Ace-Garageguy

Distantly related to the infamous Rolls Canardly, no doubt. Rolls down one hill, canardly make it up the next.

Waaaaaaaaayyyyy back in 2013, I did a twin-turbine/hybrid rig loosely based on the Jaguar C-X75 concept car setup. Electric drivetrains are just like every other automotive power unit...they're as individual in appearance as their design team; as you say, not hard to scratch up something that looks believable.

There actually is a fair amount of stuff like you want already out there, but you kinda have to dig for it...and it's not cheap. Here's a pro-touring 4-link Ford 9" setup, for instance...at about $15 including shipping. There are also late-model GM, Ford, and Chrysler Corp engines around from time to time. IIRC "Iceman Collections" makes something... In the past, I sourced a fair number of Ford 9" rear ends in NASCAR kits that you could get for almost nothing for a long time. Same with early LS engines from the C5 kits that were dirt cheap for years. And occasionally somebody will part out a bunch of Revell Willys street rods, selling the chassis, rear end, and Pinto IFS for considerably less than a full kit. But like I said, you have to dig for the stuff....and the market isn't as strong as you'd like to think. The vast majority of car modelers are entirely content to build what's in the box, maybe swapping wheels and tires if they're really going hog-wild. It's not at all like the glory days when a lot more modelers wanted to build something unique, and even then, the parts-packs weren't huge sellers.

Nicely proportioned and well integrated design...and just plain cool.

Don't overlook Jaguar's TURBINE-ELECTRIC HYBRID C-X75

Great trades with Jolly Sipper and Paul Payne. Thanks, gentlemen.

Really cool score. Should make a beautiful model.

Probably figured somebody who'd buy an F150 had strong enough hands to do without... EDIT: What surprises me is that the opener isn't motorized, with a phone app to run it. Silly me...that's probably part of the special Urban Adventurer upgrade package.

Here you go. You can get a nice one for around 10 grand, a low-mileage creampuff for around 20. They're simple, tough, they will go anywhere, and will run forever.

He thanks you for your concern...

Beautiful work, sir.

Rattlesnakes pose no danger to humans unless they feel threatened. Anyone who's in the snake's environment should be aware of the possibility of encountering one, and take reasonable precautions...like paying attention. Rattlesnakes don't deserve to die just because they're armed with venom, a weapon they use to hunt, to feed themselves.

I saved one of those huge ants that was caught in a spider web. You know, the ants that are so big you could almost make them pets? Generally I have no use for ants, having an intense dislike of their mindless group-think behavior, but the big ones get my sympathy for some strange reason...probably because I seem to see them mostly foraging on their own, rather than in endless lines marching back and forth to and from the cat food bowl. Anyway, this little creature was struggling mightily trying to get free, and Mr. Spider was closing in. First I got the ant, web fragment and all, away from the spider (he can find plenty of other bugs out there, don't worry). Then I was able to gently tease the web filaments off of the ant without ripping any legs out. They're really built like tanks. Ms. Ant (workers are all female) walked away apparently unscathed...without so much as a "thank you". How typical.

Best line I've heard all week. And true.

Interesting. I always thought the Concorde was a remarkable piece of styling. If it hadn't been mass-produced, and if some design details were cleaned up, it could have been a big 4-door exotic...Ferrari maybe. Good luck with that paint. You'll get it.

I guess you haven't heard. Anything remotely aggressive or...gasp..."masculine"...has been identified as toxic. Can't have fun-to-drive 2-door "sport" vehicles that might upset some delicate sensibilities. Gone going the way of the dodo, along with the manual gearbox. Get with the program, man. It's a brave new world.

Nah. But there will most certainly be an Urban Adventurer version with special compartments for all the necessary gear; just think of it as a big shiny 4-door purse with plenty of room to haul bales of organic kale.

Frankly, I'm surprised this concept has been so long in coming for US manufacturers. Honda's been building the transverse-engined front-wheel-drive Ridgeline since 2004, and VW was making Rabbit pickups way back in what...'78 or '79? The packaging makes lotsa sense for a light-duty "truck". Ford's pretty late to the me too!!! me too!!! game.

Much better. Looks good. Didja use ol' magic Por-15 on that?

You mean something like this?