1320wayne

What would model building be unless you had multiple projects all going at the same time. I just finished one project and I'm currently working on three others at the same time. This one has me motivated but unfortunately the layout is so large that the only place I have with room to keep it is on the patio and with the heat index currently pushing triple digits it's tough to find the time when weather conditions are adequate. I was able to finish the overall landscape layout, get the hillside contoured the way I wanted it and now as you can see I have all of the grass in place as well as a couple of trees permanently mounted. The building is not in place yet but just to see how it's all going to fit together. Next I will be laying out the balast for the driveway. The corner area in white is where the pond will be poured. Meanwhile I can still work on trees, people and other accessories still to be added to the garage, in the comfort of air conditioning.

Excellent work Charlie.

So on Wed. night I decided to look up an email address for Team Jeg's racing and I sent the media contact an email with pictures of this build. To my surprise, when I got home from work last night, not only did I have a response back from that person but he had forwarded the email to Jeg Coughlin himself and I also had a response back from Jeg as well. Not only was it cool that Jeg responded but that he responded so quickly. He thought the build was awesome and I thought the response was awesome. Just thought I'd share.

Again, it depends on what era of Pro Mod a person would be looking to build. Most later body styles pretty much have a "Wedge" shaped profile for the purpose of aerodynamics. And Jody, as I stated above, it's personal preference as to how accurate you want your build to be. That being said your cowl scoop is just fine. But, if accuracy is what you are after you would have to ask yourself, if this were a real car would the driver be able to see past the scoop? It's totally up to you.

Folks, this project is complete. See the Drag Racing section for final pictures. Thanks for looking.

Here are the completed pictures and link to the build album for this project. http://public.fotki.com/1320wayne/my-drag-..._dodge_stratus/

Greg, thanks for the comments. This body, however is not a Comp Resins body. It came from Badhabit Motorsports when they were still in business. It was slush cast body that was not the greatest quality. The Comp Resins body, though is typical of Rogers work and is top notch and very easy to work with. Very little cleanup needed.

Looks much better Roger.

Jody, here's my two cents for you. Remember modeling is a matter of interpretation and allows you to utilize your imagination for whatever project you are working on. Now, if you are after an accurate look for todays style of Pro Mod then you have to follow a few simple rules. The body style you are choosing would have fit fine into the class known as Top Sportsman from the 80's, into the early 90's. This class was the precursor to what we know now as Pro Mod. There were a lot of wild bodystyles that were, in some cases, almost unrecognizable. The wheelbase, however pretty much stayed put for what would be a Pro Stock class car. For today's style of pro mod you have the option of increasing the wheelbase to what would be a scale 113' to 115' wheelbase with an added limit for how much the front end could extend past the front wheel centerline. You could go with a chopped top but if you do you have to remember that the blower hat or hoodscoop cannot extend past the top of the roofline. The chassis for todays modern pro mod is primarily a double rail system which basically would look like you ran a funny car chassis through the interior and into the engine bay while still retaining the basic pro stock chassis. You can go with a blower motor, nitrous combination or turbo charged system. Or you can say the heck with the rules and build your model any way you want to. As far as your other question about the difference between Pro Street and Pro Mod. I'm assuming you are referring to the NMCA class designation of Pro Street. If that's the case then there is no difference between the two, except for a few minor differences in rules. Hopefully this helps and mind you that my data is not 100% accurate but the best that my brain can retain most of the time.

Well, it's been well over a month since my last update so here you go. The doors are almost finished. I had to scratchbuild the door panels and make my own side glass as well as window bracing. The drivers side door is attached and just waiting to finish the passenger one. These doors are simply non working doors as the fit of the doors after cutting them from the body would have made making them fully open and close a real pain. The front and rear glass has also been added. I've got a few more small boltheads to add to different areas as well as some minor wiring in the engine bay and the parachute and then this one is done.

Thanksgiving is a good timeline for me.

Your list needs a couple of corrections. The Superbird is a 70, not a 69. The custom Merc is a 51 not a 50. And the Pantera is in the movie. There is a quick shot of it in the background being prepared to be loaded into a crate. It's lime green in color. Most people watching the movie don't see all of the cars because they are quick shots in the background when you are concentrating on the subject vehicle in the foreground. And, if no one has claimed it yet I would like to do Shannon, 71 Hemi Cuda.

Looks sharp, Matt. That blue really jumps out at you.

Looks great Dave. It almost looks like it was meant to be.

Very cool looking build.

Here's a few of what you need. Here's one of the same car only with black wheels. Also, the wheels from MAS are not really as close as you might want. Send me a PM and I can supply what you need in resin.

Hey Dave, great build, as usual. I wasn't sure if I had seen this one in person until you stated that you had built it years back then I remembered that I had either at a show or a club meeting.

They both look great but that 39 is especially slick. Love the way it sits.

The switch plates that you see on the cabinet setup are molded into that piece from the AMT kit. I am adding others throughout that will simply be a photo reduced picture of a dual outlet attached to a styrene box with conduit coming out of it.

Well, here are some more updates. Added some cabinets on the side wall as well as the large counter/cabinet along the back wall. This piece I took from one of the AMT Nascar hauler trailers from some years back and cut it down to size to fit along the front wall. It has a vice (also from the AMT kit) and a white metal grinding unit from R &D Unique. I added the electrical cord and plugged it into the wall outlet because someone on another forum mentioned that they never see anything plugged in. Posters are also added. These were done by finding images on the internet, saving them and then exporting them into a Word document and resizing to the proper scale and then printing them out on photo paper so they have a bit of a glossy finish and the stock is a bit heavier which makes it easier to work with. You will also see a bunch of scale boxes lying around as well.

O.K., here's a bit more on this one. Over the weekend I started on the base to get the overall layout mapped out. The sides are styrofoam that have been cut down to form the contour of the slope down to the pond. I will be filling all of the open space with Great Stuff spray foam. It will do a great job to fill the space and remain very lightweight. The shingles on one side of the roof are done. And, I was able to get a few pieces added to the shop like the toolbox, jukebox and a worktable with figure in the office space.

Was not familiar with that car. It looks great. Very nice build.

Here is a bit more to the garage. The building has been stained, although most of it will covered with siding. The interior walls are done and in place. The floor is done. And, I went ahead and started to layout where I might want to permanently attach interior pieces. Nothing is permanent yet. Don't mind the diecast Town and Country wagon inside. It's only there to see what kind of spacing I have. I was also able to add more shingles to the first side of the roof.

Here is some more to this one. I went ahead and purchased some windows and an entry door from a dollhouse miniatures company along with a couple of packages of square butt shingles for the roof. The shingles are a chore because you have to add them one at a time. There is a skylight on one side of the roof, over the office and three skylights on the other side to allow more natural light in. The single skylight is actually the window box from a Tamiya garage set. I also have the runners made for the opening garage door. I used Evergreen square stock and bent it to shape and then cut out grooves with a Dremel for the door to ride in.

Well, this will definately be a year of firsts for me. Certain projects that I have decided to tackle that I have never done before. And here is another one started. I have never done a diorama in the past but I have been collecting the neccessary materials for a number of years now to eventually do one. So, now it is finally time to get started. This will be a backyard style garage sitting on a hill with a gradual slope down to a pond on the side of the property. I am starting, of course, with the garage, as this will be the focal point of the diorama. The building has been framed out with balsa wood along with a removeable roof. There will be a total of three windows and one single entry door into the office space area of the building. It will have a single, oversized bay with an opening garage door. I have plenty of trees for the landscape along with shrubs, bushes and grass. As well there will be a few rock molds worked into the hillside heading down to the pond. The pond will have ducks, geese, a dock and a canoe in the water. Being that I am a Mopar enthusiast all vehicles in the diorama will be Mopar related. Check out what I've accomplished so far. Stay tuned for more. Thanks for looking.