Chuck Most

What's left of the factory white paint.

Two? Jeez.... better ease up there, bro!

Wrapped up another Tamiya Morris Mini. This one was done as a kind of custom-themed beater. It has been lowered, the handles and bumpers were shaved, and a Von Dutch flying eyeball replaced the Morris badge on the hood. Side pipes are just for show- they aren't hooked into the car's actual single exhaust- they were bent from 3/32" aluminum tube. The wheels and stock exhaust are from the Austin version.

Nice- I've got one of these planned. Won't be as slick and shiny as this though.

I just finished a Morris Mini and thought "That was fun", so here I am working on another one. Sometimes for me, the previous model picks the next one.

Finished this up an hour or so ago. It's a kitbash of the '69 and '71 kits, plus a few choice doodads from a Revell '68 Mustang GT. The rocker panel trim foil needs to be touched up- you can see where it's more than a little crooked along the section on the door. I'll get to that when I feel like it.

Very cool build-ups of a much-overlooked subject. Bet you won't see 50 others just like them at the next show or contest.

Always a treat to see someone actually built this kit, but it's a full-blown event when someone builds it to a level like this. Very well done.

Don't believe everything you read in the internet...

So, I was walking out to the truck after work, and this guy walks up to me and asks me if I have a moment to talk about all-season tires. I said "No, thank you, but I am very burned out after working twelve hours and would just like to go home." But he just wouldn't let up. He said something about "guaranteed even tread wear" and "smooth ride". I said "No, thank you, I just want to get in my truck and go home." Then he started throwing out phrases like "innovative bonded six-ply design" and "superior roadholding characteristics" and I lost it. Punched him right in his all-season-tire-loving face. I hate all-season tires so much I can't stand it...

I've actually pondered this. Sometimes when you snap the cap back on you can feel a small puff of air come out- maybe the hole is there so the cap won't "vacuum seal" itself to the can. Anybody know a spray can designer?

Just an incomplete Tamiya kit I threw together for kicks.

Parts are loose- they're held in place only by the packaging. I paid 20 bucks plus tax for it.

I'm bumping this, because Speedway gas stations are selling one now. It appears to be the same shade of red as the TSC trucks, but naturally has Speedway markings. It also includes an ice chest, two water bottles, a case of glass soft drink bottles, and a box.

Fireball just brought out a set of period-correct bias ply tires for the Moebius kits, though they might be a bit more appropriate for a 2wd. The BFG tires they sell are nice, but too new for a factory-stock model if that's what you're going for. The majority of tires out there are either in the same league as the Swampers (too much tire for what you want) or too new (ie- radials). Some of the '90's AMT/Ertl pickup kits came with old MPC bias-type tires, but those are about on par with the tires included in the Super Stones kit. The Goodyear Suburbanite tires would be a good choice, and they will fit the Moebius wheels after you remove the webbing from inside the tire and the "paddle" ribs from the wheel. They'd also be a lot closer to the mark for a period look. These tires come with the MPC WW2 jeep, MPC Pacer (but only one pair in the Pacer), or can be purchased molded in soft rubber from Scenes Unlimited. You could use the kit wheels, just add a lockout to the front hubs. I'm not aware of any existing five-lug steel wheels which include a lockout hub (at least not any that are currently available), but cutting the hubs from the centers of the AMT '79 Bronco (as one example) is very workable.

I have five complete kits I can't locate at the moment. So if any of you happen to see an AMT/Ertl Mercury Cougar Street Machine, a mid '90's AMT/Ertl '56 Ford Victoria, a Lindberg '53 Ford Convertible, and/or a pair of Revell '56 Ford F-100 kits out in the wild, try to catch them and send them back to me. I can't even keep track of all the individual parts I've lost track of...

For a 4x2 go ahead and use the front suspension from either the Monogram F-250 or F-350 (the '87-'91 8th gen kit). It is the same type used from 1980 to 1997, you're 100% correct there. The axle in the '87-'91 Monogram kits is NOT a Dana, it is a Visteon "Sterling" 10.25, but with a few tweaks it could easily be made to resemble a 60 or 70. The 10.25 replaced the Dana axles for the 1985 model year. That's still the axle Ford uses in the Super Duty, but now it has a 10.5" ring gear and has disc brakes. It is often mistaken for a Dana unit, even in 1:1, because it so closely resembles a Dana design in appearance. For the front end on a 4x4- the AMT is not a TTB, it's solid. But the kit axle is more like a blob and has a coil-spring setup... so that's no good. You need a leaf spring setup. The Revell '77 GMC would be about the closest kit-based unit I can think of, but the diff is on the wrong side. Ford had a driver's side drop. You could cut out the GMC diff and glue it in the other side. I'm not a GM guy, but I think the Revell kit has what were called "corporate" axles, but as is the case with the Visteon in the Monogram Ford F-350, you could rework it to look like a Dana. The Revell axles could stand a little help in the detail department anyway. My listing does show a Dana 60 front axle being offered on the F350 beginning in 1979, thing is, I've seen other info that verifies that as fact, and other sources which contradict it. That being said, more than a few early Fords (and other makes) have been retrofitted with Dana 60 front axles, so you'd not be out of the realm of reality if you went that way. For the TTB- the only difference between the 44 and 50 are that the 44 has slightly longer axle housings, in addition to a five-bolt hub pattern and coil spring mounts, while the 50's axle housings are somewhat shorter, and have eight-bolt hubs and are set up for leaf springs. You could get away with using the existing TTB- nobody is going to notice the difference in 1:24 scale. Even with a TTB, the front end should have leaf springs for a 3/4 or 1 ton application. Calnaga castings makes a Dana 44 kit which can be built as a driver or passenger-side drop unit. You'd still need to figure out a leaf spring suspension, but that's the easy part. That being said, again, you could rework a Monogram F350 rear axle to look like a Dana front axle if you had a spare one handy.

I have to say, I'm digging the fenderless look and the stance. Makes me wish I hadn't cannibalized the two new-tool Karts I had "in stock"...

1:35 is not an oddball scale. (For military subjects. )

If it's as good as their 1:35 Toyota HiLux (which is pretty good, BTW), should be in for a treat.

Correct axle would be an. Eaton. As far as a source for one in scale, I have no idea, but here is a link with some pictures of the real deal in a '48 F-6 (seventh post). There's more specific info in the thread as well. Doesn't appear like it would be terribly difficult to modify an existing axle to resemble one. http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/922213-timken-2-speed-axle-ever-seen-one.html

This. I wish the domestic kit makers would make their boxes just a tad larger. I'm not asking for much- even an extra 1/4" longer, taller, and deeper would help quite a bit. I'd gladly pay more to ship a larger box if said box wouldn't be crammed full of warped and broken parts.

Shaping up pretty well. I'm planning something similar but mine will have the five-hole disc wheels from an ALF pumper and no sleeper. I always wondered why AMT never issued the C-Cab kit with the race car hauler body, it seemed like many more factory race teams used the C-Series than the L-Series.

This is the coolest interpretation of this kit I've seen in quite a while! It would look great in a shabby alley diorama.

I'll second Scenes Unlimited. I'm not sure if the Krawlers will fit the kit wheels (and with winter coming it's worth noting that Krawlers suck in the snow anyway ), but I thought I remembered reading that they fit, though a bit tightly.