Ace-Garageguy

Must have something to do with the resilience of the soul in question. I used to get lotsa comments on my build threads. Couple of days back, I posted a heavy update. Almost 400 views. 2 comments. Somehow, I'm surviving.

1) Designed and built by me. There's just about an infinite number of ways to build a "perfect" Deuce, far as I'm concerned. And the only way to get one I see as "perfect" is to do it myself. But these are real close...

Certainly an attractive car, but not "perfect" in my eyes. This, on the other hand...

Agreed. Tons of great stuff in the wayback. That's what I love about old hobby and car and special-interest mags as well, and why I spent a fair bit of time kicking myself for dumping my old Hot Rod mags in the early '80s. When I got back in the American-car-based hot-rod biz around 2011 or so, I ended up searching out and replacing much of the stuff I'd unceremoniously tossed earlier. Old information is still 100% valid, and with having so much of it available here, the storage-space problem is at least partially mitigated.

Very nice paint and stance. Did you lower it?

Man, you have got the mud down, dude. Nice.

Nice clean work, and interesting mix of parts. That's a fun kit, with endless variations possible.

You'll get the hang of it. There is definitely a learning curve, but here are a couple of things to remember: 1) Whatever you're trying to stick it to needs to be clean, and sanded thoroughly, so that no shiny spots remain. For the 2-part putties, I like a 180-grit sanded surface for best adhesion on models. And very often, adhesion to primer isn't very good. 2) There is most definitely a sweet-spot for mixing, and thorough mixing is very important. This can be a pain in hot weather, as the stuff starts to kick pretty fast, and you literally have only a couple of minutes to spread it. 3) Once it's started to kick, stop trying to spread it any more. It won't stick properly. 4) Even though it starts to kick pretty quick, it can take 20 minutes to an hour before it's ready to sand. It's kinda counter-intuitive, but the stuff sticks better the longer you leave it alone. It's tempting to start shaping when it's still a little soft, but that will invariably pull up edges rather than allow a nice feather. I sometimes get in a hurry to this day, though I have a pretty good idea of what I can get away with. Every now and then, I'll still pull up an edge because I started shaping too soon. 5) If you buy the Bondo "professional" in the metal tube, don't squeeze the tube. Because the stuff separates while it's on the shelf, if you squeeze the tube, you'll probably get some runny resin and some dryer inert filler on your mixing board, instead of a nice creamy gray mass. The best way to remix it is with a piece of 1/8 welding rod, or a bamboo skewer, etc. Just stick it down in the tube and pump up and down. After a few strokes, it will be a nice consistent color again, with the liquid back in suspension. 6) The catalyst will separate too. Best way to fix it is to carefully remove the cap (with the opening up), gently squeeze the air out, put the cap back on tightly, and then gently knead the tube for a few minutes. 7) Instead of squeezing the putty tube to get material out, I have come to prefer something like a wooden coffee stir-stick to dip a little out, and scrape it off on a mixing board. Keep a place to lay the gooey stick so you don't get it all over your fingers and everywhere else. 8) The same method works best with the catalyst too. For that, a metal axle or a piece of 1/16" brass stock works well. DO NOT get your sticks mixed up. Just a little catalyst in the resin tube can ruin the whole batch. 9) You want your mixed material to be a medium pink. Dark pink has too much catalyst and may stay rubbery, and peel up instead of feathering. Too far towards the gray side, the stuff may just never cure at all. 10) Experiment until you can get a good mix every time, and make sure it feathers...BEFORE you try to use it on a model. 11) For mixing and spreading, small paddles or spatulas made from .020" -.040" styrene work well. You can cut different widths and even shapes; for instance if you're doing the curved top of a fender, you can cut the curve you want to achieve into the spreader. 12) If you don't want to waste good styrene stock, I've found these plastic bread ties work very well, are easily trimmed, and can be scraped clean and used several times. And if they come on the bread you like, they're free. This may all seem like it's a real PITA, but after working with the stuff a few times, it will seem easy, and eventually become second nature. And there's no limit to the kind of custom stuff you can do with it.

Anything here that's a crying shame is that ADULTS find what's been written here discouraging. Nobody is being mean, denigrating anybody else, or being unduly critical or disparaging or cruel. If we can't have a civil discussion about reality without it being read as "discouraging", that really IS sad. As I said earlier: "as far as the whole premise of this thread goes, I've spent a lot of time on this site. I just do NOT see, really, anyone who picks at things just to be mean. I rarely see any kind of criticism at all, constructive or otherwise. But I see tons of comments that are the equivalent of "likes" and nothing more."

Probably because the offshore supplier figured they could make more money by packaging bird poo than making the product to actual spec. Kinda happens a lot these days.

Thanks for your interest and encouragement. And thank you for your interest and comments.

Yes, good looking collection of stuff. Looks like it's better engineered than a lot of real rats.

Dangity. I meant to comment on this one a while back. Lotsa good stuff going on here. The floors and getting the ribs right on the inner wheel wells are particularly interesting.

Great looking model. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Very nicely done. Inspiring build.

There's some great info in this thread I was unaware of. Many of the kit flatheads really do look too small for 1/24, so knowing that there are some bits out there that might look right is very helpful.

Well, there have been multiple times I've posted work, unaware of flaws that were glaringly obvious once they were on the big screen. I've since started using more light and magnification to try to avoid the worst of it, but as picky as I am about my own work, I'd be willing to bet that a lot of those folks who are much less self-critical are indeed unaware of their shortcomings. But as far as the whole premise of this thread goes, I've spent a lot of time on this site. I just do NOT see, really, anyone who picks at things just to be mean. I rarely see any kind of criticism at all, constructive or otherwise. But I see tons of comments that are the equivalent of "likes" and nothing more. Funny. I've often been accused of this, and via PM, I've been called every vile thing imaginable, things that have absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with models. What's also funny is that I don't "criticize". I've pointed out technical facts on occasion, like "gassers", for instance...if historical accuracy is the goal...didn't, in general, sit with their noses so high you couldn't see the strip out of the windshield. When I've posted technical corrections to misinformation, in a genuinely positive effort to combat the internet's common mindless proliferation of BS, and when I've posted a little about my background and credentials as a reasonably knowledgeable source, I've also been accused of doing what I do here primarily to feed my poor inadequate ego by making other people feel bad. Frankly, these responses baffle me. I have a love for truth and knowledge, and I'd personally much rather be corrected about something I misunderstand (by someone who actually knows what they're talking about) than blissfully go along in ignorance, thinking I know something I've got entirely wrong. So please...and I usually ask for it in my build threads...if anybody sees I've dome done something wrong, feel free to speak out. There's a good chance I'm already aware of any flaws, I'll usually mention them myself, but there's always the chance that somebody with sharp eyes will catch something I've missed, or catch me in a technical error. TELL ME.

Yup.

Unfortunately, we now live in an environment where any criticism, no matter how politely offered, carefully phrased, and absolutely appropriate, is often flatly rejected, with the "mean" motives of the one doing the criticism blown out of any reasonable proportion. Not too long ago, I had to run a guy off because of it. As I walked by his bay, I noticed something in the bottom of the oil pan he was about to install on an engine he was assembling. I ran my finger through it, and it was gritty. I brought it to his attention. Professionally. He flew off the handle, walked away, and wouldn't discuss it or face me. Later that day, I brought the incident up in the meeting with all the crew and management. Again, he got noisily defensive, refused to discuss it, and walked out of the meeting...after having called me "abusive". Everyone in the meeting had seen I was behaving entirely professionally, and doing my job to try to prevent the astronomical number of comebacks the shop had been getting. So...what do you do with somebody like that in the real world? You fire 'em on the spot.

Kool little car. I love those things. Last Corvair I had was also a 140 coupe. It had been an SCCA race car, the interior was gutted, and when you slammed the door, it was like banging on a trash can. Sure was fun to drive though.

If one goes through life with one's eyes open, it sometimes takes a pretty serious act of will to avoid getting a very negative attitude. Things like rampant stupidity, and willful, prideful ignorance, with an inability...or no desire...to comprehend actual reality on the part of many...often prominent and influential...folks are among my predominant daily irks.

To be a recognized land speed record attempt, it would have to be sanctioned by FIA. To put it bluntly, FIA would simply not allow anything to run without a roll cage that met their very stringent safety requirements. https://www.fia.com/fia-world-land-speed-records

Some years back, I snagged a Volkl kit in 1/24. Pretty much just a resin body, a slightly different version from the one in your photo (which has been one of my all-time favorite race cars since 1969, and the first race car I ever turned a wrench on for $). You'd have to scratch-build just about everything but the body (which isn't perfectly symmetrical and will need some corrections), but it's a place to start. It's a very small car in reality, but I did some rough measuring against an Accurate Miniatures McLaren M8, and the Mc chassis could be cut down and modified...again, as a starting point...though the Chevron was not a full monocoque like the McLaren, IIRC. Some "continuation" cars were built later, using the original jigs, fixtures, and tooling, and photos of the guts and specs aren't too hard to find.

STOL drag race...

Anybody recognize this guy?