Pete J.

From the last pictures, I am guessing that you are using both a mill and a lathe. The positioning for the holes suggests a mill with a turn table.

What kind of lathe?

Bill, unfortunately I think it has a lot to do with the military service or more correctly lack of military service. If you look at todays vets, 2.3% of the general population served during the Vietnam War. 2.2% have served in the gulf Wars and 1.7% served in peace time. WWII and Korea account for another .9% Of the overall population 3.9% are veterans. That number was much higher for my parents generation(WWII) almost everyone who was of age, served in some capacity. I am a rare exception. I grew up with both parents being WWII Navy vets. I learned my respect from them. When I joined during Vietnam, that is when I really came to appreciate what it was and stood for. It really hits home when friends pay the price. With only 4 out of 100 doing service, that true meaning seems to get seriously diluted. It is a shame that some form of military service is not required if no other reason that to give the population an idea of how much freedom really costs.

You know it is better if you just cut it up and eat it By the way how do you deal with the juices soaking through the papers.

I seem to be having a problem posting! If I quote another post and write comments then post, about half the time the quote posts but my comments are not there so it looks like all I did was repost somebody else's post again. Also if I go in and try to edit the post, it flashes through the "full editor" and for a moment I can see my comment and then it reverts to the quick post and the comments are gone.

Eclectic- The number of illiterates who miss use the heck out of the word, thinking that they sound smart! Eclectic does not mean a miss matched collection of junk! This is only #2 behind horrific. Friking every news caster on the planet seems to think that they must use this word 20 times in every broadcast. Every accident, crime, storm damage is not horrific. Get a thesaurus and try adding a little color to the language!

Chris, you are most welcome. Glad I could be of help. Let me clarify for a moment and perhaps it will help some of you with larger collections. If you pull out your homeowners or renters policy and go to section 1-property coverage's, subsection C.-personal Property, paragraph 3. Special limits of liability, you will find special types of property that have limits placed on them. These items are things that you should have a "Personal articles floater" issued for if you have more than the limit specified on them. These are things such as jewelry, silver, art work, business property etc. What is important is that things like models are not here. They are there for covered as regular "personal property". However, the down side of this is that in the event of loss, you are responsible for proving that you owned them and the value. Also, the full value will only be reimbursed when you replace them and present the company with a reciept. Before you get new ones that it will be your cost less depreciation. How is the best way to prove that you had them? Inventory and photos. No reputable insurance company will decline a claim if you have both. However, now you must try to replace them. Good luck with that! That is the advantage of a floater. You provide all this information at the time the company writes the policy and the company agrees to this list and more importantly agrees to a value at that time. Now, in the event of a loss, they only need to see proof of loss and they will cut the check for the amount you have them insured for. Down side is you are responsible for adding new items and over time, keeping the value accurate. For most people a quick trip through the model room with a video camera every couple of years is a good idea. While we are on the subject, that is a good idea to do for your whole house. Video everything! Open every drawer, cabinet, box and closet and video every thing. Make a copy and throw it in the safe deposit box at the bank. Talk about a house fire being not funny, imagine your house burnt down, you are sitting in a hotel room and the insurance company hands you a list and asks you to tell them every thing you lost. That is what is going to happen. Ok, now the disclaimer: Insurance contracts vary from state to state. Your policy may be different to conform to your state laws as well state laws governing loss. I have given general information based on standardized ISO contracts used in most states with modifications. Your best source is a licensed agent who is familiar with personal insurance contracts. A good agent is worth finding. Spend some time and question them. Just because they have a license to sell doesn't mean that they are familiar with all aspects of the contract. The best agents in this field with have a Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter certificate.

Tom, I've often thought about that. It's not just the plastic going up but the gallons of thinner and paint as well as all the other solvents that I have as a normal part of doing this hobby. No Mike it is not funny, but I think if the Fire Marshal knew what any of us had in the garage, they might be tempted to have us put a hazmat stickier on the garage door!

Ok, this has gone on long enough and is getting a little of course. I have to admit that I engaged it a little subterfuge in starting this thread. I have always found it interesting that modelers are very proud of how many kits they have. Some even in the thousands. It is as if it is some badge of honor. The antitheist of that is ,how much you have wrapped up in their collections.? I understand the security concerns but it has always baffled me as to why so many are almost embarrassed to admit how much they have spent on the collection. As an observer of the human condition, I am always a bit baffled by this oxymoron.

The actual answer to this question lies in the application. Lacquers gas out at a rate that is geometrically inversely proportional to the thickness of the layer. In other words, if the one coat is twice as thick as another, it will take four times as much time for the solvent to gas out. Or more to the point, if you spray on a coat that is half as thin as another the time between coat is cut by a factor of four. For this reason, every paint company will suggest multiple thin coats. My experience with a thin coat is about 15 minutes and no more than 30. I have had cracking problems if I wait too long. If you wait over an hour, then wait overnight. This time can also be reduced by using a food dehydrator to speed the process. With multiple thin coats I have had success finish sanding and polishing paint in less than 5 hours using a food dehydrator. Also, if you do this do not put the model back in the food dehydrator once you are done. Any body work will ghost through and you have to resand an polish.

The question I asked was kits and accessories. I did not intend to include tools as an accessory. In that category I mean photoetched, resin parts, upgrade or transkits. That sort of stuff. I keep track of it be cause I was robbed about 10 years ago and I have an inventory. That was all the record I needed for the insurance company. No arguments, just a check. Was I robbed by pros? No. They came into the garage and grabbed a couple of RC cars, some kits and left all the tools alone which are far easier to sell or pawn. Modeling stuff, not so much. I doubt that there are many people outside of our community that know the value of rare or expensive kits, much less how to get rid of them. My curiosity is more about what people hold. It is one thing to have 200 kits at $20 apiece and another to have 20 kits at $200 each.

Every one seems to be interested in how many kits do you have as if that is some measure in this hobby. I have a more interesting question. How much(dollars, euros, pounds, shekels etc. do you have tied up in kits and accessories, retail value. This will probably scare the heck out of you when you total it up and everyone who reads this has to promise not to show it to their or anyone else's spouse. Since I started it, I feel it is only fair to be the first brave sole to throw it out their. Last time I counted which was over ten years ago, I had a little over $32,000 in my purchase cost. With the increase in model cost and the additions , I would estimate the retail value are now well over $50,000. I have some high values stuff that bumps this number up significantly. Ok, your turn!

Go over to the RC side of the house and get a bottle of Polyzap manufactured by Pacer/Zap. It is designed for Lexan RC bodies and canopies. It is a thick CA and takes a couple of minutes(but only a couple) to set but it won't fog clear. Also a great gap filler.

A good cross reference is dBay. Did you know you can do a search for "completed" or "sold" listings. Looking through a history like that can give you a good idea on values. Here are the result of is a search I just ran. - http://www.ebay.com/sch/Models-Kits-/1188/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=snake+and+mongoose&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=1188&LH_Sold=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=15&_stpos=92069&_sargn=-1%26saslc%3D1&_salic=1&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&LH_Complete=1

What I like to use for all epoxies(putty or glue), I get from my local hardware store. I bought a couple of cheap 4"X4" white ceramic tiles. They have a nonporous surface and a little acetone will clean anything right off. I use single edged razors to mix with. That way you can scrape the surface and get a good through mix. By the way, when I am gluing with a thick super glue, I put a drop or two on the tile and use a piece of wire held in a hemostat to apply the glue. Very controlled and if the glue sets on the tile, a single edged razor followed by some acetone will clean it right off.

For years Ferrari has used red and orange primers under their reds. White also works well. Gray will just kill the color because of the translucents of reds and yellows or you will have to put so much on it buries the detail.

Not a chief the Gunze Sangyo made a 1941 Scout high tech kit. They occasionally pop up on eBay but go for good money.

.....and then some mornings you just wake up in the wrong frame of mine.....

Bill, lofty ideals indeed. Especially if you consider the times in which they were written. A generational upper elite ruling class of kings and princes with power passed from generation to generation was the norm and ran almost the entire world. Power was transferred by bloodshed and intrigue, not a measured vote of the ruled. We as a people have never met those ideals but the important point is that we still strive for them. They are the guiding light. I am sure that in the minds of some we will never get there, but we are organized so that the periodic overthrow of our government happens in an orderly organized fashion with the direct voice of the people being involved. That voice is sometimes subverted or ignored but it is still always there for both the majority and as well as all the minorities, no matter how odd or radical they may be. We all have our moment to speak and to disagree with others. Something that happens in few countries the size of this one.

On the day that we celebrate the founding of the United States of America, I love to ask this question. How many of you can quote the first sentence of the declaration of independence?? Here is a hint--- It ain't "We the people..." . Harry, I am fairly sure you know this and I know my kids know it, because I drilled it into them from a young age. Be honest. If you don't know, that's ok because a lot of people don't realize that "We the People" is the preamble to the constitution and not the Declaration of Independence.

So they don't issue it any more. This is not that hard to replicate if you want one. There are a ton of 69 charger models out there. Hemi Orange is easy to find also. All you need is the decals. I guarantee that once these go away the aftermarket guys will jump all over this and produce a set. They just won't be able to call it "Dukes of Hazard" or "General Lee" but that will be no different than what the tire guys have to do with "wingfoot" of "hotrock" now. The General Lee is going away as a kit, but if you want to build one, it will always be around. With the exception of the "General Lee" everything else is in the public domain and can be reproduced. You may see some decals with a Gene Lee ral that you have to piece together but where there is money to be made someone will fill the gap.

Boy did I miss this one. What threw me off were the valve stems. I wasn't sure that they were making pneumatic tires for autos at this time. We had an old Maxwell truck frame on the farm when I was growing up and it had solid rubber tires on it. My bad!

Oh, I wasn't aware of that. I use to buy it by the case(when I was a kid in the 60's) I think it was about $3 or $4 a case. I think a case was 20 boxes(4X5). I think I still have 3/4 of a case left. But then I only have 2 long guns that shoot it. An old J C Higgins single shot bolt action and a Browning t-bolt with 7 shot clips. Also got my Dads Winchester 22WRF with two boxes of .22WRF rounds. I guess I need to hold onto them. So why the shortage? Any ideas?

Is there something going on with .22 long rifle ammo that I don't know about?