Built by: Scott Colmer in Corona, California

There are two stories here. First is how I got this kit, and the second is how much trouble I had building it.

I had forgotten I once had this kit until I saw the box art on here at the Show Rod Rally. Then the memories came back enough for me to hit the parts box for what was left--the engine. I knew I had to have it again. I also let Julie, someone very close to me, know what I was up to. She vowed to find a Flameout. I thought there was no way she could beat me to it, but on Valentine's Day, there it was! Where she found it is still a secret, but it wasn't E-bay. How about that, beautiful and resourceful!!!

As far as the build went, I knew it could only be box art-box stock, and as perfect as I could make it. First, all the major two-piece chrome components were joined and the seams were polished smooth. The rest of the chrome was stripped and all the mold lines and injector marks removed. Any filling was done with ZapAGap. Everything was then sent to Chrome Tech for replating.

Most of the struggles were my own fault. I had a series of paint woes that started with accidentally using enamel instead of primer. The boiler tank has been painted and stripped at least three times. At one point I stupidly wiped the boiler tank with lacquer thinner and had to rescribe some of the gauge detail. Adding chrome foil prior to painting raised it back up. Then I foiled it again after the color was on. There are few locating pins on these kits so you have to find a way to mark a spot where paint or chrome need to be removed before gluing on a part. I used a tiny dab of liquid glue on the piece during a test fit. This left a small mark where material should be scraped.

The red paint is Tamyia lacquer over a white primer base. That was rubbed out and covered by Tamyia clear, which was also rubbed out. The spray chrome is Alcald over black. The ladder has been dry brushed to match the color of my garden rake handle. I followed a dry brush method from and old issue of SAE. The candles were done in flat white and then the flames were hand painted using Tamyia orange and yellow clear acrylics. I used some ancient, Pactra clear enamel on the sticks to give the waxy look. The inside headlights and lanterns were also painted with clear orange and yellow to mimic flame reflection patterns.

All the final assembly was done using cotton gloves as not to leave any fingerprints or wipe marks on the chrome or paint. I had to do two final assemblies. When fitting the last piece during the first assembly I accidentally knocked the model across the bench and it fell apart during the trip. And no, I don't drink while I build; I'm just a spaz..

Total build time is was just under three months. The background that you see was probably the funniest part. It was done to replicate the box art and took all of 10 minutes.