Peter Lombardo

That looks really good, nice build so far. I like that color combo; In fact I used it on my Chrysler 300c Coupe from a few years ago. Look at picture number 4 in the progression. I think the reflection of the lines of the work cutting board look really good on the side of the car. Maybe some graphics on there would look good….just a thought because of the reflection. Also like the home made roof rack, that is different. Very cool. Just needs a surfboard or two...hang ten daddy-o surf dog.

I can sum it up in just three words….â€Because I canâ€. I build models because I can, I paint and draw because I can, I golf because I can, I work on my MG’s because I can… I work because I HAVE to…that stinks!

Obviously, you did not get this illness out of your system with the wild crazy 1960 Ford from a few months ago, did you? You are back at it, and this thing is ever wilder, if that is possible. Great idea...it doesn't exist in metal, so you create it in plastic and putty....why not? I do think it needs a BIG engine in it though. It is wild outside, so wild inside seems to work for this one. I don't know, but either way, this is going to be a wild ride, I am sure.

I am reminded of that old 1970's TV show..."The Love Boat" or is it Boat's? Either way, they were big land cruisers in their days. My brother owns a very well preserved 1966 Caddy Convertible, white with red, just like the color '66 here. all though your paint is much better. When I go out for a ride in that car I find myself getting a "wee bit sea sick" from time to time. Anyway...Beautiful builds..they are a "marker in time". A time when gas was cheap, bigger was better, we all wanted 429 ci. under the hood and we did not want to know that there were any imperfections in the road below us. Smooth, soft and cushy....not my cup of tea....but very successful in their day. Great job...very convincing builds.

This is very hot stuff! Great design and the usual perfect body work. Can anyone say "Winner"?

At first, my immediate thought was; no question, F1 is the most demanding competitive driving in the world, 180 to 200 mph, tight turns, cars all around you, qualifying demands, etc…But the more I thought about it, I do now think the rally driver is bit in a more demanding position. The variety of track conditions, the weather variables (rain, snow, ice, heat, cold and night driving) all lead to a more torturous weekend. I could be way off base, but I give the edge to rally drivers, but for no other reason than the night life, great parties and food, beautiful women, prestige and glamour, F1 is the way I would want to go.

I like this idea a lot. This is a very well proportioned car, I mean truck, excuse me. Now just give it a sharp paint job...something bright and flashy. Looks good!

I got 19 out of the 20, my miss cue was on the best selling car of all time....I waffled back and forth and went with the Beetle. My bad.

I have three G35 kits on my shelf, one NISMO and two stock and one 1:1 G35 6 speed in my garage. Obviously, I will build one kit stock, as my real car is, Silver and black interior, but the other two will be something else entirely. If you are building the NISMO version, white, silver or a charcoal color works best with the decal set, if the decals are not used, than there is no limit on the color, and while you are at it, that car just screams for some lower body kit add on’s…you now, front air dam and wider wheel openings and rear spoiler…you know…one of my builds will have all of that stuff, when I get around to building it. Good luck…these are GREAT cars…so give it your all. P.S. Those are a great choice of wheels for that car, in fact I have a set of them, set aside for one of my builds.

Very cleaver idea….I think the cars and Monster trucks on top might be a little too crunchy to eat though. Beats the old “Happy Birthday†scroll on top by a long shot.

Everyone that commented on the car feels you did the right thing by rebuilding the old car, but I disagree. I think you could have left the old 32 alone, it was a very nice build in its own right and it represented a time in your modeling evolution. And if you really did not like the front wheels, than change them. There are plenty of Revell ‘32 3 window kits around so you could have built the second car from that and then you would have both. Also, they would make a great comparison display on your shelf…kind of a “then and now†display. Either, way, I really like the deep channeling on the front of the redone coupe, that looks great with the chop and the â€Flattie†up front.

Remember that wise old saying….â€You get what you pay forâ€. This is no different, at about 40% of the price, the Protar will require more skill and time. I built the Protar kit years ago, it built up ok, I added a lot of scratch built engine detail though. I just brought the Revell kit (same moldings) and will build that and I have the Fujimi on order, so I will build that one too. From the photos I have seen of the Fujimi kit…it does look very nice.

Here we go again…..two more perfectly built cars in one post. These will be stunning I am sure. The F1 is starting out beautifully. Great idea, I am sure you will do them justice.

That is one thing we all have in common, regardless of our age or background or current talent level, we are all still learning and hopefully, we will continue to learn and improve. Welcome back and join in the mayhem.

Welcome aboard and very nice build, the color is terrific on that car....I have a 34 Ford in progress somewhere on my work bench right now...now if I can just find it I will.....

Something that does not happen much for me, I am speechless, simply speechless. Superb yet understated. Great scratch building discipline.

Congratulations…..enjoy this childhood…they grow up way to fast (might be a good thing I’m not sure) so have fun with him now and start saving for his education now. I can’t even imagine what it is going to cost in 19 years from now…man I am glad that is over and paid for. Again, congrat’s…kids, your kids are amazing when you stop and think about it.

Lyle, I went back and looked at the pictures again and have one little question…you used photo etched “snaps†on the doors for the side curtains for where they would attach to the car…nice touch, but upon further review, I noticed that the top has, I think 7 snaps on the bottom of the top to attach it to the body. I am surprised to see that there is no corresponding snap on the body to represent the anchor that the soft top would clip to on the car. Not a big deal, and if you want, it would be easy to add that detail. Just thought I would mention it…but it still is an amazingly convincing build.

Extremely well done. Everything works so well together, serious engine detail and the muted exterior color work great. The dash is an extra nice touch as is the interior coloring. All and all, it is a very convincing 32 high boy that is true to that style of hot rod…it looks like a car that would be very affordable and done in a small garage by a guy who wants to do most of the work himself. Great job. But that is no surprise.

Ok, my two cents on how we got here and where we are going. All through the 1960’s and 70’s, gas was cheap and plentiful. We started the period at around .30 cents a gallon, ended the 70’s around .75 cents, but we ended the 70’s with gas shortages caused by producer (Arab) induced boycotts basically because of our support of Israel. Detroit was firmly entrenched in big cars with many redundant brands and models. The redundancy came from the fact that the American manufacturers owned the market with about 92% of it and, there were many Americans that were brand loyal. Chevy guys, Pontiac guys, Dodge guys, well, you get it. Underneath this though, there was a problem bubbling and boiling away. The American manufacturers, even back then, could not compete with the imports on the production of the small cars. And even back then, we showed a desire for the smaller European models. Our labor costs were just too high. This was America…well ruled the world. We had the highest standard of living in the world and we demanded that our workers earn more. They earn more, they buy a nice house, send their kids to college and the economy keeps chugging along. This IS the American dream. Nice house, white picket fence, 2.3 kids, a dog and cat and weekends at the beach or lake or wherever. As the labor costs were increasing, so were all of the other costs, pensions and healthcare too. They were building their factories on quicksand and lies. The management adorned blinders, they did not want to see it or think about it either. The Japanese and Germans, followed by the Korans kept bringing more and more, and better and better still, cars and trucks to our shores and gained market share every year. The American manufacturers had to retreat to the only line they could defend and that was Mini vans, SUV’s and trucks. These vehicles retained enough profit so that Detroit could continue to show a profit. But they knew that their very survival depended upon low energy prices. They made a deal with the devil, but so far it was working out. GM in the 90’s, brought out Saturn to be a “different kind of car company†They would be the Import fighter and take the fight to the Japanese, but, sadly, Saturn and the cars they produced basically couldn’t cut it. GM lost money on every vehicle they produced…it got so bad that they would be forced to jettison Oldsmobile in the coming years just to conserve cash. Chrysler was beginning to struggle and had to drop Eagle and later Plymouth. Ford was holding together, but only because of a terrifically profitable European operation. GMAC and Chrysler Credit and Ford Motor Credit were making plenty of money because the government was keeping the cost of credit and cash low. Banks and finance arms were doing very well. America was making a very troubling move from a manufacturing economy to a financial economy. We stopped making things and began making our money from the lending of cash….credit was king, making stuff no longer ruled. Enter 2000 and once we got through the relatively (in hindsight) difficulty in the early years, the economy began to sprint ahead. The Dot Com bubble began to inflate and the cell phone and computer technology shot ahead. The price of gas started out pretty stable, but it began to rise and that brought consternation and fear to Detroit. Oldsmobile was lost and Plymouth was going too. Chrysler got the dung kicked out of it in the deal with Daimler and was lucky to find someone to take the company over and off the hands of Daimler. Cerabus, (spelling) in my opinion had no idea the problems it was taking on. Why do so many outside of the auto business think they can run a factory better than those inside the business? I will never understand that, anyway, Cerabus bit off more than they expected, but at least they were privately held and did not have to show the world how bad it really is. In 2005, inventory is building up at the dealerships and at the factories…dealers tell the factories that they will not take any 2006 models until the 2005 start moving off the lot. The factories dream up “Employee Pricing†and begin the dismantling of the retail auto sales business. After Employee Pricing, how do you tell customers that regular pricing is better…you don’t and can’t. The price of gas goes to $3.00 and later $4.00 virtually killing the SUV and Pickup business. Now during all of this the imports are minding their own business and not destroying their retail base with ridicules sales promotions. In 2008 Chrysler kills their dealers by announcing that they can no long lease vehicles. GM and Ford follow suit, but at least they are smart enough to do it quietly. As the big pickups and SUV’s come off of lease, they are not worth any where near the book value, so the banks, manufacturers and dealers are taking many body shots. Right about this time, the housing and sub prime mortgage problem hits driven by the customer’s inability to juggle car payments, gas payments and the new ARM (adjusted rate mortgage) payments as many mortgages rates rocketed skyward. Customers want smaller fuel efficient cars and they can’t get out of their big trucks as many dealers refuse to take them on trade. Detroit can’t compete as the labor cost is too high, the Union refuses to renegotiate a lower rate, the factories are running out of cash, Ford not so much, and here we are with the heads of the factories making jack *sses of themselves in Washington in front of the hypocrites who love the face time. Ok, now I bored you with the history, here is what I think the future holds…. There will be a bail out, once the Congress extracts their pound of flesh from the factories. The factories will have to make hard painful cuts but will emerge as more healthy companies, except maybe for Chrysler which my no longer exist as they are. Ford will be fine with the possible loss of the Mercury line as they have nothing that Ford dealers don’t have, and with the infusion of their European models, beside they own 100% of their profitable finance arm and Ford Europe makes money. Lincoln which has only one unique car, the new one, I forget the name..MK something…will sell that through Ford dealers. The news is not so good for GM and Chrysler. I see GM dropping GMC and most of Pontiac with the Solstice and maybe the G8 going to Chevy and the rest to the bottom of the sea. Buick dies with the Enclave and Lucerne rebadged as Cadillac. Hummer is dead for all intents and purposes anyway. That leaves Saturn (entry level), Chevrolet (mid level) and Cadillac (luxury level). GM gets new labor contracts and closes many factories and restructures with 200,000 less employees. GM only owns 49% or so of GMAC so that will hurt them, but they sold off have because they needed the money and the rest may be leaving town soon. Chrysler is being shopped every day. I can see maybe a deal with Tata of India (he just brought Jaguar and Land Rover) taking basically the Jeep line, Dodge, which provides the technology for the VW Minivan and the new Ram pickup technology being used by Nissan for their new Titan pickup truck being relegated to just trucks and the Chrysler line up dropped all together. Cerubus wants out, they want to capture the rest of GMAC, and declare themselves a saving bank and get their hands on some of the seven hundred billion Washington is throwing around. So, I could be wrong, but it is fun to speculate on others fate. I know I skipped over many other factors, but it is late and I am tired so, the tree tops will have to do.

Great looking Bug, love the paint and the body mods, but I must also ask…where’s the Beef? Is there a gerbil or chipmunk in a cage on a wheel or is there a blown, nitrous injected fire breather going in there?

You know Harold, you are right. J.Mays and his pompous self righteous monolithic design philosophy really does need to be retired. While the rest of the world is serving up hot fudge sundaes and banana splits, he is dishing out scoops of vanilla ice cream. The Ford lineup, for the most part is boring and uninspired. Ford needs some new blood in the design studio. People not afraid to take a few risks. Guys who want to have their designs stand out in a crowd, not blend in. Designs that scream love me or hate me, but you can’t ignore me. I have never understood why Ford, as a company never really understood that it doesn’t cost anymore to make their cars beautiful. Every now and then they get it right like the current Mustang, but over all, the Taurus, past and present, 500, Fusion, Freestyle, Windstar, Crown Vic, Explorer, Excursion, Escape’ Edge and Expedition, just to name a few, are boring flat sided vehicles that are incapable of stirring any physical reaction other than sleep. They should be creating strong emotional bonds with the customer. Ford is in better financial standing than the other two Detroit manufacturers, but without some exciting new and innovative product, the imports, with their greater market share and deeper pockets will roll over them before too long. Exciting and unique designs will get attention and then they have a fighting chance to regain their status. With J. Mays continuing at the design helm, I fear Ford will run aground in no time.

I was driving into my office this morning and passed a current Mustang GT on the highway. Because of this thread, I looked at the car completely differently than I normally would. I almost always take the car for granted, I mean, I would not give it a second thought unless it was a Shelby or a customized car, but this time "I looked at the car", really looked at it. How the car sat, how it moved with the other plane jane vanilla Camry's. Accord's and Civic's and how well the lines of the car worked together in motion. It reminded me of a posting on this thread that I read earlier and I realized that he, Dan, hit the point dead on. The current Mustang is such a solid update of the orignial design that any new look just is not as impressive. That, I think is the essence of the debate, how do you improve on perfection? Not everyone would car this car perfection, but for what it is, for what it was intended to be, Ford really did get it right and now the new design just can't live up to that new old classic.

I just got around to opening my Hemming's E Mail Newsletter for this week and under the heading of "Collectables" was a nice little story about the Model Cars Calender. Very nice, good to see "our" calender advertised to the "Outside World". Here is the link to the site, which by the way, is very much worth the free subscription. I get the Hemmings Sports car and Exotic Magazine because it is a great source of information on my other hobby, my two MG's. Have a look http://www.hemmings.com/newsletter/newslet...mlid=72061#1959

Great looking bike...if you didn't say it was a model, you could fool many into thinking it was the real thing. Clean, sharp and well executed. Very nice.