Phildaupho

Thanks Dennis - Got'a love it when a plan comes together smoothly, quickly and successfully. Very satisfying for sure.

Very well done, Great looking race car.

I really enjoyed this historical evolution of your '29 Roadsters on Deuce frames. All very good looking and well built

Thanks Claude - I always appreciate your comments. Have a great year.

Very impressive year book photo album

Thanks everyone. I am blown away at how well received this Willys has been I can only hope that my other builds of 2023 will be just as well liked.

1953 Ford Entry Before discovering this thread, a couple of days ago I pulled out a Lindberg ’53 Ford and did some mild modifications in preparation of a future build not knowing then that it would be my entry in the 2023 Cannonball Run I have always been a fan of the Carrera Panamericana road race both the original and the revival and the cars that participated. Other open road races in the USA have created a style of automobiles that that have become known as Pro-Touring. A couple of years ago I built a ’64 Fairlane Thunderbolt as my take of a Pro-Touring version of the Holman and Moody road course 427 Fairlane which could have been a past Cannonball entry. At the time I had the intension of doing similar modifications to a ’53 Ford. ’52 to ’54 Fords have participated in both the original and revival Panamericana. So the back story on my model is that it will be a car that was built for the Panamericana but rather than later being restored was modified in the pro-touring style. Some of the mods I have planned BODY – dechromed with remaining trim done in dull silver, slightly radiused wheelwells, a small trunk spoiler between taillight pods INTERIOR – comfortable and supportive seating, different steering wheel, roll cage, extra gauges and a navigation screen RUNNING GEAR – lowered, big brakes, up to date wheels and tires ENGINE COMPARTMENT – The engine will be an OHV Ford V-8 likely a Y-block which this body style would have used from 1954 on. It will have some sort of enhanced intake system either fuel injection or some form of supercharging. The engine of course will have headers. A six-speed transmission will be used COLOUR – The colour scheme will be the same as my Thunderbolt – white lower body, silver roof and red interior This is the afore mentioned Thunderbolt on which the pro-touring styling for the '53 Ford will be based

Thanks Jim. I was writing my post when yours came in.

Thanks everyone. I am really pleased at how well received this model has been. I built another Willys Street Rod or more of a Custom Rod 17 years ago. That model has headlights and grill from a Mercedes CLK, Prowler wheels, molded body seams, sport mirrors, flush taillights, pancaked hood with a scoop and a Ford DOHC cam engine from the AMT Phantom Vickie. Both have some aspects in common.

Super good looking 55

Great model with a great story

For my first completion of 2023 I wanted a quick and relatively simple project which turned out to be a ’41 Willys Street Rod because I already had a painted body. A couple of years ago I thought I might get a Candy Apple Red result for a Mazmanian Gasser by spraying clear red over gold. The paint job did not turn out to have the look I had hoped for but it still resulted in a very attractive smooth and shiny Willys body worthy of an eventual build. The resulting model is pretty much a from the box build with just a few modifications to give it a more contemporary look. The suspension was drastically lowered over wheels and tires from the Phantom Vickie. The blower scoop is from the Testors Coupster and the photo-etched grill from the Gasser kit. Inside only a different steering wheel was installed.

Very cool vintage sand dragster

Far out man !!

Looking forward to both Under Glass in 2023

You had a very productive year with many varied and very well built models. Your Ranchero is a beauty as is your MGB GT. I like the rest as well.

Absolutely far-out and exceptionally well done.

I built this 1949 Meteor Mild Custom back in 2008 before I joined this forum. Meteors were sold in Canada at Mercury dealerships and featured Mercury like trim. The first rendition of this model featured many Cadillac tie ins. Cadillac engines swaps into shoebox Fords were very popular in fact there was a shop on Long Island New York that specialized in these swaps and called them - Fordillacs. Initially my model had a Cadillac air cleaner, Cadillac scripted valve covers and Cadillac sombrero hubcaps. The body has frenched headlights and taillights and the door handles were shaved. The AMT '49 Mercury supplied the grill. The suspension was lowered using blocks in back. The paint is Tamiya Pearl Green. I eventually robed all the Cadillac parts except the engine for use on other projects. As a first week of the new year project, I decided to freshen the Meteor up. The reverse chrome wheels with baby moons are from the AMT ’49 Mercury and are mounted on parts box white wall tires. Under the hood the Cadillac engine is still there but has carbs and air cleaners from the Revell ’49 Mercury.

Well done. Good looking model and car. This has got to be the best looking Z since the original. Great to see your model as I have still not seen a 1/1.

Lots of people are getting excited about your project including me. You have a recipe for a great looking model.

Well done. The models look great in your diorama.

OK continuing on, here are 4 Volkswagen I built before seriously getting back in the hobby. The '78 Convertible was bought new as the last made in Germany Convertible. I wanted a black one but they had already sold out. I sold it for a profit 3 years later to buy the 1980 Series 1 GTI which was a cosmetic version offered in Canada but did not have to performance up grades of the European version. The model was brush painted. I sold the '80 in '85 to buy a '73 Westfalia [I will build a model of it from the new Revell kit] which I only kept for less than 2 years and replaced it with a new '87 GTI 8V. The model of that car was poorly painted with spray can enamel. I did convert the grill to look like a North American version. I kept the '87 until '95 when I got the first of the VR^ GTI's. It took some years for a VR^ kit to be available so I built a 4-door Series III Golf which again was poorly painted with spray can enamel. The VR6 was replaced in 2008 with a Jetta TDI Station-wagon. I did not build a model of that car but do have a plastic miniature [1/73?] of it albeit in a different color. This Mercedes 450SL is a 1/43 diecast of a '73 I bought in 2007. It was one of the worst purchases I ever made. I really was not my sort of car, it was expensive to run and repair and I lost a lot of money when I finally sold it. My wife did make an excellent set of red and white plaid seat covers which gave it some panache. I was given a 1/12 450SLC kit with the idea I might cut the roof off it and shorten the wheelbase to make an SL but that may never happen. I do have kits in my stash to some day build a model of my '65 Sunroof VW hippie van and my currently owned 2008 Mazda MX5.

I am on a roll now. This is the 87 S10 long-box we bought in in 2009 as a garden truck and we kept it for 8 years. My wife loved driving this truck and called Blue Buck. I got a miniature buck, painted it blue and mounted it on the dash. One Christmas I built a model of it from a Cyclone kit. Just last week she asked me where the model was. It took awhile but I found it. It is now on the kitchen window sill and she is using the pickup-bed to hold small items.

I am really enjoying this thread. Lots interesting models and stories. This is model of my '65 Falcon the way it was when I bought it based on a Modelhaus resin body over an AMT '67 Mustang chassis. The 1/1 eventually got Torque-Thrusts on black walls. Before I seriously got back into the hobby I built brush painted models of three VW's I owned. I will have to search around for those.

Greetings Mark - It is great see a bunch of your models all in one post as there are a few I missed during the year. All exceptionally well done as I would expect. Looking forward to seeing the Lola Under Glass during 2023.