Art Anderson

And guys, if Cole is any example, the future of this hobby is in GREAT hands! Seriously, most all of us here have been around model cars since we were at least teenagers (and some of us still are teenagers at heart, have been so since Methuselah--and haven't completely forgotten our manners, or lack thereof!). It's always refreshing to read posts on these boards, then see the Avatars, see the models that people young enough to be my grandkids (if I had any)--refreshing! Art

Yeah. Where's that Foo Bird when we need him?

I should do that!

Dave doesn't have a working email addy at this time. Contact him by phone at 336-228-0240. He does answer the phone, so give him a call. Art Anderson

As those who know me probably understand, I like kits of obscure antique cars. A few years back, a friend in Europe sent me a 1/24th scale kit of a 1925 Hannomag Komissbrot Limousin! Hannnomag is/was a German company, primarily a builder of trucks, but in the 20's, in inflation-ridden Germany, they produced a small, rear engined car, the Komissbrot (translation: Comrade's Bread, so-called for it's loose resemblance to the military ration loaf of bread issued to German soldiers in WW-I) Now, I have the Polistil 1/43 diecast of this car, which I acquired in the late 1960's, but NEVER expected to see a model kit of the car in 1/24 scale styrene. What's more interesting is, this kit was produced in the Soviet Union in the 1980's. Far from being crude, albeit with its multipiece body shell, is that it actually looks to be a very nice model kit of an obscure, yet really neat car. The Soviet company that tooled and produced it did it up rather proud--hinged engine cover with a detailed little motor underneath! For those (say, Harry P?) who have never seen one, here is an example of the real thing: One of these days! Art

Actually, given the era in which those parts packs were first released--the kids who were expected to buy them were clamoring for completely chrome-plated engines. Art

There's light years difference between the 4dr sedan (post, if you will), and the 4dr hardtop. Art

Fear not! Moebius and Model King are teaming up to bring a '69 F100 to market this coming year! Art

OK, while not wishing to be seen as confrontational: Do you build your own scripts and emblems/badges? Art

Craig, For starters, I personally have never bought a set of PE that didn't include scripts and emblems, and have never really worried if they included other stuff I might not use (for example, I have here a complete set of the now-legendary Putty Thrower scripts from the 1980's, most having multiple scripts for all the different trim levels of the car they are meant for). Unlike say, resin kits, there really isn't a way to just split out the parts that a particular customer might want, particularly if that means virtually wasting out whole sections of a fret of scripts. In my resin casting career, I used a fair number of PE scripts, including the now very rare Putty Thrower sets, to get the scripts I needed for transkits of different trim levels of cars than offered by the MCG set were the Biscayne scripts, all the rest was there on the body shell already. Did that mean I just 'threw away" the rest of the fret? Not on your bippy, my friend! Someday I will more than likely use the Bel Air scripts from that, perhaps even the Impala scripts as well. Isn't this pretty much the same thing as buying a multi-version (think 2in1 or 3in1 kits here)? I think it is--and that is the stuff from which parts boxes are made from, IMHO. Art

I talked by phone with Bob Korunow of Model Car Garage just a week ago: He told me that he's had to deal with some family situations (elderly parents, IIRC), which has gotten into his time for drawing up new products for photoetching, but things have settled down, so he's getting back to the important stuff in his life and business. Art

It is my understanding from John Mueller (long time AMT, Lesney/AMT and AMT/Ertl kit designer) that the AMT Cobra was actually modeled off the ORIGINAL Shelby AC Cobra, s/n CX0001. If so, that is an AC Ace chassis, AC Ace bodywork, and a 260cid Ford small block. As such, it is a completely different Cobra than the 427 as kitted by Revell. AC Ace and the 260/289 AC Cobra's used the Tojiero transverse leaf spring suspension as produced by FIAT from the early 1950's onward for several years, while the 427 used a completely new coil-over suspension system. Round2's box art isn't the same as the original issue kit though, the artwork on that kit box was much more artistic, certainly not the cartoon-like image shown above. Art

If you are talking about the door hinges, yes. Due to the shapes of the cab and doors, the lower hinges of the doors are longer (stick out farther from the sheet metal surface) than the hinges which are right at the belt line molding. Art

In that era, Chrysler painted their basic engines Chrysler Equipment Blue, while high performance engines were painted Chrysler Engine Orange. Art

From what I've read of British model magazines, Modelling (with two L's) seems to be the preferred spelling across the pond, and yes, this version is an acceptable spelling here in the USA. Art

I'm in Mid-North Indiana (25 miles from Illinois), and never in my 68 yrs have I seen a hurricane on the Atlantic Coast (I'm more than 900 miles from NYC!) reach this far inland. The advance layer of high, thin clouds gradually blotted out the full moon overnight, showers in the works for today, freezing rain in eastern Indiana, snow just over the line in Ohio, and on Lake Michigan (110 miles due north of me, 50mph winds coming down the full 400 mile length of the lake, whipping up 25' seas. If it's like this in Indiana today, from a tropical hurricane, I cannot begin to imagine what it's like for all those right in the middle of it! Art

Dave Metzner, of Moebius Models, has announced that they are doing, in conjunction with Model King, a '69 Ford F100 short box pickup, WITH the I-block 6, in 1/25 scale. Prolly out late 2013 would be my guess. Art

AMT put a display 170cid Falcon six in their 3in1 kit of the 1961 Falcon. (they put a freestanding Corvair display engine in the '61 Corvair kit, and a slant six in the '61 Valiant as well) Replica's and Miniatures of Maryland has offered these three engines in resin kits for years. Art

If you are talking about those strange looking "lines" with differing "surface" texturing (strong enough to be visible, but so fine as to defy your feeling them with your fingers--that's caused by the flow of molten styrene into the tool during the molding cycle. This shows up whenever model companies shoot metallic colored plastic into the molds--the metallic powder in the plastic flows and "swirls" as it fills the mold cavities (most noticeable on a body shell, with its rather large surface area. You can see the same effect by opening a bottle (or a can) of metallic paint--stir it, see how the metallic pigment powder swirls around, creates light and dark areas in the color. This is unavoidable, for the most part--it's characteristic of injection molding. Sometimes, this "swirling" effect can show through paints, particularly automotive lacquers used on a plastic model. But using an airbrush, and with practice, it can be virtually eliminated from showing through to the final paint finish, in my experience. Art

Also, don't forget the AAM 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and the '94 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham stretched limousine, and that I did the first Jellybean Caprice kit out there, back in 1992! Art In addition, my All American Models '55 Chevy Bel Air 4dr sedan! Also, add the AAM '59 Cadillac Series 75 Sedan Limousine

No discussion of Plymouth dream cars would be complete without the XNR! http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Plymouth/60-Plymouth-XNR_Concept-DV-11-AI_a03.jpg Art

Add to this list, the circa 1932 Duesenberg 4dr Limousine/Berline from All American Models. Art

With almost all 4dr car subjects, in the World of model car building, 4 doors is two doors too many. Art