Pete J.

That looks like a die cast.

That is another thing that those who do this strictly as a hobby don't understand. I have done some commissions that took years. Every few months or so I would hit a wall and have to take a break. I have no concept of how an artist like Michelangelo could work on the Sistine Chapel every day for four years as the center of his attention.

This is an opinion that cannot be argued, for beauty and art are in the eye of the beholder!

Yup! What always kills me about that movie is the Steven King thing. It is definitely not what you think of when you think of his movies.

Ok, last one was too easy, lets go to another of my all time favorites and I will give a hint to start with, it is a Steven King movie. Yeah. The funny thing is - on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook.

Wow, that must have been to easy! Dead on! Many other quotes in that one, many not repeatable in civilized society.

Ok, this is one of the best movies of it's era. A real game changer. Cue the music maestro- "I get no kick form champagne. Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all, but I get a kick out of you!"

I just don't get this. "I posted something and nobody commented" and then making assumptions about the board in general. This to me is a freedom of speech issue. Everyone has the right to speak their mind, but there is no guarantee of an audience. If nobody commented on something, that is not the audiences issue. You put something up that nobody cares about. Who's fault is that? Posting on this board gives nobody any special rights. Taking offence that nobody cares about your post is, as far as I am concerned, your problem not mine. Now if I post something that offends you or is rude, that's a different issue.

For the guy that wants to line his wall with a bunch of little cars, you are right. I've been lucky over the years to find a few who wanted a model as a center piece of a display and when I was done, they understood what had gone into it. The trick for me(after finding them) was to send update photos that showed what was done. I've also done some work for a model company for their displays and advertising and they understood the value of a built model. Art is Art!

Looks like a few missed my point. I understand the economics of building models. I was trying to point out that we are artist. Often times under appreciated. Often misunderstood and not valued for the years of experience it takes to create the works of art that we present. We are artist and we share that with other artist. It just happens that our medium is plastic, glue and paint instead of clay, paint or stone.

I know that this subject comes up often and saw this in a different context, but I think it really applies here as well. I thought I would share it.

Every time the subject of participation in the art form comes up, it results in the same discussion. The reason is simple. We are hardwired to believe that we are average and everyone is very similar to us.(Well, not quite. Each of us believes we are a little better. ) When we share a single area of interest, this belief becomes stronger. We assume that the more we share the closer we are to being the same. The fact is, we are not the same. We are not even close to the same. Kind of like those who share a love of football, but are rabid fans of different teams. This forum is a group joined and separated by a like of model building first, then a like of automotive subject, the specific types of autos, then a different level of intensity about those autos and finally a different intensity about building models of those autos. All the discussions here are about individuals trying to make connections with others with a similar level of passion about very specific niches in this wide field of automotive model building. Throw in very different opinions created by a massive amount of life experiences, personal values, financial situations and outlooks in general and we are guaranteed to have issues. If we all treat other members with this in mind and communicate with other as if they are the complete strangers that they are and not assume that everyone is a long lost friend that you can say anything you like to, then things will go smoothly. We do not have the face to face contact here so that we can read the nuance of voice inflection, facial expression and body language the we take for granted in our day to day contact. Because we loose this part of interaction when writing, tactful communication in the written form is a challenge that is mastered by few. Keep this in mind when both reading and writing and this will be a better place.

It is a hobby! Well, yes and no. First thing wrong with that assertion is that everyone on this forum is an amateur. This is very wrong. There are a lot of builders on this forum who get paid for their work. Like any situation where money is involved, some produce masterpieces for high end customers. Other build for solid product for a more middle of the road customer and there are those that throw things together for a few bucks. There are also those who build to write about it for pay. All of these people are building to one degree or the other to satisfy another person. Don't assume that everyone is like you. Everyone builds for their own reasons. Those reasons may, but more than likely, will not be the same as your reasons.

Randy, I need to go lie down for a little while. Those tanks and the exhausts are just stunning! I wish I had half of your imagination and 10% of your talent and experience. Just trying to imagine how you came up with this gives me a headache. This is just killer!

Was it worth it? What does it matter? You wanted to do it. That is all that counts since this one is for you. You are your own worst critic and best customer.

I will say two things about photos. Both of the above posters are right about photos. Any camera can take a decent picture given the attention of the operator. It may take more that just snapping a photo but it can be done. Steady the camera. You don't need a tripod(though they are great). Just use something to rest your hands on. Last and this is my main pet peeve. Why on earth would you post a photo that is blurry and then apologize for it?? Don't bother wasting the band width. If others can't see it, don't post it. "You can't really see this, but..." Really?? Just because you took a picture doesn't mean you have to post it.

I have to say that this is a pretty even handed forum. Yea, we have a few people who don't really know when to keep their mouth shut. Having said that, I have seen people really get indignant with any comments about how something is done. It can get nasty quickly. There are as many who don't know how to take criticism as there are those who don't know how to give it. Given that state, I take a simple approach. I won't comment on the build unless there are two things involved. Number one is that I know the builder personally. They know me, I know them and we can talk as friends. Number two, the person asked for a critique. If you ask, I will do what I can to make suggestions and solutions. If you don't, unless I like what you did, crickets! Period! Frankly, I have seen too many people put up poor models and fuzzy pictures and get overwhelming praise for many. I see that as misleading people. Praising poor work is encouraging more of the same. Something I feel is a disservice to the builder. If you want to know how your work stacks up, ask. If someone asks, be constructive and be polite. That can be done.

Nothing helpful!

I am not one to display or keep other's models. That is for the collectors. Having said that, I have one model by another builder that I wouldn't let go. At the club we had a contest. We started out with a stack of models and had a random drawing. Each of us got one of the kits. Then we all threw our names in a hat and drew names. The idea was that we would take the kit and build it in the style of the builders whose name we drew. Then, I think it was the December meeting, we gave the finished kit to the person who's name we drew. That is the only model I have by another builder. That person did a great job and was a close personal friend. He passed away a couple of years ago(he was one day older than me) and that model means more to me than any of my own personal models.

$850 for this model? I hear people questioning that value and I have to agree, bit I think it is undervalued. Yes I said undervalued! How did I arrive at that conclusion? Well, how much time do you think he has in it for build time alone. If I build to this level, I would bet 20 to 30 hours minimum. That means he is getting between $28 and $42 and hour if he has no cost of materials. Frankly, for a skilled artist and craftsman, that is pretty cheap most places. I think most "for fun" model builders have the thought in the back of their mind that their time is worth nothing because they do it for pleasure. For a professional, they are entitled to charge a rate consistent with their skill, ability and what the market will bare, and a look at this model tells me he has some serious skill. Personally, I would think $40 to $50 an hour would not be unreasonable.

To a model builder this are hardly worth the money, but there are a lot of promo collectors out there. The old promo's can fetch a premium price even if they have gone banana over the years. His work is very clean and I can see it fetching premium prices. I have a friend who does old promo's only and he often gets a really strong price for his work as well. It is not for me but there is a niche market out there for the good stuff.

Looks like you might have something smeared on the lens. You might clean it with a cotton swab and mix of 50/50 alcohol and distilled water.

I think the nice part about this forum is that no matter how good you get, you can always find someone who does it better. By the came token, no matter how little skill you have, you can always find someone who can benefit from yours. Join in and don't pay any mind to the naysayers. They inhabit all the corners of the internet, even this one.

What gave this one away for me was the front grill! It is kind a throw back to the good old days when a company gave all their cars a unique look, often times all their cars had a similar front grill. Ford now gives most of it's cars the Aston front grill opening. Just googled Ford and bingo-there it was.

This is a tutorial from one of the guys on F1M. He does some really great models and has some great tips. However this video is about spraying primer through an airbrush. If you pay close attention to his comments about airbrushes, you can really learn a lot. In the latter part, he is using a small touchup gun(Iwata RG-3). He does a very good job of explaining why he uses it. I have a slightly different version the LHP-50 HVLP. He does a far better job of explaining these guns than I do, but the results and the reason for using them are the same. Worth a look!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_-v7-Wp6no