An intro...and quite a few pix. (DUW)

[theredlineboss]

Hello, a new member from Michigan here. I didn't notice if there was a specific place for new members to say hi, but I figured I'd get the "hello!" out of the way at the same time as posting a few pix.

I was never involved in Scouts as a kid, though I had tried. I knew nothing of the derby, but it seemed like it would be cool to be a part of. Just never worked out, though.

Oddly enough, I received a pinewood derby kit in the mid-90's for Christmas. Still don't know why, as I think I was already a teenager when I got it. I was into model kits though, so I wound up carving it roughly in the shape of a 32 Ford. Sadly, it wasn't finished, as I came to the realization that narrowing the front end was causing the wheels to rub against the body. My perfectionist streak got the best of me and the car was tossed aside, unfinished.

Fast forward to 2012. Two of my younger brothers are in Scouts, and I was asked to help them build their cars. I was able to get my hands on a spare block, so I could have something to do while they were shaping theirs. It was fun, and while I didn't finish my car, my brothers' turned out well. One looked cool but was SLOW, but the other was quick and did well in the heats.

So when I was asked this year to help again (this time with one brother), I was happy to help. I was told that we would have an adult race, if I wanted to build something. So I finished up my 2012 car...and another...and another. So without further adieu, here are my builds completed this year, starting with the first one:

[theredlineboss]

All of the above were fresh builds. But I have also added some older cars to my collection, some of which "needed some love", to put it mildly. The worst (design or condition wise) were given a full custom job, where I would try to emphasize some aspect of the original build.

This one had completely vertical front and back ends. I loved the long hood, though. I added a few curves to the front and back, while actually lengthening the hood (by moving the passenger compartment back):




This car was a challenge - it was originally a ute, but the cab was much longer. So I kept the front profile of the car and gave it a longer bed by shortening the cab. Not one of my better efforts, but it looks nicer than it originally did:




This car was a project that was started by someone and never finished. I only saw the profile of the side of the car, and I thought I'd buy it and finish it. Unfortunately, the roof area was very small and had a couple straight cuts. I used body filler to extend the front and rear of the roof area into its current shape:




This one looked like many other cars - a couple angled cuts and no curves. However, it did have a passenger area cut out (open on the sides) where a Lego man once resided. And a rocket booster, lol. I closed in the sides, smoothed out the edges, and gave it a driver:



This car was one of the saddest ones I came across - it was a ute where the kid actually hollowed out the bed area...but it was done badly. REAL bad. But I liked the hood scoop and chin spoiler. So I cut new bed sides, added a higher roof and smoothed everything out:




And the thrilling conclusion...in the next post!

[theredlineboss]

So, as you can see, I kind of went overboard this year. I've been having a lot of fun making these cars, especially when I show my brothers my latest creation. I'm not in it for profit (have no plans to sell these, actually).

Now, there is one car absent from the above lists - my first build from the 90's. Now, while I had abandoned it a very long time ago, I suspected that I still had the unfinished car. I knew it was in primer and with all the doorlines carved- it was at the point of needing paint. I went through the garage for awhile and found it. I added new wood to the front so that the wheels wouldn't bind and painted it.

So here we are- my first car, finally finished:



Some of you may recognize the pics - which would be because these were on DerbyTalk. Since this forum appears to be geared a bit more towards adult builds (which these are), I figured this might be a more appropriate place to post them.

-Rob

[bclinn]

I really enjoyed seeing examples of your creativity. Thanks for the pictures.

[RacerX]

Some nice designs & very creative! That is what pinewood derby is about.

Thanks for Sharing.

Racer X

[sporty]

Thanks for sharing, enjoy looking at them, you been busy !

Sporty

[theredlineboss]

Thanks everyone! Like I said, this has been a lot of fun for me. I also have picked up a fair number of older, completed cars, which I like to use for inspiration.

I do think that it is about time for me to build an exhibition car; been toying with the idea of building a fan-powered car. I have a few other projects to wrap up first though - I'll post pix as I complete other projects.

-Rob

[vaderracer]

Awesome collection and lots of hard work. Amazing job!