Codi

Just shaking my head here John. You are a machine when it comes to building. Cheers, Tim

Nice to have ya' back Chris and that's a great update. I still have that copy of the punch list for your build, it's not nearly as long as you think now. I don't know what happened to the engine when you dropped it earlier but I don't see any hints of damage anywhere. Nice save sir!!! cheers, tim

Been a bit since I've checked it out Eric but you didn't disappoint. Another cool build by you & especially like the diversity of the builds you select...........truly unique. cheers, tim

Phenomenal car John, I'm waiting too like everyone else as you move along with it. Cheers, tim

It's been several years since I originally posted this project. After the demise of Henry and the Bantam approaching the finish line (I'm doing the steering link currently) I wanted to get one done. The Bantam will take me 6 more months at the rate I'm going so it won't be done till Labor Day......HOPEFULLY. When I started this car there was one thing I wasn't wild about, that being the wheel fairings. As you can see by the pic on page one, they're flat on top because I couldn't figure out a way to make them properly curved/rounded. Spent about 10 or so hours this week trying a couple new techniques and stumbled across one that I think will work. I took brass tube, cut it down the middle and put small relief cuts (so it wouldn't crimp when formed) every 5mm. I came across a carabiner at the hardware store that had a shape similar to the original fairings. I annealed the brass and formed it over the carbiner while tapping the sides down with a forming hammer. After a bit of shaping with files I sweat soldered some brass sheet over the sides and cleaned it up. The sample brass fairing is not the correct size obviously but it gave me an idea of what it would look like on the car. This is what I wanted all along. So I'm figuring on a week of work to make all 4 fairings (the fronts are a bit smaller than the rears) and move ahead to finish it. Comments welcome, Cheers....tim Raw materials used to make the top portion Here you can really see the difference of the two designs

Cool look build Dennis. Your choices for the engine and wheels are perfect. I saw that Scale Motorsports is going to go out of business so I checked out their site yesterday. They have some really sweet billet wheels that are very similar to the ones you're showing here, big and littles, that might interest you. Good luck and I'll be sure to follow as well. Cheers, tim

Finally some bench time after my entire family came down with all or some of the flu, pneumonia and bronchitis. I saw a pic of an altered that had a cool scalloped detail around the firewall opening, idea to strengthen the opening itself while doing so with a bit of cool factor. A little detailing and onto the next steps.............cheers

TOO FUNNY Gregory!!!!!!

Hi John, 2 things come to mind, first one, I have no idea what a rocket anything should look like but whatever it is, I'm sure you're nailing it. Second, your use of the archer decals and the weathering skills you've applied to your tanks add such a wonderful level of detail / realism. Kudos sir. tim

If you have the desire, there are some great insights on how to scratch your own...........both Chris on his mega Vega funny build and Brad (gasser59) have both built gassers/funnies with phenomenal tin work. I've not tried their methods but I'm going to at some juncture, they're VERY realistic. cheers, tim

Wow, a lot of replies to JC's original comment & question. His observation of what constitutes real racing is spot on in my estimation. Rubbin' ain't racing. If you're behind, it's YOUR job to get around the driver ahead without hitting or causing an accident. I've been blessed to have road raced on some of the best tracks in the country and also on an oval, once.............the biggest difference being that if you make a mistake on an oval, well, typically that's all she wrote because you're more than likely heading up the track into the wall. Trying to save the car is darn near impossible. Purposely causing or putting yourself and others into a position where an accident might occur is irresponsible at best. Deadly at worst. So you can simply count me among the group that doesn't subscribe to rubbin' is racing. In closing, I'm sure this will stir the kettle quite a bit but you might ask yourself the next time you're watching Indy 500, do you see them purposely "rubbin" the other guy.........obviously not............and yet it's still great racing......on an oval. Something to ponder perhaps. Cheers, Tim

Thanks everyone and I'd like to acknowledge Lee's comments which are very flattering as that is some mighty fine company he's pointed out and I must agree with your comments about the forum in general. Great site here. Firewall is almost done and I'll be working on other tin work and supports now. . Still some fiddlin' to do to the edges to get them perfect but I'm sneaking up on it. Cheers, Tim this pic gives an idea of the tweekin' that I've got to finish on it.........

Saw that too JC and completely agree. The better car/driver did NOT win the race that day and we'll never truly know which driver & team it really was. I respect what those drivers do even though I'm not a big fan of Nascar..............more a drag and road racing fan personally. I think Nascar ultimately loses any hope of broadening their viewer base when potential fans witness that entire debacle and just turn it off and their less likely to turn it back on in the future. cheers, tim

On the body

Hey Pete, I had to laugh when you pointed out the bonehead I made...............thank you for the comment, I don't know about being a Master Modeler or anything, but I will say I'm one of the slowest. Dave, the chute cord is white thread that I wrapped around several times between two mandrels then I took flat white dental floss and wrapped the end where the loop for the chute bar is. The chute that I wrapped it around was from my parts box, I don't know where I got it but it was resin. Chris, I used the thin as it doesn't fill in or lose the texture in the fabric which is also the reason I didn't primer it. No need to do that right?! I'll keep on the lookout for your updates !! Cheers everyone!

John, Dave & Brad, appreciated as always. I've just gotta get some more meaningful bench time soon so I can show some real progress and get her done. Thanks again! Chris, thanks.......chute material, I use a roll of Johnson & Johnson surgical tape that I bought at Rite-Aid a few years ago. It's a fairly lightweight tape that stretches minimally while flattening and sticking on the corners. I love working with it. Stuff is still tacky and stays in place with little or no fraying when I cut it. No part number on the roll unfortunately. It only said "Made in Brazil"in red on the inside of the roll and it's 1" wide. The overall roll was a bit more than 2" when I bought it btw. After I put it down and have it in position, I swab the entire chute lightly with some Zap A Gap Thin glue (the pink bottle) over it just to be sure it's secured. No primer, just Testors flat black over it & done. Sorry I couldn't give you a particular part number........btw, I read the post on the Vega. EXCELLENT and I'll be watching for it. cheers, tim

Very beautiful build Guy. The details you put into the interior match are just phenomenal as well. The assembly and execution are particularly clean throughout. Congratulations! cheers, tim

What a gorgeous car Ken. That's perfection sir. cheers, tim

Thank you Brian & Joseph for the kind comments and for following my progress on it. Chutes done. The bracket is a combination of MCG hood hinges and some s/steel tubing. I'll secure the parachute base to the rear deck / spare tire spot. Firewall is finally on deck. cheers, tim

SMH John. What WILL you think of next? Your range of topics is simply incomparable. cheers, tim

I knew it was only a matter of patience and we'd get to see this one outside. Stunning John. Just curious, will you offer it to the guys that built/own the real 1:1 car? I'm sure they'd be proud to showcase your build along with the real one. Great job again John! cheers, tim

Ahhhhh, waiting on the Superbowl to start....... Chris, thanks for the reply and please let me know your progress on those wrenches. I'd buy em' in a heartbeat. Dave (Goatguy) appreciated man, just gotta get some free time in the future to get together. Like the build you're currently working on btw. Thank you Brad, don't know about a "tour" but a few shows will be on the calendar. I'll be sure to provide a heads-up and it would be fun to meet you finally. I just won't be traveling west of the Mississippi though. Bob, and????????? otherwise known as hijacking a thread. I won't mind if you delete your post. Cheers, Tim

Hi Chris, thanks and regarding the micro wrenches for the tiny bolts, when ScaleHardware was still in business he sold those super small hex wrenches from 1.0 down to .6. I'm glad I bought them when I did. On the important .5mm sizes that I use a lot of I had to make my own. I tried putting R.B. Motion socket type hardware on the end of 1/16" rods but the alum. was too soft. I took brass stock and drill out the centers and cross cut them for a poor rendition of a wrench. They do work though. I also found some micro sized pin vices that will grip rather well the heads and turn them but because of their overall head size, I'm limited to where I can get to on a build with them. Your idea of 3D printed ones is a great one and I'd buy a bunch of them if you ever did make them. My only concern would be how durable them would be due to the materials. Hope that helps a bit. John, yeah I was thinking the same thing of your build when I saw the Berlin Buick. What the heck can you come up with next? Can't wait to see it whatever you choose. Brad, thanks so much for THOSE positive words. You have to admit though that it's going to be time to get on with this one so I can move onto the next build. I'm more than ready now! Dave & Mike, thanks too guys. Obviously I'm getting a bit bogged down in some details right now but every part that comes up next it seems that I just do what I've been doing and it's taking a LONG time. Appreciate your interest in the car after all this time. Randy, thanks sir. Always nice to hear from you. I'll give you a call soon to touch base, it's been a while since we spoke. cheers Dave(comp) Yeah, I'm looking forward to that as well. I've never been to a manufacturing place such as that one so it will be fun & educational. Bring your wallet, those puppies are expensive. I'll buy lunch. Cheers to one and all!

Took me a while to respond John but it's only because it took me this long to soak in all the details. Just one of the points of interest is the twin small "buttons" on the door panels on the tartan fabric. Subtle but you can't miss them. Great eye and execution as always! cheers, tim

That is SO over the top that I can't wait to see the rest of this car. You sir have one of the best imaginations around. cheers, tim