64Comet404

I picked up the kit a couple of days ago. Although it does look good, I wish Moebius had tooled up the standard bumpers (without guards) for these versions. My Modelhaus bumpers are packed away, so I can't check on how close they are to stock. I agree with Brent on the paint; to my eyes, it looks like the 1:1 was painted with Ford Guardsman Blue, or something very similar.

Nice save! I wish Airfix would bring that series of bikes back into production, collectors prices for the BSA and BMW are more than I want to pay for a kit to build.

It is a great little kit, and your build is really cleanly done. When I built mine, I tried for that same 'before the race' look. Unfortunately, a small little (unseen) seep of CA, followed by a quick dusting, left a mark that could only be hidden with weathering. In some respects, I wish it was easier to locate more of these less common kits here in North America, but I have enough kits as it is.

It all depends how far you want to go with the rebuilding. eBay can be a good source, but you really have to watch out for shipping. Allparts is good for a lot of little bits and pieces, and the Stratosphere is good (if a bit pricey) for locating OEM parts.

From what I recall, 1/24 was a scale which was easy to convert (1inch=2feet), and fit in well with the other common scales like 1/48 and 1/72. It wasn't really a metric scale. 1/25 scale came about because of factory engineering drawings, which were scaled to 1:10. Reducing the drawings by two and a half times gave a scale of 1/25. Companies such as AMT, MPC and Jo-Han, with the contracts to create promotional models, were more likely to stick with 1/25.

I didn't bother to modify the other wheels, because I am going to a club meeting this week and want to show off the before and after look. I did add a few more bits to the chassis, such as the front and rear axles. The instructions are a bit mixed up on left and right sides, so rely on the pictures more than the part numbers. IMPORTANT NOTE: on Steps 23 and 24, the instructions show the brake rods (B22/B23) locating in holes underneath the axle locators. THIS IS WRONG!!! (sorry for the shouting, but if you try to build it as per the instructions, it won't look right). The location for the brake rods are in front of the axle mounts. In addition, the front axle halves (Steps 33 and 35) are a bit long, so if you trim them down, the axles will be an easier fit. Another solution may be to glue the two halves to the center piece (D7), which is fitted in Step 4!!! I also primed and test-fitted the engine cover. Two points: if the hinge/radiator mount (B26) is not square when the glue dries, it may mess up fit down the line, and the hinge pins are too long to fit without filing. I ended up cutting off the pins, and drilling holes for new hinge pins. For the front end, there are two holes in the left hand radius rod (D19). I couldn't figure out initially what these were for, but it turns out that this is an alternate location for the tool box (Steps 50/51). I think this is more appropriate for an FF-30, so I stretched some sprue to fill the holes.

This is one of the best paint jobs I have laid down. AMT 1966 Lincoln Continental with a HoK Kopper Pearl paint job.

A really nice build, Cliff. Are those colours based on a real car? I vaguely recall a Packard cabriolet running around Ottawa a few decades back, but I can't remember the paint job.

I tried resizing the picture in iPhoto (the Mac's version of Paint), but I still can't get it to work.

I have been having this issue as well. I try to re-size photos on my Mac, and I still can't get them small enough. Any suggestions?

I've been busy this week, so I haven't done anything further. If my dog gives permission (by not being ill again), I'm hoping to finish the mods to the rims over the weekend.

I have been a bit busy with work this week, so I decided to spend some time working on the Ferguson. The wheels are not too bad, but the lug nut detail is so poor, they look like bolt heads. I chiseled the lugs off, and replaced them with lugs and studs from a Meng supplies pack. On the real tractor, the rims bolt to the rear wheel faces with some stands, so I faked them with some .060 hex rod topped with more lugs. Add some valve stems, and the wheels look much better IMHO. I started preparing for the three-point linkage, To make it look more accurate, I pulled out some brass chain, and dumped it into the Blacken-It. The PTO cap doesn't have the room needed to route the chain, so I used some brass wire to make a turnbuckle, and fastened the chain. I'll attach the chain to the linkage using the same technique. I also started to research and drill the holes for the wiring on the engine. My printer is currently out of order, so I had to sketch the schematic. Fortunately, it's not that complicated. The only piece I need to scratchbuild is the starter solenoid, which is located on top of the bellhousing. Something to do while watching the race tomorrow.

Tonight's work consisted of some assembly and drilling holes for wiring, so I didn't bother taking pictures. While building the front suspension, I did find a couple of potential snags, so for other people building this kit, here goes: 1. Steps 33 and 35 seem to be reversed in the instruction booklet. It's not a big problem, but make sure the pins for your suspension wishbones are pointing the right way (parts D16 and D19). Let the axle pieces dry thoroughly, as they are pretty fragile when drying. 2. Leave out the spindles (part D3) until later in construction. While the instructions show them glued in place, the parts will probably last longer if left loose. They are retained by the steering linkage, so if you plan your build, you can pose the steering. Until next time...

You first!!!

I'm planning on some shade of gray, but I need to take my paint samples out and compare them to the real thing. Then again, I will probably weather it, so paint may not matter that much. I will bring it to the next meeting, though. You may want to grab one, Steve. That store is the only place in Ontario that I have found one in stock. I have one on order at my local shop, but the supplier is on back order, with no ETA.

I started off by assembling the backbone of the tractor, the engine/transmission/axle assembly. The engine for this tractor in 1:1 was a 4 cylinder produced by Standard-Triumph, so if you are a sports car builder who really wants an engine for their TR2 or TR3, here is your starting point. So far, everything fits well, but there is one part (part B15) which needs to be glued in BEFORE the engine halves are glued together. It can be put in afterwards, but it is a real PITA. I glued together a few of the ancillaries, like the gas tank, air filter/carburetor, starter, and generator. I haven't decided how I will be finishing this one yet, but I don't think it will be one shade of gray. The engine cover is the next piece to assemble, and consists of four parts. The grille panel is thin enough that you could open the louvers through sanding, but it would be paper thin. I'll wait until someone in the aftermarket makes one from photo-etch. If you like to build hot rods or rat rods, this is the nose you have been waiting for. Though I am not ready to start gluing the wheels and tires together, I had to see how they would fit together. The tires need some cutting on the inside, so you don't crush the rims, but that isn't too difficult a job. Until next time...

I had been waiting to find one of the new Heller Ferguson TE-20 tractors at a local shop, and the wait to get it seems to have been worth it. While these tractors had been superseded by larger units by the time I was born, there were still a lot of these tractors (as well as the similar Ford-Ferguson 9N/2N) running around the area. I like to do research on the prototypes, just to see what I am building. The kit is based on the made-in-France FF-30 tractor, which has some slight differences in details. Both tractors share the same running gear, and the kit gives you the parts to made both versions. All it means is that I have to keep an eye on my references. Here are the pictures of the parts trees. Construction pics to follow...

I like the look of the outside-mounted glass, but I also think it takes more work to make it look right. Foiling, painting the gaskets, then gluing it in without marking the windows takes a lot longer to accomplish. I think if the car looks better with outside glass, then the manufacturers should mold it that way, but if you can get away with inside mounted glass, do it. My building rate isn't getting any faster, after all.

I take an old pill bottle, and put some melted candle wax in the bottom (this way, I can push the blades in, and they don't fall out if the top comes off). When the bottle is full, I drop it in the sharps disposal container at the local hospital.

It looks like one of the kit cars which used to be available. I had a neighbour who owned one of these cars, and put a lot of money into upgrading the engine and other bits. He ended up selling it, and his other collector car, when he and his wife moved back into the city.

There are kits of the Chevrolet Cavalier out there. They were produced by MPC back in 1981-82, and had similar goofy styling options to the Omni 024. Fujimi also did a much later version ('95 and up), but it was in 1/32 scale.

The only other set of custom 340 valve covers I have found are the Moroso units which come in the MPC 1980's Dodge Daytona FWD kits.

I looked at one at my local shop, and the biggest change with this boxing is that Round 2 provides an extra engine tree, so you can build two complete engines.

The Granada was the first model I ever built, was fortunate enough to find a replacement a few years back. I remember being able to find the Lindberg kits, like the sports cars, the ex-Pyro kits, and the snap-togethers in my local department and convenience stores. I remember buying the ex-Palmer kits as shrink-wrapped multi-packs at a drug store in Syracuse back in the early 1980's. They were cheap, but I remember how disappointed I was to discover the complete lack of detail on these kits.