clovis

I ebay for a living, and honestly, I have to say that I am very pleased with USPS. I cannot believe how fast they are sometimes. I find it amazing that USPS can deliver a priority package from Indiana to California in two days, and put it on the buyers front porch in perfect condition. I've had a few packages show up on my porch with the contents broken, but each and every time, the seller was trying to save 85 cents by cramming the item into a tiny box without any padding. It is quite amazing that anyone would take a 75 year old Lionel train engine and jam it into a box that was too small (with the ends of the box bowed out because the engine was too long) and expect it to be delivered without any damage whatsoever.

I am a frequent visitor to the BBF, and it generally the second place I look at on this forum. I believe I have picked up more tips... and my model skills have improved the most...from the BB forum.

I thought that I was the only person in the whole state that thought that way!!!

Around here, the NFL, the Colts and the city decided we needed a new sports stadium. The stadium that was built in 1980-something, which was to be the answer for the ages, was no longer a useful place. They started taxing everything under the sun. They added a "value" restaurant tax to every meal served in central Indiana. All warm carry out food, like fried chicken at the grocery also had the tax added. Okay, I realize that we are the weird and abnormal people, but we pretty much quit eating out at sit down restaurants when that tax was enacted. It was fun eating out with my folks and friends every weekend night, but we also realized, at the time, that we shouldn't have been eating out as often as we were. The stadium tax was the straw that broke the camel's back for us...even though it was just pocket change...we all got sick of paying 20% gratuity, and another (almost) 10% in tax. Our tabs went up less than $1 per person, but that was enough, at least for us. And yes, once again, I realize that we are the odd people of the world. In reality, I believe it was just the thought of being taxed on a stadium that we were already opposed to. I wish the city of Indianapolis would build me a building, and do everything that they could to make my business profitable and easy to run. Isn't it funny, like you said, the big estimations that they proposed with the new stadium tax didn't even come close to their expectations??

The largest majority of central Indiana, outside of Indianapolis, is run by a one party system. Let me tell you, nobody wins. BTW, our county tried to levy a wheel tax a few years ago. Everyone in the county would have had to pay it, but the biggest kicker is that they wanted people who lived in another county, but worked in our county, to pay it too. The idea was to levy it as an annual payroll tax on all employees!! Why not tax someone who has no vote?!?!?!?! Thankfully, it failed...at least until the tax-and-spend politicians can figure out another way to push it through.

The Beach Boys' Little Deuce Coupe was based on a real car too. IIRC, Brian Wilson wrote the lyrics after seeing the car on the cover of a magazine. The car on the cover of the Beach Boys album is the actual car, which was hunted down for a photo shoot after the song was written. That Little Deuce Coupe is still in existence, and I believe it is owned by the son of the guy who built it. The son loans it out for museums.

Interesting comparison of state fuel taxes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_taxes_in_the_United_States

With all the talk of electric and hybrid cars, how do you think the states and federal government will tax us when the majority of cars sold are either hybrids or total electric? It seems to me, that there will be a day that there will be a significant drop in fuel tax revenues should electric and or hybrid cars take over the marketplace. Thoughts???

The same thing happened here a few years ago. I've been paying big bucks over the past 20 years for what I was told to be premium coverage...until Safeco bought the insurance company that I had been dealing with for years. Everyone in town got a new roof, siding, gutters, windows, etc. I have never been jacked around so much in my life. Safeco skinned me hard on the roof, and after fighting with them for months, they finally paid up on the siding. I have given Safeco my last check. If they jacked me around this bad on a roof and siding, I'd hate to think how bad it would be if I had a total loss.

Jim, I did not make it to Meijer today. I will check the next time I am in a Meijer, and will try to remember to check Kroger too.

LOL...now that is funny!

Wow...$50K for a show animal? I was dizzy when I heard $25K and $30K.

Very interesting. Show animals are insane here, so I can't imagine what it is like in Texas. Two years ago, the Grand Champ steer at our fair supposedly was bought out of KS for $20,000. There are some big money players in that world, and a $20,000 steer proves that. The biggest thrill though, is when a local kid, from a working family, that might not have two nickels to rub together, drags in a crossbred something-or-another, enters it, and wins the whole thing in their category, even against the big money entries. I have two separate cousins who did that in two different years, and it was fun to see them win big.

Our fathers are very similar in that regard, Tom.

I don't know, Harry. I see your point. But at the same time, if you drop big bucks on coaching of any type, aren't you doing nothing but enabling the kid to reach their potential, just like coaching a build? A parent can't play a few keys while the kid is on stage, but can the parent really say "my kid did it all on his own", after they spent $10,000 on music lessons???? I've never been to a model show or contest, so I don't know about the builds, rules, etc. But like I mentioned before, the "daddy-built" models get weeded out VERY quickly at our county fair. Judges ask questions like 1. "How did you attach the windshield without getting any glue on it?" 2. "What was the hardest part about this kit?" 3. "I see that you weathered the body. Explain how you did that." 4. "What brand of paint did you use? Did you like how it covered?" 5. "What was the one thing about this kit that you could have improved upon?" if you answer "I dunno" too many times, your project is likely to get awarded a white ribbon, which is embarrassingly bad. ETA: So a parent can't get on stage and play a few keys, but I can't stand in front of a judge and answer questions about the build, either.

It seems to be the new thing...hire some coaches to make your kid be a better player. I'm not sure about LL, but it is true for the girl's softball league in our area. Those parents are spending serious money to teach their kid to play better ball. A few years ago, we thought it might be good for our daughter to play some ball. It would have cost $450 just to sign up. Hiring batting, pitching, and fielding coaches were not asked of the parents, they were EXPECTED. After hearing all of that, I was done, but I really, really, really drew the line when they mailed us the standard form letter going out to all parents, expecting us to NEVER miss a game, always get a hotel room, even for games less than 50 miles away, to be at ALL practices, etc. These were 2nd and 3rd grade kids, mind you. What ever happened to the $10 registration fee and someone's dad volunteering to be the coach, where we all gathered to throw a ball around the field once or twice a week?

I coached and guided my daughter on her recent 4-H build. I was able to steer her and teach her about every step of the build, including assembly, gluing, painting a faux rust finish, the salt method, and final paint. She won a reserve grand champion for her efforts. But, I'll tell ya, there are some weird double standards in our society about model building. Let me explain: The 4-H program in our county has been very active, at least as long as I can remember. When it comes to entering projects in the fair, competition in many categories can reach epic levels, and might make some Olympic sports look like child's play. The more I talk with people, especially those outside the 4-H world, they are adamant that each 4-H kid should not be helped one iota with building a model, or sewing a quilt. So, it is okay that a parent enrolls their kid into baseball, or any sport, pays $600 and up in fees, buys two or three very expensive baseball bats at the cost of $300 each, buys $300 worth of cleats, a mitt and a helmet, hires a weight lifting coach for M/W/F, hires a batting coach for T/T/S, a pitching coach for Sunday and Monday, drives them across three or more states entering tournaments, and then spends thousands of dollars sending them to clinics and camps throughout the summer, not to mention rental time at batting cages, and the time they spend sitting in the dugout with their kid "to keep them cool so they won't lose focus on the game or blow their top"...everything is cool, "because their kid is doing it for himself without any aid, whatsoever." But if I buy my kid a model car kit for Christmas, with the promise that I will "help" her build it...I am dead wrong. My definition of 'helping' is really about teaching, guiding, and coaching, without ever really touching the model. If I had a dollar for every time that I said something like "You gotta keep the can moving. If you don't keep it moving...or if you have it too close, you are going to glob the paint, and it will cause runs", I would probably be rich by now. Don't get me wrong. There were a few things that I did to the model that she didn't do, like engineering around a severe wheel-to-chassis problem we had with the vintage kit. Once I had that figured out, I instructed her where to cut with the Dremel, and how to glue it up to the axles. I did glue up the truck bed because I didn't think she could get it square enough, and I didn't want her gluing her fingers together with super glue. As well, the judges in our county typically ask very pointed questions about the builds, which weeds out the "daddy-built" models very quickly. Many of those entries get relegated to a back shelf, never to be looked at again by a judge. It is just weird, if you ask me. In our society, if you spend $10,000 on music lessons, or the same for keeping your kid active in a sport, it is acceptable, but if you sit down at the kitchen table and have real conversations with your kid while they build a difficult vintage model, and encourage their love of model building through coaching, teaching and guiding, both you and the kid are cheating.

I will check. I may be in a Meijer store in the morning.

One year, when I was just a lad, my mom saved every green stamp she could get her hands on, and purchased my entire Christmas from the Green Stamp toy catalog. Most people might think that was a bad thing...but it was a wonderful Christmas. You could get some cool stuff back then.

I am at a Meijer store at least 2 a week on average. I can help you out if need be. I also ship stuff out daily, so boxing it up and getting it out would be a cinch.

And if that ain't enough to flip your lid, there is one more thing, I've got the pink slip, daddy.

Wow! Not that it matters to anyone, but I ordered the kits, expecting them to be here on Tuesday. They showed up today! I would have spent an hour's drive time if I would have bought locally. I believe that I bought the kits from a LHS, a mom and pop owned place...it just isn't local to me!

I think that the sticker price is what killed the Prowler. All during the concept and pre-production stages, the Prowler was spun to the media as an all new two seat sports car that everyone could afford. I vividly remember reading that a Prowler would cost $14,000 to $17,000, depending on how it was optioned. Original reports were that the Prowler was to be a mass produced car and built on a standard production line, or at least that is what Chrysler said when it introduced the concept car. I was young and single, and was very excited about the upcoming Prowler. Even a guy like me could be cool driving around in an affordable car. Chrysler did, in fact, drive a bunch of potential buyers to their showrooms. I was one of them. Instead of creating a new Chrysler customer, excited about a new car, I left the showroom TICKED OFF. By that time, the word was that the Prowler would cost about $22,000. Still a doable deal for me. But when I saw the actual sticker, which was almost $40,000, not including the dealer add-ons and an extra $5,000 dealer surcharge, making the car somewhere around $47,000 or $48,000, I felt lead on and betrayed. Had Chrysler built the Prowler as an affordable car for the masses, and priced it as such, I don't think they could have built enough of them to satisfy demand. Of course, it wouldn't have been a hand built, high horsepower car. I haven't stepped foot into a Chrysler dealer in years, but I often think about that when I see a Chrysler brand dealer. I know that all the car makers play the same game; GM did it with both the new Camaro and the Volt, and Ford played the game with one of the Mustangs, as well as the new T-bird.

One of my favorite smells is fresh cut hay. Now if we are talking about smells that you would never mention to anyone else, especially your friends, mostly because they would think that you are a freak from outer space and high on crack... I love the smell of a post war Lionel steam engine. I'm sure it is the oil, mixed in with 60 year old steel, but I love that smell.

FWIW, if anyone cares, I just ordered the kits from a seller on ebay. I not only bought two kits, I bought a third one as well. I like this seller on ebay. I have already received a thank you email, and two other ebay generated emails about the shipping. I'm not real sure that I've ever heard the words "thank you" spoken at the brick and mortar store when I wanted to purchase these items. These were not cheap kits. In fact, they were a bit pricey. Would have liked to have dealt locally, but I got tired of jacking with the whole ordeal. Instead of waiting "a week to ten days", the kits should be on my front porch sometime Tuesday.