Casey

No, but there's a book: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=67586&hl=book#entry833365

Yes.

You're right, Ray. You posted a good question, and I think Harry answered it.

OK, let's say half of the posts in that topic are pure fluff, not adding any real value to any member of this forum. Than still leaves 81 pages of people building, sharing, and inspiring others with their building. I'll gladly take people positively participating in this hobby and forum any day, all day, over the opposite.

I posted a suggestion based on my experience doing exactly what I suggested, and based on your complaints. That's not a tirade, it's a response, and a possible solution to to your complaints. I've been there, done it, and was glad I did.

First pic looks good, and so does the van. I have seen/crawled through/over/under many an ex-contractor van in the salvage yards, so the roof looks spot on.

I think that's just what Joseph and Frank are doing right now, and I tend to agree with your assessment. Once the resolution gets high enough that the human eye can't see the texture nor layers, I will be fully on board with 3D printing. I want to draw a parallel between 3D printers and dye sublimation (ALPS) printers, which can print both white and metallic colors, but I'm not so sure they can be evenly compared yet. Having owned an APLS 5000 over s decade ago, I found the printer difficult to work with, but still managed to print out some custom 1/16 scale Funny Car decal sheets I wanted. While I was able to get the artwork drawn in Photoshop and Illustrator and could (eventually) get the decals to print on the decal paper, I eventually sold the printer as the time investment in creating the artwork was more than I was willing to invest at that time. I wonder if the same thing will happen with designing/creating 3D design files, and if we'll be hearing a similar, but slightly different complaint in the future. "These 3D '69 Camaros and '57 Chevy sedan deliveries are great, but I thought once we had 3D technology we'd have '48 Tuckers, '33 Dodge pickups, and '77 Olds Cutlasses available?"

What's your position/opinion on 3D printing, Dan? We've heard plenty about Pat's and many other people's thoughts on the actual topic, but none from you in four pages so far.

I don't think anyone can speak for everyone else, but if what you say is true, how do you explain the 162 page long Apocalyptic Community Build topic? Every forum is different, and has its own ebb and flow. Now, the ebb and flow if this or any other forum may not jive with your or my personal ideas, preferences, and wants, but we all have the option to start our own forum and set it up exactly as we like. Very, very few people will ever do that because it take a lot of time and effort on the creator's behalf, and it's much easier for some people to complain about a forum which someone else took their time, money, and effort to create instead of starting their own. Then of course you need people to visit your forum, sign up, and participate, and you'll need to moderate it while still participating in the discussions, take care of the maintenance... The Spotlight Hobbies board is about the worst style message board there is IMHO, but if you like the circa-1994 setup, who am I to try to change your mind. It's one big mass of posts with no categories at all. If you don't know where to post something, Harry or I are only a PM away.

I would rank the Revell-AG kit right up there with the Tamiya kit, and the detailing possibilities are much greater, too:

Done. Tom if you're reading this and object to your name in the title, please let me know, but I think credit is most certainly deserved in this case.

Looks good, Brodie. Is that a graphic equalizer I see? Nice!

Those were 1/25 scale, while the announcement cites the scale as 1/24, so unless the 1/24 is a typo, I would believe they are new kits, as stated.

I don't think Pat's arguing that 3D tech isn't coming, but rather his comments seem to be more about how quickly and openly the average hobbyist will embrace the technology. I don't have anything against 3D printing, and I will readily admit it is here and will keep advancing and improving, but I'm unwilling to take to giant leap to "will completely replace injection molded model kits", and John pretty much summed up my thought when he said: "I'll welcome the aftermarket items that will be available via 3-D printing but I'll still want to open that sealed kit box and get that rush of fresh styrene. It is said that the sense of smell is the most evocative and I pretty much agree with that line of thought" The personal thoughts, emotions, and feelings model kits can and do evoke in some of our minds is not something to be taken lightly, as there is some serious buying power behind them, and something 3D desktop printing can not match. I liken it to comparing a 2012 Mustang GT to a '67 Mustang GT. One clearly does just about everything better, safer, and more quickly, yet some of us would choose he classic without needing to think about it. It will be interesting to see how 3D technology progresses, and at what rate. I don't think it's going to happen as quickly as say, Harry, but I am looking forward to higher printing resolutions, lower cost, and greater availability of the hardware, software, and raw materials needed.

There is only one included in the kit, but it's a two-piece part. The 1/24 Monogram '71 Satellite kit includes a Carter Thermoquad carb, too, which is nicely done. I don't think it was, Wayne, and I think there is a model in Model Cars: Under Glass where the builder mentioned Tim Boyd's magazine article which contained the information on how to correct the wheelbase issue.

Grille and decals, for the most part. The '75 doesn't include the dark tinted "glass" either.

As Frank mentioned, you can print a 1/25 scale body in sections if it doesn't fit within the printer's maximum printing area. And here we all thought multi-piece bodies died with Revell's '57 Ranchero and Monogram's 1/32 "Forty-niner" kits. I'm still believe 3D printing will compliment injection molding, rather than replace it. 50+ years of tooling won't be rendered obsolete, and the memories those injection molded kits evoke is a real, bankable selling point which 3D printing can't match. Jonathan brought up a good point, too, mentioning the "non-plastic" parts a kit includes. Now, while I'm all for hard plastic tires, a decal sheet will not be as easy to print out for most of us, even though we've had the ability to do it ourselves for well over a decade. And how about chrome plating? Those parts'll need to be sent out to be chromed, as Alclad and the others still haven't been able to equal vacuum plating.

Skip the beads, unless you want to make necklaces. If you're going to use real braided line, why not use real aluminum fittings, too? I've used Detail Master braided line, fittings, and hard line as was very happy with their products, but recently bought some miniature hardware from RB Motion and may end up trying their stuff next. http://www.rbmotion.com/

If I understand correctly, you are asking of anyone has used both Plasti-Zap (orange label) and Zap-CA (pink label) and can compare the two, correct? Here are the CA-glues in question: http://www.supergluecorp.com/zap-brand-products/zap-glues

At first I thought that was a solar panel on the roof, but alas, not so. The illuminated bed is kind of neat, but I couldn't make out too many details from the pics. Overall it's not a bad looking truck, but the small plastic(?) plates and panels (rear of hood, roof), not to mentioned the incredibly busy grille could be simplified to enhance the design.

Maybe there's some info here which will help you, Michael?: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58288&hl=vallejo#entry694420

It will depends upon whether or not it was ever used (or used for too long), as well as the condition of the trunk/vehicle. It can vary wildly, so match it to the condition of the vehicle as best you can. If it's never been used the tread should be crisp and you might even want to leave a tiny bit of flash present on the tread area, if there's some present. Leaky trunk? The bottom/backside will be rust stained, especially the rim area. Most of the rust on spares kept in a well is of the "very bright" variety, meaning the rust color will be much more orange than reddish-brown, but again, it will vary, and nobody's going to call you out on it anyway.

Gorgeous paintwork on the body, Felipe.

I think Virgil/Dr. Cranky is a big proponent of using Vallejo paints, so you might PM him and ask, or check out his YouTube channel: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58288&hl=vallejo#entry694420

There are a few post in the Tips, Tricks, & Tutorials section which might be helpful, Mike: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1485&hl=%2Bwood+%2Bbed#entry537672 http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=30444&hl=%2Bwood+%2Bbed http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22153&hl=%2Bwood+%2Bbed http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8081&hl=%2Bwood+%2Bbed#entry57441 Welcome to the forum, too.