David G.

Very cool, nicely composed.

I finally got the interior done. I cut down the '56 Nomad interior and added a rear bulkhead. The colors are Tamiya Coral Blue and Racing White form spray cans. They seem like a good color combination for a '50's car. Being a nuclear powered car, I felt that the standard automotive controls would be insufficient to manage the reactor's functions. Therefore, I manufactured a center console by kitbashing some controls borrowed from a model airplane kit. This is also my first attempt at working with metal foil. I used Testor's brand Model Master foil and I'm a little disappointed with the results. The biggest problem I had was with the adhesive on the back of the foil. The foil seemed to cut well enough, but when I tried to separate or lift the unwanted foil from the work area, the adhesive wanted to continue hold the foil together. When finally separated, the adhesive became stringy and tended to ball up like rubber cement. Yuck! I hope the snaps are worth the wait. "Beauty Shot" I thought that managing a mini nuclear power plant would require a more complex control interface so I cobbled one together using parts from the same aircraft kit. Thanks for taking the time to look. David G.

You might have nailed the next roadster fad. The younger folks already make compact pick-ups into roadstersby removing the bed and cutting the roof off, this might be a next logical step. There aren't many more Ford Model T's to be discovered behind barns these days but there are plenty of pick-up beds around!

Yes, but they're not paying the shipping, we are. They are making more money by reducing the manufacture cost and passing the shipping cost on to us. Of course, they may just trying to stay in business and avoid shutting down like so many others have had to do. Hmmm. This must be the new "Kit Modder's Series" kits I've been hearing about. Yeah, right. But it does sound like a good bonus for the ol' parts box.

That's wild, those tubs might leave just enough room for a seat!

I usually listen to the Conan Soundtrack by Basil Poledouris on the Win. Media Player. It really seems to start the creative muse! I found the suite on youtube, it's a fairly goog sampling of the entire soundtrack.

Welcome! There is plenty of good information on the forum. You can just browse the Tips and Tricks section or search by topic for whatever information you're interested in. If you don't find what you need that way, you can always post a question. We have some very knowledgable people here who are very happy to help. Again, welcome and have fun!

I think CA might have some issues in a hot, dry climate like Phoenix, where I live. It may be due to a lack of prep skill on my part, but it seems that after a few years, the CA sometimes just lets go. Not all of it, not all at once and it's mostly very small parts. I know that it cures faster in warmer temps, maybe that has something to do with the adhesion failure. But like I said, it could also be a result of my prep.

Even though it would be mostly fiberglass a real vehicle like that would probably need a 454 to deliver the expected 'Vette performance. Now if you could get ahold of a dual-quad 427... hoo boy!

Juergen, A very imperssive build, and excellent photography. I remember seeing one of these trucks as a young man and just fell in love with its appearance and styling. I particularly like the way the body and wheel colors you chose work together. David

I've been away from building for a while, and I'm just now learning to use both flocking and foil tape. Patience and practice are indeed the operative terms when learning to use them. On my current project, I've flocked the floor twice so far and I'm trying to decide if I want a third go at it. The flocking went on well enough but, shortly after applying it, I started painting the gas pedal with some Testors flat black and the flocking picked up the paint. All I could do was sit back and appreciate the beauty of hydro-dynamics as the black paint wicked up into the gray flocking. I blotted much of the paint with cotton swabs and removed the tainted area before the white glue had time to completely set. The whole event is kind of funny now that I see it from today's vantage point; an example of patience and practice at odds with me. I'll patch the flocking today and see how it looks, and remember to do any spot painting before gluing the flocking in place.

Very Cool! It reminds me of Barris' Batmobile from the TV show in the 60's.

Just yesterday I used Brasso metal polish to remove some paint. The paint was fairly new, though. One advantageis that this is a cleaner that many people will already have around the house. I dabbed it on with a toothbrush and sealed the parts in a ziplock bag for a few hours to prevent evaporation, then came back and brushed most of the paint off with the toothbrush. It may take a few applications but it doesn't seem to attack the plastic.

I remember when I first started seeing the Daihatsu Charade about 20 years ago, I thought, "All we need now is the Toyota Travisty and the Mitsubishi Farce!"

I love those old models. In the days before CAD-CAM, designers had to hold a lot more in their heads than they do now. I think there was more of an art to it then. Thanks for sharing those!

Are you making the top panels removable or just removing them. Maybe another option would be to make them removable but use a translucent material and make them into sky-lights like the fiberglass roof panels on the UPS trucks. That would give a more solid reason to have the cut roof panels. So far it looks good!

Thanks, I'll keep that one in mind. I've always loved the Dodge/Chrysler products from the late '60s and early '70s. They looked great and were faster than most comparable Ford and GM cars. My mom had a gold '68 Coronet 440 sedan that she scared the tar out of her. It had the 383ci Police Interceptor. I've always wanted to build one.

It looks pretty good already. It'll be interesting to see what improvements and changes you make. Hmm, maybe a cop car, taxi or military staff car.

I can't wait to see what you do with it. Have fun!

A beautiful build and a wonderful tribute to your father. May I ask who made the kit and do you know if it's still available? I haven't built a muscle car in years and this one looks like something I'd like to work on.

The Ford Nucleon is in part what I based my concept on. Mainly the engine pod and the twin catamaran booms on the back. I wanted the rear of mine a little more protected to minimize damage from potential collisions. Wait until you see the rear bumper! "Chernobyl GT" I like that! I'm calling mine the Chevy Proton, though. They (fictionally) beat Ford to the punch four years earlier in 1954.

I added a scratch- and parts-built nuclear engine and started fine sanding the body. And as promised, the pics are at least a little better. I think the profile came out fairly good, in spite of the hack job. As always, thanks for taking the time to look and feel free to comment. David G.

The level of detail you've put into that car is just wonderful. It feels like it has mass and weight.

That's how you know it's a daily driver!

Wow! You really nailed the rust-bucket look. I remember seeing more that a few cars like this driving... yes driving... around N.E. Ohio where I grew up. Haven't seen so many since I moved to Phoenix, though. Very impressive!