peteski

If underside of the hood has a very thin plastic around the perimeter designed to be easily separated from the body, then it is an ESCI kit. Or ESCI body.

I agree that photoetched pieces are too 2-dimensional (flat). These look better. Best ones I have seen were resin cast by Norm at RMCoM, but those represent the more curvy ones used in '50s cars or older.

Yes, it did have that "Eastern European Bloc" flavor to me too, but the rectangular headlights had be puzzled.

Thanks for the comparison photos. Yes, that is a dramatic difference in roof length (which messes up other proportions). But it obviously doesn't bother some modelers. It's all good.

Carl, thanks for all the details you provided (I only quoted a small part). Very helpful.

Carl, I'm curious, is that after or before deducting the eBay fees? Even then I really have no good insight into how valuable your kits were. I guess the bottom line is that the kits are out of your house and you have cash instead. I used to sell on eBay long time ago and I know there have been many changes since then. For example will eBay send you tax forms (not the state taxes they collect automatically, but for your own personal income tax)? Kim, I would not worry about your personal profile. If you are posting messages that means you are an active member. You already provided enough personal info. If you are curious how other member's profiles look like, just click on any of the member's avatar (picture) on the left of any post. That will bring up that member's profile.

Exactly because the real thing is translucent, and that is very difficult to duplicate on a non-translucent model version. I seem to recall that someone here ( @Scale-Master ?) built a model of a Porsche and did a really good job simulating the fiberglass color. Was is on a tank or maybe a blower housing? Actually I wouldn't put past him if he actually molded the miniature part out of very thing fiberglass for the ultimate realism.

That just means that someone else has put in a higher bid amount than you did. Like I mentioned, I prefer snipping because that eliminates all that drama you described. It doesn't mean I always win either (again, someone else could have put down more money in their earlier bid), but it is less stressful, and if I'm the high bidder (win the auction) I feel that I got the best price for the money I was willing to spend. Some people despise people who snipe, but I see nothing wrong with it since the bidding system allows for it (and always has). Like Les mentioned, just bid the highest amount you are willing to spend on the item and if the current bid is lower, eBay will proxy bid for you til the end of the auction (or til someone outbids you) using the lowest amount of money possible. Or snipe by bidding your highest amount of money right before the auction ends. If you win, you win, but if not, that again means that someone wanted the item more than you did.

It is called "proxy bidding" we have discussed this in the proper section of the forum. Then there is "snipping", where a bidder comes in at a last second with a very high bid.

Over the last decade or so we had about half a dozen members pass away. We are a closely knit club, and the club usually helps the spouse or family with disposing of the accumulated models (both built and unbuilt), tools, and supplies. In some cases the club buys the model collection then auctions it off to the members or even to the public. In other instances the spouse is familiar with online auctions and sells the models herself. As for the tributes, during our annual model contest (open to the public) we have a tribute table displaying models and photos of the members we lost, and we also have their models featured on the website (along with still active members). This is our member's page http://classicplastic.org/people.html , and here are couple of pages for our deceased members linked from that page: http://classicplastic.org/del-p.html http://classicplastic.org/barry-f.html . Back when we (unexpectedly) lost our first member we realized that we didn't really have much info about him. Our club's historian then started compiling "Members' Profiles". It is a 3-ring binder where a single sheet of biographical info about each member is kept. It is a live document which gets updated every time we lose or gain a member. It is a printed document, only accessible to the active members.

Why we do this? Because we can! Let's network everything! LAN, WAN, CAN, whatever it takes Even your household light bulbs are on the Internet! IoT baby! Hacker's paradise.

That's right, back in the day they used nickel, not chrome. It was less shiny, and the silver color had a "warmer" look. Very nice model!

Looking good so far! I recall when this kit first came out some inaccuracies were mentioned with the engine and thing with the body shape. I don't remember the specifics. I also believe that instead of the typical vacuum-metalized "chrome" using very thin layer of aluminum, Trumpeter actually electroplated the plastic parts with copper and then real chrome. Just like it is done for 1:1 cars. It is almost impossible to remove.

Very nice! I have one of those models to build someday, except I think mine is a Hasegawa. And that is one of those colors that looks just as blue as it does green. To me it looks light blue with a hint of green. I suppose aqua.

The amount of chrome trim on this vehicles puts even the "blingiest" American '50s cars to shame. Wow!

Couple of years ago (when Future was still available) I used to see ads on TV for the "Holloway House Quick Shine", so I would assume it is also available for sale in USA.

Well, it can have its uses for simple straight or flat items without deep recesses or complex curves. Things like straight moldings, or rocker panel covers. It is much "chromier" looking than BMF, so it would not be a good idea to use both on the same model. There is a detailed review and comparison of multiple brands of chrome foils available.

I have been collecting damaged dental tools from my dentist for years. Most have one end broken (those are usually accidentally dropped on the floor), or some are just worn out. The dental assistant keeps them for working on dental molds and things like that, so they usually have a stash in the back room. When I first asked my dentist for those tools, he looked at me funny (not backyard dentistry), but when I explained what I needed them for, he didn't have problem giving me few tools. Later, I brought in some of my models to show him (and even made a model for him) he had no problem with me asking for the tools on my every visit. Here is part of my stash. I often reshape them by grinding the tips with my Dremel tool. I make scribes, miniature pry bars or awls. Or just cut off the broken end and use the remaining good end. I also ask my dentist's assistant for empty plastic boxes. They receive crowns or bridges from outside labs packed in nice clamshell boxes. Those are handy for storing small things in my workshop. When I had my root canals the periodontist also let me have some of those tiny needle "files" they use to clean out nerve canals. Those are handy for hobbies too.

Actually is is not as long ago as I thought (although backup cameras have been getting installed in many cars even before being mandated by law). Looks like they were mandated since 2018. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backup_camera

You're welcome! Make sure to try it out on some scrap pieces to get a hang of using it. I'm still experimenting myself. If applied sparingly, it might be good for gluing window glass too.

I think brass would be too springy (unless annealed maybe). I was thinking aluminum would be a good choice. I would be worried that tin (actually a tin-plated steel) might be prone to rusting. But hey, it looks like it will work quite well.

That's what I thought too. Bondic is just some cheap UV cure resin. It sucks as a glue. That's why I was very skeptical but I gave it a try. The JB Weld stuff is a real dual cure Cyano-Acrylate (super glue). Just like I mentioned.

You should be able to buy several colors of powder then blend them (before application) to get a close match. it will not be a solid color, but the mix will likely look pretty realistic, like carpeting.

Oh, ok. None of the CA glues I have ever tried will set without the accelerator when gluing parts with a small footprint, especially to a painted surface. As you said, CA starts dissolving the paint, and that makes it even harder to set up. There is a magical cure, but you will need 3 hands. JB Weld makes a UV cured glue. it is basically a dual-cure CA glue. it can harden like standard CA glues, but it will also sent instantly, even in open air, under UV light. I mentioned you need 3 hands because you have to hold the model, the part, and the UV light. I'm sure you could improvise. I was skeptical, but that stuff really works!

I think in USA every passenger vehicle (car, SUV) made in the last 10 years has a backup camera. I think it is a federally mandated equipment.