StevenGuthmiller

I've been a member of this forum for nearly ten years, and of all of the people that I've followed along with as they perfected their craft, your dad was one of the very top for me. He had a true gift, and I miss seeing his creations on this board a great deal. I didn't know him personally, but I think that you can get a pretty good feel for someones personality after interacting with them for all of those year, even if it's just online, and he was a real mensch! We were all shocked and saddened to hear of his passing, and we all pray that the memories of your father will bring you peace and comfort. Steve

Managed to get the front bumper installed this evening. I was a little worried about how it was going to go as the screw plate had to be removed due to the chassis change, and with the headlights being drilled out, there was very little "safe" surface to apply any glue. Glue had to be applied to the body only on the edges surrounding the headlight nacelles and the outside edges of the bumper, making it a pretty touchy operation, but it went very well. Some headlight lenses to add, and the front end should be pretty much complete, save for a license plate. Steve

Thanks folks! Headlight reflectors made and installed. A little more bumper detailing, and the front and rear bumpers can finally be installed. Steve

I'm giving the "Kitmaker" forum a go. What's one more? Steve

Apparently, Facebook has a deleterious affect on some folks. Steve

I can't disagree with that. My intention was never to go down this rabbit hole, but it appears to be one of the prevailing screeds against Facebook. I was only trying to iterate my opinion that Facebook " modeling groups" are a perfectly acceptable alternative, or companion to, other modeling forums, as the OP was curious about. Steve

I guess my point is that I don't understand how anyone can be content or happy if they're inserting themselves into the constant pissing and moaning back and forth over issues that are completely and irreversibly irreconcilable. It appears to me to be a recipe for utter unhappiness when all you're doing is screaming your head off to people that have their hands over their ears. Seems to me that there's no sense in wasting time on things that have no possibility of resolution, and are completely outside of an individuals control. I'm not happy with what's going on in he world today either, but a knock down, drag out brawl with someone who has an opposite view than me, and has zero possibility of ever agreeing with me, appears to be a pointless and depressing exercise. Steve

Thanks guys! Finished up the tail light lenses by adding a dab of dark gray paint to the inside of each wire ring for more definition, and then, after concluding that they appeared a little unfinished once installed, I decided to fashion a "retainer" molding around each lens using pieces of thin silver wire. I think it helps add a little more realism to the assembly. Steve

Again, it is what you make of it. If you're intent is to use Facebook as a venue to debate issues that can obviously be controversial, then of course, you're going to get blow back from other users and/or overseers. I choose to avoid that entanglement by simply staying out of it. I don't feel the need to post antagonistic content on my page, not because I don't have particular views, but because I'm at the point in my life where I realize that arguing about politics and religion is a complete waste of time. You're never going to change anybody's mind, just as nobody is going to change yours, so what's the point? On my own page, I post family oriented content, and leave it at that. I don't feel as if I have to incessantly post political or religious memes over and over again, because my page is primarily for communicating with my family and friends, and they already know my views. Is there a point to flogging a dead horse? I have relatives that do that sort of thing on Facebook, and as a rule, they seem to be generally unhappy people, no doubt partially due to their interminable quest to try to convert other people to their point of view. What a way to go through life! Needless to say, I not only avoid these people's Facebook buffoonery, but I avoid them as much as possible in person as well. Life's too short. The rest of the time I spend investigating what's happening on the modeling groups, viewing tons of interesting projects and techniques, and yes, "learning a lot, and having a chuckle now and again". If you go into it with the right attitude, there's really very little difference between a Facebook group, and a forum such as this, and there are a multitude of familiar faces from the forums there as well. My purpose is not to convert anyone's thinking, and try to persuade them to visit. You all already have your opinions of it, and just like religious and political topics, it's nearly impossible to change attitudes, which I have a sense, might have some parallels with some of the entrenched attitudes towards Facebook. Steve

I agree. Doesn't look like chrome. Pretty much the same affect that you'd get with Alclad aluminum. Steve

Of course. That's a given in any circumstance, unless you start your own web site. Is it different here? Steve

I'm not talking about my page. I'm talking about the groups. Besides, I see people that post all of the political or religious material that they want on their own page all of the time. As a matter of fact, I get friend requests often that when I check their page, it's literally nothing but. Generally, I don't accept friend requests in those instances. it's a train wreck waiting to happen that I want nothing to do with. Steve

Just like I said, it is what you make of it. Make trouble, get trouble. ? Steve

A good portion of the groups are private. You must ask to join, and must be approved by the admins. You can also be removed from the group at any time, for any reason that the admins see fit. Absolutely no difference from this, or any other forum. Steve

My views on certain subjects are probably completely contrary to the prevailing Facebook attitudes as well, but as I do in my daily interactions with people that I don’t know, I generally keep those opinions to myself. I pretty much restrict my time on Facebook to family things on my own page, and friends and family’s pages and modeling subjects on the modeling groups, where unless you’re looking for them, those types of discussions almost never arise. As a matter of fact, most of the modeling groups don’t allow the subjects that I suspect that you’re eluding to, to be discussed on their groups either, just like on this forum. It’s pretty easy to stay out of trouble unless you go looking for it, in which case, there are plenty of opportunities on Facebook to ruin your day with those types of quagmires if you prefer. Steve

In all honesty Lee, you're likelihood of being banned on this forum are much higher than ever being banned on Facebook. If you can survive here, you would never have an issue there. Looking back on the 3 warning points that I've received since becoming a member here, I can't imagine that any of them, ( "complaining about the operation of the board, name calling, and using an inappropriate word") would have been any grounds at all for any disciplinary action whatsoever on Facebook. Some of the individual groups may have rules regarding language or personal aggression, but of course they're well within their rights to do so. You can't walk into a Walmart and begin throwing around expletives or being abusive to the other customers or employees without the the expectation of being ejected either. I was in the same camp as you a couple of years ago, but found out rather quickly once I investigated for myself, that there is a lot of terrific information available there, and that you can use it however you choose to. As with everything else, it is what you make of it. Steve

Every platform has their own rules and regulations. You can either abide by their rules, or not, your choice. In all honesty, I don't ever remember having to provide a photograph in order to open an account. As far as I recall, the standard required information included, first name, last name, valid e-mail address, password, gender and birth date......that's it. After that, you can include, or not include, any information about yourself that you see fit. I didn't find creating a Facebook account to be any more intrusive or invasive than signing up for an Amazon or eBay account. Steve

I just use a lighted desk magnifier. I get a stiff neck as it is. I can’t imagine that I’d be better off with any sort of contraption on my head. But then again, I’ve never used a visor. So far, I’ve been satisfied with a desk light. Steve

Basically, most of my forum and groups time consists of either down time in between things that I’m doing, or during bench breaks. To be honest, many of the groups that I belong to are subject dedicated groups that I don’t visit a lot when I’m immersed in a project that doesn’t apply. For instance, as I’m currently working on an AMT Pontiac, I’m not spending a lot of time on any of the MPC, Johan, Mopar, etc, groups, so that cuts down considerably on the number that I frequent. Steve

Yes, apparently it's official. A gentleman on Facebook confirmed from Don's girlfriend that he has in fact passed. Steve

What's not to love!! Welcome Garry! Sounds as if we'll have a lot in common! Steve

Not everybody belongs to the same groups. What's posted on one group may not be seen by people on others. There are probably hundreds of model groups on Facebook. As with every forum, it's easy just to scroll past if something is not to your liking. I disregard posts there, as well as here, all of the time. Personally, I never pay attention to anything that pops up on my feed anyway. It's generally nothing but a bunch of junk. Steve

Thanks fellas!! Never willing to leave anything alone, I began looking at the provided tail lights from this kit and was not entirely happy. The kit tail lights are just flat clear red plastic, both of which had sink marks in the center from the locator pins. I decided that they would be pretty easy to reproduce in clear plastic to eliminate that sink mark, and in the process, dress them up a little. First, using the originals as a pattern, and the side glass from an old Johan '64 Plymouth Petty kit for the replacement plastic, I traced, cut and sanded the clear plastic to shape, then gave them a coat of Testors "stop light red". Looking at the 1:1 tail lights, it was obvious that there were 3 visible round portions within the backside of the lens, so I thought I'd have a go at it. I then made small rings from thin silver wire, brushed a little clear onto the backside of the lens, and fastened them into position. Once the clear dried, I brushed on another coat to insure that they were secure. Then flipped over the lens and added a coat of clear to the face. They're not going to be greatly visible, but they're not all that evident from a casual inspection on the real car either. Just thought it was something worth trying out, and I'm happy with the outcome. Steve

Absolutely. Antagonism is by no means exclusive to Facebook, which seems to be the most common grievance with it. Steve

One more advantage that I might note about the Facebook groups is that due to the vast number of active members on some of the groups, (many of them in the tens of thousands) responses to any questions that you might have can very often be immediate. I can ask a question and often have a couple of dozen responses within a few minutes. With some of the lower activity forums, you might wait a week before getting one response. Granted, not all of the answers will be useful, but as is the case everywhere, you have to wade through them and separate the wheat from the chaff. Even here, it can sometimes be difficult to get feedback in a meaningful period of time. I noticed an individual had posted a question here yesterday at around 7:00 AM in the "tips and tricks" section, and although he has had about 150 views, he has yet to receive any answer at all to his question. Steve