Art Anderson

Nope, a '27 T Touring body won't do it, it's lines are way off. Two '25 T roadsters do work however, as that era touring car was the roadster bucket structure, with a tonneau section added on behind. I started this one that way: The front portion, including the roadster back panel is straight from the kit, with a tonneau (term for the rear seat section of a touring car built in this manner) was added by using another '25 T bucket, cut off at the "A-posts" (base of the windshield. I first cut into the rear corners of the firont roadster-based body section, to accept the sides of the second T-bucket flush with the sides of the front body portion. The rear of the second T bucket was cut, and widened, as this body (much like the '27) actually tapers out a bit wider toward the rear. After gluing the addtional body sides to the front portion, I simply cut a strip of .030" Evergreen sheet stock to make a filler for the new back of the Touring car's tonneau. The rest was simply a matter of blending the spliced body sides into a smooth straight panel. I then added the raised fake driver's side door moldings, as well as the raised door moldings for both sides of the rear body section, by making my own .020" half-round styrene strips, simply bending those to shape, attaching to the polyester body putty shape with some CA glue. A '27 T Touring DID contribute it's raised top however, with only minor tweaking needed to get it to fit. Pics to follow in next post. Art

I have the one from Flexi-File, and use it just as one uses a simple pipette in Chemistry class. I merely immerse mine into the bottle of liquid cement, and gently draw about half an inch of cement up into the glass tube by mouth, just as I learned to do in HS Chem class over 50 years ago. To prevent clogging, after each use, I simply re-immerse the tip in the bottle of cement, and gently blow the unused cement back into the bottle, once bubbles appear, I know that it's empty, and clean. Art

John, My message box was completely full--now emptied out. You should be able to get a PM to me now. Art

I'm working on the 2dr Club Sedan test shot--building it as the kit will be. WHEN this kit hits the shelves, THEN the conversion starts, not until them. Art

Yup, as a college student, out in Fairfield IA back in the 60's, I used to mail letters home from the Burlington RR station (just a block from my residence hall), by meeting the late mail train to Chicago, simply handing my letters to the clerk in the RPO (Mom wondered why the postmarks never said "Fairfield Iowa" though, the clerks carried their own cancellation rubber stamps from whatever town it was where they boarded the RPO). It was interesting too, handing a letter to a USPO clerk who packed a revolver on his hip! I also saw the nightly HWPO bus, in that case, it was a Fageol, which had the bodywork of a Fruehauf round-nosed semi-trailer with large arched windows for a windshield. Those ran both north and south on Iowa State Highway 1, through Fairfield, on the street out front of my res hall. Art

Rob, brass, with an inexpensive soldering pencil, and a Stay-Brite silver solder kit (silver solder plus the flux) is so EASY to use though! And in the bargain, it's not expensive, and far stronger than styrene. Art

Brake fluid takes quite a while too. I haven't used it in years myself because it's kind of messy & I don't want to have to worry about disposing of it afterwards, but I never really seamed to have much luck with it myself. Probably didn't let things soak long enough. Steve, my test hood - overnight soak in Dot 3 Brake Fluid - looked like nothing happened... Took the hood out of the liquid and the paint was so soft, all it needed was a thumb-rubbing and a rinse and it's good-as-new! With the cost substantially higher than Super Clean and the problems you've stated of disposal, I can't see that I'll be using it that extensively, but it is nice to know how it works... and that it actually does work! Art, just wanted to let you know that your tip worked! An overnight soak softened the paint so that with a little rubbing came right off to the bare plastic! Thanks for the tip! DOT-3 brake fluid is reusable, just pour it back in the can. Art

Pretty simple, actually! I was 13, one sister 11 and the other one 9. I made a platform in Jr Hi shop class to lay across the floor in the back (level it out), and a "trundle bed" platform (where one half telescoped under the other, trundle bed style) that laid across the backs of both seats, each part wide enough for a single air mattress. Mom made a foam mattress for the platform across the floor--youngest sister camped out on that one, my other sister got to use the seat cushion. Above, I got one side, and either Mom or Dad got the other at night when whichever one was not driving (we did the trip straight through from IN to AZ). That all worked great, save for the moment when Mom mistook a string of Christmas lights (this was over Christmas 1957) in downtown Little Rock AR, realized that the traffic light had turned red at the last minute, stomped on the brake--I slid, ungracefully headfirst down into the front seat, then onto the floor, waking up next to the heater! . Later, it was pretty cool to turn around, put my face under that back window, and star-gaze (perfect for my astronomy lessons for 8th Grade Science (we kids had to take some homework with us, as we left a week before Christmas vacation!). I even had the assignment from Mom (to Dad's grumbling--he could never navigate worth a darn!) to read the maps, lay out the route, even calculating gas mileage (that Hornet averaged 20mpg, not bad for a Twin H-Power 7X!). Yes, those Hudson Hornets were that roomy! Art The 4dr will happen, once the production kits are out.

Pics will follow, but I am having a blast working up this test shot--4dr sedan version of this one is the car my family took our definitive vacation to Arizona in, in December 1957, AND the car I took my Driver's License road test in, in August of 1960! Stay tuned, folks! Art

Not sure what style of airbrush you are using, but I still use an external-mix airbrush (mine is a Paasche H, but Badger 350 & Binks Wren use the very same design concept), and if I have to stop painting for more than a few seconds, I simply close the material control (the cone-shaped sleeve that threads on the "needle". Another possible cause for the problem you describe could be not thinning the lacquer enough. Lacquers can stand being thinned a good bit more than enamels--I use the "consistency" of 2% milk as my standard, by eyeball--see how it "sheets" down the inside of my glass color jar. Another little trick I use is to lower the air pressure used just a little bit, and opening up my material control, which allows a bit more paint flow while the lower air pressure allows me to move in a good bit closer to the work. It's sort of getting a wet paint surface but without blotting the paint on so heavily that it quickly runs or sags. Just a few thoughts on this. Art

Consider that the owner of Round2 invested a TON of money to buy up all those existing AMT, MPC, Ertl and Lindberg tools--surely he'd like to recoup that investment by reissuing such kits as can be made from them, before sinking any significant funds into new tooling. Art

Believe me, no model company spokesperson in his right mind would even hint at interest in any particular suggestion from any of us. Why? Because to do so would almost surely spread like wildfire "(fill in any name here) hinted that such and such is gonna be made" when in fact more than likely no such thing was intended. In addition, there are very good reasons for confidentiality in any business, and nowhere is it any more true than in regard to potential product subjects--to violate that would be incredibly stupid, possibly 'tip" that company's hand This is precisely why, for example, the real world automakers guard their potential product ideas most carefully. Any employee who would violate that confidentiality would do so at the very real risk of his/her job, not only with that company, but more than likely with any future job prospects. 'Nuff said. Art

The foam rubber cup only keeps heat from escaping from the sides and bottom of whatever vessel it's used on. In the case of propellant pressure being released, that's internal. Art

Releasing the pressure of the propellant in the spray can when spraying is what cools the can off, as opposed to simple heat loss through the steel can. Art

All of this brings up a SERIOUS safety issue! When aerosol (spray) cans of everything came into being,the propellant was Freon (a refrigerant), but Freon (a nastly CFC compound known to be bad for the environment) was banned over 20 years ago. Most, if not all, modern aerosols use PROPANE as their propellant. As almost everyone here knows, propane is a flammable gas, and if suddenly released in the presence of an open flame, will explode rather violently. I would never EVER attempt to warm up a spray can over an open flame at any time, PERIOD. Art

When all else fails, good ol' DOT-3 brake fluid! Don't even think of using this stuff on resin though! Art

It's called "Re-Set" time at Hobby Lobby in many areas.; Relax. Art

Not to mention that Revell simply retooled parts of their Country Squire to make the Ranchero--meaning that the doors are those for a 4dr, making the cab too short front-to-back.

which version would you be willing to accept as inaccurate? (even if Moebius didn't care) most hardtop bodies (if not all) were different than convertibles..different shapes to the top, backwindows and top well...many had extra crossmembers on the frame. i'm guessing most modelers would have little interest in cutting off the roof as well. From their inception at GM in 1950, and out to the middle 1960's, hardtops were little more than convertible bodies with a steel top welded in place--look at any 50's hardtop that's had the interior stripped out of it, and you will see the locating points for the convertible top mechanism, and even the mounting points for the locking handles for the top in the windshield header. Art Well yes Art...with those exceptions of course. I was thinking of the later models when I wrote that..but I was still wrong-ish. Yes, by the middle 1960's, there were considerable differences, particularly with GM, whose convertibles even had a markedly different windshield frame.

which version would you be willing to accept as inaccurate? (even if Moebius didn't care) most hardtop bodies (if not all) were different than convertibles..different shapes to the top, backwindows and top well...many had extra crossmembers on the frame. i'm guessing most modelers would have little interest in cutting off the roof as well. From their inception at GM in 1950, and out to the middle 1960's, hardtops were little more than convertible bodies with a steel top welded in place--look at any 50's hardtop that's had the interior stripped out of it, and you will see the locating points for the convertible top mechanism, and even the mounting points for the locking handles for the top in the windshield header. Art

Do you mean for the vertical stakes? All the ones I have ever seen were/are "Hat Section" rolled steel, rather than a simple T-bar. I have made those by using two different widths of Evergreen styrene, laminated together, to make a scale hat-section. Art

I'll go along with that!! If nothing else, just for the Desoto & the Merc! Steve I suspect some would, most probably would not. One of the literal givens with model car kits, at least in this country is that, save perhaps for Corvettes, probably pony cars as well, convertible kits have NEVER sold nearly as well as their hardtop stablemates. Art I have no evidence to dispute that Art, but I find it a little hard to believe. At least the "never" part. I had always assumed that the convertible kits sold much better in the late 50s & early 60s at least. Convertibles are relatively easy to find on places like ebay, but have you ever tried to find hardtops like a '58 Ford, '60 Merc, '61 Ford Starliner, etc? They can be very scarce. '60 Mercury convertibles, as an example, are relatively plentiful compared to the hardtop kits. Steve Steve, this comes from my 30 years behind the counter in a couple of hobby shops. Trust me, convertible kits as we know them, never did sell in nearly the same numbers as their hardtop stablemates (but then, neither did they in the 1:1 world either. A series of Indy 500 Pace Car models representing the '50s through '70s would do well. I'll go along with that!! If nothing else, just for the Desoto & the Merc! Steve I suspect some would, most probably would not. One of the literal givens with model car kits, at least in this country is that, save perhaps for Corvettes, probably pony cars as well, convertible kits have NEVER sold nearly as well as their hardtop stablemates. Art I have no evidence to dispute that Art, but I find it a little hard to believe. At least the "never" part. I had always assumed that the convertible kits sold much better in the late 50s & early 60s at least. Convertibles are relatively easy to find on places like ebay, but have you ever tried to find hardtops like a '58 Ford, '60 Merc, '61 Ford Starliner, etc? They can be very scarce. '60 Mercury convertibles, as an example, are relatively plentiful compared to the hardtop kits. Steve Steve, this comes from my 30 years behind the counter in a couple of hobby shops. Trust me, convertible kits as we know them, never did sell in nearly the same numbers as their hardtop stablemates (but then, neither did they in the 1:1 world either. A series of Indy 500 Pace Car models representing the '50s through '70s would do well. I'll go along with that!! If nothing else, just for the Desoto & the Merc! Steve I suspect some would, most probably would not. One of the literal givens with model car kits, at least in this country is that, save perhaps for Corvettes, probably pony cars as well, convertible kits have NEVER sold nearly as well as their hardtop stablemates. Art I have no evidence to dispute that Art, but I find it a little hard to believe. At least the "never" part. I had always assumed that the convertible kits sold much better in the late 50s & early 60s at least. Convertibles are relatively easy to find on places like ebay, but have you ever tried to find hardtops like a '58 Ford, '60 Merc, '61 Ford Starliner, etc? They can be very scarce. '60 Mercury convertibles, as an example, are relatively plentiful compared to the hardtop kits. Steve Steve, this comes from my 30 years behind the counter in a couple of hobby shops. Trust me, convertible kits as we know them, never did sell in nearly the same numbers as their hardtop stablemates (but then, neither did they in the 1:1 world either. I have no evidence to dispute that Art, but I find it a little hard to believe. At least the "never" part. I had always assumed that the convertible kits sold much better in the late 50s & early 60s at least. Convertibles are relatively easy to find on places like ebay, but have you ever tried to find hardtops like a '58 Ford, '60 Merc, '61 Ford Starliner, etc? They can be very scarce. '60 Mercury convertibles, as an example, are relatively plentiful compared to the hardtop kits. Steve Didn't that have more to do with one or the other being molded first, and survival of leftover stock, or something like Any insight as to why the '58 through '61 annual convertible kits seem to be so much more plentiful than the hardtops? Whether they be in the box kits, built ups or glue bombs, the hardtops seem to be much harder to come by. Steve Simple answer: Convertible kits were nowhere nearly as popular back when those kits were produced--lots of leftover stock every model year--prime candidates for downtown sidewalk sales. Same with building them.

I'll go along with that!! If nothing else, just for the Desoto & the Merc! Steve I suspect some would, most probably would not. One of the literal givens with model car kits, at least in this country is that, save perhaps for Corvettes, probably pony cars as well, convertible kits have NEVER sold nearly as well as their hardtop stablemates. Art I have no evidence to dispute that Art, but I find it a little hard to believe. At least the "never" part. I had always assumed that the convertible kits sold much better in the late 50s & early 60s at least. Convertibles are relatively easy to find on places like ebay, but have you ever tried to find hardtops like a '58 Ford, '60 Merc, '61 Ford Starliner, etc? They can be very scarce. '60 Mercury convertibles, as an example, are relatively plentiful compared to the hardtop kits. Steve Steve, this comes from my 30 years behind the counter in a couple of hobby shops. Trust me, convertible kits as we know them, never did sell in nearly the same numbers as their hardtop stablemates (but then, neither did they in the 1:1 world either.

Ebay values bear very little similarity to the world of mass production, mass sales of model kits. When I see several THOUSAND bids on a model kit on the 'Bay, I may well change my thoughts on this.

BMF is almost micro thin, and a pretty soft metal--I've had a knife dedicated to just BMF for years--haven't had to change many blades at all in it! Art