alan barton

Only a small update but I have been pre-occupied with some other projects over the last few weeks. After some basic bodywork, I got the first coat of primer on but I don't think i like the two panels in the rear pillar. The loo is a bit odd and it will be a mongrel to clean up so I am thinking of filing it flat and replacing it with one new raised panel. Meanwhile, a test fit of the shortened version of the pickup bed from the Hot Rod magazine version revealed that it was a very tight fit between the Bandai rear fenders, enough to to spread them at a weird angle. I traced the outline of the fender onto the bed sides and then used a sharp blade to scrape away a recess which is letting it sit a lot nicer. Still need some fine tuning on those rear rails, however, they may get replaced yet by something more h0-tech and smoothie in style.

Hi Michael, Tamiya putty is not bad for shrinkage but as with most evaporating type fillers, the more you apply the more it shrinks, and sometimes it can come pack to haunt you. I would sand , then fill, and it might take quite a few coats to build t up. To save you grief in the future i would recommend trying to fill gaps like this a bit more completely with styrene before filling the remaining gaps with some automotive body filler. I save the Tamiya putty for small imperfections in the automotive filler surface, rather than using it as a large scale filler. good luck with your project. I have a sizable collection of 1/32 scale rods including this Model A from Pyro. If I could make another suggestion, the 340 Mopar in the 41 Plymouth kit and the Dodge Red Ram hemi in the "new" AMT Ala Kart are closer to 1/32nd scale than 1/25th. I am going to use them both in future 1/32nd scale projects. Cheers Alan

Dan, that looks tough as old boots! The stance is prefect! I have just done a custom 41 Plymouth in exactly the same colour. The white certainly made a huge difference and I know what it feels like when you look at your own work, know you are not happy, but can't come up with a solution. That's what makes this place so great! I'm with David, a wash would look great on the grille. Of late I have been using Tamiya dark grey wash, it seems to be less harsh than the black I used to use. Another option might be to spray the insert black and then drybrush the bars with white. I did that recently with a red revell 32 grille insert and was happy with the results. Cheers Alan

Full credit for working with some very flimsy pieces of plastic there, Casey! This is going to evoke images of a wonderful period in drag racing. have really enjoyed the journey so far. Cheers Alan

Well done guys! Keep up the good fight! cheers Alan

Ya can't beat those smiles - says it all really! Well done, kids, well done Dad! Cheers Alan

That is a beautiful build. I love the soft lavender pearl shade you used, very similar to the real car. I built one of these many years ago using the frame and running gear from the Carl Casper Fire truck. It is now somewhat dated but like you I have a spare body and interior. I would like to do justice to this iconic Oakland winner. Can you tell me if the Paddy Wagon has the actual fender unit and grille that you used here, or did you have to modify them or source them from elsewhere? Cheers Alan

Hi Rob, That's not what I expected when I saw the title of the thread! Pretty cool design and I'm glad you didn't rust it out. Just one word of warning, not to put you off tackling the job, but it looks like you need to extend the clear plastic hood. I modified one of those hoods years ago to fit a dirt modified race car and discovered that the two sides are distinctively different - looking from the top one side bows out a lot more than the other. It may be easier to cut and shut the styrene stock hood rather than the custom clear one. Cheers Alan

Just what I would expect from you, Jim! That rear three quarter view is my favourite - the fadeaway is sparkalicious! I think you did a great job of tying all the elements together for a completely funky showcar of the era. Cool bananas! Cheers Alan

I'm sure Dennis Lacey has shown these before on his threads, especially seeing as how he mastered them, but this week I received a parcel from Ed Fluck at Drag City Castings. Boy, was I impressed! First of all I wanted to show you these rooves ( or tops) for 29 and 32 roadsters. I bought two of the 29s and 3 of the 32s. They are perfect - no other word for it! How often do you get to take something out of the box, wash it, paint it, and it's finished? i sprayed the rooves in Tamiya white primer and Wood Deck Tan and Flat Black and then started trying them out on different models from my cabinets. In case you are wondering, the 1/25th scale roof fits just fine on the Monogram 1/24th scale roadster as well. So that you can see what they can do to your roadsters, I took a bunch of photos as seen below. I also bought one each of the chopped 32 3 window, chopped 32 five window, chopped four door sedan and the 32 roadster pickup bodies. A credit to Dennis Lacey's modelling skills and Ed Fluck's casting skills. I cannot find ANY evidence that the four door was ever cut and shut. This is aftermarket modelling at its finest! For all you international modellers out there ( ie, non- North American), I can tell you that Ed's packing was compact yet strong and there was no damage at all after five weeks on the high seas ( or high planes or something). He was particularly busy when I placed the order for myself and Jackson Bull but he kept us informed of progress on our order and did everything possible for a smooth transaction. Right down to writing "A" or"J" on our respective parts so it was easy to divvy up! Good service deserves recognition, it is far too easy to bag the bad ones and forget about the good ones. I'm sure I will be ordering again some time soon. Cheers Alan

You forgot the SBC Mafia Tim! (maybe that's why, LOL!) I have a daily driver red 29 Ford A roadster with a 350/T400/9 inch combo. Has been my daily driver for over 37 years. I built a model of it when I was 14, knowing exactly what I was going to drive when I got older! In the shed is a custom, Carson topped style 35 Phaeton and there's a 29 5 window flat-packed down the side of the house. Vern Scholtz in Edmonton, Alberta has a mindboggling collection of nostalgia drag car replicas with hand painted signwriting that is beyond human. As well as being a hired gun in a long history of funny cars and altereds, he has just finished a knockout lime pearl green 23 T bucket for the street. Geoff Rea in Moe Victoria has a fleet of 32s and has been building models all his life. Richard Borozdin from Perth WA just finished a Rodder's Journal quality 40's style 32 roadster with a screaming 289 ( there ya go, Tim). Builds GSL quailty models and got one of his trucks on the front of SAE many years ago. Nev Risely was on the committee of Super Model Car Sunday here in Perth and cruises in a killer replica of Milner's coupe. Mark Perry in Melbourne Victoria has been modelling for at least forty years, had a scalloped 39 Chevy sedan and has nearly finished a nostalgia fullfendered Deuce. I am barely scratching the surface here - model building is very popular amongst Aussie rodders. Cheers Alan

I've built all three of the Chrysler kit cars and they are definitely challenging. Good to see you stuck with it to the end. I love the patriotic paintjob - perfect for the era. Cheers Alan

What fantastic artistry right there. I love the subtle dustiness of the whole truck. The attention to detail in the photographs has produced such a convincing replica. Cheers Alan

There's a coincidence - I was watching a bunch of them unload only yesterday afternoon on a training job at a remote Aussie nickel mine! Cheers Alan

I'm part of the SBC mafia - just keep an eye out for horse's heads on your pillow, know what I'm sayin'?

Looking cool! The stance is to die for! I still have that magazine and remember the car well. Before my real Model A became a roadster, I briefly considered doing a stakebed. I actually went with my Dad to buy some timber for it. I especially like what you did with the Switchers wheels. I was just looking at a set the other day and thinking they weren't a bad shape but the chrome was so-so. Will be buying some Tamiya semi gloss clear this weekend! Cheers Alan

You made out like a bandit yesterday, Jackson! Give me a call if you need hood parts, radiators, etc. My project is coming along but nothing photo worthy yet. Had a few distractions last week and I'm working away this week so hope to have something to post next weekend. Cheers Alan

I haven't counted for quite a while but I would estimate somewhere around the 500 mark built and on display. Predominantly 1/24 or 1/25 hot rods but a large collection of 1/32 scale rods plus a handful of 1/8th and 1/16th. The stash is somewhere around 500 as well so I guess 1:1 would be a good stash to built ratio? I have been averaging 12 builds a year for about 20 years but last year got really focussed and pushed that up to 20. My count is based on when the tyres hit the glass, so they could have been started a week ago or decades ago! This collection started around 1965. I'll take a wild stab in the dark and estimate about 100 W.I.P.s - I am not very disciplin............look, a squirrel! I have lost, sold or swapped maybe a dozen models in my lifetime so it is a pretty accurate representation of everything I have built since I was about eight years old. On the other hand, my toy and diecast collection, which started seriously about thirty years ago, is estimated around 4000 items. That is every hot rod item imaginable from 1/144 Micro machines to 1/5th radio controlled monsters. I deliberately chose to collect toy hot rods because, hey, there's not that many, right? Stop laughing, you guys. My first trip to the USA was in 1992 and that is when all hell broke loose! I now have two double bedrooms set up as a mini museum with floor to ceiling cabinets and it is reaching capacity - it won't last til the end of the year! Unless I start gluing them to the ceiling! Plastic kits will always be my first love and if I had to buy a kidney, the diecast goes first! I have a few sub-collections including oval track dirt cars, mid fifties to mid sixties customs and street machines, caravans and trailers ( my grandfather had his own caravan business), speed boats, tow trucks and Australian made cars. It keeps me busy and keeps me happy! Cheers Alan

All us boat guys are watching! I like your train of thought so far, Paul, it will be an interesting build. I am seriously considering planking an AMT 3-1 that I reshaped to a cracker box style with the taller tapering sides so I suspect I am going to learn a bit from this one! Cheers Alan

Bob, what I like most about your model is - it looks like your truck! Mission accomplished. The flaws that you see are no doubt annoying but they will always stick out more to you than others who view it. I would be very happy if I could get a wheel and tyre combo on a model that was as close to scale as the set you have chosen. The colour looks very close. The stance looks spot on, steel axles or no steel axles. As for the glue spots on the windshield, I will guarantee that there is not a single member of tis forum who hasn't done that at least once. You will find that most of the builders on here with crystal clear windshields either use Mod Plodge or Elmers or some type of white, water soluble PVA type glue. It is not as strong as model glue but if you are gentle it will stay put and any flaws can be gently removed with a damp cloth. I will look forward to seeing your next project if this is our first in fifty years! Cheers Alan

That's interesting! Never had an MPC issue of that kit, only AMT. I've never seen those hairpins before either. Thanks for posting them. Cheers Alan

Brian's right - Australia got the Canadian Chevy Bel Airs and Pontiac Parissienes, that were sold through Holden dealers ( also Vauxhall and Bedford). My grandfather owned five Pontiacs through the sixties and if I recall from my childhood, they also had Chevy dashboards. Further to that, our 57 Chevies had 55/56 dashboards. It's all about the bottom line! Cheers Alan

A cheesegrater from another era - congrats on the cleanup, you really brought it back to life! Cheers Alan

Sooooo, you're carving models out of green candy these days? Niiiiiice! Cheers Alan

So, so cool! I'm trying to lift myself to your standard but I'm not there yet! The precision of your fabrication - words fail me! cheers Alan