Eddie Cremer

Started painting the engine block on the 1/32 Matchbox Mercedes-Benz SSKL that I got earlier this week. Nice little kit.

This. Even if you save just one rescue animal, that is one that found a good and loving home. Not only do my wife and I have 3 rescue cats, it is a very comforting feeling that we gave them a loving home when they might not have found one otherwise. Another dog or cat, just like another child, is never a replacement for your lost pet. I still sometime find myself waiting for Jasmine to wander into my Computer room here, and she's been gone for years. But I love the other three just as much as I loved her, just in different ways. Another pet isn't going to be a replacement, just another venue to spend your love on.

You sometimes question decisions like that. Pontiac obviously spent a good deal of money developing that engine, then only built it 4 years. My first car out of high school was a '68 Firebird Sprint with the OHC in it. I loved that car. It went like a bat out of Hell. Pontiac's excuse for axing it is that it was a tall engine, which it was, and wouldn't fit under the hood of the second generation Firebird without a bubble in the hood or something. I wonder about that too because they had no problem putting big ugly scoops on the hood on the Formula, or a big shaker scoop for the Trans Am. They couldn't have done something similar for the Firedbird? Even going into 1970, I doubt GM understood how badly emissions restrictions and future oil embargoes were going to render some of their models mute over time.

I had my suspicions about who it was, but no way to prove it.

I knew that Jasmine was getting a little worse over time. We had no clue about the high blood pressure until I noticed what looked like blood in her eyes. We took her in and had her checked and then just gave her medicine for it and she was fine. My wife had gotten her as a kitten so it was particularly difficult for her to consider the eventuality that we might have to have her put down at some point. But there comes a point where it is better for the pet to be released than to try and keep them going when they are suffering, and are only going to get worse. That day came, when after a couple of weeks of extra sedentary behavior she climbed into her littler box one day and was too weak to get back out and it broke my heart to have to lift her back out, because she couldn't do it by herself. She gave me a look as I did so that seemed to me to be saying "I'm tired, and I'm ready to go." The vet said her blood pressure was worse, her kidneys were failing, her temp was way below normal and he told us very gently that it was time to let her go. And he cried with us as she drifted off to sleep. Worst thing I've ever had to do. But the joy she gave both of us those 14 years far outweigh the sorrow of that moment.

Beautiful cats, and sorry that you lost them. I've never been a cat person. When my wife and I met in 2001, she had a cat named Jasmine. It didn't like me, and when she moved from Independence up here to St. Joe, she left the cat with her folks. Jasmine got out and lived in the wood pile in their back yard for 3 months. When we were down there one time with me at work and her visiting her parents, my wife found her and put her in the truck with her and came to get me from work. (I commuted to KC at the time.) Over time, for reasons I don't understand, Jasmine turned into "my" cat. She got to where she would curl up next to me and sleep with me every night. She started having some issues and the vet said she had high blood pressure so I gave her blood pressure medicine twice a day for two years. Finally, when she was a little over 14 years old, she just started laying around, wouldn't eat, wouldn't do anything at all. We took her to the vet and he told us that she was, in his words, "checking out." Just about everything on her was failing so we made the difficult decision to have her put down. We'd gotten another rescue cat named Missy in about 2004. She was a partial inside/outside cat and someone in the neighborhood was using antifreeze to cut down the stray population and she died of poisoning in 2007. A few months later, a manager at work had a couple strays dropped of on his doorstep and was trying to find homes for them. One was an older kitten named Miranda and we brought her home as a companion for Jasmine. She is still just as ornery as ever and at a check-up a few weeks ago the vet says she is healthy and still going strong at 13. About 3 months after Jasmine left, we got another cat at the shelter named Dottie. Not nearly independent and stand-offish as Miranda, she's loving and playful. But still not really a lap cat. She is about the same age as Miranda, but is in very good health. A couple of months ago, we decided to add one more cat to the mix because at some point, one of the other two will succumb to something. We named her Midge and although they said she was 6 years old, they were wrong. She is no more than a year or so old, and she is a lap cat, as well as highly active, since she is so young. The other two are having problems adapting to her presence, but are calming down somewhat in the last couple of weeks. So that is my tale of being slowly morphed into a "Cat person" when it was completely against my will.

Yes, I had forgotten about the Tempest.

No. It the dimensions of the stovebolt block, they say, had a different cast iron block and the entire top end was completely different. Single overhead cam. It was available beginning in 1966 displacing 230 cubic inches. In 1968 it grew to 250 cubic inches. The base engine had a 1 barrel carb and for the Firedbird the Sprint version had a 4 barrel carb, 1967 thru 1969. The OHC six was only produced for those 4 years.

I don't see anything around with that. I think it looks pretty good . . .

That is one nice-looking build. The original air cleaner is a nice touch . . .

I figured as long as I built these things I might as well post some pictures of them. This was a 1:18th ERTL diecast kit of a 427 Cobra. I wanted to build a replica of a picture I found on the Internet of a Terlingua Cobra, and this was the result. I didn't discover until I was almost done with it that the prototype was actually a small block car. It came already painted yellow so paint-wise on the body all I added was the red stripe. The decals were printed out at home. The front and rear jack points were scratch-built, as were the belts and harnesses. I dropped it a little in the front. I included a group shot of the other Cobras, but one is missing because I hadn't done anything with it yet. Ironically I had three ERTL's and 3 Yat Mings.

Both the cars, and the boats look absolutely fantastic. Does the 'Bird come with the "hidden headlights" inserts shown in the box art?

I had some Cobras too if you'd like to see them . . .

X3 on what he said. Strip them, then paint the gold coves, then paint the rim and flats of the spokes silver, perhaps with a semi-gloss clear top coat. Since I've been out of the hobby for 9 years, what is this Molotow pen I keep seeing people talking about?

Sweet-looking car! Great job.

There is a bad spot on the trunk where I evidently rubbed it up against something before the paint was completely dry. It isn't really noticable, but it bugged me. Plus, I noticed this morning after I posted the pics that I never painted the trunk lock!!! I should take some silver paint over to my sons house next time we go and paint that . . .

Nice build Jim. I wonder how much those headlights would have cut down on the car's top speed . . .

What? No Camaro? No GT40??? Turned out looking nice Jim . . .

Hey there, old friend!!!!

I'll paint models. I painted about 10 or so of the diecasts that I did, if they were just in primer, or I wanted them a different color, but I'm just not happy with the results, and that isn't where I want to spend my time, since it isn't my strong suite. Same reason why I never built a huge amount of "beaters." Too time-consuming. I stopped building for two reasons: The biggest one was my wife & I were one of the victims of Bank of America's house foreclosure grab, and I didn't have the room anymore. Second, I was going way overboard on the detail. Wiring. Brake lines. Fuel lines. Carpeting. Scratchbuilt seat belts. On the '69 Mach I above, that I bought as a kit at Big Lots, my goal was to built the car how it would look fresh off the car hauler, before it had been dealer prepped. So I tried to replicate every factory paint daub, inspection sticker, etc. It got to be too much. This time, I don't want to go overboard on the detail, just have fun with it, and not be so serious about it. I've got the two Mercer's on the way and last night I discovered a 1:32 Matchbox Mercedes-Benz SSKL that I put a bid in on for $19.99 and I couldn't believe I won it. I may be making a mistake going down-sized in scale, but I can't afford most of the diecasts I want anymore and I can't afford the classic kits I'd want in 1:16th. So we'll see what happens. Here is a MotoMax Buick I did paint, since it was primered, and turned it into a lowrider. It was a kit.

It wasn't a criticism, in any way. Just wanted you to know. I think it would have been kind of intriguing for Ford to put the Cammer in the original GT, just to see what happened. I've always wanted both an Aurora and an Entex/Bandai 1/16th scale Mercer, but it's never going to happen . . .

You might already know this, but that resin engine you are using is a representation of the 1964 single overhead cam (Cammer) 427. Those were never in a Ford GT or a Ford GT40. The Mk. II's and Mk. IV's used a NASCAR 427. The Ford GT used a small block 289.

I know this is an old thread, but I just joined here yesterday. I've been a lurker since about 2008, however, and I tremendously enjoyed reading Harry P.'s posts and seeing his work. It saddens me greatly to hear he is gone.

Great job on the weathering and torn-up paint. Excellent work.

Welcome Enrico. Nice rigs there . . .