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Scale I Build
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Full Name
Craig Cermak
craig.cermak@civco.com
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Carmak's Achievements

MCM Ohana (6/6)
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Kit purchasing questions.
Carmak replied to CA Whitecloud's topic in Model Building Questions and Answers
In their era (late 60's/early 70's) Some JoHan funny cars were more accurate than AMT and MPC. Many AMT and MPC funny kits used bone stock kit of promo bodies for their funny cars (Johan also did some of this but not at the same volume and AMT and MPC). The two JoHan funny cars you have shown are two of their best funny car kits. Be aware that JoHan kits of factory stock cars typically have very good body detail but often have very simplified and sometimes incorrect interiors and chassis. Today I feel there are many offerings that are on par or better than JoHan for late 60's/early 70's funny cars. Revell has two late 60's Charger funny cars that are verry accurate (and quite different from each other). Round 2/Polar lights did a great series of late 60's funny car kits (I really like these kits). There is a book by Tim Boyd called "Collecting Drag Racing Model Kits" that is a wonderful resource on this topic. Tim does a great job or describing the kits from an accuracy point of view and from the point of view as a top tier model builder. I hope this helps. -
Over the year I have collected a fair number of late 60's/early 70's MPC funny car bodies (essentially promo bodies with tinwork). The chassis' are typically smashed and/or glue melted to death. I know there are a few different chassis types and lengths. Does anyone know of someone making any of these? Thanks
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Kit purchasing questions.
Carmak replied to CA Whitecloud's topic in Model Building Questions and Answers
Can I take a step back, why are you looking at those specific kits? Is it because they are Johan? Are you looking to build early 70’s funny cars? -
Starting in about 68 and lasting well into the 70's it was very common for MPC to release "Funny Car" kits using essentially stock kit or promo bodies typically with the screw posts removed on top of tube style funny car chassis. These should not be confused with the MPC "Street Funny" series of 71 which used essentially stock annual kit chassis rather than a tube style chassis.
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source for 1964 Pontiac full wheel covers
Carmak replied to TheBEAUMONTGURU's topic in Model Building Questions and Answers
I sent you a message. I think I have a spare set. -
Anyone order from Plaza Japan
Carmak replied to Bigfordguy's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
About 5 years ago when the exchange rate was good, I made an order of 7 or 8 kits from Plaza Japan. There was a sweet spot where the shipping was lowest per kit. They had some kits on clarence that were what I was looking for so that also lowered the total cost. The shipment took months to receive but was a great surprise when it arrived. Well packaged and no damage. -
I just want to give you credit. Six years ago, you speculated the Mach Won tooling could still survive as it was reissued after the early 70's tooling purge and YOU NAILED IT! Well done. So glad you were right
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Hobby Lobby Inventory reduction sale
Carmak replied to magicmustang's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
This is great news. Hobby Lobby is hopefully going to get 8 new models! -
Really good high detail scanners that are needed to scan a model car (to clearly render a grille pattern or emblem for example) are still fairly specialized and fairly expensive. My company makes medical devices of roughly the same size as model cars. We have a 2 year old mid range scanner ($30k) and it can not scan sharp inside corners like where a door handle meets the door, it puts in an inside round of 0.040"-0.060". Last fall a company did a demo scan for us using a higher range scanner ($250k) and the inside rounds got down to 0.020"-0.030". The actual inside round on the part scanned was 0.010". I think even the $250K scanner would would be challenged to correctly render a fine mesh grille of a model car grille. I suspect Round2 is using a fairly high quality scanner to get the basic shapes and is using a fair amount of CAD work to fix/repair the scan. A possible example of this is the fender mounted turn signal indicators on the 68 Coronet kits. I suspect these features did not scan clean and they were removed and added back using cad. If you compare and original issue and the modern clone the signal indicators are in different locations. I agree with many other that scanning and printing are at early stages of development. The goal of scanning and printing a model car probably will be reached but I am not sure we are quite there for people with real world budgets.
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HOONIGOAT: MPC 70 GTO Super Stocker with 72 GTO nose and hood
Carmak replied to Stef's topic in Model Cars
Very cool! Definitely captures the look. Realistically a 70 GTO with a 72 front clip is now a 72 (sheet metal wise everything behind the firewall is essentially the same 70-72). I do appreciate that you used the 70 Super Stocker body with a heavily modified stock 72 clip. -
NEW Tooling '71 Barracuda ?
Carmak replied to 1972coronet's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
The option I would most prefer that may also most likely to make a business case would be a Round2 open hood promo clone using the chassis, interior and clears from the 73/74 Barracuda promo/easy build tooling (I can't remember if the upholstery close or not). This would get us a properly proportioned 1/25 scale body. The Revell 70 Cuda is typical of many recent Revell offerings - wonky. It huts to look at it. My concern is that the Monogram 71 Cuda has been around a long time so there is not the same kind of demand there was for a 68 Coronet or a 71 Demon. -
I routinely cut around the perimeter of the floor and remove it when working on older tub style interiors. This is really helpful when building or restoring an early style kit with the front seat molded to the floor. This method gives me a little more flexibility to paint without having to get the sides back together correctly.
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1/25 AMT 1959 Buick "Boondock Bomber"
Carmak replied to Drago's topic in Model Building Questions and Answers
In the early 70's AMT scrapped many of its the molds were considered obsolete at the time. A high percentage of these molds were for annuals or promos. The molds for this were most likely scrapped during this purge. Round2 has found a few molds that were thought to be scrapped (like the Mach Won Mustang) but those are rare gems and not the norm.