iamsuperdan

No, the file maker just sells the files for 3d printing. https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/tool/drop-tank-racer-skale-1-24 You would need to find someone who would print it for you. Cults3D has a list of their vendor partners that will print on demand for people.

Last week: -40 Celcius temps -53 Celcius windchill 8-10 inches of snow Currently: 0 degrees Celcius sunny blue skies Next week: Welcome to a typical January/February in Alberta.

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/chevrolet-k30-crew-cab-1975 https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/chevrolet-c30-crew-cab-1975 He has a couple of versions. The chassis isn't accurate, but the bodies and the interiors are quite good. Shouldn't be too hard to combine with existing kits. As others have said, Zaina here offers his printing services. I haven't used him, but his prices are fair and I've heard his service is excellent.

Last year, we ordered a bunch of pens to use as giveaways. We did it ourselves, and our marketing department lost their minds. We spend too much, it wasn't approved, blah, blah. So they ordered some pens and went on and on about how much money they saved over the ordered we place. I enjoyed it when the pens arrived, and half don't work, and they literally fall apart if you hold them too tightly or drop them. Even the big boss literally asked "who ordered these [censored] pens? Spend a little money and get the good ones like last time." Referring of course, to the pens I had a hand in ordering. Of course...I'm a pen snob, so still use my Porsche pen, made from actual Porsche braided brake lines.

Picked up a vacuum former. Should (hopefully) be able to make nice curved and shaped windshields for my 3D printed kits now. The instruction manual has some of the best Engrish I've seen in a long, long time.

On a related note...

I'm at work, checking emails that came in overnight. Just printed an RFQ for a local municipality that needs some half tons. So I'll be working on that quote this morning.

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/various/american-racing-torque-thrust-22 These are an excellent quality file, and can easily be resized to whatever diameter you need. Visually, there's no real difference between an LS2 and an LS3, so here's the best LS3 file out there. https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/gadget/corvette-ls3-engine Add his LS2 fuel rail covers, and you're good to go. https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/gadget/corvette-ls2-fuel-rails-covers

I really like Vapor Blue, but I'm confident that I would not order it for myself. You're right though, people LOVE this colour. It gets so many comments, and I haven't heard anyone say anything negative about it yet. We have a Dark Horse that just arrived yesterday. Spec'd out by the client and factory ordered. It's dark grey.

So how many fit on a railcar? Boxed up like that, maybe 50? That would be $2500. A lot of money back then, but if you had the space... Buy them, assemble them, sell each one for $500. Even keeping two for yourself, that's like $20k profit. Where's my time machine, I need to go back....

That turned out beautiful! Excellent work!

When I was into slot cars, I always wanted to build a wood track like that and build it out like the model train guys do.

I think there are two distinct aspects for this hobby. The first is Builder. We build models, we complete models, we display and appreciate our finished models. The second is Collector. We purchase new kits. We purchase used kits. We add to the stash. We admire the stacks of unbuilt kits we have, convinced that we WILL get them built. I'm no so good at the first one, but I'm really good at the second one!

Lots of updates for us truck fans. I see two I need for sure. And that new 1/12 Lancia. Very nice.

Block heaters are actually standard equipment here. On most cars/trucks anyway. On a number of my personal vehicles, I've added battery blankets as well in the winter months. Like a heating pad that wraps around the battery. Although none of our current vehicles have them. I know a lot of people that put pan heaters on their trucks too, and a lot of diesel guys install those Webasto pre-heaters.

100% that's what it is. Would have been nice to see AMT do a full re-tool on this one, like they did with the International 4070 a couple of years ago. I'm guessing these molds are a little tired now and could do with a proper updating.

VERY interesting!

Interesting. Looking at those bodies in white, they don't look like EVs. The shape of the floor, engine bay, and trunk area look like an ICE car to me. EVs usually have a very flat floor, and the engine bay typically wouldn't be open like that. Leads me to believe that these are for the ICE version. Very curious to see what's coming. The official launch is supposed to be here before summer.

I know where you're going with this. Are people buying neutral colours because that's what is on the lots? Or are dealers stocking those colours because that's what people ask for? And the answer is...both. When given a choice, most customers will pick a neutral colour, while the more interesting colours sit. As a result, dealers will order more of the neutral colours because that's what moves quickly. And dealerships don't want to pay the interest charges or overhead of having vehicles sitting for 30-60-90-120 days. That's also why you won't find a lot of base model zipper vehicles on the lots. People tend to want features, so the more loaded vehicles move, while the basic models sit. Again, dealers order more of what sells quickly. What a lot of people don't realize is that they can factory order a vehicle. Go to your dealer and order what you want. There is no upcharge for it, and any dealer that tells you otherwise is lying. Of course, most dealers will be more agreeable with discounts if it's something sitting on the lot, so I guess technically you might pay more for an order. But not by much. And you'll get exactly the features and colours you want. And if you order the "unpopular" colours or features, there's a very good chance your vehicle will get built faster than the most popular spec. For example, everyone wants black trucks. Not many want red. But the factory only builds the red trucks when they have enough orders in the system to justify a run. It's usually only 10 units. So order your red. You'll most likely see your vehicle serialize and start production pretty quick.

Thanks Tim! As I said, excellent article. And really, the import kits are plentiful enough that you could have done a full part II just on those! Darn those space limitations!

And even though it's one of my fav movies, I would love to see a remake of Christine, but one that is accurate to the book. Same with Die Hard. And First Blood.

Jeremy Barlow of Clearly Scale fame has passed away. I just received an email from his sister.

Remote starters are mandatory in my neck of the woods. Over the years, I've used two main brands. First is CompuStart. I always recommend their 2-way remote start, so that you know if your car actually started or not. They have one with 2000ft range which is totally fine for about $500CDN installed, and another than I think is either 3000 or 5000ft. Seems excessive. Second is the one I prefer. It's called MyCar and it ties in to your phone. Installation is plug and play, so no splicing or tying in to existing wiring harnesses. The remote comes with a 3yr plan, and after than it's like $10/month. Start your car from your phone, with vehicle monitoring, and from literally anywhere in the world. It's about $750 CDN. As Bill alluded to, make sure you use a reputable shop to install it though, and unless you are very familiar with auto electronics, don't do it yourself. You can seriously mess up your vehicle if it's not done correctly. There are a lot of hacks out there, and some of those chain electronics stores hire those hacks. Pick a shop that specializes in electronics. Custom stereo shops are usually a safe bet. Having said that, we don't do a lot of them anymore, as almost everything these days comes with a remote start, even the most basic models. Fun fact, if you buy a new Ford, you don't even need to order it with remote start to get remote start. The car/truck will come with something called Ford Pass. Connect your phone and boom. Your phone is your remote starter.

Wow. Just wow.

You're right! But it's actually issue 221. Excellent article, but it really only covered the North American kit manufacturers. AMT, MPC, Revell, etc. Other than a short paragraph, it made no mention of kits from Aoshima, Tamiya, Hasegawa, Italeri, ESCI. And those would have covered brands like Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Jeep, Land Rover/Range Rover, and Mercedes; to name a few.