Howard Cohen

Those Tamiya Toyota kits build up real nice! And the paint looks great! It almost looks real Drive it in good health! The builtin quality and strong dealer network should make it last a few years. And the always important question...how many model kits can you stash in the back?

From a 1/25th scale Mexican? Too easy you Hoser Try Google and see what comes up.

This is our 10th annual model car contest with lots of classes in 3 age groups with over 300 entires and a vendors area. There is also a non-competitive display area. Bring your family & friends, enemies, model cars and empty trunks to fill. We are always looking for new sponsors, vendors, clubs and supporters, so join us and enjoy yourself. WWW.GROUP25.ORG

I got a can at Toledo a couple of years ago. I followed the instructions I was given, painted a black base and then the Alclad over it. The finish was not as bright as I expected. I was told after that the can pressure may not be optimum for spraying chrome. I get the same finish from a can of generic spray chrome from my local car parts store.

I live in Toronto, Ontario and we are pretty lucky in this area with regards to hobby shops. Within about 100 miles, there are over 2 dozen hobby shops! About half of those keep a good selection of car kits, paints and accessories of some type. However, when I head to North Bay (about 230 miles north) for work, they have 0 hobby stores. If they want to buy a kit, it's either WM or mail order. I know there are many others in North America in a similar situation of not having a LHS and losing an online or mail order supplier will hurt them. IIRC, Tom started out selling vintage and collectible kits many years ago and expanded from there. He will still be selling those kits but on Ebay, unless he has something else up his sleeve. He will re-do the Forum soon and I guess that will be to keep his finger in things and help his new venture. I have bought from Tom over the years and I was always treated well. The vintage kits were well inspected and catalogued. His newer kits were priced lower, often due to his volume, and he had many specials, like $12 for a Lindberg 1/12th Fiat. The more things change in this hobby, the more we discuss it.

Thanks for the info. I have seen some of your Monza photos and it looks very good. The Chaparral 1 is the only one missing from my collection of Chaparral CanAm cars, so I think I will have to order it.

John Hanley and Chrysler would be proud of your build...you make it look so easy...

The hobby was better because of him and is sadder without him.

Bill - you make it look so smooth when it's done, almost like it was originally engineered that way. I think I'll leave mine in the box and build the curdside

I had one when I was in college way back in 71, a 110 model, 90HP, 2 speed auto on the dash, buckets. It had a few small problems but it was a great car and the first car I bought with my own money. I added a pair of stabilizer bars, Marchal headlights, a Dayco fan belt and hi-po Dunlop tires. Repairs included a new set of valve seals. I had the car for almost 2 years. Your daughter should have fun with it and you can teach her the basics of car maintenance at the same time. Then you can build a model of it.

This is a photo of the car being restored. Lots of work, eh!

I have also seen suspension parts such as coilover shocks and springs.

I have seen these advertised but I have never seen an actual body. Can anyone tell me about the quality and accuracy? I am interested in getting the Chaparral 1, Thanks...

The clone was shown at Detroit a couple of years ago and made the rounds of indoor and outdoor shows. I took a few pics of it and drooled all over the carpet on three different days (I had a pass). It is a great car and very well done. I believe Darryl is rebuilding it the way it was when he did it for Monogram and it should look like a huge model car...and I hope it runs

Jairus - thanks for the reminder, I changed the profile accordingly.

I have built a few over the years and I have one now that I am building the way the car was on the cover of Rod & Custom in November 1962. There are a few changes like adding a fan and a rear seat. The model car technology in the early 60's was not as advanced as it is today but it was a good kit for it's time and isn't too bad today. Good thing we have the patience and ability to correct errors. On a sidenote...Darryl Starbird is rebuilding the 1:1 L'il Coffin back to it's original state when the model was made.

Bill - I just had a look at your Fotki album to see how it is coming along and WOW! The paint is perfect and the changes you have done are so well engineered that it is hard to tell what you did. I look forward to seeing the car at Toledo.

I was in the hospital for a couple of months when I was 12 and one of my neighbours brought me a model car kit and a car magazine to keep me busy. When I got out of the hospital, I spent a few months at home recovering and started to read more car magazines (Dad, on your way home, can you buy me...). When I became mobile I found a local store with model car kits and that was it...the bug has stayed with me since then. In 1963 I got my Dad to take me to my first 1:1 custom car show at the Showmart Building in Montreal. Besides all the cars that I had seen in the magazines, there was a Revell-Testors model car build-it-yourself area. In 1964 I had my first model car display at a car show and I still work at car shows today. Old hobbies never die...

Besides model cars and related items such as magazines, books, car event tshirts and hat pins...I also collect stuff about the Marx Brothers, Fred Astaire, Al Jolson, baseball...although I think it is time to sell off the non-model car stuff...