jbwelda

>The bolted on fins are another matter, of course: The least expensive way to provide the variants >of those would be to make them as separate parts that would certainly make logical sense since they were separate parts in 1:1 anyway. its kind of funny (to me anyhow) that they would do a total "JC Whitney catalog" thing like that on a production car. but those were certainly awesome cars in the looks and performance departments though I think they were all a bit heavy for their time? I would buy one of all variants myself. jb

I was hoping no one was watching...I am interested in getting this as well. am prepared to bid as per what I wrote above. may the Gods of ebay smile upon me jb

Alan, you are from Canada, you just don't understand the American way. Live within my means, what the heck is that guy talking about anyhow? This country would be bankrupt within a week if everyone did that! jb

that's right; that's what this place (among others) is good for. its basically doing your homework before you buy something. like that VW kit you mention, im sure if you did a little research you would have realized you were just buying a transkit (that's another one of those kinda words: it means that it is meant to be used in conjunction with a pre-existing kit you are supposed to source elsewhere). in this case you probably got a kool desirable body to use on the gunze VW. generally though you are probably buying complete kits. early Japanese kits (and they are often still available on reissue) are of some nice subjects but many began life as electric powered toys and were later adapted to the static model and often some enticing box art is thrown on there and bingo! that is somewhat the case with companies like Araii & Imai, and also Tamiya and the other bigger names often are of a similar lineage. that is where the simplified chassis comes in and many times the interior as well. if you want to build a better model then you might look around in your spares or buy another kit to supply a likely interior or whatever. its part of the fun though admittedly there is that sinking feeling when you first open the box to see a beautiful body and a chassis with a big bulge for the electric motor!. back to your current dilemma though, I thought those resins were supposed to be pretty great but I guess not? that is a whole other discussion but again you learn who supplies quality and who doesn't, and its not always a linear thing with the price tag. now this VW if you don't want it you can probably just relist it on ebay and turn it over, maybe make a few bucks for your trouble. jb

that was a great review and pictorial, Tim. One thing I really don't fathom is that deep sump oil pan...but with the proverbial axle hole in it (ok in this case I guess its for the tie rod but come on son!). maybe that gets hidden somehow? even though this car is pretty far from my interests, its still nice to be able to get a good look and historical perspective on these new releases. jb

when and where is this going to be available? cost? so you take the 911 motor and reverse it 180 laterally? and the parts we see here are for the conversion from rear to mid engine? pretty slick. I doubt anyone ever converted a 914/6 to V8 power. those were probably the base models, even when new the 914/6s were special though as I recall they only cost about 5 k $ vs the 3 k for the normal. they increased in value significantly almost immediately as they were so desirable and so few were distributed. jb

not sure why they would be doing that if you are using the method described. if it were just one set of decals I would say its the decals but if it happens consistently that is puzzling. maybe try using bottled water instead of tap water? but if you can get them to conform to the surface (microsol and a wide soft brush and maybe hair dryer to coax them around curves) then perhaps you can put some Future on them or possibly under them with a soft brush, they will be stuck down well by it. jb

as mentioned Rat Roaster has some beautiful ones. I think replicas and miniatures does as well jb

nice build and kinda right about many of those high-tech kits, some were better than others. do you mind sharing how you laid that wire on top of the fenders without messing up the paint? I am assuming you laid it down after the car was painted? jb

yeah what I wrote sounded confused but I meant congrats to you on the good price. jb

rally/race parts? that's kool, does it even list them on the box? never would have guessed it included other parts. another one for the want list jb

uh no, can't say that I have, not likely to start anytime soon either. jb

There is not even an XJ 13 available so someone has some catching up to do... jb

looks like you got it for a very livable price, thanks for the tip there Curtis, I am going to keep an eye on the seller. anything under 30.01 shipped would be good with me! jb

good to hear Craig Breedlove is back in the game. he used to be based a couple miles from here, Rio Vista CA, but closed up shop and I guess moved elsewhere to continue. I thought he had retired for good. I had talked with him a few times when I was passing by his shop, once for a couple hours when he invited me in...there were panels for the current car/jet/thing lying around but the car itself was somewhere else. used to be able to see it quite clearly through the fence around the lot when it was there. some other interesting stuff lying around too. anyway best of luck to him he is a survivor and a winner so I wouldn't count him out no matter if he is using "flatheads" or not. funny thing about Craig, he really didn't brag too much, he let his machinery do his bragging for him. jb

ok thanks im going to let you guys fight it out over this one, maybe I can catch it on the next go round and not have a bidding war! jb

I can't really mourn the loss of that second one though; just look at the box art and how distorted that "street rod" is. If I recall correctly from my childhood, when I had both of these kits, that box art is accurate enough to give you an idea what you're getting into. Now that 34 Ford, that's a different deal. I remember really liking that kit back then and its skyhigh on ebay most times. jb

could we have some examples of just what kits have gone up and how much? because I think some are either imagining it or overblowing it. because I haven't really noticed much myself. note the OP is from Canada. well might be so up there that the price of models has exploded. might be the postage as discussed in another thread. or a million other things I suppose but I would like to see the magnitude of what is being discussed...and don't compare it to the sixties because we all know that is long gone. jb

I was wondering what that "XDX" on my decal sheet was about, makes perfect sense it is the old east Germany. now I wonder if it is a common real life thing, to X out the initials except D, as a protest against the communist regime that was, or a symbol of unity among a formerly divided people; or whether this is some sort of censorship by the company along the lines of blacking out swatstikas on decal sheets. probably not though seeing as they give you the unblemished decals as well along with about 5 others. great kit! jb

Fred is one guy I told should definitely look into this interweb thing back in the ninetys...not interested. but I bought stuff from him all the time from those lists he mailed out. all you needed was a little patience and you could score really great stuff mostly really cheap. I would call him and he would tell me what was still available. it was all much more peaceful back then when people didn't expect instant service. I am surprised he made the leap, halfhearted as it may be, at all. the world needs more people like fred in my opinion. but I digress, continually, only to note that I do not think the only option to the UK etc from USA is priority mail. ask for a priority mail rate sometime to say Croatia. it will be in the range of 75$ for a one pound package...pretty much the same rate as to western Europe. its totally outrageous. now what you DO have is the good old "small package" class, it is airmail but somehow not "priority" and there are certain rules you have to follow including that there is merchandise only in the package, no packing slip, no note to Mom, no photos from home, nothing but the object of desire as it were. and if you tell the postal person there is written communication in there it cannot go that class. and of course they have the (seldom exercised) right to open the package to ascertain the contents for themselves, so you do have to realize that involves consequences. if and when you get to that point it is quite possible you are then stuck with the "Priority" route. but do realize sometimes all this varies based on which post office you are at. some are very busy and people are gruff and want you gone asap (big cities typically) but some are more helpful and will suggest ways to comply without really having to pay the maximum rates (small towns typically...everybody gets to know everybody and they are typically much friendlier and willing to discuss options, even with strangers). theres only so much they can do but up until sort of recently there were some back doors and protocols you could use to reduce rates. sometimes driving out of your municipal area to an outlying country town will pay back, but remember you are spending the $ to get there as well so saving 5$ on shipping may not mean much if you spend 10$ to get there. the USPS has become prohibitively expensive to ship to and the problem is I doubt very much you will find other shippers (UPS,FedEx, etc) who will do it for much less. jb

Future will do a great job of coating them as will the laquer/enamel clear coat, though that last one is fraught with danger I believe. you can also buy decal protector from the same company who makes microsol and microset. before using decals cut a piece off the sheet that you wont be using and stick it in some water to see if it holds together. or just pretty much do as I do and coat them as a matter of course. coating does make it so you have to trim carefully through the protector film and down into or through the paper surrounding the decal. trim close enough that the edge you leave will be acceptable on the part receiving it, when it is put down. another funny thing about decals, those instructions we all typically ignore, turn out to be right. don't just let your decal soak in the water (though that might be necessary with the protector layer in place or with exceptionally old decals), just dip them into the water for about 10 seconds and then put them on a slightly damp paper towel for a couple minutes. maybe sprinkle a little water on them time to time. then they should slip right off the paper and they wont break apart so easily I have found. (its that first test of whether they have released from the backing or not that will get you though) no guarantees of course but not having to use an overcoat really makes them a lot easier to use. but if they are going to burst into a million smithereens, you really got no choice. jb

that is fantastic, very nice detail and look. I have the kit already and I think I am going to do something a bit different with it. yours really sets a bar for box stock, looks great! jb

I think you will find some of the shades shine up better than others. I typically try to shoot a very thin coat (difficult from a spray can but much easier with my recently acquired airbrush) and then let it dry an hour or so. then I just take a Q-tip, maybe with a little skin oil on it, and lightly buff the surface. it all kinda blends together at that point, and certain shades like stainless steel and I think aluminum plate, really take on a nice metallic sheen. its not chrome but its pretty convincing metal looking. like mentioned, sealing it ruins it, but without sealing it you don't want to handle it at all, as the sheen continues to rub off on contact. the less shiny shades like magnesium I think look better with a sealing coat of dullcote after they have dried at least 24 hrs. the real secret is to do small pieces. I have to salute anyone who did that whole Challenger body panel, purposeful scratch marks or not. incredible. jb

thanks for those pics; great reference material! jb

ah I stand corrected then. a 67 Camaro up on blocks behind the gas station. thanks jb