Mark Brown

For my money, you can't beat wrapping wire for spark plug wire. It's cheap, looks very realistic, is easy to work with and you can get it in the UK from this site: http://www.dayga.co.uk Just search "wrapping wire" in their search field. As others have said, for other wiring and plumbing tasks, check home improvement stores and electronic shops, and never throw away anything with wire (like used-up electronic equipment, etc). Scrounge all the different stuff you can and save it in case it comes in useful later. If you do a Google image search for "small block Ford" you'll find more detail pics than you'll ever need.

A 1:12 scale kit of any of the popular musclecar era cars, done to the level of detail that such a large scale deserves - not just a scaled-up 1:25 kit.

Thanks, Cody! Here's another favorite wallpaper of mine - this diorama is probably the best I've ever seen. Just amazing detail and realism. I wish I knew whose it is - anyone here know? If you spend enough time looking at it, you might start to question whether it's even a model or the real thing. Such great building and also photography skills.

A friend had this photo of my car doctored up and I kinda liked it.

I checked the wrinkle wall slicks I've got, but they're different from the Comp Resins ones, so I'd check with them if you're interested in getting those. The ones I've got measure a little over 1.375" (1 3/8") which is about 32" in diameter in scale. They're a little bigger than the slicks that came in Revell Top Fuel and Funny car kits a few years ago.

That's definitely the way I'd do it. But as I mentioned before, choose your tires (and wheels) by the intended use of the car you're modeling. I always prefer to find a kit that has the tires (or whatever specific part) I'm looking for and just buy the kit. You'll rarely spend more than you would on the parts alone in the aftermarket, and you get the whole rest of the kit as a bonus. The Revell '41 Willys Street Rod kit is probably just what you need. It has the big M/T pro street-style tires, along with an outstanding blown 392 Chrysler/Torqueflite trans, a narrowed 9-inch Ford rear, a nice four-link suspension and a modern Mustang II style front suspension. Those Revell Willys kits are, by far, my favorite parts kits, and you can get one on Amazon for just twenty bucks. Revell Willys Street Rod kit

I'm at work but I'll check when I get home. They're as large in diameter as the larger modern Top Fuel/Funny Car slicks, if memory serves. I've got an original pair or two of the vinyl ones (and a few resin copies) but I don't recall what kit they appeared in - maybe the T'rantula? They wouldn't look right on a street car at all, or any doorslammer, for that matter. The width is good, but the diameter is not. There are lots of slicks you'd be better off with, if you want to go with slicks.

They're very large in diameter - not really appropriate for a street car. They're more accurate for a fuel dragster, altered or something similar. And they're only accurate at all if you're posing the car on a launch - wheels up, driver figure on board, etc. Slicks don't wrinkle like that unless they're under huge load, and certainly not on a static model.

Choose your tire according to what the car you're modeling would be intended for. If it's just a street cruiser and traction isn't an issue, the good old Mickey Thompson pro street tires will work - various AMT kits had them and the old winged sprint cars had some nice big treaded tires. If it's a serious street/strip car, big drag radials would be the ticket, but unfortunately there aren't any in the hobby yet, that I'm aware of. Or you could just run slicks - maybe cut a pair of concentric grooves in them to make them "legal" for the street, similar to the M/T ET Streets.

I won't lie - it's a booger of a task if you haven't done it before. I find a tube or something similar that's the diameter of the tubs you want to make (even a larger diameter tire will work) and wrap an index card around it, and then hold it up to the outside of the quarter panel and start trimming. It's a lot easier to trim it to conform to the quarter panel from the outside, and then use that as your template to make it fit the inside. It's not impossible but it will take a few tries, so be patient. I like to use a package of sewing needles taped to the tube or cylinder - you can slide the individual needles in or out to conform to the body shape, and then use that as your template. I couldn't find a photo of the needle package I use, but it holds about three times as many needles as the pic below. It's' a miniature version of a tool that's use in full scale auto bodywork.

There are two big problems with the Nova chassis - first, it's a leaf spring chassis, not a four-link, and second, the tubs are pretty shallow, meaning you won't get the car very low over the tires. You'd probably be better off trying to use either the pro stock chassis that Paul mentioned, or the Camaro Pro Stock chassis from some years ago. The Nova chassis can be modified to accept a four-link and to move the tubs up higher, but it's a good amount of work. Here's a few shots of one I did. I made new rails from plastic stock and added spacers to move the wheel tubs up about 3 inches (in scale). Another project I need to get back to. I don't know how well they show up, but here's a shot of a backhalf I did for a 240Z project, using similar techniques to what Paul described. I made these rails from plastic stock (actually, these are resin copies I made from the original rails) and made forward four-link plates from plastic sheet, two per side. There are also scratchbuilt plates on the Fab9 9-inch Ford rear axle.

Right on - if you need putty, you didn't get the mating surfaces flat enough.

Just my opinion, but you identified your problem right there. I never could get a good paint job with Testors and I tried for years. There seemed to be two choices - orange peel or running. Once I started using Tamiya and auto paints like Duplicolor, I never saw orange peel again. I only use Testors for small parts, and rarely even for that.

If they'd include the hobby's first ever realistic turbochargers, Bogart or Weld Magnum wheels and drag radials, they'd sell a gazillion to guys who don't even like Mustangs.

Most of the Baldwin-Motion cars were special ordered and basically, could be optioned with anything the purchaser wanted. So unless you're replicating an actual 1:1 scale B-M car, just about anything you want to do is "correct".

Just a tip in case you build another '34 - the bed does look a tad long but I believe it's attached backward. The sloping end of the bed matches the back of the cab. Neat model, though!

Outstanding show - Foose is even tolerable. If they compiled all the episodes into one DVD, I'd definitely be in line to buy it.

Check out these diagrams on the Straightline Modeler website - they should help you with your fuel injection plumbing: http://www.straightlinemodeler.org/research/injection.htm

Picked this up about a month ago. One of 215 Shelby GT-C Mustangs built in 2008.

While that wouldn't work (too many compound curves and I'd be unwilling to sacrifice a 1:8 kit to try it) it does give me an idea. I've got a couple of 1:18 scale diecast '32 roadsters and might be able to rework the somewhat smaller grille to work. I'll have to look at that. The '34 wouldn't do - I've never seen a Model A with a '34 grille - it would have to be a '32. It sure seems surprising to me that nobody has made one, as popular as they are with the Model A.

I've looked all over and can't find a '32 grille in 1:16 scale. Seems like there'd be a huge demand for this with all the Minicraft 16th scale Model A variants, and the fact that most Model As in 1:1 scale seem to wind up with Deuce grilles. Does anyone make one?

One of the Lindberg '64 Mopar releases had the slant six.

You might want to check out the set in the Alternomad kit - they're 17-inch five-spokes that are very similar to the Bullitts, mounted with Pirelli P-Zeros. I've bought four or five of those kits just for those wheels.

Personally, I can't understand why none of the manufacturers have ever kitted one. Seems like a no-brainer, especially with the potential for marketing an SSP version to the emergency vehicle crowd and the fact that half the field at any drag race seems to be Fox coupes. Though I'd prefer a new chassis (especially the engine bay), Revell could tool up a coupe using the existing Cobra underpinnings and sell a million of them. I know of one guy who'd probably buy a hundred of them, and I'm not exaggerating.

You need to get yourself a couple of these to help with those pet rats!