Harry P.

Model. The trim around the window openings is painted blue!

I don't think this car had blue door handles!!!

Thanks! I've already started with the preliminaries...gluing together engine block halves, front axle halves, fuel tank halves...basically all parts that are molded in halves! I need to take a trip to the LHS tomorrow and pick up some styrene, aluminum and brass rod and tubing so I can scratchbuild all the fuel system fittings...I can't just leave it at the "stick the tubing on the pin" level of detail! I'm going with a natural cast look to the blower-no chrome-and I'll be using the mag wheels and slicks from the Big Deuce instead of the kit wheels/tires, just cuz I like the look of the Big Deuce "vintage" mags. Not sure if I'll keep the slicks as whitewalls, tho...I haven't seen too many photos of cars of this era running whitewall slicks! (just one, in fact). I've already picked up the paint. I'm going with my favorite, DupliColor. Turquoise frame and engine block, gold (actually GM "Buckskin") body. I think the turquoise and gold color combo looks period correct. Thanks to all for your input. This is going to be a fun buildup.

Small aftermarket operations like this rely heavily on reputation. Modelhaus, for example, has a flawless reputation, because they've earned it by operating in a very professional manner. I've never dealt with this caster, but from what I've read here it sounds like this place is more interested in taking your money rather than filling your orders. Word gets around. The more people that read this post, the better for everyone...except Best Resin! But that's as it should be. There's no excuse for keeping paid customers waiting for 2 years...and taking new orders before the old ones are filled!

I'd have to say that my favorite LHS is the internet. Best selection on the planet...

Looks great! And don't worry about typing left-handed. I just look at my screen in a mirror and your typing looks fine!

I guess it could be a nitro car, but I thought that back around 60-61 or so most dragsters were still running gas. AA/FD for nitro, AA/D for gas?

I'm not sure which is scarier...building this as a model or in real life! But you guys got it, it's REAL! Next ROM coming MONDAY!

But this kit wouldn't be in the gasser classes.

And by the way guys...I beat you both to the punch. Check out my avatar!!!

Gregg (Hutchings) is the editor of Model Cars Magazine. This site is the online "department" of that magazine.

Way back when I was a little kid (maybe 8 or so), I kept bugging my parents to buy me the (then) new 1/8 scale Monogram Jaguar kit for Christmas. To an 8 year old model builder who relied on $2 a week allowance to buy models, that kit was the holy grail to me! Well, Santa apparently heard me, because I did in fact get that kit for Christmas. I still remember how excited I was to see that HUGE box under the tree. I knew what it was, because I did a couple of "sneak shakes", and it sounded like a model! My dad and I built it (well, truth be told, mostly my dad!). I was so incredibly proud of that model. I had never before had a 1/8 scale kit. At the time, I was incredibly impressed by features like working steering, working front suspension and ROLL-UP WINDOWS!!! In fact, I was so happy to have built that kit that I actually took it to school for "Show and Tell" (back in the days when they still did that sort of thing). Unfortunately I no longer have that model. At some long-ago forgotten point in time it disappeared, along with all the other models I had built as a kid. I think my parents, at some point, performed a "cleaning" of the basement, and tossed all of my childhood models, including that Jaguar. They probably figured that I had "outgrown" that sort of stuff, and had meant no harm. But to this day I remember the joy that model brought, and how my dad and I sat at the kitchen table for many evenings building it. Sounds sort of sappy, but every word is true. That Jaguar is by far the favorite model I ever had, and my favorite modeling memory of all.

I'm talking about this model: It's a generic representation of a typical late 50s/early 60s dragster. It can be built in many version, including twin-engine, and both blown/injected or carbureted. I'm specifically building the single-engine, blown version. The kit doesn't say what engine size is represented.

Any drag guys out there? I need a list and short explanation for the classes used in the late 50s/early 60s era, like A/D, B/D, AA/FD, etc. I'm building a vintage-style dragster and want to put the correct class markings on it. Of course, I meant drag RACING guys...not guys in drag!

Yeah, the guys there are great...but their playground is way too big!

Geez...for a guy as good as he is, how did he miss that big sink mark in the lower left of the pic???

C L!!!

I have that book too, and I love it. As far as model Caribbeans, I think that Danbury Mint has one. It's not a kit, obviously, but a spectacular model nonetheless. On second thought, it may be Franklin Mint instead.

Here's a quick lesson on putties: DON'T USE THEM!!! I'll explain. Model "putty", whether made by Tamiya, Testors, or anyone else, is junk. If the stuff comes in a tube and is applied directly by squeezing it out like toothpaste, stay away from it. ALL putties of this type are basically very thick paint. They cure via evaporation, that is, the volatile solvents that make the putty squeezable evaporate, leaving behind the hardened putty. The problem is, if the product hardens by evaporation, then by definition a portion of the volume of the putty applied is lost... it literally goes away via evaporation. The inevitable result is SHRINKAGE! Think about it...if the putty cures by a portion of it evaporating, then obviously the volume of cured putty will be smaller than when you aplied it. The problem is, these types of putties continue to shrink for many days...weeks, even. Even after you think they're "dry", and you've painted and finished your model, the putty is still slowly shrinking. Sometimes you'll see seam lines that you THOUGHT were puttied smooth appear many weeks or months down the road after you've finished your model. Too late to fix it now! ALWAYS use 2-part "catalyzed" putty, the kind where you have to mix the resin (the "putty") with a hardener. These types of fillers don't "dry"...they cure via a chemical reaction between the resin and the hardener, same way as epoxy cures. Once they've set, they are stable and permanent, and will not shrink! Evercoat and Bondo are two well-known brands. Bondo is available at any auto parts store or even Walmart. You don't need to go to a hobby shop to find it. One more point: "Glazing putty" comes in two varieties, one-part and two-part. Use the two-part kind...for the same reasons I've just explained above. The difference between body filler ("Bondo") and glazing putty is that glazing putty is meant to be used AFTER the major body work has been done, and AFTER you've primed. It's really just meant to fill in tiny imperfections and scratches before final priming and painting. What have we learned, class? One part putty, BAD! Two part putty, GOOD!

Future is used as a clearcoat, as an alternative to other products. You can apply it with a soft brush (it's pretty self-leveling) or airbrush it. Some people even dunk the body into a container of Future and let it drip dry! I've only airbrushed it, so I can't vouch for the other methods...but it goes on nicely via airbrush. No thinning necessary...it's the right consistency straight from the bottle. And all you need to clean your airbrush is plain old water. The biggest benefits to using Future are that it's acrylic, so it dries fast and can even be sprayed indoors if necessary. (After all, it's meant to be applied to floors, so it's safe for indoor use.) And the fact that, compared to other types of clear, it's dirt cheap! You can get a bottle of it at the supermarket for $4-5 or so, and you'll have enough to last the rest of your life! I'm not sure about polishing it, though. I haven't tried that. Maybe some others will chime in.

Nice choice on the wheels/tires. They look great on that car!

I was at HobbyTown a few days ago, checking out the “After Chrismas” bargains (there weren’t any!!!) Anyway, while I was there this kit caught my eye: I had been planning to scratchbuild an early-style dragster using the Big T as a starting point, but this model is exactly the type of car I wanted to do…so I had to have it! The box is huge…almost 3 feet long! The kit stuck halfway into the aisle…it was pretty hard to miss. Anyway, when I saw it I had to have it. This is the reissue of an older version that used to be motorized. This reissue doesn’t include the motor anymore, but all the associated shafts, gears and linkages are still here…even the battery box! The cool thing is, even though the motor isn’t included, the parts that were originally motorized still work. You can turn the kit’s rear wheels, which are connected to the crankshaft, and the blower belt will turn! The model has enough parts included to build either a single engine car or a twin-engine version. The rear end has internal gears that work, the blower pulleys and belt turn…it even has an operational clutch! There are options of open chassis or enclosed bodywork, 2 sets of front wheel/tire combinations, single or dual fuel tanks, and 5 possible intake options: blower with fuel injection, blower with triple-carbs, front-mounted blower (like the Orange Crate setup), and normally aspirated 3 or 6 carb setup! All the required scoops, intake manifolds, linkages, etc. for all 5 versions are included, along with ignition wiring, all fuel lines, even wire to create the chute release cable and emergency fuel shutoffs! And a very nice vintage-style decal sheet, too, complete with 2 sets of gauge faces-black or white background. This thing is too cool ! If you’re into vintage drag cars and like your models BIG, do yourself a favor and buy this kit. You’ll love it!

Man, I couldn't agree more. My car came with "performance" Goodyears...worst tires ever. Their "performance" amounted to absolutely NO grip in the rain and a treadlife of only about 30,000 miles, and the direct replacement was insanely expensive. I went to Continentals and love them. I don't think I'd ever buy a Goodyear tire again.

Yeah, I understand protecting your trademark and all that. But if GM and Ford and Chrysler, etc. are ok with model kits of "their" cars being produced (and the associated licensing fees paid), why would Goodyear have a problem with those models having "Goodyear" tires? Don't GM, Ford, Chrysler and the rest also have an interest in "protecting" their brand? Apparently they don't have a problem with model kits of their cars being produced...so what's Goodyear's problem? You can produce a model kit of a car that had a copyrighted name and image, but it can't have tires with "Goodyear" on them? That I don't get.

But what are they protecting themselves from? Unscrupulous modelers selling "Goodyear" model tires on the black market to unsuspecting motorists? Like you said, it's free advertising...and there's no way a 1/24 scale model tire is in any way conflicting with or hampering their full-scale tire business. It doesn't make sense...unless of course the real reason is greed. Then it makes perfect sense.