SfanGoch

Well, I build armor. Adding some stowage on a vehicle doesn't necessarily dictate a shift to a diorama. Those small, incidental details add a little life to what would normally be a plain model. It's the same with PE keys, sunglasses on the dash, a magazine or paper on the front seat, etc. Even a 1/24-1/25 Billy Batts in the opened trunk of an AMT '65 Bonneville adds some pizzazz to a relatively mundane modeling subject.

You guys are missing Walid's point. His question was about presently available accessory sets, not complete car kits. And, you both reference kits that were produced 30-40+ years ago. Besides, buying a kit of a subject that you have no particular interest in just to obtain a few specific parts makes no sense, especially if you have to pay a premium price for it.

The third paragraph nails it. The main interest is in it's pop culture connection to the show. If a shopping cart with whoopee lights was prominently featured on a program, there'd be a run on them too.

Probably for the same reason there aren't any decent figures in 1/24 or 1/25. It seems like auto modelers, unlike scale armor guys, aren't interested in ancillary accessories to spiff up their builds.

Here's a list of Pontiac performance dealers I scrounged up off the net: PONTIAC----------------------------------------------------------------- 1- BARTZ PONTIAC, Benton Harbor, MI- sponsored 65 GTO drag racer Ward Morrill 2- CONROY PONTIAC BUICK LTD, West Vancouver, BC (19**-71) Cheetah dealer supercar 2- RAY FARO PONTIAC, Elyria, Ohio (Sponsored 1969 Judge RA V drag racer 3- GAY BUICK GMC, Dickinson, Texas/ 832-769-4157 (formerly Gay Pontiac) 4- GAY PONTIAC (1948- became Gay Buick GMC)- Drag sponsor + perf parts 5- HINE PONTIAC, Dallas, TX Drag sponsor "Bad Little Indian" 59 Catalina 6- RED HOLMAN PONTIAC, Detroit, MI (now Red Holman Buick GMC) 734-423-1007/ drag sponsor 7- LARRY HOPKINS PONTIAC, Sunnyvale, CA Drag sponsor Lou Arrington's GTO 'Brutus' 8- JERRY'S CHEVROLET OF BERESFORD, Beresford, SD (605) 763-6000 (Corvette Center) 9- MONK KING PONTIAC INC, Denton, TX- Drag sponsor 'Black Gold' 10- BUCK KINNEY AUTOMOTIVE (see Mussallems Haney Garage) 11- KIRKPATRICK PONTIAC BUICK, Vancouver, BC (197*s) Promoted GTO sales 12- KNAFEL PONTIAC, Akron, OH/ 'Tin Indian' drag cars sponsor/ '70 Magnum 400 13- STAN LONG PONTIAC, Detroit, MI (Sponsor drag Tempest 421 SD/ Blackbird T/A) 14- MECHAM PONTIAC, Glendale AZ (1954-88/ "Macho T/A") 15- JULES MEYERS PONTIAC INC, Los Angeles, CA/ Sponsor Arnie Beswick 'Tameless Tiger' 16- MILLER PONTIAC, Kansas City, MO (Sold two of the 17 built 1971 Judge convertibles) 17- MUSSALLEM'S HANEY GARAGE LTD, Haney, BC (19**-2006) 18- MYRTLE MOTORS, Middle Village, NY (Dealer GTO/ Firebird 428 HO conversions) 19- BOB NEILL PONTIAC, Winston Salem, NC (NASCAR sponsor 1961 Jim Paschal) 20- PACKER PONTIAC, Detroit, MI/ Flint, MI/ Miami, FL (sponsored drag cars) 21- ROYAL PONTIAC BUICK LTD, West Vancouver, BC (1971-81) 22- STEPHENS PONTIAC, Daytona Beach. FL (NASCAR racing sponsor including Fireball Roberts) 23- UNION GROVE PONTIAC, Union Grove, WI/ drag sponsor 24- UNION PARK PONTIAC, Wilmington, DE (now U.P. Buick GMC), 302-353-1635/ drag sponsor 25- VAN WINKLE PONTIAC, Dallas, TX (drag sponsor and origin of first 'Black Gold' GTO dragcar 26- ACE WILSON'S ROYAL PONTIAC, Royal Oak, MI (195*-1969) Royal Bobcats/ drag car 27- C. GERALD WOOD PONTIAC, Sodus, NY/ Closed (Sold one of the 17 1971 Judge convertibles 28- WOUDENBERG PONTIAC, Mesa, AZ/ drag sponsor

Wow, I remember Myrtle Motors. It was on Fresh Pond Road in Middle Village. My older brother bought his '63 and '67 Tempests there.

So do nice, big tanks.

Fantastic build, Wayne. The 8000/7008 camo is looking good and the weathering is just right without overdoing it. Almost every artifact at Knox and APG have been transferred to Ft. Benning. The Armor School also was relocated there.

Are you referring to Moe Howard or Charlie Chaplin?

Really, really nice work, John. Love them Mercs.

That's what I'm talking about! Paint by the bushel.

You can also use a ruling pen attachment on a compass to spiffy up them Red Lines and Blue Streak Racing Specials. You have more control than would be the case with a tire spinning on a drill.

John, I bought those tweezers from a watch repair tool supplier in NYC that is no longer in business. However, you can pick up a pair at Micro-Tools about 21 bucks. That's less than what I originally paid and is the lowest price I've come across.

Excellent build, man. I'm liking it. Used and slightly weatherbeaten looks more realistic than shiny and new.

Suggestion: try resin ones. I mentioned it before in another thread that the Russian company Masterclub makes resin nuts, bolts and rivets from 0.5 - 1.8 mm in 0.1 mm size increments. They are packed loose (not on sprues) and depending on size, there are up to 180 pieces per pack which leaves a lot to work with after the carpet monster gets its share. Because the Ruble has tanked, a pack costs $2.21. The problem with plastic NBR is that there is very little variety in what's available. Grandt Line, and other similar types make limited types of fasteners and in limited sizes. Brass NBR, like the stuff from Scale Hardware, are nice BUT they too suffer from lack of variety. Ever see a castle nut in brass? The machined stuff is also somewhat out of scale. I've used all three types and the resin NBR look the best as far as realism is concerned. As far as matching the finish on rims, no big deal. Just apply some Metalizer of your choice on the resin rivet before attaching. Once it's in place, use a Q-tip to buff it. Also, invest in a good set of tweezers. The best I found are the Dumont 00c Carbon Steel tweezers. I bought mine over twenty five years ago and they are worth every penny of the 23 bucks they cost. They're perfect for handling small items like 0.5 mm rivets. Like I said. it's just a suggestion.

I'd like to see a reissue of Hawk's HH-43B Huskie (I know.... It's a helicopter. Still, it's an interesting kit.). Testors did a HSO release some years back.

If it's a natural hair brush, use hair conditioner after you clean it. Don't laugh, it works. Let it penetrate for about two minutes, then rinse it once more. The conditioner will restore the bristles to their former soft, pliable selves. Use your fingertips to form the bristles back to a sharp point and let the brush dry,

Gotcha, Rob. Since you called this a "Wacky Racer" vette, I pictured something from the old cartoon. Nonetheless, still something interesting to watch.

Redfrog Hobbies also carries the parts set and engine for 63 and 29 dollars, respectively.

Cool idea. One question, is that roll cage going to be covered with a roof? Just wondering about a monkey bar sticking out in the open.

Perhaps R2 doesn't think that its kit can compete head to head with the Revell offering. Which one do you feel is the better version?

Using the "Insert image from URL" option is a waste of time. It goes through the "Loading" without actually doing it. I just download images and attach them.

No disputing the former. I'm as un-PC as they come which explains why I like watching them; however, the latter isn't entirely true. Compared to a bunch of Five Points rowdies throwing rotten eggs at a drunk clog dancer in a Bowery theater circa 1866, that could be the case; but, not by much. People merely think that they're more sophisticated because it helps them ignore the fact that they've been dumbed down. Sitcoms and cinematic comedies of today aren't exactly sterling examples of highbrow comedy. They cater to the lowest common denominator more so than the worst Stooges shorts. I'll take Curly's stubble covered pate destroying the teeth of a saw over infantile poop humor and juvenile sexual innuendos anytime.

I've been a fan of Randy Hage's work for a long time. He photographed New York City storefronts and reproduces them in 1/12 scale. Each one is a super accurate recreation of an actual business. Here are some of his sculptures. The attention to detail is nothing short of unbelievable.

Figuring out who's in KISS might be an issue. Aside from Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, how would the loot from the licensing fees be split?