Harold

....and there were several. The Trumpeter Monte Carlo is in that purgatory right now. The engine (?) in this thing looks like a 750 CID monster (and was replaced by the V-6 from the Monogram El Camino), and the front suspension is too fiddly for my liking. Also, my '57 Chrysler has been hanging in that limbo between "great paint- when you gonna finish it?" and "When you gonna finish it"?

Unfortunetly, I've been buried in my college endeavors the last few months, so no real building has gone on at all. However, I should be able to finish up a few things over Christmas break.

I believe that the old Lindberg (nee AMT) '34 Ford truck had a 430 in it. The '65 Lincoln has one, but you have to fill the hole in the block. The engine in the '58 Edsel is an FE advertised at 360 CID ( a 352 with an overbore, most likely.

That was fun- mine wound up with a yellow rear door, a red rear bumper cover and blotches of grey and black primer...

Somethings got to give here. If the gummint can bail out AIG and other Wail Street weasels, why not, as Jay Leno put it, "help companies that actually create products and jobs". And if the media wants to keep kicking the US industry around and continue to announce every little recall that affects the US industry, then they should also quit giving a free pass to Toyota, Nissan etc., as they have just as many recalls. However, the only place you'll ever read about them is in publications such as Car and Driver.

Yeah, that movie was about as accurate as a drunken weatherman's forecast of snow during a Mojave summer. Tucker was known (and considered somewhat of a pariah) throughout the prewar auto industry as someone who could charm the veils off a Sultan's wife. He even convinced Henry and Edsel Ford that a few months would be all it would take to create ten Miller-Ford racers for the '35 Indy 500. None of the cars finished the race, and Ford wouldn't return to the Brickyard for almost 30 years. Tucker's stock issues to raise cash for his new concern danced on the edge of legality, causing the SEC to step in. To say that the Big Three mounted a conspiracy to sink him is highly laughable. Young Henry II had his hands full rescuing the family concern from the devastation created by his senile grandfather and Harry Bennett, while planning for future product that would save it. GM and Chrysler (like the rest of the industry) were busy shoving product out the door while preparing new vehicles. Tucker was the last of their worries- when you're selling Chevys or Fords for $1100, its hard to worry about a new competitor whose cars are priced against Senior Chryslers and Junior Packards.

Amen, Harry. The Bummer is nothing more than ghetto costume jewelry (you wouldn't believe the number of these parade floats plying the 'hood). For some idiotic reason, Flint (which is going broke faster than you can spell 'Albuquerque') decided the police department needed a fleet of Ta Ho's to patrol the urban wasteland (if you can't control a two-wheel drive vehicle in the winter in an urban landscape, do us all a favor and stay off the roads from December through March) and then demote more officers to patrol duties (yeah, I want to get stopped by a cop who, 12 hours earlier was a lieutenant in a higher pay grade) and laying off more cops to boot. But, I digress- the reason GM did well for so many years is because the place was run by Car Guys, not corporate lawyers and f*&^us groups. I'm also applying for a gummint bailout, as my 1/25 scale assembly line has slowed down and I had to lay off all those 1/25 scale autoworkers . I don't want any oversight because, hey, I'm a solid gold credit risk....

Yeah, the taillights look like contrived afterthoughts (hey Bob, we gotta come up with an idea here- throw some sketches together and we'll pick out the worst one...). The wheels are kinda rubbishy, too- they remind me of the stickers you used to see on some of the old diecasts from thirty years ago. I know I'm beating a dead horse (no pun intended), but when will J. Mays just go away?

I certainly wouldn't be handing over the keys to the valet at the Country Club....

Kabul Fried Chicken? I never realized Harlen Sanders was an Afghan Colonel. With apologies to Mr. T, "I pity Kabul!"

Killer stuff- the Contessa's out for a drive in one sweet Auburn. You've nailed the art-deco styling perfectly.

You stole my idea- combining the Monogram '87 F-150 with the Monogram Bronco. Great work on the conversion. Please tell us how you did it...

Evilone, I'm kinda in the same boat- my '64 Marauder (with '60 Galaxie underpinnings), the '89 Mustang (misplaced one of those %$#^&*%^$#*@ taillights), my two '97 F-150's and my '62 Ranchero have been on hold due to burnout and college. I'm sure to hop back into everything soon, but for now, things are mocked up and waiting for completion. Sorry to hear about your family problems- hopefully they'll be sorted out soon and you'll be back building.

I did on my '69 Thunderbird that I did this year, and it wasn't that hard- just find out how many ribs there are, scribe them in and add a dome light and visors. There's a first time for everything....

You did absolutely the right thing. You reminded me of the Frank Grimes episode on the Simpsons, where Homer built and entered a model of a nuclear plant for a kid's competiton. This youngster should find out at an early stage in life that cheating carries consequences. I'd hate to think that in his college years he'd earn a law degree or doctorate by contracting out his papers, thesis etc. What gets my goat is that dear old Dad threw a fit when the fraud (which is what it truly is) was found out. Maybe we'll see them on DFC- the Dysfunctional Family Channel

I don't think the wheelbase would be an issue, going from 104" in 1/24 to 108" in 1/25. I think the main sticking point would be massaging the 'Bird interior tub to fit the Lincoln. Both of these cars used Ford's 'S' shell variation of the Fox chassis (Fairmont, Mustang, etc.). I've seen examples of both in wrecking yards in various stages of disassembly and can say that underneath, they're the same car with the only difference being the Mark is 4' longer behind the doors. Good luck...oh, and you'll need to graft in the 'Bird's engine compartment.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Welcome aboard, Chris. Nice work you got there- I like the Prelude. Hope you have fun here (you should).

All GM has their eye on is the Jeep nameplate. Chrysler and Dodge would fall by the wayside. But right now, with both companies struggling (gee, who coulda forecast that one? Both companies seem intent on jamming more jackassUV's down our throats...). It reminds me of what one analyst commented on the Packard-Studebaker merger in '54- "Its like two drunks trying to help each other across the road."

Well, Friday at Hobby Town I got a 100 count box of #11 blades. Tenax some photoetched interior junk and street rod interior details. Saturday at Rider's, I got a new drill index, a sheet of BMF (look ma, no wrinkles or tears!), some aluminum tubing and an HO scale '59 Ford.

The day after these pics were taken, I went and bought a tripod- problem solved.

Yeah, I have a little experience in the darkroom (one semester of BW, one of medium format), but I really enjoy digital for its ease. Here's a few pics from my DSLR: Revell F-150 cab with AMT box and frame practicing zoom burst... A stalled project- Model King Imperial with engine compartment, trans and stretched frame and floorpan from AMT '57 Chrysler, engine from Lindberg '64 Plymouth. Revell Impala in civilian guise And my '69 T-Bird

Friday, I finally broke down and got a real camera . I needed a DSLR for my photo classes, and I actually had the money. I went to Best Buy amd was looking at a 10 meg Canon EOS for $699, and then found out for fifty more bucks, I could get a 12 meg EOS. Guess which one I picked? We haggled for about half an hour and left with an extra lens, a starter kit (case, battery, UV filter) and a 4 gig memory card. The total was $1250, and I got it down to $1080. This thing is great- I practiced shooting some of the stuff in my display case and I'm quite happy. I'll have some pics up tomorrow.

Nice. Looks like you also swapped in the dashboard from the '62 "bird.

That Plymouth is kick-@$$ cool. Great stuff.