Bainford

As mentioned above, this thing pushes the definition of open wheel. It looks huge, too. Despite the fact that this car is designed with road course considerations (when apparently the current Dallara was not), a pack of these things on a tight road course could be trouble. While I understand that asthetics and engineering do not necessarily go hand in hand, it looks truely awkward. It certainly does give the impression that it would be wrought with handling issues. Oh yeah, it's ugly, too. I also agree with the comments of harry and others; spec racers do not interest me in the least. I also agree with Harry's comments on race car speed; High speed is impressive, but does not necessarily make for good racing. However, just reducing speeds is not the answer. For the racing to be truley good, the cars have to be driving on the edge. This gives the drivers some driving to do, and separates the men from the boys. I think this is why earlier forms of racing are so much more interesting to watch. Put max effort into driver safety, give them plenty of power, and set them up so they are driving on the edge whilst battling for position. And to keep it interesting, encourage multiple chassis and engine manufacturers and individualised engineering (allow teams to modify their cars).

I frequently use BMF as a masking medium. It's very thin so there is very little edge build-up. However, I haven't tried the 'new and improved' stuff yet. From what I hear it may not be as user friendly.

Ditto. One of my all time favorites. Been trying to find a copy on DVD. I get positively giddy when they flog the 427 Cobra and Ferrari Daytona in the canal. Can you imagine treating originals like that today? Too cool!

Thanks Harry. It seems that I'm already on IP Board.

Thanks grim. Changing web browser will not be an option for me as I am using a work computer, and our internal security is extremely tight. Even being able to view a forum is very rare. For some reason, this is the only forum yet which I can log on and add replies. However, someone did mention that by holding the enter key, the curser will eventually show up, allowing me to see what I'm typing. That's a help.

When I reply to a post or start a new one, I can't see the words that I'm typing. For instance, I can't see the words that I'm typing now as I type this (so please forgive the errors). When I hit 'reply', my post shows up in the thread as it it should. I'm confused, any ideas on how to fix this problem? It just started when the forum changed. Cheers.

An excellent build, and very well Canadianised.. Hats off to you, sir. The only thing missing is the coffee stains running down the sides of the dog house. Cheers

Porters Lake, Nova Scotia, checking in.

Civility reigns. Thanks Gregg.

I was hoping for the Double Dragster kit as well. A few years ago when the Model King was re-releasing those old long lost AMT and MPC kits, I was going through a divorce and couldn't get the ones I wanted. Well... yesterday I received a fat, and very unexpected check from the government (seems they have made a correction to my last couple of income tax returns). Anyhoo... I went to the Model Roundup site and found a few of those Model King kits are still available. so my Christmas present to me will be a big juicy order from Model Roundup. ... think I'll drop off a portion at the Salvation Army, too. Cheers

Me and a buddy who watch the show have speculated that The Stig could be Nigel Mansel. I'm sure there have been a couple of stigs over the years. Sometimes The Stig does seem to have the stature of Mansel. Seems plausible...

The element from automotive tail light bulbs and signal light bulbs make great throttle return springs. Becareful when breaking the bulb open, as there is a vacuum inside, so the glass may fly. I put the bulb in a paper bag, sealed tight at the top, before breaking it.

Great motorsport and sportsmanship both exist today, but you have to go to the grass roots levels to find it. Once megabuck sponsership enters the picture, the joy quickly leaves. The great motorsports succumb to the percieved 'fairness' or even playing field demanded by those paying the big money, and the big money payers play to win, sportsmanship be damned. It's sad but true. Equally sad is that grass roots motorsport no longer makes it to network TV (reserved for the big money payers), so unless these events take place in our local area, we never get to see it. Having said that, though, it may be fortunate that these events do not get major exposure, for fear of them becoming popular, and big money stepping in. Then it all goes away. It's a vicious circle, really. Many of the motorsports that a lot of true enthusiasts have turned their back on in recent years (NASCAR is a perfect example), are victims of their own success.

From May to October, almost no building takes place here. It's my time to enjoy the great outdoors. I do a lot of hiking, mountain biking, camping, fishing, etc, not to mention the yard work and garage projects. This, combined with my typically slow building pace limits my production to about two models a year. During the summer I still think of hitting the model bench, but if the sun is shining, guilt takes over and I'm in the woods or on the beach again. I don't mind, its all good.

Thanks for the info, Steve. I was also thinking of a kit bash with the AMT Challenger, and was wondering if the body in this kit was workable. Aside from that funky looking hood, it seems doable. Think I'll give it a go.

A very impressive build. I love almost anything that's headed for the salt, and modified Avantis are just cool. This is a very clean build, and well detailed. Is this the modified kit engine? Everything under the hood looks right on. A fabulous build, I love it!!

Amen

Agreed. The cost of keeping Mercury alive must be more than it is worth having it around.

Very cool!! I love it.

Two months ago I ordered two sheets of BMF, two '3-packs' of decal paper, and a panel scriber from Bare-Metal. The whole works was shipped to canada for $4.40 US. I think their shipping calculator is out of wack. They originally quoted me $17.00 to ship the order, but only billed me $4.40.

Austin Healey Sprite Coupe WSM

I personally haven't used any thing other than BMF, but many people who have, claim that Bare-Metal makes the very best hobby foil by far. I am quite happy with it myself, and recommend it. If you order it, be sure to order the 'Chrome' foil, not the 'Ultra Bright Chrome'. The ultra bright stuff is an inferior product, thicker than the regular chrome and with a less effective adhesive. When your foil arrives, be sure to store it flat to reduce the possibility of wrinkles/cracks forming in the foil. Some people even seal it in a ziplock bag and keep it in the fridge to prolong its shelf life. When using your foil, be sure to use a fresh exacto blade. You may even need to change to a new blade a couple of times while foiling the same body. Burnish the foil with a small stick of balsa wood, q-tips and toothpicks. I find a very fine pointed pair of tweezers is handy to have on hand for picking off the slivers of trimmed material. Mine has a magnifying glass attached to it, which really helps.

$4.71 /US gallon here. Sorry Mr Biggs, but I can't subscribe to your theories. First of all, gas is not expensive..... yet! Five years from now you will look back and think "Four bucks a gallon...I wish." We are only scratching the surface regarding fuel prices. Besides, there may be an upside to high prices. It just may be the 'kick in the @$$' that we as a society need to get serious about reducing our dependency on petroleum. Like it or not, this has to happen, and it has to happen soon. Fighting to reduce fuel prices may bring a brief respite, but in the end it's a fools errand. I suggest you concentrate your efforts on finding ways to reduce our petrol habbit, rather than the eventually fruitless task of slightly reducing its cost. You will then be the champion of a cause worth supporting (and forget about ethanol, it's a global disaster waiting to happen). Good luck and good health.

When doing fine trimming, I use a quality pair of very fine edge tweezers with a small magnifying glass attached. Very helpful for carefully removing trimmed excess foil bits.