Sixties Sam

Here are mine: Revell 3 window coupe w/photoetched grille. Revell roadster w/Mustang II front end and hemi engine. And my original issue (1963) Monogram Big deuce rebuilt in 2003. It's also in my avatar. Can you ever have too many 32 Fords? No! Sam

I'm not really into those racers, but to paraphrase Larry the Cable Guy, "I don't care who you are, that there's purty"! Excellent build. The paint looks perfect! Sam

Thanks for all the great compliments, guys! I'm really glad you like the diorama. Ed, my photo skills aren't really that great, but thanks for the compliment. I think the best thing you can do for realistic photos is to shoot them outside. The sunlight and shadows make the realism take a quantum jump upward! After all, real cars live in the outside world, so photographing them there seems very natural. I sat this diorama on a small folding table in front of a bush just off the deck on my house. Look close and you can see some of the railing in the pics. I rotated the dio to get the sunlight where I wanted it, and to keep my own shadow out of the photos. Notice the shadows go in different directions on different pics. It's not really that hard to get good photos. I shot about 30 photos, then deleted most of them after viewing them on the computer. I cropped out some background on a few of the others. Digital photo technology is great!

Those are amazing pieces! If it weren't for the dime in the photos, I would swear they were full size castings! The trike sounds like it will be an incredible model! Sam

It seems to me that as car modelers, we all have an appreciation of model building skill like painting, detailing, etc. and can admire those skills expressed in other types of models. I think an "other models" topic would be a good idea. Just my two cents.

I'm 60 years old, and I can't say I remember the very first model I ever built. I do remember the kit that got me into building car models. It was an AMT 1958 Imperial, one of the first 3 in 1 customizing kits. Those kits were simple - one piece body, one piece interior, no engine, screws through the chassis held it all together. Not much gluing required. I put it together myself when I was about 9 years old. I think that success inspired me to build more models. I still have the grille and bumpers from the Imperial in my ancient part boxes! I don't remember where the rest of it went!

Me too! It's a rebuild from 40 years ago!

Wow! Nice work! A 9 year old painted that model? Looks better than most of mine. He's got some talent - must be genetic!

Nice job, Greg. I vote for a windshield, too. Maybe the one in the kit chopped to half height, leaned back about 30 degrees? I like orange Deuces - check my avatar! Sam

Chuck, those are COOL! Is that a Buick V6 in the black one? Nice!

Great model of a really rare car. I have a photo of a real 61 Rambler convert at a local car show in 2005. It's the only one I can remember ever seeing! Quick old guy rant - That whole genre of cars is long gone. In the mid 1960's you could get modestly priced compact convertibles from nearly all the American car marques: Ford Falcon, Merc Comet, Dodge Dart, Plymouth Valiant, Chevy Corvair & Chevy II, Olds F-85, Buick Special, Stude Lark, and, of course, the Rambler American. Maybe more that I can't remember. Now the converts are all luxury or sports cars. times have changed, I guess! Well, anyway, that's a cool model!

Wow! Those are all beauties! Great detail work - way more than I can do! I like the shift linkage on that flathead!

Clean and green - I love it!

Marshall, I have to admit that when I saw your first post on this build, I wasn't too interested in it (no offense, I hope), but now that I see it progressing, I really like it! The interior details are great! This will be a cool model to display and show off those details! Nice work! Sam

Nice job on both 'Stangs, Mitch! The trunk mat in the model is a great touch! I don't think I've ever seen that done on a model. Is it made of paper? It's cool to have a model of a real car you owned!

Great looking model of a seldom seen subject! Nice job!

That is a beautiful model! The colors are great, and your workmanship is excellent! Nicely done!

I like it, Dave! Old Studes have a cool factor that's hard to beat! I would definitely go cruising in that car! The wheels are just right!

Terry, your idea isn't goofy, it's very creative! I like to see models of unusual subjects. Looks like this one will turn out great!

Wow! That is great paint work! The masking must have taken forever. Very tastefully done. I'm eager to see it finished.

Very nice truck! I like the fender treatment and the brass pipes are great! Ground clearance looks a little low - that front bumper might scrape! Or does it have air bags to pump up for driving?

Amazing transformation! Really nice work!

That 'Vette looks mean! It has a "Don't mess with me or I'll blow your doors off!" attitude. Good build!

That's a great model! Very cool and different. I like the shifter. You'll need big hands to work it! Nice job!

IT'S DONE! I took it outside today and shot some pics with it positioned in front of some shrubbery for a woodsy looking background. Here's Bubba's 57 Chevy and his teardrop camper backed into the camp site. Here's Bubba sitting in the doorway of the tear, on his cell phone, calling home to say he arrived at the campground safely. He moved to the lawn chair to be more comfy. He took a cold Coke out of his cooler. The cooler is balsa wood with a thin aluminum handle. He's got his box of firewood for a campfire tonight. Here's a shot of the tear and '57 from the other side. The trees on the diorama are branches from a real shrub (Juniper, I think), sprayed with clear urethane varnish so they don't fall apart as they dry out. I trimmed some of the lower branches with a Dremel tool to look like they were cut with a chain saw.They're epoxied into holes in the foam base. The gravel is cat litter sifted through a piece of window screen, poured onto wet brown latex paint. The grass is a model train product. The ashes in & around the fire ring are real ashes from the pipe I smoke occasionally. I had fun with this build! It's definitely something different! I hope you all like it.