Ace-Garageguy

Thanks for the pix, Jon. These actually show some details of the coolant plumbing that I didn't have, from different angles.

These are the ones I'm thinking of. Definitely look like OEM radials. http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMT-1-25-1953-STUDEBAKER-MR-SPEED-3-N-1-WHEELS-AND-TIRES-WHITEWALL-TIRES-/301939551991?hash=item464cffeef7:g:LiwAAOSwUV9WpXUr

A lot of AMT kits came with what looked for all the world like radials with thin whitewalls. EDIT: These are NOT the ones I had in mind, but they have a rounded sidewall and could easily pass for radials. http://www.ebay.com/itm/AMT-1960-CONTINENTAL-ORIGINAL-WHEELS-TIRES-CCIRCA-1960-/231920766197?hash=item35ff8e0cf5:g:qLkAAOSw3mpXGSO9 Though again NOT the ones I'm thinking of, these could also pass...

Here's a build of the Tommy Ivo Showboat kit.

You have a very valid point. These kits really aren't 'hard' to build...but they DO take an unusual amount of patience and care to get good results. The Ivo car is without doubt easier than the Thompson car, primarily because the body shell in the Thompson car has some fit issues, and the instructions aren't the clearest...even contradictory at one point. They're both GREAT parts sources for other things, but if you take your time and pay attention to fit, flash removal, and making things square and parallel, either kit will produce a stunning model. One really cool thing in the Ivo kit is the front end, which represents steering Dodge truck 4WD axles (IIRC) coupled to a special quick-change Champ Car center section. That's your Charger there next door to the Summers car, isn't it Greg?

Well guys, I wouldn't feel too bad about tinkering after you finish a model. In the real world, no hot-rod is ever really considered "finished" unless it's a purpose-built show-car, and the real ones get messed with and changed frequently.

Here you go. http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/82148-mercedes-blue-wonder-transporter-12814-outside-photos-posted/?page=1

I well remember the transporter loaded with Cobras. Great photos. The Ecurie Ecosse transporter was another iconic carrier. There's a 1/43 white metal kit of this one for about $250.

Very interesting.

I haven't tried to pull anything like measurements off of the photos on the web, but my guess from the general proportions is that the chop is in the two-to-three inch range. Enough to remove the 'old-timey' look, but not enough to preclude being reasonably comfortable if channeled.

Correct. The Pontiacs in both versions of the Challenger I were garden-variety. Though Pontiac wasn't an 'official' sponsor of the Challenger, the engines were supplied by Pontiac. One story is that they were used test-engines that had a lot of hard time on them, and an engine failure may have been to blame for Thompson's inability to make the return run and clinch the official land speed record. At the time, it's said, Thompson blamed a broken driveline part, in order to avoid casting Pontiac in an unflattering light as far as reliability. Still, he managed to break the existing record, running 406.6 MPH in a car that was very much an owner-built hot-rod in the best sense of the word. The Revell Challenger I kit engines are almost identical to the Revell parts-pack Pontiac engines, except for the blower drives, oil pans, and a few other small parts.

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Very nice. Reminds me of the model RR stuff I built in the dim recesses of history. Yours here is much larger scale, but the build technique is much the same as some of the older wooden passenger cars.

I'm personally not a fan of the bald look.

Maybe she'd been looking for Schrodinger's cat.

How much you wanna bet she shaves her own cat? Interesting Helene Dixon story too. I like the cut you posted.

Couple years back, I built an 'unfinished' version of the first un-supercharged Challenger I, using the Revell kit as a starting point. My model represents the car as it was introduced to the press, before it was painted or had made its first run on the salt. I'm still getting all the mods done on the Hilborn-injected Pontiac engines. Considerably different than what's in the kit (though the kit includes 4 blown Pontiac engines, not "old school HEMIS") Build thread here: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/topic/65965-mickey-thompsons-challenger-one-still-alive-feb-8/

I never finish anything. No problem.

Geez. I kinda thought the good ol' USA had a lock on that kind of moronic behavior (re: the Chilliwack video) in da hoods. What's wrong with people? It really didn't used to be this bad.

Beautiful, one and all. The '57 Ford is probably my favorite US car of the period. Sure miss the days when these were common on the streets and roads.

Very nice, all of it. The wheels are sunk into the tires perfectly to avoid the toy look so many models get, and I really like those open header caps. Nice touches.

This sign used to be pretty common at RR crossings. Stop. Look. Listen. The theory was that by actually USING your senses of vision and hearing, you might be able to avoid getting hit by something as big and noisy as a train. Apparently that's just a silly, obsolete notion.

Beautiful work, as always. Nice mini history lesson on tank development too. Plus a bonus on making cobblestones. Great thread.