mr moto

Who cares if it's real or model? I want it!

Wow! I had forgotten about that one! I tried to build one when I was a kid. That was cruel and unusual punishment. I had never run across a kit that just didn't make sense!

Sounds like we share a lot of common fears! I too have a Johan turbine car and a Mickey Thompson Challenger on the shelf staring back at me. The IMC/Testors GT40 Mark II has always been on my wish list but I don't even have the nerve to buy one!

No plans for a dio right now but it would be a natural evolution to do that in the future.

Shawn, I did use a regular old Nutone bathroom fan. In fact it had been installed in our bathroom until a minor remodeling a couple of years ago. So I can't say for sure that it's the best choice but it was free and it's working great so far!

Thanks for all the good comments, guys! The window tint is Testors candy spray can enamel decanted and airbrushed. The dark bands at the top are candy blue just as it comes out of the can. The rest of the window is a mix of 1 part blue, 3 parts green and 3 parts thinner. It still came out a little too dark so I'll probably add more thinner next time. The windows were coated with Future before tinting. You don't have to do that - I usually don't - but I figured that if I messed it up I just could strip them with Windex. Sure enough, I didn't like the first attempt at the blue bands and Windex took everything off just perfect! I got the dirty window look by just spraying a dust coat of matte finish Krylon fixative from the art supply section of Hobby Lobby.

The Happy Thanksgiving wishes are much appreciated, guys. And here's a Happy Thanksgiving to everybody in this great model building community!

I've been at it again. The body is painted and weathered now and the interior is in its final form with coffee cups and a case of oil added. Next comes the dreaded final assembly and this one looks like a bear. It won't be any picnic getting that 390 Caddy mill with all the power accessories stuffed into the engine compartment. I'm glad I took some pictures of it at this point just in case the whole project ends up as plastic shards on the floor!

Modelhaus, are you listening??

More of these are still appearing on Ebay and I think anybody tempted to bid on one should go in with his eyes open. This is a pretty poor job with lots of ... let's say "challenges". Here are few general shots that will show the contours and surface texture. You can see how bad the general surface is. The rocker panels aren't straight and the roof is somewhat concave at the rear. Also the "Gran Turismo" scripts are missing from the body sides but that seems like a pretty minor point compared to everything else. Here's are the bumpers and grill. The grill is pretty lopsided. The chassis plate that comes with it doesn't fit under the body and besides that it's obviously not a Studebaker piece. It's from a unit body car - something that Stude never had. Now here's the interior tub compared to the ones from the AMT '53 on the left and the R&R 56 Golden Hawk on the right. I'm not sure how it ended up so short but that plus the grossly too wide tunnel is the cause of a poorly proportioned front seat unit. The dash (no picture) is a copy of the one from AMT's Avanti - not a Hawk dashboard at all. So, I guess you get the picture! Two thumbs down for this one!!

Wow! I love a good '36 and that's one of the sweetest ones I've ever seen!

That's really cool and has a definite authentic 60's look. I guess that's because it was done in 1970 when the 60's didn't know they were over yet! How did you do the bodywork? Whenever I strip something that's been done with conventional body putties the stripper removes the putty too. I'm guessing that it's a two-part that can withstand the stripper.

That's amazing! All the more so because I remember seeing those ads in car magazines many years ago. I didn't know if they really worked or if that was just a fly-by-night scam. Back in those days there wasn't always that much difference between the two! If it was real, I reasoned, why wasn't everybody using them? I must have been as whacko as everybody else!

I'll go with model. I think I might even have a good reason this time.

I love it! Check out this link for a case of "life imitates art." http://www.landspeed.com/

Great work and very stylish! Of course, that interior is a little on the plain side!

I have an old issue of Hot Rod or maybe Car Craft (I'll have to check and confirm which) where the Silver Saphire is for sale in the classifieds at the back of the magazine. I think they wanted about $2,900 iirc! Since the family still has the car, I guess nobody was willing to pay that much for it! That was alot more money back in the sixties but it still doesn't sound like much for that car. BTW, speaking of a whole magazine for a quarter (or $0.50), I recently bought the entire 1963 year of Hot Rod for less than $10.00 on Ebay. That's less than a buck an issue and the wealth of legendary goings-on in 1963 is unbelievable. Fabulous reference material!

Wow, CAL! That is one professional looking rig! BTW, they want everybody to put their real name in the signature line on this board. There's not many other rules! Welcome aboard.

Took the words right out of my mouth...Very Cool!!

Definitely a coin flipper this time. Let's see...heads...real!

That MUST be real! I saw the picture on the 'net!

I think the sedan delivery is a Jimmy Flintstone body. If so, it should be very good quality.

OMG! You're doing about the only thing that could make "Frankie" any cooler. Putting tailfins on it!!!

Krylon enamel?? If this is the stuff you're using, it's a lacquer and it sure will cause crazing on some Revell plastic!

Apparently, the seller is also the resin caster so you can expect to see more of them up for auction soon. In fact, there is another one up right now. I don't know if he made the master or not. He had earlier sold a slush cast Hawk that I didn't bid on and I think he named someone else as casting it. It looked VERY similar to what he's selling now so I think that may have been used as a first generation master. I'll see if the slush cast is still in "completed auctions" and if so post some info about it.