Peter Lombardo

Great looking concepts, all three.....the paint schemes work very well on each example......very well done.

That is a great idea.......they work so well together, just beautiful.

Thanks so much for the very kind words......Bill, nice to hear from you again, it has been a long time since I last saw you at an NNL East, like 5 or 6 years ago....anyway, there was a company that offered this....look here...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtkoje4-eM I wil post a few images later of how my rather simple slide-way system works.....it is not very sophisticated actually.

That is a really nice race car.....I always liked that livery.....great job on it. Glad you are happy with it, I would be happy if I turned out a build like that.

Gerald, I admit that it looks a little strange without the full rear window in place.....this is not a great picture due to the poor light and the haste that I took it, but I think that with the window glass in the roof flows well into the rest of the design. Remember, this design grew out of my desire to replicate the futistic designs of the 50's and 60's when all the rage in auto design was to get the feeling of the jet fighter into the car.....that is the idea behind this design, Without the large curved glass in place it does look a little odd. I like it, and really that is the point of why we build something, it is to satify our creative urges.

I have made quite a bit of headway on the Thunderbird....here are a few pictures of the body modifications and how the retractable doors are looking. Here is the body with the doors retracted into the floor. Here is the nose section with the extended hood. side view looking down on it. Back end view...you can see the door slide tracks in the interior of the car. Here, the door is beginning to move to the closed position. Here it is about half-way up...you can see the passenger door rear slide-way here. Here the door is in the closed position......you can see that the rear edge of the doors needs a little etention built up to the rear edge to make the fit better....no big deal.....I got a quick jump on this car but will be leaving town in a few days for a few weeks, so work will slow down. I am pretty happy so far.....I was thinking about motorizing the doors, but it will be a rather time consuming and expensive process, so I think I will go with a finger controled door opener and closing slide control on the bottom of the car....we'll see. The door slide tracks are very close to correct, but still need some adjustment to get them exactly right.....I have to admit, I am really enjoying making the doors work this way.....it is different....and I really love the challenge.

So you think that it is infatuation, huh??......I just appreciate beauty....a pretty cartoon or a hot new sports car, beauty is just beauty.....truth is, I an infatuated with my wife since the day we met.

Danno, the two McLarens were roughly $29.00 each, both kits have a small photo etch fret with the kit, I got one up fit detail photo etch fret for car #41 (the Golf Livery car) that was $15.00 more.....The LaFerrari kit was roughly $37.00 bucks......I think I got a 20% discount on all of these because they were pre-ordered. While I was looking this info up, I figured I would throw in a few more recent HLJ kits I got over the last few months....again all were preordered to take advantage of the usual 20% discount if pre-ordered.... these are all Fijimi kits....they have been on a tear lately with great new kits.....the only complaint that I ever see about these kits is that the engines are rather simplified, which they are, but actually, they look fine when detailed properly.....first is a Ferrari 458 Italia Blanco (sorry, the pictures are a little screwy from lack of light...it is night now) Next is the 1991 McLaren F1 street version (the race versions were posted before) this is the McLaren MP4.12C GT3...this kit is the factory version, but I have the Gulf Livery decal sheet and photo etch fret both from Studio 27 for it next is the same car, but in the Apple/EVA Livery.....I admit it, I am a sucker for these cars with the cute Anami girls on and around them, as you will see from the next two cars... I really like the black paint with the dark purple and green accent stripes. This is the GSR Project Miral BMW Z4 GT3 with, what I think is a striking paint scheme, black up front fading to orange in the back with the little kids on it followed by the Goodsmile Racing BMW Z4 GT3 with more anami females adoring the sides and top and lastly here is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the Petronas colors....I really like the turquose and white scheme on this one, but, alas, no pretty girls on this one. On order currently, along with the McLaren MP4/2 I mentioned before is the Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV due out later this month, the Lamborghini Veneno (absolutely wild car) and the Revell BMW DTM 2012 "Spangler" car. See, I wasn't kidding about where my money goes, and please don't tell my wife, if she knew she would kill me for sure.

all three were pre-ordered from my new "bankers" at HLJ (Hobby Link Japan).....I give them more of my money then I give my savings account at the bank. I also have the new Fijimi McLaren MP4-2 pre-ordered in 1/20 scale (looking forward to that one in particular) and a few more to boot. Oh yeah, I forgot, I just got the Studio 27 1/20 Multi-media kit of the Brabham BT-44B (white with the Martini stripes) a few weeks ago. Back in the 70's I built the 1/12 Tamiya kit of that car....the build is long gone, but the memory of that car haunted me so I had to get it.....I now have in 1/20 scale, all of the 1/12 scale cars I built in the 70's......all is good.

These three should be of little interest here, but I can't wait to get into the two McLaren's in particular. I have wanted to build these racecars since the 90's and finally they are available ( I also have two of the new McLaren cars to build)....amd the Tamiya kit of the LaFerrari is just an amazing kit....the detail of the moldings are first rate .

Just beautiful........I can't pick a favorite one.....they all are clean and stunning.

Another beautiful build......I have this one too but have made no effort to begin it...one of these years, since I have about 12 Ferrari F1's alone to build.....you sure have these race builds down pat......they never miss the mark. Looks great.

Currently I have 5 or 6 modeling projects underway, so I figured it was time to start another one. This is a 1962 Ford Thunderbird Convertible that I am planning to convert into a modern custom interpretation of the futuristic Jet fighter inspirited concept cars of the 50’s and early 60’s. As a kid I would pour over the designer’s drawings of the concept cars that they said we would be driving in the far off days of 2000. Well, 2000 came and went, and we are still driving relatively “normal” looking cars. No jet engine exhaust outlets, no jet fighter canopy’s, no jet fighter joystick controllers and no flying cars just yet………but regardless, I always found those concepts to be fascinating. I also always found the ’62 Thunderbird to be a beautiful design…….the long smooth side sculpture with the sight rounded curve….the round taillights and the subdued fin hinted to the jet fighter without the extreme designs of the GM Firebirds I, II and III. The forward leaning front fender points that gave the vehicle a look of speed and action even when standing still….all of the elements of the design worked perfectly for me……clearly the design was very well thought out. It has a “complete” look…..you know how some cars today have a completely disjointed look? Some cars look like one group of guys did the front styling, another the back and still another did the sides……not so with this Thunderbird design ……the same “tight’ feel is carried throughout the car. The front, sides and back all work well together, so the challenge for me is how do I modify this cohesive design without hurting it? Here are few design drawing I worked up on how I am going to modify this car. Starting at the front, I have decided to extend the center portion of the nose with a protruding pointed triangle shaped “beak” ( get it??? ThunderBIRD, beak….no, oh well, anyway) while also extending the two outer side fender points a bit too. The front center section will fall away downward with an air intake scoop below to cool the front radiator. The hood will be extended about a scale foot or so to cover the “beak” while carrying the raised cent style peak from the hood down to the front tip. The headlights will remain the same place as the stock car; I am just not sure if I will cover them …..in these designs I left them exposed, but I will see if they get opening doors over them or not. The side of the car stays basically unchanged except that the side molding and the three little chrome style louvers in the back will be removed to clean up the side and add some more visual length to the car, even though it doesn’t need it. In the back, I plan on extending the taillights about 6 to 8 scale inches beyond the stock shape. I have a set of large round bullet taillights from the ’57 Ford Fairlane kit that I think will work great on this. I plan on recessing the license plate space into the center of the smoothed out rear of the car . I am grafting on the roof, windshield, rearview mirrors and rear window from the early 90’s Firebird that I just happen to have laying around…….I stuck it on the top of the Thunderbird convertible body and liked the look, so it will get installed. The only concern I have is that the windshield protrudes kind of deep into the engine compartment, so the hood will need modification and hopefully the engine sits down low enough to not be an issue. As with most all of my builds the doors will be opened but I think I will try a very different and challenging style of hinge, well not really a hinge, more of a retractable door . A few years ago I saw a video that was making the rounds of a company that had created a door opening mechanism that allowed the car doors to recess under the interior instead of swing out. I have wanted to attempt to replicate this ever since but have not had a build that had the right design or look to install it on. Because of the smooth and rounded side of the doors on this design, I think it will work out ok…..this will be a huge challenge, especially because I do not want a stock height on this car……it must ride lower than stock……so I will see if I can make it work and satisfy my design criteria too. The Thunderbird kit has some Sombrero wheel covers that look pretty nice, so I want to utilize them with some very wide whitewall tires. I think the car will be painted in some kind of Turquoise paint theme. Thunderbirds use Turquoise in their logo for the car, and I always remember, as a kid, the color turquoise being tied to the car, so that will be the dominant color of this build…..but exactly what the paint scheme will be is not certain yet…..as I get into the build, I will get a feel for what will work on it. In these rough design drawings I used turquoise and I like how it looks. I also took some designers license, like the real designers do in the drawing…….just as they tend to do (Chip Foose is also guilty of this) I exaggerated the design a bit. The drawing is stretched out a bit too much, but hey, the big boys do it, so I will too. I think I will get started on, at the very least getting the Firebird roof on the car, then we will see about the rear styling and the nose.

You sure have a thing for Cheetah's.....very nice collection...not a car you see modeled often...that is too bad because it was a great race car in it's day.....a lightweight, mid-engined Corvette, for all intents and purposes, to challenge the Cobra's new found success, from when Chevrolet couldn't race publicly. Very well done.

Looks very nice......I did the coupe version a few months ago......not the best kit I have built, not the worst either.......my biggest issue with the kit is that the car looks a little too square to my eye......maybe it is me, but I think the "edges" need to have been softened a little..... when I put my Trumpeter Falcon next to my "Wild Child" Falcon, I can see where the Model King redo looks a bit softer.....but I could be wrong about that as I haven't seen a real Falcon, in the flesh, in some time. The full chrome area on yours looks pretty sharp....different......nice build, you did a wonderful job on it.

Wait, I know....the guy who asked you to built it lives in Germany.....got it.......had to think about that a minute. Duuh.

I have found that applying a small amount of model car wax on on a soft cloth, and working it over the area with excess glue, the glue comes off and it shines up the area, as a side benefit....It also releaves the fear of damaging the paint job ......You can also try, applying some wax to the body area next to where the chrome trim is going before applying the BMF, this makes the excess BMF easier to pick up after it is cut away from the area that is to be chromed because the wax creates a slippery barrier between the paint and the glue on the BMF . This has worked for me, and it may work for you.

Its a beauty.....I built the same car, different driver version, but you sure did a great job on it.....I got that kit because I like the paint and sponser markings....I was happy to see that Fujimi gave us the painting masks for the color break. As usual, you did a great job on it...very clean.....P.S., isn't the front wing a royal pain in backside getting it right!.....come to think of it, I found the tire markings difficult too, with all of the components to them. Again, nicely done Curt.

When your passion returns, you will know it.........don't push it......it comes and goes, just like everything else in your life, it is all a series of ebbs and flows.

Looks great.....not my favorite Mustang, but you sure did a nice job in recreating the proper look of that car for that time period....the wheels and tires really set it off well. Nice build.

Nice save.....another one of those kits (read, molds and tooling) that should have been saved. What a shame it is lost, except for great resto's like this one. These old JoHan kits are like a friend that died way to early in their life.....we all morn their passing. Nice work, this model lives on.

Very, very nice......I built one of these (I added an engine) because you are coorect, you can see too much thru the rear opening. I love now nice and clean your build is, it looks ver real in a few of the pictures you took. I think this is the most "sexy" car ever designed. I have two more kits from Fujimi of this car, one will be a roadster version and one will be the coupe, I hope they look as well done as yours. Well done.

Skip, I did not bring up the ACA for political reasons........I made no mention of any politician or political bend, I only made mention of it because it partains to the subject of luxury cars and people having enough disposible income to afford one. Gentleman, if you pay attention to the reports, the average income American is going to be in the bullseye of the source of funding for the law. This is the person who is considered the prime target of the Lincoln Motor Company.....you see the factory looks at it like this..... (you can trust me on this, I was there and I heard it with my own ears, time and time again, from many factory guys).......as the young buyer enters into the market he is targeted to purchase a low end Ford product, as his income amd prestige grows, he is expected to move up to a more expensive vehicle, that is why the companies all work from the bottom up....GM always had the lower end covered with Chevy and Pontiac...as the buyer moved up he looked at Oldsmolibe and Buick, and as the kids moved out, college and weddings were paid for, he moved up to the Caddy. Ford had the same plans, Ford, up to Mercury and then on to Lincoln.......even the Imports plan that way....Infiniti used to tell us all thetime how they would own the customer (in the beginning it was the entry level G20, then on to the M30, later the J30 and I35, then on to the Q45). They planned it this way, it was what all manufacturers did...........so my point is.......with less disposible income in the near future because of the ACA, that train is broken and the once upwardly mobile buyer is not so upwardly mobile now.......that is bad for the economy (driven by our spending) and bad for Lincoln. And remember, this is what my dealers are telling me for the last month........they are the ones on the frontlines of the battle to get buyers to part with money.....it is getting increasingly difficult......but then again, we can all keep our heads burried in the sand and maybe the storm will pass right over our heads. But I doubt it. This hurricane will get us all sooner or later. Of course, if you are the insurance companies, you have nothing to worry about, they were given a 3 year deal by ACA law where our tax dollars will subsidize any loses they incur. Sure warms my heart to know I am helping highly compansated insurance executives maintain their lifestyle. again, this is not a political rant.....it is just the sad reality of life today.

Well, I read through the comments and the sad truth is it can be answered in a single word..................Will Lincoln servive?.....no. The can't and the will not. With 30 years running car dealerships and 12 advertising mainly cars and car dealerships, I have been in and around them all.....Lincoln is in a death sprial right now. They have almost no unique product and they are up against their big brother in FORD product and all of the luxury import brands. As was said before, Lincoln can't get by selling tarted up Fords and it is only a matter of time before Ford throws in the towel all together with the brand. And remember this........because I hear this from car dealers almost every day.....because they are hearing it from their customers every day.......as the new "Affordable Care Act" (that name is such a joke)...as it rolls out people are realizing that they will have to allocate $200 to $300 more each month for healthcare cost.......that money can't come from the rent, or mortgage payment, can't come from the family food budget, can't come from the gasoline budget, statistics show that it can't com from the money being set aside for savings since most Americans can't save much at all and live "hand to mouth" so where will the extra money come from? It can and most likely will come from the monthly car payment....customers are telling dealers, everyday that they need to find a car for a lower payment, not higher.....so who will get hurt in that case, Ford or Lincoln? The world is changing, our country has and still is being changed, and the pseudo-luxury car and buyer (not the Mercedes, BMW Audi buyer), but the want-to-be luxury buyer who is the prime target of the Cadillac and Lincoln brands is the guy getting killed right now........so, no, Lincoln is in deep do do. But I could be all wet, too.