Chuck Most

Lovely- this is my favorite buildup of this kit so far.

Right- Not what I thought at all, but honestly, it IS kind of what I was hoping for.

Depends. If you want to keep the stock IFS, I'd basically add shims to the existing front suspension- basically how they'd to a 1:1 lift kit. Or you could do what I did and go with a solid axle swap like I did- this one has coils but I've actually seen a few Tenth-Gen F-150 conversions done with leaf springs, though those tend to be more for mud trucks.

Wasn't 18" big and goofy for a wheel in '99? At least the 24" spinner had yet to be invented at that time...

Nissan L24 in a '39 Chevy.

This is a (mostly) box-stock buildup of the Hasegawa kit. I did deviate from box stock by converting the model to LHD, converting the muffler to an aftermarket-type left-side dual outlet (yes- you could actually get a dual-outlet muffler for one of these), and making up some filler panels for the front inner fenders so you can't see straight through the car when looking at it dead on from the side. I also added some junk to the interior. I tried something I'd always thought about on this one- laying on a thick coat of paint (Tamiya flat red in this case) to try and replicate rust that is bubbling up under the paint but hasn't quite broken through yet. It didn't quite come out the way I wanted, but I kept it. Glimpses of the original white paint poke out in random spots from the later "Resale Red" respray. I have to say that for all the praise Tamiya kits get, I tend to favor Hasegawa kits. If Hasegawa has ever produced an auto kit that's NOT pleasant to build, I have yet to encounter it.

Thanks guys. I'm glad people are picking up on the LeMons element- I was trying for that kind of "vibe".

Not a 'Vette fan at all, but as a huge Prince fan I just had to take a peek... even though I was pretty certain that at least one of the two would be a little red something or other. Glad I checked 'em out now. It's almost as if they both were purified in the waters of Lake Minnetonka.

The Pacer was originally designed around a Wankel rotary engine in development by General Motors. Man, imagine how awful that would have been... a rotary engine developed by Generic Motors... Anyway, GM pulled the plug, and AMC was left holding the flaming bag of dog poo... basically, the car they'd been designing as a home for the engine, the car that became the Pacer. One day I got to thinking, why not put a rotary in one? One MPC '78 reissue, one incomplete Tamiya RX-7 roadster with it's nice intercooled turbo 13b, and a little mumbling and cursing under my breath at the work bench got me to this...

As of last weekend, here's her new look. The grille is a modified '99 Lighting piece. I added a skid plate from a Revell Wrangler Rubicon and built a new front bumper with recessed lights and an exposed winch fairlead. I used some tube steps from the Harley edition, and tinted the side and rear windows.

T-tops were supposed to be a way around rollover standards- you could have the open air feel of a ragtop with (at least some of) the protection of a full roof. They were a bit of a Band-Aid solution to structural rigidity problems- the T-bar was a structural component. Nowadays, there are better ways to stiffen the body structure so a full convertible or even a targa roof is a better idea. That and the less tangible thing, being that when you say "t-top", things like "mullets" and "jean shorts" also come to mind.

Michigan... that's the one that's shaped like a glove or something, right? And it was named after a loader? Yeah, that's it, right? On a serious note, welcome aboard.

I haven't built the MPC GMC Deserter yet, but... ... it sure comes with some nice decals.

There are some out there, but not an awful lot. The only readily-available tractor I can think of right off the top of my head is a Bobcat backhoe.

I just smoked a near-lethal amount of crack, and I still don't see how they got from Point A to Point B on this one.

Poppy Red, Calypso Coral, Competition Orange... they were all the same color, the name just differed depending on year or model. They're all more of a red-orange than a pure red.

Figures. I just spent 45 on one of those Rambler wagons (what can I say? I really wanted one...), and now, here it is back for ten bucks less than that.

My idea seems somewhat tame compared to some of the other things being done with this kit. Basically, I'll be doing a single cab pickup conversion by cutting down the top, and making the mechanicals a bit more realistic by swapping in some doodads from a Revell Beetle (old kit, not the RoG '68/'70 version from a few years ago). Actually... I've already done some of those things... The plan is for power to come from a (possibly turbocharged) Corvair pancake six- this one came from the AMT parts pack. Not sure if I'll use the factory VW steel wheels and slicks on the back, but I am kind of leaning toward using a stock-ish VW wheel of some sort.

The original kit (the one reissued by RC2 about a decade ago) was originally a '76. Going by the grille in the reissue it's now a '78 or '79. There were two other versions- an Off Road version with a lift, bigger tires, and a custom exhaust, and it was based on the regular Scout II. There was also a kit of the open-top SSII, which had it's own grille, bucket seats, and door cutouts. The body and interior tub were unique to that version. The latter two have never been reissued. At one time Time Machine Resin repopped the SSII, but as far as I know they aren't casting anymore. They're crude kits compared to the Ertl IH heavy truck/tractor kits, and had quite a few accuracy problems, but still very buildable. Keith Marks does a couple of different factory-type stripe decals for them.

Cottage industry slowdown? I must be living on another planet, because I see no signs of it slowing down. Just because Modelhaus closed up shop doesn't mean that the entire industry is doomed.

Good job on this one! I know for a fact those bodies are prone to some terrifying warp.

I can guarantee this- when you bring this to a show you won't see fifteen others just like it. Loving the project, and it's great to see you back.

Beetle Busses should not be doing that on the carpet- has it had it's yearly medication? I am seriously digging this project.

Only thing I haven't enjoyed so far is the fit of the new-tool Mod Rod front axle to it's radius rods- that was quite a hair-puller for me. As installed on the chassis it's got quite a bit of positive caster, though that could decrease a bit depending on what tires I use and how much "rake" it ends up with. The Mod Rod version is not my thing at all, but I think I can work something out of it. I may use the blower parts from the last reissue (RC2 era) as they are chrome plated, while this version's blower parts are not. I like seeing the valve Red Ram valve covers and oil pan plated. The stock front axle, not so much, but it is what it is. The header for the vintage style hot rod still lacks the center ports and the carbs are just as unrealistic as ever, but know that you can adapt the vintage speed parts from either of the old Revell Model A kits to this engine. Better yet, swap in the entire Revell engine... it's easy to do with a little cutting and pasting. I'd actually keep the AMT transmission- not only should the locators on the frame and for the front wishbone still line up, I think it's somewhat more convincing looking than the Revell transmission, despite having fewer parts. If you look closely at the '32 grille insert, you'll notice that there's a bit of a "hunk" missing out of the grille bar engraving at the bottom left (driver's side) corner- that flaw was present on the RC2 reissue as well. Kind of a bummer when the rest of the insert is so nicely engraved. I'm going to have to dig around and see if an insert from an old AMT deuce will work in the Mod Rod shell.