Updated w/more pix: 1934 Ford Vintage Beach Racer

[tim boyd]

This is a just-completed (October, 2018) quick kitbash of the mid-1990's AMT-Ertl 1934 Ford Five Window Coupe kit into a Vintage Beach Racer.  The kit was built highboy style, using mostly parts from the stock (vs street rod) release of the kit.   (UPDATE: I should mention that this was a "quickbuild" project....start to finish in just a few weeks......so not a full detail model by any means.) 

 

The windshield frame, rear window surround, and rear inner fenders (all separate parts in the kit) were molded into the body before painting.  The rear gas tank cover was removed and a lower roll pan cut out and added.  The kit's inner front fender liners, found on most 1/1 scale iterations of this type of car, were modified to replicate factory stock status, but ultimately left off as they hid the Ford Flathead V8 which sits relatively low in the frame.   The single taillight is cut down from the driver's side unit from the Monogram 1937 Ford kits, with an unidentified Streamline Moderne style taillight of undetermined origin added.  

 

The suspension and engine all came from the base kit.  The engine wears the plated flathead valve covers from the AMT and Lindberg 1934 Ford Pickup kits, with a DullCote finish to look like unpolished aluminum.  The dual car intake and carbs are from Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland.  The exhaust headers are from Replicas and Miniatures as well, capped off with exhaust pipes fabricated from the closed driveline driveshaft tubes of two 1936 (Monogram) Fords, just as with the real cars.  The end pipes were drilled out, just to make Larry G. happy!

 

The front tires are from the AMT/Ertl kit, while the rears are from the Monogram 1941 Lincoln Continental (both with the whitewall inserts painted black).  The wheels are also from Replicas and Miniatures of Maryland, being a rebob of the stock 1937 Ford pickup "artillery" wheels.  Hub caps are AMT 1932 Ford units. 

 

Paint is Tamiya Linoleum Deck Brown with Tamiya Semi-Gloss Clear, the "229" numbers come from the latest Round 2 Decal Parts Pack sheets. 
 
Low angle shots on a reflective background have always been a favorite of mine, going all the way back to my first-ever magazine column on the Revell '26 T Tudor kit in an early-1978 issue of Street Rodder magazine.

 

Thanks for looking....TIM

 

Edited November 4, 2018 by tim boyd

[espo]

Stubby looking little fellow. Looks good, are there any additional pictures available ?  

[vintagercr]

I thought it was a 1:1.  Very nice!

[Lovefordgalaxie]

Looks pretty sweet. Stock roof has a lot to do with that. 

Post more pictures, please!!

[ATHU]

Wow! Fantastic finish on that one!

[tim boyd]

16 hours ago, Lovefordgalaxie said:

Looks pretty sweet. Stock roof has a lot to do with that. 

Post more pictures, please!!

OK David and Tulio, you bet.....here you go:   and thanks everyone for your interest and comments.....TIM

PS - I did some touchups after these pictures were taken (for instance, around the roof insert and the on the intake manifold),,,,also forgot to mention above, the interior floorboard was surfaced with real wood instead of carpets or mats....TB

.   

Edited November 4, 2018 by tim boyd

[afx]

Very nice Tim.  Can't understand why the kit manufacturers wont gives us a nice set of vintage big & little tires.

[tim boyd]

39 minutes ago, afx said:

Very nice Tim.  Can't understand why the kit manufacturers wont gives us a nice set of vintage big & little tires.

JC.....tend to agree with you.  Probably the closest we have are the ones in the (currently MIA) Revell 1929 Model A Roadster and 1930 Five Window kits, which are very nice but still miss out on the super tall and narrow aspect of those shown here. 

[landman]

That is a beauty.

[espo]

I get a kick out of the duel carb. set-up. I know that was a popular set-up in that era but you still wonder with the duel carbs. feeding through the OEM two shooter manifold. A real fun looking build. 

[Dennis Lacy]

I saw this snooping around your Fotki the other day before you shared it here. It really does capture the theme of the cars being built for the "TROG" event. While there's a handful of cars loaded with speed equipment most of them are on the simpler side like this. I've always liked the brown primer / black chassis look and it's very effective for this car. About the only thing I'd change would be to delete the headlights as everyone removes them for racing. (I think it might be a rule that they have to be removed?) My favorite detail are the torque tube exhausts. That looks perfect!

[Lovefordgalaxie]

Very very tasty!!

 

[ChrisR]

Looks great! The engine just looks a bit bare without some wiring.

[tim boyd]

6 hours ago, ChrisR said:

Looks great! The engine just looks a bit bare without some wiring.

Chris...you are of course absolutely right.   

Your feedback gives me the opportunity to expound on one of my philosophies of model car building which probably differs from many who read this forum.

I am referring judgment call I make on every model I build.  Which is:  "Do I take the extra time to wire an engine?  Or is detail painting the engine enough on its own?"  (As you can see from another thread in the "Under Glass" forum (on my "east coast '34 Five Window), I do from time to time execute a full engine wiring exercise.)     

In the case of this model, this was a "hurry up" project that was kitbashed and assembled over several weeks to be ready in time for the NNL Nationals #38 last month.  Could I have spent the extra time to wire the engine and still finished the model in time?  Maybe so.  

But in this case, it was more important to me to finish the model without a wired engine, than not to finish it in time due to adding a wired engine (or a number of other changes that would have further improved authenticity - such as swapping in a Columbia two-speed or Halibrand Quick Change differential).

Giving myself the flexibility to not do certain detail additions on a given model, I realize, flies in the face of the view of many modelers that every model project must reflect the best abilities of the builder.  I respect those that take that view, but for me personally, I  have allowed myself the flexibility to vary the detail levels of my models for over 40 years now, and I am personally happy with the decision.  It has certainly allowed me to complete more kitbashing projects than I would have otherwise.  And it has made building model cars a more enjoyable hobby for me personally. 

Just my view, of course,  And yes, it would look even better with engine wiring, no doubt!  

Thanks for the comment and feedback...TIM  

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by tim boyd

[ChrisR]

1 hour ago, tim boyd said:

Chris...you are of course absolutely right.   

Your feedback gives me the opportunity to expound on one of my philosophies of model car building which probably differs from many who read this forum.

I am referring judgment call I make on every model I build.  Which is:  "Do I take the extra time to wire an engine?  Or is detail painting the engine enough on its own?"  (As you can see from another thread in the "Under Glass" forum (on my "east coast '34 Five Window), I do from time to time execute a full engine wiring exercise.)     

In the case of this model, this was a "hurry up" project that was kitbashed and assembled over several weeks to be ready in time for the NNL Nationals #38 last month.  Could I have spent the extra time to wire the engine and still finished the model in time?  Maybe so.  

But in this case, it was more important to me to finish the model without a wired engine, than not to finish it in time due to adding a wired engine (or a number of other changes that would have further improved authenticity - such as swapping in a Columbia two-speed or Halibrand Quick Change differential).

Giving myself the flexibility to not do certain detail additions on a given model, I realize, flies in the face of the view of many modelers that every model project must reflect the best abilities of the builder.  I respect those that take that view, but for me personally, I  have allowed myself the flexibility to vary the detail levels of my models for over 40 years now, and I am personally happy with the decision.  It has certainly allowed me to complete more kitbashing projects than I would have otherwise.  And it has made building model cars a more enjoyable hobby for me personally. 

Just my view, of course,  And yes, it would look even better with engine wiring, no doubt!  

Thanks for the comment and feedback...TIM  

 

Tim I fully agree. But it is such a nice model and the addition of just the spark plug wires would have been great, especially with the open hood.