LDO

That is really cool. Are you planning to make copies? If so, I would like to buy or trade to get one. Merry Christmas, Lee

Those parts are really delicate. In resin, you'd have a hard time keeping them intact. You'd come out ahead by purchasing more Monogram kits to raid for parts. It's very likely that the resin you want would cost more than an entire old kit. You'll also have the rest of the kit to add to your spares stash.

That is a really neat project. It will be awesome when finished. Wheel ideas? The only thing I can think of is 1/4 scale r/c car wheels and tires. I looked on ebay and the only thing I saw is a set of dragster front wheels with tires. Not really appropriate for a street car. I see you used plastic signs for the body. You may run into trouble if you try to polish the paint. Those large panels will flex like crazy, making it a pretty tough task, if not impossible. If you plan flat paint or even rust, then no big deal.

I'm LongDistanceOperator on several sites, but that name is too long for this site. That's what my initials stand for, not Lee D. Owens. Another site wouldn't take either of those names, so I used another hobby name: Homebrewer.

I wasn't able to get back in time for photos on Tuesday. It will likely be Saturday before I can be home during daylight hours. I work crazy hours at my job. Leave at 6:30 and if I'm lucky, get home at 7pm. They work us like slaves, but I did interview for a new job on Tuesday. I got the job, I just need to wait until the new year to start. I really feel like just quitting the job I have. The only reason I haven't is because the start date for the new job is not carved in stone. I wouldn't want to be unemployed for a whole month.

I've got a 1988 Mustang with a fuel-injected 5.0 in the driveway. If that will work for you, I can get pics later today.

I was about to ask if that's a 1963 countertop that it's sitting on.

Start with any kit that has parts you need for a specific project. If you want a Ford 4-cam 4.6 and some cool wheels for a street rod, it's hard to go wrong with AMT '32 Ford Vicky. It has lots of cool parts for street rods. Monogram's '69 Torino Talladega has a great big block. The Testors Vantastic family of cars have really cool seats for a street rod or street machine. IMHO, it's better to hunt for parts you want. If you're looking a special part, just ask on here what kit has what you're after. Use those parts and the rest goes into the spares stash.

some of these or some from the closet or garage stash

I didn't say we shouldn't strive for realism. In fact, I believe I said we should...but with paint, instead of molding tires in rubber. I wonder why we can't buy a 1/15 scale Duesenberg with a body of hammered brass & copper, an engine of machined metal, and an interior of leather and wood...at Wal-Mart for 18 bucks?

For the life of me, I'll never get why modelers insist on having tires that are soft and molded in black. Model cars don't have metal engine blocks. They don't have any parts made of carbon fiber. Model Corvettes don't have fiberglass bodies. Seats aren't covered in leather/suede/vinyl. Years ago, a Kiwi friend sent me several sets of 1/8 scale wide whites copied in resin. I took them to a model car club meeting and no one wanted them...at no charge...because they were in white resin.

I'd like to see a "design a TIV" project. Just daydreaming about what would make an awesome TIV. Something heavy...and heavy duty. Maybe a chassis from a big rig wrecker. That could carry armor and lots of gear inside. Imagine an auger at each corner to secure it to the ground. It could drill 2 feet down and then just ride the storm out. A tank would be wild, but it would have to be carried around on a trailer and unloaded near a storm. Even the Army takes them to the field on a trailer. But wow...what an intercept vehicle that would be. Just daydreaming...

I'm guessing that license plate didn't come with the kit.

BMF is not to be toyed with.

Same here, but 12-14 hour days. If you want to extend the deadline, I'm sure no one would object.

THAT sounds really cool. There's nothing preventing a builder from adding a chassis and engine at a later date if they want to, I suppose. Any idea of a price for a curbside Cobra?

I think it's great to see this kit. I hope I can get one, but even if I can't, kudos to everyone who had a hand in the project. Lee, the guy who never says "You're making a huge mistake by not offering a 1974 Snoozemobile 4-door".

I think it would be hard to go wrong with a 1/8 scale '69 Camaro. I'd buy one for pro/street. I'm sure plenty of people would want one to build as a stocker. Offer a ZL-1 engine. A '29 Ford Tudor Sedan body to fit the Big Deuce chassis or a TDR chassis would be nice.

ModelMartin offers a 300mm tire conversion for Revell's choppers. Before the Revell choppers were released, I machined triple clamps and forks for a soldered-copper frame.

For fuel cells and other "boxes", I would use .040" minimum. There's nothing wrong with using .060". Thin stuff like .020" or .030" can easily bow inward and also be difficult to glue. (Use a section of quarter round rod at seams for more surface area). For really big boxes like a 1/24 box truck, I used .100" and laminated some .040" to it. I'm sure others will say it was overkill, but I do not want it to bow inwards. It doesn't open, so I don't care about scale thickness. I also added braces. For frame rails, I don't know what size strip would be best. You need to know the size of the real one, then divide by 24 or 25 and get the closest size.

As far as suppliers go, I can't help you. I get all my styrene from my local hobby shop. If you want to mail-order from them, I can PM you the name and phone number. For what thickness to use, it comes down to ease of use/strength vs. scale appearance. If it's a street rod with boxed frame rails, I would say go with solid strip. It will be strongest and it is consistently sized for the whole length. If you cut frame rails from sheet, it's very easy to have one end turn out taller than the other. If the frame rails will not be boxed, I'd say glue up a C-section at the exposed ends of the rails only, like the front of a '32 Ford. Let the hidden parts remain solid (boxed). If you don't turn it over or put it on jack stands with mirrors under it, your secret is safe. That's a trick I learned from Gerald Wingrove's books. For glue, I just love Weld-On 3. It makes a weld joint and dries fairly quickly. I used Testors liquid cement for years until someone told me that Weld-On dries so much faster. Testors can remain tacky after days or even weeks when doing things like laminating plastic. For filler, I like 2-part catalyzed putty. My favorite is Evercoat Eurosoft glazing putty. It sands and feathers beautifully. You may find it sticks better to primer than bare plastic. YMMV