mr moto

My best guess is that the metal conductor strips in the track have built up an oxide film which is perfectly normal. Get a hard ink eraser or similar fine abrasive tool (Aurora used to sell a "track cleaner" which was just a hard eraser) and use it to lightly polish the surface of the conductors. That should be done fairly often - maybe once a week or so. Also, if the notches from wear in the shoes have gotten too deep the contact is going to be poor. Maybe that can be repaired with solder but it will probably wear down pretty fast. Replacement shoes are recommended.

I second what everybody's said about the interior. Absolutely outstanding! What did you use for the carpet? It looks better than flocking but maybe you're just that much better with flocking than I am!

I've got it figured out. It used to be one of these before it shrank!

................speechless! Those are just fantastic!!

That's extremely cool!! My favorite part is the rag gas cap. Did Mercedes build them that way?

OOOOOOH!!!!! Love that!

I like the look that you're headed for. The top picture looks great because '59 Chevies are cool but we've all seen them before. Your idea really brings out something extra in the lines. Very stylish!

Did I miss the link?

That's wierd enough for me! I love it!

Really cool build! I love to see stuff that's different. The turbine was part of Revell's initial line of Parts Paks in the 60's. From what I've heard, it's based on absolutely nothing but the imaginations of a few guys at Revell who cobbled together a master from odds and ends. They're hard to find but I got one on Ebay for not too much money - they show up every now and then. Still haven't figured out what to do with it!

All things Studebaker get my attention and I'm lovin' this one. The paint is great and that hood definitely makes it look like the meanest kid on the block!

Excellent build!! It has that convincing real look that's so hard to achieve. Just the right patina on everything. What did you use for the finish on the valve covers and inner fenders?

I guess I'll have to say real because this car is my daily driver. Okay, you probably didn't believe that!

That's a great idea. The old Mopar "rectangle" wheels, especially '60 Plymouth, add just the right "outer space" touch to a 60's custom.

I love that!! Excellent work. How did you do the headers?

http://www.seltd.net/34101cp.html Scale Equipment Ltd. has those concrete blocks for you.

Very cool and creative! I'll bet you had fun with that one.

I agree that SMP seems to have disappeared after 1961 and I believe it was fully absorbed by AMT at that point if it hadn't been before. My favorite example of what Ed was talking about is the "AMT" 1965 Dodge Coronet. It was really an MPC tool but I didn't know that at the time. I just knew I liked that kit and built three of them. A few years later I bought an MPC Dodge Charger and was surprised to find that many of the parts were interchangeable!

Excellent!! I remember seeing that illustration in R&C and thinking that it was very inspirational but I never acted on it. Thanks for taking the opportunity to be inspired and running with it.

I know there are some very knowledgeable model car historians on this forum - Art Anderson certainly comes to mind - and the real history and relationship of AMT to SMP has never been clear to me. I looked at the Wikipedia article and some of it didn't add up to me (go ahead, act surprised!). I was around back in the day when AMT and SMP kits were out there and I don't think there was any difference at the time. If their selection of kits wasn't the same it sure overlapped a lot. The boxes looked the same except for the letters on the logo. So who came out the 3-in-1 kit first or was it at the same time and were AMT and SMP already the same company, why did they market under both names, etc.?

BTW, that's not just a made up engine that only exists in the kit. That's the "R-5" engine that Andy Granatelli ran in the "Duo Cento" at Bonneville. The R-1, 2, 3 and 4 engines were all production engines (even though real original 3's and 4's were only made in the single digits). It was rumored that a version of the R-5 would make it into production if Studebaker could have lasted a little longer. Great reference stuff at the link below: http://www.studebaker-info.org/AVDB3/duecento/230211/dc230211.html

Holy Moley!! I LUVVV that Dodge!! Is that the original engine from the Johan kit detailed to the max or is that a Ross Gibson?

Slant Six under construction to go into a 60's style D/Dragster.

Now that we've seen the 1:1 where's the model? That's fantastic!!

You know Harry has been known to Photoshop the background! I still think it's real - just saying, don't judge by the background.