Peter Lombardo

Jody, sorry to hear that bad news. Hang in there, get right back up and get out there and find some work. Do not waste your time feeling sorry, get out there and find a job. You are bigger then this set back. A future employer will see that you are right out there looking and respect the fact that you are serious. Go kick some butt....the job market is tough but there are jobs available, you must want it. Every time I have hired someone (over the years I have interviewed hundreds and hired many people), I hire an "attitude". My feeling is I can train someone for the job task, but I can not successfully administer an attitude adjustment. Go in with the right positive attitude....you want that job and you are the best person for that job, and you will be very pleasently surprised at how an employer will react to that. Remember, they are ususally not sure what they really want or who they are going to see. Employers do not want to put a lot of time into the hiring process...they want it over as quickly as possible because it is time consuming and expensive. Show them that you are the right guy from the moment they lay eyes on you. Be positive, upbeat, confident in your ability and most of all, ready and willing to do what ever job is offered. GO GET IT! GET IT NOW! Good luck!

You know, it is weird sometimes how cars and ideas can hit you. I am knee deep in building the 62 T Bird custom coupe and the 60 Pontiac Bonneville custom coupe, when I see a post of a review of a resin kit of the 1967 Mustang “Eleanor†GT500. It looks pretty good and I realized that I have the AMT donor kit for that build sitting on the shelf, along with the 68, 69 and a couple of 70’s. And not being one to shy away from a little scratch building I thought why not! l thought that the “Eleanor†could be a fun modification to the stock GT350 kit, with a few personal changes to the design I could “personalize†the build. So here are a few in progress shots of where it is at now. Starting from the nose, I cut out the grill’s to be later filled with photo etched screens. The lower opening will have two lights, from the Revell Mustang SVO kit like the Eleanor has. The air dam is scratch built from styrene sheet. I drilled out two openings in the lower valance for fog lights, ala ‘06 Shelby GT500. The hood was raised and the sides filled in to clear the high rise twin 4 barrels and air cleaner. I am thinking about installing two air outlets ala ’06 Shelby GT500 with P/E grates on them on the front top part of the “Hump†in the hood. The four wheel openings were slightly increased with larger outer flares added too. I grafted on a piece of plastic sprue to the lower sides and inserted aluminum tube exhaust openings at the rear. I extended out the upper style crease from the front of the door to the rear brake air inlet then I extended out the outer portion of the air inlet to make it a little more aggressive looking. Both the side air inlets, upper and rear brake, were opened up. The doors were opened and will be hinged later in the conventional manner. At the rear, I filled in the exhaust openings of the rear pan as they are now unnecessary because of the side openings. The last body modification is the rear spoiler which I increased the height of just because I wanted to. I thought it might look good if I installed a spoiler like a race car would have. One that is adjustable in height with the slots and a bolt (bolts not yet installed) depending on the down force desired. I am installing the 427 big block from the Revell parts pack. I de-chromed most of the engine and painted it with Testers Metalizers paint, so far I have the spark plugs and boots and fuel lines in, oil and breathers lines go on later. The air filter is from the AMT ’66 Fairlane 427 kit, which when built will get the air cleaner from the Revell Parts Pack kit. This car is getting “period correct†Mag wheels and Goodyear wide and low tires. I have lowered the front wheels a scale 5 inches so the car will be sitting down in front, a little higher in the back so it will have a mean street stance. I am planning to build the rear springs from an old diet coke can strip of aluminum and working rear shocks. I have racing seats with 5 way seat belts and a roll bar for the all black interior. I am taping off the stripes with vinyl paint masks made on the computer ala ’06 Shelby GT500 style: wide pearl white stripes and either charcoal (traditional for this car) Bright near-candy Blue Pearl or Burnt Orange Pearl, I haven’t decided yet. What color do you think will work here? I am open to thoughts. I will build the ’68 to be a mate to this car with one of these colors, so which two colors work well together? Also, you will see lots of cat hair on the pictures, Dexter has been inspecting my work bench while I am at work....he is a long hair that has to get into everything.

What a great job. I am certainly not a fan of the Baldwin Motion stripes, but you did a great job on these. I don't have to like the stripes, but I know a well done striking build when I see one. You must be really happy with the outcome....beautiful.

Dave, the split roof ala Harry works really well on this one. I like every thing you have done, I guess I'm the oddball here, but I like the sidepipes, but hey, it's your baby now.

Hey Gramps, I think you should be the one getting his facts right. Look back on what you just said, and I quote “The main one that burns me is the fact that they specify their suppliers to get their products from china or they won't supply wal-mart†Think about that, you actually expect us to believe that they at Wal Mart require every product on their shelves to be made in China or they won’t sell it. That is just plain ridicules. Wal Mart does indeed drive a very hard deal with their suppliers. They must supply the quantity and quality items at the agreed upon price or their legal department are on you like a pit-bull. I have a friend who owns a small bakery company in middle America (actually it is in Tennessee) that supplies products to Wal Mart. Believe it or not, these items are baked right here in the good old USA. Wal Mart has negotiated a very tough deal with him, but he sells a lot of product through Wal Mart, so it pays off and everyone wins. He sells baked goods for a profit, Wal Mart sells baked goods for a profit and the consumers buy baked goods that he considers at a reasonable price, what do you know…a win, win, win situation. Wal Mart sells many products that are made in America, as some one before mentioned, he buys Future floor polish there for his models. Future is made by S.C. Johnson of Racine, WI, last time I looked, that was not in China. You are complaining because Wal Mart stopped carrying AMT and Revell model cars because they do not sell enough to justify allocating the shelf space to them. Well, next time you pick up one of your models made by AMT or Revell, look at the fine print on the bottom of the box. Clear as the nose on my face is the line….made in china. You unfortunately can not get away from that. Most everything in the way of consumables today is made in China at a fraction of the cost it would take to manufacture that item here in America. It is a two way sword. Americans want affordable “Stuff†and in order for American companies to provide affordable “Stuff†they go offshore to have it manufactured. Call your bank or insurance company with a question about your account and you will be most likely taking with someone from India or China or Indonesia or Jamaica or some other place half way around the world. We truly live in a global economy world and America is in for a rude awakening. The times have changed, like it or not and there is more change coming. The American worker has priced himself right out of a job. Look the UAW contracts darn near killed the Auto Industry, and who knows, the damage done up to now may kill them off yet. Sure, the auto problems are not all to blame on the UAW, but they are a leading contributing factor to the situation they are in today. So, I will repeat myself, I am not a fan of “Stuff†made in China, but I do not condemn those who sell those items as they have no control over where a product is manufactured, contrary to the belief that Wal Mart holds a gun to every supplier and makes them produce it in China. Sam Walton was a great capitalist. I applaud anyone who uses the capitalist system to their and every ones advantage. Capitalism has its flaws but it is a quantum leap over the next closest form of economy. And you just mark my words, we are now entering the new age of American Socialism. It is coming, almost President Obama just yesterday in his speech about the economy warned that it is worse then even he thought, and only Government can fix the problem now. Yes, he said that, and yes we are headed down the path of Socialism. We voted for it, we want it and we will get it. We are on the way to the One World and One Currency World of George Soros and Maurice Strong. See you later Comrad!

I kind of see your point, but really, this is the standard for retail today. Most all businesses have been impacted by the era of the big box store. It started with Grocery stores, bead into Hardware stores and Pharmacies. Liquor stores, toy stores and Electronic stores followed and if you think about it, you shop in these stores and reap the benefits of bigger selection and lower prices. It is a sign of the times and like it or not, it (big box stores) is now under attack in many areas by the internet. Internet retailers have even lower cost structures and larger selections. Our economy and technology will always evolve as we move through time. I rarely shop at Wal Mart, not because I don’t want to, I just don’t shop that style of store. I try and buy as much hobby stuff from my local hobby store. I have gotten very friendly with the owner and want to support him as much as I can. Sure, it costs me a little more, but it is worth it as I have a convenient place to shop for the sundry items like glue, plastic strips, paint, etc. I could, and maybe you should consider shopping for kits on line. There are a few great retailers out there, Tower Hobby, Model Car Roundup, Fantastic Plastic, just to name a few. I would shop at all of these if my local guy closed up, but as long as he hangs in there, I will support him. I don’t think it is fair to bash Wal Mart. They provide a service and less expensive products to an entire large group of people out there in America that either earn lower incomes or are retired living on fixed incomes. The poor people today that were just getting by a year of two ago have how found that they are in deep do-do. Stores like Wal Mart offer them a little bit of hope that they can still get a bargain today. Like the other guys before me said and I agree with, if a hobby shop is properly run, it can get by because model kits are a small portion of their inventory. They have model trains, R/C cars, ships, planes and military models, doll houses, etc… to support the operation. I live in North Central New Jersey. We are very crowded with a relatively large population base. I have 3 Wal Marts with 30 minutes of my house; I also have 4 hobby shops within that same range. They are all getting by, so I do not see a problem here. And on top of that we have 3 Michaels that carry model kits and they are surviving too.

I have two points on this build one up and one down. First, when I first saw the color you chose, in the first picture of just the body painted, I though I was getting a little sea sick, but after seeing the car assembled and buffed, I changed my mind and actually like the color. The interior and engine bay look great with the detailed body, that was the up...now to the down, I have to agree with Bill about the Continental kit. If the car was lowered in the rear, with skirts and no mags, then yeah, but as a street machine with a stand up stance and mag wheels, I just don't see it, But you gotta' build them for your taste and if you like that combo, then great, go for it. Either way, you are doing a great job on the build, so there is no complaint about that.

That is one super clean flawless build. The Hemi setting in the middle of that engine bay is perfect...good enough to fool most people into thinking that it is the real deal. It has been a while since your last post, so I guess we know what you have been doing between then and now. I love the stance and the huge rear tires. I can see absolutely no mistake on this car...I mean the vinyl roof looks perfect. Well done. Coming from Germany, I would love to see you tackle a Bimmer or Porsche with this kind of precision.

Very impressive replica. Chevrolet was struggling with the Corvette sales back in those days, so to expect a competitor from a sister GM brand would have been unrealistic....but it is always nice to think about what could have been. Nice job, very faithfully to the original.

I was surprised to see that I missed this posting the other day, nice group of cars you built...I really like the first two the most... the 60 Ford has a great color scheme and the 62 Catilina just plain slick. Great job. Well, you know, the 62 Chevy ain't half bad either.

Extremely well thought out. Nie mix and match. Interesting how the 59 Chevy is getting so much "play" lately. I like it. I really like how well the fastback glass fits into the rear deck of the 59. Nice mate to Dave's red convertible Vette 59.

Welcome aboard…my wife is an OR Nurse and has been for 34 years now. I don't know how she does it, so I don't know how you do it, but thank God there are people that do do it. So…show us what ya’ got! Pictures, we all need pictures.

The stance is perfect, but the paint is spectacular! Great job on a ho-hum kit.

Looks like you made some lemonade out of a lemon. I always thought that the GT 90 was just God awful ugly, but you did something interesting with it. Nice job...if only the clowns in the Ford design studio would just figure out that it doesn't cost any more to design them pretty. Anyway, nice job making it interesting.

Nice looking Goat. I am cutious....What is the deal with the headlights and grille, did you modify them in some way, or am I just getting old and blind? Paint looks nice and smooth....good color choice...it is different on that car.

That Bug-eye is really nice, and not your "run of the mill" build, but I have to go with the 41 Chevy pick up....it's clean, well conceived and simple in it's statement. Very well done...and a very accurate street rod. P.S. Nice to see that Audi without (In my opinion) that silly Carbon Fiber panel behind the door.

I have many Tamiya kits, but most of them are from the 1980’s and 1990’s and a few are from the 1970’s. It is impossible to find fault with these kits when it comes to accuracy and component fit, but the later ( from the 2000’s ) cars lack engines and I agree with Crispy and Capt. Obvious, they have gone to a more simplified construction and detail. Personally, I think the best kits are in the Fujimi Enthusiasts Series. These, I believe, are not currently in production but the high level of detail is most impressive. Sure these kits are tough to build, but the high level of detail is amazing. The engines alone in these cars are worthy of being their own kits….they are just that good. I am very sorry that I passed on many of those kits years ago when I could have picked them up. The chassis detail on this series of sport cars is as good as the bodies of many of the Tamiya’s today. So therefore I would rank them as Fujimi, followed by a recently simplified Tamiya and then the Aoshima brand.

Eight little jewels...great builds, I still like the 59 shortie the best....it just works so well. The 34 Chopped top is my second fav... but they are all winners. Something tells me that you will surpass these in 2009 though....just looking at the primer shot at the end. You know, if it were possible to put all of our (the forum guys) 2008 builds on a few tables somewhere, it would make for one hell of a show.

Well, very interesting start Dave, I like the incorporation of the 69 bumper into the nose. Obviously the muscle bulge hood looks great…bulgy hoods just reek of “fastâ€â€¦very cool. Am I crazy or do I see a little bit of the “Grinch†(third new picture down) in the front of this one? Great start, keep it going!!

Curt, nice job...I have that kit and one of these days will get around to it. I also was at Long Beach for a few Grand Prix's too, just a few years earlier. Anyway, great job...it sure looks nice.

What took you so long? It looks fine, now don't take another 21 years to get it put together.

Great looking eclectic group of builds...very nice collection, well done.

Great looking group there, very diverse set of builds. It was a good year for your modeling collection...many new additions.

I was not planning on compiling a list of my completed cars for 2008, but since many of you did, I figured why not, and yes, if you guys were all jumping off a bridge, I guess I would too, besides, I would not want to be the only guy posting pictures to myself on this site. So here is my class of 2008. I posted them in the order that I finished them this past year. A total of 9 cars and trucks completed and all but one were posted on the forum this past year. Amazingly, I have yet to suffer a “builders block†as I work on my cars at least 6, but mostly 7 nights a week. January Corvette Sunray Cutaway February Cadillac STS (shown at NNLEast) March 2007 Ford Interceptor Concept June 1950 Chevy Pick Up Truck July 1971 Plymouth Arrow GTX phantom Pick Up September 1957 Chevrolet BelAir Convertible November 1936 Auburn “Cybele†Special Roadster December 1958 Chevrolet Impala Coupe 1934 Ford 3 Window Coupe

I will be very curious to see how you pull this one off! You don't seem to challange yourself with easy builds, do you? I am watching.