mikemodeler

Something you couldn't make yourself Bill? I do remember the "old" days of UPS when you just had to take it on faith that it was on it's way, tracking was not an option. Of course we didn't have mini computers that doubled as a phone either. Technology, some days you love, some days you hate it.

Was at the Toyota dealer this morning for my free oil change (new truck came with free oil changes for the first two years, its a Toyota thing) and noticed zero new cars on the lot. This is a dealer that used to stock 700 new vehicles and now they wait for the delivery trucks to show up with cars that are often pre-sold. When I bought my truck in January it was a two week wait. I work for an OE supplier and we have been riding the roller coaster of plant shutdowns due to lack of parts for production. The forecast for returning to "normal" is still a year off, maybe longer. You mentioned ordering and waiting as being the new business model and you are correct. Many of the manufacturers are looking at doing just that as it helps everyone in the sales cycle, except the buyer. If a shopper has the ability to compare prices by spending an afternoon going to multiple dealerships looking at cars and dealing, then they win. With the "order it and wait" model, you pretty much are at their mercy when you order your vehicle. These mega dealerships with their huge facilities (and property taxes, utilities, maintenance) might become a thing of the past. They still need service bays and a lot for used cars, but they probably don't need space for 500 new vehicles!

Just a guess but based on the bit that I know from injection molding, I would say the parts were popped out while still warm and upon cooling developed the warpage we are seeing. The two deck pieces in my kits that are warped are both thin and flat and if left to cool outside of the mold they would be quick to twist and curl like they did. I will see about creating a jig and then trying the pot of hot water trick I have used in the past to straighten them out.

I got two kits and they have identical issues- warped hoods, ramp base and ramp deck. Mine will sit until I hear what the remedy will be from Moebius/Model King.

One of the first times we met Jamie Pressly.

Squads by Tony has a lot of light bars, might have the correct type. The MPC Deserter would be a good chassis donor to start with, has the option of lifted or stock height 4x4. The Star resin body will be interesting to see, I built an old F&F resin Burban that was a converted pickup with some crude mods. I have a resin printed body on order from Robert Burns and expect it to be much better than that earlier resin kit. Haven't watched the series but always been a fan of 67-72 GM trucks so I will have to check it out.

I have failed him, not the other way around. Don't let that sentence define you. I am sure your father wishes things turned out differently for you, I know mine did. But we can't change what is and what happened. I am the only one of my siblings to not graduate college and that is something I know bothered my dad. Like you, I was headstrong and knew better and when several opportunities to return to college presented themselves, my father was the most encouraging. My dad stuttered his whole life so he did not speak much because he was often teased about it but when he did speak, you listened out of respect and also because he had words of wisdom to share. Work on being a better person in life if you haven't already. It isn't always about the fanciest car, clothes or house, it's how you treat others. Higher education isn't for everyone so accept where you are and work on improving it for YOU. While your dad used his education to be a teacher, something spoke to him about working with his hands and he gave up being a teacher to pursue a career that sounds was more to his liking. Chasing your dreams can be more fulfilling than chasing a paycheck.

I don't recall seeing him here. I will PM you his email address

Robert Burns at Too Many Projects on Facebook has what you need. He also sells on eBay under the name modelerrob. Here's his 85 Dodge Extended Cab I grabbed from him. Comes with your choice of long or short beds.

1. Art is no longer on the MCM Forum (long story). 2. It was a different supplier -SJS? Accu Pro?- that is since out of business. 3. Check out Too Many Projects on FB, he has a lot of Dodge trucks, might have what you are looking for.

The thing with custom SEMA trucks is that they are just that- Custom- and many parts are one off pieces. Much of what is on that truck you could probably build yourself with some plastic styrene tubes and sheet plastic. If you watch Texas Metal on MotorTrend TV, you will see that when they build trucks like that they custom fabricate those suspensions for the specific truck. Iceman Collections has some custom wheels and tires and when he opens back up you might find something to use, same with Scenes Unlimited. Also check out Fireball Modelworks, he has some cool off road stuff including wheels, tires, light bars, winches.

Welcome to the asylum, come on in, we won't bite. Hope you find it to be educational and entertaining.

Rumor has it that Moebius has a wrecker planned for the 4x4 F-350 Highboy kit coming out later this year, supposed to have a correct Holmes 440 bed. That should build up nicely!

I think those scale out to be 44 inch tall tires.

Looks like you figured it out. Nice work.

Is this what you are looking for? https://houseofhobbies.com/collections/auto-accessories?_=pf&pf_v_brand=Tamiya

Maybe if you posted pictures of the type of parts you are looking for, we could point you in the proper direction. I'd also suggest scanning the forum for builds like the one you are wanting to build to see if others have listed sources for the parts they used. Many of the custom trucks use airbags and multi link suspensions, relatively easy to scratch build from plastic stock.

Dan, your statement above is a contradiction in terms and also the problem with people flocking to EVs. They want to think they are helping the environment by dropping the gas powered vehicle, but the sad reality is that while the vehicle is no longer polluting out the tailpipe, the power plant that generates electricity is. A larger, scarier problem is that to mine the minerals for EV battery production, the environmental damage to the earth and surrounding eco systems is quite severe. Add in that much of this mining is done in third world countries where there is no EPA and the problem is magnified. About 40 miles west of where I live here in Charlotte is a huge lithium deposit that is being researched for possible mining and is facing huge pushback from local residents and environmentalists because of the impact it will have. I work for an automotive division of Toyota and we are involved in EV development so I see the writing on the wall but I am not convinced that we shouldn't be pushing additional alternative fuels and hybrids as some of them are much more environmentally friendly and cost effective.

Nope Joe, I just blindly post stuff on the internet and wait for the fireworks to ensue. Of course I did. The basic gist of the story is that given the amount of energy to build an EV versus a fossil fuel vehicle, there is not an immediate benefit to the environment like some people would have you believe. And considering that to recharge an EV takes electricity that is often created by burning fuel that creates Co2, it is still contributing to the emissions pollution it claims to solve. Add in the extra weight that those batteries add to a vehicle's overall structure and the "mileage" of an EV is diminished. I believe we would be better off going the hydrogen route as it is a much cleaner system, more sustainable and more ecologically friendly. The raping and pillaging of the land to yield the minerals for battery production is quite destructive to the eco-system.

eBay could yield what you are looking for, might be pricey. You could check with The Modelroundup and see if they have the kits you are looking for.

Flippin Awesome! Such excellent detail in such a small scale.

Here's something to think about when you consider an EV over a fossil fueled vehicle. And ask "Why hasn't the car maker or government disclosed this information yet?" https://www.thedrive.com/news/electric-pickup-trucks-are-dirtier-than-you-think

You do realize that TPMS was created in response to Ford Explorers experiencing roll over crashes due to low tire pressure, mainly because of defective Firestone tires, right? The last thing Ford wants is to have another debacle on it's hands like it did with the Explorers.

The potential problem is that the tire pressure was incorrectly programmed into the BCM. If left unrepaired, the tires could become low on air pressure, which could lead to a crash. The whole reason why TPMS was created.

The first recall for the F-150 Lightning EV pickup was issued by Ford on 7/1/2022. TPMS malfunction could happen, affecting 2,900 vehicles.