clovis

Your English is superb!!! I meet immigrants to the US who have lived here for years and years, and still don't know how to speak well enough to ask simple questions in a grocery store. My daughter has a friend who's mother has lived in the US for over 20 years, and has to have her children translate everything for her.

Thank you, Art!!! I am looking forward to reading more there!!!

Thanks!

That would be awesome!!!! Let's hope that they give a good kit with lots of detailed parts...and not a disassembled die cast "kit" thrown into a box. Thanks!!!! I don't buy a ton of kits, but I will start watching for a deal on these models.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REPLIES!!!!! I am short on time right now, but will post again later today. Again, thank you!!!!!!!

I burst out laughing when I read it, but it is so true for me!!!!

Thank you for the link!

Looks like a cool book.

Well, let's hear about it! My favorite of all time, wasn't even a car, but a 1/24 MPC Messerschmitt 109 that I built as a teenager. I loved every minute of that build, from start to finish. I bought an opened kit from a friend for $15, which was a bunch of money for me at the time, but I absolutely loved that build. In retrospect, I believe that I loved that build because it was a big step from my glue bomb days, and I felt that I had come into my own with this build. An extremely close second, which runs neck and neck with the Me-109, was a 1/16 Mustang with my daughter last summer. I loved teaching her and coaching her about the model building process, and overall, we had a fabulous time with this build. We had to fight this kit a little, due to some damage to the pillars, but she won Grand Champion at the fair with this model. I tell ya, I was a very proud dad. What build has been your favorite, and why?

I found exactly three of the late CART cars on ebay. Not cheap, but not crazy, either. If they didn't sell well, it was probably because they chose the wrong circuit after the open wheel split. They should have gone with the IRL cars, just because there are an estimated 400,000 fans at the Indianapolis 500 on race day, and thousands more stream through the gates at 16th and Georgetown before the race to see qualifications, practice, and for Carb Day. The IRL cars were also one body and chassis for all teams. CART filed for bankruptcy protection in 2003, but the writing was on the wall many years before that.

I'm not sure that I've ever seen any of those. Are they pretty rare? Thank you for taking the time to post those photos!!! I'm off to search ebay....

Which models did Revell make? Pace cars...or race cars?

Does anyone know of a kit for the latest IndyCar body, the DW12? I would think that this kit could possibly be a slam dunk for a manufacturer, even though tooling costs would be significant. As you know, like the taxi cab circuit that uses the COT, IndyCar is using the same body and chassis for all teams, and has committed to this body for a number of years. I would think it would be fairly easy to mold the body in two or three different colors, and relatively cheap to throw a in different decal sheet for each team or driver. In essence, they could have 33 different kits offered for 33 drivers, There is quite a bit of "ride jumping", with drivers moving from team to team. For instance, Tony Kanaan, who won the 2013 Indy 500 with one team, moved to Target Chip Ganassi Racing for the 2014 racing season. And of course, each year, many of the teams change sponsors, albeit for one race. I think Dario Franchitti drove a blue car, IIRC at the Texas Motor Speedway a few years ago. I believe that the above would provide plenty of marketing opportunities for the kits. I think IndyCar fans would collect them, trying to make sure they have every release. I believe that short runs of certain models, lets say an Ed Carpenter kit from a certain race, especially if the car sported a different color and decal sheet, could drive prices very high for some select models. I think the manufacturers could also update the kits if and when the new "aero kits" are approved. This would not only be for the US market, but overseas too, as IndyCar hopes to expand in the coming years to other markets. An IndyCar race just ended after many years of running in Brazil. I suspect that they could have sold thousands of kits to Brazilian fans, especially since Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan were born there. I know I am probably dreaming...but I see a big market for IndyCar kits, especially if produced by a company that is nimble and quick to react to the ever changing market. Thoughts?

FWIW, I like the new '14 Mustang. Looking forward to seeing the new body.

Harry, thank you for sharing these very detailed tips and steps. These tips and tricks are improving my skill set!!!! Sure, I've picked up some neat things here and there on the forum, but your threads have helped more than you can imagine. I know much of this is old hat to you, but I appreciate it very much!!!!

Interesting thread. After reading it, I am both nervous and encouraged to try BMF for the first time.

Very funny!

It is cool to see all the old Christmas pictures.

I'd like to have a discussion about the legalities of aftermarket resin castings and or replacement parts for models. Before you all get your panties in a wad, I am not going into the resin casting business. I know how the process works after watching a few YouTube clips, but I have no plans to ever enter the business. There seems to be the idea that the resin casters, who are producing replacement parts from old models are crossing a line, legally speaking. I'm not sure that is the case, though. If someone is reproducing a patented product, they are in serious jeopardy of a lawsuit. If someone is reproducing a trademarked name, like GM, Chevrolet, Pontiac or Mustang, they are in violation of someone's ownership of the said trademark. If someone is reproducing copyright protected decal sheets, or instructions, they are crossing the line. The same would be true for boxes or box art. As an interesting side note, not everything was copyrighted in the old days, let's say in the 1940's, and if it was, the copyright owner should have kept the appropriate copyright protection in place, and renewed it as needed. Of course, if someone violates "trade dress" in their product or packaging they are in violation of trade law. This is for the company that starts building tractors and paints them green and yellow, which, as everyone knows, is the trade dress of John Deere. Or, if you start an O gauge toy train business, and your packages are orange, blue and white, like those of Lionel, you would be in violation of trade dress. And while I don't know the legalese of this, you could get into some hot water if you started a computer company named "Apples" and used a apple logo with or without a bite in it. But if a resin caster pulls a 427 block out of a vintage kit, and starts casting it for resale, as long as they are not casting it with a Chevrolet logo, are they really in violation of trade law, especially if a long period of time has passed since the kit was issued? I am familiar with postwar Lionel trains, and companies have been reproducing and selling both repair and replacement parts for years and years, and I've never heard of anyone talking about trademark or legal issues with these parts. These are not only screws, but plastic parts that were often broken back in the day, and are unique to that period of Lionel. Reproduction of original train boxes are a different issue, since they feature Lionel's trade dress and trademarked name. Many years ago, I was on a different forum where the reproduction of originally printed material was under discussion, and the vast majority of the forum members believed it was 'morally wrong' and also in violation of trade law. In reality, the original printed work was no longer copyright protected, and hadn't been renewed or maintained by the company since it's original printing in the 1940's. So, when it comes to resin casting, does anyone here know for certain? Again, I'm just looking for a discussion on the topic. I'm not an attorney, and I don't have first hand experience with this, but I am interested in learning!

Andy is an Indianapolis 500 legend. Very sad to hear this news.

I love it! I really like the wash on the engine. Looks very realistic. Can you share what materials you used for the scenery on the diorama base?

First, I thought you were working on a college level project. Second, I shouldn't have encouraged you to cheat. I should have suggested that you find a forum where techs hang out, or have your Gramps take you to a dealership "to talk to the guys". Third, in reality, generally speaking, no one in business really wants to spend time with a student talking about something. Those techs are paid by the job, and time means money. The service managers are paid by what they sell, and again, time is money. I've spent my life in the printing business, and the local vo-tech students would drive me insane at times with projects like yours. I really wanted to help, but the phone would be ringing off the hook, with customers trying to spend big money, a vendor is calling wondering when you will pick up those jobs and wants to be paid, two jobs are late, and a third one is falling apart three minutes before press time (the one that is going to make the next mortgage payment), and a 15 year old is asking "ummm...how much do you make? How much do you sell? And, ummm, can you tell me...wait, I dropped my paper...why I should want to be a graphic designer?" Fourth, no dealership wants to admit that their cars have problems. So, maybe re-craft your questions from real car problems that you've found on the net, and ask a dealership mechanic how he would deal with those problems should they come up. And offering to buy lunch might not be a bad idea either.

I think...that if you wanted to be in the retail hobby shop, you might be able to make it if the rent was right or super cheap. I believe that you'd have to have lines in a variety of things, whether it is trains, dollhouses, crafts, etc. You would have to carry deep stock too. Consumers can be fickle, and if you don't have gloss green Testors on the rack, they might leave and never come back, and then tell all of their friends that your shop "is a waste of time." Carrying deep inventory is going to be expensive. My limited experience in the retail world tells me that that you can never second guess the buying public. You might think that everyone wants 1;24 cars, but 50% of your shoppers might be looking for 1:32 airplanes. I've often wondered if you found a little, itty-bitty one horse small town, where the rent in the old downtown is cheap, rented a place and stocked it DEEP, and really put the word out, in an aggressive way, if a shop couldn't make it. Sure, you are going to have to be spectacular in business, personal, friendly, good prices, pro-active retail setting, free hobby classes, sponsoring clubs, etc., and sell on the net too. I just wonder...as a theory, that if you spent all of your cash on stock for the store shelves, and sold it at a discount level, instead of spending $10,000 a month on rent in a top retail area, if customers wouldn't beat a path to your door in that small town where the rent is $1,000 a month or less. I've seen a number of businesses thrive on this business model/theory in our area.

For clarification, I have PM'ed no one in regards to this topic or thread.

Wow...Just WOW!!! Thank you for capturing some of the buildings of a bygone era. It is so common to see prewar buildings...but the Clark station and the Fotomat are creative and stunning!!! Are you a professional builder? Your work should be saved in the Smithsonian, not only because they capture a glimpse of past America, but because your work is simply stunning. Ever heard of the Henry O. Studley tool chest? Your work is on par with that, even though it is a different genre.