alan barton

Hey Bill, I have also been looking for these wheels for years. I finished my 22Jr at least 15 years ago, probably more, but it has 12 spoke Americans on the front because otherwise it would never have been finished. One thing I did notice when I photographed the car at the Petersen in 2010 was that the back of the wheel looks awfully like the back of the custom wheels in the old Revell 56 Chevy kit, with that kinda starfish look on an otherwise smooth dished back. Now if only we could find something that close for the front..... By the way, if you get started on the 22jr , give me a yell as I have a perfect fitting vacform tarp for that car., plus a heap of reference info. Thanks AFX for the great post!!! Cheers Alan

Hey Bill, I recognise that brake master cylinder and handle setup - it is from the old Revell Parts Pack chromed hot rod chassis - the one that looks like an unboxed Model A frame but with a very rounded off "Z" job at the back. Like what you are doing here - I always thought that blue Monogram body was 1/32 but it seems to fit the 1/25th scale frame just fine. Cheers Alan

James, I love my 1/32 scale collection and the boys here have provided you with nearly every source possible for 1/32 scale engines. I would like to add two more. Firstly, check out the chromed engines in diecast toy cars. Matchbox Superfast from the seventies turn up in a tatty state in swap meets, garage sales and antique shops. A lot of the engines in the drag or hot rod inspired toys are close to 1/32. Some Muscle Machines can have blowers and carbs that just might work for you And I know some people will laugh or snicker here, but the engine in the new tool AMT Ala Kart from a few years ago has a great 1/32 scale hemi in it. Most 1/25th scale modellers hate this undersized baby hemi but it looks good in a 1/32 scale car! And blunc, that 34 coupe of yours (the old Pyro/Lindberg, I'm guessing), is easily the most ambitious and beautifully finished 1/32 scale rod I have ever seen. What a fabulous project! James, I think you will find blunc has carefully cut and hinged the doors himself. Brave beyond brave! Cheers Alan.

Tony , I did a blow by blow explanation of how to fix all the problems on these chassis (the Petty Dart is the worst by far) on another modelling forum. PM me and I will tell you where to find it. Don't give up on this model - it is horribly awkward but looks fabulous when finished - it is worth the effort! Cheers Alan

Just tried again but still getting 404 message. This is for the boat post on Car kits and reviews page. Cheers Alan

Sure have Dave, tried for nearly 24 hours to get some more photos posted in the car kits and reviews section, got the same pesky 404 message.

Hi Noel, Like Mike said, they all have Chevy engines - the Casey Luna Ford should have had a Ford but it just had Ford decals. What you thought are Weber carbs is actually fuel injection - Kinser brand if I recall but someone may be able to confirm that.

Thirty dollar kits would affect me greatly - that would be a twenty to thirty five dollar discount on what we pay in Australia! No discount chains at all but two LHS do give our clubmembers a 10% discount which is nice. Bought the new 48 police car last night - $49.95 and I have seen it dearer elsewhere! But like a lot have said before, I have enough to get me to the grave so it's really not a problem. If you want it you will buy it! Cheers Alan

It's a pretty simple kit but scrubs up well with a bit of love! Cheers Alan

I'm guessing this must be the first boat kit ever - I'm sure Tim will correct me if I'm wrong. This is the AMT 3 in 1 boat, close to box stock. I used an Airfix 1/32 scale Ford Zodiac seat because I had one, it fitted and it looked good! I intend to have a matching Mooneyes 34 Ford panel delivery to tow it one day. Cheers Alan

The only mod I made to this one was to fit custom taillights to the trailer. One of the things I really appreciated about getting the Model King re-issue was that the options in it enabled me to rebuild my Raysom Craft with fresh parts. It's a great kit if you can find it. On both those kits, watch out for one flaw that I managed to miss on both models - there are two honking great ejector pins on each side of the inside of the hull. It would be a good idea to remove these before you start assembling and filling the hull and deck. I must have been asleep at the time! Cheers Alan

Thanks Tim, thanks everyone! I do love my boats and have about five more on the bench at the moment. This one is the Model king re-issue of the Hullraiser. It is almost box stock but I "de-tuned" it with the 427 wedge from the Raysom Craft - I wanted a ski boat them to this one. Colour is Duplicolour silver with Testors Candy Grape for the scallop and the trailer.

This conversion is a natural if you are looking for a contemporary style ski boat. I'll try and put some more boat photos up tomorrow but after spending four hours to post seven photos, I'm all done! Cheers Alan

The taillights are scratchbuilt as are the plates on the transom.

I'm really struggling with a glacially slow Photobucket tonight but I will keep posting until it finally seizes up - it's taken me over three hours to get these posted, time I should have spent working on a model! This is one of my favourite boats. It is the Revell Bass Boat with a Monogram Chevelle blown 454 and the seats and console from the Monogram Bad Actor Chevy Delivery- these were a perfect fit. The bass boat has a great hull. I cut away the front compartment from the deck and replaced it with a vacformed "hood" that I formed over a carved wooden mould. The ehaders are solder and K&S aluminium tubing. Glenn john created the laser cut metalflake flame decal for me. The trailer is scratchbuilt from Evergreen with the bass boat trailer fenders. Cheers Alan

The trimmed Nomad roof lifts off to reveal a Revell 283 with six cars from the same kit. The tailgate was trimmed of one chrome trim from each side - that made it narrow enough to give a graceful sweep to the sides of the boat. To wrap it up I used a 57 Chevy grille bar for taillights. Cheers Alan

The first boat I ever got was a fairly thrashed hull of the Revell Hemi Hydro from my good mate Geoff Rea. A narrowed this about 3/8 inch and grafted on the hood, quarter panels, tailgate and rear roof from a squashed Revell 57 Nomad. The interior and dash came from an equally squashed AMT 57 Corvette. It was quite surprising how well the totally unrelated pieces fitted together. The trailer is a drastically reworked unit from the Hemi Hydro with cycle fenders from the AMT' 25 T. Cheers Alan

Here's a rear view. Eventually it will be towed by an Alexander styled custom based on the Model King Pontiac Bonneville EL Camino with a Westcraft go boat for a tender, sitting in the bed.

Thought I would join in here. This is an AMT Raysom Craft boat with the 427 SOHC from the later Hullraiser version. It was restored form an old builtup and is panel painted in Testors Transparent green over a gold base. The hardest part was getting a smooth seam on those ultra cool sponsons! Cheers Alan

Can never have too many Aussies on here! Welcome Matt, you're in good company with these guys!

Thanks Bill, glad you liked my Niekamp! Your Kurtis version reminds me very much of a beautiful white and blue 29 lowboy that I photographed at Bonneville back in 1992. Apparently it had been racing since the fifties and I believe it is now fully restored. The grille was more early Ferrari style but your build really brings back memories for me. Cheers Alan

Hey Bill, if you ever get to making copies of this little rocket, I would be happy to trade you for a full set of vacformed components to build a replica of the Niekamp roadster that was in your B&W reference photo. I built one 20 years ago for the Model Car Museum in Salt Lake City and a slightly different version for myself. Your Kurtis and my Niekamp would make a great couple! Cheers Alan

We have run themes at our NNL in Perth Western Australia for at least ten years and they are very popular. I acknowledge that you are talking about contests here Greg, but these comments are regarding a true non-competitive NNL. One trick I stumbled on early was to offer 4-5 themes a year and see which ones fly.Makes it a lot easier than trying to read everyone's mind. Commonly, one gets twenty to thirty participants and a couple only get two or three - no problem. Some of our most successful ones have been, in no particular order Towed - anything towing anything red ones go faster Tom Daniels models Dog in a ute ( a popular pastime at country fairs in Australia) Tow trucks Scaley mates - (which is a kinds derogatory term for your friends who you question having some times!) a 1/64 partner to a 1/25 scale car (either could be a copy of either) Long roofs Cars you owned. Magazine cover cars Record cover cars Cheers Alan

Hi Lloyd, I'm not a home to be able to give you a part number but one of the Slixx Mom and Pop sheets has three Gulf discs if I remember correctly. I did a Corvair modified based on the same chassis you are using under your Mustang using those Slixx decals - they are very thin but a joy to use! Cheers Alan

No worries, Bill, happy to be of help. I always enjoy your comments about the hot rod/street rod aspect of our hobby - I have a vested interest with what is in my garage! After posting I did think of something else, however. For a chopped 29 coupe, I think the new 30 roof section combined with either the AMT or Revell roadster body would be a good start. Reworking the door pillar and rescribing the door lines shouldn't be a deal breaker. Whether a modeller wants to commit to the reshaping of the rear quarter panels depends entirely how much inaccuracy he is prepared to live with, and that is fine. One last hint, the 29 sunvisor is a very basic folded flat steel unit, quite straight when looked at head on while the 30/31 sunvisor is a stamped panel with elaborate swage marks and a noticeable curve when viewed from straight ahead. Having said that, it is not unusual to see someone use a 30 sunvisor on a 29 for a classier look (although I prefer the 29 myself.) Cheers Alan