styromaniac

You need context to fully grasp it. Radical Out of the Box thinking show car from the mid sixties...prior to the Tom Daniels era. At the time as crazy if not crazier than any of Ed Roth's cars. The fact that it was a quality build done by an unknown guy just out of high school, in his parents garage, and won multiple show awards added to the buzz. ( Famous TV Movie car designer George Barris supposedly slapped Steve Scott for some perceived transgression at an awards ceremony ). All this plus a well-selling Monogram model combined to give it a bit of legendary status...then in a flash it all went away. ( The over the top ridiculousness of later show cars may have played a part in that. ) Suffice it to say the disappearance of both the car and the builder in the post sixties only added to the mystique. ( that... and the rareity of the model kit after the molds were gone. ) Not everyone's Holy Grail...but the few original kits out there do fetch big bucks....

After all the years of gossip and conjecture...kind of exciting to see this hot rodding icon emerge to see the light of day. Crazy looking show cars arent my thing...but this one earned a special place in full scale and modeling history.

Great subject. Dont ever recall seeing a scale rendition.

I have to agree J.C. When it comes to some of these contests its the dazzling paint job under the lights that gets the most attention...unless theres a large degree of "wow" factor that can separate it from the rest of the stuff on the table. Even more telling is the chemistry of the judges...one seasoned builder among three or four newbies can dominate the results...for good or bad. In my brother's case here...I told him he had the misfortune of coming up against a crew that was clearly biased towards modern Top Fuel rails...in the Competition Straight Line category. I doubt they even connected Jim's build to its historic significance in hot rod history ( Tony Nancy's 22Jr ). To them it was just another Model A that belonged more in the pre 1949 street rod category. ( even though a cursory inspection of the detailing showed it was a 50's era quarter mile car ).

Roland the headless Porsche driver.....

Thanks JC! Lot of family stuff going on amidst my retirement ...but I did manage to pull that little project together in time to make the IPMS shows in Richmond & Fairfax last Feb-April...

Great engine work. I have to ask...have you ever experienced an issue with the Tamiya black accent reacting to a painted finish?

Decided my 1/32nd scale Belly Tanker could use a shop truck and trailer.

The '34 Ford Screamer that completes this 1/32nd scale trio.

Trying to remove multiple posts.

Trying to remove multiple posts.

LOL....I thought of the same thing looking at that high mounted scoop...an image immediately came to mind of those Cold War era Federal Signal Air Raid sirens...with their ghostly nightmarish wails....

Thats the one I remember best from my childhood...it was like my "wish list" book. I think car modeling might've been hitting its peak right around then.

Ive managed to save a few from the trash pile. Theyre a hoot to read..the prices. They kinda document the inflationary spiral...

1/32 Scale Shop Truck with trailered Belly Tank racer.

Great subject ! Historic car...and a challenge to get right...but it will be unique.

Nice paint job...is that some variety of red in the Tamiya rattle can line?

So this will be an accurate representation of the movie dragster? I also have the original MPC More American Graffiti kit, plus the somewhat similar MPC Ramchargers dragster. I've downloaded a treasure trove of pics off the internet, but the thought occurred to me for my build....why not try to backdate the movie car to a more accurate version of what would've actually raced back in the day of the movie timeline? From what I understand...those Moroso valve covers didn't exist...along with a tweak or two elsewhere.

Thanks Bill. I was shocked to hear this...he had just helped me out a couple of weeks ago by supplying me some headlight lenses for my Revell of Germany Jaguar XKSS. Norm is a genuine pillar of the modeling community. Keeping in my prayers and thoughts.

All my stores ever seem to have is late 60's - early 70's muscle cars and trucks...only one hot rod...the Revell reissue of the '29 Model A.