alan barton

On August the 26th, at the Fairplex Sheraton, we had an amazing room, a suite actually, thanks to a truly girl at the front desk. I got the body and engine fitted to the floorpan, which started as a flat piece of styrene. I had also started to assemble a variety of pieces of plastic and model parts to create the unique cantilever leading front end. This design came about in the eighties ( I think) and revolutionised the handling of these outfits. Previously they resembled normal forks. I also got the rear end assembly fitted. This was pretty much a guess as the technical details on a real outfit are completely hidden by the body. After looking around LA including the Petersen and NHRA Museums we headed north to Pleasanton for the Goodguys show. Caught up with Roy Sorensen, Mike Carroll and my late great mate, Stan Pinninck. On the one night that we weren't out partying with the guys from the model hall, I finalised the trimming of all the body panels.

By August 23rd we were back in Vegas. We heard an advert for the grand opening of Hobby Habit on the edge of the city so headed over there to get paint. We headed onwards to California and stopped for the night in San Bernadino. In a Motel 6 that night, I trimmed up the body panels and started contorting the riders into their new positions. This was easily the hardest part of the construction but was absolutely critical to the impact of the model. It might look like they are falling over but they are actually hanging off the sidecar, or outfit as they are sometimes called here in Oz.

We flew into British Columbia on the 21st July 2010 to meet up with friends and purchase a vehicle. We got a Plymouth Voyager minivan that we christened the Silver Bullet. Now Tom Geiger is the only guy I have ever known to build a model of one of these things but I have to say, this $1200 soccer mom express was perfect for the job and we put over 30,000 kms on the clock over the next three months. At times it would also become my new hobby bench! We did a lot of sightseeing in B.C. before heading south to Reno for Hot August Nights. Had an amazing time there and then headed east for the Knoxville Nationals. Before you know it, a month had passed so I figured I had better get started on this model if I was going to have something for the theme table! Here I am on August 19th 2010 on a picnic table in a Salt Lake City KOA campground, hatching a plan as to how I was going to get this thing done! That's the Silver Bullet in the background. The model box is an Airfix MotoGP kit. I bought two to get the riders and it also came in handy for the handlebars and some other details.

These machines have three main fairings that help in downforce so my first step was to fabricate them. I had collected photos from local speedway events but had no dimensions to go by so I eyeballed the layout using 1/25th scale diecast rims from a Rough Rider brand diecast off road bike. After making some cardboard templates I carved these wooden forms, one for the main body fairing, one for the handlebar spoiler and one for the sidecar fairing. I vacformed these on the 18th July 2010here in Perth but we were flying on the 2Oth of July ( I might have left it just a tad late) so I packed an assortment of parts and tools in a small instrument case and figured I could build it on the road. How hard could it be? The photos show the wooden moulds I carved. The main body needed some filler as well as a strip of wire bent over the rear wheel housing to form a little ducktail spolier. And yes, it is hard to make any sense of these shapes until the whole model is finished!

Hi guys, I was having a big clean-up the other day and stumbled on some papers and photos from a big project ( for me) that I built way back in 2010. It has a lot of great memories for me, and you will see why. Here in Australia we have something known as Long Service Leave. Depending on where you work, once you have completed between ten and fifteen years of service you can take three months vacation at full pay - yes, it is a wonderful concept that every working man in every other country in the world is jealous of. My wife and I planned a mega-road trip around the USA and Canada. We planned to go wherever the road took us and stop wherever we felt like and I can tell you it was easily the best holiday we ever had. In that three months we took in numerous museums including American Museum of Speed in Lincoln Nebraska (simply the best!) the 50th anniversary Knoxville Nationals sprintcar race, Hot August Nights, Pleasanton Goodguys Street Rod Nationals, Bonneville, Bakersfiled Hot Rod Re-union and countless other sights. And towards the end of our trip was the NNL Nationals in Toledo Ohio. Of course, I had to bring some models and the first thing I did was check the theme. Ya kidding me! Motorcycles - two or three wheeled. No way. I don't do motorcycles. I have an intense distrust of any vehicle that falls over if you don't stick your leg out. I rode one once for, say, 200yards and that was enough for me. I know lots of you love them and that is cool but I just never got the motorcycling gene. ( oh yeah, and the year before the NNL Nationals theme was hot rods - if it wasn't for bad luck I would have no luck at all!) But I do love dirt track racing and here in Australia back in the 1920s we invented a class that until a relatively short time ago was unique to Australia. Most people would say that only Australians are crazy enough to ride them and they are probably right. However when I googled it you do have them in the USA these days. Calling them a motorcycle is a bit of a stretch. They do have a motorcycle engine and front wheel but it gets a bit blurry after that. I have put this model in the racing section rather than the motorcycle section because I really do feel it is a better fit here - the moderators decision may vary! So we are talking a three wheeled racer with a 750cc or more engine, cantilever front forks and a savagely slanted third wheel. The passenger, also known as the monkey or the chair, positions himself on the bike to aid in handling - put another way, sidecar passengers have one of the highest fatality rates of all aspects of motor racing! Oh, just one more thing, this three wheels monster has NO BRAKES - none, zip, nada! Now there has never been anything approaching a sidecar model kit and I have only ever seen one other model built and that is in my collection ( not built by me). Not to say they don't exist but they are rare. So follow along on my modelling odyssey!

Thank you Dave, for taking the time to update me on the situation. It was greatly appreciated. I must say, (and this has nothing to do with MCM operations) I am confused about the situation with postage from USA to Australia. I have heard that USPS is not sending to Australia at all right now. I don't understand why a postal service would stop a service outright but there you go. I live under an international flight path and jets are still dropping in each day. But I don't understand why other companies must be prepared to take a customer's money (in this case MCM) and then simply don't send it anyway. Where do they store my magazine ( and everyone else's stuff) for four + months? There must be a lot of American suppliers that are significantly impacted by those practices. Aussies buy a lot of stuff from the USA. Anyone on here in the postal industry that can enlighten us Aussies about these things? Cheers Alan

Cool coupe! The headers and the back wheels do it for me! Cheers Alan

Sadly I think I will have to let my subscription lapse, if I ever get a notification to renew it. I have been a subscriber for close to twenty years and recommended other West Aussie modellers to buy it but after two detailed emails to the Contact Us address recommended, over the last two months, I have received no info at all. Still waiting on 210 and 211. A shame that such a great publication has such poor customer service - all I want to know is a) was it sent and b) have you heard if any Aussies have received their copies. Not much to ask but someone is not listening. I'll try one more time so no-one can say I didn't make an effort. Cheers Alan

Thanks Trevor, I have been making rings like these for years but never took it to the next level like you have. I can see adapting your techniques in the future. Every day is a school day! Cheers Alan

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