oldcarfan
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Posts posted by oldcarfan
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Since it's Canonball season again it's started me thinking, which is never a good thing!
This idea could apply to Revell or to Round2, but how about a duallie Chevy/GMC 4 door truck? Revell's has released Monogram's old tool Chevy and GMC many times over the last few years and it seems to be a consistent seller. Maybe they could do one of this as well. Maybe they could do it like they did the F-250 and F-350 getting a straight side and a duallie out of the same tooling.
If they made it compatible with the Monogram 1/24th GMC, I can think of a lot projects this might spin off. We could even use the long bed and combine it with the regular cab and a stretched frame for a long wished for Fall Guy truck to go with the old series and new movie that's coming out.
I'm sure it's more complicated than I make it seem, but this is sure a good looking truck.
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I've started a WIP thread for my entry, not much action yet, but here's hoping I'll have something to show soon! Apparently, when I bought some parts bags a few years ago at a model show, there were some of the Expedition police parts from one of these kits mixed in. I don't know if I'll find a use, but the mesh interior guards might be a good idea for keeping stuff in place at high speeds. At least that's my theory.
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32 minutes ago, av405 said:
I noticed that both had dimples on the hood. Now it bothers me that I didn't fill them in on my build.
Yes, courtesy of those molded plugs underneath, mine has those dimples. The Lindberg hood will need some adjustment, but I think it'll work.
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That looks amazing! You did some nice work on that kit. My Cannonball entry will be one of these with some modifications. Did those driving lights come with the kit? They really fit with the look.
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22 minutes ago, av405 said:
Yep. This is why something like the Stranger Things Blazer is such a good bet. There's still plenty around and not uncommon to see on the streets, they're seen as "classics" by the youngsters and even by me (I"m 33), they appeal to different crowds (police/emergency, stock builders, those looking to modify them into off-roads, etc.) and most importantly of all, they're tied into a long-running and popular tv show that is seen by multiple generations. 80's nostalgia has been the thing for a while now, Revell is playing it smart by cashing in on it and building something that hasn't been done yet.
You make a good point. I think one of the things that keeps Round 2 viable is their tie-ins with Coke and other brands. A lot of kits get sold to people who don't build, but collect items from a particular brand. That's great in that they help support those of who are builders. I can't imagine Round 2 tooling up that 63 Nova wagon or the 60 and 63 F-1-00s without the thought of rereleasing it them in Coke versions. Same thing with Revell. I doubt we'd see a new tool Blazer, or Camaro for instance being tooled up without the guaranteed sales from those collectors. Here's hoping they'll eventually do a modified Blazer with the Amity Island markings!
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Some stuff arrived today and I can't wait for the temperature to get into the 50s on Thursday so I can test them out. The last few days were between 7 and 18 degrees which is pretty cold for central Texas. That being said, here's the haul for today.
First up is the twin turbo Boss 302 from Texas 3D, which arrived well packed and pretty much ready to put together. I wanted the 7.3 diesel from Iceman, but he was sold out. I already have plans to get one of those to go in my Monogram F-350.
The other item was a Cobra IRS from the Monogram kit. It may not work, but I'm thinking I might be able to turn it into a 2nd generation Expedition IRS. I figure that would give it better high speed handling. If not, I've got a couple of the F350 rear ends and springs so that might be a stand in.
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I got some potential parts for my Cannonballer today. Assuming it will fit, I'm thinking this twin turbo Boss 302 engine will do the trick and I'm hoping this Cobra IRS can be modified into a 2nd generation Expedition IRS.
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42 minutes ago, iamsuperdan said:
You're right! But it's actually issue 221.
Excellent article, but it really only covered the North American kit manufacturers. AMT, MPC, Revell, etc.
Other than a short paragraph, it made no mention of kits from Aoshima, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Italeri, ESCI. And those would have covered brands like Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Jeep, Land Rover/Range Rover, and Mercedes; to name a few.
The market has moved away from the subjects we know and love. It feels like the only kids who build muscle cars are the ones who watch Vin Diesel abuse them on the screen. If they build, they're more likely to build something Japanese. My oldest son will go to the hobby store with me sometimes and he heads straight to the Gundam, or Transformers area. My youngest does have some interest in vehicles, but it's more for 90s Ford or Chevy trucks which to him are 'classics'. Right now, he drools over mid 90s F-250 4x4s from the OLD days before he was born.
I've been a collector more than a builder over the last 15 years, a byproduct of raising two boys. With time now, I'm unpacking all those kits and have found a lot of trucks that I don't remember buying. Among them are the Tamiya Jeep Grand Cherokees, a Montero/Pajero, two Land Cruisers, several ESCI G-Wagens one of their fire Jeeps, and a Land Rover, and several more.
I don't say this to brag about my luck, but to say that the companies could tool up some modern accessories, wheels, tires, bumpers, winches, and roof racks with cargo and rerelease these kits to a market that wants to build such subjects. For that matter, they could offer similar parts to fit some of the car kits, as people are jacking them up and using them off-road now, too. Revell could reissue their excellent F-350 Duallie with a lift kit, some shiny chrome wheels and tires, a bull bar and updated graphics. Maybe they could even tool up a 7.3 diesel!
AMT has now redone their OBS Chevy trucks and they could do the same sort of thing with them.
Granted these accessories are available from the aftermarket, but if they were all part of a kit sold on the hobby store shelf it might tempt a lot of new buyers to give them a try. Plus it would get a bunch of us old-timers to buy new stuff!
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I have a couple of the originals, and this one looks a lot better. Can't wait for them to be widely available.
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Figures they'd reissue this, as I bought three of them at a model show last year. LOL
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LOve these cars and the way you built them. Maybe Fujimi will rerelease them some day!
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Oh well, maybe February.
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I'm curious about that Jimmy Flintstone version. Is it a decent build? Does the kit represent a particular 550? I've been thinking of getting one and removing the hump on the back to make it more like the Jimmy Dean one.
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This thread was a while back, but in the current day of 3D printed engines, we have a raft of options. HOwever, if you are buying a kit to part out the engine, then one of the first answers is probably the best. '5.0 in the Revell 32 Fords as a "crate motor". Also the SBC with Tremec in the Rat Roaster'. Both of those engines represents what you would have bought from a crate motor supplier 10-20 years ago.
As for today, Texas3D and Iceman Collections among others provide some really nice options. I just ordered a twin turbo Boss 5.0 to go with my Cannonball entry.
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I haven't built the Tamiya GT, but the Cobra builds up pretty easily. The only issue I ran into with mine was the frame had a little bit of a twist in it. Some hot water resolved it. It's a generic Cobra and doesn't represent a particular car, so you can build it any way you want. I put a late model 5.0 and modern tires on mine to make it a fiberglass kit car.
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I generally use a piece of styrene cut to whatever size or shape fits the situation. I do make sure the surface is roughed up so the Bondo will have something to cling to. That applies to both the two part and the spot putty. The first time I use some, I worked it until the surface looked amazing, and after painting, I set aside. One flex and the putty popped right off the part. Ugh!
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I was thinking of using a PowerStroke diesel, for this but they are sold out, so instead, I just ordered a twin turbo Boss 302 from Texas 3D. Here's hoping it fits without too much modding. It's probably for the best anyway as a diesel would be pretty heavy.
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8 hours ago, DZ7581 said:
Iceman collections just added a 7.3
Thanks, I looked it up and he's sold out already. I emailed and asked when they'll be back.
In the meantime, has anyone tried to convert the kit's 460 gas engine into a 7.3 diesel?
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Looking for something different to enter, I chose this Revell 1997 Ford Expedition. As it's a Snaptite, it will need some serious work and I got started on it today. As next week will be out due for really cold temps here in central Texas, I opened up the hood and made plans for what needs to be done. After committing to the Run, I ordered some of the things I need. In particular, I ordered a Revell 1997 F-150 Extended Cab kit to provide an engine bay, frame and other assorted things. The kit came in this morning and as I getting ready to open it, I came across the cab and frame from a Lindberg F-150. I don't remember ever building it, but I must have because it was broken up in the bottom of a scrap box. The engine bay got hacked for the Expedition, and the hood replaced the opened up Expedition's hood perfectly. I planned to shorten the Revell donor's frame, but the Lindberg frame fits the Expedition without modification. While waiting for the primer to warm up, I did some mods on the Expedition bumper to see what I can do. I cut it horizontally and and added cutouts for KC lights. Not sure I'll use it, I like the look. After things warm up, I'll get back on the project.
As for the title, I always like to have a theme for my projects, and I'm thinking doing the Expedition in a dark color for night running. I'm looking at either a Voodoo Coyote engine or maybe a twin turbo version.
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I came across these by accident the other day and grabbed a handful. These are Formica samples from Lowes and I picked them up on impulse. So far today, I've used one as a cutting board and can see some other uses as well. Depending on the color you use, they could even make a nice wood bed for a pickup, or maybe siding for a diorama.
The guy at Lowes just laughed when I asked if I could take some. I grabbed 10 in assorted colors and he gave me 10 more just because. They are approximately 3x5 inches and about 1/16th thick.
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We are looking at our first really cold weather of the year here in central Texas. It's supposed to hit something like 9 degrees Sunday night. I'm starting to regret putting off buying a heater for my work area out in the shop. I wasn't planning to start on my Cannonball build quite yet as I'm waiting on some things from suppliers. However, knowing that next week will be too cold, I got started today. My selection for the Run is Revell's 1997 Expedition. As the kit is a SnapTite, I started off by opening the hood. That was as far as I planned to go today, but I came across a junk Lindberg 1997 F150 cab and frame so I thought those might work. As it turns out, the Lindberg engine bay fits very well and the frame fits, too. After that, I gave it a shot of sandable primer and will look at working on it again after the temp get back into the 50s.
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I've had that problem too. I ended up putting a foam ring around it. Now I switched to the Tamiya and it seems a lot more stable.
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I've dropped them in nearly boiling water for a little while. A few minutes in that usually softens them up enough to get them on the wheels.
My Cannonball Run Entry The Night Train
in WIP: Model Trucks: Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial
Posted
Baby steps! It warmed up a bit today, so I got to do a little work. We whiplashed from 7 degrees with a some snow on Monday, to 68 today so I went out to the shop. I sanded the primer on the body and checked for mold marks, then decided to beef up the frame a bit. Since the Expedition is a Snaptite, all the undersides are molded as one piece. I came cross the frame from a Lindberg F-150 a while back and it has the same wheelbase as the Expedition so it's going under it. I had to cut away a bit to fit the SUV's interior bucket and sadly, took too much off. To keep it from breaking I added a bit of L shape Plastruct for strength. That's about all I got today. It's going to be in the 40s tomorrow so we'll see if anything else gets done.
Just a side question, but my Hobby Lobby is slowly getting some Testor's Extreme sprays in. The color choice is limited, but it's better than nothing. The question is, has anyone used these new cans? Are they good paint?
I recently unpacked 16 cans of older Testor's lacquers that I bought about three years ago and so far only about 5 of them are usable. I had 2 can each of their Mopar muscle car colors and they all leaked from the bottom seam, and some other cans seem to have lost their propellant.