StevenGuthmiller

In all honesty, regardless of whether or not there are 2 extra bolts on the valve covers, I would go with whichever engine is the most detailed. I don't think most people are going to be counting valve cover bolts. Just what I would do anyway. If it is an issue for you, you can always do a little kit bashing and swap valve covers. That said, there's nothing wrong with the Lindberg '64 Plymouth/Dodge engines. If I remember correctly, that's the engine that I used in my '65 Fury build, with some modification of an intake from a Johan kit. Steve

The stuff in the blue can smells like acetone too. That’s what I use for thinning enamel. Steve

Pretty much any big block Mopar engine from whatever kit is going to be a fair representation. The overall appearance between a 440, 426, 413, 383, etc, doesn’t change a whole lot, with of course the exception of the Hemi, and the various intakes. Steve

It doesn't need to be confusing. Just pick up a can of hardware store lacquer thinner, (it'll set you back all of about $5.00) and mix it about 50/50 with your paint. Should look about the consistency of whole milk. Run a little through your airbrush to see if it sprays the way you want it too prior to doing the actual painting. If not, add a little more thinner at a time until it sprays how you want it to. Seriously, it's not rocket science, and all that you're going to gain is a headache if you make it any more complicated than it needs to be. Steve

Short answer......Yes! As a matter of fact, there are benefits to using enamel thinned with lacquer thinner. Steve

Like any of these EV pickups are ever going to see any off road duty! 😄 Steve

Well, the number of followers is hardly an indication of doing something useful. Social media is full of weirdos, creeps and losers with hundreds of thousands of followers. (not to say that he's a creep or loser) But I guess in today's society, "followers" are becoming the ultimate measure of success. Steve

Is that what that is? I was completely stumped! Steve

And it’s my opinion that true inspiration comes from viewing something that makes you say, “Wow, I want to learn how to do that”, and not so much from seeing something that everybody else and his dog can do with little effort or talent. This makes me want to learn how to up my culinary game. This on the other hand, inspires me to maybe make a trip to the restroom. You can call it lazy, or just uninspired. Depends on how you see things. And just for the record, I wasn’t referring to any individual or group of people as lazy. I said people in general and by nature tend to be lazy or to take the easy route. I still stand by that. Steve

I didn’t take it as such. I don’t even know if his post was directed at me because I thought that I had made it pretty clear that I don’t watch these videos. The only time I might watch at least part of one is on the odd chance that someone posts a link to one on this board. 😊 Steve

Me personally, I’d rather use my time at the bench. I don’t have any desire to be “famous”. 😉 Steve

That kind of statement doesn’t concern me, because there’s truth to it. If something as simple to deal with as flash is a problem, well.....good luck dealing with the many actual issues that you’re likely to deal with throughout the course of the project. I’ve seen numerous threads about this exact subject on a number of Facebook groups where people moan and whine about some flash on some of the parts of old toolings. It’s a much bigger turn off to me to read people b*tching and complaining incessantly about simple issues such as flash, or screaming about how terrible a kit is. People need to suck it up and stop being such Nancys about the little things and grow a pair. Steve

And we look back on 8-tracks as being a PITA! Steve

I believe they only offered the "La Femme" for a couple of years, (1955 and '56) and they were only available in a couple of different feminine pastel color combinations. If memory serves me, they also had a dash mounted tissue dispenser. This is a '56 version. Steve

The only objection that I have with any Youtube channels promoting these highly simplified building techniques is that they are watched by so many these days, and they become the "norm" of building, and that's pretty much where a lot of people's curiosity ends. If they didn't see it on one of these channels, it doesn't exist. Let's face it, people are lazy, and will most often follow the path of least resistance, which I suppose is normal human nature, but it also doesn't allow for much opportunity to expand. This is not to say that everyone who begins with following videos on these channels won't spread their wings eventually and develop, but I gotta tell you, spend a little while looking around on the Facebook modeling groups and you'll understand why the concern. Not that I really give a rip about how people want to spend their time, or how much or how little effort that they want to put forth, but for a hobby that's already on the skids, I have to think that one if the main factors that entices people into our hobby is "inspiration", and in all honesty, while yes, there are inspirational builders still among us, they're a dying breed, and what's going to be left to inspire down the road but a lot of people who have been Youtube trained to accept mediocre, or even poor, as good enough. Steve

Don't know how rare or unusual it actually is, but my '69 Pontiac Grand Prix had a "Reverb" unit for the radio mounted in the trunk. I took it out at some point, and I'm guessing it was disposed of by my dad in one of his garage cleaning tirades. Also, not so much an unusual option, but there are some strange combinations of options. I remember that my 1958 Cadillac 62 series coupe had power seats, a "Wonderbar" radio and an "Auto-tronic eye" automatic headlight dimmer as standard equipment, but heat was optional. Steve

I just use the back of a #11 blade. Steve

They were both acquired some years ago. The Grand Prix on eBay, and the 442 through a trade on the forum. Steve

That's the whole point, right? Diecasts are a lot easier if you just want something to plop on the shelf. Thanks Mr. Gibbs! Steve

Thank you David! Steve

It hasn't been my MO for the last number of years to produce more than one, or for that matter, even one model throughout the course of a year, and 2024 was no exception. While I didn't finish anything between the months of January and December in 2024, my 2023 project began to make it's debut, and the rounds of the local shows in 2024, so in a way, I suppose I could consider it a 2022-2024 build. It took me approximately 16 months to finish this project, and at the current rate, my next project may not be finished prior to 2026! Steve

Quite nicely "slapped together"! Steve

I don't watch any YouTube videos pertaining to modeling at all, precisely due to the opinions expressed by the OP. If you're truly unaware of what's contained in the box, or if you're pretty much brand new to the hobby, these rudimentary videos could be helpful I suppose, but I would think that if one is predisposed to looking for video assistance, individual depictions of particular procedures would certainly be more helpful in advancing ones development in the hobby. By that I mean, an in depth tutorial for say, how to apply BMF, or maybe illustrating basic, or even advanced weathering , detailing, or scratch building techniques for example, would certainly be more instructive to anyone looking to further develop their craft than just watching someone build simplified, straight out of the box models over and over again. I have learned a lot more by just perusing the pages of forums such as this, absorbing approaches and procedures from talented modelers by attending shows, and yes, even the occasional nugget gleaned from the Facebook modeling groups, than I ever will from watching videos on Youtube. I would assume that more in depth tutorials such as this exist on Youtube, but I find it much more efficient just to ask questions. To each his own I suppose. Steve

It’s under the cat! 😉 Sorry, I missed Jason’s post. Steve

I was never much of a Grateful Dead fan either. It is interesting getting old. I find myself enjoying listening to a number of bands now that I don't remember being big into in my younger days. Badfinger, Little River Band, Supertramp, Atlanta Rhythm Section, etc. Steve