Howdy

[Nolan]

Howdy, I’m returning to the hobby after a 50+ year hiatus.  I had a minor re-start attempt in the mid ‘90’s, but work, life and the pursuits of other hobbies, eh, you know the story.  Fortunately I’m a pack-rat er, hoarder er, collector and I managed to save some of the un-built Harley kits I bought back in the day.  I thought they were overpriced back then, YIKES!  I nearly put all of them up on Fleabay and retired on the profits!  Fortunately (?) I resisted.

The advent of affordable 3D printers sparked a renewal of my interest in model building as a quicker and easier method of making custom parts (HAH!!!) than the old scratch building of my long forgotten youth.

My main interest is re-creating some of the models of I had built as a teen-ager and re-creating models of the cars and motorcycles I’ve built and owned with a few (OK, a bunch) I’ve cars and Harleys I've wanted to build.

Here are a couple of photos of some of my early models.

I’ve started several of my projects and finished a couple.  I’ll post more detailed threads of these and other projects.

My ’60 Ranchero and ’72 Kawasaki 500 Mach III.  Loved the Ranchero, it was a sleeper hot rod, loved/hated the 500.  It did it’s dead level best to kill me every time I rode it. So what did I do?  I made it faster every chance I got.

This is a combination of two Hasagawa kits.  Since my Murdersaki was a ’72 H1E nobody makes a 1/12^th scale kit so I combined a 1971 H1A and a 1979 KH400-A7 for the disc brake front  by splicing the sliders, wheel, brake and fender to the ’71 tubes.

(note to self, don’t photograph under prismatic fluorescent light covers!)

I found a Nagano 1/8^th glue bomb on fleabay for a reasonable price, so that and a Nagano 750 will be future builds.

I started the Ranchero build but got sidetracked with other builds, hobbies, work, etc.  I’ll eventually get back to it.

I chopped up a 64 Mustang frame/floorpan to replace the horrific stock piece, built the interior before realizing the kit steering wheel has to be fixed/replaced.  I found a resin 300 inch six to match my Ranchero, and got most of the body work done and….sidetracked.

I’m planning on building a couple more Rancheros, one mild V8 custom and one gonzo, either Pro-Mod or mid-engine Roadkill Mazdarati style.

Another kit I’m working on is a Revell Harley Sportster 1200 to re-create my ’87 Sportster.

The Revell kit is, not great, nothing is straight or level and lacks a lot of detail, sooo, 3D printer go!

Printed the older style curved fender struts, shortened the shocks, printed a frame jig to get the frame at least somewhat straight.

I modeled and printed a Supertrapp exhaust, it will also get an S&S air cleaner, correct handlebars and speedo

This is another finished kit, a Testors Harley FXSTS Springer Softail.  I’ll post a more detailed thread, but it’s mostly a stock kit, but I couldn’t stand the kit handlebars and the ham can air cleaner so I 3D printed some Flanders #3 bars and an S&S air cleaner.

I plan on building a chopped rigid framed version with an extended springer that I modeled off the kit springer.  I’m working on modeling a factory Harley springer because the kit springer has some scaling issues.

Projects for the future:

Each of my four ’67 Camaros, ’74 El Camino, ’73 Vette, ’73 Nova, ’97 Dodge Dakota, two 2000 Dakota R/T’s, the Dakota SRT’s Dodge should have built (one with a Viper engine and one with a Hellcat engine),  my ’47 Chevy sedan delivery, a Dodge Dakota based panel wagon, my three ’57 Chevys,  my various Shovelhead and Evo Harleys.  Plus a couple cars and Harleys I built for other people.

Nolan

Edited October 20, 2024 by Nolan
learning to post

[slusher]

Welcome aboard the forum and back to the hobby, Nolan!,

[Nolan]

Thank you, thank you vury much!

 

Nolan

[Zippi]

Welcome back the the hobby and the community Nolan.

[SpikeSchumacher]

Welcome Nolan.

[Rattlecan Dan]

Looks like you're back big time! Nice to see you've rekindled those modeling likes and skills. Your builds look great. Welcome Nolan.

[johnyrotten]

Welcome to the forum,  nice work on the sportster. The mach III was/is a pretty rowdy motorcycle. I owned one for a short time, power band whenever IT felt like it was fun, and interesting at times. Nice projects you have underway. 

[yh70]

Welcome back the the hobby Nolan.

[Nolan]

Thank you.  I'll try not to be too boring and post some work in progress stuff.  At work, I've usually got about a dozen projects going at a time and tend to do the same with my hobbies.  Short attention span?  Squirrel?  Shiny?  I'll work on something until I get bored, or frustrated, or waiting for parts, paint to dry, etc... and I'll switch to a different project until..... 

I'm having to relearn some stuff, unlearn some old stuff, learn new materials.  Back in the day, it was all rattle can paint and Testors bottle paint, toothpaste for polish, cutting/melting sprue for material.  Now I got all kinds of new toys to play with air brushes, 3D printers, vinyl cutters, oh boy!  Fortunately, I've got 20 years experience in SolidWorks CAD at work, so I signed up for a makers license for $99 a year, which actually gives me a head start at work because our company is usually a model year or 2 behind the latest SolidWorks release.

Oh yeah, thanks for the warm welcome and thanks for all the great content!  Just what I need, more ideas for more projects.  LOL!

 

Nolan

[PappyD340]

Welcome to the forum Nolan and back to the hobby!

[BK9300]

Welcome, Nolan - back to hobby recently myself so I understand the 'relearn, unlearn, learn' process.  Not there yet with 3D printing, so doing it with scratch building and aftermarket goodies.  Nice builds!

[Bainford]

Welcome t the forum, Nolan. Some fine model building you've posted. I really dig those period oldies. Very cool. I'm digging those Kawasakis, too. I just recently sold off a KH 400 restoration project that I knew I was never going to finish. Never got to ride it. Just as well I suppose; I'm older now and don't heal as well as I used to. Cheers.

[titino]

Welcome Nolan.

[Street Rod]

Welcome to the forum, Nolan!