Terry Sumner

Donn has been harassing me and busting my you-know-whats...all in good natured fun of course! Yesterday in my mailbox I received a small package from Donn...2 of his DVD's! Tips & Tricks for Building Show Quality Model Cars and The Art of Airbrushing Show Quality Model Cars! I will take these with me to the hospital and they will give me some good stuff to watch on my laptop while I'm recovering there. And at home when I get out also. Thanks so much Donn... yer a helluva guy! Terry Sumner

Thank you my friends... Down to 8 days to go.... Hopefully then I can begin to put this behind me. Treatments for this have destroyed my desire to work out, build models and a myriad of things. No Testosterone = Zero energy!

Thanks guys...always nice to have a 'lil "support"... no pun intended!

I saw my surgeon this afternoon for a preop consult. I really like this fellow, Dr McCullough...he didn't pussyfoot around or sugar coat anything. Came right out and told me on the level just how bad the particular kind of cancer that I have is. And it's bad. A very aggressive form of cancer. Because of the aggressiveness and the shape my prostate's in he expects my surgery to last about 5 hours! Doesn't think the nerves can be saved. That's a bummer! Also depending on how enlarged it is when he gets in there, there is a fair chance of a permanent change in my urination operation if you know what I mean... Not just do some exercises to get the strength back but more like not ever being able to get it back... My life "as it was" is going to be over after the 29th... Not over period...just as it used to be. It's going to change quite a bit. In view of the fact that I have this aggressive form of cancer I asked him what would have happened had I not caught this with the PSA blood test. He told me it would have metastasized badly inside of 3 years! So much for it being such a slow form of cancer!! After the surgery, going to be in the slammer for anywhere between 2 - 7 days with a catheter in for a week! Lovely.... Time to buy stock in the Depends company.... To my male friends: Go and get your PSA tested!!!! It's just a BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH blood test! Sure wish I had gotten mine done LAST year....Maybe it wouldn't have been so advanced....

Here... http://www.revell.com/contest/revellgearz-winners-2013.html

Love the magnet idea! Never thought of that!

And if anyone here can speak of improving a great deal, it's Niko! This fella has come a LONNNNNNG ways!

Michael....don't rebuild this model. In fact... don't touch it. Just keep it as it is...flaws and all. Why? Because it is your first model! I seriously wish I had kept my first models I built back in the 60's. And I'd be willing to bet most of the modelers here wished they had their first build too! It's part of your history as a modeler and this one deserves a place in your display case with a big 'ol sign on it that proudly shouts, "My very first model!" And besides...it will make a great comparison to how you improve your skills as time and builds march on!

Very nice indeed.. where did those 427 valve covers come from?

Well....decision made. Looks like I'm going to have at least 12 -16 weeks of hormone therapy and then go straight to surgery and have that cancerous sonofagun taken out! And I've already had 6 weeks of it so far. Then after that continue on the hormone therapy for a few years and monitor the PSA during that time. If it starts to creep up we will still have the chemo and the radiation options still in play. I like this plan a LOT better than having the radiation only option or the option of chemo followed by surgery followed by possible radiation! Just have to wait now and be sure the surgeon is on board with this plan!

I know the feeling about being worried my friend! As everyone has said to me...hang in there!

Update.... Done with my initial 2 hour! visit with the Oncologist.... Not such good news I guess. Cancer is aggressive... Staged at T2C (High Risk). Going to have to have a shot of a hormone blocker every 4 weeks in addition to the one I take once a day. Getting a port surgically installed to get the chemo infused intravenously. At least six cycles of chemo...one every 21 days for 6 cycles. Then surgery to remove it... Testosterone blocking for 2-3 years... BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH.. Oh well...have to be pragmatic about this and just do it. Having zero testosterone is going to make workouts a lot tougher he said..... And just when I was getting into good shape! 50-50 on whether or not I'll lose my hair... Maybe when it comes back it'll come in darker??? One can hope...

Harry....looks like the base under the streetcar worked out like you wanted?

Good luck Dave! I know the feeling.....

Thanks guys...your kind comments and supportive comments are most welcome!

I've received a bunch of messages and emails asking me if this is true. Since it was on Facebook it's no secret. I was diagnosed with advanced Prostate Cancer a couple of weeks ago. I've already been started on a Testosterone blocker pill to stop the production of the hormone, which feeds prostate cancer. I go to the hospital tomorrow for a bone scan and a CT scan. Then next week I see the oncologist to have the cancer graded and staged. Then get the plan of attack. Most likely this will be a few weeks of this blocker pill followed by a couple of months of radiation and chemo to shrink the prostate. Then surgery to remove it. The cancer has already spread a little to the surrounding tissue but they think that can be taken care of. While it certainly sucks to get the news you have cancer, my urologist believes I will have an excellent prognosis down the road. I am 61 now and my father had this same thing when he was around my age. And he is 83 now and doing fine. It is indeed scary but I have great confidence in my Doctors. And I have lost 51 pounds now from Weight Watchers and working out every day so I'm in much better shape to go through this ordeal. Add to that the huge amount of support I have gotten from my friends and I'm determined to beat this thing! Hey...life is like playing cards...you gotta play the hand you've been dealt.

I like that idea of all those storage units below the bench!

http://public.fotki.com/tsumner/scale-modeling/model-contests/nnl-east-2013/ 99 photos..

Wow Brian...that is terrible! My heart goes out to you and your family. When you get back on your feet...you post a message to that effect and I will send you a model. Maybe if a lot of other guys do the same we can help you build up a small stash again!

I've driven from Connecticut to Orlando for the IPMS Nationals...1500 miles...

Looks like I'm going to get to go! Driving out on Saturday morning with my friend Bernie and his bride-to-be!

This is probably not the best forum to ask this question in. I'm sure that there is very little experience with this sort of thing here with the modelers who frequent this forum. Maybe better to do some Google searching on the subject?

Steve...I think we're talking about two different things here? You first started talking about cars today having vinyl decals as opposed to painted on graphics and lettering. I understood your train of thought to be asking whether or not to gloss coat over today's decals that are representing today's stick-on vinyl graphics as opposed to the old hand painted graphics. In the older days probably most cars were painted with gloss paints, then lettered etc with gloss paint..... making everything glossy. There were probably very few drag cars back then that were THEN completely overcoated with a clear gloss over the base paint and the graphics and lettering because it was all glossy to begin with.

See this thread also.... http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=58135&hl=%2Bgloss+%2Bcoat#entry691705

Jake...maybe where you saw racing but not in Connecticut. Back in the 60's and 70's....MOST cars had nice paint jobs. There were only a very few that were just thrown together for fun....and even those that were just thrown together were at least painted in one color.