Dave in Seattle

I have the masters for all the Deusenbergs and components that Art did plus the Cords. As far as I know, I bought all that Lee mastered for Art. I also have a master for the Mormon Meteor in it's former incarnation - not the latest one. Also have a master completed for a Cord L-29 roadster. Those two were done for me as a commissioned master by a fellow named Gerry Nilles, who also did the master for the Edsel Ford Speedster that Tony still casts. I may be exaggerating a little bit about the expense of putting out the first model, but I don't really think so. When you consider master expenses, RTV, resin, white metal and tooling, advertising, etc., you can burn through a grand in a very short time. Dave

Sorry for delay, but I was away for a few days and have not seen this thread until today. To address your question, this is a common misunderstanding about resin parts and kits. The simple reality is that the molds are the first to go, so there are NO molds of ANY of the components. However, ALL the component master parts are here, so new molds could be made. The problem? That's also the greatest expense in time and materials. Between the amount I paid for the master parts, and the costs associated with making new molds, that first kit out the door would probably cost around a grand to produce. If you cannot be pretty confident of selling 50 or so, you would be better off to go do something else. Best, Dave

Soooo.....now the ad picture is a big a POS as the kit itself..... It really is unconscionable that we have never been able to get a well-done model of that car in 124-1/25 except for (GASP!) diecast. I doubt it will ever happen in plastic. Dave VanderWal

Back when I owned R & D Unique, I bought ALL the masters for the AAM Duesenberg conversions (and a few other classics too). I sold R&D to Tony Willing a few years ago, and am keeping all those masters safe and sound in case Tony wants to consider putting them out again. He and I have discussed a few times, but neither of us is convinced the market is big enough to devote the time and cost to making a new mold set. We are however still listening..... Dave VanderWal

When you mix the two parts of the resin together, they actually harden by a chemical reaction. This process is an exothermic reaction, meaning it creates heat as it happens. The heat created needs to go somewhere, and is typically absorbed by the mold itself. That heat absorption is controlled by how much heat the mold already has when the transfer starts. Therefore, when you heat the mold, you are slowing down the speed of the reaction by raising the temperature of the mold so that it's capacity to absorb exothermic heat from the chemical reaction is diminished. Pouring mixed resin into a cold mold is sure to "freeze" the pour before all of the cavity is filled. Hope this helps. Dave VanderWal

Yeah, I'm a little astounded that nobody has put up a pic of a set of Cadillac Dagmars yet...... But maybe that's just my warped sense of humor.....

Did not see the scale mentioned in your otherwise informative review. With its die-cast heritage, is it 1/24 or 1/25? Or sumpin else?

Well, based on what made it off my bench in the past year, I'd have to say that they ALL seem to be scary to me right now! But seriously folks...... While I could go into a long rationalization as to why my building has slowed to full stop, the last thing on my bench got there EXACTLY because I had always found it a bit scary: The Wills Finecast Bugatti Type 59 kit in white metal. It's a beauty of a car, but that kit is oh so intimidating to me...... Just gotta pull 'em up and get at it! Dave

I dunno if we are talking about the same guy in that location, but recently a party there who auctions a '32 Ford hearse sent me a link to a completed auction that gathered no bids at a price, and then offered to sell to me off-auction for $10 MORE than that! I had already heard that the quality was sub-standard, so declined......

That's a wonderfully done model, but it is NOT a '27! A '27 would have been a Model T, and this is a Model A - making it a '28 through '31, the only years the Model A was built. It looks like a '28 or '29 to me. What kit did you start from? Dave

Ahem! Well, having founded and owned R & D Unique for 25 years, I think I can speak with some authority on this subject. To get set up to do white metal from scratch would run you something in the neighborhood of 15 grand if all gear was new; a good deal less if used. Honestly, you would be far better off going to an established white metal company (like my old one of course) and get a quote for the parts. You can contact Tony Willing at www.RnDUnique.com. Best Regards, Dave VanderWal

That is hilarious! But are you absolutely sure that it's not our mutual friend Guido pulling off another gag!!? Dave

Aha! Now I get it. Must admit I did not even think to see what those itty bitty buttons were all about. Ok, now......lemme see if this works the way I think it will.... Yippee! It works just fine. Best to all, Dave VanderWal

I've prowled around some, but nothing jumped out at me. Any kind of tutorial available? Dave

I CERTAINLY agree with the "no roller" approach, but mine was born out of a personal experience with an earthquake that cost me a lot of time and effort to repair damage both to models I built as well as an extensive diecast collection. I have pictures, but they are enough to make a grown man cry softly....

You're wrong John, but it does need some detailing....

There's one of those book on the bay right now. Check out item 250156323487

That particular Bugatti Type 41 is the one that is currently in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn MI. The model represents tha car as it is today, not as it was originally built. The original was black with yellow trim, and was the sole subject of a book called "The Complete Car Modeller 2" by Gerald Wingrove published in 1991 and again in 1994. You can actually combine the parts from the Lindberg kit with parts from one of the Testor/Italeri kits and come up with a very good replica of the original car. Specifically, the car is chassis number 41121, and is more accurately known as a Drophead Coupe, made by Weinberger of Munich. It was the third Type 41 built, and was made to the order of Dr. A. Joseph Fuchs. The book 'Le pur-sang des automobiles' by H. G. Conway has extensive coverage of this car, and the story of how it was discovered in a junkyard in New York City in 1943, and rescued by Mr. Charles Chayne - a VP at General Motors. Conway's book has a lot of detailed description of what Chayne changed on the car and why he changed it to get it to its current state in the museum. I have a plan to build that kit, but in the car's original form, not today's.