W-409

Very cool and creative build, as always! That really Futuristic body styling would be really good thing in Off Roading and there are a lot of good ideas and details that you don't see at the first glance. Great work!

I hope there was a list where was every single U.S name... I could just copy and paste it here.... Anyway I have no idea who is he. Only thing I know is that you're doing fantastic job in here! This really makes me speechless. Is that clear coat polished or is it "straight from the can"?

Thanks! You're correct, the shifter decal was a real pain to get on place. Though it's far away from perfect, but at least it is there ! Some details today: After having trouble with the clear coat on that firewall (Orange peel) I sanded it smooth and because I wanted to get it right this time I just painted it using brush and Tamiya Acrylics. Then I painted the heater box, wires etc. The next part was washer bottle, but it will be a radiator overflow bottle on my build. I removed the mold seam, but I didn't paint that part... Because what would look more like plastic than plastic? I painted some water on the bottle, though. The kit offers exhaust pipes with mufflers on the Race Version. I cut them just before the mufflers, and actually they are shaped just like real X-Frame Chevrolet's headers. After some painting (And searching those Photo Etch header flanges) I was able to glue the pipes and flanges on place. Note The Go Getters' excellent Still Crazy After All These Beers Live Record. Nothing beats real Rockabilly Music!

Thanks Darryl! I've wanted to visit in Swedish Model Car Show for a long time, and when looking at pictures from last year, GGG seems to be a great show. Another thing that I really like in Swedish shows is the amount of Hot Rods and Customs, as we don't have so many of them in here. But looks like it's on the same time as FHRA Drag Race Week at Alastaro, and I'll be driving Stock & Super Stock there... Anyway here's a little update. My friend Matti (ChevyCoupe41) was telling me I should make a Tuck 'n Roll style Custom interior for this one, so I took my saw and started cutting the seats. Once I had cut some plastic away, I filled the holes with sheet styrene. I'll try to put on the actual upholstery tomorrow, and then I need to do the same operation for the back seat. I started the engine, too. While I was planning what Custom/Speed Parts I should install on the engine, Go Getters' Loud Pipes & Lead Feet came from my record player, I thought "Why Not" and started building Blower Intake Manifold for this one. This is how it might look, if it will fit under the hood.

Two very nice builds on great subjects! They both look very good overall and they have the old Race Car's look and feel...Excellent work! Where are the GTO's front tires from? They look perfect for Drag Cars from this era.

Really amazing work, John! What I really like on your builds is of course the amount of scratchbuilt or modified stuff, but also your painting skills to get different kind of metal-looking finishes is stunning. Also your weathering is top notch. The parts don't look too greasy, but they are not shining like new parts, either. I wish I could do that ! I can't wait to see more.

"My plan is to get this one primered really soon...." Well, I wouldn't say this is really soon, but I got it primered today. I had to do some filling as said in the last post, but nothing too much. I'll see how it looks tomorrow in better lightning, but now it looks like it might need some more sanding and smoothing before I can shoot some paint on it.

Thanks a lot, Everyone! I also hope I can fix the hood, and I'll try to bend it back on the Weekend. I think I'll try with hot water first, thanks again everyone for the suggestions - and of course thanks for the kind words, too! I have nothing to show, even though I've been doing some putty work with the body. I just put on another coat of putty, and I'll sand it smooth tomorrow. If I can get it pretty smooth, I'll post a picture tomorrow.

Great looking Chevelle! Just like I'd like to have it if it was 1:1 scale. The wheels and tires fit perfectly on this one, even if I'm a Steel Wheels fan, those are just perfect. Nice paint and detailing, too!

Welcome Gerald! It's great to see other guys who like building Drag Racing subjects. The Drag Racing Models-section on this forum is my favorite with the most talented builders sharing their work methods. I'm sure you'll enjoy. Oh and your stash is looking very interesting. I didn't find a single kit from that pic that I would not like to have on mine. I'm looking forward on seeing your work!

Thanks Guys, I really appreciate it! Finally the paint came off and I was able to spray some Gloss White on the firewall today. I'll see if it needs clear coating tomorrow, but it really feels great to have it in paint. I'm going to put this thing together really soon if everything goes as planned, so stay tuned.

A bit more progress with my '69 Charger Daytona. I got the body sanded once again and it's starting to look pretty smooth. I also added some styrene to cover two minimal gaps between the Hood Scoop and the Hood so I could put some putty there as well. I'll sand it smooth once it's dry and we'll see if it could be even primer or spray filler time... I also primered and painted the engine. The picture was taken tomorrow and today I sprayed a clear coat on those parts. Hopefully I can start assembling those parts soon...

Thanks Richard, Larry and Dave! I will probably to to straighten up the hood. I don't know how it actually works, as I've never tried it before and I'm bit afraid that I'm going to ruin the part, but it's worth a try anyway as that hood can't be used if it's warped that badly. The body is straight, I just checked it. I also tried to take pics of the hood, but none of them showed the warping, even if it can be seen clearly in person. Well I'll try to fix it. Here's just a little update. I added quite a lot little pieces of styrene on the front end to make the grille fit better and to fill little holes that were present. As everything looked good enough, I put some putty on the front end. Once it dries completely, I'll sand it and then we'll see where I am at. I should start the engine while waiting for that. This is the Custom version's rear bumper from this kit. Luckily I have two of these, as I'll cut this one and use it as front bumper. Then it will be sprayed with Alclad as the grille.

This is a very welcome re-release! Or I don't know can we talk about re-release once the kit has a new decal sheet and optional parts that the previous Super Stock issues didn't have. I have been looking for these, but they are getting a bit hard to find. Of course there are many of them in eBay, but many times their shipping is way off. I have to get a couple of these, as I need to build at least one with those new decals, and then I need one of these as a donor kit to build a '63 Z11 Impala with that Z11 Big Block this kit has. These AMT '62 Chevrolets are really nice quality kits, so I can't wait to get this one as I'm really excited about it...This is maybe even more interesting than the new Slingster that I still need to buy, too....

Super Nice Funny Car as always from your bench, Charlie. Your work is fantastic in every way... Smooth and Shiny paint, flawless detailing and I also like the use of different shades of silver on that engine. It makes the engine look much more realistic than if everything was painted with the same shade of silver as I do. Your products are top notch, too.

This turned out fantastic! I enjoyed so much following this one from TRaK and I can say that the end result was worth waiting. This is just my style of a Hot Rod. Perfect stance, wheel and tire choice, nice color and Blower Powered engine! You did a great job with this, it looks very clean and nicely detailed. One of the best Model A's that I've seen. Now needs to get back building mine with the Blown Flathead...

I enjoy seeing old built ups. They are very cool and every one of them has a story (Even if I wouldn't know that story). Anyway I've never bought an old build up with plans on keeping it as it is. But that's because I have never bought a good enough built up so that I could just clean it up and put it on shelf, the ones that I buy usually are missing lots of parts or then there are broken parts. That makes me rebuilding them or using as a donor kit for some resin body. So to answer the question So Exactly What Do You See When You Buy an Old Built Up or Glue Bomb, I see a great basis for rebuilding or a good donor kit.

Incredible, as your all builds are! I really like these X-Frame Chevrolets, and you did a very good job here. Paint job is looking fantastic, especially I like the dashboard, as usually I don't get that kind of a shine there (And I can't polish that small parts without going through the paint ). Fantastic detailing, too and your wheel and tire choice finishes it off. Great job.

Thanks Guys! That link on The H.A.M.B is a great source for photos and ideas. I already got a couple of ideas I want to do with this one. Sorry it took a while to get these photos posted. I was really busy with my 1:1 Chevy Van as I was cleaning, washing and waxing it from outside and inside. Anyway here are three pics with the warped hood on:

I might have missed it, but what's your source for that engine? Ross Gibson? I have the Blower and injector hat already, but I need to find engine from somewhere. Yours looks spot on. Nice work also! Your scratchbuilding skills are really superb and so is your detailing too. I can't wait to see more of this build (And your other builds, too). Keep them coming!

Huh I just sat down, switched this computer on and headed straight to Drag Racing Models... I spent whole day washing, cleaning and waxing my Chevy Van and what would be a better way to relax than checking new progress on Chris' FED? Incredible work, as you always do. The front axle is looking excellent with the Radius Rods. Really great work, and I agree, Pro Tech's Braided Line is absolutely best one available. Next I'm going to check John's Swamp Rat 33 build...

Thanks Guys! That might be a Corvette grille. Now when I think about it, I'm pretty sure it is. It would be just right size and shape for a 'Vette. The reason why there's no hood in these last pics is that the only hood I have is warped and it won't fit on place. Or if it does, it bends the fenders. I gotta get another hood from somewhere, but I'll snap a picture or two with the warped one tomorrow.

Thanks so much Fellas!!! Chuck said the lights could be useable from MPC Chevy Pickup. I guess that might be the best starting point, even if I still should scratchbuild almost everything else. But realistically thinking, building that grille should be possible. Mike: Where did you get the bumpers? They seem to be just right. Casey: Yep, that's correct. I haven't tested if they work, but I believe they do.

There is an ongoing Community Build on Finnish Model Car Association's Forum. It's about '51 Chevrolets. My original plan was to build a Factory Stock '51 Chevy Convertible, but when a couple of guys built super nice Customs, I had to start cutting mine, too. Instead of cuttin' the Convertible, I traded a '51 Chevy HT body from Matti (ChevyCoupe41) and my plan is to install that one on Convertible's chassis and interior. I want mine to be a little different, though I don't want to build a Full Custom. I thought that Chopping the top or stretching the rear fenders might not be a good idea, so I decided to concentrate on grille and bumper area. I remembered that I have one pretty cool Custom grille somewhere, and as I found it, styrene started to fly and this is what I was able to do today... The Starting Point: How it looks now: There's still a lot to do with that front end to fill all of those gaps and shape everything up. But I'd like to hear suggestions on how to improve the styling, I mean that what else modifications I could do or something like that..?

This is excellent work as always from you. I've been following this one from the beginning and my (Imaginary) hat is off. Great work and an interesting project...Keep it going.