It has the chassis from the hotrod convertible and will build a stock convertible one day,I like those kits but alot of parts and now that I am getting older like the simpler AMT versions better.
Now that the Woody I posted a couple of weeks ago is done, I got this one the other day and started on it. I’ll keep posting updates on this one, but I’ll have to stop at some point, this one isn’t going to end up truly H.A.M.B. friendly, I think it’s gonna end up being tubbed.
Made some headway since last Sunday... The spoke count on my Jag wire wheels is not divisible by 5, but it is divisible by 6, so plans have changed a bit. These will now be more like early Chevy wires with a six lug pattern, rather than Model A five lug wires. Also the rim width has been significantly reduced to about 4 (scale) inches. With some careful removal of spokes on the forward portion of the rim, and some other mods, I'm calling the first two wheels done, except fill and paint. Finned brake drums are from seltzer water screw-on caps. The front axle has a bicycle spoke core, with styrene wrap. A slight bend where the wire exits the styrene wrap creates about 2-3 degrees of positive camber. After the last two wheels are completed, it'll be time to resin cast the tires, and begin the suspension. Happy Sunday Modeling! David
I posted this just completed '63 two weeks ago, then I ran across this pic I took. Today I ran across this pic from 1994 that I wish I could have turned that model into. Oh, well.
Some progress to report on the Dodgy 1925 Underslung project. Now code named project "BlackStar". Upon completion of the remaining wheels, I set about making a new tire sidewall master for resin casting. That went well enough, but when I opened my two part silicone mold making goo, no dice. They were dried up/crapped out. More mold making silicone is on the way, but in the interim, I made up some tire mock-ups, so work could begin on the suspension. Got a good start on the rear suspension and drive shaft. Obviously, a drive shaft tunnel will be needed through the tub. The BlackStar sidewall master, is begat from an extra resin casting from my 1/8th scale Jag, and cut down in diameter from about 3-3/8" dia. to about 3" dia. I also had to add back some detail to the sidewall master, where it'll meet the tread. My completed BlackStar tires will be about 36 (scale) inches in height and about 4 (scale) inches in width. I used PVC pipe for the Jag's tire tread, filling in between the side wall castings. I made them quite a bit wider than stock to fit the cast Dunlop rims. I'll do something similar for project BlackStar's tire tread, but much narrower. Happy Sunday Modeling, David
Moonglow, beauteous work all around and I'm digging the Jag wheel/tire. I was following a '69 yesterday thinking that car needed more tire. After seeing most XKEs with wires I think that steel disc with knock off and depth would look awfully good.
Quick85, Thanks for the compliment. I'm really having fun with this build. Regarding the Dunlop wheels on E-Types... I'm also (slowly) building an E-Type Lightweight race car from a 1/8th scale coupe kit. Aside from converting the coupe to a roadster, then building a new removable hardtop, the rear wheel wells will need to be widened to accommodate the wider Dunlop wheels. In researching these cars for my build, I discovered that Dunlop racing wheels were sort of a European version of our Halibrands, i.e. cast magnesium. Though a bit OT, here's a photo of an E-type Lightweight. I'm guessing fitment issues prevents jag owners from replacing their wires with wider Dunlops...
You (can) learn something new every day. I didn't realize those were called (or manufactured by) Dunlop. It's such a familiar wheel I assumed it came from Jaguar. And if they're cast aluminum, well, that's another eye opener. I have to say that I dig seeing what else beside the Dodge you have going. I'm going to stick my neck out and say I believe many of us are interested in seeing much more than so called H.A.M.B. appropriate model cars. This thread should be about ideas and workmanship and not just limited to a certain time period. (This is not meant as a poke in the eye to the H.A.M.B moderators.)
Deuces, Those are amazing models with very convincingly realistic backgrounds! Just when I'm beginning to think I know what I'm doing in the modeling world, I come across something like what you showed us. Awesome work. quick85, I'm with 100% you on custom water-slide decals. I've tried to print my own custom decals, and even bought some "custom" ones on eBay, with the same result each time. For me, they've always turned into a pile of runny, yucky mush. If someone here knows how to print off your own custom decals successfully, I for one would be very grateful. As far as posting some of my less HAMB friendly vintage race car models here, I just don't have much to show right now. "Other projects" have been my go-to excuse for not finishing what I've started. I've barely begun the 1/8th E-Type Lightweight (kit bashed) race car, I have a 1/12th vintage Fiat 500 Abarth race car (from a kit) that's about 60% done, a 1/12th 60's Honda F-1 race car, (from a kit) that's about 60% done, of course my scratch built 1/12th 59' AH Bugeye Sprite race car, that's about 70% done. And that's not even to mention the 1/12th Ford GT-40 kit, or the 1/12th 1970 Porsche 917 (resin) kit that I haven't even started. It will be a while before I get to either one of those. I'm also an avid builder of 1/12 scale model trains (on gauge 1 track). Someone in HAMB land would blow a gasket if I posted any of that stuff for sure... If/when I make some respectable progress on any of my vintage race cars models, I'll chance it & post them here. If I get busted by the HAMB police, well that will be that.
Well as the old saying goes... "Some days the bear gets you, and some days you get the bear." Yesterday the bear got me. It was day of set-backs at work and at home, complete with the crowning jewel of car trouble and calling a tow truck on my lunch hour. Bummer. But no one lost an eye. Today was much better. Yesterday's steps backwards were reversed and at least two steps forward were made today. The crowning jewel of today's events was I got to break my own rules about my project BlackStar. Although this build is meant to be simple, using old school techniques and mostly spare parts, and other junk box cast offs, I have decided to bend, if not outright break my rules. I decided that since this is to be a closed hood hot rod, wouldn't it be cool if the sound of a burbling flathead Ford V8 at idle, could be heard emanating from inside the engine bay. So I did it. I bought me one a them new fangled USB sound cards with a speaker. I bought this thing a couple weeks ago on-line (there I go again breaking the rules again), but have had zero success getting it to work. Five minutes on the phone today with tech support at Electronics123.com (where I bought my gizmo) and presto! I have 25 seconds of the sound I ripped from this YouTube video loaded, and playing away like a champ, at the touch of a button. Now mind you, the sound quality won't win me any Hollywood special effects awards, but for the size, it's pretty damn good. If a good set of headphones is a 10, my sound quality of my flathead sound is about a 6. All I hoped for. And if that wasn't a good end for the day, our pre-dawn tornado warning and subsequent touch down just a couple miles away, was capped off by a spectacular full rainbow at sunset. My sound card, speaker and batteries will fit very nicely under the hood. I'll have to come up with a clever way to press the activation button... Today was the 13th, which seems to have always been a lucky number for me. Better be extra careful tomorrow. That pendulum just may swing back again. Happy Sunday Modeling! (on Thursday... so sue me.) David PS: My new silicone 2 part mold making goo arrived today too. The hits just keep on coming...
The Railfans of the HAMB social forum under the Uncategorized grouping might be a good place to post those projects. No activity there for several months, but you would probably stir up interest over there. There are so many talented folks posting amazing projects everywhere on the HAMB! Thanks to everyone sharing 1:1 scale “models” and on down in scale size!
In 1969 my friend had a real Marina blue 66 SS Nova exactly like your model, except he ran 5 spoke mags on it. It had a warmed up 327, a 4 speed and pretty stiff gears, man I loved that car! He had to sell it when he got some girl knocked up and was getting married. I was going to try to get the money together to buy it when Mr. Nixon decided I should be a soldier, remember the draft lottery?
I was 17 when I graduated. No one wanted to hire you at 17 and when you turned 18 they didn't want to hire you because you were draft eligible. So I enlisted in the Air Force thinking that would keep me out of Vietnam. That didn't work out well at all.........
The Jalopy Journal
