93Z34

We've also got a bigger issue. I contacted the company that was selling the Eleanor conversion kit to see if they had any in stock and was informed by e-mail yesterday that they are out of stock and there are currently no plans to produce anymore of these conversions due to poor sales and dated material. So, trying to replicate Eleanor just got a million times harder unless someone has one of these conversions they're willing to part with.

Keep in mind, the prices I listed were at the 50% off mark. So double the prices I listed and you'll see why this shop went under. At 50% off they were way closer to the MSRP than what he was selling them for at full price.

There are some kits there I wouldn't mind having, but I also see where he has alot of duplicate kits too. I'm not into the built-ups he has though. I just can't see that collection going for that kind of money and am even surprised at the final bidding being as high as it is.

The sad thing is, when I bring the ridiculous pricing to the owner's attention, his response is, "That's ok...someone somewhere will buy them eventually." He never lowers his prices and always has an excuse as to why they are so expensive. Needless to say, he has more dust on his shelves than anything else.

And to expand on that subject Marc, I will give my two cents worth. For quite some time the argument was debated about supporting our locapl hobbyshops vs. buying online. Now, I can see if you can get the same things at your local shop for the same, or maybe even a couple dollars more than you could by getting your stuff online. But, when your shop charges an outrageous amount of money for kits and supplies, it becomes a question of economics. Last night I went to the 1 local shop we have left and I actually took the time to write down some prices of kits and supplies being sold there. Follow along please. AMT 2009 Dodge Challenger - $31.99 Revell Black Widow '57 Chevy - $29.99 Revell '49 Mercury - $32.99 Revell Home Depot 2007 Monte Carlo - $28.99 AMT Autocar re-release - $79.99 Trumpeter American LaFrance Eagle Pumper - $99.99 Model Master One Coat Laquer - $8.99/can Model Master Bottle Paint - $4.99/bottle Tamiya Spray Can Paint - $9.99/can Now, maybe this gives you an idea as to why the internet companies are so popular these days. There is no way i will support a shop that is gouging the consumer as bad as this. These prices are totally outrageous and unacceptable. Prices like this are exactly why the local hobby shops are falling by the wayside in favor of internet stores and suppliers. The argument of supporting your local shops no longer hold water with prices like this. There simply is no argument to be made when you have shop owners who rip people like this oon a regular basis. While I know not all shops are like this, there are still way more than there should be, that's for sure. Sorry for the rant, but in this case I think it's justified.

Thanks for help identifying the body guys, it helps alot. As for the side opening hood, I contemplated that. But, the way the hood was molded and subsequently cut out, I don't think a side-hinged hood will work as the hood needs to slide under the windshield pillar posts. I still have to figure out how I'm going to make the cowl look more realistic on this body too. I'll tell ya, for a first custom job, I don't think I could have picked a harder subject to tackle.

I can see the Cadzilla resemblance. At this point it's anyone's guess though. I've sure got my work cut out for me though, that much I know for a fact.

One of my good friends had a Camaro exactly like this one. It's scary how closely it resembles his 1:1 car. Seeing this car brings back many fond memories of Guy and his Camaro. Sadly he passed at the young age of 52 from a massive heart attack. His Camaro ended up being sold by his son for money. I don't know what ever happened to that car, but seeing this one makes me think it still lives somewhere. Simply beautiful work and a great job all the way around!!!!!

Ya know Rob, I'm not even sure what the heck it's supposed to be. I originally thought the front end looked like a Merc, but the rear really throws me. It could be a Buick I guess...If anyone knows what it's supposed to be that would be great. The old AMT 49 Merc kit is supposed to be the donor kit for the body but I think the chassis will need to be stretched to make it work, I dunno...

I picked this Jimmy Flintstone body up a few years ago at the NNL East, not knowing what I would do with it. I finally dug it out last night and started hacking into it. I'm sorry I hacked the hood open on it now. I should have left it alone and made a curbside car out of it I think. There is a ton of excess resin on the body and it will need a TON of cleanup and even then I'm not sure how good it's going to look with the hood open on it. I originally wanted to have a forward tilting hood on rollers like the Saab and BMW "6" Series have. I'm still trying to draft plans ono how to do this and have the hood open and close smoothly and fit good. So far I'm at a loss on how to do that. Anyways, here are the pics of the car so far and what has, or should I say, hasn't been done.

I picked up the following at the local hobbyshop that's closing: Revell California Wheels '56 Chevy Del Ray Revell California Wheels '65 CHevy Malibu AMT '62 Impala SS Convertible Revell Good Guys 48 FOrd Convertible Revell "Muscle Machines '67 GTX Revell "Donks" '63 Impala AMT Custom Rides Plymouth Prowler w/Trailer AMT Fast & Furious Mitsubishi Lancer Revell 1/12th Scale 57 Chevy 3-n-1 re-issue Trumpeter American LaFrance Eagle Pumper There's not a whole lot left there now that really interests me with the exception of a few 55 Chevy kits and a couple of the new Black Widow '57 Chevys. Time will tell if I end up with them or not.

I'm hoping I can find rollers small enough that they don't appear to be too far out fo scale...No luck so far in my searches...

I am working a Flintstone custom body and have opened the hood on the lead sled. I'm looking to make it into a tilting hood that tils forward, but the hood will need to slide forward to open. I'd like to replicate the style you see on the "6" Series BMW's. How would I accomplish this in scale? I know it will need rollers and tracks, but I'm not sure how to accomplish that in scale. Any ideas?

You'd be hard pressed to find a good nose on an SS in the junkyard. The parts that are first to go on these cars are the following: Power steering gearbox - It's a close ratio gearbox that is highly desirable Transmission crossmember - Notorious for rotting out Posi rearend Console lid with good hinges Tilt steering column that is tight and doesn't have worn bushings. Monte Carlo SS's NEVER came with the TPI setup from the factory. The only engine combo was the L69 HO 305 "H" engine code with the Quadrajet 4 barrel carb. TPI's were only available on the Camaros and Firebirds. Having owned over a dozen 4th Gen SS's through the years, I've gotten pretty familiar with what's desirable and what's not on these cars.

How about the International Transtar II cabover? Now THAT kit would sell like hotcakes if it was ever reissued. It was an awesome kit back in the day and is still widely popular today for us big rig builders...

Thanks for the updates Steve. Out of curiosity, is Lindberg going to release the L-700 with the load of crushed cars as was previously announced? I'm also definitely looking forward to the re-issue od Dyno Don's '61 Chevy. I'll be adding a few more of those to my collection, that's for sure.

That is indeed great news! Oneof the biggest pet peeves I have is having cars like the Roadrunner without the emblems on the body. This news alone will make this kit worth buying and I'll be adding quite a few to my collection.

Personally, I find the internet and message boards have become more or less a necessary evil, if you will, of the hobby. With today's advances in technology and the ease of the internet and the ability to garner massive exposure in a short post, it's easy to see why this medium has succeeded so well in such a short period of time. Does that mean all is great with the association between modeling and the internet? I'm of the mindset that all is not as it may seem. If you look at any given message forum, you can basically break down the membership into a few categories. First of all, you have the "Lurker". This member enjoys coming to the forum and browsing, checking out the work of everyone else and just enjoying what they see. They don't feel the need to post, and prefer not to in most cases. It's hard to say just how much inspiration the "lurker" may get when it comes to him building his own models, if he even builds models in the first place. Nonetheless, the lurker enjoys what he sees and takes in the work of those who do post on the forum regularly. Secondly, you have the "Occasional Participant". This forum member may join a forum and introduce themselves, but only occasionally post something. They don't spend a ton of time posting replies to bunches of threads on the forums they belong to, but prefer instead to only reply to something that has really inspired them or struck a chord with them in some way. Again, not a mega poster, but one who participates just the same, only on a minimum basis. Next we have the "Regular Poster". You can count on this forum member to be seen or heard from almost daily. From posting pics of their work to adding input and commenting on the work of others, this member can be counted on to be an active participant with a certain level of consistency. Up next in the chain we have the "Forgotten Member". This person joins a forum and may post like a madman for a short period of time and then suddenly their posts start dwindling and eventually we don't see or hear from him for an indefinite amount of time. Suddenly, that member is back with a vengeance and normally advises people that he simply belongs to too many forums and has gorgotten about posting on certain ones, or simply doesn't have time to cover all the forums. This forum member normally makes his rounds through the various forums he belongs to, posting avidly on those that have captured his attention for whatever reason. Normally his modeling tastes vary from subject to subject and you'll find him frequenting the forums dedicated to the subject matter that currently holds his attention. Again, another valuable member of the online communities, but sometimes is simply spread too thin to cover all his bases with regularity. The "Dedicated Member" is a forum member who can be counted on to be seen and heard from daily. This person doesn't disappear and is a regular mainstay on the forum he chooses to call "home". Every forum has a few members like this and they contribute immensely to the wellbeing of the forums they are dedicated to. They post their work regularly and can be counted on to reply to questions and so forth from other forum members as well. There are other types of forum members that fall in between these "classifications", and each and every one is important to any given forum. I think we all get to a point where we find ourselves trying to participate in all the forums we belong to and sometimes simply get burned out from spending so much time on each different forum. Eventually we find ourselves weeding out the communities we belong to and concentrate instead on a select few. While I think the internet has done this hobby a world of good, I can also see where it has directly influenced the amount of time we actually spend building models. I guess one question we should ask ourselves is, "Before the internet, how much time were we spending actually BUILDING something?" I think we can all honestly say that our productivity in this regard has suffered from a little bit to maybe a whole lot. Before the internet, we would sit at the bench and BUILD kits rather than surf various message forums looking at models and discussing them. How many pics do we see now of a modeler's workbench and in the pic is a computer or laptop right in the thick of the modeling mayhem? It's so easy to get sidetracked when we're building when internet access is in such close proximity to your work area. I know as the internet gained in popularity and I found myself spending more and more time on forums such as this, I noticed my kit stash increasing steadily while my built inventory started sliding. I am now making a conscious effort to change that. I am alloting myself a certain amount of time on the net on forums such as this and the rest of my spare time is being spent actually building something. I've also moved my computer further away from my model desk to allow me to better concentrate on my projects at hand. Do I post WIP's on every forum I belong to? Nope, and I don't even post pics of my completed projects on every forum either. It just all depends on how the mood strikes me at the time. Some projects I don't feel are worthy of being shown for whatever reason, and other times I prefer to keep certain projects under wraps until I decide to show them publicly, normally at a show or modeling event. I guess what I was trying to say in this novel of a post is that we all post or decide not to post for various reasons. It doesn't make us right or wrong, just individually different. As long as the hobby is thriving and people are building, does it really matter how much they post on any given forum? I think not.

I'm looking for a good resin conversion for Eleanor and so far I am coming up empty handed. I know Scale Productions did a conversion kit, but it's no longer listed. Has anyone else done this car and if so, who and does anyone have a good link with prices and so forth? This is really gonna suck if noone's making the resin conversion for Eleanor now.

Clicked on the link and it looks like the resin conversion is no longer available. If that's the case I have a SERIOUS problem.

I went today to one of the local hobbyshops to see what they might have and hopefully pick up some Evergreen plastic I needed. When I pulled into the parking lot I was greeted with a huge sign announcing their closing and immediate liquidation of all hobby merchandise. Dejectedly I went in and looked around at what was once a decently stocked hobbyshop. Today, almost empty shelves, empty paint racks, old, rummaged through kits and a whole lot of nothingness greeted me. I talked with the owner who basically laid it out in plain english. The money for the hobby on his end has simply dried up. He simply can't afford to buy all the new releases in the hopes his customers will buy the products. Apparently he went out on a limb and purchased several of the new releases only to have them sit and gather dust on his shelves for months. BUT, when he said he marked the kits up anywhere from 35-45%, that right there told me one of the reasons why his inventory wasn't moving. As I browsed what was left of his inventory, I saw kits like the reissued 1/12th scale '57 Chevy for $65.99. The Trumpeter ALF Pumper was priced at $75.99, and other kits wore similarly high price.tags I dunno, maybe it's just me, but with the way things are going with today's economy, I would think that MAYBE when these shops start feeling the pinch of not selling their inventory, they MIGHT try lowering their prices just a tad. I don't expect these shops to give their stock away at cost, but for crying out loud, $76 plus tax for the Trumpeter kit? I tried to talk with the owner and let him know my thoughts on the whole situation but it was advice that was probably too little too late. I asked him how much further ahead he was selling his stock at 75% off rather than lowering the original prices a few dollars to entice his shoppers to part with their money. I did pick up some kits today from what was left of his inventory, and I got them at 75% off the original prices. Did I get a good deal today? Sure I did. But ya know what? I would have gladly given up the great deals today and paid a little lower original price if it meant keeping this store in business. In the end, I don't really see where anyone has come out ahead in this deal. Sure, I got some kits that I wanted at a very cheap price, but in the long run, not only myself, but the other modelers in my area lost another hobbyshop due to the tougher economic times and the devout resolution to sell these kits for as much money as possible, all in the hopes of turning a quick buck, and making a bigger profit per sale. So, with that being said, I got the following kits today: Tamiya Mini Cooper 1275S MkI AMT 62 Impala SS Convertible Revell '63 Chevy Impala 2-n-1 "Donks" Revell '67 Plymouth Hemi GTX 2-n-1 Revell '48 Ford Convertible 2-n1 "Good Guys" Including tax, I spent a total of $42.57 for these kits. There are still some that I'd like to get that are left, but I'm happy with these for now. I was hoping to find a '62 Impala SS Hardtop instead of the convertible so I could convert it to drag trim, but at least I scored the '63 Impala to turn into a Super Stock car. I'm not into the lowrider stuff for that car, so it'll lend itself nicely to a detailed Strickler or Proffitt Super Stock. Anyways, sorry for the long post...just thought I'd share my mixed fortune today.

Simply unbelievable work Ed! I could only dream of building a dio as sweet as this one is turning out! You've definitely given me some ideas for future projects, that's for sure! Can't wait to see more progress on this beautiful project!!!!!

OK..now the next question for the 74 Roadrunner. Will the body have the molded in Roadrunner emblem on the front header panel like the original issue kit, or will the Roadrunner character emblems be removed from the tooling? I have both the 73 and 74 original issue MPC Roadrunner kits and they both have the Roadrunner character emblems molded onto the bodies... I'm just curious.

I am trying to remember, but didn't many of these 60's cars have the shoulder belts strapped above the driver and passenger along the sides of the roof? I know there were cars of this era that had this, but I'm not sure which ones...

I have the original Revell 69 GTO Judge kit that I have been kicking around forever. I might actually build this kit for this buildoff. And, to add some variety, how about a 91 Grand Prix GTP? I started one of these a couple years ago but never finished it... LMK