peteski

I believe that Finescale metal kits are cast out of pewter, which is a very soft metal which can be carved/trimmed with a knife. White metal (Zamak is one of its trade names) is a zinc and aluminum based alloy, which is much harder than pewter. It is the same metal diecast model companies use for their finished models. Yes, you will needed to use files and rotary tools like Proxxon or Dremel when working on Zamak. And the original Hubley model kits were also made of Zamak.

I like that one too. Yes it is weird, but good. Came out in the '80s and I bought the CD - still have it and you just reminded me to listen to it again. One of not many albums where I like every song.

I also bought couple sets last week. One thing that I noticed in the photos in the eBay listing is that the offset could be more accurate. What I mean is that the Jaguar XK-E wheel hubs stick out of the wheel further than what the 3D printed wheels depict. But maybe it is just the photos. One thing for sure is that the spokes look amazing!

Yup. That's where I bought mine.

Alclad II steel or stainless steel look pretty good as cast iron color to me. I used one of those colors (don't remember which) on this bike's rotor.

That is some impressive modeling! I'm curious about that Volvo model. Who makes that kit? There aren't many models of Volvos available as kits.

My 2005 Scion xB (aka. Toyota bB) or "the box" or "toaster" was something different among its contemporary run-of-the mill vehicles. It would still fit that description today. Whether it was considered attractive or not, that is another subject, but its looks grew on me. I didnt' see it as ugly - just different. And like the GEO Metro, in a cute sort of a way. My current 2019 Kia Soul also fits that category. Different, but in a cute sort of a way. If I was driving in the '70s, I would have enjoyed owing AMC Gremlin or Pacer (just the looks only, not for reliability).

You're right. I do remember a Ford Probe being a Mazda derivative, AMC Eagle and Dodge Stealth being Mitsubishis, I think Dodge Rampage was also Mitsubishi based. Then of course we go back to the '70s. Didn't GM sell Opel-based cars badged as American brands? There is no such thing as brand identity. I knew GEO was not actually made by GM, but I didn't know it was Toyota. I thought it was some Korean or Chinese made vehicle. And to all who complain about the Hornet looking crappy, remember that it is actually an Alfa-Romeo and Fiat likely had a hand in its design.

Yes, the negative comments here are very likely from older folks who remember the original AMC Hornet (which was not all that hot either). We are not the car maker's target audience. Millennials and Gen-Z kids will not know or care about the Hornet's name history, or that it is just a rebadged vehicle. That is assuming that they have driver's license or even want to buy and own a car. Many don't even want to drive, and consider driving a chore, not a fun activity. Why drive when Uber or lift can get them where they want to go. Those are as close as their smart phone app. And yes, like pretty much all the automobiles made today, it is a rebadged Alfa-Romeo, which in itself is under Fiat's control. In today world, individual car companies pretty much don't really exist. Most (including exotic brands) have been absorbed by the giant car manufacturers. Badge engineering, where the same car (with minor visual or mechanical changes) is sold under many names seems to have originated in USA in mid 20th Century (or even earlier) and it is rampant in today's world. Unfortunate, but true. Heck, we even have competing car manufacturers making cars for another. Like Toyota Matrix and Pontiac Vibe as one example. I still don't know how that one made sense for GM to buy cars from Toyota, since they are rivals. Whatever it is, it's likely done to maximize profits.

Saw a commercial on TV for a new Hornet. The showed a swarm of them "flying" around. I guess since AMC was originally absorbed by Chrysler, they have right to that name.

Very well done! Even better that it depicts a vehicle you owned.

Yes they did (I have the kit). The 1:32 version looks really nice. It is such an oddball vehicle and I like oddballs.

While not kits, there are plenty of 1:43 nice Saab diecasts out there. Try https://duckduckgo.com/?q=neo+1%3A34+saab&t=h_&iax=images&ia=images

Those ARII tire/wheel sets show up fairly regularly on eBay (and my automatic search still works for them), and they usually sell for reasonable prices. I already have my stash, but it took few years. They are very nice rubber BFG tires with realistic tread pattern. The wheels are pretty good too. They are 1:24 scale but that is not really big deal for wheels or tires. They just represent slightly bigger wheels in 1:25 scale.

I also own the very cool Sinclair Research microvision portable TV set MTV1. Unfortunately it no longer works since the TV transmission standards changed from NTSC to DTV. It was actually capable of displaying TV standards worldwide. Speaking of Sinclair, my first personal computer was Sinclair ZX81 I bought as a kit and assembled it myself. Still have it (but have not powered it up for years). It came with 1k (yes 1024 bytes) of RAM. It used a TV set as its monitor and cassette tape player to store or load programs.

How about tractor-feed continuous greenbar computer paper and dot-matrix printers? As for debugging, programs were much, much simpler than anything we have today. Complex programs had thousands of lines of code, vs. what, millions of lines of code in today's code? The processor clocks were in low MHz range, not at what they run today. Debugging was also simpler (but still a pain).

The price was actually not that much more than contemporary gaming systems. I bought mine at Sears, and the box still has the original price tag of $199.79. It looks like a miniature arcade video game. Yes, Vectrex graphics are vector-based, and black/white. The graphics were smooth and movements were very fluid, unlike the low-res choppy graphics of other game consoles (like Atari 2600). Basically it was vector graphics. Arcade games like Asteroids, Armor Attack, or Battlezone also used that type of graphics. Vectrex also has an analog joystick instead of the switch-based joysticks on other systems. And yes, each game had a color overlay placed in front of the screen to enhance the gaming experience. It is a unique gaming system. It also had a line of accessories such as a 3D goggles (which were nto all that good), and a light pen. It was also one of the first systems that attempted primitive speech synthesis in one of the games. There is actually an active Vectrex community out there, with many home-brewed games being produced and online forum (and probably a FB page). I have not done anything with mine for few years, but in the past I was even involved in making reproduction overlays for it.

I also have some older tech. Vectrex Video Game from the '80s and several Casio calculators from the '70s, They are perfectly serviceable. Too bad I didn't keep the original Pong game - that would be worth some money. My favorite Casio calculator (um, a "micro computer") is MQ-2 It can perform calculations on dates too. Like you if you want to know the date some x number of days in the past or future, or if you want to see how many days there are between two dates. It is cool! The earlier version of that device (MQ-1) was used as a prop in the original Star Wars movie and when they show up on eBay that fetch some good money.

If it was at the Shanklin Hall, then we both saw the same movie. Just last weekend I saw "the General" by Michael Keaton (a real silent movie) there. The entire theater organ experience is amazing! In the back room (where the organ's guts are), the Shanklin family also has a beautifully restored Stanley Steamer. Another blast from the past.

I used to live there, now in the suburbs, and I avoid it like a plague!

I like it! Good stuff!

Congratulations Don! I suspected that after John Biel retired, Don would be a good candidate to take the helm. Plus he is a car modeler too! One of these days I'll send my contribution to the Car Spotter column.

Alcohol works, but petroleum distillates (like VM&P Naphtha, also sold as Ronsonol lighter Fluid) or as others mentioned WD40 are best choice for wiping off adhesive residue from well cured paint. But Naphtha dries without residue where WD40 is a lubricant that can leave some oily residue. I buy the VM&P Naphtha in quart size cans at a hardware store (in the paint thinners isle). I use it for lots of cleaning and degreasing tasks.

If it is milky color is is not dry. If those areas are airtight, the glue trapped in there might never dry (or take months). 5-minute epoxy hardens by chemical reaction, so it would be better to use in this situation. But it also turns amber after few years. Epoxy and PVA types of adhesives are old-school. I would say the best choice of adhesive nowadays would be one of the many UV-cure resins or adhesives out there. Since UV light cures them, there is nothing to evaporate. Might be time to rethink the glue media.