Built by: Tory Mucaro in Howell Township, New Jersey

This is Monogram's Li'l Coffin built pretty much straight from the box. This is one of my all-time favorite show rods, though I admittedly have never built one until now. It was a birthday gift from my kids a few years back and I finally got around to building it (Who said "It'll never get built"? Hah!)

One of the things that really bugged me about the engineering of this kit is the ejector pin marks on the outer edge of the front wheels. I was able to eliminate this by carefully sanding the rim down with fine sanding and polishing sticks and applying BMF to replace the missing plating. Also, the wheels don't spin very well, so they were glued in place, but I did maintain the working steering and opening doors, two very nice features of this kit. It is finished in HOK Candy Brandywine over HOK Silver Base. Over that is two coats of clear two part urethane to give it that "wet look".

The base is basswood stained and clear coated, with various Woodland Scenics grasses applied. Mr. Bones is from the kit finished in various shades of ivory acrylics. Instead of posing him in the usual leaning against the car stance, I thought it might be a little more candid to have him leaning against a headstone admiring his "Oh so cool" rod. The two headstones are scratch built from bits of plastic sheet and finished in various shades of gray acrylics with a Floquil Grimy Black enamel wash.

After I finished the two headstones, I thought about what type of decorative detail might be interesting to add atop the taller one.....I considered gargoyles, angels, and the usual saints and such. Then it dawned on me, this MUST be the final resting place of a major gear head (possibly Mr. Bones himself.) And what better symbol to denote that than an engine component. So.....I machined a piston/connecting rod assembly out of a piece of 3/16 diameter brass rod. Then I mounted it to the top of the obelisk and proceeded to paint it as if it were part of the granite stone. I thought it might tickle some of the more astute car nuts among us!