zenrat

Thanks Joe.

So remind me, just when is the deadline? >thinks "thank the styrene gods that consignment from The Modelhaus is on the way"<

(partsbox tyres & aftermarket velocity stacks shown) I found it a pleasure to build (AMT/ERTL badged release - blue striped white car on box art) but lets hope that this time AMT clean up the moulds a bit (especially the chrome sprue) and use tyres sized so that the rims stay put and don't just drop through.

Thanks Jason. I like to come up with a back story if I can. And to add a bit of fun. It always makes me chuckle when I see someone lifting the bonnet of a car and the blower or injector stacks go up with it.

Nice essay Art. Tyres have given me a few of problems. I've had the plasticiser eat paint off of painted rims, Tyres eating through paint on adjacent builds and tyres sticking to varnish on shelves as the plasticiser reacts with it. Tyres eating paint it easilly solved - don't paint the inside of rims and make tyres don't touch the build on the shelf next to it. The varnish issues I solved by lining my shelves with cut up instruction sheets. But not until a couple of builds had left wheels behind when I picked them up. Incidentally, if you soak vinyl tyres in brake fluid it will draw out the plasticiser making the tyres shrink & harden. Solid tyres split as the outside shrinks more than the inside but 1/25 hollow tyres can be shrunk down to a scale 10 inch diameter - usefull for building minis & trailers, just leave them in the stuff until they are the size you want and then rinse them off.

As the dash in these is basically straight it was no problem to chop out the instruments from the lefthand side, splice in a piece of styrene and then glue the instruments back on on the right side. The pedals I just left because you can't see them anyway . 5 slot mags (jelly beans, Fentons or whatever else you want to call them ) are my favourite wheels and are far too rare in scale. Otaki (?) made the originals these were cast from but they are not around anymore and I only have one set left. Fujimi do something similar but they are a bit small diameter and have a gear molded onto the back of one of the rears for an electric driven toy. Otherwise there is a set in an AMT 'vette (60? 62?) and in the AMT '65 Riviera.

Thanks folks.

Thats great Nick. But stopping to swap plates will take time... And only 1 spare? No, that's very good. I'd forgotten about all the extra detail stuff that makes a good build better.

So what do you have already? You say "the Revell kit", do you mean this one? This one has a more correct shape tank but you'll need to scratch up some side panels and a tail piece. The tricky parts will be the wheels and the fairing. Look at Tamiya kits for the wheels. They definately do some with cast 5 spokes that might be modifyable to suit. This might give you something to work with and also give you a start on the fairing You'd have the 'screen bubble to start with which will be the most difficult part to source - the rest can be built up from styrene sheet. HTH

Hmmmm, if you'll be exhibiting it at indoor shows methinks you need to knock up some kind of display with revolving lights in order to show it at its best. (a plain old turntable would be far too normal).

I can't find a decent pic but the AMT Monte Carlo with Fantasy Chopper kit had something similar - the box art shows the optional "Hot Wire" type wheels.

What's 100F in metric units? 44C? It gets to that here and then you can add on some inside my shed. All my kits are stored out there (along with my builds) and I have had no problems due to the heat. Just take the usual precautions - remove the decals and put them indoors in a folder and put the tyres into a plastic bag to separate them from the "glass". In winter it doesn't get down to -30F so I don't know what that might do to them but i'd have thought you wouldn't have a problem unless it went from -30 to 100 in a few hours in which case you might get warping (although if that happened flooding might be more of an issue!). Worried about animals getting into them? Mice can also get into a house - in fact they'll like it more in there as it'll be warm and there will a food source other then cardboard. Worst i've had (touch wood) is ants (easilly dealt with) and large spiders that like setting up home in the opened boxes on my "in progress" table.

Good job. I'm loving the colour and the water drops. Shame that the dizzy is hidden after all that work wiring it. Grill could be AMT '59 El Camino? and the wheels look like Revell '86 Monte Carlo.

Nice one Virg. Didn't know you remembered what "Box Stock" meant. Must have hurt being so restrained...

Awesome wood you got there Great build.

Nice.

This is the C-Bomb. AMT/MPC Monte Carlo. Not a very nice kit which I only bought because it was cheap and had the bike with it. I decided to build the sort of street machine i'd see on the streets when I was a youth - although they were usually Fords - and experiment with the paint (enamel over acrylic then rubbed back - graphics by texter). Wheels are resin from The Parts Box and sidepipes are Revell '69 'vette. The blower is from the AMT USA1 monster truck with a scoop from my parts box... ...It's also a dummy... ...as are the side pipes.. ...although I did put in an exhaust cut out. You see while most of the street machines of my youth may have looked tough very few of them bit as hard as they barked. Hence the name. It may look the part and sound the part but look under the skin and you'll realise it'll run like a C-Bomb.

It likes me. Progress on the Chev. Sanding & filling is progressing well and the engine is done. Test fitting shows the headers will be a problem as the '60 pick up has narrow rails in the engine bay.

Public Service? Me? ######, there goes my bad boy credibility... The flaws are nothing that can't be fixed with a modicum of scratchbuilding, filler and a parts box engine (Revell 440 from the '68 Charger probably in my case). However, it shouldn't be needed and adding a floor will basically give it a body lift unless I fiddle about a lot more. It is a big car so maybe you're right about a styrene ration? Not having a floor moulded with the chassis probably allowed them to reduce the number of sprues needed by one.

I occasionally pick up a copy of Muscle Car Review and I can guarentee that i'll be spitting chips by the time I have read to the end. I love the cars but the insanity of the numbers matching, date coded, replicated inspectors marks, never driven, rare options carp drives me nuts.

Didn't mean to put you off Monty. It'll still build up OK but will need a bit of extra work put into it if you want to ever look underneath it. Engine detail is a bit soft as well, tyres are so so and the high back seats are just odd. I think I paid about $AU 30 for mine at a swap meet.

"designer" has come to mean overpriced and aimed at fashon victims who pay for the lable not the product - Designer Water and Designer Jeans for example.

Yes, better get those xmas goodies out on the shelves. After all there's only 100 or so days to go... Saw the first xmas packaged mince pies in the supermarket on September 6th.

I've got one of the 2nd version above (the moulded in beige Dodge Ramcharger). Not too bad but it has no floor so there are huge gaps visible from below between the sides of the interior tub and the boby. Also the differentials are moulded in one piece with open tops which will be visible if you lift it. This is a kit I trashed as a kit and was searching for for ages. Good luck.

Never had a car worth a spit but all the old bikes i've owned have all been modified for practicality and then ridden. That means ditching points ignition for electronic, rubber mounting lights, batteries and electrical boxes, fitting modern oil filters and fitting modern rubber (I've never understood why you would compromise grip for looks).