Bainford

It seems to me that most MPC kits at that time had the little words on the box that read, MADE AND LITHO'D IN CANADA.

It is not clear what changes have been made. They need to be highlighted in some way, such as font colour. Also, how does one know if/when they have been 'awarded' a warning point. This needs stating in the rules.

Thanks for the link. That's an hour of pensionable time my employer will never get back.

I use micro mesh polishing pads, followed by Tamiya fine and finish polishing compound, followed by Tamiya wax. Start with the finest micro mesh pad that will efficiently do the job and go from there.

I'm amused by the second photo where the box illustration shows a guy grasping the car body with his hand while he paints it, and is doing so at point blank range.

Beautiful model. The subtle detailing pays off huge and has very good realism. The wheels make the build. Excellent work! I really need to pick up one of these kits.

Simply gorgeous. A very classy and tasteful mild custom. Very well done.

Very nice build. It's the first I've seen built in this livery, and it looks great. Those PE bits in the hood scoop vents look finicky. Did you have any problems with those?

Excellent work on the beautiful, old Mach 1 show car. You really nailed the look of the original. Very nicely done. This kit has been near the top of my most wanted list for many years. I first saw photo of this car in 1982, and wanted to build a model of it. In 2003 when I finally gained access to the internet and ebay, I discovered a kit of the car was actually made, and I've been searching ever since. Last year a decent unbuilt kit appeared on ebay, but at $75 (and shipping that was too high) I let it go. Perhaps I should have pulled the trigger then. Anyway, yours is gorgeous, and my search continues.

Nice work on the Europa, and the colour suits it really well. You did the decals well, they look like they could be problematic. These are great little cars, and an absolute blast to drive. Did you use the adhesive metal transfers for the LOTUS letters on the deck lid? There is a bit of pucker factor when applying these letters. Just last week I had robbed the transfer letters from a Europa kit for the Fujimi Lotus Esprit I am working on. I applied them to the hatch on my Esprit, but the letters stuck harder to the carrier film than did to the model. Did you have the same problem? Getting these little tiny letters placed properly was a chore. A part number is provided for them in the Europa kit instructions, so I think I will contact Tamiya to see if they will sell me a new set.

Nice job on the little critter. I bet that is a fun machine to drive. And I'm seriously digging the tiny original. The size difference is quite striking.

That was my first thought, too. I have been pining for years for a gravity feed airbrush, though I have never used one. I will have one eventually, but I'm curious, what is it that you find undesirable about them?

The Mess-O-Schmitt is freaking awesome!!

I've read a few as a youngster, and I read all of William Campbell Gault's car and racing books, which are very similar. Oh, and of course Henry Gregor Felsen's book, Hot Rod. I also remember a couple of paperbacks that I got through a book program through school, called 'The Fastest Funny Car' and 'Road Race', which I wore out. Still got them somewhere.

I have a copy of the Ivo poster above. I figure the target audience for these were the shops the kits were sold in. Regarding the stickers, I experienced weak stickum as well. I stuck mine to the wooden box I use to lug my models to model shows, but a couple of them curled up and fell off after a couple of weeks. The 'Street Rods' and 'MPC' stickers were the worst of mine, but the 'AMT' and 'Kat from AMT" have fared well.

Agreed! At least they would be somewhat useful. I wouldn't mind hanging them on the wall of my model room, but the little boxes are pretty much useless. I don't know what to do with them. I did like the stickers for the short time they were available, though.

There are an awful lot of pot references on the windows of that van. There may be some nefarious goings-on inside. Nice work on this one. A very interesting build.

Excellent work on the Ford. You nailed the common work-a-day truck look. The distressed features are really well done and quite convincing. The muted colour fits this build perfectly. Very nicely done.

Excellent job on the Triumph. I have wondered what the Gunze kits were like. I have seen the Minicraft, et al kit and as mentioned, it is pretty basic, The Gunze kit looks nice. Does this kit have the soft rubber seats, etc? You have done some great work on this kit. Welcome back to the hobby.

Great looking old Ford. Those steelies make the build. Very cool.

Cool! The colour suits it to a tee.

I'm seriously digging the apothecary cabinet. Awesome parts storage.

I used to hoard the better Ford 427 Cammer assemblies for years, but I find my interests have moved on now. Like the OP, I keep every decent headlight lens I can get my hands on. Trying to find good performance tires in 13" - 15" sizes is difficult, so I hoard away any of those I happen to find. Oh, and accurate steelies. 95% of the steelies out there are unusable absolute BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH, including those offered in newly tooled kits (yes, I'm looking at you, Revell). JoHan had the best ones.

I didn't realise the Tamiya washed came in colours other than black. I'll have to pick up some grey and brown. I've been using the Tamiya black panel line wash for some things. It does flow well, but I find it is too heavy for some applications. I typically use Tamiya flat black or semi-gloss black thinned A LOT with isopropyl alcohol, maybe 8:1 give or take, but I find the pigment particle size is too large when thinned to that degree, especially with the flat black. I'm still looking for a very finely pigmented paint that is suitable for black washing, that is not a gloss paint. I know some people use thinned black inks, and I'm thinking of investigating some of these.

Good looking Mustang. You gotta love the Boss, and they always look in grabber blue.