Chuck Most

Harold- did you know that the Predictor was supposed to have been the origin for the all-new '59 Packards that never were? They'd planned to buy the old '57 Lincoln tooling from Ford to use as the basis, and work some of the Predictor's cues into it, but that deal fell though. Oddly, though, the old Packard body tooling lived on in Russia for many years. I think it was called the Zil or Zaff or something all warm and Commie like that! 'Nudder fun fact: In some early literature, this car was identified as the "Projector". Now I'll just shut my trap and let you get back to work! Long Live Packard! (Metaphorically...)

Okay- most anybody who knows me can tell you I've got a thing for rat rods. And anyone who's followed rat rods recently will tell you that 1930's-1940's Farmall tractor noses are pretty popular noses for rats. I've scratchbuilt three for my own builds so far (in 1/25 scale), and I'm kind of getting sick of having to whip one up from scratch every time I want to slap one on a rat. My question- First, is there an aftermarket resin Farmall nose in 1/25? If not, I'm thinking of scratchbuilding a 'replica stock' Farmall nose and making a mold of it to do resin casts. If I do that, do you think there's any real interest? Here's one example, on a '32 Chevy truckster.

Thank gawd above that the industry's going to alphanumeric 'names' for their vehicles...

Do what Jairus says. You're more likely to find a '59 Biscayne or Impala or whatever Chevy called it's fullsize line that year, but you should be able to crib anything from one of those cars to an El Camino. I agree- you might be hard pressed to find such a huge car as a gasser... though it's not entirely out of the question.

No, Andy, it's the right size... it just needs another one!

Good point, Sam! Or, the rifle could prevent one from getting into serious trouble! I did have to remove the trigger to mount it to the windshield frame, not sure how a 1/25 baddie would fire it! Reason #37,357 I don't have a Blackberry!

Yeah- didn't have time to make a three-bottom plow for the thing! Maybe next time...

I second, third, and fourth that statement!

I love this hobby because it allows me to escape the pressure and BS of my everyday life, not add to them! I can make these stupid ideas I'm constantly having into real, three-dimensional objects! That's the esscence of it. Perhaps not as eloquent or detailed an explaination as some of yours, but it's what describes this disease I have best!

Lindberg seems to be kind of 'hit or miss' on the subject lately! As promised, here's mine. As I stated, not box stock (I built it to see how well the Revell Deuce parts adapted to it), but a pretty good representation of what can be done with this kit! http://public.fotki.com/ChuckMost/34-ford-blue-devil-/

Gentlemen, behold my latest brain-fart, now a 1/25 scale vehicular creation.... http://public.fotki.com/ChuckMost/30-international-tr/ I've got to warn you- it's pretty drastic, even by rat standards!

Thanks guys... stay tuned for even more disgusting stuff from my workbench!

If you consider '1999 or 2000' not too long ago, yeah, it hasn't been too long!

That's one of the most realistic weathering jobs I have EVER seen! Kind of reminds me of the '62 Biscayne I parted out a couple of years ago, only your '63 doesn't look nearly as gross!

Here is a link to the '22 Olds rod, with some WIP and endgame photos: http://public.fotki.com/ChuckMost/22-olds-rat/ If ya don't like it, blame Abe Dooley! (And blame Dave Zinn if ya don't like the seats!)

Thanks guys- sounds like we're leaning toward the 'each build gets its own folder' idea. I'll still use the 'catch all' folders, but I'm trying to give each build it's own folder as things progress along.

It's about dam time the '50 Austin kit came back! And Sean, as always, your decals are friggin' mind-bending!

Uh... model cars are toys! Not kids toys, but toys in a similar respect to, say, your 1:1 Harley, or your bass boat, or your '67 Plymouth Fury. They serve no other purpose but to make you happy. They're just for fun. Even the most dead-serious replica stock guy is having fun building a model, otherwise he'd be weaving baskets or tap dancing! Your life would be just as well off (better, perhaps) without them, but just wouldn't be as fun. I don't care if it's a couple ounces of styrene or two tons of steel, or whatever, it's a toy! This is the best hobby you can possibly have, in my opinion. And I could care less if people see my models as toys! Whose respect, exactly, are we lacking? More importantly, why should we care? Some guys shoot animals, some guys bungee jump, some guys collect stamps, some guys stab people. We build model cars! Who cares if nobody but us respects it! Of all the things we could be doing, building model cars is a pretty noble hobby! And nobody messes with the aircraft and military builders 'cause, well, those guys are friggin' nut jobs!

Looks more POST Vietnam war to me! I can agree that it is most certainly pre-Gulf War! No pre-war rod had that kind of stance, much less a Hemi! Still doesn't mean you can't build a bad-ass looking pre WWII rod... they're out there.

Better yet, if the Lonestar sells well, and we ask nicely, perhaps Moebius will bless us with a CXT or first-gen Scout kit! Not holding my breath or anything, but a boy can dream, can't he? And if the Chrysler and Hudson do well, could a Bullet-Nose Studebaker be too far off?

The last few weeks, I have (finally) begun adding pics to my Fotki albums. I used to group all my builds into various categories (Race, Hot Rods, Customs, etc.) But now I'm kind of experimenting with giving each new build it's own album. My question is, which do you prefer when you are looking at someone else's Fotki page? Say, all of the hot rods in one section, with one or two shots of each model? Or each model with it's own folder, perhaps showing some different angles and detail shots, perhaps even some WIP shots, of each individual model? Thanks for your input!

What do you reccomend as a donor kit?

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!