Junkman

What's wrong with Foose now?

Which scale? There were loads made.

That's still cheaper than a real one. Lada, I mean.

I'd even say that's a bloody pretty dang wicked black paint job. And those turquoise stripes aren't really that bad either.

Yeah, I sometimes take to Laphroaigh Single Malt when building. The next day I'm usually quite amazed with what I achieved.

Those old Tom Daniel kits by Monogram might appeal to him, if he is into that kind of stuff. They are easy to build and yield quite attractive models.

I'd be tempted to get me one of those Thunderbolts and enter it in the Air Racer build off.

Errrm. You could enter the piece of junk in a banger race - and win. You wouldn't stand a chance in one of what you refer to as bona fide race cars

I have seen buildups of the Revell Futura repop. Apparently it builds into quite a plausible model. I haven't done it myself yet, though.

Amazing how battered the coachwork is. Note the flattened nose from banging the open bonnet onto the salt and the deep indentations where they slammed the drivers door shut. Those cars were just thrashed about and beaten up. What are these brackets riveted to the A-pillars for? Also note that the doors open in typical toy fashion, they don't 'tuck in' at the leading edge when open.

The alternative is this: http://www.round2models.com/models/polar-lights/batmobile-snap And that's just the snapper. The glue kit is announced as well. Just stay patient.

I doubt this simple fact, since another simple fact is that VW Group doesn't even charge licensing fees from model companies, ask the licensing lawyers at Auto Art and Minichamps if you don't believe me. The plethora of Bugatti Veyron and all other VAG models out and about confirm this. No, this is a failure of the kit manufactureres and nothing else. Bugattis are available as diecasts left, right, and center.

I do indeed want to buy a Batmobile. It's 1/25th scale and due out 2011

Look at the effort those Formula One guys spend to just haul one person around.

That very fact triggered my desire for a 1/12 version.

What's the time line on a 1/12th SLS? What's the bloody hold-up? Yes, I know. I won't do it again.

Absolutley. I don't question for a second the advanced skills and craftsmanship required to rat-look, rust, or wheather a model. These guys work a lot harder than I do.

No, I'm not the ruster. I like my cars in as new condition, be it models or real cars. In fact, that rat-look craze does nothing for me. What I'm trying to achieve is the look a car has on the day you drove it home from the dealership. I'm not saying that I'm sucessful, but that is what I'm aiming at. As you can see, they are smooth, but not christmas tree balls. This is how I like them. On hot rods or customs, that's a different story though:

Ad 1. The best primer is the one which is on sale at the time I buy it. Ad 2. I don't like to work with Testors enamels and acrylics. I much prefer Humbrol and Revell enamels. But here you see the point - YOU need to find what works best for YOU. And all of these little modelling paints sold in bottles or tins work well - as long as you stir them thoroughly. I stir them for at least a cigarette length. That's seven minuts for a non-smoker. I use and old paint brush stem for stirring and I stir for so long, that I feel friction between the stem and the bottom of the tin. Ad 3. With putty it's pretty much the same as with the paints - you need to find the one you can work with best. You are talking pinholes, so you think resins? I use zap a gap for those. For plastic models, I use sqadron green for small ans shallow stuff. For major surgery I use my own putty which consists of plastic sprues dissolved in cellulose thinners. I apply all putty with an old-fashioned razor blade. You see, everybody has his own little bag of wizardry. Tools: What you listed should be sufficient for most model building tasks. You may want to consider a mini vise, third hand, and swivel lamp with magnifier glass in the middle. Oh, and I have once bought a six pack of tweezers too. I only use two of them though, one of which very little. You will also need: Set of tiny drill bits Small screwdriver Cigarette lighter or matches Candle - best are those tea lights which you can put into these little aluminium containers Kitchen roll A few old T-shirts - cut up into small patches If you want to get fancy: Set of small c-clamps Small vise I also have a waste paper basket at my feet when I work. Oh, and beer. Do not forget the beer.

I think there is no set procedure carved in stone. By the sounds (and looks) of it, you are doing everything right. Whatever needs to be done to achieve a nice finish on the model you are working on needs to be done. I find paint finishes differ from paint to paint, model to model, and also depend on my form of the day. Some require nothing at all, some need a slight buffing, some need severe cutting back and polishing. The main thing is to lay the paint on as thin as possible, especially if you don't build customs. The thicker the paint, the more vague the moulded on trim becomes. The thinner the paint coat, the more realistic the model is going to look. Metallics always require a clearcoat. Solids sometimes. Most of the models I see nowadays at shows are too glossy for my taste. Unnaturaly glossy. Like if there was a secret competition going on to out-gloss each other. This may be fine on customs, show cars and hot rods, but most cars aren't really that glossy when they leave the factory. Smooth, yes. But half an inch of buffed out clearcoat? No. I think someone here even started a thread on the subject because he has the same impression.

The chances to find a plastic model kit at a British boot sale are bordering zero. It's hard enough to find model kit vendors at toy fairs, but at boot sales it would be a huge coincidence to find a model kit, especially an automotive one. You might find your odd Airfix Spitfire which has been built by a kid 30 years ago and deteriorated from then onwards. @highway - a boot sale is something typically British. It is indeed like a flea market at first glance, but the vendors are overwhelmingly non-professionals. It's really people selling the stuff which has accumulated in their lofts over the past centuries.

The only time I had a car stolen, I felt sorry for the thieves. It was a Triumph Acclaim.

I thought that's an essential prerequisite to get into the hobby in the first place. Hence I didn't bother to mention it.

I cannot relate to the quote. Not at all. I am the most normal person I know.

You sure can save the money for the lotto this week. I have never seen a '59 Gal with intact washboards south of a mint/boxed, resin, or my own resto. Don't worry about the bonnet bulge. Even if it left its mark, the bonnet is completely flat and thus easy to fix. This is mine: It was hardtopped and had the door handles shaved off by a previous owner, but it had never any spats installed.