Richard Bartrop

For the past 60 odd years, the hobby has been about gluing together pre formed plastic parts, and despite the initial handwringing over instant gratification, here we are and we generally seem to be okay with it. Do you really think it's going to make that much difference to the "essence" of the hobby if the preformed plastic parts you glue together come out of a printer, or from a mould somewhere in China?

Looks like you could get pretty close to Sidney Allard's first dragster as well.

I remember discovering them at the same time (early 70s) the LHS was getting rid of them for 50 cent s a pop. I wish I'd gotten more

If it's the one I think, it was also kitted by MPC as part of its European Racing series, and it's 1/32. I built one many years ago, and from what I can recall, it's curbside, but it's also very nicely detailed.

Congratulations! That kit is a beast.

I imagine a chemical heater big enough to do the job could get expensive. The motors and electonics are going to shed heat while in operation.. Will it be enough to be worth trying to retain it to keep the batteries at the proper temperature?

Dipping the painted part into a jar of Future seems to work.

I didn't even notice the watermark, so I guess I'm an even bigger idiot.

Sounds like we'll still need block heaters, only this time to keep the battery warm.

Though to put it in perspective, if you told someone at the beginning of the 20th Century how much gasoline you were going to have to refine and distribute, and how many roads you were going to have to build, they might have gone, "Right, let's stick with horses"

I seriously question anyone who says they can't tell the different between say, a new Cadillac and a new Challenger.

Though like the internet example, you have increased revenue to fund that new infrastructure.

Life-Like: 1910 Buick 1912 Hispano Suiza Revell (ex Gowland & Gowland) 1912 Mercedes 1909 Stanley Steamer 1910 Pierce Arrow 1914 Stutz Bearcat 1904 Oldsmobile The Olds could possibly be made into the Old Pirate, though I'm wondering if you'd be better off attempting a scratch build.

1. I did some rough calculations with some number pulled off Wikipedia, and basically, if everyone went to electric vehicles, we'd have to double the elecrticity supply. On the other hand, our recent experience with rewiring everything for the internet suggest that large scale upgrades to the infrastructure are doable, just so long as we give them some time. If we gradually introduce electrics, and don't insist we swap everything over by next Tuesday, we should be able to handle it. 2. I'm just south of you in Calgary, and I've had the argument with people how bicycles and public transit just aren't going to cut it for everyone. Of course, the population isn't evenly distributed, and there are clumps of population where electrics might suit people's needs just fine, just as long as people don't fall into the trap of thinking what works for them, works for everyone. Maybe plug in hybrids are the short term solution. Use the electric drive for around town, and switch to gas for long trips. 3. On paper at least electric power's ability to deliver full power even at low speeds would be ideal for trucks, and seeing how those monster haulers in the oil sands use electric drive, you would think it would be possible to make an electric motor with enough grunt to satisfy even the most demanding trucker. Like with 2, range is a big issue, though I can see the cost of electricity vs. diesel making electrics attractive for short range commercial vehicles, depending, of course on how much it costs to switch. It'll be interesting to see how Tesla's pickup and big rig fare in the real world. 4. That's a good question right there. Batteries do not like the cold.

What I find amusing is just how long people have been singing that particular tune, and how every so often they bump up the date for when they stopped building "real" cars.