Maindrian Pace

Dash - built stock except clutch pedal removed. Console - automatic shifter base removed from an MPC Fox console, shifter made from a pin and styrene rod. Engine: F-150 belt/pulleys added with Monogram A/C compressor. Kit does not come with A/C. Revell disregarded the big aluminum alternator/air pump bracket altogether, and instead cheated a bit by making the alternator nearly double thickness so it would contact the head. Cheesy. It's the wrong alternator anyway; a '94-up 3G internal fan unit, while the Fox uses the older 2G model. So I used the one from the F-150, and modified the F-150 P/S bracket to work as the alt/air pump bracket. I also made an A/C - P/S bracket for the other side, and used a couple of PE pulley faces. The fan on the real car is white plastic, so the kit fan was left unpainted and is realistic that way. Safety pin wire fuel rails were also added. F-150 AOD trans looks right and fits stock cross member. -MJS

Cool idea. You doing a V8 swap of some sort too? -MJS

Great build and color combo, and that kit looks so much better without those weird wheels that it comes with. -MJS

Just don't have a drinking game with your friends whenever Pamela says "Oh, Casey!" -MJS

I thought that the first Mustang buyer was a Canadian pilot, also with a V8 convertible; but that may have been the buyer of the first production Mustang. -MJS

That was really cool of someone! -MJS

Every state has silly stuff like that, some far worse than others. Live where you want to live. And the police ticket owners with out-of county tags but with Maricopa or Pinal county addresses on their licenses, and would most likely leave the farmer with another county tag and address alone. -MJS

Outstanding, Steve. The generator bracket, five bolt bell and timing cover mounted oil filler tube are very familiar to Falcon guys. -MJS

I've got one, still in Coke livery. This van is the basis for several resin commercial kits like ambulances and rescue squads. -MJS

Thanks Ron. It was time to do one of my least favorite tasks in model building, changing upholstery patterns. The kit has the 4cyl LX/police upholstery and seats, the '92 civilian cars had the GT sport seats and tweed upholstery. I started by filling the side bolster seam lines: Then adding ribbed Evergreen sheet to make new inserts. Rounding the upper corners of the base seats makes them look a lot more like the GT seats. Putting the new inserts over the old looks accurate on the front seats, but the rear seat is flat; so the inserts had to be cut out so the new inserts could be mounted flush. Separating the seat into upper and lower halves made this easier. The pleats are deepened and rounded, seam lines scribed into the front seats, and primer is added. Painted Ford Ruby Red interior color: As a final step, the backs and sides are masked off, and flat black is lightly fogged on from about three feet to simulate the red tweed color, before several light coats of flat clear are added. -MJS

Wild. Each picture shows more weirdness than the last. Narrative says it was built in the '70s for drag racing, I hope not because... healthy small block, four lug Cragars with slicks, Corvair transaxle... Kablooey. -MJS

I got a '58 Edsel promo friction in great condition in the early '90s from a thrift store. Nothing model related since then. -MJS

The '79-only got the 302, the '80 and '81 got the 255 V8; an engine that was a creature of it's era, and that Ford fans would rather you forget about. The '82 re-introduced the 5.0/302 in the new GT. -MJS

This one would have a slight traction problem. -MJS

I built the Bear Bait Chevette as a kid, just like the on the box art. I liked it. -MJS

Regimental Red, a metallic red with a hint of bronze. Fiery, beautiful color. -MJS

Think of what other cars looked like in 1953, and you can see how far ahead of it's time that Studebaker was. It must have been positively jarring for customers to behold in the showroom. -MJS

Yes, I've talked to Scott via email a few times about his Futura. For now, he's got the drag version available with tucked bumpers and stretched rear wheel wells, and he's still working on the stock version, which is what I'm waiting for. He's a busy guy, so it's not clear when that will be available. But when it is, one will be coming my way. -MJS

Several kits have a good Cammer, including the AMT '68 Shelby GT500, which was reissued about a dozen times and is everywhere. -MJS

I've got two, the same Bentley, but with heavy play wear, and this Mercer Raceabout, which I really like. -MJS

If you can find the teardrop hood from a '66 Galaxie kit, it is easily modified to fit the '66 Fairlane. -MJS

Very nice II. Reminds me of this '76 Cobra II in my collection: It was built by Jackie Cheyenne Whitecloud, a name familiar to some here but a very mysterious woman to say the least. I cleaned it up a bit and added the RMCoM mirrors. I've always liked these cars. -MJS

Very impressive job, it looks exact. -MJS

I've got to say, it makes perfect sense that you would buy one, Niko. Are you going to do a replica of your drag car? -MJS

Jason, Thank you for the compliments about the conversion work to this body. I measured the resin body and compared it to an untouched kit body and I got less than 1mm difference in overall length between the two. I called a friend of mine, Eric Hight, founder of Copperstate Models (high end multimedia WWI aircraft model kits) and asked him about resin shrinkage in casting. Before I could finish my question, he said that it's normal, but in most cases, unnoticeable and does not affect fit or function. He said that it is the silicone mold material that shrinks a tiny bit while curing, and not the resin itself. Here is the resin body next to the original master kit based body, I'll let you be the judge as to size difference. And here is my mockup of the resin body on the kit chassis to adjust the stance and wheel placement. Everything fits well once trimming is done at the back of the chassis plate to allow for the shorter rear bumper. Thanks Dan, glad you like our little Mustangs, and see you at Modelzona. -Mike