Casey

Hold it, hold it-- is that a motorcycle I see in the top right corner of the first pic? More pics of that, please.

Are you sure you have the correct tires which match the whitewall inserts? If you do, slip the inner ring/edge of the insert into the tire, then rotate the insert until the slots in the outer diameter of the insert match up with the "pins" on the tire's inner diameter, at the bead.

I think you'll need the original Pro Modeler release of the 1/25 '40 Ford convertible to build it stock.

Those look like the wheels from the most recent issue of Revell's '50 Ford Pickup:

Six volts of one, a half-dozen of the other.

http://www.78ta.com/paintcode.php

Not sure which were included in the original issue, but the new kit contains two screaming chickens. Scroll down to Nick Winter's post to see an image of the decal sheet: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7011&st=4060

Looking very nice so far, Robert. Who made the resin body, BTW?

That's a good point. Not all kits are purchased with the intention of them becoming finished builds. That said, I probably acquired a dozen kits, ended up building two, trading some, and giving away others, so I probably broke even. The good news is other than the AMT Gremlin kit, I see no new releases I want. The bad news? eBay still exists.

I don't know of anything like that. I've entertained the idea of starting a scale car/truck model part database/list/forum, but it would be a huge undertaking.

Where did he say he built it? It may in fact be on his workbench right now, about to be worked on and modified. I guess nobody here has ever modified a die-cast model.

The dash is sitting too low, Andy. The top of the dash should be slightly above the top edges of the door panels IIRC. The tabs are pretty important as far as locating the dash in the interior bucket is concerned. It looks to me like the dash top shouldn't have as much overhang as it does in your picture. Hard to say, though. Again, look to the instructions and see if that helps at all.

That one's a classic. You can never have your phase modulators dialed in too perfectly.

It's tough to say if and/or what the return on such an effort would be. You'd personally have the satisfaction of knowing you helped a lot of other people make their model more realistic and accurate, but if you're looking for monetary benefits, that's not as easy to determine. I am of the opinion that most people who create masters (the part(s) of which copies are cast) do so for the love of the hobby, and not for financial gain. I have no problem with anyone trying to make or making money off of their effort, but I suspect most people do not, and many probably don't care if they do anyway. I also believe that mastering the part is almost always more difficult than having copies cast. There are a few talented casters who knock out nicely done parts and conversions on a daily basis and who have perfected the process. When you are modifying or scratch building something like the aforementioned Mustang grille, often you have nothing in scale to use as the basis for your work, so most people bow out before even getting started. Even fewer see the project through to completion, taking whatever steps are necessary to make the part as accurate as possible. In short, it's almost always a labor of love IMO.

http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/ypsilantis-model-cave-finds-success-in-an-old-hobby/

Divided by the number of people who want a resin copy, that comes out to about....yeah, still a bit pricey. Here's the one on eBay, just for reference, since most (like me) have likely never seen one, and who knows when/if we will again: http://www.ebay.com/itm/50th-Anniversary-1911-Chevrolet-AMT-SMT-1962-Kit-rarest-kit-ever-/140664769792?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c0460d00#ht_500wt_1287

No, not at all. I wouldn't receommend any of the Monogram 1/24 Tri-five Chevies as donors for anything. The more recent 1/25 scale Revell '55, '56, and '57 kits (and the AMT Pro Shop '57 Chevy Bel Air, which is going to be re-issued in 2012 by Round2) are far better donors IMO. I'm guessing the 1/25 scale '55 hardtop and sedan roofs are totally different, otherwise I'd suggest the B-pillar be added to the Revell hardtop and you wouldn't even need the (not so great) AMT '55 sedan kit.

The Revell tri-five Chevies are all 1/25 scale. I does get a bit confusing when ex-Monogram kits are re-packaged under the Revell label, though.

I don't have either of the kits. Those are just images I found Googling, Tom. Maybe try contacting Andy @ Aardvark Models for the second model's decals?

Hmmmm, close...

Can you post a pic of the dash almost in place so we can see what the issue might be?

My point is it's easy to find and buy the original issue of this kit if you must have the stock 'caps and tires. Two recently sold on eBay for $19.99 and $16.49 with shipping included on both, so that's cheaper than buying the new re-issue, which you still have to go get or pay additional shipping on the retail price.

Did you pay for it via PayPal or using a U.S. Postal Money order? Check out the usual resin places with good, reputable service: http://www.modelhaus.com/ Motor City Resin Casters: http://www.motorcityresincasters.com/index2.htm I'm sure others will chime in with a few more suggestions/recommendations.

It may be due to how your PayPal account is "backed up", via a credit card, a checking account, etc. I really don't know, but I'm sure they can explain why when you call them. I have gotten scam e-mails from "PayPal", but if you look at the e-mail address it's xxxxxxx@paypall.com - Note the two "l"s My Google Mail account always catches it and quarantines it in the Spam folder, too, so it's not really a problem. On a side note, I had trouble printing out a shipping label a few weeks ago and had to call PayPal to get it figured out. I was helped quickly and the guy had my problem solved (and a label printed via manual override) within a few minutes, so I have nothing but good things to say about their customer service.