Peter Lombardo

Harry, if you notice, I said “dare I sayâ€. I realize that he is off the reservation, but I also realize that he is passionate and cares deeply about the direction this country is taking. Beck has made himself a lightning rod for controversy with his wild ravings and railings but he is the best out there at connecting the dots. My beliefs about George Soros are mine and no one else’s. I truly believe that he and a few others are behind this economic dismantling process. I only want America back in the hands of the people who work hard every day to make a living and provide a secure future for their children. My daughter is now pregnant with my first future grandchild and I am sick just thinking about the country that he or she will be living in 20 to 30 years from now. I feel that we have to save America now, because down the road it will be too late. I promise you one thing, and I realize that this means nothing to anyone else here, but if we move too far down the path that I believe we are going, I am out of here. I will not watch this country fall prey to what I consider evil socialist dogma that wants to tear away the fabric of this once great country. If I can’t be part of the solution, I will get out.

Thanks Harry, we are now a force of two. Let's see if there are any other Patriots out there that will join with us and (dare I say it, Glen Beck) to help get us back on track. Just as a long journey begins with a single first step, this task must begin with one, then two and then many commited individuals who work for a common good, bringing America back to her rightful position in the free world.

Man, I feel for you, but Ken is right with everything he said. Read it again, pick yourself up and get to work looking for work. I was not laid off, but I had to lay off my two best workers, which broke my heart. I haven’t taken a pay check since the end of April….it is just that bad out there. What makes that even worse for me is that I can’t even get an unemployment check. I am working my butt off doing the work of three and just trying to keep my company alive long enough for something to turn around and sorry, I don’t see any improvement coming in the economy. I am out here every day working with businesses and I can’t find anyone that is doing well. I handle advertising and promotions for retail businesses and most of these businesses are car dealers. This was once a thriving business and now it is on life support. All of the domestic dealers are off 50 to 60 percent in unit sales. The Imports aren’t so bad but both have a very real problem that unit sales don’t even begin to address and this problem is running rampant throughout businesses in general. The gross profits are in the toilet. Without a decent gross profit there is no bottomline profit…no bottomline profit and soon that leads to personnel cuts (your dreaded “layoffâ€) and finally the demise of the business all together. So it begs the question….what happened and why did it happen. You can talk to a hundred so called experts and I think you will hear at least ninety nine different reasons for it. I believe it all boils down to corruption and confidence. The confidence of the American consumer has been shaken to the core. Our economy is supported by 75% of it coming from consumption of the average citizen. If he loses his job, or is in fear of losing his job he will curtail sending and that has a devastating effect on companies, both in the manufacturing sector and the retail sector. That is killing us, that is why George Bush said (and he is still being ridiculed for it) right after 9/11 “go out American and spend.†Spend without fear he said, because that administration, as inept as they were most of the time, knew that we must keep consuming to have a healthy vibrant economy. Remember NAFTA? I was dead set against NAFTA back when Bill Clinton, George Bush Senior and most big (major ) American companies were championing it as exactly what we, the American people needed. I told anyone who cared to listen to me that when “Big†Government and “Big†Business got together the American worker was about to get screwed. They lied and spoke only of the great opportunity that American business was about to open up. Our companies were going to open trade with Mexico and Canada where we were going to build factories, especially in Mexico and we create jobs ( Politicians just love to use that tired old line “create jobsâ€, but our new buddy in the White House has taken that line to all new heights…..he says “Create or Save Jobsâ€â€¦..save jobs??? How do you calculate that figure? Anyway, the bottomline of NAFTA is that John’s job in Cleveland or Pittsburgh just went to Jose in Toluca Mexico. I have nothing against Jose but let’s fact it that job should have stayed here. One piece of the corruption. Look at Wall Street, the seat of American greed and power……The financial markets run this country, not Washington. But let’s face it, both are equally guilty of causing our current problem. Wall Street is interested in making money for those in the “Inner Circleâ€. Sure, we can participate on the outer fringe of the markets…you can buy stock in companies and maybe you can make a few bucks, but you can always lose your shirt too. But the big boys, those on the inside manipulate the market for their gain. As these people make millions and even billions they use their money to wield influence and curry favor with the professional politicians in Washington. What a concept….Corrupt Politicians…ever heard that phrase before? Have you ever wondered how a Senator or a Congressman, a person who has never worked a real job in his or her life can amass a huge personal fortune? Harry Read, the most powerful man in the US Senate is worth countless millions….How? Oh, how silly of me, I know the answer to that one…..he is a senator from the Great State of Nevada. What is the big deal in Nevada? Hoover Dam? No, the Grand Canyon? No, it is America’s playground, Las Vegas. Gee, is there much development in Las Vegas? Any Hotels, Casino’s or Resorts that need administrative approval before a shovel touches the dirt? Any land deals that need the pull of a powerful Senator to get done? And in return for cutting “red tape†the Senator gets…what? Well, take your choice…..money, part of the deal….jobs for family members…you get it. Look, you cannot stop wealthy people from using their money to buy influence and power, but you, and I mean all of you, all of us, can stop the corrupt politicians dead in their tracks if you will get involved, tune in and pay attention. I have always been a strong advocate for “term limitsâ€, but these corrupt politicians will never vote for their own term limit so it is up to us to enforce their term limits with our informed, educated vote. Sure, I know what you are thinking…one vote, my vote, or your vote means “zipâ€. Well, one vote is nothing but when that vote is coupled to another informed vote and another and another, there is actually power being exercised there. We have the power, but it takes hard work and dedication to make it pay off. Look at what “that very corrupt†organization ACORN did last fall. They, although most will not admit it, signed up thousands ( I really mean hundreds of thousands) of dead people and duplicate voters and they were instrumental in the outcome of last fall’s election…..and remember, we are not just talking about the top job here…….there were hundreds of lower positions that were affected by this. Remember we get the government that we deserve. And please don’t misunderstand me, this is not just a rant about Obama…McCain was and is no better. We need to go back to what our founding fathers envisioned to get this country back on track. We need to jump the career politician and get back to a “Government of the people, by the people, for the peopleâ€. We need to throw out the “ruling class†the elitists who rule and believe that it is their God given right to rule. Look, this country was born because free men (Patriots) decided that it was time to “run the King out of town†and rule themselves with a just and honorable governing body. Why have we given it back to the “Kingsâ€? Take it back. Ban together and become a force for a just and honorable government. I know we all believe in this country…why it was formed. Do we want the blood and courage of the patriots who suffered to create this great land to have been spent in vain? I disagree strongly with the President when he goes around the world apologizing for us. I resent that deeply. America is the greatest country this planet has seen. We give more aid to starving people than the rest of the world combined. Americans have paid the ultimate price for our and their freedom on the beaches of Normandy and the deserts of Iraq and Kuwait and even it the woods of New Jersey and New York 250 years ago. American as stood as a beacon of truth, freedom and opportunity……our founding fathers built a country that is the envy of the world…where people were oppressed, we fought for their freedom. Where people were hurt, we brought them aid and comfort. Where people were looking to better their life we opened our doors and hearts. I will not apologize for our commitments. Are we perfect, no, not even close but even with our mistakes or errors; I still hold our record up against any other country. I am proud to be American. So why wouldn’t we fight to get this great country back on track? We have a corrupt government and a greedy business community that both must be reined in. We are the only ones who can stand up and say “Enough, this will no longer standâ€. Only we, the American people can change it. If you expect the elitist politicians to suddenly get a conscience, I have a bridge in New York I would like to sell you. They will never change so we have to change them. We need honest committed individuals who will work to build this country back up to where it belongs. We are now facing the biggest problems we have ever faced. Our economy is in shambles, our confidence is shaken. Iran and North Korea will threaten us with nuc’s and we don’t have a cohesive policy on how we will deal with that problem. China could crush us whenever they choose. Right now they need our consumers for their products, but when the day comes that they believe their and the rest of the world markets are enough to sustain them, we will be toast. Russia is no friend or ours, they are working to help the Iranian Nuclear program. We must have a government that understands the world threat and wants to protect the value of the American worker. We have been thrown to the wolves. To all of you guys who were or are about to be laid off, I feel your pain, and maybe we have not felt enough pain to convince enough of us to finally stand up and fight to get our country back. The Tea Parties are a great step forward. Get involved and stand up for your rights, your future and your children’s future. This a critical time in this countries existence, she needs our help and we must respond to her, and our own ( being laid off) cries for help. It is our duty to save her. Let’s all do our part. Sorry I ran long, I have a habit of doing that. But this is important….it is our survival here. But if you can stand it, indulge me one more little rant. This is my opinion…it is not based upon any information that is concrete, it is based facts, personalities and previously stated beliefs, goals and plans. I want to paint a picture that is based on actual events that may or may not have come down this way. Every event named here happened but the origin is what is in doubt. Like a detective, I am just piecing together the facts that happened. And if I am correct, it is the biggest criminal attack that we have ever seen. In the beginning, there was a follow named George Soros who has made billions of dollars in the financial markets in the US. He is Hungarian by birth but made is money as a US market funds manager. Soros ( just Google his name and see what I am talking about)is a committed leftist who advocates a one world currency and government. Of course, he has accomplices in his plans, but he is at the epicenter of the movement. Obama was receiving huge campaign contributions all during the election cycle, in fact in the month of September 2008; he received over 150 million, most all in small credit card contributions that are basically untraceable. Just the kind of thing Soros ( I just finished his last book, by the way….very scary stuff) is very capable of doing and wanting to do this. So, more than likely, Soros funded the Obama campaign which is no great stretch in thinking. They both have the same vision for America, a government centric country where wealth is shared and we all have to look to government for everything, where private business is stifled and eventually one government rules the planet, kind of like how it was in Star Wars. In order for the American people to accept the “change†that Obama was selling, the once thriving American economy needed to be brought to its knees. Let’s be real here, under George Bush ( believe me, I am no great fan of this guy) the economy was not all that bad. The stock market was as high as 14,000, unemployment was low, we had survived the attacks on 9/11 and we had no attacks on our land since. Really, not too bad. So how did the economy falter? There were many reasons, not least was the bad loans that were out there to people who could not afford their home, but I think the trigger was the price of gasoline. That one item really tore into everyone’s budget. At over $4.00 per gallon the entire economy was sent into turmoil. People had to chose between food, medication, mortgage payments or filling up there SUV or Pickup Truck. The run up in the cost of crude oil was attributed to the speculators who drove the price up by speculating that the price of oil would continue to rise. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy as the you drive the price higher and higher. Well, many have the financial resources to pull it off, Soros, certainly could do it, and he had a reason to see it happen. One the heels of that attack on the economy, Lehman Bros. and Bear Sterns both collapsed under the crush of “Naked Short Selling†(if you don’t know or understand this just Google it, there are great videos on how it works and the disaster it can cause). Basically, someone, and that someone has never been uncovered, at least to my knowledge, traded millions of shares in the two companies (this happened at different times) but the shares were not delivered during the trade, so IOU’s are generated ( at the time, it was a common thing for this to happen, but with rather small amounts of stock) but the effect of that inflates the number of shares of stock, which devalue the shares to the point where company shares that were trading at, say $65.00 could within days drop to a value of under a dollar thereby effectively killing the companies value. So these two pillars of Wall Street go down in flames taking the economy with them. Since then, those wonderful morons in Washington have put safeguards in to protect us from this happening again, but the damage was done. Who has the money, the power and the ability to do this? Not you, not me, but a Hedge Fund manager like Soros was in the perfect position to pull this off and he certainly has a reason to do this. He didn’t do it for the money, he is personally worth billions, but his goal was to get his candidate into the White House. In order for this country to have a momentary fit of insanity, the economy needed to be in free fall so that Obama could throw the line “Change you can believe in†out there without ever explaining just exactly what he meant by that. It was just not going to be the same “8 years of a failed economic policyâ€. The strange thing was that it was not a failed policy, it was a policy that was under attack and we just sat back and watched it happen. Just look at what Obama is doing and saying. Our government is taking over the major components of our business community, Industrial, banking, insurance and now healthcare. He is talking us down to the world and helping to kill the US dollar as the currency the world uses for international transactions. This all works to Soros’s world vision. Gentleman, it is time to be scared, very scared. Our beloved America, I believe, is under attack from within.

Not my favorite GTO kit, but you are making it look like I need to revisit that kit. Very nice work, the BMF work looks very clean and tight....nice job so far. The redlines add a perfect period touch to it....very cool.

Yes, it comes in black or white. It really is easy to use, but the one hang up is the difficulty of removing the backing material from the vinyl...be careful when doing it.

So I am wondering, how many of you have installed a vinyl roof on one of your models? Up until today, I have never installed one. I purchased a black vinyl top kit from The Model Car Garage kit number MCG-713 a number of years ago thinking that I would put one on a 1966 GTO or a 1968 /69 Dodge Charger but I never got around to doing it. Now I am in the middle of this current day Charger Concept and thought I would finally have a car I could install a roof on. The drawings of the concept car have a black roof and it looks from the rendering that it is a painted roof, not a vinyl covered roof, but since vinyl roofs were all the rage back in the “hey day†of the Charger that this concept was inspired by, I thought a vinyl roof would look better. So I dragged out the old vinyl material and low and behold, it is shot. The backing has stuck to the top and not hot soapy water or a blow dryer was going to tear apart this union, so I had to order another kit. It came in today and I couldn’t wait to dig into it. The first thing I did paint all of the edges flat black around the roof at the outer edge of where the vinyl roof was to sit as some added insurance in case I came up a little short on the installation….hopefully this will not be needed but an ounce of prevention……. The next thing I did was scribe (draw) the two seam lines down the out sides of the top. I actually eyeballed the placement of one side as to where I thought the seam would look right and then measured that location in reference to the outer edge of the top so I could replicate the same location on the other side. Then I measured in 1/32nd of an inch on both sides and drew a second line. You can see the two lines side by side. I then measures the distance between the two outer lines (closest to the outer edge of the roof) so I would have the measurement of the inner piece of the vinyl top. Real vinyl tops have an overlap where the two pieces come together so you must overlap the kit vinyl to replicate that seam Than I made a template out of paper for the two side pieces of the vinyl top. Once I had that I cut the vinyl material to fit the template making sure that both pieces were correct for each side. You must do one in a mirror image of the other so as to have a left and a right side. Overlay the piece on the roof and make sure it fits correctly, than you must cut a straight edge along the top edge so that it will follow one of the lines drawn on the roof. Then I measured and cut out the center piece taking extra care to make sure all sides were straight and true. I cut the length to be 5 millimeters longer on the front and back to be sure I had ample room for overhang. Next came the hardest part of the whole job. Removing the backing material from the vinyl material. That stuff is really stuck on and great care must be taken so as to not damage the material. I used the tip of my number 11 blade to carefully work up the vinyl material. It was slow going and make sure you work on a section of the vinyl that is in the overhang and will later be cut off because the vinyl can take a beating before the two parts begin to separate. Ok, once one of the side pieces is free of the backing, line up the straight edge of the side piece to the inner most of the two lines you drew on the roof. The outside section of the vinyl material must be matched up to the inner most line so that the center section, which is measured to the outer most line will have a 1/16th inch overlap once the center section is installed.. Now use a cotton swab or your favorite burnishing tool to smooth out the vinyl roof. Than, with a brand new blade in your knife, cut little “flaps†in the material that overhangs the roof on the sides so that you can push it up to the inside of the roof in the interior. Next I cut the roof vinyl material at the top of the pillar and began working around the molding strip at the sail pillar in the back. I cut the vinyl just at the top edge of the molding which will later be covered with bare metal foil. Once the side pieces are set, I moved on to the center piece of vinyl. I carefully removed it from the backing being careful not to damage the straight edges on the sides. This piece was cut to fit between the two outer most lines on the roof so that it overlapped the edges of the side pieces to replicate the seam on a real vinyl roof. I carefully placed the cent piece down and burnished it down so it was nice and smooth. Than I pressed the front and back edges down into the grooves for the window tracks at the top. I than cut the excess off leaving the vinyl roof material to stop where the “window glass†will begin when I install that next. Once that was done, I used bare metal foil in a satin aluminum finish to cover the molding at the bottom of the vinyl roof and around the lower edge of the rear window. And that is that….now I will install the “glass†tomorrow and after that I can begin final assembly of the car.

I don't know Bud, but obviously he is one of us and it is sad to hear of his condition. My heart goes out to his wife and family as they must be living a terrible life right now. I am so sorry to hear this. I lost a sister-in-law yesterday after a fairly short illness. Actually she was ill for a long time, but it was only the last 10 days or so that she was in the hospital getting worse every day...so I know what Bud's family is going through....God bless them.

I open the doors of just about every model I build so I do it rather frequently. My favorite method is to first use a panel scriber tool from Squadron products. I find that it holds the line, in the early stages of the operation better than the knife blade. If you are not careful, the knife blade, regardless of front or back of the blade, can easily slip out of the pre-scribed door panel line and gouge the adjacent fender. I find that if I lightly scribe the door panel gap with this tool, and then follow with the knife blade my success rate of not gouging the fender is higher. Once the first few cuts are in, I than revert to the knife and sometimes in certain situations where there is a long straight stretch of door gap switch to an exacto saw blade held in a number 11 holder to speed things up. The only way to get really good at the process is to practice it all the time. Before long you will become proficient at the technique and try to work it in to most builds. I think it is a great little feature to include, especially on a coupe where viewing the interior is difficult without opening door access. Don’t be afraid of the process, it gets real easy over time and practice. Also, don't overly concern yourself with the size of the gap. If it is too big you can very easily glue a space extender ( a strip of styrene ) to the door, sand it smooth and no one will every know that it was installed. P.S. I have never tried the thread method to open the doors because I only have two hands and that technique requires at least three hands or very nimble knees which I do not posses….apparently neither does Bill Geary.

You said it all with the phrase; “Mind over matterâ€. We all have the power; we just find it easy to not use it. Our mind is amazing when you consider that on average we use a scant ten percent of its power. Just imagine what we are capable of achieving if we just apply ourselves. The human being has the ability to overcome many obstacles and setbacks…..you just have to believe in yourself and get committed to the cause of dominating your ailments. Most obesity can be cured with the realization that controlling ones eating habits and investing in a little physical locomotion will over time slim you down. Back in 1972 I quit smoking. One day I just decided that I had enough. I was being told by just about every credible source that smoking would kill me some day, and besides I was tired of smelling like an ashtray, so I quit cold turkey. I have never touched a cigarette since that day and never missed it because I was ready to stop. My mind had made the decision to quit and that was that. People say they are not that strong, well I believe that is just a cop out. The tobacco companies want you to believe that you are addicted and can’t really quit. The weak minded fall prey to this simple manipulation and cave in and continue to smoke because they think they enjoy it. After you step away from smoking, you come to realize that you never really enjoyed it; you were bullied into believing that you wanted, needed and enjoyed smoking. The same is true in modeling….I read many a post here that says that the author of that post can’t do this, or can’t do that or does not have the skill sets to do certain things……pardon my French, but that is bull. That is just the same kind of cop out. If you continue to tell yourself that you can not do something, you will never accomplish anything worthwhile. People have made millions of dollars writing books that basically say one thing…..â€Believe in the power of positive thinkingâ€. We tend to be weak minded individuals. It is easier to lie around and let others do the “heavy liftingâ€. I think you are only limiting your self….not living up to your potential unless you are challenging yourself to reach the next level. Ok, I realize that you may not get it right the first time, or the second or even the third, but if you keep at it, you will accomplish the goal. The difference between success and failure is that the successful person got up one more time after being knocked down. You stick to the plan and keep at something until you experience success….and once you begin to know success, there is no turning back. Whether it is physical therapy or dealing with a difficult boss or working out problems with a spouse or even becoming proficient at opening model car doors or spraying lacquer with an airbrush, the key is deciding that, and I mean making a sacred promise to yourself, you will succeed at this. It may take a little time and there may be set backs, but the key is believing in yourself and having the fortitude to keep banging away at it until you reach the goal. Never allow yourself to be trapped into feeling that what you did is “good enough†and not the best you could do. It will not always be the best you can do, but you have to keep working at it until in your heart of hearts, you achieved the “best you could doâ€. So to all of you guys who have overcome great physical and mental ailments, I take my hat off to you. I say congratulations, well done and keep up the fight. You serve as a true inspiration for the rest of us with your accomplishments. If you can overcome the specter of a life in a wheelchair by believing that you can avoid it with hard work and dedication to yourself, congratulations. If you can will yourself to be thinner with a lifestyle change, that is wonderful and Miguel, you certainly embody the spirit of what I am trying to explain. You have overcome a great obstacle when you saw that you needed to change your lifestyle. You saw it, you attacked the problem and you are now enjoying the true success of achieving you goal. No one can ever take that away from you. And in life, I believe there is nothing more personally satisfying than overcoming obstacles with your own hard work and than sharing your success with friends and family.

I have to agree with Bill on this one, I also have both kits on the shelf and the AMT body looks very accurate to me but the Revell wheels and tires are much more to scale. To me, the AMT tires are way too wide. We have a Prowler at our office, I see it every day. I could probably get you all of the detail photos you could want.....just let me know. It is kind of a shame, an attorney who has an office in our building has it as a toy. He parks it out in back of the building...it sat out there all last winter with a coat of snow on it most of the year....clearly, it is not his "baby"...he kind of likes his BMW M 6 series convertible in triple black more.....can't figure that one out....right!

Tom, does this help…they are a little vague the acrylic lacquer is 200% thinner and the universal bases, which include the pearls is 100% thinner to paint…that is what I have done in the past and it works fine.

Back in 1964 I was not a big fan of the 64 Ford....I really liked the look of the 63 which was bolder and more stout looking, but as time has past and I aged, I have grown to really appreciate the smooth lines and well thought out design of the 64 Galaxy. You sure did a great job on it...I am not a huge fan of gold as the dominate color on a car but the gold with the red top really works nice. Very nice build, I love the stance...nice and low.

Thor, let me understand this…this is your first trip to the USA, AND it is to Vegas for the SEMA show and you want model car parts? Look I love model building as much as the next guy, but hey, you are going to Vegas! Spend your time and money enjoying everything that Vegas has to offer….it is the most exciting playground in the America. The parts will always be available by mail order…..the fun of Vegas, not so much. Go and have a great time at SEMA and enjoy the show, and by that I mean that all of Vegas is a show….the people, the visitors, the casino’s, the restaurants, the shows and 24 hour party…have some fun…get your parts later. Look, if you were coming to Pittsburgh or Cleveland or some other Midwest city I’d say sure, find a well stocked hobby shop…but you’re are going to Vegas during a huge convention, there will be plenty of diversion from model building and model supplies…have a great time.

Thanks for the comments….I have a contour gauge. It is a 6 inch ruler looking thing that has metal rods that protrude from each side of the ruler, above and below….the metal rods move in and out…it looks like a very tight comb…like a large double sided flea comb for animals. As you press it against the contour of one side the rods move and make a duplicate of the shape. You then turn it over and lay it on the other side to see how the contours line up with the first side. It is not perfect but it gives you a very nice clear picture of how the sides look in reference to each other….simple but very effective.

Great picture Bill. I wish I had shots taken around the cars we had when I was a kid. My older brother's first car was a 1949 Mercury Coupe....I would kill to have that car now....it was a nice stock car, flat head V8, column 3 speed and light green paint...he used to let me drive it up and down the driveway. He paid $150 for it, sold two years later for $150....not bad. What would that car be worth today assuming it was in good shape....certainly more than $150. When the AMT 49 Merc (same kit you are doing your "slow" build on) came out, I built it as a copy of the car my brother had...I entered it into a local model contest at Richies Hobby Shop in Caldwell, NJ...it won 1st place for best paint. It was my pride and joy for the next few years...than in 1965 or so I discovered real cars, young ladies....and than beer....model building took a 10 year hiatus’. I am sure that is not different than what most of us guys lived through. Anyway, great picture, nice to remember a simpler time...not as many cares and woa's. I remember those Javelin's...they were some nice cars....just another manufacturer that fell by the wayside of the American Highway....there are far more dead auto marques out there than alive, and that number will continue to grow. We know what you're up to these days, what is your sister up to?

Very true to the box art...interesting idea and very well done. Great looking paint job...very smooth. Nice.

Thanks Dave, you really are a wealth of knowledge. I appreciate your tips. I will have to do some serious research on the subject of valuum forming. I never run from a challenge and this will test me. Thanks for the insight.

Thanks Dave…..you bring up a point that I touched on in an earlier post on this subject. I was planning from the “get go†to do this as a one piece body and then cut open the hood and doors. But the more I look at the wood shape, with a very real set of complex curves, I am beginning to think that I may need to break up the finished wooden buck once it is complete so I can form the pieces separately. I am willing to bet right now that that is what I will end up doing…we’ll see…what are your thoughts on this issue? How would this be done in a commercial shop? Obviously, a professional shop is far more sophisticated and has better equipment, as I have a small home vacuum form rig, but how would they do it? Once the components are finished I can then glue and putty them back into the complete car. I really don’t know as I will learn as I go with this. This is the fun of it; I need to try different techniques to expand my abilities. I figure that I can get the basic shape done in wood and then add the trim and window detail to the plastic vacuum formed body…we’ll see how that works out. I am planning a Viper engine and a completely scratch built chassis and interior. That part will be easy. As I am looking at the wood buck, I am thinking that I should make myself another wood block, just a little wider and carve this body from it, add some wood wheel bottoms, and stain it and clear coat it as a plan wooden sculpture. It might look pretty cool. So, let me know your thoughts since this is right up your alley. P.S. Remember I told you I had two unique builds planned for the future, well this is number one, but wait until you see want I am planning for number two. It should be ( I say “should†because it may be too difficult to pull off) wild if I can do it. Sorry I jumped your plans on the unique building of a car of your own design….get going on yours, I want to see it. Come on; don’t leave me out here alone.

Interesting take.....I would never think of Camaro and lowrider in the same sentence. Very urban...very nice. Not very Carolina's I would have thought. Beautiful job.

I have made some headway with my 2010 Dodge Charger Concept car. I have the body painted, although you really can’t tell the true color because the lighting I used for the pictures I took. Many of the pictures came out looking like the car is blue, but that is not the case. It is really a custom mix of House of Kolor paints to make an updated pearl version of Plum Crazy. It looks fantastic in person. I have coated the Plum Crazy with clear coat, but it has not been sanded and polished yet, I want it to be totally dry first. I will take the final pictures of it when it is done outside so hopefully the color will be true. I have mounted the tires and the chassis is basically done. The engine is installed but not all of the under hood items are in place yet. I have the vinyl top material in black, but it is so old that it has stuck to the backing a little too well, so I had to order new material. It should be in this coming week. So I can get started on the vinyl top next weekend. I have completed the front grill and the rear tail light bars…they worked out pretty good considering I had to scratch build all of the pieces. The interior is done and ready to be installed with the exception of the door interior panels which were completely scratch built and just need paint.. I apologize for some of the pictures being poor, but it was a dark rainy day today so the lighting is really bad. Some pictures were taken in lighting that allowed the Plum Crazy to come through as Plum, and some it looks blue. I am really loving this build, it keeps looking better and better with each stage, so I am really looking forward to the completion.

Well, I dug out my hand held grinder and cut the basic shape into the block of wood. When the basic’s were complete, I took to it with my over worked Dremel tool. Using a small and medium size grinding wheels, I began shaping the rough detail on the car. As I began working the rear of the car, I realized that it would look a little better if I made a few “field changesâ€. I reworked the back end to incorporate a stylized “Duck-tail†into the look. This is a long way from being even close to complete, but the basic look is clearly beginning to take shape. I will have a center character line running down the entire length of the car ending in a little point at the tail end. The nose is exaggerated too long, but that is the design I am going for. I want a VERY Art Deco look to this. There will be chrome trim along the bottom and a very “fast†look to it. Right now the wood shape if still too big, but it will be slowly ground down to just under the right size so that the vacuum form plastic will be the correct scale. I can’t wait to get this to the point where I can begin playing with the vacuum form machine….this is all new to me and I love the challenge of a new technique to learn.

Gerry, that looks great....I love the blacked out hood...great looking beast. Back in the day, the Charger was my favorite of all the Mopar Muscle. I like the period correct wheels and tires too....very nice.

Welcome Gerry, I am a Forty Niner, big and full of chrome, but still able to run with the kids. Nice to have an another old fart here....we remember the good old days of annual kits and scraping up our weekly allowance to buy one. Enough with the pleasantries....post some pictures! You will enjoy this forum.

I'll bet PETER LOMBARDO still thinks I'M NUTZ . Well, Dave, "Nutz" is in the eye of the beholder......but it is my understanding that "Nutz", is a pre-requisite for creative design and building. What do you think? All the great innovators were nutz....Muntz, Tucker, Big Daddy, etc.....you get the picture.

You are nutz!!! Actually it is a cute little car...Jay Leno has one bone stock...He looks out of place driving it around LA, but it sure gets attention. Now will you finish one of these things? Just one, ok?