Lately there's been so many amazing builds floating around that I hardly know where to start - I've got 'em backed up like air traffic control at the minute. Cool news too, which just came in today. More on that in a few days though. In the meantime, we got some uber-cool business to attend to.
We haven't featured anything this modern on the blog to date, and normally wouldn't. We're all about the old school baby! This though tied into so many different things that I find cool I couldn't resist asking the builder, Steve Hammann, if I could feature it. Regular readers will probably know how much I love bare plastic and filler, but the way this one ties into history is the real interesting aspect for me.
In 1972, Monogram released the Vandal, a wild bubble canopied, offset engined van that carried a dirt bike on it's tail. At the time, kit manufacturers were turning to such legendary designers as Tom Daniel to create original kits, not (usually) intended to duplicate a 1:1 subject. No full sized subject means no royalties to pay (but to the designer) and thus higher revenues. Us showrod fans have a lot to thank the astute business development guys of the 70s...
Anyway, skip forward 36 years to this week and Steve's "epiphany". Maybe if he shortened the wheelbase, cut this bit off, moved this bit, glued that bit, filled this bit...then he might end up with something like the Vandal might look today. Same design cues: short stocky wheelbase, engine on the right, driver on the left and the same open minded thinking that bought the original to us all those years ago.
Steve's got another awesome build which I'm hoping to feature soon, with his permission, but in the meantime check out what he's been up to here.
JB
Tomorrow: ANOTHER cool-as-hell-itself build!
We haven't featured anything this modern on the blog to date, and normally wouldn't. We're all about the old school baby! This though tied into so many different things that I find cool I couldn't resist asking the builder, Steve Hammann, if I could feature it. Regular readers will probably know how much I love bare plastic and filler, but the way this one ties into history is the real interesting aspect for me.
In 1972, Monogram released the Vandal, a wild bubble canopied, offset engined van that carried a dirt bike on it's tail. At the time, kit manufacturers were turning to such legendary designers as Tom Daniel to create original kits, not (usually) intended to duplicate a 1:1 subject. No full sized subject means no royalties to pay (but to the designer) and thus higher revenues. Us showrod fans have a lot to thank the astute business development guys of the 70s...
Anyway, skip forward 36 years to this week and Steve's "epiphany". Maybe if he shortened the wheelbase, cut this bit off, moved this bit, glued that bit, filled this bit...then he might end up with something like the Vandal might look today. Same design cues: short stocky wheelbase, engine on the right, driver on the left and the same open minded thinking that bought the original to us all those years ago.
Steve's got another awesome build which I'm hoping to feature soon, with his permission, but in the meantime check out what he's been up to here.
JB
Tomorrow: ANOTHER cool-as-hell-itself build!
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