slownlow

Finished this up yesterday. The nice thing about rat rods is there are no rules, you can let your imagination run wild. This is the first time using salt and baking soda to get the patina and I really like the technique. The sequence was gray primer, model masters steel, salt, rust, salt pale blue, salt, light blue, then washed and scrubbed with a stiff tooth brush. The Mexican blanket was made with the embroidery thread on tape trick. It was pretty stiff so I used fabric sizing on it and then removed the tape. It was still pretty stiff so I soaked it and spot glued it. If I do another I think I'll look for a different technique. This project went fast for me, probably all the ideas in my head needing to come out.

Richard, The wheels are Model Masters Guard Red with a flat black wash, a rust wash, and some "weathering" dust rubbed in. I discovered the weathering powders while doing a Rommel's Rod as a shop truck and a 51 chevy WIP (see my Gallery here) and really like what it can do. Tamiya sells a couple of weathering things that work quite well. I've also heard of people using artists chalks but haven't tried that yet. I believe that the washes and dusts add a lot of depth and realism to a model. You can simulate dirty hand smuges on hoods, around gas caps, window cranks, door handles.....

Tom Waites has a song titled "What's He Doing In There" about a guy with a neighbor that does odd things at all hours. This project might be what the neighbor is working on. It started as a 41 Cevy pickup and the more I worked on it the more ideas came along. I wanted a straight eight and imagineered a DOC set up. The base is the engine from the Mercedes 540K (also found in the Rommel Rod). It needed to be low but done old school so the frame was "C ed". The front is a suicide set up with a Model A spring grafted onto the kit axel. Next came the wheels and tires. The rear tires are also from the Mercedes kit (nice snap in whitewalls) and the rims are from the 77 GMC wrecker. The front are artillery wheels and tires from Replicas and Miniatures (good stuff to be found there). The boom also needed to be old school so it's scratch built. The winch is from the 77 GMC too. The grill has one horizontal bar removed to keep it from sticking above the engine too much. Now the interior is calling.There's still lots of work to be done but this project is building it's self. I had one of these back in the day and i liked it a lot except for the enclosed drive shaft.

Good ideas. " Ill definitely be keeping the spinner in the front to keep its identity but it will be modified slightly ." Planning on putting a bow tie on it?

Merry Christmas every one.

Fabulous. HO HO HO

Roger, The fades are built up with styrene and bondo. The raised wheel well accents are 010" sheet styrene and the speed lines are 030". All the modifications are documented on my Fokti site. http://public.fotki.com/bobmaloy/models/1941-plymouth/

Thanks.The eyebrows are from false fingernails and one got screwed up so I'm doing another.

Well I lit a fire under my butt and got 'er done except for one thing because then it would be d.....ne. do you see it?

So that's why you never hear about 1909 zombies. Love it.

William, that question is just the pits.

To me "scratch building" is also creating new components for an existing cast model. For example, fender skirts, exhaust, tuck and rolled interiors......and much more. on this Rommel Rod the items scratch built are- tailgate hinges, exhaust pipes, hood ornament, wood truck bed, wood box, lower side panels damaged in track fender repositionl, headlight lenses,door decals and roof.

Love it " YAAAARRG"

Did this AMT 49 several years ago. Took a pie section out starting at the front of the door. The seats are real leather from an old check book scraped "wafer thin".

With the weather here turning colder I spent the day adding the speed lines to the fenders. I also mocked up the bumpers, grill, headlights, and hood ornament. I'm still playing with ideas for tail lights and exhaust termination.

Quite a few years ago, I'm not telling how many, my dad and went to the local airport to see a B17. While there we met my high school orchestra director. A nice man who let us get away with murder, during one concert the base fiddle section played the Peter Gun theme and got away with it. We talked a while and he seemed very familiar with the plane. Finally I asked why he knew so much about them and he said he flew them during the war. My opinion of the man went way up that day. Now that's a quiet hero.

Here's a few pics of this years concourse. It's held every year in early September in Des Moines, Ia. I didn't take as many pics as usual as I was showing 2 bikes. This is a great show with a lot of antique and vintage vehicles. For more pics go to. http://public.fotki....bury-concourse/ My bikes are pics 5,6 and 27 at the web site.

Were's Waldo?

Here's a 39 Stude.

It points to where the fish are

Rob, if you go to the Fotki address under my signature and look at the models folder I did progress shots of chops on the 40 Ford coupe, 53 cevy, 49 Mercury, and this girl. The images may explain better than my words. Mark, the paint is a custom mix of black and Deep Pearlescent Purple. So far the dash is all I've painted but it didn't photograph too well.

Rob, there are several techniques for chopping tops. The type of chop that works for me on late 30's to late 40's kind of looks like this. The A and B pillars are cut removing the amount of chop desired the C pillar is removed till the slope of the rear window section is determined. You can see that when the A pillar is cut the roof must move forward to reattach the pillars. This determines how much gap needs to be filled in the roof if you wish to keep the roof level. A "gentleman's chop" lowers the roof more in front than in back so more would be added across the back. As with all things there are a bunch of ways to accomplish the same result. Some guys will notch the back bottom of the A pillar allowing the windshield to slope back too. Different roof styles also require different techniques. I learned this style from Mark Gustavson"s book "Custom Car Modeling". Hope this wasn't too confusing. The main thing is just to go for it. If you keep your vision clear the roof will tell you what it wants.

Andy, back in the day I had a 4 door sedan. Ya suicide doors, One enhanced evening I almost lost a buddy but for the quick reaction of another friend. That was one of the most comfortable cars I ever had. You felt like you were sitting in a couch plus a throttle knob so it was sort of cruise control.

Guess it's time to post this WIP in full. It's a 41 Plymouth I started last winter and with all the hype with the 48 Ford fade I thought I'de try something a little different. I started out with a 3"+ chop. Then on to the fade. I built the base up with styrene square rods then over coated with bondo then recreated the fender side flares with .010" styrene. What i learned is don't mix your medias so much as the different products sand differently. I'll recreate those iconic speed lines coming off the back of the wheel radiuses once I'm happy with the final sanding and panel lines. As i worked on it I began to dislike the bulky feel of the rear fenders and trunk so I did a pie section to help ease the look. This shows the darkened areas to be removed with a "hinge" scribe up and across the top of the trunk. and the result I also learned don't add the rain gutter till your happy with the panel lines, large pain in the tuckus. Here's the engine. I had to make the exhaust headers as the kit had something more appropriate for a gasser. This is the interior. Next time I'll do the door tuck and roll in a smaller profile than the seats. I haven't shot the body but the color is Model Master's "Deep Pearlescent Purple" with black added. The dash is that color but in the pic it just looks dark. Here's hoping I get er done before turkey day.

This has been on the bench since last winter. I go down and work on her a little each week and yes its a MOPAR