Peter Lombardo

Juergen, I remember you....you did those killer Mopars of a couple of years ago. This is going to be a killer build....I just know it. I'll have to watch this unfold.

Hey Guys, thanks for all of the support you have expressed to this posting….I really appreciate it…you guys all “get it†and that means a lot to me. I don’t want to make a Federal case out of this; I just needed to “vent†my frustration. Like I have said before, we are all adults here and I don’t want to have a full investigation or anything….I think the guys who have forgotten to send payment just needed a little reminder…..at least I hope that is all. If someone is really in such a difficult place that they can’t pay me, I understand and that will be that. But if it is just a lack of concern or interest in satisfying their obligation then I can’t just accept that. Again, thank you to all of you guys for the concern……and sure, I will be happy to supply a body to anyone who wants one and did not have an opportunity earlier. I will be posting an update on my shortened version of the car…..a two seat run-about in the next few days. If you are still interested in a body, just e-mail me at: aegisgolf@optonline.net. Send me your mailing address and as soon as I can I will get it out to you. I have been a little remiss myself as I need to supply two more bodies that were ordered….certainly by the weekend I will get them done…….so if you want one, just e mail me……but please, if you order one, be prepared to have to pay me at some point in the future…..that is all I ask.

In my old age I have become a pretty patient and understanding individual. There is not that much that gets me upset…especially in this little modeling world of ours. I have a very stressful business that is really struggling in the current difficult economic environment. I spend far too much time in my day chasing clients that are taking longer and longer to pay their monthly bill to me. It is not a pleasant task, but one that must be done. Over the years I find that I have been able to escape much of the daily business concerns and just lose myself in my modeling, and I do. But wouldn’t you know it, I have now dragged that nagging business problem of chasing people to get paid for work produced and delivered on time, over to my modeling time. When I thought of offering the vacuum-formed body of the Art Deco Roadster to any modelers who would be interesting in building something different, I thought I was doing everyone who ordered one a real favor. Granted, it is a difficult build, but it is intended for modelers with above average skill, and a desire to create something different. I offered it for $10.00. Postage for the single body package in the U.S. is $5.00, slightly more for Canada and more still for overseas delivery. The plastic cost me a $1.00 per sheet and each car used two sheets with the tops and body. So, for my work to form the body, make up the cover sheet, include the acetate for the windshield, run to the post office and then wait for payment, I make a stinking $3.00 per car. Truly chicken feed, the truth be told….but clearly, I was not doing it for the money. I thought it would be a fun project. I thought you guys would “get itâ€. Yes, most of you did…….but as of today; I still have 6 gentlemen who have somehow not found the time to forward my payment to me, and some of them are more than the $10.00 variety. Now really, I gave buyers a choice of paying via paypal (which cuts into my take….not a big deal) check or money order. Really this is not a lot of money….but it is the principle of the thing. Interestingly, one of the first guys to pay me sent me a check for $20.00…. exactly twice the amount due. I e-mailed him and said, “hey, I think you mis-understood the amount dueâ€. He said….â€no, I did that intentionally…..I know you will get stuck by one or two guysâ€. Now, he really impressed me!! How did he know? Anyway, I am sorry to come here on the “almost†eve of Thanksgiving, a time when we reflect on all of our blessings and take stock of our situation in life and family, and have to complain about a trivial matter of a few dollars, but honestly, I took this a little personally. I always put a little of myself in everything I create and this car was no exception. I thought I may have one or even two guys go south on me, but six is just more than I expected. This really saddens me but unfortunately it doesn’t surprise me. So, if you happen to be one of these individuals, please find the time over the next few days to send a little “thanksgiving†to me……I would sure appreciate it. Thanks guys, and to everyone who read through this, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, enjoy your family, a great meal and remember, no matter how difficult things may be now, better days are coming….I promise that.

I see that there was a request to see this Model King Falcon kit built. A number of years ago I built that kit. I made a few modifications to the kit. I opened and hinged the doors, added the safety net to the driver window and completely modified the engine intake system. I did some research on the computer and found a number of photos of the car. The kit supplied the fuel injection stacks for the engine only, if I remember correctly. I preferred the dual carburetors with the dual plenums and the long intake hoses. I scratch built the plenums and the hose. Two other points…..at the time I did this car, I ran out of the photo-etched hood pin rings so I painted the rings on with the intention of dropping the photo-etched ones on when I got more…I got more, but just haven’t gotten around to doing it. Also, the dashboard supplied with the kit is wrong in front of the driver. I knew it was wrong, but didn’t bother to correct it as the interior is black and it is dark in there….and, this was never a “highly detailed†build for me, so I just didn’t want to invest the time in that modification. The body was painted Viper Red and the top was painted appliance white. The decals came from the kit as did the wheels and tires….again, if my memory serves me. The carwas top coated with Future once it was decaled and dry. Most likely, I would never have posted these pictures….but since there was a general request…here they are.

This is a real sleeper...the more you look at it, the more it grows on you. Very nice subtle custom look. Great paint too. I like it.

On first blush I have only one thing to say....and it is the same thing I said when I first saw the PT Cruiser...."you will never see one of these in my driveway". Personally I am wondering, why is VW screwing around with these "Even-Newer Beetles" in the first place. They were an important, groundbreaking vehicle in the 40's, 50's and 60's....got their encore with the "New Beetle", now let it rest in peace. Their time has come and gone and come and gone again....give it a rest. It kind of reminds me of Bret Farve.....he, and it should have remained retired.

Very nice. Oh so clean and sweet. The colors work perfectly and those wheels sit real nice on her. The paint is like a mirror....beautiful, just beautiful.

Randy, look back a few pages on the "on the workbench" section for the detail on all of the build, but here is an excerpt of the section about the wheels.... I lifted these from the Tamiya Opal Astra V8 Coupe race car kit (it is an extra kit of that car I have). I painted the wheels with a very bright silver and then brush painted on Testers Brass over the spokes. The decals came from a great set of tire sponsor decals I ordered from Japan also. I painted on some gloss lacquer to the tire side wall, once dry I applied the decal for Michelin. Once that was dry, I brushed on some flat clear over the whole tire side wall to make it a consistent flat sheen.

Hey Mike, great paint job....that black looks as smooth as silk...nice looking build. Not one of my favorites...the "bloated" Cougar years, but a fine build non the less.

My Audi R8 GT3 is complete. This is an imaginary version of the real car. I researched the race car and found that there are about 10 different versions of the car all with various subtle differences. I selected the features that I liked and incorporated them into this version. The paint scheme is also imaginary with custom made splatter decals under Jagermeister sponsorship decals. Here is the interior. I modified a resin racing seat that I had in the parts box. The roll cage is made from metal rods that are coated with styrene and sheet styrene gussets. The seat belt is a photoetched unit from Eduardo. I added the electronic boxes and wires on the floor where the passenger seat would have been. Here is a front view. The wheels and tires came from the Tamiya Opal race car. The brakes are from the Audi kit. The headlight covers are painted clear yellow. The headlight projector light and the two center road lights are from HO train mu light jewels. Here is the rear view. The exhaust outlets are aluminum tubing that I bent into an oval to fit into the opening. The rear wing cam from a little dress-up kit from Tamiya which has three wings and some nice photoetched parts designed primarily for Nissan Skylines….but will work on just about any car. Here looking down on the car….. Here with the driver door open…. Looking down with the doors open…. Here the rear hatch is open. I made the air intake hoses from metal tubes I got from Japan. They are flexible…..kind of like very small micro “slinkies†from my childhood. That’s it. It now joins the Viper race car. I will do a Ford GT GT3 next and then the Corvette ZR1 as a GT3. I am also working to complete my two seat art deco roadster, cut down from the 4 seater and the Chrysler Concept of my imaginary 300 concept.

Joe, I used to run a Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership, and I acquired many different cans of Mopar spray paint. I have a new un-used can of Steel Blue. You are more than welcome to it, but I am in New Jersey and you are in Chicago. Figure out how we get it to you and you can have it for only the cost of the transportation. This is Lacquer and requires a good solid plastic safe primer under it. I use Rust-oleum Automotive Primer, available at your local hardware store, with no problem. Let me know. Pete

Very nice job on this...very clean. Maybe it is just me, but looking at a 240/260/280Z today, they still look fresh and stylish to me, but this evolution of that design, just looks dated and bland to me. Its like the first generation is timeless, like a bottle of wine that ages gracefully and these are like a bottle milk that just gets sour. But no reflection on your workmanship....like I said, nice build.

Here you go.....Here is the top of the box of Accurate Miniatures Grand Sport kit # 24003….AKA the Blue and White One. One of these days I will built it. Here is the bottom of the box… Here is the side panel printing of a brief history of the Grand Sports Here are the two Grand Sports that I build many, many moons ago. The coupe is kit # 5001 and the roadster conversion is kit # 5002. I built the roadster from a pictorial story in Road & Track many years ago……as a side note, the head rest fairing is a modified Bic pen cap. if you look closely at the rear deck of the roadster, you can see a hard lesson I learned…..I used a putty that shrunk over time and created a sunken area. I’ve used Bondo from then on for that kind of work.

Hey, I am sorry I did not catch this posting earlier....Not being much of a truck guy and really not a van guy at all, I didn't really pay much attention......but, having looked at the posting, I am very impressed with what you are doing here.....quality building techniques work great regardless of the subject. Great job so far, I love the details you are putting into this....keep it going!

Ed, Great job on this one....the paint looks beautiful....very liquid smooth and dust free....The Tamiya paint truly works wonders.

Ok, I think most of you will find this one REALLY STUPID!!! The first few times I saw this on TV I thought it was lame, childish and poorly executed. But the more I watched it, the more I began to enjoy its "simpleton" approach to marketing. I mean, how many of us have worked with a goof ball like Luke before? Think about it...Go to meeting is saying, Look you can be a screw-up and have poor work habits, but with "Go to meeting" you can have the great equalizer and you too can be a winner. I find it silly, clever and effective...oh, and so bad that I remember it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKA0dEaC7Sc

Well, Skip, I appreciate where you are coming from, but I think they are doing a very credible job of selling this product to their target market. First, Kia is not expecting to break into the over 45 market with this vehicle....it is intended for the youth market....actually, it is intended for the youth market that was in love with the Scion (Toyota) brand. The Scion is represented by the toaster and the cardboard box. They are saying to the "hip youth market", represented by the hip young rappers, You can go with this, the hip Kia Soul, or you can go with that out of touch, out of date square old Scion, represented by the toaster, washing machine and cardboard box....I even think they are saying that the Honda Element, Nissan Cube (current "Worlds ugliest Car", in my opinion and the Scion are the boxes, but the Kia is the cool "hipmobile" of today. The other, effective message here is that you are either "part of the rat race running on a hamster wheel or you are hip, with it and driving one of their cars.....break out of the rat race, they are saying. Look, I am an old fart too, and I would never purchase any of the above mentioned boxes on wheels, but a clever cute advertising campaign is a clever cute advertising campaign. When ever I hear that music, I think of Kia Soul. Its like that 4 note jiggle that Intel has.....forever I will think of Intel when I hear that. Just saying!

I think many of you have seen this, but it just cracks me up every time I see it, and this is the long version. :lol: B)

We have all heard that line...."beauty is in the eye of the beholder" well, the same is true with custom cars. What makes a great custom for you (the editorial "you")may make a dog for me, also the editorial "me". We all know what we like. There are many people out there that laid out good money to buy the Pontiac Astek. Obviously, they love them, I, on the other hand, would not be caught dead in one....having said that, watch, if I die before my wife, she will get one for me to be used as a Hurst just to bust my stones. Anyway, as was said before, Roth's customs were an expression of the "beatnik" era and they had a sacred place in our custom car history. That was then, and this is now. Personally, I think the "show" rods of the 70's were fine back then, but look out of place today. Today, you don't see many current models being "customized". Today, for the most part, you see modern takes on the timeless beauty of the great cars from the past. It would be almost impossible to screw up a 49 or 50 Merc. Back to my point....Roth's cars worked back then because they were unique and timely.....wild but with a flair that was controlled and tempered. He kept the color schemes consistent and not scattered every which way. The Outlaw was white and turquoise....the beatnik bandit was white and brown....the Mysterion was yellow....this new creation has just too much going on in two many directions for me. red with light blue scallops and medium blue and white interior. Sorry it just doesn't work for me....no continuity...no flow. Like they say, " I don't know how to describe pornography but I know it when I see it"...well I can't describe what makes a great custom, but I know it when I see one. and to me, this ain't one. P.S. by the way, the black 34 Ford, The California Kid, right behind the new Roth "thing" is a great classic car...that one works.

We ( yes, I have a mouse in my pocket) are nowhere near done with this one, but I wanted to post an update on the paint scheme that I came up with on the “imaginary†Audi R8 GT3 I am doing. I say imaginary, even though Audi does race GT3 cars, because my version is a compilation of a number of features from many different cars, seemingly, no two exactly alike, and a completely fictitious paint scheme. If you look back on this post you will see the body modifications I made….but this post is the basic paint and sponsorship decorations. I started with a basic Audi silver paint scheme….after all, this is Audi, it is a German car and the German national racing paint scheme was always silver. Over the top of the silver I added a coat of Dupli-color Clear Effex which is a clear gloss with tiny brilliant “glitter†flecks to make the silver “pop†with brightly colored highlights in the sun. The effect is not over the top…in normal light it is just a silver race car. I spent a considerable amount of time on the various Japanese model sites of internet retailers of decals looking for the basic sponsor decals I wanted to use on this car. I finally settled on a set of decals for the sponsor Jagermeister. I have done a number of race cars with the Jagermeister livery, and still have the 1/24th scale BMW 320i and the 1/12th Porsche 934 both by Tamiya to build one of these days. All of the “Jager†cars have that distinctive orange paint scheme and I do like it, but I wanted to do a different take on that…..because, after all, this is an imaginary race car. I ordered a set of “Jager†decals from Museum Collection intended for an Alfa Romeo 155V6Ti (I built the Tamiya version of this car years ago) and I have to tell you guys the quality of these decals is completely first rate. They are smooth, cleanly printed and thin but opaque enough to cover any color under them….they are great. Once these decals arrived, I had to settle on a paint scheme to work with the silver and the “Jager†decals. I wanted to play off the juxtaposition of the “Old European†style lettering of the Jagermeister name and logo and a more modern look to the paint. I wanted silver as the dominant color but I need to get the orange in there too. I thought about a two tone scheme with silver and orange, and almost went for that but I just couldn’t pull the trigger on it, It was then that I was looking at a few old tuner magazines that my son had….do you think he got them for the hot babes in bathing suits since he drives a Jeep Wrangler….not exactly a tuner machine????? Anyway, they reminded me of the current trend of bright graphics laid over the base color. Some of them are shards of colors, some have tribal designs, but they all have that “random†feel about them. I thought about how this old style logos and realized that this was just what I wanted. But I was not sure of what kind of graphics to use. I knew I wanted Orange as one of the colors, but I figured I could use Red and Yellow too as they create orange when mixed together. So I had the colors, now I needed the pattern. I gave this some thought and decided I wanted the look of “splattered paint†on the car. And better yet, I wanted it to look like the car just drove through puddles of paint on the track and the paint was splashing up onto the car. I spoke to my brother who is a sign maker and has computer programs that have “clipart†of many effects. He showed me some great clipart effects of splatter artwork. There must have been a hundred or more patterns in every imaginable size and shape. I chose two patterns and we “manipulated them to fit the size and shape I wanted. He then broke them apart and made layers so I could set up the three colors I wanted. I then had him create drop shadows for each of the thousands of “splats†to make it look like the paint splatter was just above the paint. The shadow was placed just below and behind depending upon the placement of the decal on the car. Then, he applied a really neat effect to the splatter droplets to give them even more depth which incorporates different color highlights to each of the three main colors. Once completed, we printed the three decal patterns, from top down here, center, left and right onto a sheet of clear decal paper. Here the decals are printed on the decal paper which is a bluish white color…..but when the decals are taken off the paper, they take on a translucent look which when applied over silver create a “candy†look which is really cool. Here the left side is done and the right side decal is setting next to the car. Here you can see the candy effect and even see some of the glitter coming through the decal to heighten the glow. In this shot the center layer has been applied to the car…so all of the first layers of color graphs are in place… I applied the decals in just three sections, each section going on “wholeâ€. I have to tell you, it was tedious and time consuming but I think worth the effort. In doing my Viper with the snakeskin decal pattern I learned to go very easy with the decal solvent so I used it sparingly this time. I only used it when the decal was firmly in place and only in the more difficult locations where there were many curves and crevasses to deal with. I applied the solvent with a Q-Tip and used the Q-Tip to masseuse the decal into place at the point of application. My best two weapons for getting the decals down are a very sharp knife blade to cut the decal where necessary and my trusty hair dryer. Since I don’t have much hair anymore, I have found a great use for the old appliance. It softens the decal with heat and the air pressure forces the decal down to the curves of the body….and as an extra bonus, the heat helps evaporate the liquid under the decal to speed up the entire process. Once this was all dry, I began the sponsor decals. I originally debated with myself as to whether I wanted the sponsor decals under, over or a little of each the graphics. But I figured if a sponsor was going to lay out large sums of money to advertise on a race car, they would not appreciate a set of graphic covering their logos so I opted to place them over the graphic. Here is the front view…. And the rear view.. In this shot ( a little bigger) you can see the wheels I am using for this car…. My goal here was to have the splatter effect look as if the paint was on the track, as I said before, so I have the center graphic coming up out of the nose grille air outlet and sweeping up over the car and the sides begin at the front radiator openings and flow down the sides. I love it. Once this was all dry, I brushed on a layer of Future to help seal all of the decals and give the car a consistent shine. I lifted these from the Tamiya Opal Astra V8 Coupe race car kit (it is an extra kit of that car I have). I painted the wheels with a very bright silver and then brush painted on Testers Brass over the spokes. The decals came from a great set of tire sponsor decals I ordered from Japan also. I painted on some gloss lacquer to the tire side wall, once dry I applied the decal for Michelin. Once that was dry, I brushed on some flat clear over the whole tire side wall to make it a consistent flat sheen. Next I will fit all of the little details to the body like the road lights to the grille up front, the taillights in the back and the headlight covers which are painted translucent yellow. The tow hooks and windshields go on along with the large rear carbon fiber wing and the interior will be completed and installed. This is the second mate to the Viper I did. Next up is the Corvette ZR1 phantom GT3 and just added to the list is a Ford GT GT3 variant. Both the Corvette and the Ford GT will have unique graphics….exactly what I don’t know yet…but they will be different, I can say that.

I should have commented on this car sooner.....great looking build. The front end "transfer" was a complete success and the interior looks great....and then to top it off, you painted it with a perfect period correct color. My hats off to you...a real stunner!

For the greatest part, I loved what Ed Roth did, and I am glad that his kids are building customs.....BUT, Ed had some pretty big shoes to fill and 1. I think it is dangerous for them to attempt a build in the "mold" of their dads work and 2. if they are going to build cars in the general theme of their dads, they better "nail it". To, number 2, I think they missed the nail and hit their thumb. I really don't care for this one.....I hope they have some more ideas. But as usual, this is just my thought on the car and I could completely wet.

Good answer....I forgot the one plate deal in Connecticut. The only things a front license plate in NJ/NY is good for is destroying the clean look of the front bumper of many cars like Corvettes, Mustangs and Camaros....or embossing your plate number into the rear bumper of a car that you just rear ended. Think how much money a state could save buy cutting the number of license plates in half and still charging the same amount to register your car?

Thanks Mike, I picked up on the Donald Duck look also, my brother, who printed and cut the vinyl on the computer, got a big laugh out of it too. Actually, because I opened the doors, I had to make a number of changes with the lower body side panels and the interior pieces so I don't really think my experiences with the construction would be typical. I tend to modify the cars I build so much, I don't really know what the "standard" build would be. The sides of the car are very tight with the chassis and the lower side panels are to be added to the body after the chassis is in place. But for the opened doors that I added, I had to attach the side panels first to provide enough strength to the body and get the door opening right. And because of the complicated decal of the snake skin that I added on top of the paint, I had to have the body complete first before the decals went on. So to answer your question....I think the tolerances on the kit are tight and the fit is pretty good, all things considered. I think any builder with average skills will be able to get it completed without any major problems. I would recommend this kit as it is really a great car and belongs on all of our shelves.