Casey

Not too happy to see this show scheduled on the same day as the Milwaukee Miniature Motors show in Waukesha, the day after the Milwaukee NNL. I think I'm going to pass on this one and head out to the 'sha Sunday.

It kind of reminds me of the Jeepster's almost full length top, but it's definitely odd looking. Any idea what the piece at the lower left is for? The other pieces seem to have homes, but the lower left piece look like a bunk, maybe to be laid across the bad rails, under the cap?:

I think in this case people who paid and never received anything have every right to be upset, to voice their displeasure, and let others know what their experience was. Yes, even if it's a full-time business, things do happen in life which are more important than the business. That said, if people pay for products and the orders cannot be filled, the money should be returned, period. I agree, but I've also seen many posts where the caster no longer had any record of the original order, so sending a "I paid for a Muntz Jet trans kit in February 2011 via PayPal" might trigger the caster's memory or allow him/her to find the order details, now that he/she is getting caught up. Robbing Peter to pay Paul is never a good thing. I don't know what Time Machine Resin's story is, but it's good to hear they are attempting to make right on past orders which were paid for but never filled.

And the chrome. I wouldn't want to pay that plating bill.

Yes, but it's be more of a "closer" starting point for me. It'd be far easier for me to work on a resin shell and make changes than to a die-cast body.

A first gen Chevy/GMC van would be nice, too.

The Jada die-cast Econoline? There's a eBay seller offering some very unique things, including a Lumina APV and '91-ish Dodge Caravan, based on the Brookfield Collector's Guild die-cast bank, so I'm hoping he eventually decides to do the Jada Econoline in resin. Now, these resin offerings are merely shells, with hollow insides, but they appear to be fairly well done as far as slammers go.

How is the second Lambo hinge arm designed to be retained to the bracket? I would think the brass rod/tube's top and bottom ends could be flared on the vertical pivot allowing it to stay in place, but the other pin would need some mushrooming after assembly to retain the hinge. Does heat work the same way on the 3D printed medium like it does on styrene?

Link? This might be a good time for those who never got what they paid for to e-mail a reminder, as it sounds like Time Machine is getting back on track and catching up.

2WD truck Rally wheels: Custom grille and rear step bumper from one of these kits:

Pic of the clear parts from this kit: And a look at the box sides:

Here's a pic of the motor, showing how it attaches to the transom: 'nother of the boat and trailer:

I was trying to think of some new ideas and details which could be added to a model, without adding a bunch of new/"upgrade"/more detailed parts from another kit or an aftermarket source. Basically, constraining your build (for the most part) to work with and improve what's inside the box. Maybe these have all been done, but I like seeing things on models which set them apart from other similar models, without going to the extremes or spending a bunch of money on additional parts. Things such as: 1) Adding exposed/open headlights on cars with hidden headlights such as a '69 GTO, '70 Superbird, '67 Coronet, etc. I know these were sometimes optional (in the case of the GTO at least) on the real cars, but in kit form the Monogram '69 GTO Judge kit never gave the builder that option. Ditto for both the 1/25 JO-HAN and 1/24 Monogram Superbird kits. 2) I was considering scribing completely through the door and trunk gaps on the '69 Dart I'm working on, with the idea that once these panels are free, the doors and trunk panels wouldn't be made removable, but instead re-attached (possibly slightly askew to imply hinge pin wear), with the gaps backed up with black styrene strips to provide natural shadow lines without the need for "artificial" filling in of the gaps via paint or ink. I still think the gaps would nee to be narrowed to be more realistic after the panels are reinstalled, but I think it could work. 2B) A similar idea involves scribing through cowl panel vent slots, then adding a plenum area under the cowl, to allow for a a natural shadow effect. I don't think I'm brave enough to try that, considering how thin the cowl ribs are and how perfectly parallel the slots would need to be for it to look good, but I know I've seen someone use a photoetched piece for this purpose, so maybe that factored into my thought process. 3) It's often suggested to replace the overly thick kit supplied clear "glass" parts with acetate sheet or similar for a more realistic appearance, but has anyone tried thinning the kit glass by sanding it thinner? With a polishing kit in hand I think it's definitely possible, but is anyone crazy enough to try it? My thinking is that the kit supplied "glass" is designed to fit (though never is a perfect fit) the car/truck body, while you need to take extra steps to positively and securely mount the acetate, and ensure it stays in place permanently. Clear styrene is very durable, and much less prone to warping over time compared to softer, more flexible materials, but I'm not sure the styrene could be thinned enough to a scale realistic appearance without breaking while being thinned. Flat or nearly flat side windows would be easier than a compound curved windshield from a '57 Ford, but later windshields would be easier. 4) Thinned or removed moldings such as windshield trim is another area I've been thinking about. Using a '68 Camaro as the example in this case, and trying to emulate the real car's windshield trim, the thickness of the Bare Metal Foil should accurately replicate the thickness of the real trim, which means the molded in trim should be sanded until it's flush or the same height as the body areas around its perimeter. Then, BMF is applied, adding enough thickness to represent the real Camaro's trim. Now, I understand on real cars the windshield sealant bead is never perfect around the full perimeter, and thus the windshield height can vary in relation to the body's sheetmetal, but I think that variance is insignificant when scaled down by a factor of 25. 5) The "squishing" of tires to replicate how they look while supporting the vehicle's weight is another example of something subtle which adds realism but doesn't require any extra parts or expense. I think this would be one of that hardest things to do, as it would require a great deal of restraint and if you're working with vinyl tires, perfect application of heat. I've seen lots of junkers and beater will fully deflated tires, but I'm not sure if I've seen one with fully inflated, "squished" tires. 6) I think the tip for scribing new front valance panel-to-fender gaps on the 1/24 Monogram '71 'Cuda and '70 Challenger T/A kits is fairly well known, but this idea can apply to cowl-to-fender gaps and lower fender-to-rocker panel gaps (or lack thereof), too. The opposite applies to dutchman panel-to quarter panels also. Now granted, #1 would require some donor parts, so that sort of falls outside the "keeping it within the box" idea, but it's close. I think I was going to try this very idea on a 1/24 '69 GTO a few years ago, and IIRC Marty (tuffone?) in AZ sent me some dual headlights to use, but my idea never got off the ground. Seeing this picture of a real '70 Superbird with its eyes open may have reignited the spark, and I think it's a detail which really sets the model apart, especially from other '69 Daytonas and '70 Superbirds which are rarely if ever seen with the headlights exposed: I suspect the "squished" tires might be noticed by a few others, but the thinned glass and modified trim, if done successfully, might not, and that's kind of the point. For that reason alone it might not be for everyone, but I think it would be worth trying, and if you have picture of someone who's already done it...which is highly likely, as I freely admit my ideas above are nothing groundbreaking. Better yet, if you have similar ideas, please share them.

I got lucky paging through the issue with Dobbertin's J-2000 in it. Ah yes, the triple blown Pro Streeter. I did kind of like that one back in the day. http://www.autoblog.com/photos/pro-street-chevy-celebrity/full/#photo-842412/ The '66 Nova's wheels are really close, but the center cap appears to bigger than the X-Styles. Might be as close as you'll find, though.

Pipe diameter is fine, but I think the shield should be a bit larger in diameter, so there's more space between the pipe and shield.

More Jeep Forward Control concept goodness, though it appears to be the same one Jeff posted: http://automotivemags.blogspot.com/2012/11/warn-winches-brought-forward-control.html Beefy!:

Wow, it lives! I wasn't familiar with this truck at all, but it gives us a good excuse to encourage Round2 to design a new 2'n'1 early Econoline pickup/van kit. Asymmetry rules. Article here: http://automotivemags.blogspot.com/2012/11/gene-winfield-1960-ford-van-pacifica.html

So they can include the art print.

Centerline X-Style:

I don't know, but rocketfin has some pics of some of Mad Dog Models' offerings.

The "California Wheels" version is labelled Impala SS, the previous/original Special Edition version of the kit is simply Impala.

When are you going to finish painting the bottom half? Love that side profile view.

I suspect the Monogram 1/24 GM F-body kits had the Saginaw or BW Super T-10 trans, so it may have been carried over untouched until Monogram refreshed the Firebird kit in '91. The Turbo T-bird's T5 is nice, so no worries there, but the Camaro/Firebird used a bellhousing which rotated the trans 15* counterclockwise, so that's no good for other non-GM F-body applications, and the Ford V8 bellhousing is very different, too. I'll do some looking on the web.

I try to avoid having to manually fill out the USPS Customs forms, as the USPS clerk has to enter all the information manually, which makes for a slow process. The forms are simple, though, and you can use peel and stick address labels in lieu of hand writing the addresses, too, which helps a lot. With eBay's system, it's three clicks and done for International labels.