LL3 Model Worx Posted November 30, 2019 Posted November 30, 2019 When my dad was a kid he was a modeler, he built quite a few cars. He later went on to become an excellent bodyman/painter and the owner of his own bodyshop. When I was a kid, around 12 I found a box of his old models in a storage shed at my grandparents house, and I spent a whole summer "restoring" them and putting them back together where things had fell/broke off etc... There were probably 100+ cars in that box. At the end of the summer, I took the box to my dads house and neatly placed every single car on his stone mantle that wrapped around his living room before he came home from work as a suprise. He was overjoyed when he opened the front door. Sadly, he was married to a very vindictive woman who did not like me at all... They had a argument one evening and she waited until he went to work one morning and then smashed every single model I had put back together, including his "masterpiece" a 66 nova dragster he had built when he was about 19. While rummaging through some old things, I managed to find the wheels and engine from his old Nova, and I had recently acquired that kit... so I thought, I'll try and recreate his for him. This is what I ended up with. It actually turned out like his to the point he thought it WAS his and that I had somehow resurrected it... (I was smashed well beyond repair) This was the most significant moment in my modeling "journey". I didn't go for modern "perfection" or "show quality" I went for what my dad had built when he was 19yrs old. The biggest joy I have gotten from building models right here, was to see that look on his face that he had all those years ago when he came home from work covered in paint and bondo dust. My biggest inspiration.
Safire6 Posted November 30, 2019 Posted November 30, 2019 I was thinking earlier today about posting a question "why do you build models?" to see the different responses. Your reason for building this, in my humble opinion, is the best response I could have gotten. Nice job!
LL3 Model Worx Posted November 30, 2019 Author Posted November 30, 2019 16 minutes ago, Safire6 said: I was thinking earlier today about posting a question "why do you build models?" to see the different responses. Your reason for building this, in my humble opinion, is the best response I could have gotten. Nice job! Thanks man, it's not flashy, but neither was dads.
PappyD340 Posted November 30, 2019 Posted November 30, 2019 Awesome story and model, I know your dad could not have been more proud of his son, well done my friend!!
LL3 Model Worx Posted November 30, 2019 Author Posted November 30, 2019 6 hours ago, PappyD340 said: Awesome story and model, I know your dad could not have been more proud of his son, well done my friend!! Thanks friend. I gave it to him Christmas before last. It was my first Car build in quite a few years as I had been doing figures and armor for several years wich I got pretty good at. I'm still trying to "catch up" with the cars. Spending all my life with the 1:1's burned me out on them for several years. I didn't even want to think about a car let alone model one. But now it's my main focus, and each one seems to be getting better than the last. 5 hours ago, Foxer said: Very cool Thanks man. 3 hours ago, afx said: Love conquers hate. Great build. Thank you for the kind words. I'm not sure what kit he originally scored the wheels/tires and engine from, but I'm thinking maybe the 57 Sportsman? I wish I had more of those big Goodyears for a future project, but I'm happy I got to put them to use in this way.
LL3 Model Worx Posted December 1, 2019 Author Posted December 1, 2019 35 minutes ago, NYLIBUD said: Great job on this beast... Thanks, wish I still had the original. But this one came out pretty darn close.
Jantrix Posted December 3, 2019 Posted December 3, 2019 A terrific gift. Well done. I caught the "was married" in that statement. It would take a very evil person to do such a thing. I'm glad she is in your dad's rear view mirror.
LL3 Model Worx Posted December 3, 2019 Author Posted December 3, 2019 7 hours ago, Jantrix said: A terrific gift. Well done. I caught the "was married" in that statement. It would take a very evil person to do such a thing. I'm glad she is in your dad's rear view mirror. Thanks. You and me both...she is evil. Like on a whole different level than "garden variety" evil. Really wish I would have molded those carbs though... they were the only 2 I had! But they were technically his, so I sent them "home".
Jantrix Posted December 4, 2019 Posted December 4, 2019 15 hours ago, LL3 Model Worx said: Really wish I would have molded those carbs though... they were the only 2 I had! But they were technically his, so I sent them "home". True but they aren't hard to find. Check the Monogram pro-street/ pro-stock 3rd gen Camaro.
LL3 Model Worx Posted December 4, 2019 Author Posted December 4, 2019 3 minutes ago, Jantrix said: True but they aren't hard to find. Check the Monogram pro-street/ pro-stock 3rd gen Camaro. Thanks for the tip, I'll do that. I think I have one of those Frank Iaconio camaro kits tucked away in the stash, maybe they are in there.
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