MojaveRacer208

Hey Mike!, I've been watchin' this from the start. I really like it, but thought it was time to weigh in my opinions on it. 1. Although the section appears to be wedged, I think that is due to the slight wedge to the MPC mold . they didn't get the sweep of the bottom edge of the body right. But the slight wedge appearance is fine for this car. 2. I really liked the original wheels on it. they worked and looked just right. The replacements look good as well, and they are, like the originals, rather unusual. I can't place the source for either set, in spite of my huge collection of kits. 3. The original stance was excellent. It has been changed. The axle has been set back to accomodate the grille shell hanging down between the rails. The front wheels are now set back in the fenders and look wrong. The axle should be in line with the grille shell as shown in the picture above of the red roadster. While I kinda like the way the grille is now, that doesn't work unless you have IFS, and that doesn't seem right for this car. I suggest sectioning the grille shell and moving the axle back forward to where it was. 4. Do you intend to add a full tonneau over the right side and around the cockpit? Richard

[ok, you ARE my hero! my tastes in cars and a realistic purist racer!

I am waiting patiently for more from Ariel. And I would like to see a topic on your Mustang as well... Richard

Well Daryl, looks like a good start. You are the 1st person I have ever encountered using that phrase "fell in lust" other than me...I even used it this morning in a conversation and got the usual strange look. I am a lifelong Ford guy and grew up around sports car racing when Shelby Mustangs were stomping the competition. I am surprised how many of the GT 500s I see on the street. I guess they are building more than they originally announced. Those wheels ARE a pretty good representation. The Jada miniatures are pretty cool, but have always been too much of a caricature for my taste. When I saw they were doing a GT500, I thought it was a shame they wouldn't do it right. When I saw the build on here the other day (can't remember off the top of my head by whom), I was surprised at how good it's proportions looked. I may just have to have one...though I can't build a stock one...It HAS to be a racer... Which brings me back around to your avatar...great looking McLeagle! Fisher kit? Can we take this to the side and discuss it? Richard

George, I think Basz was saying this was his 1st Car MODEL...A little translation trouble from Hungarian to American English...But WAAAYYYY better than my Hungarian... Basz, I hate when that happens... Beautiful blue color...But it looks like sanding will just remove runs but the next coat od paint will only make the overall coating that much thicker, and it is already too thick. I would probably chemically strip the paint off using Castrol Super Clean ( I don't know what is available in your area, but many heavy duty cleaners will work). Then I recommend starting over. I DO NOT recommend using "Orange Blast" cleaner, I have an AMT Supra which is rather curled up from it. Richard

Just after I sent that previous post, I moved a paper on my desk and exposed the Hot Wheels Super which sits on my desk...guess I like Super Mods... LOL Richard

Got my interest Zeb... Don't remember where I found this, but this is a car Art Pollard was runnning from Callifornia in the mid 60s... Here are a couple of cars I have worked on... Swann's Kurtis (originally an Indy car, later shortened for sprints after roadsters took over at Indy) This car was featured in Open Wheel later. "Fresno Ferrari" at Mesa Marin...John Ryals driver: Same car a little later with Davey Hamilton driving, (excerpt from Open Wheel) I have one of the Circle Track Mag issues of the Monogram Kurtis Roadster and an AMT Watson set aside to build a pair of Supers like yours and Pollard's. Richard

OK GUYS ... NOW WE'RE TALKING!!!!!! As a guy who grew up around road racing, who was "there" during the "Glory Days" of Trans Am racing, who crewed on a TransAm team during the 80s on the way to a championship, and who has professionally done restorations of a 69 Boss 302 Trans Am veteran and a Penske-built Javelin which was used for the TransAm Championship 2 years in a row with Penske and Roy Woods racing... I AM interested!!! The Camaro is way cool, but as a Ford guy, the Mustang REALLY gets my attention. Obviously the Camaro uses the C6R chassis. What is under the Mustang skin? Richard Ohh, I guess I should show some pics...

MRM/MRRN IS hands down, the BEST MAGAZINE OF ALL TIME!!!! I miss it dearly. And I would love to own all of the issues. Oh well, I keep my eyes open. I have been repeatedly outbid at the last moment on evilBay a number of times in spite of my efforts at 'sniping'. Richard

Very nice MJ! Great job on the posts. That is a bear to do well. The windows and the rear 1/4 panel look great too. The stance is excellent and the slicks look right too. The pill bottle DID make fine tubs. Those outdoor pics really look like 1:1 scale...VERRY WELL DONE!!! I agree with Harold that a black wash in the grille would bring that to life. I saw a model the other day with headlights drilled out and replaced with photos of 1:1 lights glued in place and covered with some clear. They looked great. Richard

Love it Bob! I still have the original 61 promo like yours which was given to my grandparents bought their 61 Falcon 4-door wagon new. I inherited both the wagon and the promo when my grandfather passed away. I have the resin version on my want list as my original has warped badly. It was molded out of acetal resin instead of styrene...tougher, but more subject to warping. I grew up around road racing primarily and Falcons were raced before Mustangs came on the scene. All of the go-fast tricks for Mustangs were already figured out on Falcons. Poor Chevy IIs at nearly 600 lbs heavier didn't stand a chance. So when I build one it will be as an SCCA road racer. The forerunner of TransAm. (PS...the 67 TransAm rules required that instead of each car weighing at least as much as the factiry said the production car weighed as was done before, all cars were to weigh as much as a Camaro, thus removing much of the Mustang's designed-in advantage.) Here's my 61 Falcon and next to it my 61 F100: Richard

WOW!!!!.... Great work! Richard

Looks great Mark. That paint is awesome. The bodywork under it looks excellent too. The rear fenders remind me of a '69 GT500 which was running in a VARA race at Willow Springs a few years ago. The tube chassis under it was heavily short-track stock car equipped, but it had potential. It is the only 69-70 Shelby I've ever seen racing. There was another kind of similar 70 Mustang Sport Roof at another VARA race at Willow with a semi-tube chassis and similar big tires and fenders. It was being driven by Boris Said. I don't have any pics of the Shelby in the computer, they are on film and I would have to look through some boxes of pics to find and scan them. Richard

oops-double post

Very Nice stuff Fred! To me, any type of car is best exemplified as a race car. I am pleased to see the 360 being built as a racer, and it appears you intend to do the same with the California Spyder. FIA GT? The F50 is as I intend to build the one I have. I also will not buy a conversion kit, but do the conversion myself. I bought the Berlinetta kit though, so some work will be different, as I don't need to put a roof on the body, but need to add the scoop and the rear window filler panel. What have you used for reference for the car? Pictures seem to be pretty slim. Motor Racing Replicas did a little article on it. It was never raced in GT1 as intended, by the time the production-based racer was built (per the spirit of the class), it wasn't as fast as some of the more radical purpose-built race cars. So Ferrari parked it. I am not aware of it having been raced otherwise. As for the 1/43 Ferrari F1 chassis...your humility is excessive...It looks GREAT in the pictures! Richard

It's looking very good Fred. I have a lot to say about the Carrera PanAmericana, from my father having crewed on one of the teams, to a friend being the Chief of Tech Inspection for the modern La Carrera. But this thread is about your model. And this is one of my favorite early Ferraris. It is very business-like, yet tough and handsome. The rear fender "scoops" are a rather crude, ugly, afterthought manner of dealing with larger tires than originally intended rubbing on the fenders...but I love it anyway. The smaller rear window was probably a weight-saving measure, as 1.25mm thick aluminum is much lighter than 4-5mm thick automotive glass. Richard

Great scratch building work Shane. Love the subject. Richard PS...If you haven't found a home for that poor unwanted Bantam Blast frame...LOL

Sweet! Fisher's kits are excellent, and this era includes my all time favorite Ferraris. But I would have to convert it to a full detail...LOL I see that the red looks very bright and orange-ish. But you say it looks better in person, and that is easy to believe. I often see heated discussions on GPMA about specific colors on race cars of 30-60 years ago. Since we lack formula info on the actual paints or even a standard against which to compare them, such as Pantone Color Specifier, trying to get truly accurate color is like chasing feathers in the wind. Richard

Nice Bobby! Would almost fit into DesertRacingModelers with gravel tires and chassis setup! Richard

I say mount the front fenders to the inside of the box. Cooler without them.

Do you carry that x-ray with you when you go through the airport???? I use an office chair from Staples office supply. It cost about $70 and has the lift mechanism and adjustable back support. I put in many hours on it, as it also serves my computer desk. It has vastly outlasted its predecessor, which was one of the old-school Craig brand heavy steel industrial type chairs...and it is vastly more comfortable.

I used 3M Spot Putty or red Glazing Putty way back in the 60s until Squadron introduced their "Green Stuff". I am still sure it is re-packaged 3M Spot Putty. Both are still available. The following link... http://tinyurl.com/33v3wn ...will get you to Squadron Putty at about $3 a tube. A lot of modelers fall for the magazine guys' whine about shrinkage of this type of putty, and use automotive 2-part putty in brands such as Evercoat. I have NEVER had shrinkage problems with spot putty, and have an AMT 67 Corvette model which I stopped development of radical bodywork on in early 1971 (we had a large earthquake). The 5/16" thick fender flares are still perfect, even with only partial primer coverage. The key is to NOT apply the stuff with a skiploader. Those fenders were built up in many layers. You don't have to mix up a batch to use it either, nor do you have to buy enough to remodel the Statue of Liberty, or worry about the catalyzer going bad. ...but "to each his own", or "whatever blows up your skirt"

Well since I was born among road racers in the 50s, and I always considered this version to be the far prettier, I will definitely be following with interest. I am in the process of rebuilding the garage at my mom's house and had to clear out a bunch of stuff, much of which is going back in. Friday, I encountered a stack of Road & Track mags dating from '62 back to '52. At lunch, I sat scanning through them looking at pictures of cars like this. One issue has a pic on the cover of the Ferrari F1 team in '59. 1 English driver...Tony Brooks, and 2 So Cal guys...Phil Hill (one of the drivers of the car you are building) and Dan Gurney. In the '50s, my dad worked for a while for a character named Tony Paravano, who had a stable of racing Ferraris. Indy and road racing car owner Frank Arciero talked Mr. Paravano into letting a new young driver try driving one of his Ferraris. That was Dan Gurney's first drive in a "big car". Mr. Paravano then received a visit from FBI and IRS agents, then mysteriously disappeared, owing my father a bunch of back pay (and I suspect the other guys were seeking some back payments too!) So YEAH!!! I'm watching this thread...not to mention that I am in awe of your model building. BTW...Dan Gurney had a nickname for Phil hill's co-driver, the Belgian Gendebien...He goodnaturedly called him "Jelly Bean". I also have an issue here with a Dunlop ad showing the 59 Sebring winning 59 Testa Rossa of, again, Hill & Gendebien. A slightly different car though...

I'm agreeing with Mike! I've seen it on race cars, either at the back of the trans or at the yoke at the pinion bearing on the rear axle. And like Kenny said, more modern parts like the auto trans allow for an alternator there or low on the side of the engine, maybe driven off an xtra-row pulley on the crank. This project is going together much like a real hotrod! A lot of 1:1 hot rods these days have become like off-the-shelf model kits. But in the day...everything was very dependent on the imagination, knowledge and skill of the individual builder. There were no "Lokar" shifter cables and serpentine belt kits. A lot of aftermarket hop-up parts needed modifications to other parts to allow the new piece to fit.

Not sure why you started a new thread for this...but the car looks good. The tires seem right...so keep on, McDuff! LOL