Junkman

Like my grampa said, "I like vegetables. After the pig has eaten them".

The absolute capstone hitherto was when I needed an NPSM threaded fuel pipe connector for the fuel pump of my Rover V8. This is an AC Delco pump, thus has an American thread that's not commonly available in the UK, so I wanted to order said fitting from a supplier on eBay USA. The price of the piece was $2.37 (I don't know how they come up with these odd prices, would they really sell one less if they'd charge $2.50 for it?). It's made from brass and about the size of a little finger, so you could toss it into a padded envelope and send it as a letter. Imagine my surprise when I was quoted $67.00 for postage! So altogether, I'd have paid $69.37, plus 20% VAT, plus £8.00 processing fee, i.e. in the neighbourhood of a hundred Dollars! I made it on a lathe a local engineering shop gave me access to for a beer tip.

I was always very satisfied with the service I got from Chrome Tech. I gather that Bob Shebilske is quite an accomplished modeller himself? Also, that he and I are roughly the same age, means he is not going to retire anywhen soon, which puts me a bit at ease following the Modelhaus shock. Any idea how the various service providers compare price wise? It's a shame we can't obtain such services in the UK, despite there are companies that do vacuum plating.

Back to cars, there is a throwout bearing in America, which I think is a thrust bearing in the UK. Petrol vs. gas has been mentioned, but I think not that what gas is in England is called LPG in the US. Interestingly, the German automotive terminology more often than not is a literal translation of the American one, rather than the English one. Which strikes me as odd, seeing that the links between Germany and England were much stronger than between Germany and America in the founding era of the automobile. Which brings up another difference between USA and UK: Automobile - Motorcar. There are still more: Dismantling - Breaking Junkyard - Scrapyard Parts - Spares Auto Parts Store - Motor Factor

Needz moar Haggis...

You mean like 9-11 is the 9th of November over here?

When it comes to salad, I prefer the Australian version.

Yeah, people also put hash browns on one's breakfast nowadays. Damned transatlantic interlopers. Give them a good thrashing & kick them off the plate, I say! Harrumph!

I did that a few decades ago.

The old Heller kits are notorious for that. The rubber (or whatever they used) met opposite where they injected it into the mould and that's where they usually split.

There were talks at Nürnberg two years ago when the ICM guys said there are plans to 'blow up' more of their 1/35 kits to 1/24. The Packard and 770K were mentioned, as well as a Mercedes and a Büssing truck.Nothing came of it until now, instead they released the Ford Ts. Who knows, maybe the Ukraine conflict has something to do with it.Or the dreaded licencing. We'll take them up on it at this years Nürnberg Fair.

Is that Bob Bob Shebilske, formerly Chrome Tech? If not, what happened to him?

Same here, but less and less and only for buying. I completely stopped selling on eBay, because there simply are too many annoying time wasters out there. You will have to agree that over the past ten years eBay deteriorated to a mongtard infested legal minefield and the powers there be are apparently rather indifferent about it. I think it jumped the shark quite a while ago.

Wheel embellisher is used in classic car circles, but that's where I'm predominantly hanging out automotive wise.For hubcap, I've heard nave plate occasionally. The plastic ones are called Poundshop Trims around here.Although rear screen is much more commonly used here, I have heard the term backlight often.I have never heard anyone say rear window. Anyway, the previous ones are only the ones that came to mind quickly. There are more, though. Isn't a gear lever called gear stick in America?And column or floor change called column or floor shift? I know that a Woodruff Key isn't called that in England, but I forgot the English term. There is more. Gas Pedal - AcceleratorHood Ornament - Radiator Mascot Philipps - Crosshead Reflector - Cat's Eye Convertible - Cabriolet 18 Wheeler/Semi - Artic Parking Lot - Car Park Detour - Diversion Overpass - Flyover Glove Compartment - Glove Box Rental - Hire Car Wrong Way - No Entry Top - Roof Entry/Exit Ramp - Slip Road Totalled - Write Off Bumper Bracket - Dumb Iron Bend - Curve Intersection - Junction Rest Area - Lay By Hardtop - Coupe Pry - Prise Seat Cushion - Squab A-Arm - Wishbone Bushing - Bush Valve Cover - Rocker Cover Troubleshooting - Fault Finding / Diagnosis Dismantle - Strip Down King Pin - Upright Allen Bolt - Grub Screw Latch - Catch Frozen - Seized Float Bowl - Float Chamber Counter Clockwise - Anti Clockwise Light - Lamp Lamp - Bulb and most importantly: Bar - Pub

No photoshoppery involved.

Carburetor - CarburetterIntake Manifold - Inlet ManifoldRing Gear - Crown WheelTachometer - Rev CounterPinging - PinkingMuffler - SilencerCotter Pin - Split PinHose Clamp - Jubilee ClipBack-up Light - Reversing LightIdle - TickoverLug Nut - Wheel NutFlat Tire - PunctureOil Pan - SumpGround - EarthUnibody - MonocoqueDashboard - FasciaGauges - InstrumentsMagnum 500 - RostyleSide-View Mirror - Wing MirrorDoor Panel - Door CardBrake Booster - Brake ServoDome Lamp - Interior LightLash - ClearanceLicense Plate - NumberplateFreeway - MotorwayDivided Road - Dual CarriagewayMedian Strip - Central ReservationGuard Rail - Crash BarrierEmergency Brake - HandbrakeOdometer - MilometerTurn Signal - IndicatorDefroster - DemisterTie-Rod - Track RodValve Lifter - TappetSheet Metal - BodyworkWheel Opening - WheelarchFender Skirt - SpatMolding - TrimFreeze Plug - Core PlugWrist Pin - Gudeon PinConrod Bearing - Big End BearingWheel Cover - Wheel EmbellisherTrailer Hitch - Tow BarRadiator Support - Slam PanelFiller Panel - Decker PanelC Pillar - Sail PanelDriver Side - OffsidePassenger Side - NearsideSOL - Scions of Lucas and most importantly: Right - Left

It's a mess. To send a standard American car model kit to England costs exactly $7.60 postage from Washington DC as verified by my sister, who lives there. Show me one American eBay seller, who doesn't charge at least twice that much. Crooks. The ugly lot of them. Weirdly, getting stuff sent from France to England is more expensive, than getting stuff sent from America.

So is a sense of humour.

The truth is often harsh. Let's call it "satirical".

Despite I just sold 600 kits, a sizeable proportion of the remaining ones will become an unbuilt burden for my bereaved. I guess a second sales wave will happen somewhen.

How could this go past the litho guys? Let me guess, there weren't any spell checkers back then and they always passed the spliff around?

Nah, it wouldn't. It would be as woeful as all the other Jo-Han rubbish, yet some morons with more money than braincells would price them out of reach of any intelligent form of life.

Maybe this there model industry should only tool up and/or reissue kits that actually sell? How about this for a business concept?

At a plumber's, at a bicycle shop, at a shop for fireplaces and at a shop for guns and weapons.