jaymcminn

Not digging the interior, the iPads hot-glued to the dashboard are an automotive fad that needs to go away. Buttons and knobs are safer and easier to find while driving. Screen displays wash out in bright sunlight (not good in, you know, a convertible). The sweet spot has already been hit with a simple touchscreen in the center of the dash to access the settings you don't need on a regular basis and physical controls for everything else. Unfortunately, the need to keep up with the latest trends tends to overrule common sense.

Whatever Johnny's rear leg just did, he's not happy about it.

Those second-tier Japanese companies passed molds around like crazy back then. Otaki, Doyusha, Nichimo, Nitto, Arii... there was a whole host of kits that some or all of these companies released at one time or another. As one company would fold, another company would buy the molds and rerelease the kit. I think most of the surviving molds would be held by Doyusha and Arii now. IIRC, Otaki folded in the early 80s. They tooled up the 1/12 Countach LP400/500 series, which is an excellent kit on par with Tamiya models of the time.

Thanks! I got it from IKEA about 5 years ago. I just checked and it's still on their site, but not in the red color. It's called "Fabrikor".

My LHS is Family Hobby Center. It's a great little shop, I've been going there for 40+ years. Owned by the same family since 1959. I don't know that it's worth a road trip unless you were coming to the area anyway... it's not a big shop by any means and they tend to be a little conservative in terms of what they stock. K&K Hobbies in Port Charlotte is bigger and has a better selection. Can't wait for the Southland show!

Honestly, I look at the Internet as my hobby shop. Of course I still patronize my (very good) LHS. Different companies are good at different things. 1/12 detail stuff and aftermarket bits? Spot Model (out of Spain) rules. Good prices, fast shipping. Hobby Link Japan and Plaza Japan are great for a kit stock-up, but the shipping has gotten silly lately from Japan. I've gotten some good deals from Hobbylinc as well and of course there's always the dreaded eBay for vintage kits. Model Roundup was my go-to when I was building more American stuff and their service was always great.

Bandit's a big (17lbs) boy. That pic doesn't show off his color to full advantage. This is more like it... The belly rub thing is my favorite. I start off scratching his ears, then he scoots down and flops his leg over my arm so my hand is pretty much trapped and I can't help but rub his belly. I have never seen a cat go for belly rubs like he does. He's like a freaky mutant cat-dog.

If I could find someone to rub my belly while I take a nap, I'd be all set...

I'm a big fan of acrylic display stands to add dimension and space to my display cabinets. The effect can be almost like the cars are floating in midair. For some builds I really like I have a few small display cases scattered around the house...these get swapped out from time to time. Everywhere I go in my home I get to look at the models I've produced over the years. It's a good feeling!

Probably the Monogram Deusenberg SJ Murphy Convertible in about 1979. I was a big fan of classic cars as a kid. Still am, come to think of it.

Definitely contact Tamiya. I think the 935 is either in the current catalog or recently rereleased. My 934 had a thin mold line in the windshield but nothing like that.

I probably spent the first 40 hours on my Trumpeter GT40 test-fitting and correcting the panel fit. It's my usual procedure when it comes to large-scale kits with opening panels. I still ran into issues when I got to the final assembly stage. It's not the worst-engineered kit I've ever built, but it's definitely in the top 5. If they hadn't nailed the overall look so well it wouldn't be worth it.

Breathtaking.

I think this might be the most 80s thing ever.

Naaah, I always wind up getting my packages but they sometimes take a pretty circuitous route. Just plain ole institutional incompetence.

Aaaaand back to USPS. Every time I look at package tracking and see "Ybor City Distribution Center" I cringe because it then turns into a huge crapshoot as to where it's going next and when. This time a package sat at Ybor for two days and has now vanished off the face of the earth. This only happens with expensive things... the $8 craft sticks I ordered from Amazon showed up on time but the $500 limited-edition Seiko watch is now in postal limbo.

The Mercedes was a blast to build... the relatively low parts count meant I could concentrate on the fit and finish of the body panels, which all needed massive tweaking to get it to turn out as it did. The frame was warped as well on mine and needed some adjustments to get it to sit right. The chrome was terrible, so airbrushed Molotow was used. Pics below...

Beautiful work on this so far! I recently did exactly the same thing as you... after finishing up my labor-intensive 1/12 Porsche 934 build I built the old Monogram Mercedes 540k Coupe as a way to wind down. These old Monogram classics are great kits that build up into excellent replicas with a little TLC!

I tried the "Beyond Jerky". That's something you don't do twice.

BMF is the way to go here.

I've started playing with the Vallejo Metal Colors line... Just test pieces at this time, but I like what I see so far. They're pre-thinned for airbrushing and spray nicely at 15psi. Unlike Metalizers they can be applied with a brush on small details. The metallic particles are incredibly fine. The Chrome isn't even close to Molotow or Alclad, but it has a great sheen for polished aluminum... think Testors silver enamel but pretty much impervious to wear once dry. The Gold has a great polished brass look as well. The jury is still out on their gloss black polyacrylic primer that they recommend as a base coat. I'm going to try it with a couple drops of Flow Improver to see if that helps it spray out a bit smoother. Tamiya Flat Aluminum and Metallic Grey have been my go-to flat metal finishes for many years. The metallic particles are coarse, which looks great for cast metal.

I hope you have better luck with those stupid MFH zip ties than I did. I had the same failure rate as you but managed to get the job completed. Over the course of two days, three of the installed zip ties broke just from me looking at them. I wound up going with 1/32 Chartpak tape to represent the ties.

That Hasegawa 250 Testa Rossa is an absolutely wonderful kit. Mine built up with the optional PE wire wheels and a detail set from (I think) KA Models...

Model Expo has the Italeri 1/12 scale Lancia Delta Integrale on sale for $199. I had to pull the trigger. It showed up today. It's a beautiful, state-of-the-art kit and I can't wait to get started on it!

I would treat this as a learning experience. Looking at the finish on the roof and trunk you see plenty of "fisheyes" indicating prep issues and adhesion problems. The Krylon stuff won't key into the plastic like hobby paint tends to... it needs a primer to help promote that adhesion. At least your BMF doesn't seem to have the poor adhesive issue that some recent batches have shown. I'd strip the paint (should be easy, right?) prime with a compatible primer after scuffing and washing the surface and reshoot. I'm guessing your results will be a lot different the second time around!