2002p51

That's exactly right.

I have to line up in step with Rick on this one. Cars, bicycles, and yes, even "fricken pencils" can and are abused and cause injuries every day. That doesn't mean that every other product in the world should be used by those who don't have the knowledge or training to use them properly and safely. As Rick points out, urethane paints are (not can be, not may be, but ARE) deadly when used improperly. They are designed for use by professionals that know what they're doing. In all honesty I don't see the point in using the stuff on model cars at all. I've been painting model cars for a little over 50 years with Testors brand hobby paints almost exclusively. It's easy to use, relatively safe, and it gives perfectly acceptable results. Why take any chances on using dangerous stuff. It just ain't worth it for a model car. Listen to Rick, he knows what he's talking about.

The other day on another board somebody made the comment that they wanted to see somebody "weather" one of Revell's new Kurtis midgets. My first thought was that most likely it would be overdone. The fact is that a lot of modelers tend to take dirt track weathering much too far. But, you don't have to take my word for it, let's look at some photos. This car does have a lot of mud built up on it, but look carefully at how it got there. It's very heavy on the forward facing surfaces only. The windscreen, the grill, the forward edges of the nerf bars, roll bar, etc. The hood is relatively clean as is the tail. Here's A.J. Foyt on a decidedly sloppy track. But again, notice that the car is still relatively clean. There are some smudges of mud on the nose and the nerf bars and the windscreen is dirty. But there are no big clumps of mud anywhere. Here's a restored midget running on a much drier track. Notice again that the forward edges are the only places you see evidence of dirt. The front axle is tinted the same color as the track. So is the lower part of the roll bar and the windscreen. There's a SLIGHT accumulation of dirt on the nerf bar. Look closely at the belly pan just behind the front tire. But what about at the end of a race, you ask? By race time, most dirt tracks are pretty dry and you no longer get big clods of mud sticking to the car. This car is pretty dirty overall but notice that instead of actual mud, what you have are the smudges left from dirt hitting the car. And notice that it all came flying past the car from the front. The sides of the tail are clean. The bottom of the car is very dirty and there is less dirt as you get higher up on the car. The wheels also have almost no dirt on them. This final photo is another post race shot. The windscreen is completely covered but notice that on the hood there is only the smudges left from the dirt flying past the car from the front. So in the end, while it may be tempting to slather mud all over the car, study the photos, think about how that dirt gets there, and use a little restraint. The result will be a much more realistic model.

And I'm sad to report that this is going on right now on this board. A model was posted in "Under Glass" last night that has some obvious problems with the basics and some other, uh, less than the best work. This morning there is nothing but praise in the comments. I'm dying to point out to the builder how that model could be improved but, unfortunately, I'm not the most tactful guy I know so I hesitate to speak up. But at least I'm not going to blow sunshine up this guy's skirt and tell him did a great job like some are doing.

Then we must agree to disagree.

OMG Ken, thanks for saying this but watch out! I've been saying the exact same thing for years and getting nothing but grief for it. I've been told in no uncertain terms that I didn't know what I was talking about by guys who've never been any closer to a race car than their TV set! I guess 20+ years in NASCAR garages from Riverside to Martinsville didn't teach me a thing!

That's all we get that on the "other" modeling board!

Got a link?

Well Harry, when even a mid pack NASCAR Nationwide car takes $10 million to run for a season,you need all those billboards to make it work. But things were very different "back in the day". Remember even Formula 1 cars didn't sport any sponsor logos until the late sixties. Look at the "unsponsored" cars in these photos: Cars like Edelbrock's midget were really self-sponsored. Even at the Indy car level in the '50s and '60s you had cars like the famous "Leader Card Special" that won Indy in '59. That team was owned by Ed Wilki who also owned the "Leader Card" company so that wasn't a sponsorship in the strictest sense. But you can still find unsponsored cars today: This is a UARA-STARS late model. The UARA series is sort of a semi-pro division. This particular car is owned by former NASCAR Busch Grand National driver Steve Grissom and driven by his son, Kyle.

This is one of those little details that are very important. Not every car had an initial, so you could just put a vertical bar or two in there, but it should be changed on every one of these you do. Fortunately, it ain't that hard!

Yep! Many of these cars were personalized in a little way by having the owners initial in the front nerf bar. Hence the "V" for "Vic Edelbrock" on the Edelbrock midget. This was pretty simple change. I cut the "V" off the bar, turned it upside down, added the cross bar made from .020" Evergreen rod, glued it back in place and hit it with a little Testors silver. Bingo, bango, it's an "A"!

Oh, don't hold your breath. I have a lousy record of finishing those sort of things. Plus the fact that I don't really have room for it when it's done is sort of a disincentive.

Not so unreal. These are really pretty simple kits that go together quickly and easily. You can do one in a weekend.

You'd be surprised, Harry. It was pretty common for these things to be un-sponsored. Not only were midgets, especially V8-60 powered midgets affordable, you could race often enough to actually make money with one.

This will be the centerpiece of planned diorama depicting a racer getting ready to be pushed off for a hot lap or qualifying. The paint job is fictional, the driver figure is a Chris Etzel kit. Questions, comments, and criticism are not only welcome but encouraged.

Thanks Ed, The open wheel racers of the '50s and '60s are my very favorite of all. When the Revell midget first came out I did a search on Google Images for "Kurtis midgets". This was just to give me some ideas for paint schemes. For my main research, I still like to rely on books and magazines. I have a pretty extensive library of both. I spend a lot of time using a book called "Dirt Track Racers" by Joe Scalzo. I also have books specifically on Kurtis race cars, Offenhauser engines, and Indianapolis roadsters. I'm sorry I can't be more specific on titles and authors but I'm not at home right now.

Yes the roll bar was included in the kit. It would be easy to make one for the Revell kit from soft wire or solder. I made the roll bar on the sprint car in the lead photo from Evergreen styrene rod.

I once had a near identical experience with a NASCAR model that had tire marks all down the side of his car. Some were too high to be plausible, and some were way too low. I mentioned that fact and was basically told that I was full of ***** and I should just shut up.

Ward is correct. Both Parnelli Jones and A.J. Foyt drove the 83 car. The 5 car in the black and white photo was driven by Neil Carter whom I was fortunate enough to meet once.

I've got a couple of those sheets still. I hope to build all of them with Revell kits.

The Chris Etzel Kurtis Midgets were terrific little kits. They were curbsides with no engine and could only be built as an Offy powered car, (which was fine with me) I've built three of them and have one more to finish.

I think they're excellent. Some of the parts are a little fiddly, but that's the price you pay for things being in scale. The V8-60 engine is a jewel. I can't wait to get my hands on an Offy powered one. Only problem I have with the kit is the trailer. One is nice to have, but by the time I buy my 10th or 12th of these things I'm going to be overrun with trailers! I hope some of the resin casters jump in on the market for these cars. I'd like to see some Halibrand wheels and pavement tires and decals for doing real cars.

Nope, sorry, I have plans for every one of them!

It occurred to me that not everybody on here is as big a race fan as I am, and for sure not everybody on here is as big a sprint car and midget fan as I am. That being said, I know that there may be a few who don't really know the difference between a sprint car and a midget. Well, basically the difference is size. Sprint cars use the same basic design and chassis technology but are just larger and have a more powerful engine. And although there were lots of exceptions, sprint cars normally ran on larger tracks and for more money. The two cars in this photo are the new Revell midget (of course) and an AMT Grant King sprint car that I converted to Offy power. Any questions?