SfanGoch

It'll look equally awesome on the bikes.

I apologize once more. Testors was acquired by RPM in 1984 and then Floquil-Polly S. Polly Scale and Floquil Paints

Some of us are guilty of looking at these Renwal kits with a jaundiced eye. We keep comparing kits of that era with what we have available today. Just remember how much fun you had building one of these when you were a kid. If you happen to run across one of your old favorites, just build it and enjoy.

Paul, walking into Polk's was the equivalent of dying and discovering that Heaven is a giant hobby shop. Back in 1976, Polk's was selling the first primitive home computer. It was the size of a large microwave oven and went for around 5 Grand. A close second was America's Hobby Center on W. 22nd St. Mostly train-related; still, it was a place like you won't find anymore. Your comments about young people's lack of manual dexterity skills is true. Remember when every high school offered shop classes? My old high school, Brooklyn Technical H.S.( the largest high school for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, btw. ) offered drafting, wood shop, where you made full size patterns of what you drew in drafting class, foundry class where you used the patterns to make sand molds and cast them in metal and, of course, machine shop where we learned to use drill presses and industrial grade multi-speed engine lathes. The architectural engineering students used to build a two story wood frame house in the AE lab as their senior project. My aero engineering class had the availability of a static thrust test stand to fire up an old low thrust jet engine. Foundry was a compliment to the required Industrial Processes course. All of this was cut in the 1990s by the principal at the time. From what I heard from the Alumni Association, there are plans to reintroduce these classes in the future.

Or oranges. The average average car buyer is described by this chart:

Most kits don't include photo etch parts. So, adding something as small as buckles isn't worth the effort from the kit makers' perspective. There are a bunch of AM sets which do contain seat belt hardware; so, one can always go that route. You can also use some thin aluminum sheet (soda can) and point oh small styrene strip to make your own. A bit tedious; but, it's doable. If you're building a bone-stock pre-1968 American car, don't sweat it. Seat belts weren't mandated until Jan. 1, 1968. you could play it off by explaining that the reason the seat belts aren't visible is because they are where everybody shoved them back then - between the seat cushion and seatback.

That certainly puts things into perspective.

Society, on the whole, has become more sedentary. There are almost no jobs which require physical labor. Real blue collar jobs are disappearing at an alarming rate due to technology. More than half of the total workforce is comprised of professionals, assistants, clerical, artists (If that could be considered work. There isn't much of a market for macaroni glued on a piece of velvet.), salespersons and service workers. The majority of people work in *ss parks, filled with cubicles where the only physical exertion required is tapping keypads. Most kids spend their free time in front of a screen exercising their thumbs instead of going outside to do, well, kid stuff like running around and burning off all those junk food-generated calories. I don't see kids playing punchball, stickball, touch football on the block anymore. Go to any of the ten parks and playgrounds in my area and they're virtually empty. With the exception of helicopter parents climbing all over the liability-proof playground equipment following their four and five year olds, no kids. If I understand your question correctly, then yes. Everybody was more physically active. Kids, especially, engaged in more outdoor activities. People also didn't eat as much as we do today. Restaurants today pile on the eats on your plate in much larger portions than in previous decades. More bang for the buck, I guess. Since there are more families in which both parents work, nutritious, home cooked meals are rarer. They've been replaced by fast food dinners which contribute to the Heap O'Calorie syndrome afflicting us. Ever check out old photos, films and such? People of all ages in the '50s-late '70s, for example, were pretty fit compared to today. That was without the benefit of gyms and fitness clubs. Most people, especially kids and young adults, engaged in some sort of physical activity. Sure, there are gym rats who literally live at their local gyms and others who take their health seriously; but, they constitute a very small percentage of the total population. Let's face it, we are turning into human veals.

When they build a better mousetrap, it's time to build a better mouse.

What percentage of average car buyers would even know that? Many can't change a flat tire.

The 20 buck average kit price is a non factor. The average retail price of a video game is $44.25 and kids buy them like candy. As Erik pointed out, there are many other hobbies and activities which provide instant gratification for less effort. Using two opposable thumbs to move keypad controls is a lot easier than using them in conjunction with the other eight digits to manipulate small parts into place. Less thinking involved, too.

Mid '60s, actually. Yeah, more than a few proprietors were grouches who would throw you out at the drop of a hat. That's what made going to some of these stores so much fun. It wasn't anything personal about it; it was the way they were and we understood that. Busting their chops made the trouble of going to these stores worth the trouble. There was a place called George's Comic Store. It was one of those places collectors (ca. 1968) would frequent to get back issues. George was a piece of work. He looked like the stereotypical 35 year old geek who lived in the basement of his parents' house which, by the way, he did. Anywho, one day my friend Johnny and I went there to see if he had some old Sgt. Rock and House of Mystery comics. While George was checking though his price lists, Johnny was staring at him. George noticed and asked him what was his problem. "I got no problem. I'm just wondering." "Yeah, what the hell are you wondering about?" " I was wondering how come an old guy like you can't find nothing better to do than sell old comics and live in a basement. That's pretty creepy. Do you know what a girl is?" Swearing that he was going to kill Johnny, he jumped the counter ( pretty impressive considering he must've weighed at least 350 lbs.) and chased us us for about four blocks. Needless to say, we scratched George's of our list of preferred retailers.

The biggest market for armor is Asia and its expanding. There are new kit manufacturers starting up almost monthly. A new company, Rye Field Model, jumped into the mix by releasing, not one, but two Tiger I kits in the past two months. The latest has a full interior and sells for half the price of the Dragon kits.These guys are serious players and have Dragon, which had a monopoly on all things Tiger for the past eleven years, scrambling to keep up.

Don't get me wrong, this is a great time for modeling. We can get our hands on unique and interesting stuff from places we never could've imagined only 25 years ago. Kit manufacturers are making a real effort by tapping into the "retro" market by reissuing kits that future senile citizens, such as ourselves, remember and enjoyed building as carefree, blissfully irresponsible yoots. Of course, at least six times in ten, those nostalgia-filled memories are wrenched from our skulls when we buy these kits and are brought back to reality after opening the boxes and seeing what utter BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH is inside. A lot of the new kits and aftermarket products from the various companies ain't half bad either. Most of this wouldn't be possible without the internet. I appreciate the convenience; but, I still miss taking a walk to Ted's Stationery or Jack's candy store and picking up a super cool Revell Sunbeam Alpine or a Renwal Skysweeper and a couple of bottles of Aurora and Pactra paints.

You would've loved Jack's, man. Jack's, along with Polk's Hobby Shop in Manhattan, was one of the first places to sell Pocher kits in the city in the late '60s. Mr. Jack built all of the models displayed in the windows, including the Pocher Fiat F2 130HP set up on a rotating display base. That was for sale at the then unreachable (for a ten year old) price of 65 bucks.

Punching a few keystrokes to order online is easier; but, it's not anywhere near as fun as actually going to a real shop. is it really necessary to drive your car in order to go to a hobby shop? Never mind....i noticed in your sig where you live. I'll give you a Mulligan on that one. I use the subway here. One would have to be certifiably insane to give up a parking spot in NYC just to drive to shop in the city. Finding a parking space anywhere near where you're going is pretty much an exercise in futility. The friggin' store would be closed for the day by the time you find one. There was a time I could walk to four hobby shops or stationery stores in the neighborhood that carried models and supplies. Add to that all of the candy stores that stocked kits. The kits were usually next to the comic book racks so I could kill two birds with one stone. I can buy my models and comics then take a seat at the counter to have a chocolate egg cream and a Charlotte Russe while busting open the model box to check out the loot. Try getting an egg cream and a Charlotte Russe online! Internet shopping has taken away the close, personal and friendly relationship once shared between customer and shop owner. One of my favorite places was Jack's Hobby Shop in, where else, Greenpernt. The old couple who owned the place were German and neither was named Jack. It didn't matter because we couldn't pronounce their real names anyway. My friends and I would spend Saturdays going through endless shelves of model kits, chemistry supplies, train sets and gas powered Cox airplanes. As a matter of fact, we'd spend so much time looking, Mrs. Jack, who looked like Sgt. Schultz in a wig, would eventually ask the question, "Ach, Mein Gott! Vat vill happen first, you kids buying sumtink or I drop dead?!?" Our usual, and perfunctory response, uttered in unison, was, "You dropping dead!" Mrs. Jack would then scream at us to get out. After we paid for our stuff, that is. This went on week in and week out for years. Mrs. Jack and us kids were mortal enemies; yet, there was a mutual respect for each other. Mrs. Jack for us, because she wanted us to spend every stinking cent in our pockets there; and, we for her because that store was the only place in the neighborhood that carried the entire Aurora "Glow in the Dark" monster kits and Hawk "Weird-Ohs" lines.

I wasn't sure if there were any Pope action figures;, so, I checked. And, whaddya know? Holy water, Batman! Pope Action Figures! John Paull II Innocent III

Or a model, for that matter. No instant gratification.

Abandoned car dealership: http://jalopnik.com/5632032/the-mystery-of-flickrs-ghost-car-dealership There are others across the country.

The best commercial:

As my avatar indicates, I'm from Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the largest Polish community outside of Warsaw and Chicago. My parish, St. Stanislaus Kostka, had the honor of two visits by St. John Paul the Great. The first, in 1969 as Cardinal of Krakow, when he was a houseguest of the parish; and, the second in 1979, after he was elected Pope.

Slim pickings: Vancouver, B.C.: KIRKPATRICK PONTIAC BUICK, Vancouver, BC (197*s) Promoted GTO sales WEST VANCOUVER, BC:1- CONROY PONTIAC BUICK LTD (19**-71) Cheetah dealer supercar2- ROYAL PONTIAC BUICK LTD (1971-81) Here's a link for all makes' High Performance dealerships in the U.S. and Canada: HIGH PERFORMANCE DEALERSHIP INDEX

Prior to this Pontiff, an MRAP would have fit the bill. If His Holiness had a visit to Los Angeles on the itinerary, would the tabloid headlines read, "Frankie Goes To Hollywood"?

Which validates the comment made in my first post. No market potential due to lack of customer interest. Go get yer scratchbuilding box and make some shiny Samsonite.

There you go.