StevenGuthmiller

If you haven't heard from them by now, you likely didn't win anything. I won a couple of F1 models and was notified by email almost a week ago. Steve

I have the same attitude as well. When I attend a show, I have no expectation of winning anything, and I don't plan on it. I just let the chips fall where they may under normal circumstances. But when something like this takes place, which can really only be explained by some form of gerrymandering, it has a tendency to burn my backside. If there are going to be any kind of awards offered at all, one would expect that there should be some semblance of protection to ensure that the art displayed is considered fairly, and at least my expectation would be that the best examples should be recognized. I understand that we live in an "everybody gets a trophy" society these days, but what is our incentive to do the best that we can do, at least in the perspective of contests and shows, if all that's really needed is an established network of people to cast votes for you. In my opinion, this sort of development is a black eye for model shows and will only serve to dissuade attendance in this type of show. I have no particular appetite for a wall full of plaques, and to be totally honest, I didn't even vote in this contest, but we should all be able to expect that the voting system should be secure enough to ensure that the best examples get the attention that they deserve. I have the feeling that the biggest mistake made in this contest was allowing any Tom, Dick or Harry to vote, whether they were interested in the hobby or not. It should have been limited to the participants who know something about what they're looking at. I suppose I should digress and say that this might not have been a case of stuffing the ballot box. It could just as easily have been a bunch of jokers who just wanted to screw with the results because they thought it might be funny, but then I would have expected the same type of results in other categories, which didn't seem to be the case, or at least not to the same extent. Either way, I wouldn't think that it would help the credibility of the show in the future. At least I can tell you that it has damaged my view of it. I will ignore it next time around. Steve

Or you could fill it with water and add a few guppies! that'll keep the dust out! Steve

Could it be that special deference was given to "junior modelers"? There was no juniors category and I don't think that there was any way of discerning who the models were built by prior to voting, so I think not. I really think this is a prime example of some sort of "telephone campaign", calling everyone you know to have them log on and vote in favor of your model. I really have a hard time coming up with any other plausible scenario. I really think that this is the sort of thing that will eventually kill model car shows and contests. Steve

My expectation was never really to win anything, and to be honest, I really didn't care much. As I said, there were a ton of really fantastically done entries. I would have been happy to see "any" of the really fine entrants recognized for their work, and I'm sorry, but this Charger should not have even ranked within the top 100! Even someone with no modeling knowledge whatsoever should be able to see that there is no comparison between the above Charger, and something like these, which are just a couple of a myriad of exceptional builds displayed. Steve

I understand how the "good old boy network" phenomenon works, but usually there is at least the "appearance" that the winning model is a good one. In this show, there were 1,257 participants, 4,534 entries and 2,896 votes. Just guessing, I would say that there were several hundred "factory stock" entries! There was a "TON" of fantastic builds entered, yet somehow we are supposed to believe that the "best" model was a blue 1967 Dodge Charger with a dull paint job, no represented body trim or badging and sewing thread engine wiring? I mean, c'mon. If these are the kinds of outcomes expected, I think it would be beneficial to all involved just to dispense with the participant voting and peoples choice awards altogether. It's quite apparent that the quality of the model has nothing to do with the result. Either the people voting have no concept of what they're looking at, or the fix is in. I suspect a combination of both might be at play. Of all of the hundreds of fine models entered in the factory stock category, we are supposed to believe that this is the finest of them all. Steve

I don't know if anybody has seen the winners from this show, but I just have to vent a little. I understand that it's an NNL event and that the awards, if any, are chosen, for the most part, by the participants. (and in this case, anyone who cared to visit the site and vote) But after seeing some of the results from this particular show, I'm not sure if I'll bother participating in another one like it again. As I said, I understand that it is not a "judged event", but it's also pretty obvious in some cases that the guy who can get the ballot box stuffed most efficiently, wins. Maybe I'm naive, but I just kind of expected that the "best" models in a particular category would receive some recognition. That very obviously did not happen. What happened was that the people who could scrounge up the most family members and friends to vote for their model gained the recognition. I won't say that this happened in every case, but there is no doubt that it did in the "factory stock" category. I can honestly, and literally say that almost every other entry in the category was a better model than the winner! That's saying a lot, but that's what I'm seeing. I apologize in advance if the winning person is a member here, but I'm sure that even he knows that he could never make a convincing case that his model was the best in the category. Anyway, I just had to get that off of my chest. It just seems as if these shows are a bit of a waste of time if the best of the best are not recognized, but the best "campaigners" are. Steve

The only particular ones that I can remember driving in my dreams were a late 60s to early '70s Chevy 4x4 in medium green, and a dark green '69 Pontiac Grand Prix. The Grand Prix kind of threw me, which is probably why I remember it. I own a turquoise 1:1 '69 Grand Prix with a painted top, but the one in my dream was dark green with a darker green or black vinyl top. Your guess is as good as mine. If memory serves me correctly, the truck looked a lot like this: And the Grand Prix like this: Steve

Okay, that's easy. The Godfather!! No doubt whatsoever. Steve

I agree. I've never been a Joplin fan, but my point is that currently, unless you look like a model, your chances in the entertainment business are pretty limited. Talent is secondary. The world is full of people that can sing like a bird, but if you look like Steve Buscemi........good luck! Steve

Maybe. But if she looked and sounded like Janis Joplin, you wouldn't even know who she was by today's standards. The difference is that nobody will ever forget who Janis Joplin was. Steve

To an extent. There was no problem distinguishing Hank Williams from Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson. Likewise, though I suppose that you couldn't call them ugly, Patsy Cline and Tammy Wynette weren't going to win any beauty contests. Today, regardless of the music genre, all that you need is a pretty face and a fairly good voice to become a star. No other talent required. I like to use some of the truly talented people from my generation of rock music as examples of people that would most likely not make it by today's standard of "talent" due to their look and sound. People like Mick Jagger, Rick Ocasek, Joe Cocker, Alice Cooper or Lemmy Kilmister wouldn't have a chance in hell today, just to name a few. Not a single melodious voice among them and they were all about as appealing to look at as a hat full of *ssholes! Steve

The AMT '55 Chevy step side pickup has those star pattern wheels. Not exactly the same, but I suppose it depends on how accurate you need them to be. Steve

Not really, but I do have occasional dreams about driving cars that I have never owned. One scenario that seems to recur frequently for me is dreaming of having a large garage with maybe a half a dozen cars in various stages of disrepair or stages of restoration. I always seem to have one that is close to completely restored, a couple that are very nice originals, and a few that need considerable work. Could be that is some sort of reference to my models I suppose. Steve

Yeah, but if you read through the entire thread, it was kind of humorous. Steve

The only thing that comes to mind that I've seen lately that wasn't an older movie was "Rocket Man". A "biographical musical" about the life and career of Elton John. You would normally have to be into musicals to enjoy a movie like this, (which I am not) but I would venture to say that it must have been pretty good for a musical because even I thought it wasn't bad. If you can get through the gay sex scenes, (which always make me a little squeamish) it's worth watching if you're an Elton John fan. Steve

As odd as they get. Steve

Evergreen strips, or you can use thin strips of something very thin such as the .007 "clear film" that I used on this '69 Coronet. Steve

There is a perfect example of how the vinyl texture is nearly imperceptible. Steve

A little tip for the round gauges. You can just cut them out with a scissors, and if they're not perfect, don't fret. There will likely be a little white background paper visible around the edges so just touch up the white with some flat black paint. Then paint the original gauge face black just in case your decals are not cut perfectly. By the time you get them in place and get some clear or epoxy over the top for lenses, you will never be able to tell that they're not perfect. Steve

I'm telling you. Just bite the bullet, buy some "good" Scale Finishes or MCW paint and you'll never look back. Steve

My wife turned it on about ten minutes ago and the first thing that I saw was Justin Beber!! So now I'm sitting here talking to you! I really can't take modern "country music". All of the women are blonde beauty queens, and the men all sound exactly the same. Steve

Harry's method still applies today, and it's the easiest way to get a convincing vinyl top with materials that you probably have on hand. All that you need are some thin plastic strips, or tape, or whatever you choose to use to replicate the seams, and some black spray paint. I prefer to use flat black paint, sprayed from a distance. Then I use the "finger oil" technique and rub my fingers over the finely textured paint to add a slight sheen to the surface of the "bumps". This will give you a very realistic look, unlike many other methods that can look out of scale on a 1/25th scale model. Steve

Agreed. Just glue them directly over the molded in gauges with whatever glue you prefer. A dab of Elmer's, clear parts cement or epoxy will do the trick. You can then add a drop of a clear epoxy or clear paint to replicate the lens if desired. Steve

"Sir, in my heart I know I'm funny." "Here's a news flash: Today president Lyndon Johnson passed a highway beautification bill. The bill basically said that his daughters could not drive in a convertible on public highways". "You know, you're very beautiful. You're also very quiet, and I'm not used to girls being that quiet unless they're medicated. Normally I go out with girls who talk so much you could hook them up to a wind turbine and they could power a small New Hampshire town". Steve