Sam Cates

Van's are the *insert expletive*! I am getting pretty stoked about putting my 1:1 '79 Nomad back on the road. ...and again

Precisely, also used a couple of this issue.

1/25 Revell

This is all I have to say...

Thanks for the tip Danno, it will be very helpful in my next couple of woody builds!

Started this kit quite a while back, got the body painted and the engine/chassis started, then put it on the shelf. Dug it out a couple weeks ago to finish it for the Goodguys model car show, and here it is! Changed the wheels/tires, wired the engine, added fuel lines, and parachute lines. Feel free to comment Sam

Built this kit OOB. I added plug wires and tailgate chains, the hinges and steering linkage are all done with steel wire because I went through three kits to make the hinges fit right without breaking the plastic pivot points and most still broke. Really cool old kit, lots of detail for its age and other than the hinge issues it was a pretty smooth build. Feel free to comment Sam

FREAKIN' SWEET, I am not much much of a lowrider guy though I build a few. Love the clean uniform color without all the goofy stripes and murals. Very cool build!

Well here is a few photos taken today. As it sits it needs the interior completely redone (Frickin' mice) new paint, and just today I located a freshly rebuilt 16A 245 C.I. flat six to replace the cracked one. But it runs and drives! It was painted around 15 years ago, and has since been dinged and chipped being moved from place to place, but it is the original color.

The oldest is...38 I think, youngest is 15, I am right in the middle at 23 with two older brothers, an older sister, two younger sisters and a younger brother... Believe me, I wasn't proud to drive the things I was allowed to before (Celebrity wagon, 80-something Dodge Ram van, Astro van, Caravan, Aerostar...frickin vans!) My dad gave me the keys to his '53 Willys pickup a few years ago, it is a blast to drive, especially in the mud, that thing, in 1st gear I can hop out of the truck, and walk next to it while it idled in first climbing a 30 percent grade. But the Stude' I have sooo many fond memories of, my dad and I driving around town, the car is simply amazing.

Cool, but why isn't it crumpled into a small ball of plastic? That's the way I envisioned it! But that is coming from a guy who despises any post 1973 Vettes...

Anyone else get excited about your first time driving dad's old car? I am getting sooo stoked about it, we finally got my pop's '49 Studebaker Land Cruiser running, I have never driven it before and he is letting me take it to the Goodguys show this coming weekend! There is just something amazing about getting to drive the old family car! He bought it when I was about 5, the car has a lot of history just in my fathers hands. It has been stolen 3 times, rolled off a trailer into a garage wall, the cooling system didn't get drained in '96 when we had a REALLY bad ice storm, cracked the head and the block... I am afraid though, that after driving this amazing machine, that I will get addicted to it, and there are seven of us children fighting over who gets it when my parents are gone... When he told me that he wanted ME to drive it to the show, I swear it was the best feeling in the world! I was in shock, I didn't know what to say, like a little school girl had jumped inside my mind and was telling me to do cart wheels and back flips and what not! Anyone else get that feeling before? I will take some photos of the old boat when I get a chance this evening or tomorrow and post them!

It was really nice seeing that at the meeting Doug, superb work slicing the roof off and the color suits it very well, see you at the Goodguys show!

Very cool, nice job on the detail!

The green is what I used on my '64 Impala, looks really good, found the stuff at Autozone. Great paint!

Nice clean build, not sure if you were going for a satin paint finish, but it looks good. If you are going for a more glossy look, a few coats of clear and a little polishing goes a long way. If you want to improve, just focus more on the little details of the build, all the little chrome details on the 1:1 vehicles, things like sanding the tire tread and painting brakes a different color...Getting lots of reference photos is very helpful in any build, so on your next build, find lots of photos of the real deal, study them well and maybe try to replicate the details you see. But most importantly, take is slow & easy and enjoy the build!

After my constant nagging, my 11 yo daughter finished her first kit, she went to a club meeting and begged for a kit, then decided it was too hard, so I nagged long enough that she finally built it. She had a Revell '99 Camaro but lost a few parts so I gave her the parts from my '02 Z28 kit. Then my developmentally delayed son (9 yo) said "I want one too!" Gave him a Street Fighter kit that I had robbed the wheels, tires and shifter from, and he went right to work. I think they both did pretty well for their firsts. Let em' (and me) know what you think!

Very clean build, black looks really good on it. Definitely something I would drive!

Spot on, spot on! Amazing how much Hot Wheels cars can inspire larger scale builds!

Very nice build, color suits it well, seeing all of the recent Deora builds makes me want to grab one from my shelves and get going on it.

Very cool, I am still looking for that issue, I have the Vandal issue, really fun kit!

Thanks guys! I see Chris that you are into the ambulance stuff, where do you get the resin kits? I would like to build a few more.

Thanks! I saw it in the fall releases, I am going to snag a few of them, a couple to build and some for bashing. Of course I am going to have a spending spree when the fall releases hit the shelves anyway!