Harry P.

None that I can see. Only two foot pedals in the cockpit.

This kit is terrible. Lots of flash, and the bigger problem is that so many parts interfere with other parts... to the point that to get everything to fit, many parts need some modifications. A very tough kit to build... lots of frustration along the way.

It took three applications of Solvaset, but I finally got the decals to snuggle down over the louvers...

A little more progress... body mounted, exhausts, seat, windshield... Heat shield on the exhaust...

Dare to be different! But you'll need to have some sort of linkage between the steering wheel and the front axle...

More than 100 views and no responses? Odd. This is a beautifully executed model. Nice work, Andy.

Wheels and tires are ready to go.

Got a few more chassis details installed today, like the gas tank and the braking system (heavy-duty gray thread to represent "steel" cable). Looks like I still have some stray brake cable to trim off...

Like the Mefistofele kit, you get die-cut stencils to use to paint the number 15 on the radiator. But the number is just about invisible behind the grille...

Like I said, no step-by-step this time, so we jump to the almost completed chassis. Here you can see the new real wood floor... I used thin strips of electrical tape to wrap the steering wheel...

More bad engineering... ejector pin marks on the face of the part. It took some tricky sanding to remove the pin marks without touching the molded-in details...

The kit floor was used as a template to cut a new floor out of thick cardboard, and the cardboard piece was covered with stained basswood strips.

One of the bizarre things in this kit is the floor. The floor details are molded onto the floor, and they give you a photoetched sheet which includes the "wooden" floor, with cutouts for all the various molded-in floor details. Of course, I was going to make the floor out of real wood, not photoetched "wood," so step one was to cut all the details from the floor... Here's what I came up with...

This Italeri 1/12 scale 1927 Fiat Corsa is sort of the "companion kit" to the 1924 Fiat Mefistofele I posted earlier. This car won the 1927 Grand Prix. It's similar to the Mefistofele as far as detail level, but on this kit there is a lot more flash and misalignment of molds, creating large mold seam lines everywhere. Also, the kit is poorly engineered, with many parts competing with other parts for the same space. I had to make many adjustments to get everything to fit. For example, the engine mounting points on the chassis don't match those on the engine, so I had to cut the chassis parts off and reposition them in order to get the engine installed. Many more examples of this sort of bad engineering throughout the kit… but what are you gonna do? Fix it all, I guess. No full blown step-by-step WIP this time... I don't want to bore you guys. Just a few photos of the project along the way. First up, one of the engine mounting points on the chassis was broken, so I had to make a new one of styrene. And besides, they were mismatched with the engine's mounting points, so I would have to move them anyway, broken or not...

I can't tell you guys how much your thoughts and prayers mean to me. It sure beats going through this alone. I thank everyone who either posted their thoughts here or sent me a private PM. Even though I have never met 99% of you in person, I feel like I can call you all my friends.

It's on hold. No new progress to report, as I am dealing with some very serious health issues now that have taken priority over model building.

Very nicely done, but what an odd color combination.

There are brackets mounted to the wooden caps on the frame rails that the belts are attached to. I could remove the two brackets on one side and use the magnets. Do you have a source for them?

And he would have known that if he had done a quick Google image search before starting to build... http://www.google.com/search?q=plymouth+superbird+engine&hl=en&gbv=2&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj80Y-1muPOAhUCPCYKHeYcBMkQsAQIFA

I have been sitting here for several hours trying to decide whether or not I should post this information. It's 4:30 AM here now, and I have decided to just do it. Plus, I have had more than enough drinks by this time to try and calm myself and get up the nerve to post this. If you have been reading some of my various posts you may be aware that I had been diagnosed with Sciatica. The orthopedist had me undergo a spinal MRI to confirm, bur he saw nothing unusual in the results. So he had me undergo a second MRI, this time from another angle (hip). And this morning, in his office, he told me what I had already sort of guessed was the real problem. Not Sciatica, but Cancer. Specifically, colo-rectal cancer. An aggressive form that is spreading. He seems to think that it has been caught early enough for a successful recovery, but he's an orthopedic surgeon, not a cancer expert. So tomorrow morning I go to see an oncologist, where I will hopefully get more specific information regarding my condition, and my chances of beating this. I have not told my children this yet, or anyone else. I want more specific information before I tell them. I don't want to worry them until I have a solid prognosis. But I feel like you guys are like a second family to me, so that's why I decided to post this. More specific information as I receive it.

Not sure mere words can help, but my condolences to you and your family.

What is that black thing in the last photo?

We're not losing a stadium, just the name. The White Sox stadium's official name is U.S. Cellular field, but the naming rights are about to run out. Next year the stadium will be called Guaranteed Rate Filed, which I officially nominate as the worst name for a sports stadium ever Of course, we all call the place Sox Park–nobody uses the "official" name.

I have read many good things about Boise. Good luck! I'm sure you and the family will like it there.

Yeah, I guess it would be pretty dumb to close the hood for good after all the time I spent on that engine. I guess I'll just have the straps open and laying loose on each side of the car.