Pete J.

This was my build that took best auto and IPMS Nationals in Phoenix in 2010

This one is on display and the Joe Martin Craftsmanship museum(formerly the Sherline museum) in Vista, Ca. It is truly a wonder.

I had forgotten some of the details of the build but it was interesting to see the differences. I now remember opening up the box and being shocked that the body wasn't a single piece. However those pieces fit together perfectly and created a great body. One other painting issue that came to mind(besides having to trim the door edges to account for the thickness of paint) was the side marker lights. The clear red and orange "lights" push through from the back side of the panel. The holes in the body fit the clear parts perfectly without paint. After you paint you have to remove the paint to get them through. The first time I did it, I ruined a good paint job when I pushed one through and the paint chipped off. Just a light scrape with an exacto blade will do the trick.

Step 1: Run to Costco and buy them out of water and toilet paper! Step 2: go hide in your house. ??? Seriously, folks. Follow some common sense steps that the CDC is suggesting. #1 wash the heck out of your hands several times a day. #2 Don't rely on hand sanitizer. It is a bactericide and has no effect on many viruses. Wash your hands with warm water and a good soap. #3 Avoid areas where you come in contact with a lot of people. It is still a numbers game. The more people you come in contact with, the larger chance you are going to get the virus. Wash your hands after you go out #4 Protect others, particularly the elderly. Wash your hands before you go into their area. #4 Wash your hands! No I know, washing your hand won't stop the virus unless everyone does it, but it will significantly reduce your potential exposure if you are conscientious.

The corollary - There is no bad sex, just some better than others.

I have an uncle in Montana that made a good living manufacturing and selling fly tying equipment. He had a patent on a bobbin and hair stacker. Yup, fly tiers are as crazy as model builders when it comes to tools! Got to have one of everything!

Relatively speaking, my gardener charges me $180 a month for two people to come by and keep my yard spotless. That is $135 for three lawnmowings! About the same price for a kit. ?

One other thought. Scale Motorsport made a super detail set for the Enzo that has turned aluminum dampers and accumulators as well as photo etched, carbon fiber decals and an "Up close and Mechanical" CD with all the reference you would ever need. You can still find them on ebay occasionally.

I have one, but don't recommend it. First because it is over $650. But, It is basically the Masterworks built model before it is glued up at that factory. This was designed for factory assembly and is a simplified version of the 1:24 scale kit. I actually think the 1:24 kit has better detail. A lot of money for a kit that is going to require a lot of work to make a great model.

Yup, that about sums it up. You made me go pull my checklist!? It was right there between Anti hijack procedures and Stub elevations!

That is exactly how I started. I have planned to build each and every one of the over 300 kits in my stash when I bought them. They all just got delayed. ?

Back in Viet Nam the pilots had a lot of things that we couldn't say plainly over the radio so someone invented the "Falcon codes". I still have a copy around here someplace. This was falcon code 269 except a little more explicit. "Excuse me sir, but I believe you have mistaken me for someone who gives a .....!" I'm sure most of you can fill in the blank. Yes, there were over 300 codes.

I guess at 70 I have traversed into a different part of the hobby. I don't buy so much any more. The stash of kits I have accumulated over the years will keep my grand kids building well into the next century. I have aquired pretty much every tool I will ever need(except an occasional specialty tool for my Sherline mill and lathe) to build models. After all who really needs 15 different scribing tools and 5 airbrushes? I have a ton of aftermarket detail sets that I will never use. All total I know my supply of hobby stuff costs well into the 5 digits, so I don't buy much. So from that perspective this hobby is super cheap. This all happened over 30+ years of active modeling as a adult. This means that I don't worry about the cost of my builds. If I use a couple of hundred dollars worth of stuff to build a kit, it is irrelevant and my cost was paid a long time ago and doesn't come out of my pension or social security. I accumulated this stuff slowly and in a way that was pretty painless. I just hope all of you, like me, get to the point that you can enjoy the hobby, without worrying about the cost. When you buy something today, look at it as an investment in your retirement happiness. ?

I should have spotted the Robin linage. I wonder if it was as dangerous as the Robin.

"All good things come to he who waits." ?

We use to say this all the time when i worked as Sears with a slightly different slant. "All of our customers bring us joy. Some when they arrive others when they leave."

The new reissue is available from Hobby link japan now and should be in other discounters soon. Tamiya USA shows it with an MSRP of $29 now. Tire burn is generally not an issue with Tamiya products because they bag the tires separately. They have has some of the 1:12 scale tires degrade and crumble over time, but that is a different issue.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/24062-TOYOTA-SUPRA-3-0GT-Turbo-Tamiya-1-24-plastic-model-kit/254519806008?hash=item3b42900838:g:7MkAAOSwclheUMVZ https://www.ebay.com/i/254519806008?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=254519806008&targetid=886140166958&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1014234&poi=&campaignid=9426356127&mkgroupid=98691857674&rlsatarget=aud-622524042678:pla-886140166958&abcId=1140476&merchantid=101706679&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0pfzBRCOARIsANi0g0thiVGQJTonrP6jeMO8oiwkBq6otPz2h9m-KAg62nuWO1X_Y-b7-ggaAk-tEALw_wcB https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0097p?FVSEARCH=tamiya+24062&CATEGORY=&FVPCODE=SM&FVPROFIL=+&MANUFACTURER=TAM It is a new reissue and Tamiya USA shows the MSRP at $29. It should be available from discounters soon at between $20 and $25. They are now showing up on ebay much cheaper. Enjoy the build. ?

Just a note of history on this model. This is the first car model made by Tamiya that made extensive use of CNC(electrostatic discharge machines) mold cutting and sliding mold technology. This tech has become the standard method but back then is was revolutionary. This is why everything fits together so well.

I had the good luck to build one of the first ones from Tamiya. It is like any other Tamiya kit. It goes together with perfection and is very rewarding. If you go with the Tamiya kit, one caution. Sand down the edges of the opening panels just a bit. In raw plastic they fit together perfectly. However add a couple of coats of paint and the perfect fit is too tight. Just a light touch with a sanding stick on the door edges and rear panel and you are home free!

When a young philosophy student asked their grandmother if the glass was half full or half empty, she gave the best answer I have ever heard. "Depends on if you are drinking or pouring!"

Why not try the Tamiya version kit #24062, currently available for about $20.

Oh yes, totally forgot about this one. If they follow the standard Tamiya pattern, there will be a street legal version before long. As to Tamiya in the USA, years ago, when I was involved with Tamiya(doing display/advertisement models and seminars) I was told that the US amounted to less than 10% of their sales world wide and that included all of their military kits. That would tell me that the car market for them is rather a small portion of their production. It has to be something with world wide interest to get approved for production. Also, they are not inexpensive relative to the old MPC/Revell/AMT stuff The new GT 4 is listed at $60. I doubt that you will ever go into a hobby shop and find a $20 Tamiya car kit. Back many years ago, I use to get their kits for $20 but the other manufactures stuff was less than $10. I found it interesting, when I was looking for the price on the new mustang that they are re-releasing the 60s Celica and Supras. I totally missed the announcements. It does make a lot of sense though as these cars are starting to come into prominence in the collector car market.

Yup, I got a T-shirt with that on in at the BX at U-Tapao during the war. Had a Ed Roth style pilot on it.

Variation on the theme. This was one I learned while in the military! “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill because they pissed me off!"