64Comet404

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.

I remember stopping at Auto World during a family trip back in the mid-1980s, and buying a couple of sets of those plates. I remember getting the just-reissued AMT/Ertl 1956 Ford, as well as a selection of Auto World's sponsor decal sheets. I still have those license plate sheets in the decal box, but I wish I had the foresight to pick up even more of the sponsor sheets.

There aren't many cars that I have owned that I couldn't replace easily, because the majority of them were just daily drivers. The only one I sold, and would like back, is my 1973 Ford Mustang. It was a 2 door notchback, green with a silver stripe, black vinyl interior, 351C 4 barrel/4 speed, 3.91:1 rear. My Dad picked it up for me back in 1988 with only 32,000 miles on the clock. It was a great car for a 17 year old kid to drive in the summer, mainly due to the lesson in economics it provided (Summer Job - Fuel Consumption = Nearly Always Broke). Even then, it was a great car to cruise around town. We stored it at our cottage for the winter months, and somebody (sure we knew who did it, but couldn't prove it) stole the rims and tires off it. Dad sold it the following spring for a good profit, even with the non factory wheels. There are a few cars that I looked at buying, but didn't pull the trigger. When I looked back, it seemed I always let the more exciting car go. 1967 Dodge Coronet 500 Hardtop: 318 poly/automatic, light bronze with a black roof. It had a bit of visible rust on the inner fenders so I passed. Bought a 1980 Malibu 6 cylinder coupe, which turned out to have a lot of hidden rust in the quarters. 1984 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe: silver/black with a stickshift. Not a bad car, but was leery about the turbo, due to my sister's experience driving a Renault Fuego Turbo. Bought a 1986 Mazda 323 5 door instead. 1985 Pontiac Fiero SE: red/gray, V6/ 5 speed, fully loaded. The worst clutch I have ever driven. Bought a 1988 Mada 323 3 door (one of the most durable cars I owned). 1994 Nissan 240SX/1995 Acura Integra/1995 BMW 318ti hatchback: Each one would have been a great driver, but the insurance was a bit high on the 240 and Integra, and the BMW didn't have the features. Bought a 1995 Honda Accord coupe (reliable, but it had the words "HIT ME" written into its' DNA: by the time I sold it six years later, the roof and driver's door were the only original panels on the car). 1965 Pontiac Strato Chief: 4 door, 6 cylinder/manual. Only $600, but i was worried about fuel mileage, and driving across Ontario during winter with a rear-drive car. Bought a 1985 Ford Tempo, which got even worse mileage than the Pontiac would have. 2014 Volkswagen Golf TDI wagon: wanted to buy one, but the consumer books warned of possible problems with the injection system and the automatic transmission (I wanted a stick, but the dealers were sold out). Bought a 2014 Ford Focus instead, and got to experience the joys of automatic transmission issues without the injection problems... I also had the loan of a 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 convertible for a couple of weeks. Black/red with a 352/automatic, it was a great cruiser, but Dad wouldn't sell it to me. I can't blame him, either, because as nice as it was, it would have turned into a complete money pit.

The Comets did tend to sit high, especially with fresh leaf springs in the rear. When I bought both my 1:1 Comets, they rode very low in the back, but a spring change mad them sit up. This look doesn't last long though, unless you add some extra leaves; my Caliente still rides high after nearly 30 years, while my wagon, which had new springs made to the original spec, has regained its backwards rake after only 5 years.

The inner fenders from the Trumpeter Falcon or Monogram Mustang are also useful for rotating the battery location 90 degrees to the proper location. When I first picked up the Moebius kit, I knew something was off in this area, but I didn't catch the battery until I looked at my references.

The best way I have found to cleanly remove these whitewalls is with Tamiya lacquer thinner. I tried to remove a whitewall with nail polish remover, and it smeared the white over the sidewall without removing it. Hope this helps.

I have had a few kits where the tires have rotted on me. I have had a Revell Mercedes truck kit and a Tamiya 1/6 motorcycle in which the rubber had actually re-liquified in the packaging (not bad on the bike, where the tires were still in the vacuformed packaging, but on the truck, the rubber was all over the parts bags). I also have a 1/12 Tamiya Porsche, where the original tires are so sticky, I can't leave them in the box without pieces of the cardboard adhering to the tires.

The only stock 1/32 Lindberg/Pyro kits which came with engines, apart from the Classic Car series, are the 1932 and 1934 Plymouths. Matchbox kits generally have full engine detail. Airfix kits are a mixed bag for engines, with the MGB, TR4, Triumph Herald, and Ford Escort being available fairly readily. Good luck with the building.

When I researched info for my build (still not started), I found all my info and pics on Google. Good luck on the build!

A really purposeful looking rally car. A 240RS was running at Goodwood this year, so there are probably some really good videos and pics on-line by now.

The engine on the right is the correct choice for the 432. This model used the DOHC six cylinder engine, from the Skyline GT-R lineup IIRC, as a model spec'd for racing use. Stock colour choices were the box art orange, or a bright lime green, both with the flat black hood.