Early supermodified chassis I've been struggling with for some time now. I should have, and may yet draw out some full size plans so I don't run into snags in the build. I have enough extra parts from other builds to finish out, except for maybe proper wheels and tires. Made body panels out of card stock, but I'm toying with thin brass or aluminum. Have trouble getting sheet styrene to make the bends I need for body panels. Mike URL=http://img805.imageshack.us/i/super001.jpg/][/URL] Uploaded with ImageShack
For a tail section, I'd look at a nose for a Cessna radio controlled airplane. You're in Dallas, and there is a killer shop for those at Beltline and I-35 east. Some of those peices are fiberglass, and you MIGHT be able to find out who made them and maybe, just maybe have a way to get a cowl and top made if you can get a master made. Something to think about. Looks good so far.
For a T-body super, the top would be easy (pop can aluminum -heated with a lighter until covered in soot) A TAIL? Look at a tv ,vcr etc remote control. On the bottom of the backside of the remotes out there, there are nice curves to be had in plastic already. Thinking along those lines, you can get there. Repop them and sell a few to those who can't have a real super. I was looking at doing a 1/4 scale super when I got hooked up into doing the full scale one in my avatar. Now I have three, so my modeling days are on hold right now. Everybody loves a good supermodified model these days.
I used to build a lot of models, but i've kinda got out of it. Haven't really worked on anything for 6 months or more. All I build are 1/8th scale. I love 1/25th for all the subject matter, but they're just too hard to work on, my hands cramp up bad. Plus, I love the sheer size of 1/8th. Hard to store and display though! Over the years, i've picked up pretty much every Monogram/Revell car. I also have 3 Pochers: a factory built Rolls Royce (or pro-built?), a partially built Mercedes 500K, and a mint in box Volvo F12 Intercooler semi truck.
I bought a resin 32 Ford 5W a while back, and didn't really have any plans for it. So I chopped it up. I cut the rear deck off at the tops of the quarters, and folded it under. I cut the quarters near the doors, and folded them in to meet the deck, and bonded it all together. It all kinda fell into place really easily. I don't have any real plans for it. I was playing with the idea of a fenderless show-rod, using a custom built W-18 engine in the front (made from 1/12th scale airplane radial engine cylinders), and wide hubless wheels. Kinda past/future show-car. Might do a Purple People Eater kinda car with it too.
Here's a twin-engine 65 Corvette Dragster I was messing with. Haven't touched this one in a while. I need to get back on it, the hard stuff is done. Just have to work out the chassis. Body is lengthed around 3", and smoothed out. It's hard to see, but I followed the natural coke-bottle shape, and let it narrow in even more at the rear, so the quarters flare out pretty dramatic. Looks pretty sharp that way. All the smeared looking white parts are from welding it together with a soldering iron. Works out pretty well, but you'll want to do it outside with a fan blowing the fumes away from you! It's going to have 2 SBC's and be built as a 63, with that year appropriate style parts (pie-crust slicks, so on). Testing the idea out: As it is now, mocked up with wheels:
I got bored with the dragster, and there was a thread on here about that Mooneyes 59 Elky turned car hauler. The silver one, where they moved the cab to the front of the car, like Mercedes did with their late 50's hauler. So I decided to do that with a 65 Corvette. It's going to haul another Corvette, that one is going to be a sidewinder-engine style topless dragster. The big plan is to paint them both up like a 1963 Factory sponsored team. I go for '63, just because experiemental stuff like that was still going on, where as it kinda died out by the later 60's. The mockup using the dragster shell: Where i'm at right now: Car is lengthened about 3" in front of the doors, and about 4" in front of the wheels (what will become the new doors). From the cab on rearward is 1' wider. I'm probably going to make the cabin wider too. A pair of tracks will allow car to sit on the deck. I'm having a hard time getting the nose and roof in place. It's kinda like building a house, in that you have to have the foundation before the walls. I'm having a difficult time figuring what to mate to where, and how to resolve the shapes in a way that makes design sense. Corvettes have some very complex shapes going on.
This car is off-topic for the board, but hopefully it will be pardoned. This one is a pretty straight-forward conversion of the common as dirt 79 Turbo Trans-Am into a 71 Firebird. I'm going to eventually cast the parts, so the big idea is to do Espirt, Formula, and Trans-Am versions. Nose and valance is carved from balsa, and was more complex that it seemed. Lots and lots of reference pictures, and I think I have it pretty close. Hood still needs lot of work, all the surgery left it kinda warped. I feel bad about this one, I haven't touched it in 5 yrs or more, and the 71 is one of my favorite cars.
That's about what they go for. Kinda lower than normal, actually. A couple of years ago, nice builds were about $400, and MIB was around $800 to $1200. They've actually came down a good bit since the reissues of the Big T and Big Tub.
well, ive been selling off some of my best 1/25 for 25 kiwi and a mate comes around last night with a half done big 32 roadster. im after cash to throw at my 1.1 model a, but took the 32. heres what ive started. i really dont need another project, but ive got some super deviate plans that should blow people away. lol.
Never looked at this thread before .... silly me . Your a pretty talented guy Kiwiparkard ! The vette is totally Mad Max ... Detailed work from all of you .
I paid bout double that for a mint clean build almost 10 years ago. Its sooo nice though, I enjoy looking at it every day. I also stumbled on a mint big tub (built) in an antique store for 100 bones.
Wow didnt know the big drag was such a BIG deal ..im not into Ts that much so id not paid attention. All my 1/8 stuff is 32 Thanks
Mojo, that Corvette is out of control. Really gives me some ideas. But I don't think i will be able to act on them for a long time. To many projects on the go. I have been known to mess around with the big scale stuff. Well I work in all scales. Seeing how you showed you Corvette. Here is one I have on the go. Geoff aka whodaky
mojo, if you get to the completed stage and start selling copies CONTACT me please especailly if you do the formula hood
Hate to be the one to bum you out, but yes they do! That's pretty cheap for a nicely built model.. You could just buy the latest Revell-Monogram T kit and also the 2 parts packs that come up on ebay once in a while.. 1 pack consists of the blower assembly and the other the roll bar, push bar and the Moon fuel tank.. Other parts like the bomber steering wheel and a tach are in there too including the headers.. The new T kit has the Turtle deck and floor pan.. Both of those items were also included in the Big Drag kit.. To sum it all up, you could build yourself a nice replica of one.. One other thing..... The new T kit has 2 sets of wheels you could use.. One parts tree has the chrome American Torq-Thrust mags and the other, the steelies but those are body color.. .. I've thought about shipping 2 sets of those too Chrometech USA and have them chromed for some future projects... Hope this helps!
.......... I forgot to mention if you click on www.tdrcatalog.com You'll find that they carry all kinds of intake manifold setups for the sbc.. And I believe they have a copy of the blower assembly for the Big Drag and and any of the other R-M T kits... Look them up!
I was just on ebay and was looking at the prices on the 2005 edition of the R-M Big T kit... They range from about 110 bucks to 160 bucks for a new sealed kit... That's crazy! It was just a couple of years ago, they were going for 49.95 + shipping... Then I noticed that Revell-Monogram discontinued production on that kit last year or before they released the big tub... That's sad..
RE the high cost of some kits in 1:8, like a vintage Big Drag kit, I suspect it will be re-issued, too, sooner or later. That should help kill off the kit speculators, who don't model any of these "sealed" kits at all, they just buy and re-sell them for profit. But as most here already know, other than a few special parts (that are easy to duplicate, or model in other styles), you could build a very nice T altered from existing kits and some aftermarket parts anyway. But even 80 bucks plus shipping for a current kit might seem like a lot to most folks to order from a discount hobby store. Some of the things I like about 1:8 models are that they are so big you can work on them with old hands and eyes, you can add all the fine detail you want (or not), and perhaps the most intriquing aspect about them is that they are just SO big that you just can't have that many finshed models lying around. So, in theory that also helps keep the overall costs down, too. Unlike models in the smaller scales, these 1:8 "biggie" kits take up a lot of shelf space. Either you have to sell or give them away, or add another room to your house to hold them all. Having even a half-dozen of them on display takes up a LOT of shelf or cabinet space. If you look at the cost per project, one "biggie" probably equates to 3-4 smaller models. And, in theory, since you can only have so many of them and the variety of kits is pretty small, that will also keep your modeling projects focused on a few well thought out models. That's the way I look at it. Gary
It's all in how you look at it Gary. I know of at least a couple of the guy's on the LSM site that have their whole house taken over by the big stuff!
I have four, so far. They are everywhere. One of the things I've noticed tho, is when non-builders look at them they are awed by the sheer size, and little niggling mistakes that might bother me go totally unnoticed. Thanks for the body ideas, guys! I get into Mike's occasionally, just to see what's hanging from the ceiling. There is a great hobby shop in Irving that I go to for 1/25- 1/16 stuff too. Mike
Old Hermit is one of the most prolific big scale modelers i've ever seen. Man, that guy is a holy terror with a kit. Outstanding stuff too. I'm up to around 25 1/8th scale cars myself, not counting boxes of parts. We have (well, had) a spare bedroom, and it's full of my junk. Storage isn't too horrible once they're out of their factory boxes. Most of mine are "pre-built", and so i'm able to cram them into much smaller boxes.
I really like that chop, it looks right on the money. Are you doing a full custom? I save every custom corvette pic I find, with the idea of building a mid-60's radical custom out of one.
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