Bacheca

Mike Thomas
Great job, Curtis! Love those old NASCAR kits. Finished the Tide Monte Carlo a few months back.

Curtis Caden
Thanks Mike. I'm just going through a sort of purple phase right now. My next two car builds however will be maroon!

Curtis Caden
Someone suggested bogie wheels or helper wheels, but I haven't located any parts like that. Sure the back fender is large, but it is the same on the AMT/ERTL
Kenworth/Challenge Transit Cement Mixer
Item Number: amt1215

Bozzer
Curtis, you can easily make that. The information is in the instructions, for the Can Do Wrecker. It's a walk in the park, if you have the wheels and tyres/tires???

Mike Goodman
I'll bet you had fun putting that together. I would have! Which took longer, the truck or the dragster?

Curtis Caden
They are both very different models. The truck has a lot of cab detail but not much to the hauler part which only required paint and decals. The hood didn't set right, and I made a support piece which worked out pretty well. The funny car dragster had way too much chrome which required a lot of scraping, and the instructions specified that many of the chrome pieces were to be painted. Instructions were unclear about some of the parts, and a few had to be relocated to make it all work. Why can't they show us what it looks like after the parts are attached? I am a visual person and that would be more helpful than an arrow pointing at some spot. I don't actually track my time on the models, so it is hard to say which actually took longer, but the complexity of the purple body with yellow fins and painting of the chrome framework on the Mad Magazine car certainly made it feel like it took longer! LOL

Mike Goodman
Yeah, Curtis. I can relate to your observations and conclusions. Some kits I've built give the courtesy of a picture of assemblies after the part is in place, but it is all too rare! As for chrome parts, just yesterday I took apart a chrome sprue to keep some of it chrome, but to treat the rest with oven cleaner for de-chroming. It's actually a snow plow, with the same cab as your auto hauler. I might post the build on this site after it's complete.

Curtis Caden
Thank you Mr D, Bozzer, Istvan Szucs and Neuling. The Ford C-600 is not one of my favorites, but this is a kit I had wanted to build and found it at the local IPMS chapter model swap. More details could be added if I wanted like the stakes could be a different color or framing the windshield in chrome, but I am calling it done. This is my second C-600 with the first one being the trash truck which was in purple like the trash truck from Oregon.

Mr D
Nice 👍,
I think it's ok as it is now...looks more natural without window chrome.
It's a good one👌

Mr D
😃👍👍
Definitely a conversation peice in any collection.
Enjoy Curtis

Christian W
I even don't know the kit! Special thing. Cool!

Martin Oostrom
I've been building the Australian Truck on and off for five years now. It won't get right.

Bozzer
I feel that pain too, Martin

Curtis Caden
Thanks, Bozzer, I got it air intake grill flipped. The only other International truck I found on eBay was the Logger and I am not sure I want to build that.

Bozzer
I have a Mack AC logger and also the Peerless logging trailer. I inspected the plastic logs, and in fairness, with a bit of work, the logs can look good, but you can't beat the real thing. A few selections of the right size branches, and you're good to go.
Word of advice though, on the trailer...
You have to remove parts of the truck, to make the trailer work, so build the trailer first, then the truck. It'll save you a few harsh words.

Ben M
Never seen stars like those before. Looks cool.

Curtis Caden
An interesting build. We have a club contest in November for dive bombers. I selected this one because it seemed like a good kit to build. I was a bit concerned about painting the canopy, but a fellow club member told me that FrogTape® Delicate Surface Painter's Tape worked great. It allows you to see where to cut as it is somewhat translucent. The aircraft is two-tone although my paint choices may not have brought that out as well as it could be done. As to the stars, all I can say is that it is a Navy aircraft!

Ben M
The canopy masking is super precise.

Curtis Caden
Thats the spirit Bozzer! For a Revell kit this one kind of sucks. Not my best work but I built it for the club contest "Anything British" as they had featured this model in the lead up to the contest in the newsletter.

Bozzer
I'm in a FB group, and we're doing a Cancer Awareness build.
It ends on the 31st, and I've only just selected the kit. However, like you, I'll do my best and bring it home!
Ironically, my choice is American, and I'm sure that some people will be upset, but it's for a good cause, and it's close to all of us.
I'll shoot some pics of the finished project, just for Scalemates.

David Orr
How sneaky of you to pretend that you've got a Lambo parked in front of your garage 🙂 . I really need to start doing some forced perspective shots of my models. Much more interesting than just sticking them on a plain background.

Curtis Caden
David Orr it is fun to do those shots. Unfortunately, the lighting was not so good. For my birthday my wife bought me a lighted photo booth. My recent builds have that stark white background, but no shadows. I will have to come up with some background images to make them more interesting. Be well my modeling friend.

David Orr
What a car. One of my all time favourites. I've just about finished the Tamiya XJ220. I thought the Tamiya one was the same kit as some of the other brands, but I'm not so sure now. It is shown in the history of the Testors kit on Scalemates, but isn't directly linked to any of the other boxings by other brands. Mine has different wheels and windscreen wipers, and the headlight covers can be opened. Also the glass looks different.

Curtis Caden
David Orr, I bought two Testor kits in 2015. One was the Ferrari 250 GTO and the other was the Jaguar XJ 220. I was looking for some stylish cars and wasn't paying attention to the model maker. Testors has been around since 1929 and was a brand I grew up with. I like Tamiya kits for their ease or at least clarity of assembly. I know some of my fellow modelers want more detail and prefer other brands, but for me why use three parts when one will suffice? I wish you all the best with your model.

Villiers de Vos
Very nice work.

Curtis Caden
Thank you, David Orr and Villiers de Vos,.

Ben M
Fun old kit! Nice vintage result.

Curtis Caden
Thanks Ben M. Building in the 1:32 scale has its advantages. Be well and stay safe.

Landlubber Mike
Thanks Curtis! And yes, I have a decent sized stash at the moment. I'm a little on the younger side, so hopefully I can get through them. I'm afraid to say that the wish list is mostly aftermarket for kits I already have, so I have a lot of building to do! I got back into modeling a decade or so ago after haven't not built any models since I was a kit, and started with wooden ship models. Over Covid, I got bit by the plastic bug and now here I am 🙂

I struggle myself with trying to achieve perfection yet balancing allocating a reasonable amount of time to my builds. I like the challenge and puzzle of aftermarket, but probably won't put in the kind of extra effort I see from the masters on here. If I did, I'd only build one model a year!

By the way, I loved your mix of modeling subjects in your album. I'd like them all but don't want to bomb your inbox. I especially liked your recent fire engine! I also really like your Ju-52. I have a couple of those kits on the shelf with aftermarket pontoons and skis to convert them. I'm a fan of building quirky, less built subjects.

Take care! Will be following your builds in the future!

Mike

Curtis Caden
Thanks Landlubber Mike. I need all the encouragement I can get. I will try to follow your future builds.

Landlubber Mike
Curtis, what a great model! There's something about fire engines with their red, black and chrome schemes. Did you use foil for the chrome? It looks perfect!

Curtis Caden
I used Silver Molotow Liquid Chrome Alcohol Marker. amazon.com/Molotow-L..er-Set/dp/B074JJ1YMY

Landlubber Mike
Can't beat the looks of yellow wing aircraft from this era. Beautiful job!

Curtis Caden
This was kind of a learning airplane. I did the rigging on the tail, but not on the wings as I learned later that the wings are two pieces to allow the thread to loop through. I picked this kit up at a junktique store. It was a fun kit to build, and I could do it better the second time. I don't think I actually painted it and instead clear coated the colored plastic. If I had painted it, I would have used Tamiya TS-47 chrome yellow. My research showed that this was pretty close to the yellow color used on the actual plane.

István Szücs
As Hungarian, always good to see planes that flown with our insignia! Great job!

Curtis Caden
Thank you, Landlubber Mike, Guy Rump, and Istvan Szucs. Micro-Scale Decal Setting Solution is the answer to corrugated sides. amazon.com/Decal-Set..ackage/dp/B01LXZ03W9

István Szücs
Very nice result, good to see one not in red, or yellow, great color chose!

Christian W
Interessting color indeed!

Neuling
Yes, something different!

Curtis Caden
In reviewing the actual car, I found someone who thought the Viper looked best in emerald green exterior with a tan interior. While it is an American car it gives it more of that European Sportscar look. There was also a discussion about whether the Cobra or the Viper was better. One might conclude that the Cobra is the more affordable of the two cars and offers a great value for the money. It has a sporty look, is reliable, and is easy to maintain. It also has a good safety rating and is reasonably fuel efficient. On the other hand, Viper is a more luxurious car with a more powerful engine and superior performance. Thank you, gentlemen, for your taking the time to comment.

Bob Hall
Alright ! Gives me visions of the cinematic classic "Cannonball Run" ! Looks great my man 👍 !

Christian W
Like the Diablo: it looks llike a Countach 😄 Hm. Don't know what to write else.

Curtis Caden
Well Christian W the Diablo followed the Countach in the timeline. So, your comment makes sense. en.wikipedia.org/wik..borghini_automobiles.
Yes, Bob Hall the Countach was in Cannonball Run! As someone said, "these cars were so impressive and awesome, they played a role in the movie that was at least as important as the rest of the cast."
Thank you both for your comments.

Curtis Caden
Bob Hall I am interested in new resources besides blackdogdiecast.com/ and https://ebay.com/. I was recently intrigued by the wraparound push bars. My last two models I added some old-style push bars with sirens. Thank you for your comments.
Thank you Martin Oostrom for your compliment.

Bob Hall
jnsdecals.com/ this who I get most decals from, he's right here in Texas.
threeinchesunder.com/ I get some first responders equipment here.

Got most of my Military Police stuff here,.bilbozodecals.com/
lawenforcementminis.com/