Howard Cohen

Several years ago one of the local hobby shops ran an annual model car contest. The store owner contacted all the boy scout troops in the area and invited them to attend and enter the contest, knowing that they had a modelling badge award. He offered the scouts a special class and extra awards and free admission. He was turned down because the scouts would not enter a competitive event they did not organize. After trying for a few years, he finally gave up, defeated by some narrow minded thinking Has anyone ever been able to get scout troops to enter their contest?

I think it is very important to have a kit that is easy for youngsters to assemble and then be able to play with, all for a reasonable price. I applaud Revell for thinking about youngsters and the future of the hobby

Tom - I agree with you about the big box stores. I also think that when you narrow your distribution, you narrow your market. FYI...there are no model kits in any large chain department store in Canada, not Walmart or anyone else. Michaels Arts store does carry them but at $40 for a standard kit, they don't sell too many. There are a few arts and crafts stores that carry model kits but they do not cater to kids, more of an accidental sale. There are a few variety stores that carry diecast but not kits. Yes, online sales are a big thing now but you still have to tell the kids about the kits and then sell them what they want to buy.

I think this is a multi-part problem with many different possible solutions. 1 - I have been in some of the local hobby stores and the younger generation wants to build models of their daily drivers but there are very few models available. Yes, there are some Japanese kits available of Japanese cars but not what the kids drive to school and work every day. The kits that are available are mostly older kits from 15-20 years ago that have been recycled. The kids aren't buying those in large quantities. I sell products to car dealers and they ask me for new Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, Mazdas, Subarus, VWs, Chevy Cruze, etc. I have to keep telling them, 'sorry :(' and they don't like that. 2 - the model companies may want to look at other avenues for advertising their products. Facebook and other social media is a great idea. How many of you read the Revell Facebook page on a regular basis? But there are other places to advertise such as car magazines, comics, generic magazines, etc. In the 60s the model companies had ads in car magazines, Time and Life, comics, etc. They may also want to look at having displays at car shows and maybe even shows like 'Comicon' to show their specialty models. 3 - maybe it is time to expand the distribution network. I used to be able to buy a model kit at the local hobby shop but also the hardware store, variety store, drugstore and department store. In Montreal in the 60s, the biggest model car contest was held by 'Morgan's/Hudson's Bay' department store. Now modelling is only a hobby store item.Not every town has a hobby store but every town has a drugstore and a hardware store and a variety store. I think some online stores work well and others do not. The good ones are reliable while the bad ones are not. In either case, there is no human contact and no one to answer questions the buyer/builder may have. I think human contact grows the hobby. What this adds up to, in my opinion, is getting the models to the masses, not just the enthusiasts. There are 350 million people in North America, (Canada and U.S.) and a good run of kits is 100,000. The specialty runs are limited to 25,000 kits or less. My calculator doesn't do that small a fraction. This discussion is also good in that it opens up new ideas to the model manufacturers and to the current hobbyists to expand the network. Let's make sure we all tell the model companies what we think is needed to expand the consumer base.

For those who may have missed the toy show in Germany, here is a link to photos courtesy of IMPS Germany...try not to drool on your keyboard please http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2015/Bilder_AE/Bilder_AE_1.htm

There was a clone of the original Outlaw built a few years ago and the same builder is now working on a clone of the Mysterion, both in 1:1 scale. I have never seen any Ed Roth car in any large scale, either resin or plastic.

To quote Yogi Berra, 'nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded' Stay home...all you will see is about 100 vendors selling all kinds of model cars and parts and accessories and resin and photo-etched and paint and aftermarket stuff and a double gym filled with 1500 or more models cars and a thousand of your closest model car friends. I only go because it's so close to home, only a 9 hour drive

Ross was 59 when he passed away

One of the reasons for the coloured/coated BMF being difficult is that the added colour/coating, gold, black, brass, whatever, is applied on top of the natural aluminum foil. When you add a second coating, the foil, or any other product, becomes thicker and more difficult to use.You would be better off to experiment with adding the colour after you have applied the chrome foil to your model. I have used chrome BMF to replicate a brushed aluminum roof panel, like the 50s Cadillacs, by brushing it after applying it to the roof. It is slow but it works. Try any colour you want and see what happens

Some of you may have heard but for those who have not...Ross Gibson, master modeller and resin engine caster, passed away last week after a short illness. Here are a few of Ross' builds from years past.

I have a small business and I have sold a few sets of the AMT Tire Packs at shows and to dealers. They are not a fast mover but they do sell. I think the high cost is due to the packaging and getting the tires made special. Getting parts made one at a time will always cost more and that reflects in the retail price. I often have people asking me about a set of wheels and tires from a certain kit but to break up a kit is not feasible. I have been to shows and seen vendors selling wheel and tire sets at $15-$20 each and they sell a lot of them, both plastic and resin, so there is a market for them.

Look for the books and DVD by Herb Martinez, one of the master stripers. Read the books and watch the DVD carefully, maybe more than once. There are all kinds of brushes but Mack makes some of the best. I have a 000 and a 00000 Mack brush and they are excellent! I need more practice, lots more There are several steps to striping: learning to mix/thin the paint. One Shot is what I was taught to use and I have several colours. Learn to load the brush, don't be stingy with the paint but don't load it so that it drips. Before painting, run the brush over a smooth glossy paper, like Readers Digest. This helps to smooth the paint in the brush so you get even flow. Learn how to clean the brush. Use proper brush cleaner. A lot of people use varsol or thinner and while they will get the old paint out, they may damage the brush. If you are letting the brush dry, hang it so that the bristles are down as this allows the liquids to drip out and not get dried in the ferrule. Now the hard part...pulling lines Start with a series of straight lines. If you use the Beugler system to make straight lines, you will have trouble making curves. Anyone can draw a straight line, even an untrained monkey I have spent some time pulling lines and I need more time. I have been working with pinstripers for several years and watching them is very interesting. The real good ones have a natural touch and feel for the brush, paint and car. One of my friends does some very expensive restored cars and has striped some recent Pebble Beach Concours winners. Go to my Fotki page, then scroll down to the AUTOFEST 2014, 2013, 2012 albums. In there you will see several photos of people stripng cars. Remember, patience and practice. To become an overnight striper, you will need several years experience http://public.fotki.com/howardcohen/

If the kit comes out as it is now being talked about, $25 might cover the shipping cost, not the kit cost. One thread on another site has the kit being produced via 3D printing, which would cost a lot more than some people realize, probably more than an original kit on Ebay Don't hold your breath waiting for a new kit. I doubt it will happen. As for the resin copies from Australia, I know someone who bought one and was very displeased This whole subject is getting rather redundant

The girl is available in resin All this talk about a car that may not even exist, may not have existed since 1969, the last time it was shown. Hmmm... Maybe the real car was never built by Steve...maybe it was built by aliens who used Steve as a front FYI...I still have my Uncertain T from 1966 and the trophy and recently sold my spare built-up.

It almost has scam written on it However, as P.T.Barnum once said, 'there's a sucker born every minute', so somewhere someone will buy the first registration and think it is really something special. I think it's a load of manure Now, everyone go to their computer and make your own plates for all your models. Make your own design and your own set of numbers and a proper registration list so you know all your models are yours. Don't forget to charge yourself and pay your bill promptly

I have box art of the 1966 and 1990 kit. Were there any other years the kit was issued? Thanks...

There are a few of us staying at the Red Roof Inn on South Reynolds Road, so feel free to drop by Friday evening for a chat. I have booked a ground floor room and will have an open door for visitors. No smoking nor drinking please 'Vintage Model Preservation Society'

The original display consisted of several bases of 4' x 4' linked together. At one point there were 6 bases including the showroom, service area, body shop, used car lot There was also a concours in a park that attached to the dealership. I have made displays that are 3' x 3', making them much easier to carry around. A 4x4 base may not fit in the average car anymore but a 3x3 does.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

When I started this thread, my point was to value what you have, not to complain about what you don't have. Enjoy the models you have. I didn't want this to be a money thread. This is about enjoying your hobby, not about your salary or other monies. FYI...I don't make a lot of money but I do love and enjoy my hobby.

I recently bought the Tamiya Ferrari LaFerrari. I had seen the online reviews and photos but opening the box and seeing the parts in my hand was great! They are very well finished, the molding is excellent, the details fantastic! The opening doors even have a small built-in lock so you can have them open without falling. If you like exotic cars or Ferrari, take a good look at this kit and add it to your stash. (this has been an unpaid review...no money was paid to me by the kit manufacturer )

Over the past while, maybe 6 months or a year, I notice a lot of people complaining about the cost of model kits, paint, magazines, etc., etc., etc.. 'Oh, when I was a kid, a kit was only $3 and now it's $25'. Yeah, and when you were a kid you made $5 a week delivering newspapers and now you make $1000 a week working full time; everything changes and prices and wages increase. But it's not just the cost of the item that is important, it's the value and enjoyment you get from the item that is more important! When I buy a kit, I look at how much I will enjoy looking at it, planning how to build it, imagining all the things that can be done with it and eventually, building it. I say eventually because we all seem to have a stash of kits to build. To me the value is not the immediate cost but the long term enjoyment. I was working with a friend selling die cast cars at a car show a couple of months ago and he sells the long term value and enjoyment rather than just the up-front cost. He explains that although an Exoto car might have a price tag of $300, the real value is in enjoying it when you get it home, placing it in a show case or in a display, looking at it every day and having that feeling of fulfillment for many years to come. That is the value of the car. I think the same value can be placed on a model car, whether a kit or pre-built, plastic or metal or resin or whatever. If you just don't have enough money to buy the kit you really want, wait until you do. Don't buy a kit based only on the price, buy the kit based on your desires. If you want the new Ming truck and it's too expensive right now, don't buy a less expensive kit just to say you bought something and then spend the next year complaining that you should have bought the Ming kit. Buy what you really want, even if you have to wait a bit to save up. I have done that in the past and I know it will happen again in the future. We are not all made of money but we should be able to enjoy what we buy. Now go enjoy your models

WOW!!! I just spent 45 minutes looking and drooling Thanks for the link...

The Lindberg Dodge A-100, Little Red Wagon, pickup has a Slant 6.

Tom - Great explanation of the NNL ideal for those who have not yet been able to attend. Name tags? You with your fluorescent shirts and me in my red shirt,we are easy to find but the rest, you're right. I always get an email after the show saying, 'I saw your models but not you.' The sign-in sheet in the host hotel has a similar function as you can see who has signed in and then page them...usually in the restaurant eating and imbibing Another tradition has started on Friday evening in the hotel lobby with a small demo session going on, either showing a modeling technique or discussing a new model kit. One year I did a small Bare-Metal demo for about a dozen people; one year it was a new truck; last year a new trailer; this year, well, we're waiting, but there will be a gathering in the lobby. 2 years ago I drove down on Thursday and had dinner with some east coast Canadians. I think there will be more on Thursday this year and we enjoy spending time visiting. You can't get enough of the camaraderie at an NNL. See you in 6 weeks