod. It's only when the owner passes the work off as his own that's a problem, but gladly I don't see this happen too often. 6. Judge’s ignorance, agenda, biases. preferences, pre-formed opinions, attitudes, knowledge of contest cars and contestants, and inappropriate use of his discretion. I guess this ties into issue #3- some of these judges can't tell a DeTomaso from a dill pickle. I think the judges need to have at least a basic understanding of the cars (1:1 and small scale) in order to be qualified to do their job. As far as agenda, biases, and the like, there really isn't much you can do about that. 7. Inappropriate voting practices, such as stuffing ballot boxes on audience participation judging, making deals when voting, etc. Short of going to peer judging, having somebody to keep an eye on this stuff could curb the problem. But that's a pretty drastic measure to take, and as many of you have pointed out, this is a HOBBY and should be about FUN! Having a 'ballot sentry' would add an air of mistrust to the whole event, and could potentially sour the whole deal. 8. Organization assigning judges at random, or within the organization, or from the constestant pool, only not within the category. I'm not sure I understand what you mean by this one- do you mean having a 'sports car' guy judge the hot rods? Or a race car guy judging the replica stockers? Or is it the issue of just picking some random guy who doesn't know what he's looking at. Look, if taking home the 'hardware' is all that keeps you motivated to build, I could care less. I'd rather have you building models than, I don't know... shooting squirrels or flashing oncoming traffic as a hobby! But I think way too many people have lost sight of what this hobby is supposed to be about- FUN! Just like the 1:1 car world, there are douchebags in the model car world who don't care whose toes they step on. All they care about is taking home the prize. For what? I've always wondered that, and I can't figure it out. Why do you need an award? Shouldn't the finished model, sittin' there all pretty on your shelf, be all the trophy you need?

Finally, Lindberg sees fit to re-pop an old favorite! The ex-AMT '34 pickup is back for another go-round. I will assume that most of you are familiar with this golden oldie, so I'll mainly discuss my observations about this particular reissue of the kit. First off, the stock version's parts are still included in the kit. That means the Armstrong bias-plies, crude but effective Flattie, and those gorgeous wire wheels (which still, inexplicably, suffer from very little flash) are back for another go-round. One thing that did not make it back from the last issue is the set of S-spoke billet wheels- the earlier, five-hole Center Line style wheels seen in the first Lindberg branded issue of this old girl are back. I was kind of hoping, after seeing these wheels in the box, that the earlier tuck-n-roll pattern tonneau cover would make a return appearance as well. Alas, we get the 'smooth' textured tonneau that's been with the kit since the mid '90's reissue. On the plus side, the wrecker boom and all-chrome (good or bad- your call) T-Bird 390 FE are back as well. The parts are molded in plain old white styrene. You'll still have to watch out for the molding seams on the frame (which run through the shock arms), on the cab (where they run down the rear cut line of each door), and the bed along the sides of the rails. Somehow, the kit also magically became 1/24 scale since it's last time out, according to the box art! My gripes are few. First, like most Lindberg issues- the chrome tree is not bagged. On my '34, the clear parts were not bagged, either. Hey- Lindberg? These are the two parts trees that should be bagged! The 'glass' was unscathed, but a few parts on my chrome tree suffered from a bit of 'box rash'. And the latest reissue includes no decals- I was kind of hoping to see the old 'Red Crown/Sinclair' sheet come back. Oh, well, that's what the spares box is for! (You do hang onto spare decals for situations like this, right?) I'll post pics of my build from this re-issue once I get batteries for my camera, even though it's not really close to a box stock build. Okay- enough of my blabberin'. Let's hear YOUR two cents on this classic, and see your builds!

Absolutely bitchin'!

Gramps is right- just don't try to 'flip' the street machine axle, or the tires won't touch the ground! Unless you plan on running 24" wheels or something. You can also move the shackles up higher in back, to lower the rear. I don't remember if the rear axle is above or below the springs, but if it's below, you can flip it (a common practice on 1:1 vehicles) and do a 'c-notch' in the frame to clear the axle. Or, you could channell the truck, meaning, take x amount out of the interior tub, inner fenders, and bed floor to raise the chassis up into the body and lower the truck. It's used quite a bit on custom late-model trucks, and is also reffered to as a 'body drop'.

I just tried out Bob's trick of bending the hood- and man, it's quite a bit less tedious than the method I was using! It's one of those 'why didn't I think of that on my own' deals, for sure! You still have to remove a bit of material to get everything looking decent, but Bob's way is way less messy than mine! Oh- and don't forget to add the hood peak, absent from the kit hood. Now it's onto reshaping the grille and adding clear headlamp bezels.

There was a 1/25 diecast version of a 1947(?) IH pickup. There was a special version released of it for Antique Trucks magazine a couple of years ago. Other than that, the only other 1/25 scale IH light truck I'm aware of besides the Scout II is the Metro van from Motor City Resin Casters.

Did you know that five out of three people have problems with fractions?

What's the dollar amount for the 32,342nd place prize? 'Cuz that's what I'm shooting for!

Finally? Sheesh- I just finished it a couple of days ago! I was going to make it an "On the workbench" thread, but that sounded like too much work. That, and I had the thing finished long before I ever posted a photo of it. Now, it's back to whatever stupid little project I had going on before!

Aside from the glue, knives, and paint you already have, you'll most likely need some plastic stock. I prefer to use Plastruct, though other modelers like to use the Evergreen brand stuff. It's available in several sheets of various thicknesses, and as well as tubing and solid lenghts of various shapes and sizes. You may need this stuff to scratchbuild panels and parts to make your kitbash work. It would probably be a good idea to have some filler on hand, as well. Avoid the Testors 'Contour Putty' and go with something good, like the two-part Bondo spot putty. Gel type superglue can also be used as a filler. Other than that, having some spare kit parts (or even some aftermarket stuff) on hand is never a bad idea!

I feel your pain- I had a '75 El Co in high school! Broke down at least six times a month, caught fire no less than three times, and had the classic Michigan 'see-through floorboards'! I think that car pretty much cemented my status as a Ford guy! I scrapped it three years ago- the engine is in my buddy's C20 truck, and the trans went into my cousin's SBC-powered IH Scout. The body (from what I'm told) was turned into a dirt-track car before it finally got sent to China crushed into a cube the size of a dryer. I really like this conversion- I'd often thought of building a model of my '75 when I still had it. Maybe in it's natural habitat... by the side of the road, with the hood open and the hazards flashing. Trouble was, first of all there was no kit of it, and I have no idea how to replicate steam in 1/25 scale! In high school, I was not aware of the '73-'77 stock car kits, so that thought never would've even occured to me! Oh, yeah- when I graduated, I did not buy a yearbook. I just had my classmates sign the Elky with permanent markers! Yeah, I had fun with that pile!

Whoa- when I first read this, I thought it said "I only have one hand, so it immediately goes under the knife". What call they that disorder when mix words up you do? SERIOUSLY: I've always thought the AMT '33 Willys body had WAY too much chopped out of the top, but so far yours is looking good. Not sure if it's the fenders you're using, or what, but it doesn't seem to look as 'thick in the bottom' as the kit does unmodified. Nicely done! Love to see the 'Sock' 427 used in builds too! Quite possibly the coolest engine ever. Or, barring that, at least the coolest Ford FE ever!

Very well, then! Gentlemen, behold... http://public.fotki.com/ChuckMost/22-olds-rat/ There, Abe! You can relax now!

The Model A cues on the T-tub, the small upraised area on the cowl, the injected Red Ram Hemi- I'm starting to wonder if this used to be (or was based on) a kit of the Ala Kart?

Yeah, pretty much the same conclusion I came to! For everything that came out exactly as I envisioned, there was at least one thing that blew up in my face! Whenever you hack up a kit like this, there are bound to be a few snafus along the way! But, I'm about 85% satisfied with how it came out!

Here's a link to my latest abomination in styrene: http://public.fotki.com/ChuckMost/retro-ranger There you'll see some WIP shots, as well as the finished '53/'93 F-100/Ranger hybrid amalgamation thingie that resulted! Think of it like one of those '89-'97 T-Birds with the '49 Ford nose and tail added, except it seems to work a bit better on a truck! I've wanted to try this build for a while now, and thanks to Dan (Pro Mod Merc), I finally got the raw material I needed to pull it off. Oh, Chevy guys? I just posted some pics of my '3rd/5th gen' Camaro on my Fotki page, as well. It's based on that Steve Stanford rendering from Hot Rod a few months back.

YES! That, and the 'bag the chromed and clear parts' thing, as well!

Not me! Glad you did it! About all I knew of the letter series Chryslers was that the later Three Hundred (spelled out) models were an entirely different animal altogether. They were your grandma's luxo-barge. In other words, I knew nothing of the letter series!

First things first- there was no 1929 Model T. What this kit appears to be is a '23-'25 Model T Runabout tub, with some very faint '28-'29 Model A 'carriage lines' along the cowl, and a Model A radiator shell. As a hot rod kit, not much is really recognizable as stock Tin Lizzie-issue, particularly the frame, which appears to be an early rod style that doesn't look like a model T or Model A unit. This is an old kit, so there really isn't much to crow about, detail wise. You get some halfway decent axles, the aformentioned custom-fabbed frame, and a Red Ram Dodge hemi engine, with very nice looking plated valve covers and headers. The tires are two-piece plastic, and although there is the typical T two-tiered windshield frame, there is no clear styrene 'glass', except for the headlamp lenses. This is a very simple, and somewhat crude, kit, but I know I'll be having fun with it! It's kind of like the Lindberg '34 RPU- think of it more as a blank canvas and you're getting it. My only real gripe is that Lindberg still evidently has not gotten the memo to bag their plated and clear parts! Fortunately, none of the chrome stuff was scuffed on mine, and the scratches probably wouldn't show on the lenses, but it's a big problem on some of their other kits. This kit, and a quick raid on the old parts stash, should beget you a very nice traditional T rod, rat rod, drag car, or whatever your heart may pine for.

I might be able to snap a few pics of the tires... if I can remember where I put the things! Oh, and I should probably thank you for the inspiration to my military hot rod, oh- and to Dave Zinn, because the seats in it were made according to his how to in the January '09 MCM! I will warn ya, though, my military does have some (questionable) fashion going on!

Oooooooooooh- that's a close one! Was it one of the later issues, that had almost as much plastic just in the flash as the rest of the entire kit? If so, then yeah- you got the better end!

This is what I've found myself, It seems that for the most part, the model car guys are a pretty good bunch of guys to spend an afternoon with. It's the 1:1 guys you have to watch out for! Granted, it's true our hobby has more than it's fair share of d-bags, but a model car show is usually a less stressful place to be than a 1:1 car show, by a loooooooooong shot!

I'm not much into slot cars (I currently own exactly none), but I've seen some pretty amazingly detailed slot cars that could place decently, or even win, just about any model car contest. Hey- if you mess it up, you'll always have an excuse to build it up even better next time around!

Haven't built this kit in a while, I'd like to do the cement mixer next. Pretty good kit, and they don't seem to cost too much when you can find them.