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Posted (edited)

The new Revell '29 Ford kit has got me more fired up about building models than any new release in years. Maybe it's because 'traditional' early-Ford cars have so much appeal to me now, and the great parts in the box can be the basis for so many different builds, all done right..

There's been a fair bit of talking lately about "wouldn't it be nice if we had a '26-'27 Ford rod kit available?" With the release of the new Revell '29, and the other offerings from Revell in recent years, you have just about everything you need now...except a body (plenty in resin)...to get a '26-'27 in your collection.

Model T frames are, in general, too light for any heavy-engine, big horsepower work, but the 'boxed' model A frame in the new Revell kit is perfect for a hot flathead, or a warmish OHV V8 engine. The new '29 Revell frame is already nicely zeed in the rear, and with just a little narrowing, it'll fit under this vintage Herb Deeks '26-'27 resin body (sent to me by Casey some time ago).

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This basic combo can be the basis for any of these, and plenty more. Guess which one I'm doing first.

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Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Posted

That black one with the green interior sure is nice 

I'm kinda leaning that way myself. Lift the front of the side-pipe just a bit, and go to through-the-cowl steering, and it's just about perfect for that style. It could be built with pretty much all Revell parts, too ('cept for the body, of course). Some vintage, some recent. And not a lot of custom, time-consuming bodywork. I like that idea.B)

Posted

Love the maroon (I think ) one with the track nose. I'm tuned in. Is the track nose in the kit or available after market ? Keep er' goin' Bill.

The maroon one is the 2013 AMBR-winning, V8-60 /Ardun-powered, Brizio-built John Mumford car.

There's no track-nose in the current kit, but I'll be doing a one-off nose/hood for the Eddie Dye car. Assuming that works out well, I'll do a nose and hood for the Mumford car too. Revell makes a V8-60, so everything to build it exists other than V8-60 Ardun heads.

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Posted (edited)

 

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Now THAT  would make a great kit!   How 'bout this one Revell?  Just like it is,it needs nothing!

Edited by mike 51
Posted (edited)

Decided on this one. Least bodywork, and a good few of the new Revell '29 kit parts will show.

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First mockup is kinda close, but no cigar. Biggest correction needed is that the radiator shell (old AMT, chopped) needs to be higher relative to the front tire-tops. Engine needs to go a tick lower relative to the body, too. Side shot shows there's enough ground clearance to have some leeway to go lower there, which may be necessary to get the tail a tad lower relative to the tops of the rear slicks. 

Rear tires are vintage Revell Racemasters, with vintage Revell chrome-reverse rims from the '57 Chevy (old opening-door kit). Front wheels and tires are new-release AMT '36 Ford. Front axle is new Revell '29 kit, as will be the brake backing plates and finned Buick drums. Engine is a vintage Revell smallblock Chebby parts-pack unit. 

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Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Posted

Love the maroon (I think ) one with the track nose. I'm tuned in. Is the track nose in the kit or available after market ? Keep er' goin' Bill.

I believe that the Model Car Garage offers two different track noses & grilles.

Posted

The Track nose in the evergreen Revell 29 Model A Roadster P/U might work, and the Revell Ed Roth Tweety Pie, has a Great Chopped Shell, that looks to my eyes like the one in your chosen rod.

It looking great.

Posted

Thanks guys. I've already chopped an AMT '32 shell for this, and I'll be going with that to get the exact look I want.

Far as the track-nose shells that are out there, the subtle lines of a track-nose can make or break a car. The noses on the Eddie Dye car and the Dick Flint car are very similar, but I think the Flint nose is kinda ugly. I personally think the one in the older Revell RPU is one of the ugliest I've ever seen. I've built several track-nose cars using other kit parts as the basis, but the next one, particularly for the Eddie Dye build, will be 100% scratch-built (with the possible exception of the grille-insert itself).

I'll definitely have a look at the MCG offerings though. Thanks for the lead, Nick.:D

Posted

That's going to be sharp Bill. I would love to see it finished. Hint,hint. : )

I hear you, Ray. The '29 lakes car is still moving, and though I said I wouldn't get into another one until that was done, the new Revell kit just got me so fired up, I couldn't hep mysef.;)

I've even got moving again on the wedge-channeled '32...finally figured out what I didn't like and started fixing it.

I'd really like to have at least one of the traditional rods done for the upcoming November show here.:D

Posted (edited)

Heavily channeled cars are tricky to get to look right from every angle. Lots of them end up looking squashed. Many end up with overbites or monkey faces, and often, the top of the grille-shell ends up higher than the cowl. You have to be willing to tinker and fiddle, sometimes a lot, to get a car that doesn't look dorky.

I raised the grille shell, extended the lower edges of the body shell to represent the bellypan, mocked in a windshield and side pipes, and a pair of headlights (again from the NEW Revell '29 kit). Adjusted the proportions all around just slightly. Getting there. I ALWAYS try to dial-in the look, stance and proportions BEFORE cutting or committing to gluing or modifying anything.

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Now that I'm pretty close to the final look, I know what the wheelbase is going to be...close, anyway... so I know how much frame modification I'll need.

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The rear of the frame needed an additional amount added to the zee to get the ride height in the ballpark, so I cut it through the rails on a line parallel to the forward edges of the vertical members at the zee, and plunked the resulting stub down on top of the rails. I can get away with this (in this case, it's shortened the frame a bit) because there's enough length in the rails to let me fit the new front crossmember that will take the suicide axle mount.

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The headlights need to come up slightly, and the grille-shell and body need to go down a little. Still, I'm close enough to get on with the chassis building and do the adjustments as work progresses. The inspiration car (this is the only photo of it I've found) appears to have its grille a tick higher than the cowl. I don't want that. The rear of the car also appears to be lower relative to the tires than my model so far. I DO want that. The real car appears to have had the floor dropped between the rails, to get the seating lower, and a partial bellypan built to conceal it...and it makes the car seem lower. The real car also appears to have front tires with a bit shorter sidewalls than my mockup pieces, and I'll be looking into getting something to represent those too. Getting all these things to work together takes a critical eye, effort, and time.

 

 

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
Posted

The 2nd attempt at proportion looks really good to me including the often hard to get right overhead view. I also like the very subtle forward rake. Looks like about an inch difference if this were a 1:1 scale car. Not a fan, at ll, of the stink bug stance some hot rods have.

One of the things I think a lot of people get wrong on low slung cars like this is a stupidly long wheel base. The radiator shell/grill should be no further forward than it needs to be for engine clearance and the axle should be a half foot or less in front of the grill (basically the room that is required for a cross member tube and spring perch. Some cars have the front axle a foot + ahead of the grill and it just looks dumb.

Carry on!

B)

Posted

 

Bill....carry on, indeed.   Great work on fine tuning the proportions!  

Like you and others, I think a '27T Turtledeck is a slam dunk for the Revell '29A Z'ed Chassis.  

Will be watching this one come together with great interest....TIM 

 

Posted

Looking good!

Re: Dennis' comment about proportions...I've found another way to maintain wheelbase is to use a spring-behind setup (as in the Rolling Bones cars and Doane Spence roadster). Tie-rod clearance can be a pain, and scratchbuilding dropped steering arms isn't super fun though.

 

 

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