Curbside models?

[sfhess]

Fisher.

 

[Brudda]

On 9/3/2014 at 7:12 PM, DoktorDuke said:

Folks, just what is a "curbside model"?

 

[Brudda]

I love the styling of an auto. Curbside works for me. I went to a styling school in LA and it was so cool. But I couldn’t afford it so I had to quit.  Now don’t get me wrong, I like details just as much as the next guy. But a curbside is a great slump buster. To me , it’s styling . The looks of a car is very important to me. Color, styling. Are the points of interest to me. Curbside? Yes for me. Here is a pic of the mfh rabbithole you can get into. So much detail, people lose interest or patience. It’s a 935/78 engine. I have been off and on this build for years. So a good curbside is always good. 

[Carmak]

In the 1:1 vintage car show world I am not a fan of open hoods at car shows. I like to appreciate the shape and lines of the car being displayed and an open hood disrupts that.

I appreciate that many of us in the model building world really live for engine and chassis detail that can only be seen with an open hood or on a mirror base. On the flip side I love seeing a model that can capture a look and pull you in with no engine or chassis detail at all.

I think the new Round2 Craftsman Plus curbsides are a great compromise. They have open hoods and fair firewall and radiator support detail so adding an engine is not terribly difficult. Their simplicity allows subjects to make it to market that may not otherwise be seen.

[Jordan White]

On 8/4/2025 at 10:44 PM, Brudda said:

 

Why don't they just say "kits that don't come with engines out of the box"? My kit with the hood closed is the same thing, regardless of whether it has an engine or not.

[Brudda]

1 hour ago, Jordan White said:

Why don't they just say "kits that don't come with engines out of the box"? My kit with the hood closed is the same thing, regardless of whether it has an engine or not.

I agree, but this is the IPMS version of their rules. 

[stavanzer]

Yep.

IPMS.

The Killjoys of Model Building.

[oldcarfan]

I pretty much build only curbside anymore. To me life is too short and I have to many kits to get to. If a kit includes an engine I'll probably paint it so it doesn't look out of place, but I usually don't open the hood anymore once the build is finished. 

[Beans]

10 hours ago, oldcarfan said:

I pretty much build only curbside anymore. To me life is too short and I have to many kits to get to. If a kit includes an engine I'll probably paint it so it doesn't look out of place, but I usually don't open the hood anymore once the build is finished. 

I've kind of decided to go down this same road.  Unless there is something special about the engine, or it is visible I am not detailing it out as much as I used to.  The deciding factor for me was when I was re-looking at my build dispaly shelf and had no idea which of the models I built had a detailed engine.  Had to re look under the hood of each.  Basically, if I'm never looking then nobody else is ever looking.  

[stitchdup]

I find it depends what i'm building. Some builds the engine is a detail i want to enhance because its important to the build but others its just to have something there. Like Joe said above, I'm the only person looking at them. I'm the same with chassis, unless theres something i think is important to the build, it goes matt or satin black though i might add metal tips to an exhaust and i'll paint the back box silver. It really just depends what i want from the build. My current project started as curbside 5 door but i'm trying to get full detail 3 door out of it so everything will be painted. the next 2 will be curbside though

[StevenGuthmiller]

14 hours ago, oldcarfan said:

I pretty much build only curbside anymore. To me life is too short and I have to many kits to get to. If a kit includes an engine I'll probably paint it so it doesn't look out of place, but I usually don't open the hood anymore once the build is finished. 

I'm just the opposite.

I used to do a lot of curbside builds years ago, but I decided that I was really missing out on a lot of what I feel model building is all about.

I resigned myself to the fact that there's no way on God's green earth that I'm ever going to be able to build everything that I want to anyway, so for me, it's kind of become a moot point.

From there, I was able to shake off that albatross and just focus on the process of the build itself, regardless of the detail level or the time involved to finish it.

 

As I told someone a few weeks ago, I'm much more interested in producing a few models that expose the best of my abilities than I am in populating my shelves.

I'd much rather have 5 or 6 exceptional builds as my legacy than a entire wall full of mediocre ones.

That's just my opinion of course.

 

 

 

Steve

[thatz4u]

6 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I'm just the opposite.

I used to do a lot of curbside builds years ago, but I decided that I was really missing out on a lot of what I feel model building is all about.

I resigned myself to the fact that there's no way on God's green earth that I'm ever going to be able to build everything that I want to anyway, so for me, it's kind of become a moot point.

From there, I was able to shake off that albatross and just focus on the process of the build itself, regardless of the detail level or the time involved to finish it.

 

As I told someone a few weeks ago, I'm much more interested in producing a few models that expose the best of my abilities than I am in populating my shelves.

I'd much rather have 5 or 6 exceptional builds as my legacy than a entire wall full of mediocre ones.

That's just my opinion of course.

 

 

 

Steve

Could not have said it better myself....

[dmthamade]

Curbside. Have built 3 funnycars since starting up with cars again. Spent very little time on the chassis and engines, engines had enough done to support the blower and headers. After finishing the builds, they'll go on the shelf, never to be touched again . I build them as if they're ready to stage, ready to race, in their natural enviroment.

 

Don

[Beans]

19 hours ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I'm just the opposite.

I used to do a lot of curbside builds years ago, but I decided that I was really missing out on a lot of what I feel model building is all about.

I resigned myself to the fact that there's no way on God's green earth that I'm ever going to be able to build everything that I want to anyway, so for me, it's kind of become a moot point.

From there, I was able to shake off that albatross and just focus on the process of the build itself, regardless of the detail level or the time involved to finish it.

 

As I told someone a few weeks ago, I'm much more interested in producing a few models that expose the best of my abilities than I am in populating my shelves.

I'd much rather have 5 or 6 exceptional builds as my legacy than a entire wall full of mediocre ones.

That's just my opinion of course.

 

 

 

Steve

That's what is great about this hobby.  I love looking at your builds and the time and attention you put into each aspect.   I like that on those rare occasions when I do decide to go full out on the details I have something to aspire to.