Brian Austin

I happened to be at a car dealership when a Bugatti rolled by on a flatbed in 1995. Unfortunately my view was obstructed.

(Natick, MA) I wanted that Packard. ?

Now you'll have to get a MEC loco to go with it. ? It's amazing how much cabooses cost these days. I ended up getting the ancient wooden O Gauge caboose in my last post because the price was reasonable. I just don't happen to have a New Haven RR loco to go with it yet...

I saw a customized '57 Chevy parked on the side of the road with its hood up and its owner sitting in a chair on the sidewalk, waiting for roadside service, probably.

Who's gonna tool up a '59 Studebaker Lark? ?

Most of us could live with plain white boxes, but they won't do well with the casual buyers and collectors that IIRC tend to be the target audience. Interestingly enough, the vintage style hand painted scenes that many of us love don't show the actual contents of the kit, but the later boxes portraying the actual kits using photographs can leave us feeling uninspired. There was a time I wished kits were packaged in pastry-type boxes with windows so we could see the contents. ?

it's funny how rosy-glassed survivorship bias works regarding classic cars. Don't forget cars were junked much earlier than now. Cars were traded in after only two or three years. They became unfashionable once next year's model was introduced. Sometimes they were well worn out at that point. Cars weren't expected to last 100,000 while modern cars last twice that or even much more. Heck, they didn't have the corrosion resistance they have now, so they started rusting fairly quickly. People get wound up by this video but then forget there are project cars rusting away in storage due to neglect.

It should be pointed out the test was part of the 50th anniversary of the IIHS, to drive home the improvements in car safety over the decades. https://www.iihs.org/about/50th-anniversary Both cars are still on display in their lobby. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=537858801307932

No words? Maybe you should try interpretive dance.

Oh, lighten up people. Conspiracy theories aren't helpful. In other news, Sunita Williams participated in a California-based triathalon. https://www.space.com/17643-space-triathlon-astronaut-sunita-williams.html

Timely video. Model trains and mental health. Skip to just before the 6 min mark

I just saw a Delorean at a recent car show.

I've seen a stock one in a parking lot. Fascinating to see it in person, noting the subtle curves in the body lines. They way the body catches light is cool.

Not terribly old or exciting, but I saw a Chevy Malibu Maxx hatch the other day. One of those cars you don't see very often.

FWIW...What are the astronauts doing while they're at the ISS? https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-astronauts-iss-duties-nasa "...In the meantime, however, Wilmore and Williams have been tasked to other activities on the ISS. They knew what they were signing up for. Both are former U.S. Navy test pilots with experience in developmental programs and long deployments, and that's a large reason they were selected for this current mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT). ... The astronauts were "fully trained" on all ISS duties, meaning Williams and Wilmore have been doing extra maintenance and a large share of science during their time on board. Appropriately sized spacesuits were set aside if the astronauts are asked to take on extra-vehicular activities. As for the supplies, the ISS always has a four-month contingency of food, oxygen and other critical items that Williams and Wilmore have been using. "

Space missions always have problems. This mission was a shakedown cruise. Astronaut Suni Williams came from my hometown, and there is a school named after her.

Some of those billet wheels look familiar, but I couldn't tell you which kits I think I might have seen them in. ?

My first job was at a retirement home. One day this unassuming '55 Chevy appeared in the lot. IIRC these dealer badges were mastered using hand-carved wood patterns.

Abandoned Olds in Brighton, MA in 1992. Under the WBCN radio sticker is the BEREJIK badge. While some of you might remember Berejik's racing connection, they were once one of the many dealerships in my hometown (Needham, MA). Berejik closed around 2000. Aside from a premium classic car dealership, I think all car dealerships are now gone from my town.

From the same seller I also got this old assembled plastic kit produced by KMT. The tank is OK but the walkways are a bit undersized. It'll do though.

One of the reasons I got the assortment was this wooden caboose. With that slab of lead it and metal trucks it weighs a good couple of pounds or so.

Next came this rather unique stock car. It appears to have been a repurposed Lionel tinplate toy. It's not my favorite, but it came in the lot. It did come with insulated wheels, though, so I placed those trucks under the hopper.

This hopper may also have been produced by Max Gray. Hatches on this one are inoperable. It's riding on trucks produced by Auel in 17/64" scale (1:45 vs. 1:48), and are nicely cast in metal. The wheels have lovely detail. Unfortunately for me the wheelsets are not insulated for 2-rail use. Also the treads are very worn. I later swapped the trucks for ones with insulated wheels. I made the mistake of picking up one of the loose Auel trucks. An errant finger slipped the spring plank sideways, taking the springs with it, and the truck self-destructed. I am not in a hurry to reassemble it.

I recently ordered a set of 5 vintage O scale freight cars. This is a brass bottom-dump gondola, made by Max Gray. This one of two I got, nearly identical. The hatch on this one won't shut properly. Although the New Haven did have some of this type, the lettering style appears to have been completely different, and they ran on archbar trucks. I'll have to order some from Kadee's newly introduced line of cast metal O Gauge freight car trucks.

It should be pointed out that the article mentions the "gloom and doom" in the British media and forums regarding the state of the model railway hobby as of last year when a major retailer closed down and a major model train exhibition was discontinued due to members aging out. Suddenly the hobby was doomed. Much has happened since last year. A new large exhibition is taking over the space the previous one had occupied, and the previous club is launching a smaller show elsewhere. That hobby is far from dying. As far as the article goes, I think people here are latching onto the wrong message. I see it as free positive press for hobbies. Remember the positive articles regarding hobbies during the pandemic? Nothing wrong with that. I think the article is sating that hobbies are in fact not "pointless" as some might consider.