traditional

Harry, I can't even begin to tell you how interesting I find these brass era models you're doing. Super intriguing cars, and beautifully finished models. Just keep-em-coming! Cliff

I believe the trade-name is RenShape, but it's known in the design community simply as Ren. It's available in various densities, but I would avoid the lightest versions since they have more air-gaps and are therefore more difficult to paint. I would recommend asking if a local industrial design studio would sell you a small chunk of it the size and density you require. The wholesale trade size is a huge, thick board and it would be expensive. I have lots of smaller blocks of it that I use from time to time.......it's just handy stuff left over from my design days.

I've just completed this Olds custom last night after (believe it or not) over 110 hours of effort. The starting material was a cheap, damaged (and missing a few parts) diecast stock '55 Olds, bought at a toy show a while ago. I'd also bought, on Ebay, a set of American style wire wheels for just such a project, and the Olds purchase was just the impetus to get this model rolling. There are lots of body modifications and hand-made parts throughout, and paint is basecoat/clearcoat deep purple over a pearl base. The period typical 'Carson' style top was hand (and Dremmel) hogged out of a block of 'REN', a resin modelling material used in product design studios. The windshield has been chopped a scale 2", the Packard style tail-lights are handmade, and the exhaust system is done in polished aluminum tubing. The materials used on this model include styrene, diecast, tin, aluminum, Ren, Bondo, epoxy, cyanoacrylate, and ,of course, the various paints.

My brother, Larry, just sent me pics of his completed trailer to go with his recently completed '59 White 3400 Diesel Tractor. The trailer is entirely scratch-built (mostly brass) using reference of covered-wagon style trailers from that era, and it's painted in basecoat/clearcoat to match the tractor's livery. All the useable sides, hoops, rope, and tarp are stacked in the front area of the trailer, and I noticed that he's even run the simulated wiring to the tail-lights, etc.

Yes, that was the factory sleeper for the 3400TD

The original DM diecast was a lighter, gasoline powered tractor with simpler details and a shorter wheelbase

These are preliminary photos of my brother, Larry's latest model... a 1/24 scale, mid '50s to early '60s White 3400TD which, when completed, will also feature a 35' flat deck trailer. The production truck was unusual in that the cab was raised, a large interior dog house fabricated necessitating the raising of the passenger seat, and two large radiators mounted behind the cab to effectively accommodate the Cummins NH220 engine. This was White's largest truck in the 3000 series and referred to at the time as 'King of the Highway'. The model is mostly scratch built of soldered brass (chassis, steering axle, air and fuel tanks, radiator / exhaust / Luberfiner assembly, all fuel, air, and coolant plumbing, mirrors, accessory sanders, factory sleeper, and complete trailer structure, etc.), and styrene (engine, batteries, interior dog house and interior sleeper, trailer deck, etc.). The modified cab front and door structures are from an incomplete and damaged Danbury Mint diecast. The standard White 3400TD (tractor / diesel) production colors were ...red chassis and green or red cab. The model is done in basecoat / clearcoat for the main chassis and cab components, while smaller details are picked out with Humbrol and Testors paints . The model is quite heavy, very durable and, so far, has taken more than 500 hours to build. He expects the trailer will be completed by the end of this month and I will re-post images of the full rig at that time. For Larry, this is a productive way to thoroughly enjoy what otherwise has been a cold, long, hard winter.

My brother, Larry's 1/25 scale 1952 International L130 one ton, light duty stake truck.........using the basic cab from a Spec-Cast 1953 International pickup and modified with a brass '52 grille area including all bright trim, new hood front detail, and scratch-built chassis, stake bed. brass front axle with steering, and even handmade wheels. There's also lots of added engine and interior detail using factory reference. Paint was basecoat/clearcoat, and the model was completed over ten years ago.

I've just completed this traditional hot rod pickup from a damaged and dusty (and missing some trim parts), stock DM '35 Ford PU that I found at a 'give-away price' at a toy show. Modifications include: body stripped and repainted in custom mixed (basecoat/clearcoat), hot-rodded flathead with lots of handmade details (lines, linkages, filters, plumbing, etc.), brass radiator, tuck-n-roll custom interior (styrene) with felt carpet, fabricated dropped front axle and handmade transverse springs (individual leaves/shackles) in front as well as rear, custom tubing dual exhaust, handmade plastic spare tire cover, wooden box floor, steelies with wide whites, etc. There are lots of additional handmade details such as door handles, gate chain, gas filler, and tear-drop tail-lights. The "Sweet Pea" lettering on the spare tire cover is a combination of model RR lettering and hand painting with a fine brush. Materials used include styrene, aluminum, plated wire, brass, tin, felt, wood, and diecast.

Harry, that looks superb........I like and appreciate the extra detail work and, furthermore, I love offbeat subject matter. That's a 'hit'.

Alyn, I learned very early on to throw away the tires in the early Revell kits. The only other tires that I had any plastic-melt issues with were a couple of '70s era Japanese kits. Paint curing fumes never seemed to have any effect on models over time, although I have a few from 10 years ago, done in basecoat/clearcoat that still give off a solvent smell whenever the display case is opened. Perhaps the display cases are not only keeping my models dust free, but also protecting me from the possible bad health effects of the solvents........another good reason to always use them for finished models.

I believe that the 1/32 Revell (Highway Pioneers) kit was probably the first plastic kit made of a Hot Rod.....crude by later standards but quite cute in its own right. The Monogram was a later (1959) kit and although still a multi-piece body, was much better proportioned and more accurate in detail. I built both of these models around 1970 and they're both very simple with very little added detail (I did change the Monogram's grill insert from the "uncomfortible" heavy vertical bars to a fine plumbing mesh and I used smaller front tires) but I did fill the multi-piece body seams and paint both kits with my first airbrush...a Binks Wren intended mostly for artwork. Like all my models, I've always used display cases to keep dust off them and they've stayed fairly pristine for the last 44 years, or so. I'm really happy to still have these models... both as a history of the development of model Kits , and a history of my own model building.

Sorry, I somehow added this post twice.

Hi Christopher, The tape that I use is somewhat the same as the aluminum (not cloth) tape used for taping ductwork, etc. It is a bit thicker than BMF but still quite thin and I cut it with scissors or a sharp exacto/ straight-edge. It's best for relatively straight lines and because it's actual metal, it can be burnished over a raised piece of trim with a toothpick to take the exact trim form. It's fairly easily removed when fresh, but over time becomes quite permanent. I've been using it for a long time and what I like most about it is that it usually doesn't have that wrinkly look you so often see with BMF.

Charlie, I totally agree. Strange to think that 10 years later, the same design team was adding tacky 'opera windows', Landau irons, and puffy padded tops to their luxury brands. For a while there, the American manufacturers lost their way.

Still on my nostalgia kick, I decided to photograph my decades old (late '70s) build of IDEAL's Continental Mk II. It's a large (probably 1/16 or so) curbside model that I believe was introduced in the early '60s since it used a one-piece body rather than the typical mid-fifties multi-piece bodies such as Revell's. Paint was automotive lacquer with Pactra chrome-silver trim (Testor's chrome paint was 'junk' back then) and the model was kept fresh and clean in a displaycase.

That's really pretty! So glad you were able to save it.

These simple, old curbside Hubley kits were built decades ago, and if memory serves, the only modifications that I made (other than paint) were the spare tire details..... the kit just used the regular wheel and hubcap. Paint was automotive lacquer, and trim was done with 'muffler tape'....something I still prefer over BMF for straight lines. I also used a 'tech pen' to detail the cowl vents. The models have shared a display-case since first finished so they've, fortunately, stayed fresh.

1948 Studebaker M16 racecar hauler (carrying my Stude C/Gasser from last year) !941 GMC COE fuel tanker

Peter, your models always look like 1/1 vehicles.......and beautiful ones at that. Superb finishes and great photography.

D##N! I really like that five-window......looks just right!!

Chevy powered '41 Ford Deluxe Sedan Cad powered '29 Ford Hiboy on Deuce rails Cad powered '40 Ford Coupe with matching Mullins Trailer Buick "nailhead' powered '33 Ford coupe MERRY XMAS, and I wish everyone here a HAPPY 2014