Robert Myers

With over 1,000 1/24-1/25 unbuilt car and heavy truck kits in the basement (I intend to build them all!--yah right) can I choose a favorite and one that I would like more of.....yep!!! Mine is the Ford J Car. I love that body. The GT40s are next in a tie with the Shelby Daytona Coupe. Since the J Cars are rather hard to find complete or at a decent price, I am waiting to build my only one until I am really in the mood to tackle it. It will get built!!!! I do need another one or 2 or......as a matter of fact, I am watching one on ebay as I write this.

I use the primer and spray on resin....I am converted!!!!!!

My gosh, someone knows where Pocatello is!!! Actually we are easy to find, southeast Idaho on Interstate 15. Salt Lake is 169 miles south, Yellowstone National park is 150 miles north, Jackson Hole is 100 miles east, and the middle of no-where is 20 miles west (Sun Valley is 150 miles west too)! Actually, we do get a lot of tourists as two interstates meet here. This is a major route to 5 or 6 major vaction spots. We also have a model railroad club in a building donated by the Union Pacific RR, they have over 1/4 mile of double track on the HO layout. It must be one of the largest in the US.

I like that Cougar!!! I drove a Mercury Sable for a few years and I really liked it. I knew it was just a re-badged Tarus, but it had just a little nicer interior and a front end that I liked better. Figure the odds, Now, my wife drives an Olds van.....just a re-badged Chevy, but just a little different styling.

I sent you a message about our local model club.

It went into the savings for my model museum fund.

Thank you for your replies, I think you have missed the point. This is not for a business or to make a profit. I know it will lose money and no one is going to drive hundreds of miles to make it a vaction spot. It is just for fun and for a place to get me out of the house. It will include any type (wood, metal, resin) or scale of model I can get. Including railroad (they make entire towns!!). I have been to the Salt Lake museum years ago. They had a very nice thing going.

When I retire in a year and a half or so (I hope!!)...one of my projects is to open a model museum (Worlds in Miniature). Nothing real fancy, just a place to have the monthly club meetings, a research area, some good CD of contests/shows and a great bunch of models for people to look at (free of charge). I think it would be a great place for model collections to end up instead of the dump!!!! I started planning this about five years ago and saving money for it. I announced it on another web site and while I got support for it, several people had to tell me how hard it would be and it would be a waste of time. I didn't ask for donations, as a matter of fact I will not accept money, I have paid for every item sent to me and I still buy built/unbuilt kits (admittedly at low prices to conserve money). I could fail and the museum may never open. I may have to work a few extra years with our changing economy and just use my 1,200 square foot basement for a while instead of a building. I have warned people about this when I talk to them. I have a collection of 749 kits of all types that I have built. A good start. Relax, I am not asking you to send anything or sell me anything. I just want you to understand my motivation and think about how synical (can't spell) we may become about others dreams. The point is that I want to do this. I may fail. It is a dream not a scam. Is there a difference? I think so. Maybe, I can get you to think about how much fun it would be to visit a museum devoted to models....even if that is all I do.....mission accomplished!

The next meeting is Thursday, May 15th.

The day before yesterday was a beautiful warm day. Yesterday I woke up to 3 inches of snow. Today is sunny and warm. Southeast Idaho is a little unpredictable. Got to love the cold and snow, it gives me a good reason to head for the den and work on a model. The warm sunny days make me want to be outside enjoying them and not modeling. Just can't win!

Any car should be modified, lifted, dropped, channeled or chopped....except for a 1956 Chevy. They are sacred; should worshipped and left as is. 1957 on the other hand are good to go for anything.

Interesting replies and thank you for the support! I enjoy the hobby and I will continue to enjoy it at my pace! I am hoping that others that may have road blocks crop up for them will read this, (with all of your great support and comments), and realize the enjoyment we get is from within and can be reshaped to fit our circumstances. My hand pain is early arthritis. Don't want to treat it yet, because when it gets bad in later years, my body will be to used to the drugs and the dosages will have to go way up. The doctor thinks I am a little strange, but he says ok, besides, I know I am a little strange. As for the bigger scale, great idea! The 1/24 scale cars are my bigger scale, I also build 1/72 scale aircraft!!! Y'all are great!

I still enjoy building models, looking at models and collecting for the stash. During the week I daydream a little about what I would like to do with a particular kit. We have two model contests within 170 miles of my home this year, I plan to go look at both! My den is a place I can relax, look at the kits I've built and snoop thru the kits waiting to be built. The websites are great because I can connect with others who share my interests. Now the crossroads. On the weekends when I can actually build, my hands hurt when I sand or shake when I try to make or glue small parts. In short my skills are going downhill and instead of relaxing with the Exacto knife in hand it gets frustrating. Age is catching up with me, I can retire next year. I always thought that when I retire I can hideout in the den and happily build the years away. So I have found an answer for me, at least. I will build what I can at my own pace, enjoy what I have built, relax surrounded by good memories of when I could still wire a 1/24 distributer, lurk on a few good websites and collect a few more unbuilt kits with the dreams to build them. A few seams won't matter. My point...accept our hobby for what it gives to you and enjoy it. Go your own way and do what you can. We do it for ourselves not others, they don't feel the joy, excitment and pleasure that each of us gets from a new kit or building it the way we want it. Share what you can and appreciate what others share with you. Above all be kind in your remarks!

Nice looking truck! An old CD cover for a cab back, that is what I would call creative use of plastic. I live in farming country where a lot of the old road tractors are brought in at the end of their highway careers and used as short haul and farm trucks. Some get a fancy factory conversion with a window and upolstery, some get a sheet of tin riveted in to cover the old sleeper access hole. My point is almost anything you want to do is accurate. Your truck is great without a window.

I have an excellent method for finding dropped parts! I sit very still in my chair and look around me. I don't see the part...so I slowly roll my chair back so I can get up and look. Something goes crunch under the chair wheel. FOUND THE PART! just hate that

I work for the largest Federal law enforcement agency in the U.S. as an Intelligence Analyst. I work crimes against children, specifically child pornography from all over the United States. The job is rewarding, but can really get to you once in awhile. To relax I take a model to work and work on it over my lunch break, that is a great stress buster!!!! I can retire in less than two years and I hope to open a model museum/hangout. Nothing fancy as I am not rich, but maybe a place here in southern Idaho or Las Vegas (I want to move) where people can get together (free of charge) and lie to each other about models, enjoy a cup of coffee, enjoy the hobby and have a place to send old models instead of the dump. Think about it...what will your poor wife do with all of those models? I am not accepting cash donations.....so relax this is not a fishing trip for $$$$$$$!

I pick up small fish tanks at yard sales and second hand stores. The older ones have chrome framework and look quite good. Just clean them out with vinegar to remove any water spots and place them upside down over the truck. Yu can put shelves in some for multiple trucks. and have a miniature display case. The AMT Autocar size dump trucks will fit into the AMT 1/18 scale car cases. I use those a lot, the only problem is the tall exhaust stacks on the tractor.

Great tip! Being a cheap old fart, I stopped by the Chevy dealer and ask him for used filters. He gave me a couple. Ok I'll have to do a little cleaning, but free works for me.

We are not a big city or club, but we have fun. If you would like to join us we will be meeting Feb. and Mar. 2008 at the Marshall public library. We meet from 7-9:00 pm on the 3rd thursday of each month. We have contest winners and old farts who are just glad to be able to still read instruction sheets (me). All types of models are respected and welcome. Everyone of any skill level is welcome. Our local hobby shop has moved and does not have room for us, yet.

I like what you have started! It is great to see imagination at work!!!!!

Thank you for posting the article!!!!!! I enjoyed reading it again. I had forgotten it was built by Clint Freeman

There is nothing special to working with it, except use fine sand paper. The plastic is soft and course sanding paper will leave a lot of deep scratches. I like to spray it with Krylon primer before I put on a coat of paint. Most any saw will cut it with ease, epoxy is the glue of choice and most any putty will stick to it (I use 3M blue or red).

Glad you found the article!!! My magazines were lost in a move, about 14 years ago. As I remember, that was a very nice build, I'd love to see it again if you can post it.

I have found that some resins continue to sweat out after you clean them and store them for a few weeks before you prime them. Being slightly lazy I have had a clean fest then put the resin away to use later. Bad move. If the resin sits unprimed for a while, just get some Comet (or similar) powdered bathroom sink cleaner (WITH BLEACH) give the parts a good scrubbing with a tooth brush. It will remove the oils that sweat out with minimal work.