Maindrian Pace

As a break from model building, I like to customize a Hot Wheels every so often. When the '65 Cyclone drag car came out, I thought, "Hey, the wheelbase isn't altered, (much) so it should be relatively simple to make this into a factory stock car. Well, the short list included filling the blower hole and re-sculpting the hood scoops, reducing the size of the rear wheel wells by adding styrene to the front edges, making a new chassis plate out of sheet styrene, removing the roll bar, and lightly bead blasting the interior to take paint. Paint is factory '65 Comet Ocean Turquoise, Sherwin Williams base/clear, with white interior, foiled trim and headlights, taillights and turn signals detailed with Tamiya clear paints, and wheels from a particularly ugly flat grey 'Cuda convertible found at the grocery store.

...Which is why they are doing so well now, right? http://blog.caranddr...-deep-thoughts/ -MJS

You get the hell inside when one of those things come through. They make the eeriest wail you've ever heard. -MJS

Juan: "No problem. My little mule is fireproof!" -MJS

Thanks for the compliments, everyone. Here is a couple more pics: Front plate made in the most old-school of ways: cut from a magazine. I'll post some more diecast rebuilds in the next few days. -MJS

Superb! Love the A/C. -MJS

I always liked AMT's less is more approach. -MJS

I vote white with black dash and carpets. -MJS

The aero LX coupe has to be the most cursed subject in all of modelhood. Empty promises, inaccurate blobs, drama, name calling, near-fist fights, you'll find it all in conjuction with this car. -MJS

I couldn't hot rod that nice green promo that I bought, so I got this instead: This kit comes with all kinds of strange options, like three engines, an engine display stand, and crazy decals. It also came with a tree from an AMT '70-'71 Torino and a stock Maverick hub cap. It did not, however, come with a rear bumper... so I have to try to find that. -MJS

I like it! -MJS

I've always loved the 2J Sucker Car! -MJS

Cool new section! I'm getting in on the ground floor here. This is a Yat Ming 1:18 Falcon. When this car came out, I did a series of them in different forms. I used a resin tear drop hood and 427 fender flags that I make, a resin 427 SOHC engine that is sold as a Christmas tree ornament, and the wheels and front and rear frame clips from a Hot Wheels Thunderbird. Beginning: Donor: Finished: Roll cage is Plastruct rod, seats are from the T-bird, some aluminum tubing, sheet styrene, misc parts box items, headliner from thin card board, BMF around the windows. Paint was a hassle to strip, I don't know what they use, but it's THICK and took several applications of Jasco with coarse steel wool. New paint is Krylon orange from the can. I didn't go overboard with details, these are fun quick builds usually done standing at the (real) car shop work bench. -MJS

Not mine, Saved from the HAMB. -MJS

Strange that the Cobra is shown with red stripes on top and blue on the sides, the real car would have had all one or all the other. The II's weren't so bad, other than the motorized chassis and assorted other toy parts, but the proportioning on the '67 convertible body was atrocious. -MJS

The Maverick also has a Grabber hood, which was Palmer-only. I agree that the proportions look too good for a Palmer, but maybe they screwed up and did one right that one time. -MJS

Very cool, that may be the first time I've ever seen that kit built as the actual car. I've always liked the car too. -MJS

You forgot one. -MJS

Love it! -MJS

A fast Juke is like saying that your 240lb girlfriend is good in bed. -MJS

That's the way the customer wanted it. The answer to customers is always "Yes." -MJS

-MJS

I wonder what the depreciation on an electric, exotic Serbio-Croatian supercar is. -MJS

Cool. I built a 1:1 a couple of years ago. -MJS

They won't even do another Mustang. If they did, we would have an '11+ 5.0 and/or Boss. -MJS