Erik Smith

There are currently over 120,000 models for sale on eBay - including some newer Revell models (Fireball Roberts 57 Ford) for as little as $9.99 - this is not a rich man’s hobby, unless your desires are more expensive than your means, which is true with any endeavor. I’d give the hobby a solid 30 years just recycling all the kits filling hobby shop shelves and basements now...

I would add that in many parts of the world, your manliness isn’t tied to how long and high your truck is either...I’ve been to few countries and pretty much never see near the number of full size trucks any where but the US. I constantly see single dudes cruising around in one ton, 4x4, four door, long bed trucks that are lifted high enough to make loading a joke and towing pretty cumbersome - but, hey, how would anybody else know I’m a man? Just got back from China - and they actually have a lot of room - just not in cities that have populations equal to 8 western states combined. One interesting thing about the car market - there are over 100 different auto makers in China...that’s insane... I was surprised to hear the Ford news, but after listening to a few stories and reading up on it, their sedans just aren’t making money. NPR said 90% of Ford’s profits were from the F150 - I have to check that as it seems really, really high - but the gist is, cars don’t make money, trucks and SUVs do - so, as an obligation to stock holders, they are making adjustments to maximize profits. The conversion to electric also is interesting - makes me think the big car companies can see the writing on the wall for oil...? Maybe? Prices spiking, government regulations, continued environmental degredation... My family owns one SUV, one lifted wagon (Subaru Outback) and two old skool wagons (1993 Camry and 2000 Subaru), and we did have a couple sedans over the last 20 years, but SUVs and wagons are just a lot more practical...

Joseph at Fireball Modelworks might be able to print 1/32 version of his decals.

Cool, Tom. I’ve never been to Shanghai but imagine there are some serious sports cars ripping around those streets. Yeah, I think there remains some prestige in driving Buicks, but seems it’s fading a bit as so many more autos are available in their market, including lower-end Buicks and mini vans. One last photo, for the truck guys:

It probably is. There are a lot of Buicks in Beijing - probably the most common GM line. I didn’t get a photo of any though...sorry Tom.

I like it, actually. Read through those links plus a few more - I must have been sleeping or just ignoring some of the press regarding the new Bronco - maybe figuring it’d be all about the name.

Darn. They ride pretty high compared to any crossovers, so was hoping it might have a frame underneath and be legit...

So, you AU (and apparently China, Philippines, and Thailand) guys already get this thing...but, c’mon Ford! Give US buyers the option...Ford Everest. It’s a real deal 4x4? Is it on a truck platform like the old school SUVs? The new Ranger based...?

I think you’re late to the game noticing a trend. Most of the fartcans have already rusted and fell off. Was big thing 20 years ago. Still a few stragglers, just like some dudes still have mullets. I’ve seen a few of those 80s hot rods too - they look horrible, but some do have decent drivability. Solid white with pink splash? Who would have thought that trend would end?

Ugh. That looks horrible. Wheel wells don’t match and the wheels are too big for the rear wheel well size. At least it’s a useless size bed.

That guy used to build AMT customs in the 60s.

Yes. I can confirm, China is a car enthusiast’s nightmare. There are a lot of (or at least, not rare) very high end cars - Maseratis, GT-Rs, Mercedes up the ying yang, a fake Chinese version of the Cayenne, etc...very, very few older cars. My unscientific analysis shows 90% of cars are less than 10 years old...and the horns work on all of them. Here’s the future:

Okay, now this thing makes sense! I saw it yesterday near Beijing...but still, if this was available in the US...the ultimate #vanlife van!

I beleive the chicken tax will hit those trucks - won’t it? 25% tariff. I have bemoaned the lack of basic truck or SUV for years. It doesn’t take much travel outside the US to see vehicles that you think “why the heck isn’t that avaialable?” For instance, four door small trucks - for years the were never imported even though Toyota made them for 20 years before they started selling them here - and then only higher end models. Or base model Land Cruisers? I drove one Down Under - Manual trans, 6 cylinder diesel, manual windows, full floater axles - nothing even close here - except a fully loaded, bloated, super high end SUV. True - the market is manipulated by the companies. They limit competition, I guess. Probably a book (or many books) somewhere about how we’re getting screwed by crooked corporations and government servants colluding... I always wondered if my thought process about finance rates made real sense... If the rate is below actual inflation, is it better to finance a loan at that low rate then to actually save the money over time then buy? If you save money, depending on interest gained, I guess - you loose some to inflation - but if you are paying for five years on a loan at 0 or 1%, your payment is actually going down over that time because of inflation...? I’m obviously not an accountant or economist...but...?

Price is determined by the market. People are willing to pay $50,000 dollars for a full size truck, so they sell them for $50,000. It doesn’t matter what policies add to the price, if people aren’t willing to buy something for a price, they won’t make it. Financing, however, has made people more willing to spend large sums of money to drive what they think they need to drive. As a dealer once told me, “financing makes a poor person rich”. Not literally, but you know what you need to do to keep up with the neighbors...