peteski

Yeah, over the last several decades pickup trucks have morphed from utility vehicles to luxury transportation that could theoretically be used for some utility tasks. The keyword is "theoretically".

Steve, first of all, this stuff is *NOT* a floor polish. Polish (by definition) does not have any body to it. This stuff (whatever name it is now called) is "floor finish". The difference? It actually does not not just polish the existing surface - it creates a clear film. It is actually water-based clear acrylic clear coating. It is designed to be walked on, so it is quite durable. It has been used by modelers for decades, so it has proven that it works. But just like with any paint coatings - there could be some compatibility problems. But being water-based, it is pretty safe to apply over any well-cured finish. However there could be some compatibility issues if other coatings are applied over it. Again, nothing different than when we use "standard" paints. I still have a bottle of Future (about 20 years old),and I only use to on clear plastic parts to increase their clarity. It works great for that. It has not yellowed over time. So I'm sort of on your side, but I just wanted to clarify the definitions.

Yes, there are many sources of (inexpensive) shielded cables, but the braiding pattern of the shield does not look much like scaled down 1:1 braided lines. The braided lines Pro Tech Model sells very closely approximates the 1:1 braiding pattern. That makes the model look more realistic. But I guess some aren't as picky as I am. I also understand that the cost comes into play. Still, why no make our models as realistic as possible, even if it costs few extra dollars? This is what they say about their braided line: "PRO TECH's Braided Line has been specially engineered to produce the most accurate looking braided line available, so you can achieve realistic results. Also, all of our braided line is manufactured with a core, so line will not collapse when bent at sharp angles. "

I would also love to see Tamiya Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTA brought back. It is a nice older full-detail kit that has become rare and goes for crazy prices on eBay. That one could also be weathered as a rally car.

LOL! Last year me GF rented a Tesla for a day (under her name) as a birthday gift for me. Yes, I took it for a joy ride, but "it" didn't know what I was (gave it a fake name). And it is not about being paranoid. It is about the big-brother private mega-companies gathering all your personal info and monetizing it, making billions of dollars in profits. I just don't like to be one of their "sheep". And all that data (including lots of very important personal info) can be gathered by hackers through data breaches, causing all sorts of problems for us. While my efforts to limit exposure of my personal data on the Interwebs is futile, it still makes me feel better that at least I'm trying. Some of you out there are fully transparent and don't care. I'll never understand that mentality. And here I simply pointed out that there are other browsers than Chrome. The online world is not just Google.

Don't worry Mike. It is for us just part of the course. Taking care of our parent, for better and for worse. Just did 2 loads of mom's clothes today, and no disintegrated tissues this time.

Oh man, how I can relate! My mom habitually stuffs paper tissues in all her pockets. I sometimes miss one pocket when prepping her laundry. Oh boy! What a pain! I have a top-loader washer and the interior tub has a speckled white color. I have no chance of seeing the slivers of thin paper until I wait for the washer's interior to dry. Even then I need to use my very bright LED flashlight to spot the flakes of tissue (when dry, they are ever so slightly brighter white than the washer's tub). I just got an idea: If the tissue paper glows blue if exposed to UV light, I'll try using my UV flashlight next time (because I know there will be next time)! At least the tissue flakes aren't too much problem in the dryer. The seem to get blown onto the lint filter. But some of the paper flakes stay stuck to clothes. I need a sticky roller to take care of that. Oh man, I didn't need to be reminded of this on the Chistmas Day!

If 91% works, then 99% should work even better. 99% IPA (or Isopropanol) should be available in gallon size tin cans at local hardware stores (in the pain thinners section). If not, they should be able to special order it for you. Not sure about the big box stores, but I know that Ace Hardware will do that. Of course the price for 99% IPA has surged few years ago (during the COVID pandemic) and didn't go down. Thankfully I bough some before that. And as with any paint stripping solution, warmer works better than cold. If your workshop is cold during the Winter, do the stripping in your main house where it is warmer.

Nice job Alex! I'm curious what is the reason for trucks to be stretched this much? It surely isn't for pulling standard trailers. While it looks interesting and unusual, that spece seems wasted when hauling a standard trailer.

Their Mini Cooper also includes the rally version which could be covered with mud!

That is surprising. Nice! Usually pens used as free advertisements are of rather low quality (since they are disposable).

I don't see any green or olive drab in that paint. To me it looks like pale gold (sort of similar to the "cashmere" color popular in the '90s, but a bit more gold-ish). The Tamiya X-11 looks pretty close, but seems it seems a bit too beige. There are probably nail polish colors very close to what's needed. The transporter truck's cab seems to be painted the same color as the car. I should also add that color photos are not very good for accurate color matching. Plus since the original vehicle is likely long gone, who will question your color choice?

Nobody's forcing anybody to use Chrome. There are several different browsers available. I always thought Chrome (and Google) was evil tracking browser. Never had it installed on my personal computer. I use Seamonkey for accessing this forum. There is also Firefox, and few other non-Google browsers out there. What makes you all use Chrome? I suggest stopping drinking the "Google Cool-Aid", and using different browser.

Thank you Andy. As for catching up with me (number of models finished), I'm not a very prolific modeler. In the last 40 years I probably have not built more than couple dozen models. I do have a sizable stash of kits - I hope to get them all built in my lifetime. Yes, Gunze Sangyo is a Japanese manufacturer, but they have not produced a lot of American prototype automotive kits. They are more well known for their multiple lines of hobby paints (like Mr. Color). That Caddy was a part of their '50s-'60s collection series. Some of those models were sold in Revell packaging. Very simple kits, but they seem to have the correct proportions, and finely molded details. As other Japanese kits from the '70s, the can be motorized. And yes, generally speaking kits from Japanese kit manufacturers like Gunze, Tamiya, Fujimi, or Aoshima are a pleasure to build and have a good level of detail. If you never built a Japanese kit I highly recommend to pick one up and give it a try. If you live in USA, I would recommend buying the kit from one of the dealers in Japan. The Dollar-Yen exchange rate is currently very favorable.

Andy, the model is beautiful! You did an excellent job making a bad kit look really good, and all the opening features make it even better. I did have to smile because we both used similar color on out models of this car. Mine is smaller (1:32 scale) Gunze Sangyo curbside model. It is a very basic kit, but it seems to have correct proportions and good amount of visible details. I built it around 30 years ago (before easy access to photos on the Internet), and it was my first car kit on which I used Bare Metal Foil. I hope you don't mind me posting photos of my Caddy. They are scans of 4x6 snapshots taken with my 35mm camera back then.

Hey dude, that is a really nice scratchbuilt model. You made it just using your hands - no tools! True scratchbuild!

I used to live there. Moved to the suburbs about 30 years ago, and now I avoid it like a plague! But it is not just Boston. Drivers in the entire New England area are really nasty. Actually, I think the same applies to the entire country. We just totally lost our civility when it comes driving (and even politics). USA is not the same place it was years ago, but we unfortunately can't just make it nice again. Can't go back to the past. Just have to grin and bear it. Or is it bear and grin it?

I believe that it is a rhetorical question since you have been around long enough to know the answer: The cost of cutting steel tooling, and possible license fees are probably the 2 largest reasons manufacturers chose not to scour the internet for some better body design to produce it in injection-molded styrene. They also have to consider how well a new model kit would sell.

A lathe or a milling machine are all tools used for producing the desired parts. You hold and turn their handwheels with your hand to move the cutter forming the parts. A computer mouse or pen used by a CAD designer designing the part to be printed out on a 3D printer is also a tool held in their hand. Sounds like your definition would limit the tool to all manual tools. Knives, files, and hand-cranked drills. Not even a Dremel tool? This thread is like politics - you will have many different opinions (all presenting valid points) and it is best to agree to disagree.

eBay was much more civilized (and so much simpler to use) about 15 years ago. In many ways. That's when I did most of my buying and selling. Now it is like a wasteland full of nutz (both sellers and buyers). And the eBay rules are ridiculous. I sill buy some things there, but haven't sold anything for years.

Ink? Paint? Could someone provide a good scientific definition of the difference between paint and ink? I once looked online and never found a really good answer. The "dry faster" doesn't do it for me. Any lacquer-type of paint, if thinned enough with fast evaporating solvent will dry very fast. Nail polish dries fast, even as-is. If thinned further with lacquer thinner, then applied to a surface, it will dry very fast. Faster than alcohol-based Molotow. Alcohol is not as fast evaporating as acetone for example.

The headlights and directionals are not well integrated into the body. Looks like they were added after the car was built. Strange.

Thanks for the clarification Charlie.

Same here (Massachusetts, USA). No white Christmas, and I'm not complaining at all. Snow to me is a menace. But unfortunately this seemingly warmer climate also means more tropical (hot and humid) Summer days which I could live without. I wish we could extend Spring and Autumn, and shorten the Winters and Summers.

Excellent Charlie! I'm interested. Did you use a food packaging container or figured out what the problem with your buck was?