Junkman

Bandai is well aware of this, but they feel their kits will fall short compared with Tamiya and they are right. The Bandai kits weren't really that good. They looked convincing in teh box, but once put together they often lacked finesse. Bear in mind that Bandai did a lot more than 1/12 scale.

Trust me, I asked them, I begged them, I beseeched them. They kept shaking their heads horizontally.

Do you also know the colours these cars were painted?

Otaki also made a 1/12 C3, later reissued by Doyusha. None of the Bandai car kit molds have been destroyed. I have seen them with my very eyes when I visited the factory three years ago. They are carefully stored and fully intact. But the owners of Bandai cannot be convinced that it would be feasible to reissue the car kits. People of Japan have a completely different concept of nostalgia than we have. They fear, the kits would be inadequate for today's market.

The car inside the trailer of #4 is the Mercury XM Turnpike Cruiser show car.

I'm not a collector. I just keep buying kits because I forget that I have them already...

A 1959 Cadillac has no woodgrain. Reference pics of 59 Caddy interiors are honestly almost as commonplace on the web as nude women.

The curtains I have found in most American hearses I came across were made out of some kind of bourette silk. They clearly have the silk 'scroop' when you rub them between thumb and forefinger next to your ear. A hearse for me is black or dark blue, as Art has mentioned already. If black, I prefer a dark red interior, if dark blue, a blue or grey interior. Anyway, there is a plethora of hearse websites out there on the web for inspirations.

I have yet to use acrylics for detail painting and use Humbrol or Revell enamels exclusively and and apply them with paint brushes. I have never ever encountered any issue with enamels. All I can say is, they must be stirred thoroughly before use. I stir them for at least a cigarette length, which is > 5 Minutes for all non-smokers.

Because we can.

Without a doubt. If not, it'll be bailed out courtesy of your and my money.

Given the cost involved, sponsoring model contests shouldn't hurt the model companies. But it is a little like when a railway company advertises its services inside a railway station - the clientele is already buying what is on offer. I haven't seen an advertisement of a model company in ages. So yes, I do think that the lack of it is at least part of what is causing their business to decline.

Why don't you call Chip and ask him? You might be surprised.

Word!

I would like to have this Reliant Scimitar designed by Tom Karen of Ogle Design: A prototype incorporating a few of Mr Karen's ideas was actaully built and is still with us today:

I strongly do agree. Looking at, or even driving modern cars, I think they should be fired on a general principle. Then again, the 1968-70 Charger was nowhere near the epitome of engineering even in its day.

I strongly disagree. Firstly, a modern car does not necessarily have to outperform a 40 year old car just because it is a newer car. The world has changed, so have traffic conditions and the outlook of most people generally on life. Heck, if I'd drive today like I did only 20 years ago, I'd be a poor man behind bars quicker than I drove back then. Secondly, many modern cars will outperform the majority of 68-70 Chargers, save for the few which are equipped with the monster engines. And even they would only have the edge in straight line performance. Actually, I easily outran a 383-powered Charger in Spa-Francorchamps with a bone stock 78 Caprice Classic. Thirdly, I find, it is much more fun to drive a slow car fast, than it is to drive a fast car fast. BTT: IMHO trying to restyle the new Charger is futile, you can't polish a turd. The show car looks nice. It isn't to my taste, but at least it looks like it was styled by people who cared. Would it have been produced though, I bet it would be festooned with all the usual gimmicks you find in most modern cars and which make me believe the car makers have completely lost the concept of what the car was initially invented for. The latter is the reason why I refuse to drive modern cars. Add to this some of this ridiculous retro styling nonsense, and I will as certainly as the 'amen' in church walk away, no matter how good the car underneath may be. As for the 68-70 Charger, I never understood the hype. Again imho, they were cheap cars, had no class, the build quality was even more atrocious than the handling, the styling comparatively bland compared with the stunningly beautiful looks of their predecessors, and when I see one in real life, I find it oddly soulless. Had Chrysler not seen fit to sell a miniscule proportion of the production run with those King-Kong engines, they would have gone under as lemons in automotive history. Chrysler knew how to build fast and stylish cars. They called them 'Imperial'. I owned eleven of them, so you can't accuse me of not being a Mopar man. Still, if I would be in the market for a ca. 1970 American muscle car, it would certainly not be a Charger. In fact, it wouldn't be a Mopar at all. I'd go for a 442. However, my bottom line is, why can't Chrysler Corp today just do, what it did in 1957? Launch cars which look fresh, new, eye-pleasing, and send the others running for their drawing bo... errr CAD-programs? You know why? Because it can't.

Yes, but not through the Chevrolet (nee Daewoo) dealerships. Those guys hardly know what a Corvette is. You can buy pretty any current US-Car, SUV or light truck here in the UK though, but, apart from a few 'official' models sold through selected GM/Vauxhall or Chrysler Dealerships, most are sold by independent importers. Even the Mustangs aren't sold by Ford UK.

Wow, do you have pics? Please ask him whether he needs parts for them. I can get anything here in England.

No, thanks. I have a fitted kitchen.

Entirely btw, could you please crate up that Holden shown in your Avatar and ship it to Southampton? Cheers, m8!

Interestingly, I obtained quite a few kits lately from - Australia! Granted, they all were obsolete, but when it comes to vintage Japanese stuff, Oz is a goldmine. There are also a few resin casters down under, who make intersting bit s and pieces if you are into Australian or British stuff. Check out The Parts Box, Resin Down Under and Cavalier. As for plastic kits, there is http://www.modelkitsonline.com.au for European and Asian stuff, http://www.hobbyplace.com.au for the former plus Revellogram and http://www.earlymodelkits.com.au for US stuff including obsolete kits. Then there is always Ebay. I think Australia is a modellers paradise.

Not 100% sure, but I think the Impala is built in Canada. Anyway, none of the North American vehicles are even marketed over here. It's a Daewoo you can drive to the Levee, or walk, but now you must call it a Chef roulais.

ROFL! What is sold in this here other country as Chevrolets are in fact Daewoos. Confuses the friggin hell out of us all for a second or two, alright.