
alan barton
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Everything posted by alan barton
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Beautiful work Tye. What state of Oz are you in? I have only ever had a gluebombed Poison Pinto but that eased the guilt about cutting it up! The body with the front clip removed makes an awesome east coast Pinto modified body. I'll try and find a photo. The 429 Shotgun in this kit is a beautiful moulding and looks great in over the top hot rods - the extra size of a 1/24 scale engine in a 1/25th scale kit just adds heaps to the impact in my humble opinion. Cheers Alan
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Firstly, like everyone else here, a huge thanks to Tim for the awesome review. I'm so tempted to copy Tim's colour scheme and just swap the steering column to the correct side. Here in Australia it will probably be 3-6 months before we see it, if recent new kits are anything to go by, and at between $50 and $60 a pop. But as the owner of a real 29 roadster, I will be buying a bunch. The wheel arches won't trouble me too much because I have a good stash of AMT bodies but I do have a suggestion for Revell if they go down this path again. See, they already made the inner wheel wells as part of the interior panels, right? So imagine if they had made standard wheel wells for the highboy interior trim panel and raised wheels wells for the channelled interior trim panel. Then, mould the roadster body with stock wheel arches but with a little groove marked on the inside of the body showing the cutting line of the raised wheel arches. After all, it is far easier to hog out some wheel arches than to reduce the arc of them. Having the correct size wheel well panels would make it a doddle to finish off either version. And for once, here is a suggestion that that the manufacturer could do without any change at all to pattern making costs, parts count or plastic quantity. Wouldn't it be fantastic if the 30 Coupe body came that way (and the 29 coupe, 29 Tudor, 29 Tourer, 31 Vicky ........... I can dream can't I? Cheers Alan
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AMT Mustang-GT Funny Car Update 02/27/16 Livery Restored
alan barton replied to Speedfreak's topic in WIP: Model Cars
Gene, I just saw this for the first time and I'm loving the quality of your build. I too have been caught out before where you paint a body and then realise there was work you should have done before hand.. Soooooooo, if the exhaust ports are still bothering you (on the one hand, they'.re at the back, on the other hand, it will annoy you whenever you look at the back!) what about using some thin aluminium tape or printers aluminium to make two small oval blanking plates and stick them over the ports. Would look like the guy working on the factory steel shell just needed a quick fix, like so many racecars had. Just a thought. Cheers Alan -
Hi William, In regards to the roadster v cabriolet issue, Art is correct but I can see where you are coming from. The Yellow Jacket is built from a cabriolet body but gives the impression of being a roadster by virtue of leaving off the cabriolet body parts north of the waistline. I have a Yellow Jacket and it definitely looks like a roadster but if there ever was a model of a 1930 Model A roadster you would see that the doors are longer and the cockpit is longer. As a result the back of the body drops down quicker than a roadster body and the beaver panel is shorter as the trunk lid is slid down to match. I drive a real Model A roadster and have some coupe quarter panels (same as cabriolet) in my garage and the differences are not obvious from a distance but very evident when side by side. Hope that helps Alan
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No pictures but the AMT 39/40 Ford Tudor had one reissue where it was proudly called a 39/40 Coupe. I believe there was a Reveloogram Top Fuel rail that announced that it was the season champion when the season wasn't over yet - can't remeber the details - Amato maybe? The one I have never seen mentioned anywhere, however, is the green and white box art for the MPC Fire Tuck show rod. No matter how hard I look there is no evidence of a frame rail in the engine bay - radius rods are there, engine is there, but nothing to hold the front of the car to the back of the car! Cheers Alan
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Hey Tom, remember that 64 El Camino i bought at the toy show when we stayed with you last year? I had lusted after the kit for years but I was also keen to get my hands on the little boat that sits in the back. I had always had the hull and deck of one but nothing else so I was very pleased to find this kit completely intact, even though $150 made it the most expensive 1/25 scale kit I had ever bought! When I got back to Australia and opened the kit I saw that it had a little engine cover that looks kinda like a sixties hood scoop. What I didn't know is that for probably twenty years or so I had they same engine cover in my hood scoop box, always wondering what it was off. That now makes my second boat body complete! Unfortunately there was a sting in the tail. When I laid all the parts out, some-one had neatly removed every single chrome piece for the boat off the chrome tree - that means the entire engine, rudder, prop, steering wheel, everything. The small size and location of the boat parts made it easy to overlook when inspecting. Don't know if the vendor was a crook or if it was an honest mistake (I'd like to think that). Ended up cutting a Corvair flat 6 in half to make a "rare" 3 cylinder boat engine and scratchbuilt all the missing parts. Should make it easier to do it a second time to build up the second shell! Practice makes perfect! Cheers Alan
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How many model A Ford kits are there ?
alan barton replied to Greg Myers's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
And then I remembered that Aurora also did a 29 Model A roadster pickup called Beatnik Box and a 31 closed cab pickup called Wolf Wagon. Proportions were very good and like a lot of Aurora's 1/32 series, they were based on real rods. If you go through enough 1962-63 Hot Rod and Car Craft magazines, you will find them to be very accurate replicas aside from wheels and the fact that every Aurora had a 409 powerplant. Hope this helps the reference files! Cheers Alan -
How many model A Ford kits are there ?
alan barton replied to Greg Myers's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Whoops, missed the Attach button. Here's the Renwal 1/48 29 roadster. I also found the Aurora 1930 woody wagon and then remembered that Aurora also did a 29 Model a fire truck surf wagon. These are both in 1/32 but I don't have any photos of the 29. Cheers Alan -
How many model A Ford kits are there ?
alan barton replied to Greg Myers's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Thanks for the photo of the Avemger, Greg. Probably the best photographic box art that the roadster ever got. Is it just me or does it look like it has a dropped headlight bar? I've never seen one in this kit but maybe the box art builder tweaked it a little. I managed to find a photo of my Renwal kit. Front bumper fell off at some stage but otherwise this is how it builds up out of the box. Cheers Alan -
How many model A Ford kits are there ?
alan barton replied to Greg Myers's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Just found this thread and as the owner of a full sized 29 roadster I do like my Model A kits. I think I have all of them except for the roadster, coupe and pickup version of the Hubleys. One I ahhavent seen mentioned here is the renwal 1/48 29 Roadster kit. Can't access the box just now but it is pretty cool and included an opening rumble seat and chrome parts. The grill was a bit awkward but otherwise it is a pretty cool kit. Also Jordan ( I think) recently did a 1/87 Model A hiboy with a flathead V8 (from another grooping). A cool little kit and obviously they put AMT parts in the shrinkerator like they did with the 1/87 29 Tudor shown above. Someone asked about build quality of the MPC/AMT 29 Woody and the 29 Tudor. I can say they both go together very nicely and the opening doors on the Tudor are probably the best executed of any early car ever. For my Aussie mate with the 30 Delivery (Cherry Pie) you are in for challenging times! One cheat I managed was to file a square notch across the width of the windscreen header panel/sunvisor. This will let the cowl stand up as it should and let you get the doors somewhere near the openings. Notice I only said " near"! If the body is warped at all, give up now and save yourself years of grief! Yep, jbwelda, I remember those huge stickers on the back, especially in my home state of Western Australia. They've been gone for ten years or more now, but they don't call us the nanny state for nothing! Stupid thing was, no matter which side of the car the driver is on, what can a driver BEHIND him do about it anyway. Why did he need to be cautious? And yes, I convert almost all of my dashboards, but sometimes I wish I didn't. Thanks, Greg and others, for the great box art shots. Does anyone have a photo of the "A" venger, another variation of the AMT roadster? Cheers Alan -
Resto-Mods & Modern Hot Rods
alan barton replied to afx's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Seems like only a handful of respondents on this thread are actually driving the aforementioned old cars. I have been driving my 29 Model A Roadster hot rod for just over thirty years and about 300,000 miles, for many years as my only car. We're talking peak hour freeway traffic, towing a trailer full of rubbish to the tip, building materials, my next project on a four wheel trailer etc etc etc. Not to mention five trips across Australia, probably one of the loneliest drives on the planet. If it wasn't for my "boring" "cookie cutter" "souless" "too modern" 350 Chevy ('wrong brand") Turbo 400, HK Holden independent front end, 9" rear on coil over shocks and radial tyres with front disc brakes, that car would have spent most of that time in the garage. Now, I have driven a stone stock, magnificently restored Model A phaeton. One word. SCARY! Just trying to keep it in it's own lane was a challenge. Brakes, ideal for slowing down from a leisurely pace on an empty road but when some back-to-front cap wearing 18 year old at the peak of human intelligence changes three lanes to drop in front of you and then stands on his four wheel power assisted disc brakes gripping the road with sticky radial tyres, your life flashes before your eyes!!!!!!! If you want to look at and appreciate an old car for the technology and looks of its day, restore it. If you want to enjoy driving, protect your family and others on the road and be a responsible citizen, hot rod it! Don't forget, if there is ONE example of a particular car restored somewhere in the world, THAT"S ENOUGH! Turn the rest into hot rods and have some fun! Cheers, Alan -
What a transformation! I've got a set of those Caprice mags but it never occurred to how good they look in oxidised metal finish - they are kinda funky in chrome! I love your less is more approach to rods - this is a standout! Cheers Alan
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For once, I feel reasonably qualified to answer this one. Yes, it is an Australian promo. Yes it does have a right hand drive dash. I had one when I was a teenager in the mid seventies (light green) and unbelievably found a grey one at a sci-fi collector's show three months ago for..... $5!!!!!!!!! Talk about keeping the poker face on - I couldn't be happier. It is also a little warped and had a broken back bumper. I went to replace the broken bumper with a Ranchero one last weekend but it is about 2-3 mm wider than the promo bumper. I also compared the chassis with a Mercury Comet promo that Tom Geiger gave me last year and it is similar but different - does a Comet have a longer wheelbase or is this artisitic license? Last year I saw an Australian four door 60 wagon in an Adelaide antique shop. Only one I've ever seen, white and hideously warped but at $225 it can stay there! To the best of my knowledge there have only ever been five Aussie promos but I would love to be proven wrong - I believe they are the Falcons mentioned above, a 1968 HK Holden Monaro, an HK Holden Premier ( I have both and they are beautiful) and a 64 EH Holden Station wagon which I am told was given to dealers, not the general public. You can get a fibreglass copy of all of these but you will wish you hadn't!!!!! Cheers Alan
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...Sharing some pain...(Lost Parts)
alan barton replied to DR JAY's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
I was once customizing a Hot Wheels 55 Chevy pickup with a 57 Cadillac grille and bumper unit ( to replicate a local 1:1 custom) I very carefully sliced the front of the nose off the Caddy to give me the moulding that the grille and bumper unit would fit into. We are talking a sliver of diecast here about 15mm long and about 2mm wide. Some time during the build it disappeared. For good, I thought. At least a year later, and after moving house, I started working at a new school. My office was a disgustingly filthy and cluttered cleaner's storeroom. Over a couple of weeks I gutted this horrible room and got ready to paint the walls. I just wanted to vacuum the carpet first when I saw something glint - and there it was. Obviously it had travelled on my clothes at some point, or maybe in a box or inside a book, but when you consider that we moved 50 kms to a new house (about 30 miles) and then the school was another 15 miles from home, and I had moved all that stuff around, and it was at least a year later - well, I gotta tell you, you'd have a better chance of winning Lotto than finding that piece! Good luck Doctor Jay - we have all shared your pain at sometime!! Cheers Alan -
I have a reasonable collection of those old hot rod comics and as you read through them you will be surprised to see how many of the artists used models as their inspiration. I have seen AMT, Lindberg and Pyro models as artwork - certain details and proportions make it obvious what they looked at to get the drawing! In fact, that channelled 32 roadster in the first photo has a passing resemblance to Monogram's 1/32 scale model form the sixties. Cheers Alan
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Whats the story on the "Switchers" ?
alan barton replied to Jon Haigwood's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Yeah Scott, I think it might be the photo as much as anything. Sedan deliveries (not panel deliveries ) should be the same length as a Tudor. I will check tonight when I get home against a Revell Tudor. The fact that the MPC body is probably a millimetre or two tall probably adds to the illusion of shortness. Cheers Alan -
Whats the story on the "Switchers" ?
alan barton replied to Jon Haigwood's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Okay, here's a few Switchers photos. Firstly, the sedan delivery. With a disclaimer!!!!!!! I built this model over thirty years ago, only my second ever spray can paint job having just graduated from brushes, and it shows! This is not my best work!!!!!! Please keep this in mind before any verbal spraying! The poorly fitting headlight bar was from an old Monogram Lil Deuce and the windshield frame was carefully separated at the bottom corners and lowered to get rid of the ridiculously fat lower frame. Other than that the body proportions and detials are straight out of the MPC box. The Switchers T is unmodified except for RHD - all my cars are converted to be Aussie! I like how it sits but you could easily lower it by fabbing up a typical bulldog spring perch to hang on the front of the frame. There are also some odd holes and slots at the front crossmember that I used turn signals and two tiny bits of aluminium to disguise. Note that the C cab top and the T soft top are both box stock parts and beautifully seventies accurate! Hope that answers some questions! Cheers Alan -
Hey Pat, I've done that! You think "Ooooh, I'll just paint those parts while I've got a minute" and then you have a little brain fade and then you're back to the whole strip, clean sand routine. Stuff happens! I have done a bit of work on diecast before, though not as extensive as what you' re tackling, and I use either a razor saw or a junior hacksaw to cut a new door line into the surface of the diecast. The razor saw does a better job but it does take the edge off the teeth somewhat. The junior hacksaw is better cutting but has a wider blade. Run a couple of strips of masking tape down each side of your line to protect the surface and stop the blade skipping. If you are not using it already, JB Weld is a metal based expoxy in two tubes that is simply the best product for gluing and filling diecast. Good luck with your project _ I have wanted to tackle a 34 Chevy street rod for years and I didn't know this Danbury diecast existed til I read your post. Cheers Alan
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What do you drive?
alan barton replied to gasman's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Here's my daily driver for the last thirty years. A steel 1929 Model A Ford hot rod that I built myself after buying a frame for $5 when i was thirteen years old. Done way over 250,000 miles but the speedo wasn't the most reliable part of the car! 350 Chev, Turbo 400, 9inch rear, HK Holden front end. I built it myself and have driven it all over Australia including "across the paddock" five times (that's the lonely East West drive across the Nullabor plain for you overseas guys!) It needs a rebuild but building models and driving hot rods is more fun! Cheers Alan -
Whats the story on the "Switchers" ?
alan barton replied to Jon Haigwood's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
I built that Toy show re-issue of the T bucket and it is easily the nicest T bucket kit I have ever built ( and that coming from some-one who loves the Monogram SweeTee/ Lil T kit.) The box art does it no justice at all. The proportions are excellent. Suspension lacked any real positive locating points but apart from that it was almost shake and bake. I have the 32 sedan, phaeton, chopped and unchopped coupes and delivery in my collection as well and the T is a much nicer model than any of them. One nice point about the Switchers 32 Fords - they had the correct lower body proportions, unlike AMT's butchered efforts. The Tudor looks a bit tall and the phaeton looks a bit narrow gutted but the Graffiti coupe has excellent body proportions - the roof/ body fit isnt THAT bad. Was the unchopped coupe called Golden Rod? Cheers Alan -
Aurora had two Double kits.
alan barton replied to Greg Myers's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
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Aurora had two Double kits.
alan barton replied to Greg Myers's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
I have built both cars from the 34 5W kit and they are stunners! There are some minor fit and parts location issues - I recall that the cycle fenders were a bit stressful - but otherwise they are a fabulous era perfect pair of builds, box stock! Dash detail is marginal but I swapped in the chrome instrument panel from the AMT 57 Chevy and we were good to go. Oh yeah, easily the best chrome plating I have ever seen on any kit in over 45 years of model building. Have only got scraps of the Model T kit (the rodded version) and it looks OK - the button tufted seat insert was a nice touch. With the very few parts I have I can't say if it is significantly better or worse thatn other manufacturer's T-buckets but judging by the box art the stance was a bit on the funky side! Cheers Alan -
What Kits Were Molded in Green?
alan barton replied to Snake45's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
Aurora 34 Ford 5 window coupe - hot rod version First issue Monogram 40 Ford pickup (a green version of turquoise) Monogram Poison Pinto Monogram Horn Toad Cheers Alan