Scott Colmer

This has been a really interesting topic. At one time I asked how many of "us" are there. "Us" being serious car modelers. The guess was about 30,000 world wide. It does not seem like a lot. As far as the longevity of this hobby, I was trying to think of some type of similiar creative construction pass time that either continued on or fadded away as times moved on. I could only think of wooden model airplanes. I do not know how popular they had been at one time, but they have endured. So here is my guess: The bulk of us started building model cars in the 60s and 70's. Many tell the same story- I did it as a kid and got back to it as an older adult. Many never really stopped. Many of us rediscovered our favorite hobby the republication of model magazines and show coverage in 1:1 mags. The internet brought us all together. Remember searching "Car Models" for the fist time? Not much. Now we have a huge community. That's good stuff. Where will it go? The way I see it, the first generation will be going away. (Unless we can upload our conscientious into a very dexterous robot.) I think they/we are the largest part of our group. Once the number of builders declines enough there will not be enough buyers for mass produced kits at current prices. Either raise the price or stop producing. The market will decline. It may not go away - which takes me back to the wooden airplane thing- I think the model car populatuion will decline because there will be less low cost options. Some will still do it because it really is fun. I do have plans in my will to sell my stash so they do not hit the dumpster. Someone will enjoy what I can't find time to build. Who know - maybe old kits and beenie babies will be come uber collectible. Scott

I smile every time I look at this thing. An idea worth copying just to have one.

The HOT ROD magazine contests and kit re-rereleases are some of my favorites. Throw in the R&C and Street Rodder coverage as well.

Oh my! I'll be watching this one. Excellent work so far...as would be expected.

LOVE THEM! Pro street of this decade. (Which I also like.) But with a little more driveability. One of my favorites is the fastback mustang with the DOHC ford small block. Saw it in person. Amazing.

So much great scratchbuilding. Soooo Killer!

About 20 years ago I was at the the NNL West swap meet. On the table was a MPC STP 20th scale Turbine open but sealed inside. I asked the guy how much. He said 20 bucks. I had to borrow the money from a friend. I liked the the kit. When we all compared our buys, I found out what a steal that was. Second was a cleanly build chitty chitty bang bang for 10.00 off e-bay Third was a collection that included a Pocher Alpha Romero and double T kit for 100.00. I sold the Alpha for 100.00 and called it a good deal. Scott

Hosted on Fotki Hosted on Fotki Phantom Corsair. Also has a bit of a spooky past. I saw this in Reno back in 74. It was in the Harris collection.

I must be the only one here who would totally rent that. I just need the right occasion.

Plan? Well, sort of... The idea can come from a doodle or a contest theme or a suggestion by someone else. Example - Tom Daniels Tribute Contest on another forum. I usually do a drawing or two, especially if there is custom bodywork. Hosted on Fotki Next I shelf my current build and promise myself that this will be a quick, low detail build, and that I will get back to the project I shelved within a month. Then I get the basic parts worked out, still planning on a quick build. This was going to be pretty close to a curbside. Maybe a simple engine. Hosted on Fotki Finally, I loose control of the project as I succumb to adding one more neat little part. Hosted on Fotki If the project does not stall because of an engineering problem or another project takes its place, it's finished at least a year later. This one was interrupted for what is currently is currently on my bench. Not so much of a plan as a process. Scott

G wins! LOL

That was pretty neat. Fun stuff.

The background matches the box top. I'll have to get a pic and post it. Scott Hosted on Fotki

Just saw the see-saw rail - for lack of a better name. That is just wild. Someone used a similar design on the salt. It was called the Rhinoceros. It did not end well. Killed the driver. Scott

Bill - That's the dragster I remembered. Thanks for posting it. My bad. Thought it was a MT idea.

This is cool. Not practical - unless you add mirrors - but cool. I have a book that has a pic of an old Mickey Tompson FED dragster with a set of rear slicks tucked inside the rear line of another set of slicks. So the set up was simliar to yours. Weight issues aside - unless you use carbon fiber mirrors to compensate for the extra tires - they experienced some pretty bad weight transfer issues. When it wanted the do a wheelie it bounced back and forth on the tamdem slicks. Not a fun ride, I'd guess. Keep going. This is a blast.

I had lots of extra parts and instructions as a kid. For whatever reason, I buried a bunch of parts and the instructions in the front yard under the lawn. Never found them again. I did find some parts to my Creeple People set in the crawl space. And a 1to1 RX7 transmission too. Buried treasure.

John V. Hit a lot of my favorites. Here are a few more... Out of scale detail. Sometimes this is tough when the resources are not there, but plug wire should be an easy one. I am not a fan of glass beads for line fittings if they are too big - I have used them too, but not for fuel lines. Radiator hoses without an attempt at a clamp. Just a small strip of foil will do the trick. Count me in on the over size roll cage complaint. I think your east coast guy might have done that one too. And....PE vents for the sake of PE vents. Not on the real car, why would that add them to a race car? I can always appreciate a drilled bracket where the holes are perfectly lined up. NOT easy. Misaligned engines are a killer. Stand out like a sore thumb. I've got one of these on the shelf. Someone pointed it out, I just did not want to try to fix it. Gloppy brush paint on a scratchbuilt parts may not be a mechanical error, but it takes away from the finished look. If you are going to make it, take the time to airbrush it or at least thin the paint and try to color it in coats. I agree with those that say if you going to add detail, make it right. Not always easy, but at least try. The internet is a great help with that. You can even get a firing order for just about everything. Scott

Worth the wait! It was great fun watching you bring this excellent redesign to life! Awesome.

Been following from the start. Can't wait to see the finished product.

That's a winner! Great execution. You really nailed to look of this one.

I hope this works. My fotki sharing options seem to have dropped off. http://public.fotki.com/Scottcolmer/the_kit_collection/my-most-holy-grail.html Well, the link works. Not sure where the forum sharing option went. Scott

A freind of mine is an engineer for a company that does electric car conversions. I tried all the angles with him that Harry tried (including a windmill type generator on a moving vehicle) and Skip explained the drawbacks pretty much the same way he did. (I drove his electric Mini Cooper. Pretty fun.) I also asked about solar panels on the car itself. The yeild would be too low to do more than power and am radio on a regular car. But they would make for some cool racing stripes. About home solor panels and night charging - some systems have batteries. The real benefit is that you can feed power back into the grid and build credit. Your best case scenario is a 0.00 bill. I'll take that and a 0.00 fuel bill all day, every day. Scott

My wife and I saw one and wanted it. She researched all the e-cars out there and the Tesla is the best, but the price is too high for us as it sits. And we knew we wouid need to keep the gas burner truck for long hauls. But for most daily needs, it would be a great option. Here is the plan: Large initial investment up front Electtric car Solar panels Equals Two less consumer gouges to tolerate - Oil and electricty. Good for the planet too Now to figure out how to get the initial investment. Scott

Beautiful, John!