mikemodeler

More than I should! Like Richard (Ramfins) stated, I make sure the bills are paid and then scrounge around for some "play money". Like many here, I have a lot of models to build without buying another one and plenty of paint/glue/foil and anything else I might need. I am guilty of checking out Hobby Lobby and their clearance section, I think I have a couple extra Revell '69 Camaros of various issues and hope I can resist buying anymore!

Over the years I have had other hobbies but came back to model building when I decided I needed something that could be done while my children were small. I used to play softball and buying new shoes and maybe a bat every season added up, not to mention the Aleve and bandages for the scrapes! Playing a couple of nights a week also meant some bar tabs that today would equal 3-4 kits a week, BEFORE the Hobby Lobby coupon! I also bowled in a league, and 36 weeks of bowling times $25 a night added up too. Now, my wife likes to check on me and asks what car I am working on, and when I explain "all of them!" she looks at my bench and says "How do you know what goes where?" The upside is that she developed a summer camp for our YMCA that is called "Build It" and one day is spent building the Revell '34 Ford snap kit! She got the inspiration for it from me and I got a leftover kit last month! The kids love it and several will be in the class again next week after being in it last month. Yeah, some look at us as nerds but some friends of mine who are excellent bodymen, mechanics and painters all built kits when they were little.

Most resin casters do it for the hobby and aren't in it for big bucks. I would suspect that even the Modelhaus kits that run upwards of $100 have quite a bit of cost involved as they tend to be fairly complete and accurate, compared to a $15 body only from Jimmy Flintstone. I am sure resin casters will jump in here but haven't about many of them taking luxury vacations or buying expensive cars as a result of the huge profits in their business, the ones I have met are model builders who do it to support their habit!

Put me down for about 4-5 sets Danny, those look nice!

X2

I think I will wait until the kit is actually out before I make any more comments on the accuracy; anything said before the final product hits the shelf isn't fair as I believe Moebius is trying to make things right.

All of the uproar over inaccuracies with this kit seem to be a moot point as Dave is aware of some issues and is in the process of addressing them. I think we all want an accurate rendition of the vehicle on the box cover and hopefully that is what we will get when the kits are released.

Keep in mind Harry you are talking to a minor here and he will need his parent's help to purchase items on the internet, but a great suggestion!

If you are leaning more towards the Japanese cars, then the US kit companies will have very limited offerings for you. HLJ and other like companies will have more of what you are after but that will be mail order and will require a credit card. I would pay attention to the trading section and put your wants on there. You might be able to find someone with a kit you want willing to trade for kit that is more easily found by you and therefore a trade could be done. There are a couple of companies that deal in selling kits from people's personal collections and may have some kits that you are interested in. Fred Sterns, Dean's Hobby Stop, JiminOhio are among the ones that come to mind.

Kerry, My condolences on the passing of your father, I know what you are going through as I lost my Dad almost 10 weeks ago. My prayers to you and your family as you go through the coming days and may the many happy memories keep you all strong.

I knew there was something I liked about you Chuck!

Bob, Glad you have your opinion on these trucks and Moebius kits and your willingness to share them with us. It would seem, based on your statements, that there are numerous flaws with them, to the point of not being buildable, in your opinion, to render a satisfactory replica of the real car. If you could, please PM me a list of recent kits that are up to your standards so I can see what I might be missing when it comes to reviewing a kit. I don't want to derail this thread and keep it on topic of the upcoming Ford F series pickups.

I have wanted to do this with a '70 Chevelle to create a '70 El Camino. I had the opportunity to buy a 1:1 back in '82 real cheap and passed, wish I could go back in time!

Very nice pictures Gerry, thanks for sharing!

Tower Hobbies has paints and items, as does Micro Mark. They often have sales or promotions like free shipping so it helps save on the cost, plus you can do it from the comfort of your house without spending money on gas! Tower has a promo right now with free shipping on orders over $25 (Code is 01A13), used it last night on a kit and some paint.

I have built a few models for friends as an exercise to hone my skills and do something nice for them but would never want to build a kit for money as I think that would take the fun out of it. It's funny that people who are not involved in a hobby or industry think those of us who are should be happy to do something for free or next to nothing. I work in the auto parts business and many times get asked about cars and what could be wrong with them. I also get the "can you use your discount" to buy the parts cheaper question and my answer is "No, they only allow me to buy parts for my own cars and they have that information on file". The best was about 12 years ago when I was able to buy parts for others at a discount. My wife's cousin not only thought she could pay me when she had the money, she thought my price included installation! LOL! Imagine her surprise when I asked for the money upfront and her reply was "We're family, don't you trust me?" That was the last time I did anyone any favors, told them all they shut the service down due to abuse and yet none of them thought they might be the cause of it!

I think the resin guys cover a lot of the older stuff Harry. I would imagine it is very time consuming to research and develop a big truck kit, with or without the factory help and finding an accurate, older 1:1 truck might not be as easy. As far as licensing goes, I am sure it is still an issue.

Thanks for clarifying the situation Dave. While it is disappointing to hear that a new truck kit is not in the near future, I certainly understand the reasons why are the same- time and money! Really looking forward to what is already planned, and of course like others I have ideas for other new kits, just hope you guys keep churning them out!

Not sure how many of you have "liked" HotRodHarrys.com Facebook page but lately they have been letting folks post pictures of models in addition to 1:1 cars. Lots of neat models and cars, suggest you check it out!

This is why I like the fact that they have a presence here on the forum. So much was stated and speculated without firsthand knowledge and then someone who actually is involved clears it up. Thanks for clarifying the situation Dave and I am looking forward to this kit. I appreciate the effort to "make things right" with this and all of your kits, shows me there is hope for our hobby.

Thanks for sharing, another nice mix of cars!

Typically in order for one to improve their skills, their shortcomings need to be pointed out. That said, if you are to offer constructive criticism and do so in a polite manner, there shouldn't be a problem. The trouble is that on an internet forum it is sometimes hard to interpret one's intentions as a post is viewed as a one-sided conversation. A simple solution would be to send the person a Personal Message on this forum offering your tips so as to not create a situation that can be viewed as overly critical.

Brett, I was generalizing because I was going off of memory on some recent topics on Moebius kits and issues associated with them.

While I would like to see the new releases be a lot closer to the actual vehicle it is modeled after, I also understand that some limitations exist when it comes to the tooling. While I strive for perfection in anything I undertake, I also realize I am human and sometimes I settle for "close enough". Given the costs to bring an all new kit to market, I can see where multiple revisions in the spirit of "making it right" can affect the profitability. I think Moebius has demonstrated that given the opportunity to fix issues, they step up and do so. In the meantime, the other two model companies usually let things go and let us modelers to sort it out. I have been waiting a long time for this kit and will buy several, flaws and all.