Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Deuces Wild...Roundup!

Three things define the birth of hot rodding: World War II, boredom, and easy access to dad's junk. No, that wasn't an ill-conceived joke, however, it was the opening line to this month's challenge called Deuces Wild. I'd explain it to ya all over again but I'm just too damned lazy. Plus I'm not so good at re-telling stories. What am I, Garrison Keillor? The "punchline" anyway is lots and lots of '32 Fords with a smattering of other weird stuff thrown in. Let's show ya what I mean.


Johnni D starts us off and shows us just how versatile a '32 Ford is for hot-rodding. First up is this sweet little red roadster pickup.

'32 Ford Roadster Pickup

Next on the Johnni D slab is a roadster pickup in black. Yes, the '32 Ford comes in both pickups and roadster varieties. Maybe I should have explained that in the intro, but...yunno...lazyness.

'32 Ford Roadster Pickup

Just know that they come in all kinds of varieties, OK? Do I really have to explain this to you ad nauseam? They spawned the birth of hot rodding for cripes sakes! Anyway, here is yet another variety, a yellow 5-window coupe.

'32 Ford 5 window coupe

Speaking of yellow 5-window coupes, Ralph Savelsberg built the most famous '32 Ford in the history of the world ever, the one from American Graffiti. We already have our most famous hot rod ever so that's a wrap. Thanks for reading everybody. Now get outta here! Go on! Git! There is nothing else to see here!

Milner Coupe revamped

Oh wait, there's more. John Marshmallow builds a 1936 Chevy 3-window coupe he calls "F136". It sounds more like the medicine they give you to cure...yunno...that itch you don't wanna tell anyone about.

1936 Chevrolet 3-Window Coupe F1 Car "F136"

All that aforementioned weirdness comes into fruition with this Delage Dordeloto built by Vinny Turbo. He tells us don't even look try looking it up on the net. I wouldn't recommend it either. My last internet search for weirdness led to a trip to the Mac Store and some disconcerting looks from the techs cleaning my hard drive.

https://flic.kr/p/P5iDF3

Coming up on more than a few weird internet searches would be my own entry. Lino Martins (hey, that's me, but we've established that already, right?) imagines what Russian hot-rodders would do with their 32 GAZ's. This spaced out custom ride is called Cosmonaut.

'32 Custom GAZ...Cosmonaut

Someone named by primozm builds us two of the smallest hot rods we've ever seen. First up is the minuscule channeled 1928 Ford Model A Sedan rat rod in black with an iron cross. Arian oppression never looked so cute!

Microscale 1928 Ford Model A Sedan Rat Rod

Next up on the by primozm slab is pretty much the same thing except without the iron cross but in all white with a black roof. They must be like two studs wide. Cute!

Microscale 1928 Ford Model A Sedan Rat Rod

Now its time for what we call; The Wrath of Peter, a whole flurry of entries from Aussie engineer Peter Blackert. First up is this 1932 Ford Model 18 V8 Tudor custom called 'The Phantom', which makes me hungry for red hot dogs for some odd reason.

Ford 1932 Custom Tudor V8 - The Phantom

Customizing hot rods are a personal thing as evidenced by this green Tudor Custom called 'Kermit the Frog'. No frogs or hot dogs were harmed in the making of this render. Cool bicycle and street corner though.

Ford 1932 Custom Tudor V8 - Kermit the Frog

Two things are no longer considered cool in today's times: Making fun of fat people and Bill Cosby. But back in the day, not only were those two things cool, but expected. Here's a 1932 Ford Model 18 V8 Custom Roadster Hot Rod called 'Fat Albert', named for the Cosby-made cartoon of yore.

Ford 1932 Custom V8 Roadster - Fat Albert

Speaking of drugging and fondling scores of women, Donald Trump isn't cool either but we elected him anyway...or rather the dumb half of our country did. Or maybe it was neo-nazis. Or was it our grandparents? Or fake news? Or Russian hackers? I don't even know which story to believe anymore. What I can believe in is this black and chrome roadster called Black Beauty.

Ford 1932 Custom V8 Roadster - Black Beauty

You like sitting in a bathtub? Sure, we all do! But who has time for that anymore? Anyway, Peter tells us that sitting in this dark red low-boy would be akin to sitting in a bathtub. Some bath salts, a glass of wine and some soothing jazz ought to round out the experience nicely.

Ford 1932 Custom V8 Roadster - Low-Boy

Women enjoy a hot bath and soothing jazz. And also ZZ Top, which frankly is like the exact opposite of soothing jazz and a hot bath. Some are even OK with groping if you ask nicely, but not if you're Bill Cosby. Now I'm not even sure what women are into. There's no steadfast rule other than this famous Eliminator is probably alright in moderation.

Ford 1933 Custom V8 Coupe - ZZ Top Eliminator

If you really like something, why not do it twice in the same challenge and give the blog writer anxiety about having to write fresh new jokes for it. Here's Black Beauty again in a smaller scale. Let's see, fresh new joke...um...Russian hackers like sitting in the bathtub?

MotorCity Ford 1932 V8 Roadster

Nothing says hot rodding like wearing a paper ice cream scooper's hat. That's why Lucky Eddie dons his paper hat while posing next to his dark red '32 V8 custom coupe. Turns out Lucky Eddie is just no good at Poker, Craps or Go Fish. the moniker is for ironic purposes only. 

MotorCity Ford 1932 V8 Coupe - Lucky Eddie's Speed Shop

In the hot-rodding world, we're so used to racing slicks, flames and outsized engines that we hardly know what a 1933 Ford *actually* looks like. Turns out its quite a bit like this dark blue number.

Ford 1933 Model 40 V8 Coupe

But why leave a '33 Ford the hell alone when you can hot rod the ever loving bejesus out of it? That's what this Blue Devil is all about. I particularly dig the aquamarine colored engine with this otherwise understated black paint job. Peter provided a link to the real inspiration.

Ford 1933 Custom V8 Coupe - Blue Devil

There existed a problem in Australia in the early 30's. You like a sturdy workhorse to take the pigs to market but you also want something nice enough to show up at church without looking like a total ingrate in front of God and everybody. What's a farmer's wife to do? Behold the 1933 Ford Bandt Ute. God would be pleased.

Ford 1933 Model 40 V8 Coupe-Utility (Bandt Ute)

When I proposed this challenge Peter thought it would be chock full of "little deuce coupes" from The Beach Boys song. Turns out we all had other things in mind, like Russian space themed hot rods and F136's. But thankfully Peter averted that crisis by submitting the Little Deuce Coupe. God would be pleased.

Ford 1932 Custom V8 Coupe - Beach Boys - Little Deuce Coupe

When it comes to pleasing God, Tim Inman knows no bounds...which could explain all the restraining orders against him. Still, the guy has got some mad skillz when it comes to playing with legos. Here's his Pro-street 32 Ford truck in dark red.

Pro-street 32 Ford truck

Well, that sums them all up then. It wasn't the most populous of challenges but all in all we did alright. Good quality entries here. What does the future for the world's most popular blog then? I'm guessing more pictures of cats who want to haz cheezburgers. But for us, we have a little challenge this month called Cars Noir...all about cars, trucks and bikes with a dark palate or purpose. Sounds like some scary-ass stuff! Let's see what we do when this group moves to the dark side, but for now, leave your intelligent and insightful comments in 3-2-1...

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

LUGNuts Turns Nine...Roundup

Oh hello. Is it time for the roundup already? Seems it is, and wouldn't you know it, I'm away on vacation. Yep, I'm off in a rustic little cabin in the woods with nothing but a hot tub, a fireplace, a bottle of whiskey, some board games, no TV, no phone connection and barely any internet. Sound like the first 10 minutes of a slasher film to you? Well...yes, it does. So as to not turn this little vacation into Friday the 13th parts I through IX, I will not disclose my exact location to any would be homicidal maniacs out there. There, crisis averted! There is something to be said about not updating your Facebook status every time you gotta take a dump. Not checking in , not alerting the world to your every thought, not taking pictures of every meal you eat are all admirable qualities that a few people could learn from. It all smacks of an oppressive Orwellian dystopia. Anyway, LUGNuts Turns Nine this month and we could build based on any previous challenge from this year or all of history. Let's take a look at everyone who incessantly checked in with us, shall we?


Emmanuel Spencer Iskandar is the first to set sail with blurred cellphone photos commemorating that one time James May turned a Triumph Herald into a boat. Seems my joke about blurred cellphone photos might be a bit outdated as most cellphones nowadays take better photos than most cameras.

Triumph Herald Yacht

OK, that joke about cellphone cameras might have been outdated but now I'm beginning to wonder about Emmanuel's tech. This second entry looks like it may have been rendered on a Commodore 64 but then if you click the link to the music video the grainy black and white quality accurately depicts...ah, crap, there goes my joke!

Radio Ga Ga

Clearly I'm just dialing it in here. I must be in vacation mode or a homicidal maniac has zeroed in on my coordinates after all and has killed me and is chiming in as a less funny version of me, just for shits and giggles. John Marshmallow has also dialed it in like twelve times. His first entry: a six wheeled monstrosity called Shark One.

120-Gram 6-Wheeled Car "Shark One"

Considering this blog is just as meta and un-funny as it always is, I'm thinking the homicidal maniac theory is not valid. Anyway, here's another entry by John. Back when we did Re-do and Redemption it meant going back years. For John it means going back months to something he did in April. Has he been redeemed yet?


1994 Nissan Silvia (S13) Rat Rod "Silver Slider"

Maybe he'll redeem with this 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Lakewood Hearse . All the goth kids can update their Facebook status to slightly less melancholy. What? Oh, a pinecone. Neat! Sorry, I'm a little distracted what with vacation and all. For these next entries, let me employ the help of a bunch of other writers. Here goes.

Corvair Wagon WIP


(bad romance novelist) Her breasts heaved like a stormy ocean, and her pointed nipples were like hypodermics washed up on the shore. Her sun-glazed back formed a golden arch as he moved his face toward her happy meal.


1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Rat Rod "

(Neil deGrasse Tyson) Apollo in 1969. Shuttle in 1981. Nothing in 2011. Our space program would look awesome to anyone living backwards through time.

1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Aviator Garages Custom "BumbleStang"


(Russian Daycare Owner) Please, you bring child. Child eat radish. Child learn work. Child mine opal. Please, you also bring radish.

1987 Ibishu Covet 1.5 DX


(Bad detective novelist) She walked toward me with her high heels clacking like an out-of-balance ceiling fan set on low, smiling as though about to spit pus from a dental abscess, and I knew right away that she was going to leave me feeling like I had used a wood rasp to cure my hemorrhoids.

1984 Ibishu Pigeon 600

(Hunter S. Thompson) "Hallucinations are bad enough. But after a while you learn to cope with things like seeing your dead grandmother crawling up your leg with a knife in her teeth. Most acid fanciers can handle this sort of thing. But nobody can handle that other trip—the possibility that any freak with $1.98 can walk into Circus-Circus and suddenly appear in the sky over downtown Las Vegas twelve times the size of God, howling anything that comes into his head. No, this is not a good town for psychedelic drugs. Reality itself is too twisted."

31046 Alternate: 1993 Aviator Ronolit DX-4(Z82DX4-2MRS)

(Teenage Goth Poet) The night falls in a heavy cloak alone in my chambers, so utterly alone. Cold and alone, swallowed by the abysmal abyss of despair. Empty and black; black is my lipstick, black is my underwear, black is my soul. Utter despair. Ennui. There is nothing on TV.

1971 Aviator Radicus Drag Rod

(The Shamwow Guy) Hi it's Vince from shamwow, you'll be saying wow everytime! It's like a shammy, it's like a towel, it's like a sponge. A regular towel doesn't work wet, this works wet or dry. This is for the house ,the car, the boat,t he RV .Shamwow holds 20 times it's weight in liquid, look at this, it just does the work! Why do you want to work twice as hard? It doesn't drip, doesn't make a mess, ring it out. You wash it in the washing machine. Made in Germany, you know the Germans always make good stuff.

2024 Aviator Milano TDF Edition

(Directions to assemble a bookshelf made in China) Place tab A next to slot C. Your welcome to use caution. Break short stub using left hand. Fold shelf down very easy. Important no matter you are in public, inbusiness trip, or in journey. For sanity reasons, please use shower before gettings in pool.

2024 Aviator QuattroAvant

(Lemmy Kilmister, former Motorhead frontman)"If you're going to be a (bleeping) rock star, go be one. People don't want to see the guy next door on stage; they want to see a being from another planet."

2006 Toyota Prius "Copper Polluter"

Wow, that was fun. I might do that again when there is another builder who has submitted a lot of stuff. (I'm looking at you, Peter!) But for now, Johnni D asks for a numbered assignment and gets entry 99, any ambulance or hearse, custom or stock.

Ambulance 361 FDNY

Actually he makes two entries out of one request, here's the hearse version from 99 in all its black hearse dead guy glory.

1966 Cadillac Fleetwood Hearse

Third on the Johnni D slab. He asks for number 9 and gets any cool vehicle to accommodate a wheelchair. My thinking in creating this idea was just because you're in a wheelchair, doesn't mean you can't have something kick-ass. Johnni pulls through with this way cool chopper.

Custom chopper Wheelchair Bike

The young man has got something good going here with these stylized, cartoonish rides on an 8x8 base. Some have made Brothers-Brick and I think they'd make excellent convention trophies. He asked for #6: Google “Chip Foose’s best designs” and go from there. The result; this Foose '70 Challenger.

Foose '70 Challenger

He seems to be a fan of the 100th build challenge where you ask for a number and the admins give you a crazed assignment based on a list. Here is #66: Hot Wheels has a cast called “Spoiler Sport” figure it out from there.

1976 Hotwheels Spoiler Sport

Johnni chimes back a sixth time this time asking for the humorous and lowbrow number of 69. He ends up with a Zinger which, incidentally, is a humorous and lowbrow custom toy car with outsized engine and tires.

Zingers!

He then reverses 69 and...you'd think it would be a number equally enticing but 96 seems to have no humor or lowbrow connotations to it. However, it is attached to; design any vehicle inspired by any dinosaur or sea creature. Barney would be proud.

DinoWagon

Johnni flexes his creative muscles again, but this time asks for a random assignment. I told him to go forth and build us the Popcorn Wagon and he comes through with his stylized version of the iconic show rod.

Popcorn Wagon

Its our ninth birthday and Johnni aptly pulls through with nine challenges, this time any bubble top vehicle and he doesn't disappoint with his final entry.

Bubble Top custom

Flyboy0115 tells us that his microscale Tatra concurs with the rules of our 105th build challenge. What was 105 again? I don't even remember. Oh, right! The Great Outdoors, all about camping and off-roading and whatnot. Hmmm. I suppose you could go camping or off-roading in this.

8x8 Microscale Tatra (5)

Flyboy chimes in again and this time gets it right with the Over a million, under a thousand challenge and a formula 1 racer. Clearly this fits in the over a million category and the background is so black the car looks like it has no tires.

F1 Car (8)

Loek M takes the Exclusive Edition challenge and builds us a very exclusive Rolls Royce Phantom made exclusively for a very rich hotel manager in Macau. Also I'm pretty sure the Avian Bird Flu originated exclusively in Macau. I wouldn't eat the chicken if I were you.

Rolls Royce Phantom "Hotel 13 Edition"

Except for just about every girl I know, girls like pink. Apparently. At least that's what they thought in the 50's. Peter Blackert's first entry is the 1955 Dodge La Femme Hardtop Coupe in dusty rose and pigeon gray. It included a raincoat, rain bonnet and umbrella, all made from a vinyl patterned to match the rosebud interior fabric.

Dodge La Femme - 1955

Way back when we had our 82nd challenge it was called LUGNuts In Real Life and asked us to build the vehicles that we tooled around in for reals, yo. As an engineer for Ford, Peter gets a different company car like every ten minutes so here's a 2016 Mondeo. I sense there'll be a lot of these so lemme employ the help of other writers while I go dip in the hot tub. Here goes.

Ford Mondeo Titanium Wagon (CD391 - 2016)

(An angry algebra teacher) For the fifth goddamned time people, in the formula ax squared plus bx plus c equals 0 you can solve x by using the goddamned quadratic formula. Has this sunk into your thick skulls finally? A monkey can learn this!

Lotus Esprit S1 - James Bond 'The Spy that Loved Me'

(A grizzled old sea captain) The sea, she's like a lady. You dance with her you dance by her lead otherwise she chew ye up and swallow ye whole! You ain't seen life till you've seen it from the belly of a whale!

Aston Martin DB9 (Updated)

(Chewbacca explaining complex quantum physics) Grrrr. Rrrrrrrrroar. Rrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrr. Roar. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr-rrrrah-rrr-rrrrrah. Rahhh-grah-rrrrrrrr. RAH-GRRRRRR-RAHHHHH! RAAAHHHH!

Ford 1952 Customline Sedan

(A meathead blasting his quads at the gym) Thirty-three! Thirty-four! Grrrrr----Thirty-five! (bleep) YEAH! Thirty-six! (bleep) YEAH! Thirty-seven! I'm a god among men, bro! Grrrrrr...Thirty-eight! (BLEEP) YEAH! FEEL THE BUUURRRN, MOTHER (BLEEP)!

Ralston Tigre II-C Convertible - 1958

( A guy giving directions who's pretty sure he's gonna throw up) So you want to take the next left.....hrmmmmm...cripes, pardon me! Then go down about three blocks....hrmmmmm...oh, jesus! At the light you want to bang a right....hrrrrrmmmmmm...dude, I gotta run!

Ferrari 500 TRC s/n 0682 MDTR (1957)

(Someone texting grocery directions) B sure 2 pic up 2 turkey breasts on yer way home. Make sure they boner it. Boner it. DE-BONE it! LOL! WTF! Stupid auto-correct!

Powell Motors - The Homer

(Snoop Dogg singing Gin and Juice) "With so much drama in the L-B-C, its kinda hard being Snoop D-O-Double G. But I somehow someway keep coming up with funky-ass shit every single day..."

Ferrari 512 S - NART Racer s/n 1006 1970

(The super polite Nigerian ambassador in my email inbox) My dearest friend. I have thought long and hard before sending this but my research proves you are the best qualified to help me in this very important matter. I have inherited a rather large sum of money and...

1972 BMW E12 520i Saloon

(Simon and Garfunkle) "Hello darkness my old friend. I've come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping..."

Dodge Charger 'General Lee' - The Dukes of Hazzard

(Liam Neeson dialing the wrong number) "I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you." Um...what do you want on your pizza, Mr. Neeson?

Ferrari F40 Berlinetta

( Correspondence that has actually been on Tinder) "You might need a wheelchair after I'm done with you. You like pumpkin spice lattes?" "Are you threatening to break my legs? Are you threatening to break my legs in a Starbucks?" "Uh...that didn't come out right."

Toyota Camry Sedan - V20 (1986)

(A Doctor circa 1949) My profession can be trying at times and in my downtime I enjoy the mild taste and soothing feel of a Camel cigarette. More doctors smoke Camel cigarettes than any other kind. I recommend them to my patients because they protect against irritation and cough. And what a smooth taste!

Chevrolet 1946 Pickup Truck (Advance Design) - McGyver

(Actual Facebook quote) We need to get off Lance Armstrong's back...yes he did drugs but don't forget he was also the first man on the moon.

Ralston Tigre III-C < T W E L V E > Saloon

(Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry) Did he fire six shots or only five? Well to tell you the truth in all this excitement I kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world and would blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?

Citroen DS - ID19 Le Paris Coupe - 1958

(A dad teaching his dumb kid a lesson on Facebook) To all of Chris's friends; this is his father. My son carelessly left his account logged in so I decided to snoop around. Upon reading his personal information I would like to clear a few things up.

Alfa Romeo BAT7 (Berlinetta Aerodinamica Tecnica - Bertone 1954)

(A dad teaching his dumb kid a lesson on Facebook part II) My son is not a "playa", he will not "beat a ho's ass" and will most certainly will not "roll a fatty wit his boyz". So for all of those who believe he is some badass playa, think again. He is Chris Brown, a 15 year old kid who was afraid of the dark until he was 12 and cried while watching Marly and Me.

MotorCity 2016 Ford F150 Raptor - Octan Offroad Racer

(Another correspondence that has actually been on Tinder) On a scale of 1 to America, how free are you tonight?" "North Korea."

The Bradley Californian - 1969

(Foreign Sports Announcer) GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! GOOOAAALL! GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLL!! GOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!! GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!

BMW LMR V12 Racer - Art Car #15- Jenny Holzer (1999)

(Hoity-toity wine reviewer) The heady, pure perfume of fig rind and foliage streams from the glass. A more tart and tropical note of passion fruit pitches in as well, along with green grapefruit spice. The aromatic spectrum is a sublimation of exotic fruit on nose and palate. The palate sustains this high-pitched balance by the purest lightening strike of zesty acidity. Even the tiniest drop of this amber liquid has the power to perfume the entire palate for minutes.

Ferrari 330 GTS Spider

(A Marine Drill Sargent) What's your major malfunction, recruit?! Where you from, boy?Texas? TEXAS!? The only thing in Texas is steers and queers and I don't see any horns on you, boy! Now drop and give me fifty! This is my rifle, this is my gun. This one's for fightin', this ones for fun!

The 'Bluesmobile' - 1974 Dodge Monaco Cop Car - (The Blues Brothers - 1980)

(A fratboy having a bad day at a University of Florida Constitution Day forum) Don't taze me, bro! Don't taze me, bro! Don't taze me...AHHH! AHHHHHH! AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

Plymouth Fury 1960 Hardtop Coupe

(A moose in Maine describing a run-in with a car) Ayuh. So I was giving directions to this motorist, telling him you can't get there from hear when I felt a slight discomfort. Thought it was just some bad water lilies I ate so I ignored it. But wouldn't you know it, some dingus motorist decided to wrap his cah 'round my backside, for some reason, and went ass over tea kettle into the ditch. Must be outta-townas for sure.

Ariel Nomad - Dune Racer

(Onion Horoscope Writer) Cancer June 21-July 22: Your insistence that no one can possibly know how you feel right now will only point out how pathetic it is to be dumped by three bearded ladies in a row.

Ferrari 512S MODULO (Pininfarina - 1970) s/n 0864

(Dear Abby question and response) About four months ago, the house across the street was sold to a “father and son” — or so we thought. We later learned it was an older man about 50 and a young fellow about 24. This was a respectable neighborhood before this “odd couple” moved in. They have all sorts of strange-looking company. Men who look like women, women who look like men, blacks, whites, Indians. Yesterday I even saw two nuns go in there!… Abby, these weirdos are wrecking our property values! How can we improve the quality of this once-respectable neighborhood? Response: You could move.

Renault Trafic LWB - Australia Post Delivery Van

(Either a Juicy Fruit ad or porn dialogue) Take a sniff, pull it out. The taste is gonna move you when you pop it in your mouth!

Cadillac 1933 452C Fleetwood Aero-Dynamic Coupe Study

(Alan Rickman ominously ending a pizza transaction) So be it.

Porsche 917K Salzburg

(A pearl of wisdom) I'd rather die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather and not screaming and yelling in terror like the passengers in his car.

ZiL 111-G Limousine (1962)

Cripes, that was a lot! Good thing I brought in all those other writers to help out. Did they make sense in regard to their corresponding cars? Probably not. But it doesn't have to make much sense to me as evidenced by this cool Creepy Crawler '67 Caddy built by Lino Martins.

1967 Cadillac Coupe DeVille...Creepy Crawler

Let's use some of this intermittent cabin wi-fi to see what's on the news, shall we? We elected who?! What?! Son of a bitch! See, this is why I don't watch the news! So disappointing! Seems I'll need to extend my vacation for the next four to eight years. Tim Inman makes America great again with this all white 1966 Ferrari 365P Tre Posti.

1966 Ferrari 365P Tre Posti

Going off road sounds great to Paulo D as evidenced by this off-roading Porsche 911. In fact, going off the grid for like 8 years doesn't sound like a bad idea either. It'll be me and this cabin and the hot tub and some whiskey. And I suppose I'd have to grow a long beard and get a shot gun. And keep myself in the dark about current events. Wait that sounds like a typical Trump supporter, which got us into this mess in the first place.

Porsche 911 - Safari spec

On second thought, let's move on. Sam Sirmanperson builds us a couple of fantastic 40's era woodies. They harken from a time when doctors recommended cigarettes to their patients and leaders of the free world bragged about grabbing ladies by their tender bits. Oh wait, did that just happen? Oy!

Woodies - 6-wide - Lego

On a good note, Brick Flag leaves us satisfied with three superb entries modeled after actual Hot Wheels cars. First up, the Ramblin' Wrecker. I particularly like how the whole truck bed and winch is monochromatic, like the molded plastic of the actual toy car.

Ramblin' Wrecker Lego MOC 3 of 11

The last two go together but deserve equal billing. They are unofficially from the TV show Emergency. All three are about the most detailed MOCs we've seen in awhile, which totally explains how all three recently appeared on our Big Brother's Blog. Randolph Mantooth would be proud!

Emergency Squad Lego MOC 6 of 11


Fire Eater Lego MOC 9 of 11

Phew! That is the end of your 9th birthday roundup. This has been a pretty good selection of cars, I think. How did it all go? Well, it started pretty strong. Admittedly I was dialing it in at first, then got better, then got a little shaky when we elected a bully and a tyrant, then it all sort of balanced out. On Sunday we set the clock back an hour, then on Tuesday we set America back 50 years. What does the future hold for this little blog? Well, barring a well deserved missile attack against us, we have a challenge coming up called Deuces Wild...all about the '32 Ford, the most quintessential hot rod in history. In the words of our president elect promising...whatever the hell he talks about...its gonna be great. Its gonna be huge. I can't emphasize enough how great and huge this build challenge is gonna be. It'll make America, and incidentally the world, great again. You wait and see. Now, time to pretend I'm Canadian for the next four to eight years. Nathan, can you help me with my dialogue? Is it "about" or "aboot"? Which animal is on the 5 cent piece? Is it a loon or a beaver? Are you people really so friendly that you have pleasant two hour conversations with people who dialed the wrong number? I have a lot to learn about being Canadian. In the meantime, leave your poignant and insightful comments in 3...2...1...