GTMust

Thanks everyone. Mark..... the tarp is made from many layers of bathroom tissue (to the ladies) or "toilet paper" to the rest of us, layed over a scrtatchbuilt stryrene box. I used a thinned out mixture of white glue and water with my fingers to created the folds, then when it was all dried and stiff I trimmed around the edges to create the tarp look and the folds at the corners. A very messy job... but lots of childish fun! I printed the letters (white on a black background) on regular lightweight print paper on my computer. I cut the prints up to sections that would fit each surface and glued them to the appropriate location, again using my fingers to create folds in the "tarp". When it was all dry, I painted the tarp flat black, right up as close as I could get to each letter so that the paint blended in with the black of the prints. It was mostly a case of experimentation... but I think it turned out quite well. Tony

Thanks guys. Mark... believe it or not.... this was actually an oval dirt track racer! Man, what an unstable monster to manhandle on the dirt! Terry......I just created a Union for myself. Now I just work to rule! Tony

Another 1/32 scale Model T Ford scratchbuilt racer with two engines no less!! Browsing the Internet, I came across this Model 'T' racer with two engines: As I had a whole bunch of parts left from previous Model 'T' builds I thought I'd give it a try. Here's the finished model: Hope you like it.

Great work. What did you use and how did you achieve such great looking woodwork? I can never get my wooden bodies to look like this. Tony

Thanks for the comment Jon. I think the info came straight out of Wikipedia.... or some other source. Wish I was that knowledgable! Tony

Continuing on with my early racers in 1/32 scale........... On June 22, 1909, at precisely 12:55:25pm, a 1909 Model T Ford won the 1909 New York to Seattle Ocean to Ocean Endurance Race. The contest, sponsored by the millionaire Robert Guggenheim, was part of a publicity campaign for, the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held in Seattle that year. The spidery tough Model T, which weighed less than a thousand pounds, started the Race with four heavy-weight cars; the Stearns, Acme, Shawmut and Itala; each weighing from 3500-4600 pounds. Henry Ford was convinced that a cheap, tough, lightweight, flexible car was what was needed for the impassable roads of 1909 and in that conviction he was right. The Race, to be 4106 miles and lasting 22 days, started from New York City Hall on June 1 when President Taft pressed a golden telegraph key in Washington which both opened the AYP Exposition in Seattle and signaled Mayor McClellan of New York City to fire a gold revolver. They were off for twenty-two days of indescribable driving conditions, requiring the drivers and the mechanics to be entirely self-reliant, highly creative and ingenious in overcoming the many obstacles before them. The summer rains were terrible; the mud ubiquitous and a plague; streams had to be forded; the Fords, (two were entered), were mired in quicksand; often they became lost in deserts and badlands. At Prosser, Washington, an observer, not used to cars, struck a match on the side of the Ford's gas tank and the car caught fire. At Snoqualmie Pass, just east of Seattle, the Ford sank four feet in the snow and a railway gang dug it out. Arriving at the finish line in Seattle at the Drumheller Fountain, which was the center of the AYP Exhibition of 1909 and now the center of the University of Washington where the fountain still exists, the Ford was declared the winner with a jubilant Henry Ford (caught for posterity by the brilliance of Mr. Kodak) proudly standing by. Although the Shawmut, which crossed the finish line seventeen hours after the Ford, was ultimately declared the winner the following November by the Automobile Club of America, the Shawmut's declared ex-post-facto victory came too late. Pursuant to Rule 3 of the Race Rules, the Ford’s engine had been illegally substituted for part of the distance replacing the engine stamped by the ACA at the beginning of the Race. From June to November Henry Ford put on an advertising and media blitz which implanted in the mind of the world at large that the FORD HAD WON, thereby providing a huge impetus for Ford sales--- the 1909 Model T which won the race was the first year of production which ran until 1927 with 15,007,033 Model T's having been manufactured. and with the Shawmutt: And the replica of the car in the museum: And here's my (semi)scratchbuilt replica of the car. I used the Pyro Couplet chassis, hood and wheels and scratchbuilt the rest from sheet styene and paper. Hope you like.........

Thank you all for the kind words. Tony

Thanks for all the additional information. Sometimes it's difficult to seperate fact from fiction..... even when it appears in web sites prepared by supposed "authorities". I'm glad to see other members that share my interests and can shed light on some "gray" areas of automotive history. Tony

After seeing Curt's great 1/32 scale Matchbox Mercedes SSKL model, I felt inspired to show some of my 1/32 scale models. One of the areas of historic automobiles I find interesting is the early racers. Very few model kits are available of these fabulous machines so the only way to go is ...... scratchbuild it! The first Indy 500 was held in 1911 and won by a car known as the "Marmon Wasp". Here's a couple of pictures of (I believe) Corky Coker's (of Coker Tire) reconstruction of the car, which may or may not be 100% accurate. There is some discussion about the color of the actual car..... some say it was orange, others say it was yellow and hence the nickname "Wasp". Opponents of this theory argue that the "wasp" designation came from the "stinger" shape of the tail. So my build is not necessarily 100% accurate but..... who's going to say it's wrong?? I used a set of drawings originally published in Rod and Custom magazine in June, 1965, scaled down to 1/32 scale on my computer, plus photos of Corky's car. Anyway.... cutting to the chase...... here's the finished model. As you probably know, the addition of the rear view mirror (a first) enabled the car to be raced without a riding mechanic, thus saving about 150 - 200 lbs of weight. The actual car is now restored... possibly with an incorrect color (?) and resides in the Indy Hall of Fame. The copy built by Corky Coker of Coker tire has been featured on Hot Rod TV. Hope you like it. Now to try to duplicate those racing numbers! Tony

Great work Curt! I've got a couple of these to build and I think you just inspired me to get started!!! 1/32 is my "Scale of choice" now..... as I've run out of shelf space for the bigger stuff, and the selection of antiques and classics from Matchbox, Pyro, Airfix, etc. is much larger than 1/25 scale. And the dios to set them in take a lot less space as well. Please keep these little gems coming...... Tony.

Whoops!!!! I just realized that you built this from the funeral parlor kit. An abandoned funeral parlor becomes a funky music store.... cool!!! Possibly a real life scenario? Now I can understand the connection and the image starts to make sense. Sorry I jumped in with my comment too quickly Junior. Tony

I love the way you've done it Junior. But... please don't be offended... to me the door looks more like the windows of a church, cathedral or funeral home than a funky music store. The windows are fine..... but I'm not feeling the door. (I feel terible saying this!) Tony

George...... I think maybe you're taking this dio too seriously? I too am a major dog lover. My Malamute/terrier mix spends most of her time indoors... because she seems to want to be with us. But in the yard she's always on a 20' chain while she does her "thing". I've seen too many instances of gates being left open or holes in a fence.... and the dog is gone! I hope you don't find my avatar offensive..... personally, I found it humorous. Definitely not something to do to a real dog. As far as the junkyard dog is concerned, I think you'll find they MUST be on a lease or chain when the yard is open to the public. It just makes good sense. Tony

Thanks Junior. I'll check it out. Tony

I owned a '78 Gold Bird back in '81 thru '85. One of my favourite memories. Lost it in a divorce settlement..... and my ex sold it for $1,600 and a Commodore 64 computer! I think she did it out of spite, 'cos she knew I wanted it! Nice paint... it's gonna be a good one. Tony

As a Mustang guy myself, I'm going to be following this one all the way. Keep it coming Mario. Tony.

What's "wood crackle", Junior? Tony

Thanks Junior. It's looking a little sterile right now,,,,,,, but hopefully that will change as the "population" grows! Tony

I can't believe the amazing quality and imagination built into your work Charles. Outstanding! Tony

Over the past few months I've been building some of the individual buildings to populate my Thomasville diarama. The background story...... Thomasville is an imaginary town, somewhere in the midwest, named after it's founder Thomas Ratcliffe, an 16 year old English immigrant who landed on North American shores at the beginning of the nineteenth century. As he grew and learned the ways of the New World and it's native inhabitants, his bravery and spirit helped him to grow into a succesfull backwoodsman and later, a well respected businessman. He opened his first trading post in the late 1870's, later to become the town's general store. Elected Mayor, the town grew under his guidance and he soon added additional buidings and businesses, including a hardware store, a Wells Fargo office, a jail and sherrif's office, a bank and an hotel. The town prospered long after his death, until the depression years..... and than sat, mostly abandoned until some time in the 1970's when the whole town was purchased and restored to it's original condition as a tourist attraction. Today you can see both antique and modern vehicles on it's preserved dirt Main street, as it has become a center for car shows and history buffs of all kinds. Now it's time to put the town together as my imagination sees it. This won't be an overnight project... I expect to be working on it over many years, hopefully improving and adding to it as time goes by. But for now, here are a couple of preliminary pictures with the buildings placed in their respective positions. Comments and suggestions welcome......

Do you work in 1/32 scale very much? Due to space limitations, that's my favourite scale now.... but doesn't seem very popular on the forum. Of course, there are a limited number of kits available, which could be one reason why. Most of them are from old molds, so details are very simplistic as well. Tony

How you did this much in a few months is amazing Sam. I'm really impressed! More street level pictures, please....... Thanks for showing it. Tony

Yummy! Looks like it will be another great one from you Miguel. Tony

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!! This is definitely one of the VERY BEST dios I've ever seen! I can't add enough !!!!!!!'s If it wasn't for the small base, it could easily be real. WOW! Tony

I say go for it........ if you've got room on the street. A custom shop needs lots of work space! Tony