Ace-Garageguy

It was better then...really...

Probably not the best possible choice of words to get a civil response, you know?

Straight rolls, curved tape? How does it work?

Actually, the OP lists 3 different and distinct first-generation Mopar Hemi engine families. The AMT '32 Ford roadster has the familiar Chrysler FirePower engine that was available in displacements of 331, 354, and 392 cubic inches. These are the most common, and the ones usually identified as "vintage Hemi". These engines were built between 1951 and 1958, with the 354 being an essentially one-year engine (in cars, three years in trucks). The AMT Ala Kart, listed by the OP, has a Dodge Red Ram Hemi, similar in design to the Chrysler engine, but different. Displacements were 241, 270, 315 and 325, between '53 and '57. The AMT '53 Ford pickup the OP mentions has a DeSoto FireDome Hemi, another similar but different engine family. Introduced in 1952 with 276 cubic inches, it grew through 291, 330, 341 and 345, and was built through 1957. The AMT Wynn's Jammer kit would represent the Chrysler FirePower engine, as would the engine in the AMT parts packs.

The $200 short springs I bought to drop the front of the '47 Caddy (G-body front frame clip) were supposed to drop the car an additional 1" over the 2" I got with the Belltech spindles. Well...no. They dropped it another 2.5". Looked really really good, but not what the client wants. Had to take 'em back out and cut the springs that were in it. Took one full coil off, and lost almost 1.5", though I thought I'd only get about 1". Sooooo...we'll see what she looks like after final buildup. I have a feeling I'll be at least running a 1/2" spacer to get the right ride height. Oh well. If swapping springs once is fun, doling it 3 or 4 times must be great, right?

I'll be buying several of these. Frankly, I appreciate Revell doing a longroof version of this car, and even with it's minor shortcomings, it's worth having, building, and modifying to look a little better. Wagons are few and far between, so if you like 'em, buy one. The more we buy, the more likely it is that somebody will do another one.

Duplicolor automotive paints are lacquers designed to air-dry just fine. Personally, I'd let them dry on their own. Cast-metal model parts can sometimes be porous, so you run the risk of blistering from trapped gasses in the porosity, if it exists. It IS important to give your primers sufficient time to shrink-in prior to final sanding, as on any model, and slightly elevating the temperature won't hurt. Also be sure to give your color coats plenty of time to flash in between.

Or you could smile and say you put a reverse-rotation cam in the engine (yes, it's done).

Good to see someone building scale replicas of some of the standout rods. Nice work.

Not quite "all". (see post #11). The original Revell Willys drag car, the light blue Stone-woods-Cook car, had an Oldsmobile engine, and so did some follow-on re-releases of the kit in different packaging / markings. The later version of the SWC drag car, the black one, has a Mopar Hemi, as do the derivatives of it, like the Mazmanian car and the street machine versions. The easy way to tell if a Revell kit has a Hemi or an Olds is whether it has opening doors or not. Open doors = Olds, re-tooled body without open doors = Hemi.

Later version of the Stone Woods Cook Willys (black car) and its derivatives. (The original SWC Willys had a 394 Olds.) There's also a rare Revell parts-pack Chrysler Firepower Hemi (basically the same as the Miss Deal Stude and the Hydro, but different...)

If there is in fact a "pattern model", "up to four times bigger than the finished model kit", as stated, there's really zero excuse to miss flaws and proportion anomalies before committing to cutting the production injection-molding tools. If everyone is doing the jobs they're paid to do, test shots ought to be spot-on.

You'll have better luck with the Duplicolor clear that's specifically designed to be used over their car colors. Testors lacquer clears work very very well too. Never any issues, ever. This is Testors over Duplicolor, not polished...exactly as sprayed.

Wasn't Schrodinger's cat named Heisenberg?

Good to see this great old kit making such an impressive comeback. The Hemi engine in this is basically the same one as in the very rare parts-pack, and the Miss Deal Studebaker kit. It's one of the best early Hemi engines ever done, and to me, the engine and the multi-carb induction system are easily worth the price of the kit.

Snake, thanks for posting shots of this kit built...especially the side-shot. It looks to have quite good general proportions (other than the headlights), so you've assured me that my plan for this one will work without too much remedial effort. Good looking Corvette, sir. Good color, perfect wheels.

Looks to be a beautiful model, and I'll be in for several (it's the perfect donor kit for several back-burner projects I have too...the chassis will be going under a model of my own '63 Olds convertible). I've always particularly liked this Pontiac design. It has a light, agile but aggressive feel, and it looks to me as though Moebius has done a fine job of capturing the overall look and presence of the car.

Man...THAT is a slick little tool.

You're right of course, and I simply used the wrong term. "Molding in" of the front lights, while correcting the lines, and conversion to a one-piece flip-up nose, is what I had in mind. Good to know. Thanks.

Nice tool. I haven't seen that particular one before, but in function, it's a scaled-down version of the ones we use for fuel, brake and other metallic tubing in the real-car world. This type of cutter does tend to crimp the tube somewhat at the cut, so the inside of the tube may still need to be dressed.

Oh yes...

You need a very fine-tooth blade for a razor saw to give good results. I use a 32 tpi (tooth-per-inch) razor saw in a miter box. Works very well for me, though the ends usually need to be dressed slightly after cutting...but this is SOP when cutting any kind of metal with any kind of tool.

Yes, a 4-71 is appropriate for a LOT of street engines, over a long time. Build styles may come and go, but a blown engine is a joy forever. And Greg...do you happen to know anything about those alloy Olds heads in your last shot? Last time I looked for real aluminum 1st-gen Olds OHV V8 (303-394) heads, I came up dry.

It's pretty crazy here. Not the same office as handles taxes and registration, but an entirely different paper mill...inefficient and long-lined in spite of the "take-a-number" technology. Had to take current proof-of-address, passport (or certified birth certificate) social security printout from the kiosk on-site at the license office, AND my expiring licence. Counter personnel much more interested in talking and laughing with each other than doing actual work and moving clients through the process. I asked them...since I had my old licence, and the old photo looked like me (awful), how could I have become someone else in the past 5 years? Crickets chirping...

You can see the one-piece seat / interior insert dead center in this shot... ...and looking down on it assembled, like zo... (Tim Boyd model)