GrandpaMcGurk

I shot these pics on the hood of my full size pickup....should give you a pretty good idea of how big it really is. These are photos of the master in progress. More later.

Guys, as Rick mentioned in his opening post this car has been in limbo for quite a while. TDR doesn't ordinarily reveal new products until they are a bit further along, however being we didn't start this project there has already been a lot of chatter about it, especially from folks wondering if was was ever going to materialize. Rather than try to answer all the emails we get privately we've decided to do a thread that you folks may find interesting and show it's progress as it becomes a product that will be available to you fellow modelers. As Rick stated, the original investors will be taken care of first (no exceptions). TDR does not accept pre-orders or gather waiting lists. I'll start posting pictures and show it's progress here.....please feel free to comment, ask questions etc. in this thread. Rick and I will do our best to answer any questions retaliative to the car. It's as close are we are going to be able to get to a "true 1971" muscle car. Apologies to Harry....it's not a Super Bird! It should really excite you large scale Mopar guys, finally a big Mopar with some goodies to go along with it. As you know, TDR doesn't settle for close enough or it's just a model....well enough babbling, I'll get some photos loaded and show you guys where it's at.

You guys have some great looking hobby rooms and work areas. Keeping everything neat and orderly is darn near impossible for me as just about everything I do is 1/8th, 1/6th and so on....they eat up a fair amount of real estate, LOL. I have stuff under beds, in closets, and the room I built as a hobby room has on going projects everywhere. The best I can do is allocate a small space for each of them. I even went as far as to start rat holing stuff (wrapped in plastic) out back in the shed. I had considered using the full size workshop but I have a rolling chassis (my last personal hot rod) in it and all my big power tools, torches etc. It drives my wife nuts but it suits me. I kinda, sorta know where to look if I need this or that.

Sam...what you have there is probably a 392 Hemi.....an easy way to tell is that the earlier Hemi's up to 392 had the distributor on the back of the block. The 426 has it on the front....there are other differences as well and many folks confuse the two simply because of the big valve covers. They are both Chrysler Hemi's but different engines!

Auto or a hand shaker Rick?

Great to see you back at the workbench Rick, I know you've been busy with other stuff. Think of it as therapy...have fun.

You asked so here I go........ my biggest beef with model shows or contests isn't who judges them...it's how they are judged. On one end you have the mega buck pro-builders and on the other, the guys that have no access to hi-tech equiptment or the funds to compete on that level. Far too many times I've seen very imaginative labor intensive models overlooked in favor of lack luster builds with fancy paint jobs. I really see no way to level the playing field to make it fair for everyone. As far as the "ladies" go.......go to a local establishment that specializes in just that....you won't be distracted by model cars that way.

I kinda like the brown...goes well with the coffee stains on my T-shirt.

Incredible workmanship Dave. Your attention to detail and scale is unbelievable!

A hi-watt soldering iron is a great tool to make dents with.....I have some homemade tips that have a large surface area I use to form plastic or heat it from behind. It's much easier to control than an open flame. I put the hot iron in a stand and then simply hold the body over the tool. When the plastic begins to sag slightly You can go back with any sort of tool to add add a crease or scrape while the plastic is still soft. Not much chance of your model going up in flames either...LOL. Depending on the tip size or distance from the tool will control the size of the area you heating.

Personally, I'd lose the wood grain on the bed sides and cut down on the size of the wood bed rails. I'd also add a visor over the windshield and some wide whites......but that's just what would suit me, it's your build and if it makes you happy as is, that's all that matters.

Haven't posted in this thread lately as I've been tied up with a with a TDR project. I needed a break from that so I thought I'd tinker a little with the XK engine. The first photo shows an old style center bolt oil filter which would probably be more appropriate if I was building a "period correct" engine. It's too big and clunky for what I'm trying to accomplish. The one on the right is a little more modern in that it's a spin on cartridge type (I swiped it from a TDR 426 kit). I have limited space between the "T" frame rails so I shortened the 426 oil can by about a 1/16". The rest of these pics show the starter, oil filter and exhaust for the turbos installed. I have to go back and do a little touch up on the paint here and there, sprinkle on a few bolt heads and do some basic wiring. The oil pan won't be finished or painted until the rest of the engine is done, I don't want to scuff up the finish on it as I'm using it for a temporary engine stand. LOL

Maybe? What kind of talk is that Syd? A 1/8th scratch build of an old balloon car or hack would rock! At least you wouldn't have to fuss with a bunch of compound curves or miles of wiring to detail it. One day I hope to build a hi-end boat tail (wood body) 1/8th or 1/6th roadster.....alas, that comes after the TDR stuff I'm working on. I don't think I'd be able to persuade the TDR gang to do a stock banger (4 cylinder) in 1/8th but maybe if we made enough noise they'd do one just to shut us up?

Looking good Hawk, bend up a dip stick for it, add a little eye candy and it sounds like a winner to me.

Model.

I really enjoy your posts Mario, great source of inspiration for me when the old bones get weary.

So where you headed Mario? The "fade-away orange" or the black fade. I've always favored the the black fade version myself.

AMAZING!!!!!!!!!

Brizio.........Now that's Hot Roddin'. Better get a new set of P.F. flyers if you were to chase that beast around the yard. Sterling job.

Got a new camera and along with it comes that learning curve thing.....anyway here's a few pics of the XK engine with the acorn nuts and some of the bright work installed. On to finishing out the oil pan, bending up a dip stick and adding a few bolts here and there.

Nope.

Hi gang....I haven't posted in this thread for a few as my trusty ol' Nikon took a dump. I'll get a new camera sometime next week and post some more pics of the XK engine...it's stating to look pretty good, at least to me. Just wanted to let you guys know that this thread isn't dead. For those of you that were concerned about Mario...he's fine....the earthquakes left a trail of destruction in the aftermath but he'll be back posting with us soon.

Different strokes for different folks rings loud and clear in this thread. I'm basically a Mopar guy but appreciate and enjoy viewing creativity from all the other car guys...regardless of what it morphs into at the end of day it's still car stuff. I work (kinda, sorta, I'm supposed to be retired) for American Classic Motorcars.....like the name says, we don't deal in rice. I took a '69 Hemi Roadrunner to the 2 day Garlits show at his museum last Dec. The car had a price tag of $90k. It drew crowds both days and the only thing I couldn't pass on the way there was a gas station. The car was black on black, 410 gears, bucket seats, 727, headers, cam and absolutely perfect in every way. The original cast headers and gears were included with car. To customize or alter this fully restored vehicle would have sent me into a fit. On the other hand we also had a GTX 440....great car and in excellent condition, that was altered to become a street ground pounder as it wasn't a perfect car to start with. I'd rather see them altered into show cars or hot rods than wind up being crushed and the steel used to produce a Kia. Just my opinion.

One of things I hear most often from the sponsors of model shows here "locally" is that they just don't have the table space to display Biggies. The other excuse I get is that it isn't fair to the small scale guys when it comes to judging. When I ask why not separate the judging for the smaller scales from the larger ones and devote only a quarter of the table space for large entries...I'm usually told it's just too much extra work. Personally, all of these excuses sound like B.S. to me. I know I'm just a grumpy old fart but I spend money on my large scale stuff just like the small car guys and buy stuff from the same local hobby shops they do. But when it comes time for the (LHS) guys to put on a show/contest....the biggies get passed by. Like Matt said, it's the mentality.....but not from the small scale guys. It's more on the sponsors side of the fence. I've seen small scale models that rival some of the best big ones so I don't feel that's an issue...now if a sponsor told me that there just weren't enough large scale entries to make it worth while........I'd buy that as a legitimate reason and it would be shame on us for obvious reasons.

LOL....the key word here is "affordable"....the stuff in this link really does look like chrome, but the start up system is around 3k...way outside my hobby budget. http://www.sprayonchrome.com/index2.html