Any one know any PROFESSIONAL model makers?

[AKcharger]

I'd like to modify one of the ERTL '70 chargers to look like mine, I tried one and botched it. Is there anyone out there that does it as a job? I don't mind spending some $$ if it looks right

[69bronzeT5]

I build models fairly well...I'm doing a few for TUFCAT but you said professional so that counts me out.

I know a guy who dosen't do it as a job but he is amazing at building Mopars. Here's some of his work. I highly recommend him. Let me know if you're interested and I'll give you his email.

EDIT: Completley forgot...he has a website. http://www.scalecreationsandrestorations.com/

[Chryco Psycho]

I won a couple of trophies years ago

[Mike DC]

 
If you're into displaying the model with the real car at shows, then I'd probably skip the plastic 1:25th stuff. 


For that case, I'd want to have a die-cast 1:18th one modified to match your real car instead.  It's larger than the plastic models, it's not gonna melt in the sun, and it's SO MUCH more durable in daily handling.

 

[Drache]

 
If you're into displaying the model with the real car at shows, then I'd probably skip the plastic 1:25th stuff. 


For that case, I'd want to have a die-cast 1:18th one modified to match your real car instead.  It's larger than the plastic models, it's not gonna melt in the sun, and it's SO MUCH more durable in daily handling.

 

Not to mention they generally look allot better when being compared to the real thing.....

[Mike DC]

 
I think these toy brands could be making a killing on some larger models even yet. 


Like, imagine a series of very highly-detailed & expensive musclecars that were 1/10th scale. (about 18-20" long.)  Hard plastic/fiberglass body shells, glossy paint & chrome everywhere, hinges on the doors & hoods that all open correctly, the motors having the underhood wiring & hoses all done up, the suspensions actually flexing on little springs & shocks, etc.   



Or even just releasing some detailed styrene model kits like the 1:25th ones, but make them on the same larger 1:18th scale as the die-cast cars we all have. 

[Drache]

There was a local guy who did 4 cars up and sold them! They were 1:18 scale I believe and everything was correct on them right down to all the wiring and working headlights. They sold for about $2500 each at auction 

[pettyfan43]

 
I think these toy brands could be making a killing on some larger models even yet. 


Like, imagine a series of very highly-detailed & expensive musclecars that were 1/10th scale. (about 18-20" long.)  Hard plastic/fiberglass body shells, glossy paint & chrome everywhere, hinges on the doors & hoods that all open correctly, the motors having the underhood wiring & hoses all done up, the suspensions actually flexing on little springs & shocks, etc.   



Or even just releasing some detailed styrene model kits like the 1:25th ones, but make them on the same larger 1:18th scale as the die-cast cars we all have. 

Funny you said that, The new Company that is reissuing the AMT/ERTL stuff (Auto World) IS making noise about making PLASTIC KITS OF some the 1/18 scale cars, because the cost of ZAMAC which is the main component of die cast alloy has gone through the ROOF!

They are apparetly gonna issue one or two of them to see what the market is like.

[pettyfan43]

 
If you're into displaying the model with the real car at shows, then I'd probably skip the plastic 1:25th stuff. 


For that case, I'd want to have a die-cast 1:18th one modified to match your real car instead.  It's larger than the plastic models, it's not gonna melt in the sun, and it's SO MUCH more durable in daily handling.

 

Not to mention they generally look allot better when being compared to the real thing.....

I disagree with that. The typical 1/18 scale die cast cars, with a few exceptions, have to make several concessions due to the die cast body thickness among other things, and Revell's plastic 69 Charger kit is LIGHT YEARS ahead of the typical R/C Ertl die cast 1/18 piece, The Hot Wheels 1/18 Charger looks pretty good though, it was done off of the Revell kit.

[mikepmcs]

Talk to this guy, I bet he'd do you a nice rendition.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,46465.msg507515.html#msg507515


Nice stuff Cody!!!

[69bronzeT5]

Thanks Mike but they aren't mine. They were built by one of my "model mentors".

[Mike DC]

 
The 1:18th scale stuff wouldn't be a money-maker by just taking the existing molds and pouring them with plastic. 


Well, okay it might make money, but it wouldn't adequately test the real market for that idea.  They need to carve out kits intended to be that size to start with. 



I hear a lot of the newest styrene kits are actually designed & carved at 1:10 scale, and then the prototype gets scanned & computer'd down to 1:25th for making the tooling.  That would make it pretty easy to crank a few of their existing modern kits up to 1:18th and see what happens. 





I just find it infuriating that we still get so many kits with proportions off.  (The modern revell/Monogram '69 Charger, for all its detail, is nowhere near as accurate as the old GL kit in the basic proportions.)

It's not THAT  much money to laser-scan a real 1:1 scale car.  I don't see how in the hell they're spending less money on the body tooling by paying a skilled designer to hand-carve a copy of it.  And he still doesn't even get it right when the smoke clears. 

[JimShine]

The "Authentics" series by Ertl was made 1:10 then reduced to 1:18. I am not very happy with the results.

The best looking scale Charger in my opinion is the Danbury Mint 1969 Charger 500. The standard body has funky side window shapes that were corrected on the 500 version.

[Mike DC]

That's the kind of thing I'm getting at.  They paid a modelmaker to do it, he did it wrong, and then they probably paid him again to fix it. 

I refuse to believe it's not a better idea to laser-scan a real car for the body shape.




I keep telling myself that one of these days I'm gonna get serious and carve out a perfect 1:6 scale (3 feet long) Charger shell.  I'd make a mold and dupe some fiberglass copies of it. 

I start thinking about it again every time I see a pic of those huge 3/8th scale wind tunnel models the factory made for the aero cars development.
           

[JimShine]

Yeah, something has to be done mechanically versus artistically. Perspective plays a huge roll here and what we are getting is one persons artistic vision of the car versus a faithfull reduction of the full sized car.

[Mike DC]

 

The 2nd-gen Charger is also a b*tch to depict artistically.  A lot of cars are much easier.  (Ever seen a Caprice Classic goofed up?)

The Charger's got a ton of subtle curves & bulges & indentations, that stuff absolutely IS why the car's look works so well, and a lot of the curves/lines/shapes don't have hard reference points near them to keep things in proportion easily. 

[AKcharger]

I was looking at the1/18 scale.

- Bronze, don't count your self out,it doesn't have to be exact just painted and striped to look the same. I bought a '70 and used some left over burnt orange from my car on it...ewwwwwwww came out awful! but if you can paint AND make decals for the 500 stripe you're hired!

- Chryco do you play with the 1/18 scales