Phildaupho

No this is regular chrome. It applies just as usual - conforming well to irregularities and stays stuck. I was not impressed with the ultra bright except for absolutely flat surfaces.

I bought some Bare-Metal-Foil Chrome this week and it appears it has changed. The back side of the foil is now a brass colour and in certain light the top surface seems to have a yellowish glow. So far, the only place the brass back side has been an issue for me is doing windshield and back window trim with the inside looking like brass. This is a photo of the back side. The foil on the right is the new stuff This is the top side with the new stuff on the right

Very well built and photographed

Yes they are a little small and the A-pillar is too thick so there might be some room for improvement maybe by using the vent windows from the Revell 49 ?? I have got to be careful this does not turn into a work in progress !!

If it wasn't for your finger I would think this Shelby was the real thing.

Very well built Woody

Although I will not be starting construction of the Hirohata Merc until sometime next month, I have been been thinking about it a lot and looking at many photos. I was about to install a divider on the Revell 49 Merc windshield for my Sam Barris Merc when I could not resist the urge to open up the resin Hirohata windshield area to the size of the Revell windshield. I made a masking tape template and started cutting and grinding. Once it was to size I realized how flat the Revell windshield is compared to that of the AMT on which the Hirohata model is based. Fortunately I had a spare AMT windshield which I trimmed to fit. I think this simple modification makes the resin Hirohata Merc look much more like the real thing.

You are a lucky man Randy. I would be very satisfied to own Danbury Mint models of iconic cars such as the Hirohata Merc, Ala Kart, Kookie Kar, and California Kid to name a few but I don't and likely never will so I will have to be content with building models of them although they certainly will never be as accurate.

As far as I know there were three cars - the Hirohata Merc, Gypsy Rose 63 Impala Lowrider and the McGee 32 Ford Roadster Hi-Boy

Another one hit out of the park. Very inventive and well executed

Great restoration Russ. Really like your colour choice. As someone else mentioned - not familiar with MG wheels

Extremely realistic

The Hirohata Merc was on display in Washington DC in 2017

This looks like a very impressive kit. I have an built Model Factory Hiro version with driver and decals to build a James Dean replica. This USCP version looks superior in many respects like the interior, headlights, extensive photo-etch and chassis bottom detail. I like how you can see the spare tire under the louvers.

Thanks Dave - I have read a lot about the two versions of the Ala Kart. Ace-garage guy did a two part comparison. I will re-read everything I have on the models and the real Ala-Kart before I start construction. I do not have an original kit but do have the parts that have been included in the '29 Roadster kit. My Ala Kart will likely be a tribute rather than a replica - sort of like the full scale Ala Kart recreation that was built in the late 1990's. I saw that Ala Kart at the 1999 Grand National Roadster Show. There was a replica of the Kookie Car there as well. Both looked great and I enjoyed seeing them as the real ones had not been restored yet.

The windshield area looks larger and much better. The back side window appears to be longer but hard to tell at that angle. I am planning to heighten the windshield area on my T&T version

I am not up to unchopping a resin body but I do plan to enlarge the windshield area to about the size of a Revell Merc which I am hoping will make it look more like the original.

I just came across this 5x8 inch 1962 little pages magazine in my attic. It was published by George Barris Enterprises and promoted AMT. Surprisingly there is a photo inside of the actual Ala Kart captioned Famous "Big Daddy" Hot Rod. There is also coverage of AMT's Mid-America Car Championship Finals that featured some very impressive model cars.

Great looking interior. Looking forward to seeing it under glass before New Year's Eve !!

Thanks for writing that Alan. Well said. I have always had mixed feelings about Barris since reading the Rod & Custom interviews with him and Roth. I only saw him once at the 1997 Grand National Roadster Show and that was kind of a thrill as I knew he would be also judging the model car show. You are very correct when you say Custom Cars would be a totally different thing without him.

Thanks Casey - Very interesting thread especially as I plan to build an Ala Kart after the Hirohata although it will be my version using the newer kit, Fred Cady decals and a larger engine. Other T&T products listed on the Hirohata box are Munster Coach 1/16, Munster Dracula 1/16, Grease Lighting [sic] 1/25, Thundercharger 1/25, Black Beauty 1/25, Fireball 500 1/25, The Car 1/25

The figure does look more like Sam. Here he is with his Merc Thanks Robert = I am going to check that out. I love Norm's products and have got a number of pieces that were mastered by Ric Hoving the custom car master historian

The Hirohata 1951 Mercury may be the most famous and iconic custom car of all time Before its restoration had been completed, I saw this car in person in 1996 at the outstanding Hot Rods and Customs display at The Oakland Museum of California. Sometime after that I was able to purchase a Hirohata Merc resin kit from a guy who was getting out of the model car hobby. Almost everything needed to build this model came in a Rubbermaid container including two cans of custom mixed paint. The box art is very impressive and appears to be from an outfit by the name of T&T. Although I could not track down details on this kit specifically, I did find reference to T&T Productions. Other offerings T&T offered are listed on the box. The kit seems to include all the parts required to build a model of the Hirohata Merc although the original owner decided to use modified suspension parts and dual exhaust from the AMT ’49 Mercury. The kit as I got it included - No instructions what so ever - The body which is very thick resin captures most if not all the characteristics of the Hirohata Merc although I think the top looks too severely chopped - Complete interior molded from AMT Merc so has a 49 dash - Chassis molded from AMT Merc - Maybe some decals of Barris crests and license plates - Vacuum formed windshield and rear window - Spot lights - Chromed resin front bumper molded from AMT ’49 Merc - Chromed resin rear bumper modified and molded from AMT ’49 Merc to fit rear fenders - Chromed resin grill molded from AMT ’49 Merc - Resin headlights, taillights and parking kits - Two Cadillac Sombrero hubcaps with clear red emblems - Wide white wall tires from various sources - Resin figure of George Barris with his distinctive windbreaker but the head and face does not resemble George – no baseball hat or sunglasses I have probably resisted building this model for so long because I was not happy with the chop which would be a daunting task to fully correct. I am now planning to build it once I complete the Sam Barris 49 Merc and currently thinking of raising the windshield a bit into the roof and using the Revell chassis and interior. There is a Jimmy Flintstone Hirohata resin body but it does not include side window details and I am not sure if it comes with anything other than the body

I am very impressed with the Revell chassis and it only but needed minor modification for this project. I used the Brizio restoration photos as a guide to build the rolling chassis. The frame was C’d, the hanger for the left side exhaust removed and the holes were filled for the lakes pipes. The AMT ’49 Merc flathead was built absolutely stock and connected to the AMT exhaust system as far as the muffler where it connects to the Revell tailpipe. I have included a couple of the Brizio photos for comparison.

The 67 has always been my favorite and yours looks great ad does the 50