Chuck Most

Assuming nobody actually did stop and offer help (since the vid cuts off just after the car does its impersonation of The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay).... 1. The guy hit the gas and took off at a rather high rate of speed- he was doing a pretty good job gaining on the traffic in front of him. I'd be willing to guess he just blew through a red light. 2. He was passing on the right. That's just plain idiotic in pretty much any circumstance. 3. He didn't have enough sense to make sure he had the little things taken care of... like a properly installed rear axle, for instance. So, in short... stopping to help someone like that would be interfering with natural selection.

So... 1:24 scale ("the wrong scale" for quite a few annoyingly-outspoken types, never mind all the old Monogram NASCAR kits were 1:24 and nobody complained), snap kit, no engine, and pre-printed graphics. Uh oh. Better put on a NASCAR spec helmet and fire suit, because I have a feeling this might get ugly... That being said, I'm up for a couple, and I'm not even a NASCAR fan. I actually like how the Fusion "stock" cars look, and I can wait for the decal guys to come out with some different graphics. I'd love to have a Toyota or two as well, just because the presence of Toyota in NASCAR irked so many hillrods... which is always a good thing if you ask me.

It's older than the hills and about as crude as a cave painting, but still a fun kit and a subject you won't see every day.

Since I've gotten back to tinkering with this custom Hudson Hornet (which has been an on/off project for about two years), I figure I'll just leave this here...

Nice! I need to steal a Supra six and put it in something.

"Windscreen"... Seriously, though- it came out great.

One test shot, one advance copy. Wish I had a stash... I will soon enough.

I'm in. Those sound like something I need to try.

I already built a nice one, so...

Actually saw these yesterday.

The 1996 Chevy 3500 Dually had the updated interior and grille- if I recall, the body was molded in a dark red (maroon? burgundy?) with a gray interior. The earlier Phantom dually, on the other hand, did have the '88-'94 style dash. I remember buying a '96 because I planned to cut down the interior so I could use it as part of an update on an MPC '88 C1500, but never got around to doing so.

"Good hands. Bad taste in cars." - Will Darnell

Liberty did that one. It's nice, but as you said, a bit underscale.

This and this. A few mists of primer and some wet sanding and it's no longer an issue. And what's the first thing you do with one of those polished-plastic looking kit bodies? Sand it so the primer will adhere better.

I'm really hoping someone will do a photoetch and/or resin set to do a Mercury version.

I like to paint the insides and ends of the crossmembers, and the insides of the frame rails, first. I may skip this step if the crossmembers are mostly flat, but if they have an I-beam shape or lots of undercuts, I'll paint them before installation into the frame. Then I'll scrape away any paint where I need to apply glue, assemble the frame, and paint the rest. That's the best way to guarantee you'll "hit" everything and end up with no bare spots- or fewer bare spots. Going with a primer which is close to the intended color helps too, just in case. Using an airbrush helps put paint into those hard to reach spots, but isn't mandatory. Finding a paint that covers well without overloading the parts is also a big plus. If I just need a basic black frame, I like to use Krylon Rust Tough flat black straight from a rattle can- it covers very well and dries quickly.

Here's how it looks with decals.

Full blow-by-blow... http://chuckmost.wix.com/madhouse-miniatures#!Moebius-71-Ford-F100-Ranger-XLT/ccly/555500860cf248741732db65 I probably missed a few things, but whaddya want for nothin'?

Yeah- fit pretty well, just to be clear. It is possible to mount it a little less-than-level if you're not careful, but just keep an eye on it and you'll be fine. I'd suggest adding it after the cab and bed are mounted to the chassis to guarantee the cab and bed trim is lined up.

The last 18 years didn't suck as much as Tueday's shift, though...

EVERYTHING on this kit fits great- other than the separate side spears, but even those fit pretty well without any real positive means of location.

I love it when that happens! I just got a couple of original issue AMT White Western Stars for about five bucks more than the list price of a reissue- I don't even want to think what they'd have gone for prior to the reissue.

Nice! Isn't it a CTS, though? The DTS was the big, front-drive model that replaced the Deville.