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Wouldn't that just be fun to drive. I like the way you added the windows in the top.

I like the color combo. Great looking build.

Great job on the headlights. I like the smooth hood look, but the 1:1 T-Bird had the hood scoop added because the hood line was so low it wouldn't clear the air cleaner. What engine are you thinking of using ?

Could they be a wiring loom for the spark plug wires ?

Great paint job. Looks very "deep" and smooth. Wheels are a very personal thing. I had a set of these years ago on a 1:1 Chevy van. They have a natural rough finish on most of the center as cast. Some guys would paint this area to match the body color or a contrasting color like the interior or something. The model looks great either way you want it.

It sounds like you might have finally gotten your truck dialed in. I went thru a similar thing with engines on my '96 Chev. 2wd x-cab short bed a few years ago. Just a thought on the pending moves in your life, I.E. residence, business, family. If the truck is working good now you might want to wait until the dust settles with the new home, business, and new addition to the family before you look at new transportation. A mortgage company will look at any new payments, such as a new vehicle, or any other expenses when they qualify you for a new home loan. After you get moved in and get settled in your new business then you can better figure out what you want or need for transportation. May be a late model Challenger and keep the truck. I sold my '96 in '05 and still regret it. That same truck costs more now then when I sold it. If the truck is clear think long and hard , maybe it would be better to make it a secondary vehicle if you can. Hate to sound like your "Dad" but I like many others I have been there, done that, and have the T shirt. Good luck to you on all fronts.

I followed your build on this and it turned out perfect.

While not the type of build I personally would do, these are some of the nicest builds I have seen in a long long time. All three are out standing in fit and finish.

I'm working on the Revell '48 Ford 2 in 1 kit #4318. My question has to do with the gap on the floor boards. When the part # 65 flooring is attached to part #250 interior floor boards there is about a 1/4" gap that can be seen looking at the bottom of the floor boards. I'm I doing something wrong or is this just the way it is ? Everything else has just sort of fallen together with no problems so this has me scratching my head trying to think if something else is keeping this from meeting up as it should.

Great looking truck. If you are really unhappy with the whole chrome bumper/rub strips thing, you might think about painted the bumpers to match the body and keep the black rub strips. The mirrors could be painted to match the body or the secondary color. It still looks great the way it is.

The box art on the side looks very much like the box top on the new reissue. If you don't like the 5 spokes and want wheels that look like those on the box art I'll trade you with what ever I have that is close. I just prefer the old Americans.

Nice to see an old friend back in action. I have several reissues in the closet but I might buy another if they are including some of the old custom parts. Remember the Edsel wagon tail lights ? I think the clunky door hinges could easily be replaced or fixed to work better. I did a build last year where I trans planted the hardtop to the new Revell tudor and they meet up almost perfectly.

Very nice showroom type build. You don't even miss the emblems.

Very nice looking build. BRE really put Datsun on the map in racing.

Glade to hear that your on the mend. Nice looking hood hinges. What do you feel up to do next ?

Justin, Bill has offered you some very good ideas on how to lower your pick up. You might look at some of the magazines on the news stands for additional ideas, but now it seems that everyone goes with an air bag type suspension. This could work or if you want to stay an earlier time period you might want to try the way it was done in the "old days". With a little cutting you could make a dropped front axle out of the kits stock axle, that would bring the front done a scale 3" to 4". I built this same model a few years ago as a push truck/hauler for the Revell 1/4 Midget. I lowered the front suspension as described and the rear not as much by the repositioning of the spring mounts that Bill mentioned. This put the top of the white wall tires I used even with the top of the wheel openings. This would be very realistic for the street on a 1:1 truck. As an aside on this kit. The lower valance does not have a very good mounting to the upper fenders. I would suggest you either glue them together before painting or create some small mounting tabs to go inside of the mounting for these two parts. It wouldn't take very much and I don't think it would ever be noticed after assembly. I hope you post your build I'd enjoy seeing how it turns out.

They are decals only, but I have used Scale Motorsports before and they worked great. Not sure what type of "cloth" you're looking for but they offer a decal that looks like a Mexican Blanket and they also have a Leopard and Zebra pattern if that's what your after.

I have managed to mess up the lettering while gluing the tires and wheels together. I was using Model Master liquid cement and just I drop got out on the tire. This dislodged the lettering and while whipping it away it left no traces of the glue but the lettering was gone. Not the best method for sure but it might be a fall back if any of the other suggestions don't work.

You might check with the dealership's parts department to see if they have it in spray cans. Also Duplicolor paints at parts stores may have it. Be sure to test it on a spare spruce from the kit, some of these paints are a little "hot" to use on plastic.

Your build looks fantastic. You mentioned using Alclad paint for the bumpers. I have also been using their paint but have a problem with the "chrome" coming off the bumpers when I handle them to mount to the model. Is there a clear to put over it or is there something else that you do ?

Being somewhat older than most there was only planes and boats and the medium was wood. I always was fascinated by the automobile , 1:1 scale. When I was about 7 or 8 they began to offer a kit that resembled a Ford roadster. Just an oblong block of wood with two thin pieces of Balsa wood to glue to the sides and then sand to blend into the body. A couple of sticks for axles and four tires with nails in them to attach to the axles. The first model in plastic that I can remember was a then new '53 or '54 Ford. Not even as nice as the later dealer promos. Things go better fast after that with Revell and SMP and AMT bringing better detailed kits every year in coupes and convertibles. I was in high school when AMT brought the '32 Ford three window and roadster to market. Then their '40 Ford coupe and then the '39/'40 sedan. This was also at a time that young ladies seemed more interesting than models and of course real cars, jobs to pay for all this and such. After having two sons, one of which builds models when last checked, and many years of work and now retired. Now I'm that "Troll" in the basement building models when not working in the yard or running errands. With the models of today I'm having the time of my life with so many choices it is now hard to figure out what to build next.

I have seen articles before profiling his work. Phantom drivers aside I still enjoy seeing his photography and its settings.

Great looking build, especially the color.

The truly amazing thing about this engine is some of the detail built into it. I think it would stand up to the current Revell Oldsmobile engine but with extra detailing that may never be seen. Just think about how long ago this was created and it just makes you wonder where this attention to detail went.

Amen