Modelmartin

I have seen worse done to a real Porsche so making a low-rider/hopper thing out of a model is just fine!

He certainly did, didn't he? Can we all pile on, now?? Huh? Huh? Please, Harry!

I pretty much just ignored Nick because I wasn't at all interested. That is why I never ripped on him. I never read his stuff. I likely won't read Jimmy's stuff for the same reason. Having said that, I would say to Jimmy - Don't be too proud of your ability to use spellcheck because you still need to learn to use the correct words and grammar. You aren't doing a very good job of that. I would suggest doing a lot of reading. It can be about cars, too. It will be very helpful. You too, Nick!

Better yet, ashcan that thing and find a Williams Bros Kit of it in 1/32. They build like a dream ( a good one! ) and they also have the GeeBee Z. I know they are out of production now but they were available for so many years there must be a lot of them laying around somewhere.

Very clever and well executed. I like how you used the VW beltline trim and extended it to the back and used the wagon rod rear fenders. They match the VW fronts nicely but work so much better. I also think you were smart to use the wagon rod windshield. So many VW wagon conversions look awkward but yours is excellent.

To paraphrase someone famous, " You shall overcome, some day!" Go for it. Break the curse. And don't move anymore!

That's pretty cool, Darin!

He was a cunning runt!

That was way funnier than the Chili joke!

All of Mark's advice is good so I won't repeat it. I would add one technique to that. Sometimes I lay out the line that needs to be scribed with masking tape. Sometimes if it is a curved line I will lay down the tape, draw a pencil line on it and cut away the unneeded tape with the sharp end of the knife. I then use the back side of the knife to start scribing. The first few passes are very, very light - just scratching the surface. Once a groove is established slightly more pressure can be added until you get the depth you want. Sometimes you can tilt it to one side on one pass and the other way on the next pass to widen it a little bit if needed. Good luck to you.

Working spring-loaded trunk release button. I did that in 1980 and it still works.

Ok, you guys! I guess I have to be the dissenting opinion, here. I gots to be keeping it real. What's with this grasshopper and gold star stuff? I have used squadron green, white, 3M blue, etc for a long, long time and have had excellent results. I use it as intended however. It is meant for spots(hence Spot Putty) and very thin sections. The putty is basically thick lacquer primer. It is an automotive product and should be used like one. I use it in thin sections, let it dry thoroughly and spray lacquer primer over it before putting on color coats. I have 20 and 30 year old paint jobs that have not had the putty shrink underneath. There is nothing wrong with the product if used properly. When I am doing a lot of bodywork I keep a small jar of unthinned lacquer primer on my bench and apply it to pinholes or small spots with a brush. I have filled up panel lines with it, sanded it smooth and rescribed a new, thinner panel line in it's place. It works great. For big filling jobs I use a really unusual product - Styrene plastic. I make up filler parts to go in gaps and glue them in place with MEK or volatile solvent/glue. Failing that I like Milliput Epoxy putty. It is much cheaper and I think better than Tamiya 2-part. I have used fine grained bondo and that is pretty good but very sloppy. The Milliput can be shaped very nicely and has a lengthy working time. It doesn't feather edge well that is where the Spot putty comes in. That's what I know.

Stop it you guys! You are embarassing me! Oh by the way, could you talk to my boss for me? He doesn't have nearly the same impression of me that you guys do. His opinion of me went way, way down when I asked for a raise! Seriously though, Tim Boyd is one of the great all around guys in this hobby. From the days of his prize winning models appearing in MPC contest coverage in Car Model Magazine to his long running column in Street Rodder magazine and his many great articles in SAE and Model Cars. Few have given so much to this hobby. He is a nice guy, too. Mark is an OK guy, too . He is an great member of this forum and a very fun guy to hang with. See you at NNL North next year again, I hope.

Very cool model, Harry! How about a figure of Mark Twain piloting it?

Just listen to all of you guys arguing about your "kits". REAL model builders with huevos don't need no stinking kits! We scratchbuild everything! We smelt our own brass and roll out the sheets. We draw our own wire and tap the rubber trees in our backyard and vulcanise our own tires!! KITS!! HA!

The Heller Porsche 917 is nasty!!! I have built two now and they are a total joke under the skin. I glued the entire body together and then cut out the bottom section to get even a resemblance of the body panels fitting. Thank goodness for the Fujimi coming out. My stack of Hellers will never be built and that is a good thing. And I like Heller kits!! The Revell VW Beetles and variants had all kinds of sink marks in hard to get at areas like in the cowl area between the dors and front fenders. They had horrible panel lines, fading away drip rails and distorted windsheild trim. Yikes! Their buses were really no better. I don't think I have seen one built well ever! Most of the Revell stuff from late 60s to early 70s are awful. The 914 has been mentioned but don't forget the 911 and the Carrera! The three gassers, Henry J, Willys PU, and Austin were just cr@p! All of the VW powered buggies and Dave Deal designed Moon Mixer, Meter Cheater, etc kits were terrible. The VW motors are ridiculous and the kits are engineered so badly. I am building a T-Bone Stake bed from the Deal line and a Cal-Look Beetle. I had to shave every detail off of the Beetle and fix the sink marks. Then I re-did all of the panel lines, added back new drip rails and trim. I am just perverse enough to want to make a model car out of it! Then there is the Gypsy and Gran Turismo Dune Buggies. They did turn out nice. I refused to even buy a Super Safari buggy. That is beyond fugly.

AMT and Monogram 53 Corvette kits have the Blue Flame 6. XR-6 also had a slant six chrysler. How about the Monogram Red Baron pseudo WW1 airplane engine?

Thanks for the pics, Tim. The only sensory item missing are the taste of NNL bars. I have missed three times in a row, now. I really want to get back. Maybe next year!

As a Silver Ghost enthusiast I instantly knew it was not real. Windscreen frame, upholstery, and general proportions are out of kilter. Model!

David, Just go to a contest, any contest - big or small, and let the process begin. You will have fun and be inspired. Back in 1979, I drove down to Omaha for the last MPC National Championship contest. I didn't even win a consolation prize with what was my best model ever at that point. But I came away so jazzed up and excited that people thought all my screws came loose! It was the single most inspirational experience in my model car life.

Perhaps no one commented on it because there is none?

Details!!!

Now, That's a ride!!! I would call it the Roof-Door Sedan now!

I am very impressed with the high level of building quality and all of the great imagination shown. It was an excellent show. Merci beaucoup!

That is very sad. Like so many, I loved all of the Stone, Woods, & Cook cars and all of their permutations.