E St. Kruiser50

Hey Mike Thank you for some very nice compliments. Getting the opportunity to help other model builders become better at what we all love is quite an honor and I sincerly mean that. It's nice having something to offer that enriches another person's life. Thanks for the encouragement, and sharing some "very cool" stories from your past. Keep on learning and building. Life is good - dave

WOW!! Just like Gregg, boy do I have a lot more to think about now. Very insightful "Commentaries" in these responses. Hope to hear from even more. Bob Paeth was a very good friend of mine especially in the last year of his life, and we spent a lot of time on the phone, 3 or 4 times a week some times, and ate together several times a month, and we had many long talks about this subject. Man did I learn a lot from him about "Attitude" and "Enjoying Life". Bob loved life and people, and just instinctively knew how to let most things just roll off his back with a grin. Life's too short he'd say, just enjoy who ya can and let the rest go. Then he'd shrug his shoulders, tip his head with that impish grin and sorta threw his hands up in the air, like you see Italians do. And please don't somebody say I'm Dissing Italians here. I get so tired of people with a fragile self worth, whinning about this and that. I'm part Italian, so get a life if all you can do is complain Over the years I had to learn to take responsibility for myself and my bad attitudes. Yup, me too :ang Pretty much had all the same problems were talkin' about here myself, and had to decide I wanted to change, and have a lot more friends, as I really love people, and I have some great friends in this hobby now. Some of the best people I ever met. I keep wondering what their doing in my life, I don't feel like i deserve them, but I do treat them like "GOLD" and love on them, because I can't imagine life without them and don't want to !! I've been tryin' harder and harder to really focus on being a better person for others sake, not just my own, but it's a struggle, I'm honestly not very good at this "Humble Stuff" myself, but my friends get in my face because I gave them permission to, and because they love me, Yeah, no kidden, Pretty amazing huh . They actually tell me they love me - Guy's do, and we're all straight . At least no one's pinched me yet I think maybe that's a big part of the equation. Caring as much or more for others, and honestly wanting to see them get really great help, win awards, and be as good as they would like to be. Being really helpful here on line, and being encouraging and not "CRANKY" can go a long way in helping others and this hobby. Never been a Editor/publisher, but even in a good economy, even a slight "BOBBLE" in the economy can have a significant affect, on subscription sales and advertising by clients. Must be a huge "JUGGLING ACT", BETWEEN THE MAG, THIS FORUM, ALL THE SHOWS, KEEPING ALL THE "RIGHT PEOPLE HAPPY", not to mention trying to have some kind of sane personal life ???? I did own a business several years. So think about it now when there is this "HUGE" downturn in the economy, that has to dramatically affect this hobby that is so insignificant, compared to the rest of the interest's and products for sale these days. Add to that the bad attitudes and people leaving the hobby in pretty significant numbers to find friendlier faces, I'll bet all this has a significant impact on mag sales, as well as the kits. I hope "FLORIDA BOY" is proud of me for the length of this post I've come to the conclusion for myself, that like in most things, a good life is about ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE, ATTITUDE. AND, that today's generation is "ALL ABOUT ME" I grew up caring about other's. It's how we survived back then. We knew we needed other's to help us, and we all took turns as the need arose, to help other's. I still do that. It's how we were raised. The solutions seems pretty simple - TO ME Help other's Have a nice attitude Don't take life so serious Laugh a lot more Be a good friend Be as honest as you can Buy lot's of Model Car Magazine's Several guy's here mentioned socializing, but it's hard to get to know people that are from all over the world. Gregg, maybe in your mag, you could have a "BUILDER'S CORNER", that spotlight's a particular person in the hobby, past or present, (Yes Gregg, I like present's too )to make the hobby more personal, and put a face on a lot of the cool builds we see in the mags. Seems like maybe in the past that the mags have focused a lot more on the hobby and the builds, which has been good, but maybe we need more of a balance. We don't necessarily need to hear all the time about the best builder's either. Personalities can go a long way too, and so can different types of contributors from the hobby. Case in point - Bob Paeth. He was at best a mediocre builder all his life and hardly finished anything, but outshined most all the builders by his outstanding personality, what he brought to the hobby in his designs and his influance, and the way he cared for everyone - A tremendous legacy and positive role model for all of us. Me personally, I would like to see an article about and builds by people like Art anderson, George Hernandez (George53), Raul Perez, Bill Geary, Anthony Rios, ScrappyJ, Cal, Vanagon84, and on and on. When you bring people together,even in a magazine, at least for me, it personalizes the hobby, and makes the people more real, and down to my level, especially if there are some everyday sorta facts included about their life, and if I see them at a show, all that gives me something to connect to them with, and easier to recognize and say "HEY" Are all you "Long Winders" proud of me?? Hope this give's ya'll more to think on - dave

EEEEEEHAH I'm game Looser has to buy lunch and listen to all the winners "Old WAR HORSE STORIES" SNOOOOR

Amazing design and talent This is one of the things I love about this forum. So many new talented builders, with such great imagination and skills.. Something here for nearly every taste. For me personally, since I joined here a year ago, I have learned so much, and have expanded my styles of building quite a bit. "OLD DOGS" can learn new tricks Thanks everyone. And thanks Scott for sharing you're beautiful work - dave

George George George

Stop it You guy's are killin' me

Thanks Peter Kinda fun to "SHAKE THE TREE" and see what falls out LOL.

Thanks Cal Me too. Guess it's just the "NATURE OF THE BEAST"

Hi Brian I agree with you. As more and more new members arrive here looking to be greeted and accepted, I think it's a great chance for all of us to welcome them and answer their questions, no matter how often asked. We all had "TRANING WHEELS" on at one time and needed that first :PUSH", hopefully not over the cliff See my thread on "CONTESTS AND CLUBS under "GENERAL" Thanks for your opinion - dave

Hi all Thought this would be a good, topic, for us to discuss, as you hear a lot about this "UNDER THE RADAR" This is not a "RANT", it's "JUST MY OPINION", and an observation that I have acqired over the years, starting at local contests in the L.A area, that I entered, beginning in the mid 50's. I'm not going to "Point any fingers" here, as I don't think it's necessary. I think what I'm going to share here is pretty much what most of us already know, but we don't talk about, and I'm bringing it up, because I think that the hobby is being hurt really badly by it, and may just be on life support 'till it dies, sooner than some may think. A lot of new kit's are coming out including re-issues, but isn't what we need to save this hobby. To me we need a huge dose of respect and humility towards each other. I keep reading about more hobby shops closing, and now I just read that NASCAR model production will be discontinued Feb. '09. Licensing fee's too high compared to sales. WRITING ON THE WALL To me over the years the hobby has become more and more exclusive to who get's the coverage, and who wins the awards. Too few people getting all the "Glory", and too few people getting any. Back in "THE DAY ", contests were never judged by the builder's. Everyone knew about BIAS and delt with it properly. Real car builders and customizers would judge the contest. Everyone pretty much got to have a little "GLORY" Not today. And I see that driving good builders an good people away from the hobby permanently in droves. In our club here in Portland, half our members in the last two years, I'm sad to say, have left because of "BIAS", and I see that trend of "BIAS" and EXCLUSIVENESS growing at an alarming rate at the lower and upper levels of the COMPITITIONS where ever I've been in the last few years. We hear the promotors lie about it at all levels, but we all know the truth - It's so prevalent, and the higher ya go, the worse it get's. It's becoming sort of an underground joke, and the numbers of contest participants are dropping dramatically because of the EXCLUSIVENESS and BIAS. I figured someone has to say something outloud, and get some dialogue going. No one can blackball me at contest, becaues I don't enter - LOL, so nuthin' to lose. In my own oppinion, BIAS, UNFAIRNESS and EXCLUSIVENESS in this hobby is destroying it, and destroying the fun that it used to be. Even on line, at times there is a real meanness, and insensitivity to other builders that's totally uncalled for. Here on line and at the contest, there are the "Prissy, I'm so Cool" builder's, who seem to be addicted to attention, and they seem to desperately need to know everything and be the best at everything - Sad Now,I've won my share of awards over the years, and got a little attention in mags from time to time, but it was about fun, making friends, and helping other's. I even have judged contests in the past, and I'll have to admit even I was "BIASED" in my judging, because of personal taste and interests mostly. Over the years I tried to get past that, and saw the need to what I call "SHARE THE WEALTH" of the awards at contests, and I'd tell people that's how I judged, so that the "Spreading around" of the awards would help encourage the up and coming builders. You may say that's not fair , but how many awards does one person need. Seems like as adults, we could be a little less greedy and arrogant. I've even tried a couple of time's to get a seperate catagory started at local contests, fot the muliple best of show winners to compete against themselves, but most in the past have been such "TROPHY HOUNDS", that they'ed have no part of it. I quit doing contests several years ago, as the disparities became more and more embarrasingly obvious, and I felt bad for the guy's who were being over-looked that were really good, and needed the encouragement to keep building. It wasn't just the contests, but the negative attitudes of those prissy's, " STRUTTING AROUND" basking in their own personal glory, and wondering why some nobody beneath them would even think of speaking to them - These "GIANTS OF PLASTIC" :lol Same thing happened back in the late 60's with slot racing. It became too exclusive, and there were far too few people winning all the awards and gettin' all the coverage in the mags back then. Getting the the "GLORY" so to speak, and most of the everyday JOE'S were being left out. In 5 years the hobby was dead. Now a lot of people who weren't around then will tell you a different story or have different excuses, but folks I was there, workin' for the largest producer of bodie, Lancer Co., and goin to shows and talkin' to the average guy's who were frustated. Who you gonna believe?? . Truth is still the truth and ya can't change it no matter how hard people try, or how many lies are told. The bottom line is, no one seem's to want's to share, and a small group of people want all the glory and attention, and their getting it to the damage of the hobby. The average builder uesd to have a chance, but not anymore - SAD . Unfortunately it's a part of the "Male" human nature. We all want to win, but eventually there is a price to pay, and I think it's commin like a "FREIGHT TRAIN". I realize a lot of you may have a different opinion, and hopefully I'll hear them, but I've tried posting repectfully, and I hope to hear the same . Maybe we could actually change some things by talking about it, and maybe save this hobby and make it even better, and have more fun at it. It never hurts to try. Thanks - Dave

Hi Dave Another dave here Actually what you do is "Z" the frame, not "Zed" the frame. "Z" ing is accomplished by lifting the frame by cutting it where the suspension goes, front or rear, so the stock configuration of the suspension is not changed, and the car still rides well, without having to modify the suspension to get it lower - heating the coils, cutting the coils, modifying the spindles, etc. The "Z' name that this comes from, is because the frame is cut and pieces added to create a sort of dog-leg just behind the front suspention or just in front of the rear suspension, and makes the suspension rest higher than stock. A lot of modifying may have to be done to the cars under side, depending on the type of car, because the lifted part of the frame may interfere with the trunk ares and engine area on later model cars. The pre-fat fender cars are much easier , say like a Model "A", especially if it's fenderless. Hope this helps - dave You can probably 'go on line and Google "Z" ing a frame and that might help you with pics.

Hey all Thanks for sharing your stories . Got to hear a lota cool stuff here, and I laughed a lot. They were great times back then, but still enjoyin' life now too, and still makin' more good memories - just a different kinda memories now - not so crazy

Hi Don That's funny I got a couple of magazine adds with both the Safari and the Stachief hardtop that's identicle,even the same color scheme, to the one my dad had, and that I got to drive in high school. I figure maybe you'd enjoy seeing these two adds, so I'm posting them here for you to see. They're both originals from '57 magazines. One came from a Saturday Evening Post. I got them both on ebay. Pretty reasonable prices. I keep these up on the wall in my model room where I build, and look at them a lot. Pretty cool memories I hope you enjoy these - dave This is just like my dad's car.

Hey Kevin This is lookin' very, very nice. Great choice of colors. Foil looks really good too . I'll keep watchin' this as I love '60 Chev's. Keep doin' what ya love - dave .

O yeah. Been usin' them together for at least 5 or 6 years. Very compatible and gives a beautiful finish. Temperature is very important when shooting lacquer colors and clear. I live in Oregon, and the ambiant air temp. is all over the map all year long. I like to have a dependable temp., so I have a temperature controlled small walk in spray booth, 5X10, that's also lit and vented. I like to shoot the lacquers at at least 80 degrees, after I've warmed the spray can. 90 degees makes the paint lay down and dry smooth and glossy, and oh so nice Have fun - dave

Hey Ed Yeah, Pontiacs are cool . Got to drive my dad's '57 2 door hardtop Starchief in high school. Creme with burgandy insert and roof. Probably build this in the same color scheme. That's where I got the "love" for the style and probably why I bought and resto-rodded it. Got this in the early 70's, and restored and Chromed everything and repainted it after I had totally disassembled it - NUT'S BUT FUN Guess we're all a little twisted Here she is right after I finished her in 1975.

hey carro Don't give up on the Duplicolor. To me it's a really good quality of paint for "rattle cans". For clear, I like to use Plasti-kote #349 clear Classic Lacquer. I do the "Typical " three coat, 15 minute thing. Real car builders as well as guy's who write articles in the modle mags tell you; 1) One light coat of color 2) Wait 15 minutes 3) Second coat a little heavier........ you know the drill. After the third coat wait 15 minutes and start with the clear. Same thing all over again. With the right compatible brands, it's a system that will serve you well for years. A little tip for ya. I only wait for a day before I start the "Rubbing Out" process, because I have found that the clear plasti-kote lacquer I mentioned will actually smooth out under the pressure of "Rubbing". I hardly ever need to sand the clear as that breaks that beautiful glossy surface that smooth's out so nicely. I learned this technique, from painting urethanes and actually reading the instructions in the Valspar HOK tech book, on using their products and finishing - WHAT A CONCEPT HUH? They recommend on their final clear coat, not to wait more than 24 hours for the final polishing to begin, otherwise it dries hard as a rock and doesn't finish nearly as well. What I've found over and over is, if all else fails, read the instructions , and talk to an expert. Too many guy's try to come up with their own "System', and hear over and over about the problems their having. Anyhow, I begin with Novus #2 and a really nice soft blue cloth that I get from Tap Plastics especially made for polishing Plexiglass and being used with the Novus. Next, I use Finesse-it II #05928, a finishing material I get from a local body and paint supply store. Lastly, I use Meguiar's Mirror Glaze, #7 Professional Show Car Glaze polish - not a wax and can be painted over. Shines like wet glass. Hope this helps All the best - dave

Hi David Yeah, the "Mint" die casts are beautiful. Much nicer usually, than plastic kit's, and like you said, subjects that you can't find in plastic. The trim and other pieces on diecasts can really add to the quality of a plastic build. Good to hear from ya - Another dave

Hey Brendan Absolutely true in my experience. It's known as "Painting wet in wet".'In my experience and talking to guys over the years who paint the 1 to 1 cars, and my own experience painting, letting the paint dry too long between coats can be disastrous. When you paint a wet coat over a completely dry surface, the wet wants to shrink, which is a normal part of the drying process, and something has to give, also if there are chemical problems with compatibility, that just adds to the "Pandora's Box". Been there - done that For centuries artists who paint wth oils, and now with acrylics, have used this wet in wet process to blend colors and texture's. The same process works just as well today. I can even "PAINT LACQUERS OVER ENAMELS" with zero attacking, spraying the lacquer over enamel that has set for just a few moments. Spray one color enamel, and as fast as you can, pick up the can of lacquer and spray a second color, using the Wet in Wet process combining one color over another, I call layering, and then in just a few moments later, start the clear-coating process, with no ill-affects, and be done with a beautiful paint job in less than an hour. Yeah - no kiddin Hope this helps - dave

Hey George How are you my friend? In another thread, you asked me about modifying a diecast, because I mentioned a project, the '57 Pontiac Safari I'd be building using several different Danbury Mint and Franklin Mint diecast to replicate the one I owned, and resto-rodded back in the '70's. I didn't want to answer there and "Thread Jack" someone else's topic. That's why the seperate post's. Anyhow, over the years in my career and playing in my different interests, I found that the more ya knew, the more you could do . I've seemed to always have this insastiable appetite to learn about design, creativity, metals and plastics, and art and sculpting and so on. I loved a class in college called "The Humanitys", where I learnes about Michael Angelo, Picasso and others, that they were facinating people with such varied interests and backgrounds, and had such different ways of looking at life and art, and approaching their own creativities and passions. As these other artists, I learned that I could use all this knowledge and artistry as a way to express myself, and create things that gave me pleasure, and was somehow satisfying to something inside of me. As far as modifying diecast goes, I learned from working with all different types of metals, learning the machining trade, and working mostly in the plastics industry for most of my career, mainly vacuum forming light gauge and heavy gauge plastics, that you could do a lot of really cool things, combined with learning about casting resins, fiberglass, a host of different epoxies and pattern woods and adhesives. What I've found, is that there are two basic types of adhesives used to bond objects, sometimes of vary different types, together. Testors styrene glue attacks and melts the plastic, using it's solvents - toluene as an example, and "Literally melts" two pieces of plastic together. Another glue is Elmers type of white glue that when used with wood, absorbs into the pours, and creates a nearly unbreakable bond, incredibly strong. Then there's "Super Glue", that I learned in the machining trade, you could use certain types that when the surface of the metal was sanded and cleaned properly, would create a bond nearly impossible to break. I could super-glue metal together, machine it, and then have to use a chisel to drive the pieces apart. Pretty cool. So back to diecast, I've done it before on other builds, I'll just sand the surface real good, and clean it thoroughly. The super glue I use is very stable and doesn't shrink, or warp and you'd have to use a hammer to break the pieces apart Next year, when I start the Safari, I'll do some posts on this. Been collecting parts for this build for several years, as I do with a lot of projects, so it'll be fun getting to actually start on it. There'll be a lot of filling, grinding, sanding, gluing, and prep work. Lotsa fun . To some this mat sound like a lot of learning and doing, but for me I've found that investing in yourself to learn what you love, pays great dividends and rewards in later years. Have a good weekend George - dave Here's a photo of the "Project"

Hey Russell Thanks for posting this I waited for month's for this to come back again after hearing about the re-issue. Last one on eBay before this re-issue went for $200.00. Got two of them this week as "My Christmas Present", so haven't opened either one yet. Christmas morning ya know - LOL. Don't wanna make Santa mad. You don't believe in who....??? Yours looks really good. Love the way you "antiqued" the canvas. Looks real. Very cool build. Anyhow thanks for sharing - dave

I'm in the market for a new camera too. I'll check it out. Thanks for posting this - dave

Hi Mike The company has a large line of products as you may already know. The paint over rust and the clear are two seperate products that they make available.

Hey Doug welcome You did just fine here. Great memories. Are you still a builder or maybe just gettin' back into it. It was great hearing from you. If you have anything done or a project you want to share, there's some really cool guy's here that will enjoy welcoming you, and seeing your stuff. Hope to hear from you again - dave