robertw

All of those MPC C3 Corvette hoods fit poorly. I've built several and tried everything I could think of to correct the hood and the only thing that seems to work is to just leave it up so be prepared to detail the engine.

For many years I drove an '88 Jeep Cherokee and later a '98 Cherokee. I'd love to build either one.

Haven't entered a contest in over 20 years, not that there are any close to me, but I build for enjoyment and don't feel that my work is good enough to be competitive.

First off I live in a small town in the rural part of my province. We have a post office but only occasional courier service. I'm also confident that I'm the only modeller in the area (I feel like the Maytag man). I'm also over 100 miles from the nearest almost hobby shop and 150 miles from a real hobby shop. As a result I keep a huge stash of kits, paints, glues, decals in fact anything that I might think to ever need. I think I could model for over a year without making a purchase......but does that stop me from buying more stuff.....ya right!! -Aftermarket & detail material come through mail order. I'll also occasionaly order unusual models through the internet like Hobby Link. -All paint comes through LHS's since most paint can't be sent by mail here.( LHS as in 100 + miles away) -I get into the city about once a month or month and a half except in winter when trips can be less frequent because of weather. When there I check out a fairly good LHS for new kits, stock up on paints etc that I'm running short of or might need soon. My LHS is independent and he's usually willing to order things I want if his supplier can get them. -About two or three times a year I make a trip to the largest city in the province and check out their hobby shop but unfortunately their hobby shop is going down hill rapidly so those trips may be diminishing in the future. -During the summer I travel a bit including trips to the US and my first check will be hobby shops & Hobby Lobby where I'm often able to find things that I can't buy here in Canada. I can't get everything I want but certainly can find enough to keep me a happy modeller. rob

Keep it as it is. I've been watching your postings on this build and think its a great look. If you want a Manx in a brighter color then build another. You've proven with this one that you can be very creative when it comes to the Manx.

Beautiful build. I agree with you on your comments about the kit, they require more work but because of this often provide the most satisfaction when you're finished. Most modellers are more interested in building the latest and best kits so if you tackle an old classic like this few others will have one on their shelves

You've picked a very nice colour for this build. These pastels are becoming very popular on 1 to1 cars in the last couple of years and on a small car like this it looks particularly good in these colours. It took me awhile to get one of these kits so I'll be looking forward to seeing how yours turns out and whether you've had any build problems before I put mine on the work bench. I've built a number of the Fujimi Ferrari kits and found each one to be a very satisfying build but sure wish they were easier to find and cheaper.

I'll be watching with interest as well. I have Monogram's other two Duesenbergs in my stash to build but have never been able to get my hands on this one.

I'm with you on this one David. I would expect we'll see a kit at some point, but like you I wonder how soon. Since Round2 kits are now used for the promos I would expect them to do a curbside but I'd prefer Revell did at least one since theirs have a higher level of quality.

For 1/32 this is a beaut. Well done.

Converted the Gunze 2CV into the truck about a year ago then a few months later this kit comes out. Haven't gotten one yet and don't know if I want one, probably afraid how inaccurate it will make my conversion look.

You got that right. I remember building that kit a number of yers ago and had the same problems that you described. Ended up painting a thin strip of plastic black to bridge the terrible gap between the body and the chassis. Someone told me the coupe was no better so have never even looked at it. Your build has certainly ade a poor kit look good, congrats.

Drove Jeep Cherokees for almost 20 years (88-07) and loved them, I don't recall ever getting stuck in winter and on occassion drove through snow drifts as tall as the hood. Retirement and steadily increasing costs of fuel told me I needed something less expensive and more fuel efficient but I still miss my Cherokee and everytime I see one on the roads my mind goes back to the days when I was a Jeep driver.

As the first reply said, its a local hobby shop. The closest place to me where I can buy anything model related is 100 miles and the closest real hobby shop is 150 miles. So do I use a lot of mail order.......NO. There are few if any places here in Canada to mail order stuff from. Shipping costs from the US have almost gotten to the point that driving to the city is cheaper and ebay shipping costs to Canada are really outrageous. Most places also won't ship paints in Canada. Having a local hobby shop no matter how expensive the kits are is not a convience it's a necessity for me so I'll do everything I can to support him whether it costs me more or not. He closes and my future in the hobby is limited. I also realize that everything has gotten more expensive and we are also in a hobby with a decreasing market. The model companies are in this to make a profit and the last few years have been pleasing us by releasing new and old kits and, like Round 2, buying other companies and repairing and releasing their old kits. Since the days of the 60's & early 70's we haven't had such a good selection. If I compare the amount I spend on my hobby in a month compared to the hours of enjoyment I get from it it's still a very cheap hobby even with the higher prices paid for kits. I'll be making one of my city trips this weekend, I'll probably drop a bunch of money at the LHS and have a good visit with modelling buddies, I'm already looking forward to it.

I have the Tiger and the .....Back to the Future Trilogy both came in plain white boxes or in the case of the future kits a Big white box. I still have a lot of the Blue Printer newsletters somewhere. As I recall towards the end the newsletters went heavily into the diecast realm.

Well done!! I scratch built one of these last year using the Gunze kit then a month after discovered that it was being done as a kit, go figure. Mine did not turn out as well as yours. Yours looks like I would imagine they would look after some years of hard use.

The first reissue of this Barris custom was called Space 1999 The Alien is being reissued by Round2 this fall. Although the TV show never used one like it I guess MPC had the model rights so they used them. It used a different body and only 4 wheels so is quite different then the one you have posted. I still have the first Moon Scope sitting on the shelf that I built when the kit first came out. I'm looking forward to adding the Space 1999 one when it comes out.

This is a Kit that Round2 needs to reissue whether it is the 4 banger version or the Tiger. The last time I saw it was the Blue Printer release and the mold appears to be in good shape so it should be a no brainer as a reissue and would be a popular kit for a lot of projects. Well done. I built the Gwt Smart kit a few years back and it was an enjoyable build.

Love it! Well built! Found this kit a year back and have it on my winter schedule. I hope mine comes out half as good as yours. Again a beautiful build of a beautiful car.

You are the Yoda Master of modellers. I can't even imagine in my mind what you're able to create in finished form. I have great respect for your work.

When I was in the Minot N.D. Hobby Lobby a week ago they had a few cans of both the grey & white Tamiya primer. I had a feeling they might have been brought in as an experiment since they were just sitting on a shelf beside the other paints and when I visited the Bismark store the next day they didn't have any.

Once a year. I get to make one trip a year to the states and the closest Hobby Lobby to me is over 200 miles away. This year I picked up a couple of the Rat Roaster kits, which are not available in Canadian hobby shops. I expect to be surrounded by car modellers at my clubs next meeting.

After reading a couple of reviews on this new Mini I picked up the ROG one at the LHS. I had debated the purchase since I already had a couple of the Tamiya ones in my stash but on opening the box I was glad I got it. It's an excellent kit that will go on my list to build this fall/winter. Thanks for your detailed build review it is going to prove useful when I get to work on mine.

I like it. Doing a Corvette themed boat has long been on my list of projects for the future.

Does your brain ever hurt coming up with this wild builds? Just kidding but I'm blown away seeing what you create and how great they turn out. I'll eagerly watch how you turn these three kits into another unique creation.