Model Car Builder 1

EDITORS WORKBENCH
Vol 3 / Issue No. 7
WINTER 2018
Publisher/Editor
Roy R. Sorenson
Marketing Manager
Lynne Sorenson
Copy Editor
Neil Van Zile

Order Additional Copies at:

www.ModelCarBuildermag.com
Model Car Builder is published bi-monthly by
HC Publications, PO Box 20144., Castro Valley, CA 94546. As I sit down to put the final touches model builder. He builds replicas, but they
are not 100% scratchbuilt. He may use
E-mail: HCPublications@att.net on this issue I have just gotten back from
kit parts, 3D parts, aftermarket goodies,
NNL West. What a fantastic turnout for
turn some machine parts, etc. to create his
CONTRIBUTIONS this year’s show! 1,100+ cars on display
cars. But they are not 100% scratchbuilt.
Unsolicited contributions must be accompanied by a return envelope with appropriate and a great
A professional
postage. MCB cannot be held responsible for unsolicited contributions while in the crowd made for “Of course Gerald A. Wingrove modeler also
mail or in our care. Please e-mail the publisher at the above address before sending any a very enjoyable immediately pops to mind when I think
gets paid for his
materials. Sorry, but we do not have the money to pay for contributions at this time. We day. I pulled
reserve the right to refuse any contribution. the Foose of a master modeler” work. My good
buddy John
pickup detail
Teresi comes to mind.
article from this issue and used the last few
COPYRIGHTS pages for NNL West coverage. Of course,
But if someone at a local contest gives
Contents of this magazine are copyrighted. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine you the “Master Modeler” award, take it as
the NNL YEARBOOK will be out later
may be reproduced or otherwise utilized without written permission of the publisher. the compliment it is meant to be, but don’t
this year and it will have a ton of photos
Certain items, logos, names, and images, etc. may be covered under trademark or think you are now a “Master Modeler”.
for you to check out (plus a few fantastic
copyrights of others, and may be used here for identification, review, or educational Next issue I’m going to try to build a box
feature cars).
purposes only. stock 18 wheeler. I drove one for a couple
The other big news is that Revell’s parent
of years, and have a soft spot in my heart
company, Hobbico has filed for bankrupt-
for them, but they take up way too much
SUBSCRIPTIONS cy! Revell’s official press release is that
room on the display shelves. The fact is I
MCB is a bi-monthly magazine available through Amazon.com, MagZter.com and Mag- things will continue as usual at Revell. Let’s
will probably give this one away when it’s
Cloud.com. (Magzter.com is the only one offering digital subscriptions at this time). hope that’s true!
done. It is going to be
There’s been a lot
a BIG project that I
talk on the web
RETAILERS lately about who is a
will have to finish in a
Model Car Builder magazine is now available through Baker & Taylor, Ingram and short amount of time.
“Master Modeler”?
NACSCORP for retail sales. Please contact them about selling MCB on your magazine Speaking of BIG
Let me throw out
rack. Thank you. projects, now that
my two cents on the
NEXT ISSUE: matter. If you can
the Gilmore tanker is
completed I need to
take a pile of brass
pull “Big Buck Build”
and wood, turn that
from the back of my
We build an
into a 1938 Bugatti,
workbench and get
fully detailed, then
back to work on it!
18 wheeler! ya, you are a master modeler. Of course
Gerald A. Wingrove immediately pops to
This Pro Mod (1/16th scale) project drew
a lot of attention when we introduced it a
mind when I think of a ‘master modeler’
few years ago; we need to get back on it!
nowadays. There might be just a handful
B L O W N F L AT of people that can say they are “masters” at
There’s a ton of scratchbuilding to do on
it, and I need to go spend some more time
scratchbuilding model cars.
HEAD The next level would be the “professional”
with brass wizard, Roger Lee.

2 Model Car Builder

CONTENTS
NEW COLUMN:
“COOL STUFF I FOUND
ON THE WEB”

PAGE 4
BOX STOCK BUILD:
BUILDING REVELL’S T-BOLT

PAGE 6

TANKER PROJECT:
Final Chapter

PAGE 12
FEATURE BUILD:
DAVID THIBODEAU’S
MARTINI MUSTANG REPLICA

PAGE 18
WEB TIPS:
WORKBENCH TOOLS EDITION

PAGE 30

NNL WEST 2018:

1,100 CARS!!

PAGE 34
Model Car Builder 3
COOL STUFF
I Found on the Web!
A wise man once told me, “If you see
something you really want, BUY IT!”
Because you may not get a second chance!
Time and time again I’ve told myself, “I
don’t have the money or time right now to
buy that” and then regretted it later when
I did have the money, but could no longer
find the product.

Aftermarket manufacturers are a great

source for us modelers, but some of them
come and go before you know it. If some-
one is offering a cool detail part, and you
really want it, you better snatch it up while
you can!

So why am I telling you all this? I’ve

decided to add a new section to Model Car
Builder entitled “Cool Stuff I Found on
the Web” As I’m surfing through the great
world wide web and see something cool,
I’ll order it, photograph it, and tell you
about it as soon as I can! I think this issue’s
selection of neat parts will give you an idea
of what I’m talking about.

This won’t be a “New Products” column,

this will be about “cool” products. So if you
see something out there that you think I
should feature here, drop me an email and
let me know please!

My email address is:

HOTCARSmag@att.net
or
HCPublications@att.net

UPPER RIGHT: Pico Elgin was out for NNL

West a couple of years ago and showed me his
Frenzel supercharger he just had 3D printed.
I was blown away! What an amazing piece!
Then he pulls out a set of cool looking Kong
heads (MIDDLE PHOTO) as well. After a
long two year wait I ordered them from Pico
(you’ll have to message him at Facebook for
pricing and shipping).
RIGHT: As you can see, I wasted no time in
slapping together a great looking flathead
motor for my latest project. Thank you Pico!
By the way, I need a second order, or two, or
three....
4 Model Car Builder
UPPER LEFT:( https://www.shapeways.com/shops/3d-model-specialties), LS3 1/24 scale V12 block, 3D printed in White Strong & Flexible
Polished: White nylon plastic polished to reveal a smooth matte finish, LS3 1/24 scale OBX Crossram V12, LS3 1/24 V12 heads & oil pan, 3D
printed in Frosted Ultra Detail: Matte translucent plastic that showcases fine and intricate details. We will have a full build up of this motor in
a future issue but I can tell ya, Ron Olsen’s 3D-Model-Specialties, does some amazing pieces! UPPER RIGHT: Ron’s Procharger Belt Driven 1/24
scale, 3D printed in Frosted Ultra Detail: Matte translucent plastic that showcases fine and intricate details.

ABOVE: ( FACEBOOK: JPS Customs Model Car and Truck Wheels, INSTAGRAM: jpscustomsmctwheels) Jeff Metzger at JPS Wheels sent
along a couple sets for me to check out after seeing them on his FaceBook page. They are really nice! You can order machined aluminum outer
rims with resin cast centers (left photo) or cast rims/centers, that you can paint to any color (right photo). JPS has sizes that range from 13”-30”
in 1/24th scale. You can order online at: Jpscustomsmctwheels.bigcartel.com. I’m sure these are going to find their way onto a couple of future
projects here at Model Car Builder.
Model Car Builder 5
 BOX STOCK BUILD

This issue’s box stock build is Revell’s 1964 Ford

Fairlane “Thunderbolt”. The kit can be built stock,
street machine or drag. I’ve done a street machine
version before, so this time I think I’ll go with the
drag racing version. The kit goes together easily and
features some nice details.

ABOVE & BELOW: I masked off the car and sprayed the engine compart-
ment flat black, then counter masked it to paint the whole car.

6 Model Car Builder

ABOVE: Paint job was kept simple. Plasti-Kote primer, then a simple ABOVE: I wanted to break up the black chassis under the car. So the
metallic red. It was allowed to dry a couple of days, then I block sand- coilovers springs were painted red, as well as the front sway bar. The
ed it with wet 2000. Applied the kit decals, then covered it in Testors front springs were painted gloss black, then flowed flat black in be-
High Gloss the next day. The kit decals applied easily & look great! tween them. Master-cylinder lid was painted silver then Tamiya clear
yellow.
LEFT: Detail painting is what makes a box stock
build so challenging. The kit’s instructions may
say to paint everything semi- gloss black, but if
you do that you’re covering up a ton of detail!
Alternator: Black wash to the back side, then
covered in dull coat. Expansion tank: Gloss
black tank, Tamiya’s “rubber” black for the hose,
silver for cap and chrome silver on the radiator
clamps. Coil and oil filter: Coil is painted gloss
black, tip painted white, bracket covered with
Bare-Metal foil. oil filter features aluminum on
the housing, gloss white filter. Distributor: gloss
black cap with white spark plug holes, aluminum
housing. Water pump: metal paint on the pump,
rubber paint on the hose, chrome silver on the
clamp. It’s all about the details!

BELOW: The kit features a great pair of Holley carbs, too bad they’re BELOW: The kit headers fit really well, but they are riddled with part-
covered up by the huge air cleaner! I covered mine in Tamiya’s clear ing seams and ejection pins. I cleaned them up the best I could. There
yellow. The chrome plated manifold was a little too flashy for a drag is a large hole in one of the collectors for a crossover tube. Too big. I
car, so I covered it in dull coat. filled it and sanded the collector smooth. They were painted silver and
then I used the Tamiya heat weathering set to add color.

Model Car Builder 7

ABOVE: Like I said, the large air cleaner covers up those carbs! I ABOVE: The radiator had these annoying ejection marks in the side
painted it aluminum. The two large hoses are a separate piece, making tanks, I left them there. The radiator support and radiator were paint-
them easy to paint. I covered them in Tamiya’s “rubber” black, then ed flat black, then dry brushed with aluminum. The voltage regulator
painted on hose clamps with the 1mm liquid chrome pen. can either be painted Ford blue, or chrome.

ABOVE: The reverse wheels are not chrome plated in the kit, so we ABOVE: We kept the chassis clean and simple; it’s a whole lot of flat
used a 4mm Liquid Chrome pen to cover them in chrome. Don’t forget black with just a couple touches of color. Notice the crossover pipe
to paint the back side of the wheel as well! The tire treads were sanded. between the header collector tubes. This comes in the kit. I think I lost
it twice before I got it painted and installed!

ABOVE: The interior in this kit is very hard to see through the windows, so I didn’t want to spend a whole lot of time on it. The engraving for the
door panels in the one piece interior tub is VERY hard to see. So after painting the interior tan, everything was given a wash of acrylic brown.
Even though they give you decals for the three stock gauges, there aren’t any decals for the tach or oil pressure gauge. And no roll cage?
8 Model Car Builder
ABOVE: Closer look at the dash. A chrome pen was used on the dash. If you look closely you’ll see why you should put the gauge decals on un-
der a magnifying glass! I didn’t and now my gauge needles are pointing all over the place! The dome light (right side photo, black arrow) is clear
plastic. Paint the inside white, and the outer ring chrome. Don’t forget to glue in the front springs (white arrow), before the chassis is installed!

ABOVE: With the chrome trim done and glass in, it’s time to bring all ABOVE: Rainbow tape was punched out with a hole punch and glued
the sub-assemblies together! Don’t forget to take the time to touch up under the transparent red taillight. It’s a small touch that makes it
chrome pieces after cutting them from the tree. much more reflective. Notice the black paint flowed into the rim.

ABOVE: The inner headlight is the screened intake. Use a black wash, ABOVE: If you build the drag version, you’re going to have a lot of
and dry brush the screen silver. I also black washed the grille as well. great parts left over. You could probably use the horn (center), but I
wouldn’t have it on my drag car!
Model Car Builder 9
ABOVE: More leftover goodies! The two sets of wheels will definitely ABOVE: The Touqueflite automatic tranny will be thrown in the spare
be used on future projects. parts box along with the Cobra style air cleaner.

10 Model Car Builder

Model Car Builder 11
 TANKER PROJECT:
Final Chapter
As the NNL West quickly ap-
proached I knew I wanted to get
the tanker truck completed to
display. So I ended up taking two
big shortcuts to get it done. The
tank’s wooden frame was narrowed
to the width of the frame rails and
epoxied to the top of the frame.
The door decals were shelved, and I
used the Crown decals found in the
‘34 Ford P/U kit. Two short cuts I
now regret, and will probably step
backwards in the future and cor-
rect. ABOVE & RIGHT: I
The truck was a big hit at NNL sent out a request on the
internet for information
West, with lots of modelers asking
leading to a set of truck
questions and Scale Auto shooting wheels to match the ones
pictures of it. Like I said, I’m not on the real truck. Within
happy with it, and will continue minutes several people had
making changes to it, but as far as answered. Most of them
told me about a nice set of
Model Car Builder is concerned,
resin FORD AA TIRES &
the project is complete. WHEELS available from
I learned a lot about weathering, Alan Raab - Ma’s Resin. I
worked on my scratchbuilding surfed by his FOTKI.com
skills, and had lots of fun building photo album to check out
the above photos of his
this truck. It’s good to step out of
tire & wheel set (http://public.fotki.com/ cnaind/truck-tires--wheels/ford-aa-tires--wheels/),
your comfort zone and try some- they looked perfect! So I quickly ordered a set. I cleaned up the castings and drilled out the
thing different. lug holes.
12 Model Car Builder
ABOVE: I drilled each rim to receive a simple valve stem made from black wire and epoxy. The lugs are 3D printed nut/studs available from
Shapeways.com. Wheels are covered in red primer. The center of the front wheels (center photo) needed more detail. I used photoetch round
washers , and a large hex nut to simulate the dust caps. The wheels were given a black wash and covered in Rustall dust (right photo).

ABOVE: The ‘34 Ford P/U chassis needed to be extended to haul the ABOVE: Then I cut the rear crossmember out to mount the rear axle
large tank. I started by cutting the frame off just behind the X-mem- in the new frame I was about to build.
ber.

ABOVE: Evergreen strips No. 178 is 100 x 188 and matches the ‘34 ABOVE: Everywhere two joints come together you want to drill and
Ford frame rail exactly! I cut two the length of the tank, and two the pin them together for strength. Even if you don’t pin it with wire, you
stock frame width. ALWAYS use a miter for straight cuts. should still drill to provide pins made from the C/A glue you apply.
Model Car Builder 13
ABOVE: Even if you don’t pin the crossmembers, you are definitely pinning the new frame section to the ‘34 Ford frame. The tank, the wood,
etc. is going to put a lot of stress on the frame. Start by butting the Evergreen strip up against the Ford frame and draw a line across the two
pieces (upper right photo). Now drill the old frame and new frame section right where you made that line. This way your two drill holes line up
perfectly. Now insert a piece of wire (red arrow), and use C/A glue to glue the two frame sections together.

ABOVE: I thought about scratchbuilding the heavy outboard springs with brass sheet and rods, but I just didn’t have the time. Instead I took the
springs off the Mack Bulldog frame and modified them with Evergreen sheet and 3D printed nut/studs. It’s not accurate, but looks fine.

ABOVE: The front shackle is bits and pieces of photoetch ABOVE: The ‘34’s rear end is actually too small for this truck, but again, time
brass and 3D printed bolts. constraints forced me to use it. Archer Transfer resin rivets were used to add
14 Model Car Builder detail to our new frame section (all the black dots).
ABOVE: With the frame completed, I gave it a coat of red primer and black wash. The flathead got spark plug wires, a cloth covered generator
wire, and black battery cable. I will be adding more detail, then give the whole frame a coat of dull coat before throwing it in the Rustall dirt.

Early mockup. The decals I made for the

door didn’t work so I ended up grabbing
the ‘34 Ford decal sheet and using the Red
Crown decals. If you look at the real truck
it’s obvious that the tank was not original to
the truck, so why the heck not...

ABOVE: The real truck has gas/sand pails on either side of it. I’ll probably end up 3D printing the final pails. In the meantime I found some doll
house bottles that I modified with aluminum wire and Evergreen sheet (again, time constraints).
Model Car Builder 15
ABOVE: The sand pail racks on either side were made from brass rod, ABOVE: The tool box in the ‘34 Ford would have been fine, but I
Evergreen rod, Evergreen strip plastic, and a piece of Plastruct 90 de- wanted it look even older, so I gave it a faux wood finish. I used a jew-
gree Fineline Styrene Angle. I taped the angle to my workbench, glued elers saw to cut grooves, and used acrylic paints for the wood colors. I
in two upright pieces of rod, then glued on a “U” shaped piece of brass also drilled out the handles and glued in cloth covered wire to simulate
rod. See the bottom right photo for finished rack. rope handles. Final touch is the Rustall treatment.

ABOVE: The seat and floorboard were heavily weathered. Duct tape ABOVE: The ‘34s standard diameter steering wheel was just too small
is Bare-Metal Foils “Aluminum” foil cut in strips. The driver’s side was for a big truck, so I used the wheel from the Mack tanker. I used a faux
cut open and cotton pulled through the opening. Gear shift handles wood finish on the wheel, but come to think of it, it should have been
were covered in dullcoat & Rustall. black. Gauge cover was painted silver then given the Rustall treatment.

ABOVE: The big Buick, finned, drum brakes were used on all four ABOVE: In my rush to finish the truck in time for the NNL I narrowed
corners (black arrow). The ‘34’s license plate/taillight was used on the the tanks wooden frame to match the trucks frame rails. It worked, but
drivers side of the frame (red arrow). it’s wrong.
16 Model Car Builder
ABOVE: I drilled out the horn from the ‘34 kit, but besides that every-
thing up front is pretty much box stock (except for the tires/wheels).
ABOVE RIGHT: The tanker’s art work was transferred onto decal
sheet and applied to the back of the tank.

Model Car Builder 17

 Building the Martini Mustang on the car and had to be right. Jim delivered with flying colors not
only a set of finely machined wheels, but also a really nice set of brake
rotors as well! Next up was the decals needed to create the Martini Liv-
O ne Saturday morning, I was on my laptop drinking my ery. My good friend Mate Mayer owner of Gravity Colors USA, which
is the paint of choice, created the main hood, roof, and trunk stripes
usual coffee surfing the net when I came across a Petrolicious
video of an incredible 1966 Mustang. The video was narrated along with the side rocker stripes as well. Clay Kemp made me the “T-
by Steve Strope. Steve is the creator and owner of Pure Vision 5R” logos for the trunk. The rest of the build went as follows.
Design which is a custom car shop in Simi Valley California.
Steve is responsible for churning out some seriously “Bitchin” ENGINE:
cars as he would tell you himself! Cars that have graced many
movies in particular the “Fast and Furious” franchise of The engine was borrowed from the old reissued Olsonite Eagle Indy
movies. What makes this car so special? It is a powered by a car kit. It comes with two powerplants and one of them is, you guessed
circa 1960’s Ford Indy motor. Yes folks, you heard that right. it, the Indy 4 Cam motor. Its a bit of an anemic representation of the
This Mustang has an engine in it that was solely proprietarily engine but it was the only choice available. I dressed it up with my own
meant for an Indy car! The car has Indy and rally themes turned parts and Detail Master intake trumpets. The transmission was
all wrapped up in one of the most infamous liveries. Steve’s taken from an old AMT NASCAR kit. Headers were made from .062
“what if ” vision with this car is Ford decided to go rally solder and shrink tubing for the collectors.
racing back in 1966 and decided to pull out the old 289 V-8
and install the already successful Indy 4 CAM motor coupled DRIVETRAIN AND SUSPENSION:
with Martini as a sponsor and what do you have? THE MAR-
TINI MUSTANG. This area of the build proved quite challenging. The wheel well area
on the stock Hertz Mustang kit is quite shallow so the interior rear
THE BUILD: tub had to be narrowed to accommodate the larger tires I chose for
the build. I built the rear suspension basically from scratch. The scale
The video was the catalyst that sent my brain into build model has a proper 4-link suspension like the real car. The 4-link
mode and how I could accomplish it in 1/24 scale. I procured plates are photoetch brass plates from Dirt Modeler. It took a lot of
a Revell 1966 Shelby Hertz GT-350 kit as my basis for the measuring and mocking up to get everything centered properly.
build. Then I contacted Jim Littiken at Micro Nitro to create The front suspension cradle was taken from a C5-R model kit com-
the distinctive Indy Magnesium wheels that are a center point plete with the lower control arms. The upper arms were scratchbuilt.
18 Model Car Builder
 TIRES & WHEELS
ABOVE: The Revell Hertz Shelby GT350 along with CNC machined wheels and
brakes from Jim Littiken of Micro Nitro serve as a starting point.

ABOVE RIGHT: The wheel centers were shot with a custom mix of Tamiya
gunmetal and metallic gray enamels.

RIGHT: Michelin Pilot tires were used. I sent these tires to Jim Littiken so he
could get the sizing correct for the wheels.

I tried to stay as close as I could to the 1:1 representation. A little rear differential cooler and back up light. Once I was happy with the
artistic license was used in this area! body work and primer coats the body was shot with Gravity Colors
Titanium white base coat. The lower front valance was masked off
INTERIOR: and shot with Gravity Colors Porsche Guards red. Next came the
custom made Martini decal stripes followed by 2 coats of Gravity
There were a lot of changes needed in this area to match the 1:1 two part clear. Once dry the clear was polished to perfection.
version. The transmission tunnel had to be modified to allow the The engine bay had the shock strut towers removed and blocked
upper area of the transmission to be exposed. A complete set of off. This was needed to fit the wide Indy motor into the engine bay. I
custom gauges in a dash plate was made from decal and photo also made room for the massive oil tank that was turned on the lathe
etch Wizard of “O”s from Replica and Miniatures. Various switches and installed in that area later.
and lights were added as well. The glove box was opened up and a
turned aluminum flashlight was made and mounted in the box. FINAL ASSEMBLY:
The seats are resin units from Scale Production along with the
photo etch driver pedals and foot rests. As mentioned earlier, I had This was a very tricky portion of the build. I am a stickler on stance
to narrow the rear interior tub and then blend it all in as well as representation so it had to be spot on. This meant positioning the
delete the rear seat of the stock Hertz kit. Finally I scratch built the wheels where needed and gluing them in place and making the car
head roll bar unit. The entire interior was airbrushed in Gravity sit level. I managed to pull it off. With that out of the way I concen-
Colors Titanium white and then I carefully brush painted the blue trated on finishing the undercarriage. I made a drive shaft from alu-
areas with a deep brilliant blue from the Vallejo AV line of acrylic minum tubing. The mufflers were made on my mill from aluminum
paints. with photo etch weld beads added. Plumbers solder was used for the
solid exhaust pipes with slip on tubes of aluminum that was crushed
BODY AND ENGINE BAY: on the ends for the ends of the pipes to complete that area of the car.

There were a few modifications done to the body to make it look THE MARTINI MUSTANG IS COMPLETE!!!
like the 1:1 Martini Mustang. The bigger areas are the hood and
front end. The stock scoop on the hood had to be removed and
filled in. The lower front valance was made from flat sheet plastic
and molded into the body. All panel lines were deepened on the
car and two rectangle holes cut into the lower rear valance for the
Model Car Builder 19
ABOVE: I realized using wide rubber for the build that I would have ABOVE: The rear interior tub had to be narrowed to allow tire clear-
to gain wheel well clearance. ance.

ABOVE: After cutting out the tub I enclosed it to look more stock with ABOVE: Cutting the tub narrow to the frame rails (arrows) allowed
.010 sheet styrene. enough room for the wide pilot tires.

ABOVE: The rear tub looks essentially stock by enclosing it all in ABOVE: A rear differential from an AMT NASCAR lengthened with
cleanly. tubing is the drivetrain of choice.
20 Model Car Builder
 CHASSIS DETAILS
ABOVE: In order to center the axle and set ride height easier I ABOVE: Once the axle was temporarily mounted I marked
pinned it to the chassis pan using a metal rod (arrow). where the 4-link mounting tabs would be attached.

ABOVE: I used .010 plastic and fabricated the 4-link tabs. The ABOVE: The front engine/suspension cradle was borrowed
stock fuel tank was removed and a race cell took its place from a Revell C5-R Corvette kit.
(made from .010 sheet plastic as well).

ABOVE: Upper strut towers were made from square plastic ABOVE: At this point the chassis modifications are complete
tubing and .010 sheet plastic for the tabs (arrow). and ready for paint. Model Car Builder 21
22 Model Car Builder
Model Car Builder 23
ABOVE: The Martini Mustang did not have the stock Shelby hood scoop so it had to be removed. I filled the hole with a piece of thin
brass sheet (arrow). Using brass helps keep the hood real level when sanding it to blend into the existing plastic hood.

ABOVE: As mentioned earlier, the stock strut tower boxes had to be ABOVE: The lower Trans Am style spoiler was made from .015 sheet
removed to accommodate the wide 4-cam Indy Motor. styrene and blended into the body work.

ABOVE: The Martini Mustang received fresh air through the front grill ABOVE: Later in the build photo etch honeycomb mesh will be used
into two flexible orange hoses. I added smaller aluminum tubing to for the grill opening.
allow easy hook up of the hoses later.
24 Model Car Builder
ABOVE: Rear rectangle openings were created. The right one is to allow hot air to expel through it for the rear end cooler. The left
one is for a back up lamp. A photo etch disc was applied to the rear center panel. This is where the rear trunk pin lanyard mounts
to.

BODY WORK
ABOVE: The panel lines were all deepened in preparation for paint and the door handles were carefully opened up with a drill
and needle files.

ABOVE: After all the body modifications were done the body was put in Gravity Colors gray Surface primer in preparation for
Gravity Colors Titanium white basecoat.
Model Car Builder 25
ABOVE: As mentioned earlier the Ford Indy 4-cam motor was taken ABOVE: I made the headers from .062 solder and heat shrink tubing
from the MPC Olsonite Eagle Kit. It’s a bit anemic in detail but was a for the collectors.
good base to start with.

ABOVE: Dressing up the engine was a must. I turned some cam covers ABOVE: The main focal point of the engine is the intake trumpets. I
and the crank trigger pulley on my Sherline Lathe. used short stack versions from Detail Master. They needed bases to be
glued to so I turned some discs on my lathe as well.

ABOVE: Here the main base engine is complete. The trumpets and ABOVE: A test fit to make sure the engine fits with no clearance issue
turned parts really complete the look. was a must. The distributor unit was also turned on my lathe.
26 Model Car Builder
 ENGINE DETAILS
ABOVE & LEFT: The engine bay in its
complete form is really a pleasing sight.
Pro Tech black plug wires were installed
in the distributor and plumbed to the
appropriate areas of the block. I scratch-
built the elaborate throttle linkage bar
assembly. The cooling hoses are NASCAR
air ducts from Scale Model Speedway
painted orange. You can also see a
glimpse of the dry sump oil tank over in
the front left corner as well. This was also
plumbed with braided lines from Pro tech
and fittings from Detail Master. Finally,
the brake fluid and clutch reservoir was
turned on my lathe.

Model Car Builder 27

ABOVE: Rounding out the undercarriage is
the exhaust, driveshaft, oil cooler, and setting
the proper stance for the model. The exhaust is
made from plumbers solder off the collectors,
milled aluminum mufflers, and more plumbers
solder with aluminum tubing that was mashed
into ovals on the ends. The driveshaft is alumi-
num tubing with NASCAR U-joints. The rear
end cooler was made from scratch plastic bits
and photoetch mesh.

28 Model Car Builder

 FINAL DETAILS
ABOVE: A lot of detail in
the front end was made from
scratch. This area is very
distinctive on the 1:1 car with
all the appropriate driving
lights present. The bezels for
the lights were turned on my
lathe. All the lenses are avail-
able from Scale Productions
of Germany. The honeycomb
grill is available from Detail
Master but you will need to
cut it to size. The hood pins
are also from Scale Produc-
tions.

LEFT: I made the metal plate

on the rear trunk for the pin
assembly from thin embossing
metal from a craft store. The
lanyard wire is really thin
wire and the rest is all photo
etch parts from a hood pin
kit. The rear glass is from a
Shelby GT350 R kit as that
is the proper window for the
rear of the Martini Mustang.
Embossing metal bits were cut
and applied for the window
clamps.
Model Car Builder 29
WEB
TIPS
Steve Hinson
EDITION
San Jose, CA

Steve recently posted about using this sanding

pin, so I immediately got on the internet and
ordered one from Amazon!

K Tool 70550 Sanding Pen. JB Tool Sales.

Over 20,000 glass fibers in a pen point reach
where normal sandpaper cannot. Includes
one extra sanding point in rear cap. Made in
U.S.A. Sells for around ten bucks.

But while I was there I saw this “DuraSand

Sanding Twigs” FIVE pack for dirt cheap and
ordered them as well. They look like trim-
mings off the sides of sanding sticks.

Look for them to show up in future how-to

articles!

From Jim Ashley

Learned something new today, applied

the Pledge with a foam brush, let dry a
couple hours, and buffed with a used dry-
er sheet. I think I’ll be using this method
from now on!

Here is a picture of the brush I used to

apply the Pledge floor finish. It’s self-lev-
eling. This was my first time using it. I’m
just tired of the spray clears not working

30 Model Car Builder

David McGaughey
Lexington, KY

This is my engine stand version that locks down the en-

gine. The outer end of the threaded rod has a nut in the
middle so it pulls the slide in and out the other end has
double lock nuts so it can turn freely and pull it closer to
the engine. Check my illustrations on building the stand.

(Editor’s Note: Can’t wait to build my own, this looks like

a very handy tool!)

Model Car Builder 31

WEB
TIPS
EDITION

J. Morsilli

Stooges Model Car Club

As a safety factor I like to use a

wall timer to make sure the de-
hydrator shuts off before melting
another model car body.

I made mine taller by gluing sever-

al dehydrator centers together.

32 Model Car Builder

David McGaughey

“Model Car How To’s”

This is how I made my dehydrator

tall enough to put the model body
in there while still on the paint
stand.

“3DMAS Rod Holder”

Ron Olsen is best known for
producing some outstanding 3D
printed engines and engine detail
kits (see page 4). But recently Ron
decided he needed something to
hold his Evergreen & Plastruct rod
and strips. So he printed out this
five piece stand that you combine
with 3/8th inch wood dowel to
wind up with this fantastic work-
bench tool.

LEFT: The red arrow shows where

you can glue labels to identify
sizes. The feet have points to screw
them down to your workbench
(black Arrows).

Model Car Builder 33

 “Great NNL WEST
cars, great people,2018
a great time!”

T his year’s NNL West saw over 1,100

cars on display, modelers from all over
the country, and a packed vendor area!
The Santa Clara Convention center in the
heart of Silicon Valley played host to the
30+ year old NNL West model car show,
and the California weather was perfect!
This year’s theme was “TROG: The Race
Of Gentlemen” and the tables were filled
with great looking vintage beach racers.
The sub-theme for this year was “Show
Cars”. Ten minutes after the doors opened
the tables were already filled with fantastic
looking models!
Throughout the day were door prize
raffles with smiling modelers taking home
great prizes donated by our sponsors.
There was a Make N’ Take for the kids
(who all grabbed their models and ran in-
stead of sitting down to build theme). The
awards ceremony at the end of the day saw
Armando Flores taking home the coveted
“People’s Choice” with his “Gypsy Rose”
Impala replica. The NNL West raised $150
for the Wounded Warrior project.
Special thanks to this year’s sponsors:
Revell, Rustall, JPS Wheels, Galaxie
Limited, Model Builder’s Warehouse, Roy
& Lynne Sorenson, Good-Guys Rod and
Custom Association, Monterey Scale Auto
Association, Model Car Builder magazine,
“Doc” Midkiff, BCT Hobbies, Curt Raitz,
Herb Deeks Models, Steve Allemand,
Doane Yawger, John Mellon, Gregg Sand-
ers, Postoria “PA” Aguirre, along with the
many volunteers who make this show
possible every year!

34 Model Car Builder

 An Entex kit is hard enough to put together,
but Dennis McWilliams not only built his kit
of the 1937 Packard super cleanly, he added
this amazing Chroma red paint job with
clear top coat. Dennis says it took him six
months to build the car, and when asked why
he built it Dennis just said, “The challenge”.

RIGHT: Howard Nine’s ‘32 Roadster does a

perfect job of capturing the vintage rod look!
The ‘32 is powered by a Revell Parts Pack
Hemi engine. The reverse chrome rims with
baby moons are the perfect touch. The metallic
maroon is a nail polish color. Howard said he
saw the real car in a magazine and knew he
had to build one!

Model Car Builder 35

 Nick Bradshaws ‘41 Willys Pro Mod
features a ton of work! Nick says
just about everything from the rear
tubs forward was scratchbuilt! But
he drew on Competition Resin, VCG
Resin, and Pro-Tech to help add
details. Front wheels are 3D printed.
SLIXX Decals and spare parts box
decals were used to cover the Testors
rattle can paint.

ABOVE & RIGHT: David Morton built this 1932 “Deco

Duece” for a club project. Dave usually builds race cars, but
stepped out of comfort zone to tackle this project. He wanted
to build something a little different. I think he succeeded! The
motor for this wild ride is FOUR twin Harley Davidson mo-
tors!! He borrowed a motor from a friend, then made a mold so
he could have four motors under the hood. After all, 1932 was
the first year for the V8. The
exhaust travels under the
body, up through the flat
bed’s floor, then through the
casket and out the back to
photoetch flames on the tail-
pipes! A very cool creation
that wins awards wherever
it goes.
36 Model Car Builder
 LEFT & BELOW: Steve Hinson built this awe-
some TROG finish line diorama. Steve’s AMT ‘29
Ford features Kong heads and a Frenzel blower,
while the ‘25 “T” features “Bomber” seats and
hand made radiator guard.

BELOW: Kevin Wight combined the NNL West’s

two themes to come up with this interesting rat
rod. He combined the Red Baron, Lil Coffin,
and Rommel’s Rod kits. The paint is Testors gun
metal then ‘rusted’ with Sophiscated Finishes
rusting agent (Kevin said he could actually see
it rusting!). A Tamiya Weathering kit adds more
patina.
ABOVE: Bernard Kron won the the Model Car
Builder magazine award for favorite Theme Car.
Bernard made the “Gilmore Special” decals himself.

BELOW: Art Laski brought this neat “Show Rod!”

It’s AMT’s “Lil Hot Dogger” that he built for the
theme class at the NHRA Spirit of Speed show at
the museum in Pomona. The kit was a Christmas
present from his son.

Model Car Builder 37

 PEOPLE’S CHOICE NNL WEST 2018
“Gypsy Rose”

Armando Flores
Armando Flores has built an amazing replica of one of the
1964 Chevy Impala
most legendary lowrider of all time, In 1960, Jesse Valadez,
then president of one of the most prominent lowrider car
clubs in the world, The Imperials, was inspired by the famous
burlesque singer Gypsy Rose Lee to design a pink lowrider
and name it after her. He chose a Chevy Impala because they
were extremely cheap and had clean lines and lots of wide,
flat surfaces
The first incarnation was a 1960 Impala, which was a simpler
version of the design, pink but without the ornate flowers.
Then he used a 1963 Impala to expand on that design, adding
flowers and the glass roof. It became an instant success,
winning hot rod shows around Southern California, but was
soon stoned by jealous rivals. Valadez re-created it a third
time with the 1964 Impala we see today. He kept it in perfect
condition and had it until he died in 2011.

38 Model Car Builder

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Model Car Builder 39

40 Model Car Builder