Harry P.

I like it! Smooth and clean, the wheels work, and I love the red/tan color combo. But you really need to shorten those hinge pins... they look pretty weird hanging way down like that.

There are no solid answers to any of the original questions. Some people buy kits to build them. Some people buy kits with no intention of ever building them... or even opening the box. They buy them as "investments" and either hold them in the hopes they increase in value, or they turn right around and resell them, hoping to make a quick buck. And of course, some people build and collect. As far as explaining a given kit's value or "worth," again, no simple answer. There's no science behind a given kit's price (aside from the original MSRP the kit had when first manufactured). Vintage "collectible" kits values rise and fall, they're not necessarily constant. But as with any item considered "collectible" (and that would include pretty much anything you can think of!), the current "market value" is a factor of rarity and demand. An item can be rare, yet not in much demand, so price stays relatively low. An item may be more common but have much more appeal to collectors (more demand), so prices can climb. And as already stated, the bottom line is that any kit is worth whatever a particular buyer feels like paying for it on any given day. There are no hard and fast "rules" that can explain kit prices. On any given day, a kit can sell for a crazy price to someone who really, really wanted it for his collection, and was willing to pay a crazy price to get it. On another day, the very same kit can sell for much less. Don't bother trying to make sense of kit prices, because it can't be done.

There were actually two made, one for use in filming the show and one used for promotional events around the country. Car #1, the "TV car," is currently owned by a collector who lives in New Jersey, and car #2, the "Promotional car," was bought by George Barris after the TV series ended. He made a lot of changes to it over the years, and it finally wound up in the hands of a collector who lives in southeast Michigan. That #2 car is the one you mentioned

Right, gotta give him credit for that!

Looks pretty good to me except for two things: That giant ejector pin mark right in the middle of the rear-view mirror... and the fact that the car has those 1930s style "wind wings," but it also has the vertical post for the (non-existant) vent windows, which looks odd. Those posts are not on the real car and need to go.

Some of you guys are missing the point of the original intent of this thread. It was about listing some of the common mistakes builders make... it had nothing to do with which style of building is "right" and which is "wrong." I don't see why some of you get so defensive all the time. Like several people already said, everyone is perfectly free to build a model car the way they want to do it, without any need to please someone else. That's obvious. And nobody is saying that their way of doing things is better than your way. If you're ok with "magic floating alternators" or don't care whether or not the plug wires are in the correct firing order, that's ok! And if you are one of those detail nuts that adds every last little part to the engine, that's ok too! There is no one right way to take part in this hobby. But we have to be able to have a simple discussion about common building mistakes without everyone getting bent out of shape.

Great looking car and a great looking model. I love the red stripes, they add just the right touch.

One of the coolest car interiors ever...

Front end is sitting kinda high...

Here's a real one... On the Lindberg kit you'd have to cut away the mounting bracket that's molded onto the front spring, but that's an easy enough thing to do. Then scratchbuild your "suicide" spring mount using sheet styrene and you'll have that lowered front end you're looking for. Of course, the stock "wishbone" (that V-shaped bar that connects from the transmission to the front axle and serves to hold the axle at a solid 90 degree angle to the chassis) probably won't work with the suicide axle, as the frame rails would get in the way. You would have to substitute radius rods (like those in the photo above) to hold the axle perpendicular to the frame and keep it from twisting.

I don't like Kool-aid...

Well, in real life a very common way to lower the front end on a car of this era is to fabricate a "suicide" style front spring mount. The spring mount is raised up higher than the original mounting position, so in effect the front end of the car sits lower. The front axle and spring doesn't have to be modified at all... the raised spring mount is what gives you the lowered front end...so you'd actually not be cutting the chassis, but adding onto it (the new spring mount). This model of mine has the front end spring done that way: As you can see, the top of the arch of the front spring is now located several scale inches above the front crossmember, vs. being mounted under the front crossmember in the stock position. That results in the front of the chassis sitting a few scale inches lower than it would have if the front spring were mounted in the stock position under the front crossmember. The raised spring mount is simply an upside-down "L" shape, the vertical part of the "L" would be welded (glued, in our case) to the front crossmember, and the horizontal leg of the "L" is what the spring gets bolted to via U-bolts that surround the front spring.

Another common mistake many builders make is loading up the engine compartment with every last possible gadget and gizmo. Tons of PE doohickeys, wires running everywhere, etc. While theoretically the details may be "correct" as far as being present and accounted for, a lot of 1:1 detail literally disappears when you scale it down 24 or 25 times. To me, an engine that looks right, even though not every last little spring and fitting and nut is present, is a more successful model than one where the builder has added every last detail... many of which are just too big and clunky looking in 1/24-1/25 scale. The trick to a realistic scale engine, to me, is getting the right balance between not enough detail (no wiring at all, for example) and too much detail. To my eye an overly-detailed engine, again, while it may be technically correct, looks more "toy-like" than one that's a little more subtly done. Marcos Cruz is one guy who comes to mind whose style of engine detailing looks just about right to me.

I like accuracy, I like detail, I like realism... to a point. To me, getting the details right is part of the "fun"... so I always do research and download photos and stuff like that. Getting the little things right is my "fun." But I have to admit, I don't take it as far as some. Correct firing order? Really? I couldn't care less, because by looking at the model, you would never know whether it's correct or not unless you are some sort of automotive savant. To me, more important is that the ignition wires look realistic (color, diameter, the way the hang and drape). What bugs me is obvious visual mistakes, stuff that jumps out at you even under casual observation, most of which have been mentioned. The "magic floating alternator" is a classic example. So is the huge gap between the inner fenderwell and outer sheetmetal under the hood that so many people completely overlook. Giant wheel/tires that stuff the wheelwell so tightly that there would be zero room for suspension travel or steering. On almost every Willys model I see the builder invariably leaves that raised ridge that's molded into the windshield unpainted. That ridge represents the rubber gasket! I have yet to see an automobile windshield with a thick outer border molded into the glass, yet 99% of the time the builder doesn't paint that gasket but leaves it clear. And then of course, my pettest peeve of them all... a "factory stock" car with no mirrors, either inside or out.

I put all my detailing efforts in on the visible parts of the model–the underside is straight out of the box, no added details, and all painted the same black as the rest of the car. On the real car there would be brackets that the fenders mount to, there would be rods from the brake lever back to the rear parking brake, etc. But I didn't bother with any of that. There's nothing under there worth posting here (and I don't even have an underside photo anyway).

Yes, original cast. Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner and Chevy Chase did that one.

Have you tried new Shimmer? It's a floor wax and a desert topping! Tastes great... and just look at that shine!!! (you have to be a fan of vintage SNL skits to get it!)

How did I get a basic kit to look so nice? Reference photos and a lot of scratchbuilding. Opened the doors, used real wood on the floor and firewall, etc., etc. I hate that "chrome plated brass" look. Maybe for a show car, but I doubt the average Model T owner polished his brass every weekend! I sprayed each "brass" part with Testors Transparent Black window tint (basically a thinned-down black lacquer). That acts as a wash to highlight the "nooks and crannies" and also tones down that garish "brass" of the plated parts. Then I spray then with Dullcote. That gives the look of natural, unpolished brass. You can see how close this comes to the look of real brass in the rear view. Those straps on the gas tank are real brass. They look very close to the other "brass" parts that I created with my technique. The wood dash/firewall is basswood. I mixed up my own "stain" using yellow and red acrylic craft paint thinned with Future. The orangey color is based on reference pix I found online. Once I "stained" the wood, I followed up with several coats of pure Future to get a glossy varnished look. I painted the seats with a dark gray acrylic craft paint which dries dead flat, then sprayed them with that same Testors window tint spray that I used on all the brass parts, That served several purposes: Darkened up the gray to look more like "leather," emphasized the creases and folds, and gave the seats a semi-gloss look that looks a lot like leather to me. I also added inner door panels, door latches, a choke control, the surround on the floor pedals, "bolts" on the firewall and elsewhere made of sewing pins, new glass made of thin Lexan, and all sorts of little bits and pieces to make the car more realistic and get away from the kit's "toylike" look.

But the real question is... do you prefer clear lacquer or clear urethane topping on your ice cream???

What are you? Some kind of freak???

Yes, just a few weeks ago.

Running out? I'm just getting started!

That's why God invented chocolate and vanilla ice cream. So we didn't all have to like the same flavor.

Very nice! I like it.