bobss396

Fred is a good guy and very easy to deal with. I see him every year at the NNL East and spend some bucks and time with him. Bob

I'll be there with my bro Will, we're making the long trek from Long Island, NY (60 miles). I'll have one car to show and a couple of primer projects. Bob

I do the sub assembly thing too. I tend to do the engine first, then the interior, chassis and save the body for dead last. There is nothing harder than keeping a painted body looking fresh when test fitting and having the body off and on something like 50 times. But all my projects tend to be frankenstein in nature, everything has to be MADE to fit. Bob

I see the newer kits as being better planned out so you don't have the problems you describe. Of course the molds are crisp and clean. I like the chrome trees where some thought was given to where the part breaks off the tree, so it won't show when the part is installed. I cringe when people get excited about re-releases being brought back from the dead. It is a mixed blessing, nice to have the kit again, but oh that horrific flash and parts that have fit issues. Bob

I was thinking of going as late as Thursday evening, but wound up with an awful cold that got worse by the hour. I had a horrible cough that no one would have appreciated. I hung out at home with a big box of tissues and worked on a couple of models. I did like the videos, a clever concept I hope will catch on. Bob

Thanks for the tip on the panties, I'll have to try that on some big biker type. Drop a size 6 set of frillies into a cart of a 300 lb 6'7" Hells Angels type. If I don't get caught, it'll be a Kodak moment when he gets to the checkout. Or the obituary of the local paper if I do get caught. Check the dollar stores for the beat bargains. As long as the ingredients have nitrocellulose, butyl acetate in them, it's all the same. Bob

I love shopping for feminine hygiene products, I always drop boxes of them in unsuspecting guy's shopping carts. Or condoms in women's shopping carts. I gotta get my kicks where I can. But that's not important right now. The best thing I've found for nail polish thinner is Sangyo Gunze's Mr. Color Thinner. The next best thing is real automotive acrylic lacquer thinner, Dupont or PPG is fine. As for polish, the cheap 99¢ stuff is what I go for. Basically the same as the $6 stuff. Bob

I have a local parts house that'll order me anything that I want. If the local distributor has it in stock, I have it in 3 days max. If they don't it takes a couple of weeks. Ask, you may get lucky. Bob

I use metric for anything I do in 1/25 or 1/24 scale, close enough for me. 1" /25 = .040", which is 1mm. How much more obscenely simpler can it get? Bob

Same here, I figured it was a plug (no pun intended) for a colon cleanse product. Not that I need it. Bob

I have a low opinion of all Testors products in general. It looks like they still utilize those horrible spray cans. They must get a "truck" load of them for almost nothing. I would let it dry and try to sand it out before I'd strip the whole works. Bob

I should be there for the day, live too close to justify a stay over. I like the deal that its a month later than usual, but you know I'll be down to the wire on a couple of projects. Bob

Raw MEK is one of the top "to avoid" chemicals known. Unless you're into bladder cancer, liver damage, etc. Not that the brushable glues are thet much better for you. Tenax is good, but Ambroid comes in a bigger bottle WITH a brush for the same $$. Ambroid caps/brushes can be used with Tenax if you shorten up the tube a tad. Bob

I was too busy cooking but caught some of the 1/2 time show. My liking for Bruce has somewhat faded with his involvement in politics but from what I saw it was a good showing for him. The game itself was pretty exciting with a couple of twists in it. Bob

Be safe and get back soon. Until then, keep your back to the wall and your powder dry. Bob

I'm staying home and having about 10 people over total. I'll be making 2 batches of chili, mild and wild. Also getting some bags of store bought wings, hot and regular. Making coleslaw, crab and shrimp quesadillas, the wife is doing pulled pork which is always awesome. Got a 42" TV with HD so that should work. I'm going to try not to eat like I have a 3rd hand, I was way too stuffed last year. We will have a football pool going, the standard 100 boxes. I tried to get people to go for $1 per box years back, but all I seem to be dealing with is tightwads (they eat my food, drink my beer, fart and go home..) so I struggle to get them to cough up 25¢ per box. I finally figured out why they call it super BOWL, because that's where you wind up camped out on the moirning after it. Bob

I would guess that I have around $300-400 of paint around at any given time. This includes primer, thinners, etc. I probably blow about $25 on every car that I paint. Bob

My model area is located in my basement where we have an apartment that is no longer rented out. I have the whole kitchen to myself. I had to do a major clean up before the holidays and did find a bunch of things I didn't know that I had. On a good note, I tossed out a bunch of things that were cluttering up my work table, consolidated all of my paints and put away things that I wasn't using right now. I put projects into those stackable show boxes and labeled them. So go for it! You may lose a few things but it'll make you a leaner and meaner modeling machine. Bob

I agree that they have just about ruined the market, everyone thinks that they have a BJ car that they're selling. But the thing is going the other way now, evilBay auctions with over-priced cars are not moving. I see the same cars relisted 4 times or more. Prices will come down in time when people get a reality check about the market not as hot as they think it is. I watch the auctions once in a while, mainly to put myself to sleep or kill an hour or so. The "car guys" on the show don't know their a$$ from their elbow about cars. Their spiel is "wannabe" rhetoric that they regurgitate on a predictable basis. Bob

This thread should be cut. It reminds me bickering on other boards that I have fled and hoped this one would be different. Is there a moderator in the house? Bob

Oh yeah, HOK doesn't play well with too much unless it is also a lacquer product. I have very little paint problems, I keep it simple and try a sample on something scrap if I have my doubts. I secretly get a kick out of people who post about "lacquer over enamel" woes. Call me sadistic but it gets me through the day. Bob

What shows are covered in it? I have a streak going of being in model car magazines and only 3 days to keep the consecutive streak alive. Bob

I should pick up one of those myself. I have a Clausing that I have to set up at home soon. I'm well set up for it with various tool holder and other accessories. With the small lathes, you have to be able to change tools quickly so I'd suggest a small turret or something that allows you to take pre-set tools in and out quickly. Micro Mark has some good small lathe tooling, I'd start there. Then you have to have a means of sharpening tools. Carbide is great put requires a special grinding wheel, high speed steel is pretty good and sharpens well on a regular bench grinder. You'll want a coarse and fine wheel with some sort of dresser, or buddy up to someone who works in a machine shop. Think of using tools that you can combine uses. Like a tool that can do facing and part off. Knowing how wide the tool is essential, so you can face the part, dial off to a specific number and do the part off. Try to do as much as possible in one operation. I like to use a water soluble oil for cutting fluid. The mix ration is something like 50:1 so a little goes a long way, again a buddy in the business is good to have. PM me if you want some, I'd be glad to send you some to get you going. I get most of my stock from McMaster-Carr or MSC Direct. I have work and personal accounts with both. I also grab any scrap cut off lengths of anything round 1" in diameter and under. For aluminum, 6061 is pretty good, so is 2024. 7075 is a true aircraft grade, a little harder to machine and not as easy to get as the others. You should have a set of collets that will take dimensional stock, like 1/8", 3/16" and so on. Bigger stock you can turn in the chuck, even turning a "handle" on a bigger piece and finishing it in a collet and cutting off the handle later is good to do. You can make up "blanks" that can be worked on in stages, if you want to make multiple parts or the same thing. Best of luck with your new asset! Bob

Thanks! I'm leaning towards a Tamiya metallic green or a HOK green. The interior will be either a lighter green of a combo of that and a lighter cream. I dislike 2-toning interiors though. Bob

Based on the Flintstone resin body, '66 T-Bird interior and hood scoop from a donor kit, '68 Charger 383, Modelhaus wide whites, Lincoln steering wheel, custom made exhaust. The tailights are different now, body is about 90% done. Firewall is .012 thick aluminum sheet. Hope to work on it over the holidays. Bob