bisc63

Any more progress on this? Also, great use of those plastruct stairs!! Gotta get me some now...

Nice job. That's really his first?!

I may very well be wrong on the Esci origin; I was working from a vague memory (bad idea!). I've been digging through my references, but I haven't come across the info I'm sure I have SOMEWHERE on this kit. Will be watching this thread, and if I can find my info, I'll share. Good luck!

This is off to a good start! Can't wait to see more...

I've got one of these in my stash, as I have a soft spot for Escorts. I believe this was originally an Esci tool, and it builds the overseas Ford Escort, which looks more like our domestic Mercury Tracer. Perhaps some of the gurus on here can offer some enlightenment on this.

Loving this build, and your writeup is first-rate! Looking forward to the final product...

Ditto on the vette rearend - most all Chevy products since thr early 70s as far as I'm concerned. I can't help but imagine a team of designers sculpting a huge chunk of clay that was mistakenly parked against the back wall of the design studio. When they got to the back, they just didn't know what to do! I realize it's been a VERY long time since they used clay design models, but it's fun to dream... PS - The front-wheel-drive Impalas rear end really bothered me at the time of their arrival; just seemed so out of proportion...

Congrats to you fellas! It says alot about you as builders (and as folks in general) that you are willing to objectively view your own work, and call it like you see it. I think you guys just passed a milestone on the way to building ever-improving models. Kudos! Keep it up, and keep us posted on your progress.

Oh yeah, kudos for using the period custom stuff! Can't wait to see more!

Would look neat in satin black, to contrast all the chrome and bright shiny red engine block!

"First shot here shows the level forward section of the bellypan, and the raked rear portion. Idea is to generate a little downforce on the tail to improve traction at high speeds." OK, this cracked me up...not because it isn't sensible (it is!), but because earlier on you had decided on a humungous water tank in the back. I don't think downforce on the rear end is going to be a problem; that much water is HEAVY!! Loving this project, and have a couple of my own in a similar vein that have been on hold for too long as I'm remodeling a place to live! Mine are salt flats racers inspired by the book someone had posted earlier in this thread titled "The Birth of Hot Rodding". If you don't have a copy, you owe it to yourself to pick one up. I got a great deal on mine at Barnes and Noble. It's written by a guy who was a photograper in the military, and a rodder in civilian life, so he knew his photo equipment and cars, and took tons of photos way back when. Best part is the amount of color shots he took, very costly and rare for the time period, and the book is filled with them! Keep up the good work on this one! Can't wait to see it done, and I'm gleaning all kinds of tips and tricks from your writing!

Great to hear (see?) Mark chime in on this subject. Ive been watching the Predicta Project website for some time, and was wondering if it was all on hold or what-not. ( If you haven't been there, and you enjoy bubbletop customs, or any customs at all, you need to visit the site. Do give yourself some time; there's alot of good reading and tons of pics and links - all worth your time!) I'm looking forward to a copy of your book when it finally comes out! A quick thought/question on the existing Predicta kit - most of the measurements err to the effect of rendering the kit a bit too small in most dimensions, but not drastically so. Have you or anyone checked to see how those measurements work for a 1/25 Predicta? I like the idea of my models being a constant scale, and most by far are 1/25, so if I could modify the kit to a respectable degree, I'd be happy with a 1/25 instead of 1/24! Apologies to the OP for the minor thread-jack! Carry on..............

Love your attention to detail, and would REALLY love to see more pics of your reference vehicle! Hows about posting some in the 1:1 Car Reference Pictures section of this forum?

Great start!

That eyebrow chrome trim was a Nomad thing. Loving the red on this car; nothing makes chrome stand out like red! Keep it coming!

A few years back, there was a really detailed article in "the other" model car magazine about building the polar lights funny cars, and it was profusely illustrated; showing exactly where to make corrections and additions (if you wanted ) to build a very detailed model. The article highlighted fitment problems and solutions - a common complaint about Polar Lights kit instructions is that they are sometimes vague about attachment points of various pieces. This article cleared up alot of that, and resulted in some realistic models.If I recall correctly, this article was done by a father and son. I have it somewhere in storage at the moment, but a search at the other forum or magazine website might be worth your while. I too have a couple of the funny car and NASCAR kits, and look forward to their challenges!

Like these cars, looking forward to seeing how you handle it. Engine is off to a nice start! Bright colors really show of the body lines of this car, I can barely remember my uncle driving one that was BRIGHT orange in the early 70s; beautiful!!!

This is gonna be SO nice!

How about cutting those shapes from Evergreen styrene sheet that replicates small-scale metal roofing/siding? Paint with Alcad and flow a dark red wash into the grooves? My first inclination was to recommend the custom taillight pieces from the AMT 66 Thunderbird, cut to fit, but they only have about half as many horizontal strips; larger and further apart. I can't help but think I've seen a similar pattern in the custom parts from an old AMT 3-in-1 kit...but which one? Maybe 65 Lincoln, or 66 Buick Wildcat, or the custom grille from the 72 Chevy pickup?? Just throwin' out possibilities - most of my kits are in storage for now, and I can't verify anything, just workin' fron memory!

Very authentic weathering. NICELY DONE!!!

Fun build, and I really dig the color combo!

Very surprised at just how well the decal taillights work! Have to agree with many others; it's a HUGE improvement over the kit "pieces". Black with a red office is timelessly sexy! Well done, ol' man!!

Good call on the headlights; very clean. Love this build so far!

I like the way your red wires pop off that gold, so I'd favor a deep red interior. Just my 2-cents. VERY attractive hot rod model!

Fantastic color! I gotta find some for a '63 Impala I've been wanting to start. Those Cragars are going to SHINE against that color!!!!! Take your time, this is going to be worth it. So far so good!