alan barton

I have a real soft spot for 69 Pontiacs - my grandfather owned a Parissienne and I built the convertible ( as the pickup) way back then. I really like your builds - they look believable! great to see them built and not treated as a crown jewel! Cheers Alan

A shame they are all gone. In Australia, like you, we had a small range of kits available and only brush paints - spray cans were the same price as a kit! - so we had to make do as you have done so expertly. I know you would enjoy looking back at your original work- it certainly looks very clean in these photos. Can't say I have ever seen this many 1/16th AMT Chevies before! Cheers Alan

I wouldn't change a thing! That car is so on the money! Seeing the engine made me dig through my parts and find an original set of spark arrestors which will be going on my next nostalgia build for sure! And that exhaust - that is sheer tubing porn right there! Love it! Cheers Alan

That's a good looking Chevy! I'm glad someone else likes Testors Model Master paints. They were my go-to for over forty years but are no longer available in Australia. I miss them already but fortunately still have a small stash to work through. The Moroso rocker covers on your big block suggests it might have come from a Monogram Pro Stock Camaro! Cheers Alan

That's funny I was just thinking how I liked your chop better than the one to one! The bodywork on yours is exceptional. But what really impresses me is the scale fidelity of your custom grille - I cant begin to imagine how you achieved that. I attempted a 38 Ford grille a few years ago and it looked liked it was assembled by an epileptic wearing boxing gloves! Much respect there, sir! Cheers Alan

That is an exceptional model, Jim. I'm a big fan of shiny rods but your rusty coupe is so convincing ya just have to like it! A trick I have been using for realistic megaphones is to recycle the ferrules of otherwise dead paintbrushes. They work a treat and you get a very realistic wall thickness. Cheers Alan

Very sharp! AMT had a few proportional issues with the body on this one but your clean assembly and paint detail has produced a first class model. And yes, it is unusual these days to see a 34 stocker. Nice job! Cheers Alan

Thanks for the tips and links, Bill. Will be very helpful. Cheers Alan.

Still waiting in Australia for #210!

Any Aussie guys on here get their copy of 210 yet? This has been a crazy long wait - and I know it isn't MCM's problem but you have to ask - where do the posties keep all this stuff when it isn't moving anywhere? Cheers Alan

So this week I had a huge cleanup of my model room and found the "cloth" insert that I removed from my AMT 32 Custom Tudor showcar. Now today I see this thread and there is the perfect use for that leftover roof centre. Never, ever, throw anything away, that's my motto. Loving this so far. The stance looks perfect but I'm glad you're ;leaving off some of the funky bits. Form follows function, eh? Cheers Alan

This is looking so cool. I'm glad you sectioned the grille - it really helped the proportions and you chose a perfect place to make the cut. Looking forward to seeing it in paint. Cheers Alan

This will be slick. Í love the narrowing of the frame - that is simply clever! I'd stick with the stock heads - they say "Lincoln" whereas the ARDUN's would say ARDUN if you know what I mean. Cheers Alan

It works for me! It is so typical of the craziness of the early to mid sixties. You did an amazing job of cutting those huge pieces down to such a small body. Cool as! Cheers Alan

Hi Casey, here are my three versions. They have been on here before but may be of interest to people who want to know more about this kit. All are essentially box stock bodies except that I have removed the "fabric" insert on the jalopy and the showcar. If you want to build a stock bodied Tudor, the phaeton is the best donor kit as it ahs the correct length interior tub. The Vicky tub is noticeably shorter. I also find that the AMT "factory section" is not as visible on full fendered cars with dark paint! Cheers Alan

Wow, I missed this the first time you posted it but this is really something exceptional. There is so much pressure on getting it right when you tackle something as iconic as the Hirohata Merc. I like yours significantly better than the DM. Don't have a problem with DM, have four of their models in my collection, but yours just works. Magnificent! Cheers Alan

Like Dennis said, nothing looks out of place. What an amazing combination of parts you used to achieve this total look. Easily the best Ohio flames I've ever seen on a model! Beautiful work! Cheers Alan

Looks magic so far, Jim. The rear axle is very nice. I wanted to buy the new kit but already have a built Mooneyes from a decade or so ago. Seeing that top mounted blower makes me think I will definitely buy it and will be building a second one! Cheers Alan

Looking good there, Bernard. I had a good year for building but my tally always varies from year to year so I just take it as it comes. This year I completed some thirty plus year builds and a two week build so who is to say what is a good year or a good number? But I can see a blue channelled 32 in my future after seeing yours! Cheers Alan

James, that is one righteous chop! I guess there finally is an advantage to AMT giving us a rear window insert! I am going to have to study this one - I don't have any 34 coupes planed for the bench right now but I need to copy this before I forget it - wow, that looks so right! And that little duck tail rollpan - ahhhhhhh! Are you thinking of sectioning the 37 grille to get the hood line down? Are they the original Revell Anglia tyres up front? Cheers Alan

OK, paint is curing so it was time to get a few other details squared away. I wanted the powerplant to have a bit more six appeal and the best way to do that was with exotic induction. Now I've never worked for Edelbrock or Kinsler so I have no idea if this 3x2 injection could possibly work. Fortunately, the car is plastic and will never get fuel run through it so I'm just going to assume it could work - hey, hot rodders have been fabbing up backyard manifolds since the very beginning so why stop now? i found a Ford manifold, FE perhaps, in the parts box and trimmed it down to fit the V6. I then reworked the runners a bit before making a base plate to suit the injectors. The final shot is a mockup using three sets of Monogram sprintcar injectors and aircleaners, and I'm pretty happy with it. All I have to hope is that it clears the hood! Cheers Alan

There was definitely something weird going on with the longer interior tub. There was a period in the nineties I think with that dreadful hiboy box art, where they included a way-too-short Vicky interior instead of the longer phaeton version. I believe the most recent issue then ended up with he correct interior after all! Cheers Alan

Unfortunately not that easy Greg. Believe me I thought of it and I thank you for your suggestion, but just looking at the pillar is enough to snap it so there was no way I was going to get a groove carved inside it. I did glue strips of Evergreen in there but alas, one of those snapped as well. It is what it is. Cheers Alan

You and me both! I thought they were a misguided attempt at a Cragar S/S but turns out I was wrong! Still might put Cragars on a proposed new build for 2022. And yes, that first issue definitely had the small sheet of blue tinted acetate. I got mine for my 13th birthday in 1970 and thought it was the coolest thing ever! I need to dig out the SAE with your build in it so that I can get the details correct and do it justice this time around, over fifty years later! You wouldn't know the date of that issue by chance, Tim? Cheers Alan

How about "Six in the Head", a play on "Sick in the Head"?