Table of contents for February 2016 in Scale Auto

WE’RE GOING TO BEGIN with an innovative way to highlight chrome parts and deal with their seams and removal points. This tip is a little longer than those we generally print, but it’s such an interesting and thoughtful approach, we couldn’t pass it up: Tip: Occasionally I read where someone is having a difficult time with chromeplated parts where they are removed from the tree. My solution is to use markers. Remove as little of the chrome as possible, and sand the area as smooth as possible. When that is done, think about what would be reflected on the chrome of a 1:1 scale item, such as a bumper or the saddle tanks on a truck. On the underside, that would usually be pavement, grass, or dirt. For pavement, use…

REVELL’S 1929 Model A roadster kit is tons of fun to build. And with just a touch of extra care during assembly, your build can truly stand apart from the rest. To demonstrate, I assembled the kit in the “Highboy” version with its 1932 Ford frame (a second “channeled” version with a Zd Model A frame is also provided). Here is what I learned, along with a few simple steps to enhance your building experience.…

I’m 63 years old, and I live in Charleston, West Virginia. I’ve been building models since the early 1960s. I can remember building a model in the back seat of my Dad’s car going to Florida on vacation. For the last 35 years, most of the models I build are some type of oval-track race cars – NASCAR 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s – and any year and type of short-track car, asphalt and dirt. I really enjoy taking a car that you normally don’t see built as a race car and turning it into a short-track car. I guess the strangest model I have built like this was my Batmobile Modified. Not sure if I have a certain style to my building, because I just start cutting and trimming…

TAMIYA HAS released a modified reissue of its earlier R32 kit, now with all of the custom parts to make the NISMO version: bigger NISMO fivespoke wheels, bigger brakes, front strut brace, new intake piping, steering wheel, and a few body pieces. Chassis and engine parts are molded metallic gray, and the rest in white. All are separately bagged and flash-free. Also new are self-adhesive emblems and mirror faces. The chassis has great molded-in detail, and thankfully all suspension and extraneous parts are separate, so no tedious masking is necessary: just paint it body color. Follow the instructions carefully when assembling the engine and front suspension. I didn’t, and found myself pulling things back apart to get the engine installed. The engine consists of 11 parts, starting with the typical…

Not all Ferraris are red!” says John Dezan. His 458 Italia has Scalefinishes Grigio Ingrid paint. He built the Revell kit box-stock in 36 hours for a contest theme. Photo from NNL East 2015. Paul Battistone’s 1941 Willys street machine features hinged hood, doors, and trunk. The Chevy engine is fully wired and there is a complete aluminum exhaust system underneath. It won Best of Show at Motor City Madness in 2014. Photo by Steve Perry. 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!…

Clever modeler Mark Mullins of Garner, Iowa, came up with a cool (to say the least) way to chop a top. Here’s Mark: “I wanted to chop the IMEX 1/16 scale Rat Rod pickup cab and doors. I landed on an idea of how to hold the pieces together securely and cut them as a unit. “I taped the pieces together and marked the top and bottom cuts. I placed the body (with the doors still taped in place) in a soup bowl filled with water to the level of the top cut mark, then placed the bowl in the freezer. After the water froze, I cut the body and doors across the ice with a razor saw. “I thawed everything out, put the body back in the bowl on…

WHETHER in 1:1 scale or 1/25, Highboys are usually 1928-1932 Fords with the fenders removed. This straightforward building style is fairly easy to accomplish; several outstanding kits replicating this hot rod design genre are available. But try to apply the same fenderless concept to post-1932 cars, and you’ll rapidly find that the technique is considerably more challenging. There are key considerations in the areas of stance, proportions, front grille/radiator treatments, and more. If you choose to add the Traditional hot rod styling element of “channeling” (setting the body down onto the frame instead of leaving it on top of the frame, as in Highboy parlance), and the challenge grows. Get this combination of design elements wrong – which is easy to do – and you’ll have an odd-looking model. Perhaps…

IN JANUARY 2014, my local model car club decided to have a “brown bag” theme for our December contest. Each contestant must bring a kit from their stash, wrapped in brown butcher’s paper, and it then has a number assigned to it. We draw numbers from a hat, and whichever number you pick is what you have to build for the contest. The rules are pretty wide open to build the kit, but it must be recognizable as the vehicle you started with. There were a lot of newer released kits in the pile, but it was my luck to end up with a Johnny Lightning release of the AMT 1969 Firebird Trans Am. It’s been about 15 years since I’ve got back into the hobby of building model cars,…

THIS KIT is all hot rod. The 149-piece kit can be built as a Highboy hot rod roadster or with the body channeled over the frame. The parts trees are bagged, and the 16-page instruction booklet is informative and easy to follow. Thumbs up to Revell for including a list of the part names. I found no sink marks – the body was flawless – and parts cleanup is minimal. I chose to build the body-on-frame Highboy, finished in Wimbledon White with red trim. This kit includes a myriad of optional parts. There are choices for the induction system, headlights, taillights, steering wheel, and wheel treatments. Each version has its own frame and interior, floor pan, exhaust, radiator, radius rods, radiator hoses, steering link, steering column, and firewall. The 14-piece…

FPP Models (Fernando Pinto, Portugal) has been around a while, but has added many subjects to its lineup recently; and what really makes them stand out is the subject matter. FPP has a most intriguing selection of vintage racing models – that have been ignored by just about everyone else – in 1/24 or 1/25 scale. How about a 1952 Mercedes SLR, or a longtail Porsche 906? Or vintage F1 cars such as Vanwall and BRM? The multimedia kits are well thoughtout, and the subject matter alone makes them worth grabbing. 1962 BRM P57 This car was notable in that it won the inaugural Constructors Championship for British Racing Motors in 1962, as well as the F1 Drivers Championship for Graham Hill. This was British Racing Motors’ only championship, which…

I wanted to build this model because it’s one of my favorite General Motors body styles, and my older brother had a red 1961 Biscayne that really influenced me. The base model was a Lindberg kit that went together really well, with only minor snags – nothing that would cause a young modeler any problems. The windshield and cowl are the only things that look different from a factory car. ABOUT TOM NUNGESTER This Hoosier modeler says he is “just a regular Joe” who has been building models since 1965. “I guess you could say that my favorite building style is Street Stock,” says Tom. Some time spent with the late Augie Hiscano at a GSL show in Salt Lake City inspired him to purchase a Sherline lathe and begin…

LOOK OUT, everyone: this Satellite’s going Commando! Commando 426, that is. That’s what is in the engine bay of Moebius Models’ new 1965 Plymouth Satellite kit. There are 112 pieces to this Satellite, plus four vinyl tires that have whitewalls impressed on their otherwise-plain sides. A highlight of the 25-part engine is its two-piece four-barrel carburetor, but to get the air cleaner mounted, I flipped the mounting of the carburetor. This is a simple engine with only an alternator, which mounts directly to the engine block, so there are no brackets. The front suspension mounts to a separate subframe. The upper K member includes the torsion springs. On my kit, one of the springs was broken on the sprue. The lower suspension parts, including the control arms, lower links, and…

THIS KIT has more than 130 parts, molded in disappointing black, chrome, and clear plastic. The Cartograf decal sheet is exceptional. Although Revell Germany provides a decent representation of the threecylinder power plant, it will not be seen when the model is finished. The engine and suspension go together well, and are adequately detailed. The front electric power unit and the front suspension parts fit well. The front steering is functional. When both units were completed, the tires and wheels were detail-painted and installed. The tires are too skinny, and the wheels are a big disappointment. Their style is correct to the 1:1 car, but they are too small; too much sidewall shows. I chose to go with the slightly off-white or beige-colored seats and accents, using Gravity Colors Mercedes…