FloridaBoy

Here is the old geezer, again, guys, The subject I want to address now is the subject of one person touching or handling another's work. Just how many times do you see cars sitting innocently at a contest table, loaded with "Do Not Touch" signs and some jamoke just has to pick a car up and look under it or open up the hood to look at the engine. With some specific examples, of my life in model cars, I hope you learn from my many defeats and few triumphs. I have over the years been affiliated with contests and clubs since 1961, and known a ton of people, and believe me, it is not only children who have the uncontrollable urge to handle someone else's car. After all, you have your own, and you know how to handle them, so it is OK. right? Wrong!!!! The rule is if you do not have specific or implied permission to touch or handle a car, Don't!!! My own worst example was to one of my Pactra winners, my full custom sectioned 62 Ford Galaxie Convertible. After I won the contest in Ft. Lauderdale, the hobby shop owner took a string wrapped it around the car and tied the doors shut, although they were not easily opened, they would've stayed shut for the trip. He meant well, but when my car came back, I got a note from judges that a flaw was noted on the finish caused by the string. Nevertheless it was photoed out in Cal and featured in CarModel magazine, and there was the string indentures on the doors. It took 3 months to get the whole thing sanded down and repainted. Another experience, Wayne Stevens a Salt Lake winner entered his beautiful 48 Chev Galaxie custom in our contest after he moved here. It was beautiful, yet a contestant from another county just had to see how the doors worked, and boom the door fell off. Since the handler was over 300#, it could be assumed that the handling was anything other than delicate. or considerate. The only implied permission is that judges should be allowed to handle cars when judging them. But when I do, at the registration table, I ask those guys who are entering funny cars, tilt front ends, working doors, hoods, and trunks, removable stuff, as to how to handle it. Would you believe that several contestants tell me not to handle their cars? So I give them zero for detailing if I can't see the underbody chassis or if the hood covers the motor. I have never broken a car when judging. But I learned that lesson the hard way. One night I had about 10 guys, or should I say 9 guys and 1 jerk over and we worked on our cars for an upcoming contest. The jerk bought a bunch of models from me, and as a courtesy I carried 6 of them out to his car. The jerk put his dragster (no box) right on top of the boxes and I had to balance myself past tree roots, bushes, inbetween cars, and a fellow member opened the door for me. The jerk was carrying the other kits behind me, and when the rear doors were opened the prevailing breeze passed through the rear of the car, and blew the dragster on to the ground, breaking the front wheel off the axle. I will never forget the look on his face, and he was ultra fussy to begin with. From that point on, he always demanded when his cars were judged we all wear gloves when handling his precious cars. I didn't wear the gloves, but I also didn't bother to handle his cars, either. In a contest there is an implied agreement between the contestant and all judges to exercise great care in handling cars. I tell them I use optivision goggles, a pencil to probe or open things, and at all times I keep the car as close to the table surface as possible. One guy even warned me his beautiful 66 Nova body wasn't secured to the frame, so if one picked it up, the frame was left on the table. Or some guys down here will cut a trunk out and not hinge it, or glue doors in open position, and considering the ease it takes to make a hinge and amount of seminars or just on hand demos, or freebies I gave out, people still wont hinge an opening feature. When Augie Hiscano and Pat Covert in 94 showed me their work, they invited me to handle the cars and they were sturdy, and the paint finish was strong. I took the hint at my own cars from them. My cars can withstand handling, but there are way too many jerks around here, so I impart the "no touch" rule. If you are a regular attendee or a casual friend, no matter how laid back that person is, that car is an expression of his work, technique, time, effort, money and creativity, and just think how lousy you would feel if you snapped an axle or smudged something, or broke a door or trunk. Ask the owner to show it to you. Have a contest official replace the car back on the table, and if you do not have permission, do not handle someone else's stuff. I am a very laid back person, but in my first marriage, my housework Type A fussy wife took my Pactra winner car out of its glass display on the entertainment center, dusted it, then dropped it and used Pledge on it, ruining my Candy Sapphire Blue paint job. Our marriage was defined always by her getting mad at me for something, but this time I hit the ceiling, and years later, in divorce court, when the judge banged the gavel, I thought to myself, "My cars are finally safe". I also should have taken into consideration my trains, but that is another story for another forum. I hope through all this, you realize there is a message in there somewhere. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Bobss What a beaut!!!!! I am an ummitigated lover of the 1940 Ford Coupe, both the AMT and Revell. I have built over 100 of them in my life, and my first one was off the 1960 production run. I still have because I revere this model so well, and original AMT 40 Ford coupe kit still on the sprues intact. I always felt as long as I have one forty, I always have something to do, as the model hiatus in the seventies really scared me about availabiltiy. Now about your model. You captured the feeling of the forty extremely well. If I had a color chart I probably would have never selected that brown shade but it is very beautiful. I also noticed you took the trouble to erase all of the molded on firewall stuff, added your own components and detailing, which is extremely effective. It is also very clean which enhances the forty as well. I sure don't know why it didn't place, for if it survives the picture, it is certainly better in person. Way to go. As for the judging comments, if anyone wants a copy of my 10 point system please PM me, and I will send you a copy for about every category. Guarenteed to eliminate second guessing and comments and questions of judging. It is based on a total 100 points per car, with 10 or more or less points for each category, workmanship, finish, attention to detail, and one category for wow factor for the judge. You got a 10 wow factor on this forty from me, Bob. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Mark, Thanks for your apology, and your comments. I appreciate your sense of history and since I don't know you, I took your comments as other than humorous or tongue in cheek. As I said before, I can see the allure of computers and video games and arcades have over hand created hobbies. Even the model railroading hobby is downdrafter here, and since I have played at both, I think the main allure is that video games offer several "mini-grats" along the way, like recognizing accomplishing for finishing a level, opening a door, or conquering an unconquerable hero. I can remember my son at age 5 struggling with Mario Brothers, recruiting others in the neighborhood, even struggling to read "short cut books" and his moods reflected his success at performing each level. Our hobby really doesn't give a grat until the end, with the result, and possibly another one with the comment from a friend, a ribbon or a trophy, or even lo and behold, recognition in a magazine or forum. It has takem me plenty of years to realize what I consider the essence I have been trying to achieve in many years, which is the satisfaction achieved by improving the look of an existing car. I could care less about those petty comments I sometimes hear as my cars reflect the old times, etc, I build what I like, and that gives me total satisfaction. Mark, I also want to let all know I have been struggling with coping with details and aftermarket stuff. My first benchmark car which won 3 Pactra trophies and the contests throughout the City of Hollywood and Ft. Lauderdale was a sectioned 50 Ford Convertible which I detailed with thread, guesses where hoses went, why they existed, but it sure looked good. I am now taking those very cars which have the body work intact, repainting them, and detailing them with current stuff. I am getting there, but if I went completely detailed on every car, my underhood would be nothing but hose, wire, and clamps, and the engine couldn't be seen, so I am carefullyl editing what I do to retain integrity of a car yet keep it looking good. Again, thanks for your comments, I consider you a friend, and a real gentleman. Yes, getting old is rotten, even my daughter teases me about being a dinosaur sometimes when I struggle with new technology and I am probably too sensitive about it. I live in a retirement community and have nothing in common with these folks except the community mows my lawn and cares for the exterior of my place. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Quote: Bluesman Mark This has continued over the past several years, as times & interests change, the appeal of building a model has waned dramatically for most in the younger age brackets. I know we have several younger builders here, & I think that's great & I certainly hope it continues. They are the future of the hobby & us "old farts" sitting around grousing about video games isn't going to get more people involved in modeling. Response: I sure don't want to get involved in any flame war, Mark, but I always thought I treated you, your posts, your replies and your work with support, dignity and respect. I sure do not appreciate being referred to as an "old fart" lamenting about kids being obsessed with video games. First, go back and read my post and read your reply. I stated the I preferred model car building to video games. I think you read too far into what I was saying...... I have a 20 year old son and an 18 year old daughter, and I was their Dad, deeply involved in whatever they did. My son and daughter both are well equipped with all of the toys, playstation, xbox, all the hand held stuff, from day one. I was one of those parents at 4am waiting outside WalMart to get a new Playstation 64 years ago, in the cold and rain. I understand the allure that video games have as I spent many waking hour with them trying to conquer a stage or open a door or fight a warrior or monster, with both of them. But I also tried to inspire them to work with their hands, and both are accomplished artists, poets and authors, and my son still builds a model car here and there for himself. My daughter shares her art with me, as that is another interest. I am proud my son was selected by the illustrator of Batman comics to be his assistant for the Summer Art program at the Boca Cartoon Museum. I tried to show them life is more than just video games or model cars or basketball or cheerleading. But we need to outreach beyond our families. "Hoping it continues" is passive; doing something about it is what is needed. When I came back to the hobby, many people considered me a pioneer or legend, (right....lol) Over the years I tried to use this role to mentor kids at contests, and before my retirement, conducted model car and other modeling seminars on Saturday mornings at Michael's, had open house Saturday mornings at my garage workshop with both trains and cars, display my trophy winning cars at contests, and often give seminars at car shows. Additionally, at some car shows i set up an easel and airbrushed sweatshirts and t shirts with my version of old Roth creations. I would hardly consider myself an "old fart". You made some valid points in your post, but back then all wasn't roses with the muscle car generation. Hot rodding, drag racing and other related activities were not as accepted or integrated into society then as they are now. Consider Discovery and Learning Channel's Overhaulin, Pinks, American Chopper, American Hot Rod, MTV's and Speed Channel's hot rod and classic shows, the popularity locally here and on TV of the classic auto auctions, and the exhorbitant prices of cars sold there. I believe today is the heyday of performance autos. NASCAR, Drag Cars, Street Rods, Customs, are at an all time high, and that goes back 10 years. Go to a contest and watch the contestants rip each other's cars or engage in critiques, either in front of the person or behind their back. We have one total idiot in my area who actually criticized Augie Hiscano's work, ripped his Pactra and Salt Lake winners and it got back to Augie. And this guy ran a club for many years, no wonder why morale is so low here. That is how bad it gets internally. If people realized the damage they were doing to the hobby, to further their own ego or self interest, would they act differently if they knew the damage they were causing? When my favorite car, the Cushenberry 40 Ford Matador was being restored in 94, I asked a bunch of my son's friends up for a day of sanding and applying bondo in West Palm Beach, driving them up and treated them to pizza afterwards. They didn't last long, but they all still to today let me know what a great day that was. I am a very positive person, and treat the situation by not attacking the person, but attacking the act, and I will let you know that name calling on this forum is not acceptable to me. I have been through the roughest time in this hobby, when it was at an all time low, and out of sync, in the late sixties and early seventies, and there were few kits on the shelves and those that were didn't appeal to me. Floral box art was the swan song for many years for me. Now, I sort of outreach to inspire interest of the youth partly for selfish purposesy, as I was darn miserable toward the hobby during that period, and missed doing what I do, and was elated in the mid eighties when it came back. I just don't want that to happen again. I am willing to give my energy, brains, or enthusiasm or other any resources I can come up with to inspire young'uns to keep up the hobby line. God knows how much I dread the alternative. Just pick up the very last issue of Model Car Science Magazine and you will see why. PS I like Pinto's too, check out Johann's Mickey Thompson Titanium Pinto - probably the best funny car kit of its time....or rhw Maverick or Comet with the big honker 427. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

My first car "built" was a dealer demo my Dad got when buying a Pontiac in the early fifties. It was a 1/25 scale AMT 1952 Pointiac 4 door sedan in this absolute horrible looking dark turquoise acetate. Now you guys are going to salivate what mods I made to this car under the supervision of my Uncle Bob, 5 years older than me. I was 5. First, I took some masking tape and cut out skirts for it. Uncle Bob cut out turnpike type skirts for his, going very fancy. Then we pirated some fingernail polish from Grandma, and painted flames to resemble the flame jobs we saw on hot rod 48 Fords at Sunday picnics at the Pymatuning Dam, then took Grandma's hat pins, heated them on the stove, and melted and mounted them right on the frnot fender. Uncle Bob had some blue paint and dobbed blue dots on each set of taillights. We were hot!!!!! Then we got into Highway Pioneers, then Revell 1/32 kits, Geeshh I miss that 56 Buick. When I went to elementary school, my first grade teacher made a big fuss that I could color so well inside the lines......heck, if she only knew I was painting flames on cars at home, this was chicken feed work. We moved to Florida in 56, and I didn't pursue model cars, first, because my mentor Uncle Bob was still back in Sharpsville, and second there was nothing to build, and toy and hobby shops were just not stocked, as back in the fifties, even Ft. Lauderdale was crude and primitive before the Building Booms. When AMT came out in 58 with their 3 in 1 kits, I went ballistic, and spent all of my lawn mowing money and allowance and chore money on these $1,49 wonders. I bought the whole line except the Imperial (who customed Imperials back then?), Mostly I built the Pontiac, Chevy, Corvette, Ford and Buick, and if I had the money in my pocket, I would buy whatever else was in stock. Those were some incredible days. All enthusiasm no paint, no supplies, no magazines, no guidance, no contests and only few friends joined my hobby, then we got competitive and that is when we all improved. I know with AMT on the skids right now, Johan is gone, Lindberg is dormant, things look bleak which we should look at our hobby now versus 10 years ago, and appreciate what we have and support our hobby. It needs to grow, as the alternative for our youth are video games. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

As an old guy who is getting melancholic at 61, I am going to take a billion pictures of this car before I start to whack it up. The thoughts going through my mind by leaving in its original state are just history, but my version of history is "I was there" and have other thoughts about when history was most important to me, and that occurs right around the first Pactra Revell contest which Richard Johnson won with the Pegasus (remember it?) So, after the photo opportunity, lol, I will start it and post progress on fotki.com. You can see my other work as of Monday as I will be posting my project in progress cars. Contests are irrelevenant to me, as one respondent so aptly put, "the car will talk to you" and it does indeed tell you when it is done. BTW, I just found some pictures of me posing with my absolute favorite car ever customized, Bill Cushenberry's 1940 Ford "Matador" which was fully restored (with my unpaid volunteer help - heck I would have paid Murphy to work on it) and returned to its original condition with some improvements, such as making the hood and trunk liftable, and changing the reel to reel tape recorder to a CD player. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Kevin, Take the break and all the time you need. I have been through may haitus and always came back. I've taken breaks becaue my style was out of style, marriages failing, marriages brewing, moving, educational and sports pursuits, other interests, ermajor events, total disarray in my work area, stalled projets for little obstacles, the hobby got real sparse (1970), I often wondered myself what is this worth. What it amounts to is your sense of creativity, and I feel it is not like a faucet you can turn on and off. Sometimes it requires mood and inspiration, and that borderline between outright madness in building, and being turned off is very thin. Go through with it, stay in remote contact with the hobby, (visit hobby shops, contests, shows, car shows, etc) and you will build when you feel like it. Looking back at my life, I have had a very rich life and there was so much, I struggled to cram everything in, so you emphasize some and de-prioritize others, but you are a model car builder, and it will come back to you or vice versa. You will know when. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

So far, what the #1 plan is to make the '59 a radical custom, which is what I spent the monry originally for. I like the '59 Ford, more than the 57 or 58, and hae an extra 57 ready to donor another '59. I just read a model cars from 2006 where Revell issued a 59 Crestliner with the convertible/hard top and do not like that but the 59 body looks OK. So, the plan is to hear the input from you guys, meantime searching for that Revell Crestliner to build it stock, and I read the review and will swap out the inner guts with the 57 for that. If the Revell has a one piece body or can be glued and reinforced enough to make a good sectionable one piece body then I will try to preserve the AMT, not cut it, and go custom on the Revell. Did I confuse anyone? I did me. IF both plans work out, I would end up with a pretty good factory stock '59, and an all out custom '59. The custom '59 was oringally built and mocked up, which I plan to replicate as follows: 3" section, opening trunk with homebuilt hinges, 57 Ford interior and frame, re-mounted engine to accommodate the lowered body stance, use of Revell parts 427 side oiler motor with fuel injection. I fabricated and kitbashed the fuel injection system with a manifold from the El Camino, and short stacks made from brass ferrules. I probably would make new headlights to be like today's lenses, rear tailights the same using old hubcabs turned inside out for the big round light bezels, and translucent and clear plastic for the lights. Rolled pans front and rear, an interior that is detail painted, steering wheel/column from aftermarket, and topped with a pearl white paint job. That is my dream plan for this......As for wheels I want to go with bigger wheels and low profile tires, with the inner spokes painted white to match the body. The "trim" color will either be dark red or normal blue (floor rugs, dashboard, etc). My newest thing is adding body side moldings after sectioning, and look for a two tone paint line, but still undecided there. This model will take awhile. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

When I was a little boy in Sharpsville, PA, the town had a Veteran's Day Parade which started "downtown" and ended up at a park next to my home when there was a picnic and speeches, and next to the Cemetery where they laid wreaths on Veteran's gravesites. Since Mom and Dad were solid in this small town, they dolled up my bike with red white and blue crepe paper and let me lead the kids on the bicycle part of the parade. With my Dad helping me decorate my bike and trying to explain what it was all about, and why I should be grateful, he got the message through. At 18, I was classed I-Y, as I had pterygiums in my eyes. I donated some of my time during the VietNam war visiting former armed forces guys in the hospital either reading them or trying to keep them up to date on what was happening in Ft. Lauderdale. Ever since then, I have worked in government service, and made sure that we had some recognition of November 11, and that the flags flying over City buildings were in good condition. My zeal led to our Congressional Representative to have flags sent to us that once flew over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC. The disappointment was that our Congressman told me that I was the only one who wanted them for their buildings in Broward County. Whatever I did or thought of wasn't enough considering the sacrifice that some made, those who died protecting this country, or lost a limb or sensory organ, or even their sanity. No matter how screwed you think you are by this country, culture, society, or people, there just isn't anyone better than this one, although flawed at times, and we should give a little thanks everyday to those we take for granted. I listened to Sen. John McCain who related a story about his cell mate in N. VietNam, Michael Christian, who stitched American Flags on the inside of his prison jersey and led a Pledge of Allegiance daily, and for the beatings he endured yet he prevailed. That moved me greatly, and that seven year old little kid watching those wreaths placed in 1955 just hit deep all again. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

First, let me fill you in with just a little background, in a nutshell....... In the sixties, AMT offered a "Craftsman" series of old and promo models w/o engines and had crude interiors. I bought just one kit, a 59 Ford Galaxie 2dr HT, and I was really into sectioning and customizing then. really into it. I radically sectioned it, but had problems with the interior, and figuring out what to do with the front, so it sat dormant and survived through many moves and transitions in my life. Then in 94, I was recovering from surgery, and went rummaging through my old projects and found the '59, and completely refurbished it, using a 57 Ford as a donor kit, opened the hood and trunk, used the interior, and fabricated front and rear rolled pans and a custom grille and headlights from a 50 Ford. Then while the primer was drying, I had to go for follow up surgery, and while gone, my wife "did me a favor" and cleaned out the garage, and inadvertently tossed out several of my favorite projects one of which was my 59 Ford. Although not a cause for our divorce, her unthinking act did prevent me from sorrow when we split, and I have always felt the void since. Freeze frame to last year. At a swap meet, a vendor had a completely built, original AMT 3in1 59 Galaxie which was in the style we built back then using all of the parts from the kit, scallops, roll bar, racing decals, mfr decals, skirts, spotlights, continental kit, and so on, and not painted. I purchase it and a donor 57 Ford kit in which the body was mangled but every other part was intact. My original intention was to re-build the project, but really can't bring myself slicing up some history. My options are: 1. Take down the kit, strip it, and turn it into the sectioned, detailed model I originally intended. 2. Leave it the way it is and display it as a sample from history. AFter all I think I built one exactly like this at age 11. 3. Strip it, sand it, remove the clutter, and restore it with a nice paint job and street side factory stock. 4. Same as 3 only mildly customize it. 5. Strip it and repaint it, details from the 57, and make it a factory stock. I am still leaning to #1, but want to hear your opinion, or other options. Note, it will not be turned into a drag racer. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

If any of Bob's cars went to the Model Car Builders Museum in Salt Lake City, run by Mark Gustavson, I feel truly humbled and honored that one of my cars is in such good company. I know Dave Shuklis's stuff is there as are some other builders as well, but to add Bob's stuff just makes if feel more special. One of my favorite cars was donated to the museum a couple of years ago, at the urging of both Bob Kuronow and Augie, which was an honor in itself. It was a dual Pactra I winner, and featured in an archaic CarModel magazine. At first, I was hesitant to part with it, as it was a unique car. A sectioned 62 Ford Convertible, painted Candy Red with Candy Gold fogged on top, with new headlights, rolled pans, restyled and working doors, and the "60's state of the art" interior, thread wiring, and chrome engine. But I figured, what good is it doing in a box or on my display shelf, as opposed to sharing history with other fine cars, even though mine is pale in comparison. What is noted that the Pactra Candy Paint I applied in 1962 was still smooth, shiny, and intact no ripples after 43 years, and I still have 2 more from then painted with 60's era paint from the rattle can and not marred or aged in any way!!!! I have a 49 Merc painted with today's stuff in '94 and it is already bleeding through despite coats and coats of primer, sealer and base coat. Now I am painting just about everything with Duplicolor resprayed from an airbrush. The pioneer cars from the "Golden Age" is a valuable source of inspiration (it sure was to me) and information. I know Bob restored many damaged but famous cars from back then to beautiful perfection. The other thing I will never forget is his last chopped 49 Merc with the slanted B pillars. I know you're showing people how to build in Heaven, Bob!!!!!! Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

ddon, Welcome back. We are all pretty much in the same boat. I think many of us were around when the hobby tanked in the early seventies, and now we are pursuing an improved state of the art, which is fun. What makes it fun as in the old days it took so long to get things right, because the tools were much cruder, paint was not as prevalent, putty was rough to say the least, raw materials were just not available (can you imagine a world without Plastruct?), and glue, there was only Testors from the tube.....now I have a model where I used at least 5 different adhesives, and two kinds of putty. Discovering those new products and appraoches, and it actually takes less time to make a better model. The other thing is aftermarket supplies. You can get replacement bodies, frames, engines, interiors, engine detailing and plumbing, fixtures, grilles, taillights. logos, all to enhance a model. Remember when we used to use real leather, corduroy, and cloth? or use mom's sewing machine thread for spark plug wires, those days are long gone, and there are new products out there that look much more realistic....... Now to the finish, back in the days, we all were hot with Pactra candies, metallics, pearls, and no clearcoat, now all models are "cleared" and polished. Welcome back, and remember to build on your own, and progress at your own speed, and have fun working with your model.....that is what this hobby is all about. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Peter, I am a father of two myself. I would not want to be publicly embarassed if it were me, so what I did is "take a break" and saw the dad and asked him to take a breather out front of the buiilding with me. I confronted him privately. He went ballistic and erupted and basically acted like a baby publicly. Inbetween the seminar and the auction, he was ranting and mumbling trying to create an incident, but by then word had gotten out, and his son was truly embarassed. Everyone was laughing at him and saying he got what he deserved. He probably aroused more ire because he had a noxious personality to boot. I was embarassed for the kid, but had zero compassion for the father by that time. Both the father and son's cars have since been featured in both scale magazines, so it appears the father never learned by being busted. He credits the kid with the work. His actions are still a topic of conversation, and neither he nor the son have been seen at any contest in Florida for the past 3 years. torinobradley, With regard to the Riddler awards, it seems to me to be a builders contest and not an owner's contest. Who owns each car is incidental, and both of them receive the award. Most of the time, cars are built for owners who foot the labor and material bill, and enjoy the show circuit and mag coverage afterwards.I learned that as one contender for the Oakland Roadster Show was built by Coddington and owned by a local construction company owner. It is somewhat unusual that homebody builders are pitted against professional builders, like Foose, Coddington, and others, but that is what I am interested in seeing. Not who owned it but who designed and built it. Overview and Lamentation I think schools are partially to blame. I had a running feud with my kid's elementary school, and yes I will name it, Hammock Pointe, in Boca Raton, Fl whose teachers assigned projects of basic near impossibilities at exactly the wrong times. I worked for the home office of the School District, and even took some of the assignments, which were way beyond reasonable expectation of any child grade 1 thru 5, especially scenicked dioramas, working solar systems from scratch, composing new lyrics around a theme for existing songs, or building a mechanical working robot from scratch. Boca being a rich town (I am not) it was quite obvious that parents either did the work, as I did, or farmed it out, and where does that leave the child? But even worse, it teaches children not to do things for themselves but to have it done, if a grade determines it. You should have seen the results, and I came forth, as I made my children take a very active part in the project, but most parents and children actually fabricated who actually did the project. I took an active part in all projects because I did not want my children to face the music even if they were overwhelmed. For me, as I tried to teach the children, the fun is in the working with the hands and tools and fun working as a family unit. Except one time a spinster and frustrated teacher assigned a major project on the Thursday before Super Bowl Sunday and the project was due Monday. She got a snoutful (an ugly snout at that...lol) from me at the next teacher/parent meeting. Unfortunately because of the tenure program in West Palm Beach County, she is still teaching, despite my several complaints to the Ethics and Practices Division in the School System. I know I wasn't alone because the principal told me she got no Christmas presents that year from the children. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Thank you all for validating my determination, and for your support. Maybe I am not as "old school" as I thought. There is a sad epilog to this story. The father went ballistic at our contest, and totally tried to harass me while I was giving a seminar on body work and making hinges for doors and trunks. He also tried to swindle the auction, by winning a 53 Ford Pickup donated by a member, and went outside and tossed the tires in the bushes, then tried to call fraud on the auction. The original owner swore he checked the box before bringing it, and we went outside and found the tires in the bushes, and of course when busted, he accused the original owner of fraud. That is when we gave him the tires, allowed him to collect his cars, and leave. The even sadder part was the son's relief when the original incident was over, and when the father went to get lunch, the boy's stuttering was all of a sudden corrected, he laughed for the first time we saw, and the minute good old dad returned, the stuttering returned, and the son's demeanor took a whole different personality. Sort of like scared, or paranoid. The father never learned, as he entered the son's car in a national contest held in a magazine and won the junior category. I advised the organizer but by publishing time, it was way too late. I have always been in this hobby for fun, and as an expression of my creativity, which means I work on my cars when I want, and if I have something finished by contest time (way back then) I entered it, and if nothing was done, I didn't. I took more joy in showing my cars than winning trophies, but have been fortunate enough to have a few to kindle the memories. Good fair tough competition is necessary for the advancement of our hobby, and I encourage every builder to enter contests not to win or get hardware or glory, but to stimulate the inner sense of competition which in turn becomes improvement, plus the exchange of ideas, techniques, approaches, products, supplies, tools, and unique ideas all lead to better built kits and more satisfaction and desire to improve. One of the most rewarding experiences was about a year ago, we conducted a what turned out to be large contest at a MOPAR show, and these 4 teens showed up with their girls, and entered their cars. None won, but a friend and I asked them if they sat down with us for a little while we could give them some tips on improving their work product without criticism. We showed them how to achieve a smooth and shiny finish, body work, detail painting, engine detail, and workmanship using different glues. They attended the next contest and we were there, and they entered showpieces. These kids were vacuums for guidance and support. I value that more than any trophy won in my model building career. I am no hero or prude, but selfishly, I went through one terrible model car hiatus by manufacturers in the late sixties early seventies and do not want to see it ever again. Heck, I do not want to see what happened to Johan happen to AMT, which would also take down other firms, too. We all get so much from this hobby, and feel we should "take care of business". Now off my soapbox and off to lunch. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

I am an old guy who has been around a while, and have a good reputation for fairness and telling the truth, and I don't mean to brag, but it does require time, effort, and sticking to your upbringing, no matter how tempting it is to do otherwise. I have been building for a long time, and probably built or owned or scrounged through almost 80% of the kits ever issued at least once, and do not enter contests anymore except the primer and display tables. I have had my day in the sun, and have long time ago turned the hammer over to younger people. A couple of years ago, my club developed a 10 point, 10 category judging sheet for each category, which I feel is invaluable. I modified it and use it personally when I am asked to judge. I take a copy to each show in case I am asked on site. At a show held awhile ago, I was asked to judge the junior category. There were about 20 entries, and one 57 Chevy Custom stood out, scoring a 90 on my scoresheet, a true rarity. Before the judging, I was told the boy's father built the car for him, and during the judging period, I called the boy aside and asked him. I sort of knew before during the putting down of his car when he knew absolutely nothing about the materials and techniques he used.(he didn't even know the color or if it was done by can or airbrush....hmmmm) But during the judging, his car was so far above the other juniors, and my conscience started stabbing me inside like a Bowie knife. During the judging, I casually asked the boy if he or his dad built the car, and after some questions, the boy admitted he did absolutely nothing, his dad did everything, and all they wanted were trophies, no matter how.. The father saw me questioning the boy and made a scene, accusing me of coercing a confession. We disqualified the boy, and gave the father a warning for future contests, to desist this activity. Junior categories are designed to reward hard work and diligence for the builder, not the "outside contractor" the boy delegates the model to. The father is irate, but still has the son, who by the way is under his spell (very weird) but now avoiding our contest. Oh, yeah, we gave the boy a ribbon for entering his car, as we did other people. So we didn't expel him completely, but he knew it was cheating from our standpoint. Would you have disqualified this boy's car?. What would you do under the circumstances? I do not let anyone work on my cars under any circumstances, and one time was tempted to use a fully built, wired, and plumbed motor in one of my cars, and couldn't do it. It wouldn't have been mine. Sometimes I feel too "old school". Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

In the early eighties, I was much younger, in shape, worked as a City Official in the town next to mine, and very socially active. My wife and I were invited to a costume party, and it was "my turn" to pick out the costumes, and "my" friends, so my idea was to dress up as a professional wrestler, sort of like Macho Man Randy Savage, my wife being Elizabeth, in shorts, tights, cape, long hair wig under a headband, and weird sunglasses. My wife dressed up in a mask and sequinned cocktail dress. I also got hold of a mannequin, which on my entrance to the party, I would blast in, body slam it on the floor, and dive on it for a three count. Then my wife would raise my hand in victory. She preceeded me and put on a tape of the theme song from 2001 A Space Odyssey, titled, "Thus Spake Zarathrustra". I made my entrance and had one whale of a time at the party. On the way home, still in full costume, I get pulled over for a burnt out bulb on my license plate light. When the cop saw me he asked me out of the car, I explained it was a Halloween costume, but skeptical cops don't believe anyone or anything. Then he saw the mannequin in the back seat, and I had to explain that. I got off with a warning because the cop was laughing way too hard, and on the following morning, my boss a City Manager in the neighboring town I worked in called me in and grilled me like a cheeseburger, all a joke. He had me sweating badly, fearing for my job. A little embarassing, and all I wanted to do is win a costume contest. I didn't. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

THDave I have a confession to make. When I saw the title to your thread, I thought to myself, man is this going to be one ugly dog. But just one look, and as a chopper, channeler, sectioner, shortener, lengthener, molder, french headlightser, and any other -----er when it comes to body work for over 40 years. (My first sectioned and molded car was a '40 Ford Coupe in '61), I have to say the following...... THAT IS ONE BOSS LOOKING CAR, ONE SO GOOD THAT I MIGHT DO ONE MYSELF. IT LOOKS INCREDIBLE. WHEN YOU ARE DONE, AND I HAVE SEEN YOUR WORK, THIS WILL BE EVEN BETTER THAN THE 59 CHEV TURBINE AEROCAR THAT WAS ON A COVER OF ANOTHER MAG YEARS AND YEARS AGO. I LIKE IT EVEN MORE THAN BOYD'S GREEN CONVERTIBLE. WAY TO GO. KEN "FLORIDABOY" WILLAMAN

I.m on my third day of my 55 Chev Gasser, the former "BadMan" and thoroughly enjoying it. Thank God for watching American Hot Rod, American Chopper, Overhaulin', Unique Whips, and a host of other TV shows, because I have now added a full "mocking up" to my building agenda. I am glad this time, as I finished the prelim mockup, and built the rear suspension, and found that the rear wheel wells are just way too small to accommodate the slicks. When I looked closer at Monogram's badge under the car, it said "Copyright 1963, and back then it used much thinner slicks. So all they did is added thicker slicks which stick out, but you have to re-cut the rear well radii. Again, I was lucky and got it round and symmetrical the first time, and it fit. It is now completely prefabbed and primered, and drying. Today is a cool dry day in South Florida, so by tomorrow morning the dry weather will have sucked out all of the moisture and it is thoroughly dried. Plus there are no putty marks, sinks, mold marks parting lines, or other imperfections remaining on the primer coat, and all of the home stuff, like the firewall came out OK, and it will be ready for paint, and I will finish the car within in a week. I do not know how much detail I will be adding to the motor, but so far it looks like spark plug wires, fuel lines, accelerator line, battery cables, brake lines and radiator hoses. I found some gauges to attach to the dash, and prefabbed the roll cage. Wow it came out strong and good looking for a first time effort. No bragging, but I was quite scared of tackling new stuff, like the Enterprise going into space where no man (me) has gone before. nyuk nyuk When I put it together for a shot, I will put it in my newly forming album on fotki.com and click a link. Now back to my other contest cars, my "boattail high-boy" 32, my sectioned 40 Ford coupe with gull wing doors, and my sectioned 49 Ford coupe. The 49 is a benchmark model for me, as I am departing from my old easy recognizable style, no chrome, lots of body work, candy colors, rake, etc. This one I installed a new side molding, painting it two tone, solid lime green and pearl white top and trim, tan interior, a Caddy motor with a single 4bbl carb, and steelies with solid white walls. Wish me luck, guys. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

We all know that no one can change the past, only to savor it or regret parts of it. I have been fortunate enough to regret some things but never had a major calamity brought on by my basic ignorance, and believe me, I have my share. But a major regret over my model car building "career" was the somewhat negative way I viewed and ignored Johan. I bought one, and even admired its scale and contents for the state of the art then, but they had the not-so-popular models, like DeSotos, Oldsmobiles, Cadillac Hearses, and in the seventies they started to kick it in with repops of some of their sixties stuff, and new tools for funny cars and drag racers. They had a tremendous Mickey Thompson Titanium Pinto funny car, a very nice Dodge Challenger and a host of many other cars. But me, I was into fat fendered cars at the time, so again, I just didn't buy Johan. I did buy a couple of Johan Pintos in the case I decided to get into funny cars. Then when they went out of business, I heard the outgoing employees were treated badly and some were not paid for their work, chaos reigned supreme, so the departing employees went off with some of the tools, and who knows what has happened since. It is sad that Okie Spaulding couldn't revitalize anything except the Rambler and Turbine car, so I hear. I would have scarfed up those 56 Pontiacs and Oldsmobiles in a moment. If I had it to live over again, I would have purchased enough kits to keep them in business, and I am sure many of us out there feel the same way................now. Unfortunately for all of us, way too late. Good luck Okie, I hope you prosper in the future. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

It's one thing to talk a good game, but all of you guys have displayed the high quality of your work, so those butterflies within us maybe are productive and not just flyin' around. My work room is full of partially completed kits in which my plans were basically met, but met some ridiculous obstacle and stayed static until I figured a way to overcome it. I used up my available space posting photos some time ago, so now, I will create an album to display my work in progress and work completed. It is so amazing I hit that roadblock a couple of hours ago, and left the putty drying on my 55 Chev Gasser. Now all the mockup and fabrication miraculously got done in just a couple of hours, and tomorrow morning it will be primered, fine sanded and by Wednesday painted. My color plan is Duplicolor Coronado Red, which is a slightly dark pearlized red with flakes in it, with silver top and side panels. I practiced on my foiling, and it goes on with those little wrinkles which to me ruins an otherwise beautiful job. So, I have some chrome bottle paint, which I will thin just a little, and mask off with scotch tape the chrome trim, and by hand paint every detail. I have a 000 paintbrush and hopefully by then a steady hand. I am debating on using decals, and probably will use just a couple on the silver side panel before clearcoating and polishing. I am also taking white paint and paint 129 A/G on the rear window. I can't believe that the mechanism I fabricated for the tilt front end ended up first time. What a miracle car. And this is my first drag racer since 1972. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

I'm getting a little old now, and like a riddle, a little more mellow, but still a little more curmudgeonly. I like to think young, but I know I can be culturally way out of touch, as even my models are often quite different than those shown on the other display categories. Gregg, I think you are taking a quite courageous stand on your position and policy of no cussing. I applaud you, and maybe it may lead several people to look at others who use vulgarity to excess to display themselves. I would rather my sense of dignity, pride, and respect for myself and others should be what defines me, and from what I see of the members of this forum, those apply as well. We are bonded by a commonality of loving to build plastic model cars, and we vary in intensity, style, choice and approach, as well as talent, skill level, and creativity, but we are bonded. I haven't seen too much lack of respect to others, and that is why I go to this forum first thing every morning. I know conflict and disagreement can be a part of this forum, but I do everything I can to make it a rare exception, as flame wars are harmful and not productive. Again, Gregg, congratulations and you have my support, and I will endeavor to avoid any cursing even using symbols or substitute words. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

About 12 years ago, I did build a 1/12 scale Lamborghini Countach almost right from the kit on commission for the owner of the local Lambo dealer. I did make a few mods, but they were very minor just to make the model stronger and parts easier to fit. Ken 'FloridaBoy" Willaman

First, down here in South Florida, the local stores and retail outlets always advertised to "come in and lay it away", and I can remember my girlfriend in '65 explained it to me how it was done. I was always terrified that if I laid something away and something happened that prevented me from buying it later, I wouldn't be able to show my face in that store again. The other thing is that I was incredibly easy to purchase for on Christmas, holidays, and birthdays, all I really got a lot of joy out of was a model car, model train or something easy and cheap. My first wife never used lay away because she was an incredible saver, and she always believed to only purchase something when and if you had the money. I always thought that was the way. Then ny second wife used lay away very cautiously for special hard to get toys and games for the kids, but again, I was terrified to leave the merchandise in the store. What if someone claimed the same toy in lay away and left a broken one for me? Last, I probably couldn't remember where I would have left stuff if I used the service anyway. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

Y'know, I was reading an old mag with contest cars, and many of them were built in a couple of weeks right out of the box. I like many of us do not build out of the box, but end up making modifications to suit our style, taste, and creativity. But my forner club is hosting a model car contest just 1/2 mile from my home, in just a month, and I am finishing up a couple hopefully in time to enter. But a judged category is gassers, and I looked into my inventory of kits, and decided to build one right out of the box and enter it. These special classes are usually lightly entered since even a three month lead time isn't enough for many modelers. I do not trust NNL type popularity entering, and this is judged, so, I reasoned it would be fun to build one for this category. I found an old Monogram 55 Chevy Badman kit, which looked like a pretty decent model. Normally when I buy a new kit, I open the box and see if "the wheels start turning" in my brain, to come up with a goal of a decent model, which again, is what I think a lot of you guys out there do. So, this plan was easy. Clean it, paint it and build it, and add only a few details to make it look better. When I have a kit, with the exception of 36.37,38. 39, and especially the 40 Fords, where I have billions of plans in my warped mind, I ususally come up with one car per kit. That is where I went wrong. When I started to clean the parting lines, mold indents, marks, cracks, and seams, I decided to "do this and do that" and it might look cool, I even took on a drag car, a gasser, to discipline myself but it proved to no avail. So far, I chopped the nose off attached the hood to the front fenders and made hinges for a tilt front end, fabricated a new roll cage, kitswapped seats and steering wheel, changed out the blower assembly, fabricated a new firewall, added gauges to the firewall, and now the putty is drying on the kit for the working tilt front end. If I have the body work done in a couple of days, it will primer out, and I am planning to use Duplicolor Red and Silver because it dries quickly and very hard, and takes clearcoating very well. But here I sit looking at this model, and only a percentage is kit stock, and I am wondering if I ever will be able to take a kit and build it from the box. Is this a stage of advancement or regression? Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman

I am 61 and newly single, and certainly could not be labeled even close to a prude. I believe there is a place and time and words for swearing, but to me publicly and on internet discussion/forums are not appropriate places. Sometimes you learn from your children and swearing was one of the most astute lessons. At times, especially in a higly testosteroned environment, I probably increase my swearing, like the old days in the office when there were very few if any women around. But over time, I looked at others who used curse words and trash talk and determined it was not attractive to the user, no matter how insulted the recipient/witness/listener was. But I prevailed on, rationalizing that a well-placed cuss word was a very strong means of emphasizing your point. Which after a while became ludicrous, because if you can't use regular words properly, then you resort to the easy stuff, and that makes one look unimaginative and cheap. I will tell you also I spent a lot of time in public governmental work, and behind closed doors, especially in those sensitive meetings, there is a considerable amount of swearing going on, but it became evident to me that in the absence of any constructive thinking, swear words came into play. Even to those who are biblically oriented, the Ten Commandments address swearing, and all through Bible text, it does not condone any type of swearing. Then I started to think, then why the heck not just quit? My son taught me a valuable lesson. When he was 8 in grade school, we had to put him in after school care for a couple of hours until my wife or I could pick him up on the way home from work. He was getting thrashed by bullies, and was getting nailed with playground "trash talk" and his reply, since he was not allowed to swear, to call guys shut-up-face as he was taught shut up was nasty and disrespectful. To give him protection, I taught him to defend himself by swearing, with Dad's OK. But he had to go by the rules. Here they are: 1. No swearing while yelling. 2. Only use swear words in humor, or insult, or jest, not in anger 3. Never use God's or the Lord's name in vain 4. Never swear at or in front of a teacher or grown up 5. Only swear as a last resort 6. Never swear in front of girls, and if you have an accident, do not use the F-bomb, or C word, or the S word. 7. Always keep in mind that swearing is way overrated, and to keep it at a total minimum He survived unscathed the very next day, but over a few months, he swore off swearing, because I removed the mystique of swearing and he felt he could accomplish more with sarcasm, prepared insults, retorts, quick replies and wit, which he did. I am like others on this board, as well as my model railroad board. I might say H-ll now and then but only referring to the place, but everything else is $#%#$%$#%$#^ Now he lectures me on swearing even in the privacy of my home. By eliminating swear words from your vocabulary, you would be surprised as to what it does to your conversations. People will be more comfortable around you. Ken "FloridaBoy" Willaman