BenfromKC

I use my metal lathe...

I know some people who have been using extrusion printers for small scale metal casting. I believe they've been using PLA without any issues while burning out their investments. It's one of the steps that makes me more confident with 3D printing as a whole, as it allows an actual, full strength final product. I love the key fobs, and I'm certain every other Atom owner would love them, too!

Great build! This kit is now definitely on my wish list.

I'm currently building the same kit, and I'm having tons of trouble choosing a body color. Pretty nice kit, though. I could see that seat fabric as a great VW tuner look. Those guys love to do strange stuff, and a burlap upholstery job wouldn't surprise me one bit on a 1:1 car.

Absolutely gorgeous! Great job!

You know, while they're at Ikea, they should pick up the Produkt Milk Frother. It makes an excellent paint stirrer with some minor modifications, and it's only $2.49. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10076320/?query=produkt

This isn't necessarily a view from my office, since I don't have one, and rarely stay in the same place long, but for the past 7 weeks, I've been looking at this: and these:

I used to have a very similar view, with a significantly smaller toolbox. I miss it about 4 out of every 5 days at my current job.

I went through a similar issue with some custom bumper stickers I had ordered. I went two post offices to try to find out what happened, and every time I was told that it had been delivered. I even asked if we could talk to the letter carrier, and they told me that wouldn't be possible. I called the company I ordered the stickers from (stickerjunkie.com, good company, by the way) and they just made up a new set for me. I got the second set in a couple of days. The first set showed up two months later with no extra postmarks, or labeling of any kind.

The only one I haven't seen mentioned so far, is the Tamiya Porsche GT1.

While 2011 is easy to machine, it's not very resistant to corrosion, so be careful with what chemicals (coolant while cutting, paint, cleaners and primers later) Nothing is worse than making a beautiful scale part, only to have a tiny bit of corrosion ruin everything!

I definitely agree with starting them out on a snap kit, but make sure they're the ones that choose the models. Also, it may be extremely difficult to hold back, but never force them to add details that they aren't concerned with. If they fall in love with models, they'll start to garner an appreciation for fine details and craftsmanship, but right now, they're likely interested in taking a bunch of separate parts, and turning it into a toy car. They WILL want to play with the car more than stare at it on a shelf. For that reason, the Mustang would be an awesome start. When I was a kid, my dad was working on a ship model, and very focused on the details, for that reason, I completely lost interest in ships. When he just let me go on my own to snap together my car models, I was thrilled. My models were finished the same day I started, and I didn't care.

My favorite part of building Lamborghinis is that you can choose whatever color you want, and somehow it looks like a realistic 1:1 option they would have offered. Nice work!

It looks like it has a bit too much of Luigi Colani's influence...

I'll second the wishes for more bosozoku vehicles! As a 1:1 enthusiast, I think they're ridiculous, but I still appreciate the commitment the owners put into such extreme modifications. I feel the same way about a well executed donk.

Mine was my mother's 1989 BMW 325iX, one of 844 brought to the US that year. It was the day after I earned my driver's license, and I was rear ended by a Ford Crown Vic. The Ford won. The accident clearly wasn't my fault, but I made the mistake of not asking to take out the car, so she still holds that one against me!

I've always found the prices for raw materials at McMaster-Carr to be outrageous. Most major cities will have a few metal stores that are willing to cut pieces to the small sizes that we work with regularly.

The Back to the Future trilogy can captivate me at any time.

I finally got to see an Aston Martin Rapide on my way to work this morning. The driver was polite enough to goose the gas from some stoplights to share the auditory pleasantries with the rest of us.

There's always a chance it wasn't. It's well past the 25 year import rule, and quite a desirable vehicle, so I wouldn't doubt people are importing them for a hefty profit. The same thing was done for the Mercedes G-class before they officially began importing new models around the mid 2000's. I've also known people who import the Land Rover Defender, and swap VINs to beat out the 25 year rule.

I've also found CAT5 and CAT6 cable to be extremely helpful for fine wires. While cleaning out my father's old house we stumbled upon some 35 year old telephone wire that had some colors inside that I haven't found anywhere else.

I love the Geoff model!

This is amazing! Vector is one of those brands that I fell in love with long ago. I had an opportunity to go see a W8 about 4 hours away that was actually for sale, and I still kick myself for not going. Whose silicone are you using? I've been using a lot of Smooth-On products at work lately, and we've managed some incredible details with pretty limited efforts.

I'm Ben! I have been building models (always cars) for over 20 years, with a lot of long breaks in between. I'm a big fan of european, and especially German cars. On the bench right now is a first generation Honda Fit, which will be a copy of my 1:1 vehicle. As for what's coming next, there's a Tamiya Ferrari Enzo, Tamiya Porsche Carrera GT, Tamiya Original Mini Cooper, Tamiya Mercedes Benz CLK-DTM, and a Revell Lancia Stratos kit from 1979 that I found for only 10 bucks! Outside of the hobby, I've got a sculpture degree and I've sold BMWs, fixed BMWs, made custom furniture, and now I make stuff.