Pete J.

OptiVisor 100%. Why? Well, the most important tool you work with is your eyes. If you buy cheap, you can cause strain and give yourself headaches. I have had my OptiVisor for 15 years and as my eyes get worse with age I can buy stronger lenses. There is a reason that if you watch watch repairman at work they always have a genuine Optivisor. They are a bit pricey but I guarantee you will only buy it one time. If you are short on money, save for it over time. These are less than a couple of kits but something you will use every day. Frankly, Micromark is not the least expensive place to buy. I got mine through a local hardware store. Also check out this lighting system. http://www.micromark.com/QUASAR-LIGHTING-SYSTEM-FOR-OPTIVISOR,8608.html It was my Christmas present from my family. It is spectacular. Works very well and the batteries last a long time. Being able to see well is a lot different that just being able to see. Treat your eyes well and you will be more inclined to build more often. My two cents!

Quite right Harry, but then the more obscure choices always beg the question,"Why?" Each of us makes choices that frequently has others scratching their heads. If some one has a particular attachment to a vehicle and the skill and the time you could indeed build just about anything.

I'm going with real this time. First of all there are only about 2 builders world wide who would build such a car. Having said that I am taken by the reflections in the chrome and the other details I may be imagining. Kind of a sloppy picture which makes it a little tough. Four in a row, going for five. Think maybe Harry got me on this one.

aw right 4 fer. Love it.

Alsa- this is an automotive system and takes a little more to apply but it is killer. Also not cheap. http://www.alsacorp.com/

I wasn't even aware that Toyota participated in group 5! Cool car though.

Love the Evercoat stuff and never minded paying the price, but then a quart lasts for years. One trick is to transfer both the putty and the catalyst into glass jars. Plastic containers are porous and will always allow the solvents to escape. I have had also had the original containers fail fairly quickly(after a couple of years) with disastrous results to my bench. Once I started putting it in glass jars, it lasted almost forever.

I'm going model because of the base and tires. Car looks very good but the base doesn't look like any asphalt I've ever seen. The tires also look very plastic. This may snap my string. Going for 4.

Hat trick!! Ok, I'm luck and know it. The decision maker for me was the rear engine vents. They didn't look like they were punched out like they would be on sheet metal. Missed the hubcap reflections. Love the Lufthansa theme. Great air liners too. Yea, I'm and aircraft guy too.

I agree with the remark about the DTM series. What I like most, other than the racing is that you can actually see a production car underneath all the racing stuff. You can still see the origins. They also had some really great drivers! Aw heck I liked everything about group 5.

I'm going gut instinct on this one. Model. Very nice detail including the jacking points. Pete

Right you are! I made a bad association with the Jagermeister Tamiya kit I had on the shelf. Still a fun and quick build. Maybe 6 or 7 pieces.

Aw, lord. A lead sled! Don't like the rims, but someone went to a lot of trouble to put dirt on the tires if it is a model. I'm going real. Tryin' for three in a row.

Thanks, for the tip. I think I will have to make a trip to the beauty supply house soon!

One question. You mentioned tinting it. Did you just add the food coloring to the liquid? Seems logical, but you never know.

Here are some photos of a 325 pull toy I build some years ago. Group 5 mini?

TriTool/Hasegawa makes a set of photo etched saws that I absolutely love. I bought a set 15 years ago and they have lasted this long. There are two sets. I prefer the thinner set but you have to be careful with them. They only cut on the pull stroke and are so thin that you will never(yes I said never) need to add plastic to fill the gap. Some have teeth so small you will need a magnifying glass to see them. Here is a link to HLJ so you can see them. http://www.hlj.com/product/HSGTP-4 They are sold by better hobby stores stateside. If you get a set and practice a bit, I am sure you will love them, especially when working on old, rare kits.

Goggle Holiday park in Cheyenne Wyoming. The last one of these giants standing is in the park. Unfortunately it has been there for the better part of 40 years exposed to vandals and the weather and it is not in the shape a museum piece like this should be. I use to drive by it going to and from college(U of Wyo in Laramie) and was always saddened to see it deteriorating.

I'm saying model. The spokes on the rims look like they are molded flat instead of a crisscross pattern as they should be.

Mark - You will get no argument from me on that. I have a garage full of aircraft, boats, motorcycles, tanks and other assorted kits to put together. Each has a different level of finish, some make it to the contest table, while others never see the light of day. Each has a pleasure of it's own. Long term projects have a certain satisfaction when they are done that a 3 day build just can't match. You have to build what moves you.

Verry nice model You got the details of the block heater and the weathering is perfect. I espcially like the background. Looks like someplace very cold!

I would speculate that each of us does this for reasons that even we don't fathom. Trying to analyze and define why others do, is an exercise in futility. Comparing why and what we build with what someone else buys and build is like comparing apples and fish. You just can't do it and it makes no sense to try. If each of us has fun, then the why's are irrelevant. Case in point, how many of you know someone who loves throwing a model together to shove it up on a shelf and move on to the next model. Then you know another modeler who spend months or years on a 1:43 scale masterpiece that is just beyond the pale in detail. How do you compare them? You can't. Yes, both are building models and each is probably having as much fun as the other, but boy are their reasons different. This thread was started(I think) to see why you don't see a lot of large scale models at contests. I think we have covered that very well and brought many reasons to light, but and frankly it has nothing to do with the "fun factor" that the builders have while producing their masterpieces. That is an entirely different discussion and something that has vexed model companies for years. What do you think?

Personally I am kind of partial to Winton Marcellus both his classical and jazz albums. I personally think the "Gabriel's Garden" is an incredible exercise of the piccolo trumpet. If I don't have a CD on then the tube is on speed or history channel. Both are good for the concentration.

Darned spell check any way!!! or, ah that is the phonetic spelling!

Well if you are going to go that way, I always felt that the Mercedes McLaren SLR looked like a catfish!