Tabla de contenidos para December 2015 en Scale Auto

I have often wondered, “what if Ford had kept the T-Bird a two-seater?” With GSL [Salt Lake City show] having a class titled “If I Had Designed It,” I felt it was time to do it. Taking the rules from that class and applying them correctly was a challenge. I decided to make it an upscale twoseater personal luxury car with a retractable hard top. I used T-Bird parts from 1955 to 1959, and other later-model Ford products, to pull off the concept-car design. It ended up winning Best Paint/Finish and Modelers’ Choice at GSL. That meant a lot to me! ABOUT VINCE LOBOSCO My modeling background dates to the mid-1960s when my Dad bought me my first model kit: the Chrysler Turbine Car. I still remember watching him build…

Mustang II Kit No. 102-150 Introduced: 1964 Reissued: Several times Present value: $120 (original issue only) SOME OF YOU have mentioned that you vaguely remember a scale kit of the original Mustang I Concept. This was the one-off mid-engine V-4-powered roadster sports car that Ford debuted at the 1962 Watkins Glen Grand Prix. Alas, there’s never been a 1/25 scale kit of the Mustang I Concept. However, recently I saw the kit that I think some of you were remembering. Ford’s 1:1 Mustang II Concept followed the Mustang I by one year. This second concept was mostly representative of the production car that would debut in April 1964. Industro Motive Company, more commonly known as IMC, introduced its Mustang II Concept kit #109-200 around 1966 as a part of a…

Batman stock car Round 2 No. AMT940-12 Model Type: Injection-molded styrene snap kit Molded Colors: Blue-gray, black, clear, gray Scale: 1/25 MSRP: $24.99 Pros: Quick to build; neat theme. Cons: Some parts need holes enlarged to fit. Tight fit on axles into wheels. THIS is a modified reissue of a predecorated snap kit first released in 2007. My 10-year-old son, Rexton, did the majority of the building; I’ll do the talking. The kit includes the extra rear spoiler and rear quarter-panel extensions that NASCAR added to the cars. The kit is molded in an unusual bluish-gray plastic for the body. The rest of the kit is molded in black and gray plastic, as well as clear windows and rubber tires. There are also two metal axles, and a pack of…

It’s a replica of a car used by the Chicago police,” says Tom Sheehy about this 1967 Chevy Biscayne wagon. He converted a Modelhaus resin Impala body, and used an AMT 1967 Impala donor kit. The finish is Tamiya. WANT TO SUBMIT A PHOTO? It’s easy! Visit our contributor submission Web site at www.contribute.kalmbach.com and follow the step-by-step guide. Be sure to provide all the necessary information and details about your model! Aoshima outdid themselves. This kit came together beautifully,” says Del Gonzalez about this box-stock McLaren F1 GTR Longtail. “I did full carbon fiber from Studio 27,” he says. The paint is Tamiya. QUESTIONS? Send your Finish Line questions to SCALE AUTO, Finish Line 21027 Crossroads Circle, Box 1612, Waukesha WI 53187-1612 E-mail: jhaught@ScaleAutoMag.com…

Sometimes you want to display a car model with the hood up, to show off all that detail you spent so much time on; but other times, you would like to display the model with the hood closed. Short of building and installing working hinges, what do you do to get the best of both worlds? Maryland modeler Rich Wilson came up with an effective solution that’s also easy to construct: “A great number of kits come with engine hood hinges that are cast in the open position, but require the modeler to glue the hood open permanently, or not use them at all. My solution lets you display it in the open position, and close it as well, without a great deal of effort. “Measure the distance between where…

If there is one “evergreen” topic for our readers, it’s painting: how to lay down paint more smoothly and get that jaw-dropping, show-stopping, ultrarealistic finish. We enlsited the help of six car modelers who are known for pro-quality finishes on their models. Here’s their advice on how you, too, can learn how to paint like a pro. What were your early finishing efforts like? Clay Kemp Horrible. I struggled to find a painting method and product that worked, for years. It wasn’t until I started getting into using lacquers and clear coats that my paint work finally improved. I never had much luck with enamel in spray cans. Some people get great results with them; I just never could. Mark D. Jones I thought they were very good at the…

A COWORKER ASKED me if I could build a 1/24 scale replica of her daughter-in-law’s father’s 1969 Malibu convertible. You need two things in order to build an accurate replica of someone’s 1:1 ride: as many reference pictures as the client can provide you, and a kit that is perfect for the build, or at least comes close to start with. Round 2 recently reissued the 1969 Chevelle SS 396 convertible kit AMT. My coworker ordered the kit and supplied plenty of pictures, making it a no-brainer to commit to the project.…

I am a sergeant with the Greeneville Fire Department and owner of Harrison’s Rod and Custom. I am a third-generation modeler. I have a cherished early-1960s picture of my dad and grandfather building a Big T. My earliest model building memory is working on a JoHan 1964 Cadillac with my dad. Later I kept asking him to help me with another until I did it myself, and the rest is history. I detailed my first engine, a Hemi in a JoHan 1969 Road Runner, with thread my mom gave me from her crafting supplies. I went on to compete in local shows at department stores, and was generally 10-15 years younger than my fellow competitors. I took a break from the hobby as I got older, but in August 1999…

The Joker monster truck MPC No. 941-12 Model Type: Injection-molded snap kit Molded Colors: Purple, black, green Scale: 1/32 MSRP: $24.99 Pros: Topical subject Cons: Body/chassis fit; stickers “FABULOUS fantasy vehicles that never were” reads the box art of this Racing Dreams snap kit by Round 2. And that’s correct, because there isn’t a 1:1 The Joker monster truck. Instead, this curbside model depicts a generic Ford truck. It’s a bit unusual to see a monster truck in 1/32 scale. And as usual when I review a snap kit, I try to put myself in a youngster’s or new-modeler’s position; how easy or difficult would assembly be for them? There are approximately 20 parts to assemble, plus a sheet of self-adhesive stickers. The instruction sheet is straightforward and clear. There…

THE EARLY years of theCan-Am series were dominated by big, orange mosters. It all started in 1967, when Bruce McLaren unveiled his latest car: the M6A. With his teammate Denny Hulme, the McLaren team won five of six Can-Am races. The steamroller continued in 1968 with a further redesign: the M8A. This car enabled Bruce and Denny to win four of six races (the two races they lost were won by customers in older McLaren models). The pinnacle of their achievement was in 1969, where the M8B swept the expanded 11-race series. The Can-Am series was aptly named The Bruce and Denny Show. From a modeling perspective, the cars have been well-treated in 1/24 scale. Accurate Miniatures made a well-detailed 1969 M8B. Fisher Models has a nice resin curbside kit…

Clay Kemp Clay is from Avon, Indiana. He’s a former 1:1 racer, and loves to build race cars. His models are known for superior levels of detail, including outstanding graphics and realistic finishes. Dave Thibodeau Dave lives near Tampa, Florida, and despite the heat and humidity there, is one of our mostprolific authors. He often builds superdetailed racing models, and many of his models are finished with twopart urethane clear. Many of our “Building the Legends” series of models are Dave’s work. Bob Downie Bob is the author of the top-selling Kalmbach book, How to Use an Airbrush. He lives in Tucker, Georgia (near Atlanta) and operates his own design company. Mark D. Jones Mark is a second-generation modeler from Southern California who is perhaps best known to Scale Auto readers for…

THIS IS the most challenging customizing project I have ever done as a model car builder. I learned many new skills during the 18 months it took to complete. It began as a “clone the past” build for the International Model Car Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah. The original model was built by Charles Gibilterra in 1963. This Sty Ray replica will be on permanent display in the museum at a later date. The best place to start was with an original 1963 AMT Corvette. It has the basic shapes that will be significantly altered during the build process. The entire running gear and chassis came from the Aurora XKE Jaguar from the early 1960s. The Jaguar wheelbase was shorter than the AMT Corvette, which would require shortening the…

Mustang GT Revell No. 85-4309 Model Type: Sidebar Molded Colors: black, charcoal, translucent red, clear Scale: 1/25 MSRP: $19.99 Pros: Not a lot of obvious detail loss for simplification Cons: Tricky body/chassis interface for intended builders For all who’ve craved a proper Coyote GT since Revell kicked out a 2010 4.6 car in 2011, your ship has just come in! This simplified 2014 GT packs enough intricacy where it counts to enable a full-detail 2011-2014 GT when combined with one of Revell’s standard 2010 – 2013 kits. The benefits to adult Mustang enthusiasts are obvious; but how does this kit function as a gateway to gluing for younger builders? The photo model sticks to Revell’s prefinish scheme, but optimizes it beyond what comes from the factory. A good look through…

Lotus Type 49B 1968 Tamiya No. 12053 Model Type: Injection-molded styrene Molded Colors: White, black, metallic gray, translucent yellow Scale: 1/12 MSRP: $142.00 Pros: New parts are good upgrade Cons: Suspension parts have mold seams, flash, and ejector-pin marks THE LOTUS Type 49B introduced sponsor-inspired paint schemes and aerodynamic wings to Formula One. It was also my first 1/12 scale model. Gone in this reissue are the all of the bits to make it motorized. It now includes a fret of photoetch details, turned aluminum intake funnels, diecut seat belts, and masking material with printed templates for painting. I attached the upper cowl pieces and painted the complete tub, instead of waiting to attach them. It made attaching the steering shaft more difficult, but allowed me to finish the seams…