93Z34

Keep in mind the -135 kits are out of production from AMT. They tend to bring a rather pricey sum on Evil Bay but once in awhile you can snag one for a decent price. Having crewed the KC-135R for several years, I have quite a few of the different variants in my collection myself. Talk about a workhorse of an aircraft!

I build anything from cars to big rigs to armor and aircraft. I especially like to model armor from the Israeli Defense Force as well as aircraft from the IADF. I also build alot of Desert Storm pieces, both armor and aircraft. I find myself always going back to cars more than anything else though, especially old Mopars.

Eagles fan here through and through. But, if Arizona plays the way they did this past weekend, I don't see Philly making it to the Superbowl. At least we have two different teams this year!

Jody, I also live in New York and we are going to relocate in the spring. New York is one of the worst states to live in to begin with. To be laid off is even worse in this state. I feel your pain. I'm in health care and even that profession is not safe any longer. We are seeing a hiring freeze, a halt to overtime and avid rumors of massive layoffs if things don't improve. You're in our thoughts and prayers. Keep your chin up and just keep the faith!

This project was started back in 1990 and I am now just getting this car to the point of completion. The main reason is because I lost the rear valence for this car during one of my many moves over the years of being in the military. But, at least I finally got that part, (Thanks Dave C!). However, I am having a terrible time trying to get the right shade of Plum Crazy on the rear valence, hence the reason it's not on the car yet. The foiling for the most part is done. I have a couple areas to touch up there, but nothing that can't be done in a few minutes. I love the scoop on these engines, but I hate the detail it covers. You can barely see the plug wiring on the engine, but it is there. This isn't my best Mopar, but it's a decent shelf model. I am very happy with the paint on the body though. it is flawless and polished out beautifully. Now if I can just get the rear valence to match we'll be all set. I still have to paint the side markers as well as install the bumpers, headlights and a couple other small details. Stay tuned as I continue to fight the valence issue. Hope the pics show this car for how sweet looking it really is.

Some of us had accounts that became unusable when the servers switched, for whatever reason, hence the "new" screen names. My account was one of those. Anyone who checks my personal info will see the date when this one was created. It wasn't recently. As for posting full names, so be it. But what about the same three individuals who insist on causing strife any chance they can on these forums? What are the rules for this type of behavior Larry? Ironically, those same three individuals who seem to have an issue of others joining forums under different names are guilty of trying to do the same thing themselves. People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Maybe if everyone spent a bit more time building models rather than trying cause controversy at every turn, this forum would run a bit smoother. With that being said, my 'Cuda is calling my name.

That is a kit i would love to see reissued. I owned 4 of those 1:1 cars when I was a teenager and have always wanted to build them in scale. You did a great job on that resto project! It is one sweet looking Camaro to say the least.

I have both kits and both are molded in grey plastic. Identical kits throughout though...

This is one that was part of a diorama I built many moons ago. Somehow, the car managed to "survive" the moves and countless packings and unpackings. I think this car is a bit beyone "beater" or even "junker" status at this point but it still pretty much looks the same today as it does in these pics. This car took a heck of a last ride, that's for sure...

The title of the post says it all. A forum dedicated to Mustang modeling of all years and styles. There's also a section for other Fords as well. With all the new Mustang kits hitting the shelves today and the kits already available, this should turn into a cool place for those addicted to the flagship of Ford and the other Blue Oval car models. http://stangs.proboards.com/index.cgi

It's not a case of us not already having enough in our stash to build. Personally, I have more than enough to last a lifetime and then some. But, let me ask a question. What POSITIVE news have we heard from the domestic kit manufacturers this year so far? Sure, there are still models on the shelves at WalMart and Hobby Lobby. But, how many NEW kits have been announced for next year? How many of the previous new announcements have been scrapped by Revell and AMT? There's a difference between just being overly pessimistic for the sake of being negative, but it's another to observe the signs of the times and realizing that all is not what it seems.

I, like so many others consider myself lucky to have the kit inventory I do waiting to be built. But, with the closing of outlets such as Hobby Heaven and the manufacturers either selling out or just shutting down the casting production, how long before the domino effect spreads to other companies such as the paint and glue companies, and let's not forget the cottage industries who rely so heavily on new, popular releases to keep the interest going in their products. Companies like Detail Master and Model Car Garage, while they may be enjoying success now, may very well find themselves in the same predicament Tom did, forcing them to downscale, or worse yet, to close up altogether. We also have smaller companies this is sure to impact as well that are too numerous to mention. Call it being pessimistic if you like, that's ok. But, the bottom line is, with each sellout, production shutdown and closing of model related companies, it only casts a gloomier picture on the hobby as a whole. Yes, there is Tamiya, Dragon, Hasegawa, Fujimi, and other manufacturers, but where are they located? Surely not on American soil. Yes, they will continue to produce kits, but would anyone care to wager which overseas company will turn out the new Dodge Challenger? Last time I checked I didn't see any upcoming releases from Tamiya, Hasegawa, or any other foreign manufacturer that included American musclecars, sprts cars, or any other American Automotive subject. While I do enjoy building aircraft, armor, and foreign automotive subjects, my first love lies with American automotive subjects. I guess in the end, only time will tell just how bad times will get for us. We can only hope and pray for the best.

Anyone who can sit here and say our hobby will not suffer from AMT getting out of the model business and Revell being taken over by another company obviously can't see the writing on the wall. Maybe this will be a real indication as to how great the future is for our hobby. Hobby Heaven closing it's doors is just another chapter in a growing saga where we, the modelers, are being forgotten and companies are going for "the next big thing." People laugh at me when I walk up to the counter with 4 and 5 of the same kits, but who will be laughing in another 5 years or so when you can't find them anywhere for less than the price of your firstborn? Tom's decision only further reinforced my feelings that the automotive modeling hobby is in DIRE straits now. He openly admitted the rising cost of new releases and other industry decisions were a direct influence for him and basically left him with no viable options. Face facts people, our hobby is in REAL trouble this time and I really think it's going to alot more to get the ship righted than it has in the past.

Don't know why, but that style Peterbilt really seems to strike a chord with me. I like the sloping hood and the single headlight setup. The towing company I worked for had one of these in their fleet mated to a Challenger wrecker body. That truck could pull danged near anything it hooked onto. It was the workhorse of the fleet, that's for sure. You did a great job on this conversion Tim. I wish I had more of the 377 kits in my inventory so I could tackle one of these myself. Maybe I need to invest in one for that purpose only. Are you going to add a trailer to the tractor? All the trucks I've seen like this in these parts are workhorses. Not much chrome and dirty and dinged to beat all heck. Most around here haul things like cattle trailers, dumps, and even flatbeds loaded with crushed cars. Your truck looks way too nice to be hauling a crappy load though. Keep up the great work!!!

Looks good so far Scott. I like what you did with the 3rd axle setup. It definitely gives the truck a different look and attitude. I'm working on the Chevy Bison myself currently and am having a ton of fun with that re-issue. I am most likely heading for a regular tractor with the sleeper but I would like to convert one at a later date to a straight truck, possibly a logger or even a flatbed medium duty wrecker. There are still a few of those floating around these parts, albeit they are in pretty rough shape now. You have definitely done a great job on this General though. Keep up the great work!

It's in the infancy stages, but the companion website for "The Truckstop" message forums is now online. This website will be dedicated strictly to big rigs and commercial vehicles from around the world. The site will also work in conjunction with Dan's monthly truck model contest ith the winners being posted on the website as they are decided. Links to big rig vendors will also be posted for the ease of those looking for that special part for their current projects. Check it out as well as the forums and see what's brewing. It's gonna be HUGE!!!! www.thetruckstop.org http://pete389.proboards54.com/

PM sent Gregg

After about 3 hours, we finally got almost 500 images from this year's NNL East online for the public's viewing. I tried to take pics of everything, but there were just too many models on display. Hopefully I got a decent mixture of subjects for everyone's taste. I apologize for the crappy quality of the pics though. I will definitely be investing in a new digital camera in the next week or so as something is definitely amiss with this one. :x http://s15.photobucket.com/albums/a357/AMM...7%20NNL%20East/

Has anyone here ever used Minwax to stain the woodgrain on a Woody model? I have a couple Woodies and was contemplating trying to stain the wodgrain portion with this stain but was curious as to whether anyone else has tried this....

For whoever cares. I'll be there but will not have any 32's to show this year as the two I were working on just took a final bath in CSC...AGAIN. Not much to show this year at all on my behalf...3 cars if I'm lucky. After the 32 fiasco today I'm not even touching another kit before the show.

Well, on top of the other two projects I posted about a couple days ago, I found this one in a box on my shelf yesterday while I was looking for something else. I decided it would be a good candidate for the "7" subtheme at this year's NNL East so I dug it out and began hacking away on her. So far I attached the front and rear bumpers and opened the front grille. I hate having grilles like this molded closed as it really detracts from the overall appearance of the car. As you can see, the body is in primer and will be apinted gloss black today after wetsanding and minor blemish refinishings. It will be black with gold stripes and the tan interior, my favorite color combo from the 4th Generation Montes. I will also most likely do some detailing under the hood of this car seeing as if I own a 1:1 86 Monte SS and know where things go on these cars. Anyways, here are some in-progress shots...hope y'all enjoy!

Gotta love the big wreckers, that's for sure. You did a fantastic job on those two rigs, that's for sure. All the heavy duty wreckers aropund here are on Freightliner or Peterbilt chassis. Nothing really out of the ordinary around here, that's for sure. I like your choice of chassis though. That truck fits great with a tow body. Keep up the great work!!!!

Nothing to be ashamed of, that's for sure. I wish I could build dig rigs like this! You did a fantastic job on that International, that's for sure!!! Keep up the great work!!!!

I managed to finish a model without destroying it along the way. Can you believe it???? Anyways, here is the end result of a few months worth of work. I painted the car Panther Pink and the interior is painted with white buckets and door panels and black carpet, dash and rear package shelf. I loved the contrast of the interior colors with the body color. I oversprayed the chassis like they were when the actual cars rolled off the assembly line back in '70. I also added an antenna to the rear quarter by cutting a guitar string to length and gluing it in place. I didn't really do a whole lot of extra detailing on this car though. I did add plug wires and heater hoses, but refrained from trying to add carb linkages and so forth. I didn't see the point in adding all that stuff when the air cleaner is going to be covering it all up anyways. So...here are the pics of the finished product and efforts. The only glitch was me drilling the holes in the decklid for the optional spoiler which I kick myself in the head for. I don't like that spoiler but I am forced to use it now that I drilled the holes. Oh well....could have definitely been worse, trust me!

I just used the back of the exacto knife and gently scraped until the grilles were opened. Not too hard to do actually. And I'm glad I didn't screrw it up. It's normally the simple things I mess up on. :roll: