Sixties Sam

Here's how I did it on my 1/25 scale diner dio. There is a mistake on the photo text. Instead of a #6 screw, washer & cover at the top and #4 on the base, It should be #8 screw, washer & cover on the top, and a #6 washer on the stool base. The nylon spacers are 1" long.The screw holds the stool onto the floor, then you snap the cover in place. Sam

Ditto what he said! The whole model is great, but the seat piping really sets it off! Nice work! Sam

Great rods, Lyle! My favorite is the 36 coupe...no, the roadster....or maybe the pickup...or the 57 Chev..or, oh heck, I can't pick a favorite! They're all superb models! Nice job on all of them. I'm eager to see what you crank out in 2011! Sam

Here's a method of making a realistic campfire: I used a flickering battery powered tea light (I think that's what they're called) on my 1/12 scale campground diorama. The base is sunken into the blue styrofoam diorama base, leaving just the flame part sticking out. I put some orange paint on the yellow colored "flame" to get the color right. I made a fire ring and put some "firewood" made of twigs blackened with a torch in it. The result is pretty realistic, and it was cheap! This photo was taken of the mockup.

What is that - 1/4 scale? Ha, ha. Congratulations. Your life will be better than ever now! Sam

Wow! Those are beautiful builds! Incredible finishes on both, although I think the red & white 55 is my favorite. Great work! Sam

A marriage of Ford and Chrysler with a turbocharged straight 8 - now there's some creativity! Great model! The front view is killer! Great engine bay too! Sam

Great model! It's nice to have a model of your real car. One question: The top on the 1:1 looks tan in the photo instead of black. Did he change to a black top sometime after the photo was taken? Sam

Here's the thread on the 49 Ford: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35231&st=0&p=359331&fromsearch=1&#entry359331 The diner is all from scratch. I posted it in the diorama section back in May. It was a fun project! Thanks, Sam

Well,here is my class of 2010, posing for a class photo on the Starlite diner diorama (also a 2010 project). From the left rear: 39 Chevy (ebay rescue), 49 Ford (resin body), 66 Mustang (with a 6), 55 Corvette (snap tite), 23 T rat rod (ebay rescue), 53 Ford rusty service truck (ebay rescue), 57 Chevy Black Widow, 51 Belair convertible, 06 Mustang custom, 33 Ford (ZZ Top), 56 Ford pickup (tough to build), and a 65 Corvair convertible rebuild (model of my first real car). I enjoyed 'em all!

Yes, the rear deck opens to reveal the engine. I didn't wire or detail the engine on this model when I built it 40 years ago, so I left it alone in the rebuild. Here's a photo with the rear opened.

Thanks for the comments & compliments, guys. Tom, the red is Krylon Banner Red from Walmart. It's a pretty close match to the real car's vinyl interior color. I want to add a thanks to George Hernandez (George53) for the air cleaner. I lost the original, and George gave me a replacement. Foxer, I have a soft spot for those old Plymouths, too. We had a dark green 51 wagon when I was a kid, and in high school, a friend of mine had a beige 50 4 door sedan he got from his grandfather. He had just learned to drive a manual tranny, and used to stall it sometimes. We used to cruise around in it till he totaled it (he didn't get hurt)! Fun times! Sam

I bought my first car in 1970. It was a 65 Corvair convertible that I got for $700! I built this model of it back then, cutting the top off a 69 Corvair coupe model. It was gathering dust and falling apart, so I gave it a makeover for its 40th birthday. The windshield was cracked and hazy, so I went to the Modelhaus web site to order a new one, and I saw that they had an uptop available for it, so I got that too. Nice top, BTW. Needed almost no cleanup. The real car had the four carb engine with the crummy 2-speed automatic with the shifter on the dash. It had the wire wheel covers and fake knockoff spinners. I sheared one off parking too close to a high curb once! The model isn't perfect, but it means a lot to me. Hope you guys like it.

Sweet! I always liked those early Cougars. The color seems right for it. Good work! Sam

Nice! I love the classic looks of the '36 with a chop! The paint is just right! Cool exhaust treatment! Sam

Nice, clean, classic hot rod. I like it! Great color! Sam

John, I should be used to your incredible workmanship by now, but you still amaze me! That's a great model! The engine compartment looks absolutely real! I'm eager to see what you do with those other 64's. Your Buick is a hard act to follow! Sam

Those are beautiful models! It looks like what an American family on vacation in the 1950's would use! Excellent work on the Ford wagon and on the trailer! Sam

Squeaky clean and nice! The fenders really add a lot to the looks, and the color is great! Love it! Sam

That's a nice, clean classic '32. Good work! I like your choice of colors - easy on the eyes! Sam

Very nice model. I like the style, and Flashback is a good name for it. Great paint, nice detail, not overdone. Great job! Sam

A belated happy birthday to you, Ed! Welcome to your sixties! I hope you'll keep those gas station dioramas coming. They are great pieces of history in miniature! Sam

That Scary Jerry is one innovative and twisted guy! Great model and story! That machine needs a giant bug on the roof to make it complete, though! Sam

Easily the best model of an AMX I've ever seen! Excellent work! Sam

Very nice build! I like the Comets from 66-67. Brings back memories, good and bad. Back in 1967 (I was 17 yrs. old) I built a model of a 67 comet and made it an AWB funny car. Moved the wheel wells forward, scratch built an interior and a tubular chassis, wired the engine, painted it metallic purple. I entered it in a local fair with 4 or 5 other models. I won first place, but when I went to bring the models home, the Comet was gone! All the hobby exhibits were locked up behind chicken wire, so whoever stole it must have been another modeler, who picked it up with his own models. I never saw it again. Sam