Jon Cole

Usually when I go to the basement, I'll get halfway to my workshop... and stop to think about "What did I come down here for?" Most times, I won't recall why until I go back upstairs!

Taiwan, Hong Kong, et al... where "shipping & handling" has nothing to do with a corrugated cardboard boxes!

I'm somewhat taken aback by the total lack of amusement of this fun activity! Everyone is allowed their own opinion, of course, but we are talking plastic models here, people! Not a Rembrandt! Most of the builds entered reflect that. I never bothered to enter this category myself, but it's not because my little models are so precious that I just cannot bear to harm one! Sorry for the sarc; but if I saw a model kit collection, even a very modest collection, I would bet my bottom dollar there are at least one... umm, "less than desirable" kit in there. As for most of us here, I bet we could call our stash of kits... "more than modest". Back when many voiced concern that the hobby was dying faster than they liked, several said, and I paraphrase: "I have more models that I will ever build". Having been involved with the club, I can tell you.... when there is a trophy involved, some builders would, if it was possible to win a trophy, they would... glue each individual part of that kit to their face... fastest fool wins! And I guarantee you there would be a good turnout for this! Now that I think of it.... And yet, you wouldn't spare... one? Kit? Hmmmm....

Aw, c'mon! You don't have any glue bombs stashed away? No too-far gone old builds? Most models entered were built specifically for this category... which, btw, fwiw, offers a 1st thru 3dr place trophy. BTW, monster trucks... those tire/wheels will really fly away!

Oh well...

The two most recent issues of each, afaik:

The French have made some funky stuff! Besides, beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

I wuz going through some old pics, found these from our 2003 Classic Plastic meet. IIRC, the MassCar club was already doing this before we ever had a contest. Build the model for the Slammer class. Set it on the ground, climb the ladder, and send the hammer south! He (or she) who has a part fly away the farthest away from the target... wins. Simple, and fun!

Some are from the aftermarket, others are images found on the internet... ’40 Ford... ’64 Impala dash, so I am told… Late model GTO… Just some examples. Others may explain the "paint with toothpicks" trick

Between Mark, and Jeff's comments... just too funny! Should there be any mention of the long rumored "initiation ritual" they go through?

I recall that someone drew a diagram of this "paint buildup" years ago in one of the two hobby magazines. It showed real well how the paint edge would look, if you could see a cross section; only magnafied. By chance would anyone remember what mag & issue # that would be?

Well, when I glue any of these materials in place, there is not a lot of 'contact area'. Those tiny pins I glued at each end of the flare are a good example. Using tweezers, I held the pin in place, and added a drop of medium viscosity super glue. Then I dump a pinch of baking powder to the liquid glue. That will "kick" it, or in other words, cause the glue to instantly turn solid. Same thing with the wire bead around the outer edge of the flare... clamp; add a drop of super glue; "kick" with baking soda; unclamp; tap off excess powder, and continue glue/kick until the entire piece is attached. Using the medium, or thick viscosity super glues work great for this.

dominates racing, and your build looks great!

Impressive build, Keke! The 300SL is a true classic.

Great idea! It's like a Ranchero, or a Ute!

Did you try Google's "Image" search feature? I have some saved in my Lotus file http://public.fotki.com/JCole/cars--british/lotus/ Not a lot of engine pics, just use Google as mentioned above, or look in eBay Motors.

From the pile of "I'll-finish-it-someday" kits, is this Mustang TransAm build. The flares are thin aluminum sheet. I first made patterns from heavy stock paper. The outer lip is a larger diameter of aluminum wire; superglued in place, and trimmed for length (eventually) and filed all edges. EDIT: In the last pic, is my container of baking soda. It makes a greak "kicker" for the superglue.

OK, the truth is... I am a car slut! I like them all! Well, maybe with the exception of donks, which I view as hideous character of a vehicle, possibly the owners "Big Wheel" fetish?! Some I like more than others, some I would never buy, but they all serve their purpose. Some are for car enthusiasts, while others are nothing more than appliances to get their owners from point A to point B.

I am also having problems with motovation. Lately if I sit at my bench, I just cannot work on the model in front of me. Yesterday, I just packed up that model, and "attempted" to clean up the bench. The box is still there in case I want to start working on it. As for my favorite model? I guess that would be most any one I completed.

I'm fairly certain that I have IE8... the laptop is less than a year old.

When I move the cursor over a title, the title line 'bounces" up, so I reposition the cursor to click on the title. Is this normal function?

Ba-Zinga! You built the one I always wanted! And you did it good!

Bob Downie did a write up on this subject several years back, and I liked it so much, I put it to graphics. I hope Bob doesn't mind.

And with those kit skeletons, they must be easy to cut up to reposition! With Halloween approaching (as someone else previously mentioned) skulls and stuff is out there in the craft stores... these are very close to scale...

Not Mike, but I believe he is suggesting you not spray with the edge of the tape facing you, spray with the tape in the foreground, so you avoid paint build up. Picture the edge of the piece of tape where it meets the area to be painted, but real big... like you were looking through a microscope. A thin piece of tape would look about an inch tall! That 'edge' is where the paint will build up and that is what you want to avoid. More importantly (to me anyhow) is avoid using clear paint on top of white. Some clears will turn yellow over time... especially if you use enamel! I suggest you use lacquers from Tamiya or the newer colors from Testors. There are other sources of lacquers, but for now you may want to stick with a "model friendly" paint brand. HTH