Modelmartin

That's a fine build of a very difficult kit. It turned out very well. I have to get going on my 427 powered Lemans version of it!

It might be Mill City Replicas. I'm not sure but I thought he did a few trunkback Fords.

I tend to be somewhat iconoclastic in my views on most things and this topic is no exception. The more things change the more they stay the same is what I think. There were boring "appliance" cars at any point in automotive history. There were and are some very cool cars at any point, also. A few examples are 50s pre-Exner Mopars. They are stodgy and boring - devoid of personality. If they didn't have drag racing nostalgia going for them, 30s Willys would be considered boring econo-boxes which is what they were. Model Ts are really cool but they are appliances. So are Beetles but they had more character. Like the previous member stated about the Fusion - it isn't "appliancey". He is right. The Fusion/Milan is a very good looking car. The newest Malibu isn't bad either. The previous one was awful and that wagonback thing was truly awful. I think a lot of the nostalgia is for the long hood/short deck look that some cars have. I think a well designed front driver can look real good without having to imitate a rear driver. It is a different look but it can look real good. I just love the new Mini Clubman. Imagine a front drive wagon that can look that good!! The love affair with the automonile is definitely not over in my opinion. It has changed dramatically and new generations are taking it over and us old farts are grumbling about it because the new generation doesn't go for "our" cars!

Where did those pics come from? It must have been from the Pimp-mobiles Club of America National Meet.

I love the Flintstones rolling stock on that sedan! There is a Japanese kit of a van like the ones you pictured. Our local hobby shop has been trying to sell it for years!!! Here is a fun one to add to the theme of these threads

I don't want to be all "know it all - like" but it's Yugoslavian. The Russian Fiats were Ladas. There were Spanish ones too called SEAT. They were all junk anyway so it hardly matters .

Scalekraft resin body on Tamiya guts. Paint is actual BMC Bermuda Blue I found on a reject shelf at an auto paint store about 20 years ago!

No, Piranha made the 1/43rd, not Tamiya. I was referring to the Tamiya 1/24th of which I have built 4 so far. It gets tight in the 1/24th engine bay so I can't imagine how tight the Piranha 1/43rd engine bay would be. I do have a line on one of those kits. I will have to sharpen my tweezers! You are welcome!

Is that all you got? I have at least 20 projects at once! Seriously, though! I like the Castronovo and Nelson Carter Funnys. It's cool to see cars that aren't just Jungle Jim, Snake, Garlits, etc. Finish them!

It's definitely impressive! It looks like a GM pickup cab in the middle of all that chrysler sheet metal. It does bring to mind the idea that just because you can put all of "that" into one car it doesn't mean that you should! I think it will look horribly dated in ten years. Remember all of those crazy ISCA show cars drom the 70s like the mid-engine vette with 4 turbos, etc.

Piranha Models was the company name. It is white metal and 1/43rd. It was pricey - about $75. I found mine on Ebay. I don't think it would be too hard to find. They were german but the masters were done by AMR who is an old master at 1/43rd. I will post pics of the model next week. The same outfit also put out a regular mini in 1/43rd with engine detail!!! It is not easy stuffing a Tamiya mini together. I can't imagine half the size! Good luck with your search.

What about it?

I know a former peugeot mechanic who calls them pigtw#ts!!!!

The ACV-30 (Anniversary Concept Vehicle) was a weird unit. It was built to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 67 Monte Carlo rally victory. I like the styling but the actual car was mid-engined and rear wheel drive. The interior was very cool. I did get one of the Piranha 1/43rd white metal kits of it. It built very nicely.

Scalekraft (now out of business) made them in resin a few years ago. They fit on the Tamiya kit. I haven't built the pick-up or panel yet but the Countryman Estate (wagon to us!) turned out well. He did a Clubman saloon, also. Very nice quality and worth seeking out.

Are you sure they aren't Top Gear spoofs? I thought they just spoofed everyone with a Porsche.

If only! We all know that Gregg is!!

The Jo-han is 1/25th and the Monograms are way big! I measured it at about 1/22 scale. My guess is that they scaled it up so that they could use their "one size fits all" classic car tire on it. If you put either the Jo-han, Italieri or Heller 500-540k kits next to one of the Monograms the size difference is really obvious. I am assuming Monogram used some of the same patterns to make the Rommel Rod as the stocker. Who is going to put wire wheels on their Rommel Rod? How about wires on the track wheels? Wide whites?

In Minnesota there would be a stand-off. No one would go! They would all be waving at each other for the others to go first! Minnesotans are notorious for being passive-agressive. At the same time as they are trying to get others to go first they are cursing them under their breath for being so much trouble! Stop signs here must be parked 30 feet from. The high beam question was goofy. The left/right thing at an intersection is useless because nobody knows it, people rarely arrive at the same time and the willingness to go first or last is never a match. I got 84 on this quiz. I got 97 on my class D real driver test and I got 92 for my class B. I hate it when people don't follow right of way rules. It can be quite unsafe whether they do it from agressiveness or "nice"ness. Once when I was driving in Salt Lake City I was stopped waiting to make a left hand turn into a parking lot, a driver in the opposite lane stopped to let me go in front of him. It was a four lane road! I was not about to kill myself in the the lane he wasn't stopped in. Needless to say I refused his hospitality. One of my favorite and quite common "offenses" to driving decency and intelligence is the person in front of you poking along well below the limit and then punching it at the last second to get through that yellow...no....red light leaving you stranded at the red when at your normal pace you would have easily cleared it .

2 differnt guys in my club started them. One succeded in finishing it and the other guy gave up. It can be done but isn't easy. Take on the challenge!

The flathead 4 cylinder in the ERTL (originally MPC) Jeep is the correct basic motor for the Willys. It shouldn't be too hard a conversion to do. The frames in the Willys kits are slightly modified from stock and would just need stock "style" suspension installed along with the Jeep motor. Some filling in of the rear wheel wells is obviously needed too. Good luck - it's a cool idea.

I am a machinist, also. I should think the piece you glued together would be machinable. Use a very sharp tool and don't spin it too fast. When turning styrene the heat of cutting will soften it pretty quickly. Either go real light on your cuts or blow air on it to keep it cool while you are machining. It isn't too hard to find styrene bar stock in different diameters. I have had real good luck turning all kinds of parts from it. I wouldn't use acrylic rod(plexi) because it chips real bad when machining. Good luck.

I built this from a gluebomb about 20 years ago! The friend who sold it to me kind of snickered when I bought it for $5.00 so I decided that I had to build it and make it look good just to show him! This was back when the monochromatic thing was going on and the tuner and skirt thing was happening. It was fun. Who would have expected a Valiant to get that kind of treatment? That is a Porsche whaletail.

Must be nice to be the KING!

Very cool and kudos to you for making an R&R kit look that good. It had to be a labor of love