Winter 2024 Model Contest

There was some interest in another model car contest.

Since it's been a while and the goal is to just get people building let's go no theme, just build something.

4/1 deadline?

I'm in.

I'm guessing i can't sneak in something i built 50 years ago that is just sitting on a shelf in the shop.   

I'm in!

 Doing this. Think I'm going for a well used look. I have no reason to think I have the skills to do that but I'm going to try anyway!

Think I'll have kiddo do this one.

In.

I'm not 100% ready to commit yet, but I did order two different kinds of glue today. 

Looking forward to doing this with y'all around this time next year.

Have fun!

In. I need a push to get started on one of the many staring at me on the shelf. 

In reply to ddavidv :

You should use a random number generator to pick

I'm in. Not sure what I'm going to build, yet.

In. I started this a few weeks before the photo, and it has stuck there since. Belkits Ford Ford Econobox RS1600. curbside kit. I have 2 engines that could make an original Ford Econobox, including correct for the rally winner. Everybody does that...Also in the junk box was a 289 from an old Cobra....Meet the MSV RS5000....MSV make replica Ford Econobox bodies for historic rally consumption, so  this could be built in full scale with new parts if you have the $$!

I am going to give it 4 rally seats and full street equipment, pavement set-up. If anyone wants some of the seats illustrated PM me. Those are made of polyester resin from a mold I took off the seat in a Hasegawa Lancia. I made a run in urethane a few years ago, they are noticeably fatter! New ones only in poly, the urethane doesn't keep well enough for the $$ involved unless the whole purchase can be used in a week. With just the single mold I would need to work continuously the entire week to use the smallest can available. 

I have never assembled a model kit before, but my father-in-law gave me one for Christmas.  I'll take that as a sign that perhaps I should give it a go!

Above post reads hilarious with the word shenanigans. Imagine the headline when Roger Clark won the RAC, "Ford Econobox Wins the RAC Rally!" Here are up to date photos of the bottom, with only the 4 cylinder exhaust, laid out to build the other side. Hasn't happened. Also wheel pic. The kit wheels in white, I'm using the other wheels, not sure on tire.

In reply to wae :

Lots of experienced folks to lean on here. What kit? 

So I'm thinking I want the body and frame rusty in spots. Assuming I would paint the rust color first then paint the top color and sand to the rust?

In reply to solfly :

Your top color will be "flat road dirt", extra heavy on leading edges. You are on track for one technique. Use multiple chalky thin top coats of varying shades. If it is a brand new Fiat you can paint it new car color and tab "flat rust red" into all the panel seams I did the inside of a Porsche 356 Speedster chassis black first, and thin rusty shades into all of the front edges of the depressions. I'll try to get a photo of it for you tomorrow .

Opened the Charger tonight. Looked at parts and kiddo is keen on slamming it together so I'm going to try to talk them into some detail but I'm letting them call the shots.

I'm in.  I have no idea what I'm doing but it sounds like fun.

TurnerX19 said:

In reply to wae :

Lots of experienced folks to lean on here. What kit? 

I have no idea if this is good or bad, but this is what I've got:

I'm the worst.  I've been in for like 20 minutes and I already need help lol.  Is there a certain brank I should be looking for or staying away from?  I apologize for my incompetence. 

I really don't want to process how long it's been since I built a model.  Darn you people!   I guess I'll do some shopping in the next few days and see if I get inspired by something.

Edit: This is probably the last model I made in my early teens, I know I kit bashed some of the parts in (engine for sure) and yeah, that pinion angle is probably not going to work.  It used to have a windshield, I do have the other headlight and will glue that back on.  

Again, darn you people!!!  LOL

Do LEGO models of our own vehicle (and a couple of dreams in the background) count?

In reply to wae :

That is a fantastically good kit of the E type. I built one about a year ago. Um, no it was 2 years...It is not an easy kit to make the bonnet open correctly, as a first timer it'll be challenging. The wheels are blah, like most kit wire wheels. It will build much better than the Heller kit that is currently available.Pic of mine finished below, I changed the seats,wheels,added plug wires, and did a front bumper delete. Otherwise as presented by Revell.

RonnieFnD said:

I'm the worst.  I've been in for like 20 minutes and I already need help lol.  Is there a certain brank I should be looking for or staying away from?  I apologize for my incompetence. 

Ronnie, that's a somewhat loaded question. The reason is, a lot of the kits are reissues of old kits, so you wind up with whatever engineering quality was present at the time. The detail on newer kits is much better, and the fit usually is superior, but added details can make them more difficult for the beginner to master.

AMT = hit or miss, depending when the kit was originally released. They usually aren't hard to put together though.

Revell=usually better detail. Early kits can be difficult to assemble. Ask me about their Model A woody wagon sometime.

Monogram=I've found these to be the easiest to put together of the domestic Big 4. Detail is usually decent but early ones can be a bit lacking. Revell bought all of Monograms molds so a lot of them are now labeled Revell.

MPC=these are the poorest of the Big 4. A lot of toy-like tooling on early kits, troublesome fit and ejector pin blemishes galore. MPC kits and I usually don't get along. If you like Mopars, though, they are usually the only brand that covered a lot of them.

Japanese kits are generally good, though some lack engine details (or engines!). Tamiya is the gold standard of kits but you pay for the privilege. 

You can find a lot of info on when kits first came out on Scalemates.com. Anything that was new in the late 1980s-1990s will typically be decent.