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Everything posted by mikemodeler
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When The Gloss Hits Your Eye--That's YOST!
mikemodeler replied to Dr. Cranky's topic in WIP: Model Cars
All I can say is that you made those "MO SHINY" Mike! Nice job on adding to the already deep colors Donn laid down. My eyes hurt from looking at them and now I am inspired even more to start spraying! -
Die Cast 70s Chevy Truck
mikemodeler replied to aksarben's topic in WIP: Model Trucks: Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial
That is a beauty, nice scratch building details and awesome paint! -
nice job on the conversion and the details are fantastic! Clean execution and definitely different and that ain't all bad! for those that might get upset over the Toyota motor in a Chebby, I ask if all of your '32 Fords have blue oval power???? Thanks for sharing!
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When The Gloss Hits Your Eye--That's YOST!
mikemodeler replied to Dr. Cranky's topic in WIP: Model Cars
Donn, Great colors and nice paint jobs on all of them. Not to ask your trade secrets, but just to make sure I understand you correctly, those colors you create are all done with Testors enamels and Pearl X clearcoats, right? I will assume you "experiment" with different ratios of certain colors to get it "just right" and there is much trial and error in your madness. I am inching closer to having my airbrush setup all ready to go and am anxious to try to replicate your success. I have to wait for the pollen season to subside as it is real heavy right now here in Charlotte. Thanks! -
Ford F250 Flatbed
mikemodeler replied to jcvt's topic in WIP: Model Trucks: Pickups, Vans, SUVs, Light Commercial
That is looking good and nice to see some progress on it. I have two of those roll back kits as well and I need to get my butt in gear on them. Can't wait to see this one finished up! -
Any Clubs in North Carolina?
mikemodeler replied to drpndstroy's topic in Model Club News and Announcements
There was the Road Knights here in Charlotte, not sure if they are still around. They met out near the racetrack but have not heard much from them the last 2 years. The Carolina Kustom Modelers (CKM) are up near Kernersville and they put on a nice show every August, they are the only other club that I am aware of near Charlotte. -
1965 Dodge Coronet
mikemodeler replied to timmer's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
I gave a copy of the white 65 Coronet to my oldest brother as a tribute to the car he bought when he came home from the Air Force in 1968. He being 17 years older than me, it is the first car of his I remember and he used to take me everywhere, probably cuz I was a cute kid and it helped him get ladies phone numbers! The kit itself resembles the car fairly well but the engine leaves a bit to be desired as far as details go. The final assembly was a bit fidgety but in the end it was a nice looking model. MCW has a resin trans kit for a 65 Coronet 2 dr sedan, my old catalog has it listed for $32 and you still need a donor kit to complete it. Depending on how detailed you are looking to get, it may be the way to go. -
What do you drive?
mikemodeler replied to gasman's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
The wife drives an 08 Hyundai Santa Fe and she loves it! Bought it used and have put 17,000 miles on it in two years and only have had to do oil changes and new wiper blades. My daily car is a company issued 08 Toyota Camry. I am the only driver of the vehicle and it currently has 136,000 miles. Not the most comfortable vehicle I have driven, but I have to say that besides a battery, the usual filter & oil changes and a struts all around at 110,000 miles, it has been a trouble free car. Hope to get the kids thru college on scholarships and if that happens, then I will be on the lookout for an old pickup or 60's midsize muscle car. -
Talked with cuzzin Al overt the weekend!
mikemodeler replied to george 53's topic in Car Aftermarket / Resin / 3D Printed
Could be too that because of his extensive list of parts, knowing what to have on hand to meet demand might be more work than it is worth. I understood when I placed my order with Al that he was going to cast my order as he received it, much like The Modelhaus does. Thanks for updating us George, Al's stuff is great and worth waiting for. Hopefully he can get caught up and life will get easier for him and his business. -
While I have not built or bought any Hudsons, the builds that have been displayed here have been very nice. I admire the hard work foiling those cars, probably why I haven't jumped in to build one! Mike
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Great topic and like most people, I have my share of retail horror stories to share. The condensed versions here: 1st job- worked at a Mercedes/BMW dealership during high school (great job for a teenager!) and we had this one lady who thought she was entitled to a free hand car wash every Saturday at noon, despite it being the busiest time of the day and also our lunch time. One particularly cold and busy Saturday she insisted on getting her car washed and we told her it would be 2 hours before we could do it. She got the salesman who sold her the car and he begged us to wash the car, so we did. We made sure to put extra water in the door locks knowing full well they would freeze and she would be locked out, hopefully at the dinner party she needed her car washed for! 2nd job- worked at a grocery store in the same town as the car dealership. Some customers would walk around eating food they hadn't paid for yet and didn't think anything of it. We caught this one lady who had fed her kids about a pound of grapes, a box of animal crackers, and several containers of yogurt. She offered to pay for the items but the manager decided to have her banned as he had watched this happen several times. Another incident at the store was a customer who insisted we send an employee over to her house to clean up a mess her maid had made. Seems the maid spilled some soda taking the groceries out of the car and because we had placed them in her trunk, it was our fault! She got the store manager to personally clean up the mess at the house and pay to have her car detailed! 3rd job- worked part time at a Sears Paint/Hardware store one summer to feed my need for tools. We had a customer bring in a 15 year old air compressor that was bought at an estate sale. It didn't work and the customer wanted us to replace it, afterall, who backs you better than Sears? We refused as the warranty was only 1 year and this was obviously beyond the warranty period. Well, 10 days later this customer came back with a letter from corporate saying give him a free air compressor! I won't even go into the cheapskates who would buy the cheapest chainsaw to trim a few branches and then return it-effectively a free loaner! The old farts who would go to garage sales on Saturday and buy broken hand tools and return them for free replacement. The best were guys who would break a ratchet and expect a free replacement. When we explained that the warranty stated "repair or replacement" and we could repair it, they got ticked off and wanted a new one! They quickly learned that if they came in during the morning hours the ladies would give them new ones and us evening guys would repair them. Like others have said, I have learned that if you talk in a calm manner and treat the employee with respect, you will get the best possible service. Talk down or treat someone like dirt and you will be lucky to get anything. My mother-in-law is terrible when it comes to customer service and as a result, I almost always decline to dine out with her as she is very demanding and is a lousy tipper. I have no doubt she had eaten her share of dirt and spit because of the way she treats waiters and complains about everything!
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'60 Starliner, smoothed out *New, brighter pics, in first post*
mikemodeler replied to Ryan S.'s topic in Model Cars
Very Nice! I like the color and details! -
History of Monogram's Dodge Ramcharger
mikemodeler replied to Fabrux's topic in Truck Kit News & Reviews
Actually, I have a complaint to register with you........these history lessons are causing me to search eBay looking for some of the kits I wasn't smart enough to buy or hold onto when I was younger! Thanks for the information, it is nice to know more about this hobby and I appreciate you taking the time to educate us. -
The way a post gets written
mikemodeler replied to Ben's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
I am having the same problem, I attribute it to the keyboard on my laptop as it does it with other programs. Check where your mouse is displayed on the screen, I usually find it positioned over the offending font. -
Stunning! Absolutely beautiful detail work and execution! That engine compartment looks so real, I had to take a second look.
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Nice tribute and a great way to let the healing continue since the loss of your father. There was a pro-street version of that 67 Chevelle that would make it easier to have the narrowed rearend and large tires, it might even still be on the shelves at Hobby Lobby. If not , look around, they are plentiful. Can't wait to see this one done!
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Happy Birthday to all forum members here today! jairus- thank you for your contributions to the mag and forum, not to mention your artwork!
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I think it was recently mentioned that the demand for gas in the US was down but it was countries like China that have increased their demand and that played a part in the gas prices. What one must keep in mind is that investors are always looking for the highest return on their money and they will put it into those areas that can give solid results. I am sure you have all seen the ads on TV, in the newspapers and on the radio about how gold is the best investment one could make? Do you remember seeing those ads 5 or 10 years ago? Nope! The worldwide economy has become fragile and investors look to things like gold and oil as being safe bets and thus the rise in their prices. The fear is that if Greece goes belly up, then the world markets will be in upheaval and stocks and bonds will take a beating. All the talk about the Keystone Pipeline was not about lowering our gas prices, it had more to do with sourcing oil from a more stable part of the world and friendly trading partner, Canada. If the US would only develop an energy plan that was realistic instead of using algae for fuel and mandating electric vehicles that require us to burn fossil fuel to recharge them, then we could squash some of the political rhetoric over who is responsible for $4 a gallon gas and who will get it back to $2.50!
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Something else to keep in mind. As we all start driving fewer miles and more fuel efficient vehicles, the government will have to raise the gas taxes to keep pace with inflation and less fuel being used. While I see the importance of conserving our resources, the government does not factor that into their budgets and we get screwed twice! 5 years ago here in Charlotte we were having a terrible drought and we were told to curtail our water use- no lawn watering or car washing- and as good citizens, we complied. What was our reward? Well, they had to raise the water rates due to a drop in revenue due to the conservation efforts of the citizens! Heaven forbid some of the water department employees who are good at holding up a shovel while watching others work would not get as much overtime or worse, be laid off!!!!! If an electric car uses the same roads as a gas powered vehicle, how does the government collect taxes to pay for the roads? You watch, coming soon, new taxes or as a politician likes to say "USER FEES" !
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Well, as someone who has a job that provides a car and gas, the price really hasn't affected my hobby but the increases in other areas have. My property taxes went up $530 this year, first real increase in 6 years so I can't complain but it still hurts. Medical insurance and car insurance (added a teen aged driver) have seen significant increases but the biggest hit has been at the grocery store. Add in the usual increases in other areas not mentioned (utilities, clothing, etc) and it is hard to find extra cash to spend. I have considered selling off some of my multiples of certain kits but what will I gain if everyone else is hurting? Not that I was planning on retiring off of my model collection but why take $5 for a kit I paid $15 and is worth at least what I paid for it? I work in the auto parts business and where it has impacted me is at the repair shop level. If we are all struggling to pay for higher gas, then repairs aren't getting done unless absolutely necessary. If shops aren't buying parts, then the parts stores aren't either and that is where I make my money. Not sure what the answer is and I don't think changing political parties occupying the White House will impact gas prices as much as bringing some calm to the Middle East. The fact of the matter is that we have plenty of gas here, it is the speculators that "think" there "could" be a supply problem and thus we have oil at $110 a barrel. The problem here in NC is that they index the gas tax to price of gas so as it rises, so does our taxes! Gotta love those smart politicians!
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I have a plastic organizer in my model area that came from Office Depot. It has four drawers and they have different depths so storing things in it is pretty easy. It is on wheels and can be moved around, even on carpet, and is very handy. I would suggest something a little more sturdier than a TV tray for model building as they can tip over pretty easy. If you can negotiate using the kitchen table with the promise to not leave a mess or spill on the table, then you will have a more solid surface to work on. I travel with my job and used to take a toolbox with me to work on models in my hotel room but now I leave it at home as I am usually too tired to work on models at the end of the day. I had knives, paints, glues,brushes, files and sanding sticks in there to do some of the basic starting work on a kit before I got home to the airbrush/dremel/spray cans.
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Would you use a promo to start a project?
mikemodeler replied to Wheels's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
I haven't yet used a promo but am thinking about it. I have wanted to build a Chevette and finding an unbuilt kit at a reasonable price is very hard. I would like to find some old promos and restore them, if the prices were reasonable. -
I am kind of in the same boat John. I got my first airbrush 35 years ago (cheapy Badger that got ruined by not cleaning it) and have a Paasche H and a brand new Aztek ( a freebie from Scale Auto) that I have yet to use to paint any models with. I have had an air compressor since 1996 and "one of these days I will set up a spray station" has been my motto! I have both of Donn Yost's videos, have met him in person and discussed his methods and am committed to trying the airbrush way but have not had time to do it correctly. I grew up spray bombing my cars with rattle cans and still buy them regularly and have to make the leap to the airbrush or sell off the equipment!
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New Revell kits?
mikemodeler replied to 58 Impala's topic in General Automotive Talk (Trucks and Cars)
The Tower Hobbies website show them as "Order Pending" , which probably means they have a scheduled production date but no confirmed ship date.They were announced as First Half 2012 releases and technically that means until July 1, so anything is possible. I am willing to wait, those look to be some nice kits and I would rather they be right than rushed!