Art Anderson

Over the years, I've had very good success removing tape adhesive "residue" from model car surfaces, by gently pressing fresh masking tape over the offending leftover stickum, and simply pulling the fresh tape off. The principle here is that the sticky sides of two pieces of tape adhere to each other almost irretrievably. I first learned this trick perhaps 40-45 years ago, and its yet to fail me. Art

Now that is both pretty nice and very tasty indeed! Thanks for sharing! Art

Tom Geiger: Ertl never produced anything in Indiana--rather their headquarters (and until the late 1990's their diecast and plastic model kit production as well) and former manufacturing facilities are/were in Dyersville Iowa. Art

NASCAR has run road courses since the 1950's--Road America for a couple of years, and then of course, the long-running "Dan Gurney Grand Prix"-NASCAR at Riverside. Certainly Watkins Glen and Sonoma have been on the docket for what, at least 30 years now? However, it's wise, I think, to consider NASCAR's core fan base: I believe that the sheer bulk of them still are very much oval track race fans--so needless to say, the Stockers are gonna go where the fans will be in the stands (or tuned in on TV). This country, unlike anyplace in Europe or the UK, saw auto racing start on oval dirt tracks for one very simple reason: Virtually every State Fair Grounds had one, and certainly in the Midwest, the East Coast and down south, nearly every county fair had an oval track--in much of the country those were harness racing events, with a few flat-saddle events thrown in. On the other hand, overseas such a plentiful supply of oval tracks didn't exist at the start of the automobile age--so it became a matter of blocking off a circuit made up of otherwise public roads (pretty easily done in 1900-era Europe and the UK, given the stratified class system very much in place back then. And yet, the first purpose-built high-banked paved oval race track to be built was in England--Brooklands, which ran until the onset of the Second World War. Brooklands was built several years before the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, which opened in 1909. Yes, there were attempts to copy the European pattern, block off country roads for a race course, and there were even some "point-point" open road races run decades ago--but public pressure was against that, along with little way for the promoters of such events to charge admission to race fans so they could recoup their losses. Something to consider re: NASCAR fans in the eastern part of the US, when Indianapolis staged the premiere Brickyard 400, there were a lot of fans who showed up, and went away somewhat disappointed, as they could not see all the way around that track, unlike say, Daytona, Talladega, Charlotte, etc. So, I suspect NASCAR is in a bit of a quandary there: Either try and win over more converts to stock car racing by sheduling more road races (and risk turning off a large part of a pretty loyal audience, or go where the fans seem to want to be, at oval tracks. I suspect that will be a bit of a delicate balancing act for years to come. Art

The late 1970's were noticeably hard for model companies, in fact AMT Corporation dodged filing for Bankruptcy in early 1979 by being bought up at the very last minute by Lesney (the Matchbox Toy people)--of course, Lesney went under in April 1982, but that's another story for another thread), and Revell was sold off to Ceji, then a large French toymaker, or they too would have gone into bankruptcy. Both companies were facing declining sales, with a corresponding decline in money available for new tooling, which certainly showed up in both reduced new offerings from AMT; those kits which were new in those years clearly showed some cheapening, with lesser detail, and parts that looked a bit more crudely done. In addition, the plated parts became fewer in number (ever see the 1978 reissues of the American LaFrance fire apparatus kits--fully half to two thirds of the parts originally plated in their 1972 releases were left in white plastic. A number of AMT kits had once-optional parts "gated off" so as to save plastic, even though that seems so inconsequential looking back. Revell's "Advent" kits were cheapened by eliminating some, if not all the plated parts--most likely due to Revell's farming out vacuum plating rather than doing it in-house as had always been AMT's practice. In short though, none of those cost-cuttng measures did much more than damage the image of both companies, from where I sat. A lot of that was caused, of course, by the seemingly unchecked, "runaway" inflation then omnipresent in the US, which by 1979/80 was in double digits annually; but another thing also hit the model building hobby pretty hard about that time: The last of the Baby Boom generation (those born in 1964) who were never quite as model car crazy as we older boomers and late wartime babies had been, and the noticeable return to the hobby by those whose boyhood model building drove the market to it's highest point in the 1960's had yet to really begin. So, it was a time of serious inflation at a time of decreasing sales volume, particularly critical for independent free-standing model car kit manufacturers such as Revell and AMT (Monogram was cushioned a lot by being part of the Mattel empire, and MPC was, at the time, owned by Fundimensions Division of General Mills, having that conglomerate as their saving grace. The 1970's were pretty hard on plastic model companies in general--that decade saw the demise of the likes of IMC, Pyro, Hawk, and Aurora (Pyro was bought up by Lifelike Products, the HO train scenery and Plasticville buildings people, IMC and Hawk were picked up pretty cheaply by Testors, and Aurora's tooling was bought up by Monogram). Art

Harry, Please read up on how the so-called "inflation rate" gets calculated--it's nothing more than an average of the increases in price of a wide range of goods, services and even commodities. These items do not all go up in price at the same rate, never have, and probably never will. Some things included in the Consumer Price Index have been known to actually go down in price for periods of time, mostly commodities that are necessary in our lives, while of course, manufactured goods keep going up, as the costs of manufacturing keep going up--and that's just as true nowadays in China as it is right here at home (yeah, the People's Republic of China has been experiencing pretty noticeable inflation as their labor and manufacturing costs keep rising). It seems that folks in China have discovered they like being able to buy cars, have nice modern apartments--even their own houses, with furniture, TV's, computers, and pretty much lifestyles we've taken for granted here in the US all of our adult lives. Actually, the biggest cost with a model car kit is the expense of developing and tooling that kit, and as pretty much a general rule with model kit makers, those new tools have to be funded from within the company--almost no lines of credit at the bank for tooling there. So, in a very real way, today's kit sales pay for tomorrow's new kit introductions. Along this same line, I've seen it estimated that to tool up and then produce, model car kits here in the US currently would mean kit prices practically double what we now pay for them being made overseas. Probably that won't be the case forever, even though it sure seems like it. And, I should think that you and everyone else following this topic would want the likes of Revell, Round2 or Moebius to be profitable, given that it's the income (profit) generated this year which pays for next year's new kits. Remember the old Formica tabletops and decor that Wendy's restaurants used to have, that were reprints of old, 19th Century newspaper advertisements? Those were a mix of ads from newspapers in the US, as well as from London, England--can you guess which of those ads from the mid-late 1800's spoke constantly about quality and not price? Hint: They sure weren't ads from New York, Chicago or Boston! In short, our economy here in the US has been as much about price as anything else (I can get --fill in whatever blank you want to here please-- for you cheaper! (That is, until such a seller finds that his outgo is exceeding his income, making his upkeep his downfall).

Well, certainly the lower expected sales of any model car kit means that the investment in tooling has to be spread over fewer units produced and sold--that's basic business economics. Ditto for a pretty good chunk of overhead expenses (those that aren't variable).

And, back in, I believe, 1956, NASCAR did run Elkhart Lake. They also ran at Riverside. Art

In real life, every GM division used the same body shell, including convertibles--so the raised top from a Revell/Monogram Chevy convertible should fit the old AMT '59 Bonneville convertible IF both cars are scaled correctly! Art

The cost of manufacturing any model car kit includes the following: Research & Development in all its facets, design and engineering of the tooling, the machining of that steel tooling (and in these two areas, there is little if any 1:1 manufacturer -- ie. Ford, GM, Chrysler, etc. financial assistance whatsoever, and if they supply reference information, which can range from a few manufacturer generated photo's or simple line drawings to complete CAD files where those exist), licensing (a necessary evil, and one that has been in place since the 1950's, believe it or not!. In addition, there are fixed costs (those that do not relate directly to any one product or project) such as whatever buildings and associated equipment are required, wages and salaries of employees not directly associated with any product, but very necessary--those secretaries, bookkeepers, the company accountant(s), managers, all of that gets included in the cost of all products that go out the door. As for "negotiating" the retailer net cost, Walmart has never negotiated that whatsoever! (I was exposed to Wally's practices when I was in product development at Playing Mantis' Johnny Lightning Division back 10-12 years ago--Walmart DICTATED the price they would pay for any model kit or diecast miniature, on a "take it or leave it proposition". Hobbytown USA doesn't negotiate prices, as HTUSA isn't a wholesaler, but rather a franchisor of a business operating system and nationally known (or so they hope) name. HTUSA franchisee's buy from whichever hobby wholesalers they choose to, as well as manufacturer direct IF they are big enough to meet manufacturers' "minimum buys" (some are, most are not large enough to do that). The various wholesalers who act as middlemen between your LHS and the manufacturer (wholesalers essentially perform a warehousing function for your LHS, a quick access "reservoir" if you will, not unlike the float bowl of an old fashioned carburetor), and as such buy direct from the manufacturer at a discount only slightly larger than that they grant their hobby shop clients (this covers their costs, and hopefully they can make a bit of a profit in the bargain--based mainly on large volume sales of any item they carry and that in a fairly short time. Where Walmart and even Hobby Lobby or Michael's gain a bit of an edge is that they perform their own warehousing and distribution functions, something which both companies do have down to a science, as far as efficiency is concerned. These companies, just as with any mass retailer (you know, those Big Box stores) depend on very fast "sell throughs" of everything they stock (sell through is described as "how fast a given product --SKU or Stock Keeping Unit" goes through the checkout lanes, generally on a 30-day basis. Fast sell-through means more reorders of the same SKU, slow sell-through means get rid of it anyway you can, and quickly--not to be reordered! In fact, Walmart is well known in the consumer products industry for dictating that hundreds, if not thousands of items they carry are subject to "guarranteed sale" within a certain time frame, and what isn't sold in the specified "window" can be shipped BACK to the manufacturer for credit. Such is the price paid by any manufacturer dealing with Walmart, (and such as KMart, Sears, and any other stores of that size). But in the bottom line here, it's all the costs associated, not only with an individual model car kit (including its design and tooling), but such as insurance, licensing, even taxes that determine the price of that kit FOB (which means "Free On Board" the truck, ocean container, however it is being shipped on its way to the retail store) that determines the net price any LHS --and to a great extent, even the Big Box stores too--must pay in order to have a particular kit on their shelves. Add to that the necessary "markup" that the retailer needs in order to pay the rent (most smaller retailers lease their space), pay the lights, electricity, heat, telephone and internet access bills, insurance (both property/casualty AND liability--both general and product liability), personal and/or business property taxes along with business licenses, any security expenses they may have, plus wages or salaries for their employees, plus a salary for the owner (who in most cases is on-staff in his or her own store--AND a return on the investment they have (their money which is the capital by which the store operates) at least equal (hopefully) what they could be making by simply investing that money in any one of the financial markets rather than tying it up in retail inventory which they hope to sell. That all adds up, trust me. And in the bottom line, there's always that adage staring the retailer in the face every morning: "If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep is your downfall", which of course plays not only on the retailer's earpiece, but also that of the wholesalers he deals with , AND every manufacturer of every product he stocks in his store. Oh, and you are more than a bit off in your assessment of the dealer's cost of the items he stocks--it's more like 55-60% on such as model kits, paint and glue, but often dramatically shorter than that on many higher end items (trust me, I've been there, done that, for a good number of years, in fact the majority of my working life to this point). As for your inflation calculator--aren't you using the Commerce Department's CPI, or Consumer Price Index? If so, that is a very inaccurate determinant, as not all product categories have seen the same rate of inflation since 1968--some have been far higher, a few have been way below the official rate of inflation--in short, the reported inflation rate from the US Government is an AVERAGE, not an indicator of any specific item or category of product. Art

Yeah, But anyone who truly stayed awake in Econ class would have learned that not everything is affected exactly equal by inflation. Art

Personally, I'd love to see a model company do a new kit of this series of Studebaker cars, beginning with the 1955 President Speedster (Oh I know, that thing with the so-termed "ugly chrome snout" up front, and the rather heavy-looking "butter knife" chome side trim spears), To follow that with a series of Hawks actually becomes a bit problematic, as any change to the body sides (chrome trim, and the eventual elimination of that upside-down "checkmark" side cove) will require at minimum new body side core mold sections, for each variant. The bolted on fins are another matter, of course: The least expensive way to provide the variants of those would be to make them as separate parts, which with modern tooling technology (which can give very thin injection molded cross sections) are at least theoretically possible, although I would question as to how well such a concept would be recieved by most model builders. If the fins cannot successfully be tooled to an acceptable level as separate parts, then pretty much there would need to be a new "upper body mold core, as well as new body side mold cores for each variant considered. Thus, were it my call to make as a product manager, I'd go for the '55 President Speedster, a '56 Golden Hawk (with that awesome, but boat-anchor-heavy Packard V8) a '57 Golden Hawk with the Paxton blown Studebaker 289, not worry one whit about the 58-61 Hawks at all, go straight to the '62-64 GT Hawk. But that's just my pipe dream! Art

Your thinking is correct: The '56 Golden Hawk used fiberglass "finlets" which were bolted on, while the '57-61 Hawks were fitted with (also bolted on) sheet metal fins. Art

This is one of those occasions I really appreciate being severely near-sighted--I have to wear a pretty strong correction just to navigate in the world. However, for model building, it's an absolute blessing--I simply take my glasses off to do close work, as I can move in to 4-6 inches from any project, and see that clearly, and far better than any magnifier would let me. Of course, it means the extra expense of a supply of those plastic safety glasses, but what a small price to pay, huh? Art

Bill (and others), unlike virtually all "Fortune 500 companies, every model company here in the US is actually rather small potatoes--and thus there really isn't much "wiggle room" in the company budget for anything like really effective market research--would that it were otherwise, but that's pretty much the story of it. That said, it sure seems to me that the two truly active American model companies right now seem to be doing one heckuva lot pretty right. Keep in mind that with model car kits, any manufacturer's focus has to be at least two-fold, and simultaneous at that. There are a great many automotive subjects that would light serious fires among us out here who buy kits (wherever we buy them), but if the wholesale/retail part of the chain doesn't see them in quite that fashion--what's a manufacturer to do, hmmmm? A prime example that comes up on this and other model car forums would be the legendary duo proposed by AMT/Ertl some 15-16 years ago, the '50 Olds 88, and the Bulletnose Studebaker. Those excited us as model car kit consumers to no end--BUT, retailers and wholesalers literally "panned" them, for whatever reasons--needless to say, neither went any farther out in Dyersville (although Revell did give us the Olds 88 Club Coupe about a year and a half ago. I would submit, that being the rather niche market that model car kits go to, it really does take a product manager with some real savvy as to what will fly (figuratively speaking!) out there in Model Car Land. And further, that "savvy" brand manager does do pretty well at gauging the relative desirability of any one possible model car subject, because if he/she doesn't, at the very least there will be a replacement in that office pretty quickly. I think, for example that I can now safely say that Moebius' Dave Metzner and Frank Winspur didn't just decide out of the clear blue sky to just go and tool up a '53 Hudson Hornet and a '55 Chrysler C300--rather they asked a relatively small group of knowledgeable model car builders/enthusiasts (who for the most part are pretty well known around the hobby, in one capacity or another) each to come up with a short list of potential subjects, giving along with that their reasons why they felt that "such and such" would be a great subject if kitted. Apparently that approach worked, given the success of both kits, along with their follow-on versions. And, of course, they (along with Revell) are, by sheer necessity, catering to the market as it exists, not as they hope it might become. If one really thinks about this, isn't that pretty much the case with the vast majority of consumer products? Art

Of course, is not the Revell '67 in reality the old Monogram 1/24 scale model kit? If so, that could make fitting that chassis under an AMT '63 just a bit of a job? Art

I had the privilege of meeting with Dave Metzner of Moebius last Sunday, with one of the items up for our discussion and review being the tooling mockups for the '65 Satellite. The tooling mockups I saw had only a few fairly minor issues to be corrected (needed corrections are almost always a part of any mockups for a new model car kit, BTW), and they looked fantastic. Art

A couple of things here: For starters, I'm not at all sure that your hobby shop's owner is truly privy to such inside information--issues such as this one are not often (if ever) mentioned outside model (or diecast) manufacturer's offices, until such time as something definite has been finalized. Second, and I suggest more important: GM has a reputation in the model and toy industry of being very particular, to the point of being rather demanding of model and toy companies that miniatures (or model kits) of GM cars are accurately done, and in the case of any Corvette--that is one of General Motors absolute "signature" cars--they get even more picky with a new model kit of any Vette. I'm willing to bet (even though I have no inside information whatsoever as to any such kit in the planning) that there will be a plastic promo of the C7 Corvette, and more than likely a model kit of it as well--it could well be in development as I write this, just not yet announced even to the hobby industry. Art

I doubt you'd find the very slight scale difference to be a problem--1/24 scale is but 4-percent larger, which should not hinder your putting it in a 1/25 scale model. Art

I picked up this kit at the HMCA show in Indianapolis last month--as others have stated already it's beautifully done--the white resin is as smooth and clean as the Revell styrene body shell it will replace. The transkit includes the body, revised interior side panels, a narrowed rear seat (convertibles of course have a narrower back seat due to the intrusion of the top bow storage boxes into the interior), and a top boot. It's just so nicely done! Art

Aaron, Mere logic tells me that unless the flex tubing COMPLETELY stalls the air flow, the vapors (the smell, if you will) won't be stalled at all. As for the paint particulates, that's what filters are for! My Pace Peacemaker uses a very fine furnace filter which captures virtually all paint particulates--I have yet to be able to wipe any visible paint particles out of the inside of the dryer hose (flex tubing) that mine is fitted with. Allow me if you will: My oldest nephew has perhaps the largest cabinet/furniture making shop here in my city. Using, as he does, clear acrylic lacquers for furniture finishing (he does very high-end custom furniture), along with having sanders, table, radial arm and scroll saws, along with a planer, shaper and router), he's very knowledgeable about the "explosion/fire" hazards in his operation--and I as well do too, from my several years as Human Resources Director for an Essex Group Wire Assembly Division plant here back 40 years ago (which included my being the safety manager there as well), the fire hazard from paint comes in both the vapors (solvents) and "finely divided flammable particles" --paint overspray.. Both are hazards, the degree of which is related to the volume of paint or other flammable finishes used. When you read of say, a furniture factory going up in flames, or a grain elevator or flour mill exploding, it's not from some sort of solvent vapors, it's the finely divided (powdered) flammable material in ductwork, etc, that blew up! For that reason alone, ANY spray booth should include a decent quality furnace filter, to capture the paint dust, that finely divided, flammable overspray dust! While of course, in any operation where large volumes of paint or other finishes are sprayed, the hazards (health, fire, explosion, and environmental) can, and are often, serious--for the vast majority of us modelers, those hazards are much, much smaller. Consider this, If one uses most any commonly available airbrush, the ordinary color jars attached are either 1/2 or 3/4 oz. Now, the vast majority of the material poured into the color jar (or gravity reservoir for that matter) isn't paint (the source of the solids, the overspray powder if you will), it's the thinner or solvent. 1/2 fluid ounce? That's about 2 tablespoons of the stuff, which is not at all a large quantity, if one thinks about it. So, for us modelers, it's not so much the particulate matter, as it is the solvents, where fire/explosion/potential health hazards are concerned (talking about ordinary enamels or lacquers here, NOT catalyzed urethanes or epoxy finishes--those are animals of an entirely different sort!). Thus, if solvent vapors (fumes) are to be the only consideration as for removal from the ambient air in a model building space/room, then that doesn't require any filtration--just put up with whatever paint dust "stains" on the outside of the house and be done with it. However, if particulates are a problem that needs to be handled, and of course, in just about anyone's house, or apartment, the paint overspray (dust) is--most wives are not happy about this, and certainly in an apartment, most landlords are not going to be very lenient about that come move-out time--it can create a cleanup charge that can easily negate the cheap price of a "low buck" concept for an exhaust system (believe me, as an apartment dweller for the past more than 20 years, I've been there, done that, got the tee-shirt!). So, a paint booth exhaust setup really needs to have a blower with sufficient power to pull the vast majority of overspray into it, with a decent quality filter to capture all the overspray particulates, and still pass enough air flow to draw all the solvent fumes (the smell) to the outside. In addition, ANY such electric blower simply needs to be explosion proof. Just because a cheap, open-frame electric motor is outside of the air flow of whatever "booth" is used, either commercially made, or homebuilt, it doesn't mean that any explosion hazard has been removed. Any electric motor, brushless or not, can create static electricity, which if there is something in the air to make a spark (think miniature lightning strike) possible, it can, and sometimes (even if rare) can do just that! Consider this: If one is a smoker, and smokes indoors, would you use a rattle can of paint with a a lit cigarette in your lips or even in an ashtray nearby? Most likely, absent a death wish, most likely not. Now, a Pace Peacekeeper spray booth might seem expensive, but they are the best around, especially if one wants a professionallly built cabinet (sheet metal fabrication ain't completely cheap--if you've ever had to have an HVAC system installed in your house--but the cabinet is only a part of the equation. There is that sealed-motor, squirrel cage fan to be considered--go to Grainger--they sell 'em, and in fact, that is exactly where Pace got the one they included with mine! Now, a sealed motor-powered squirrel cage blower used for a model spray booth will likely outlive most of us modelers (after all, when's the last time you had to have the one in your gas furnace replaced? Hmmmm?), they last for YEARS! Given the intermittent use such unit gets in a model spray booth, from where I sit, that's a once in a lifetime buy (and most all here have heard that said about air compressors and airbrushes, right?). Considering that if you are a homeowner, more than likely your house and its contents are valued at upwards of 100-grand or more (even if you live in an apartment, to replace all your belongings there probably will reach $25K at least!), isn't a hundred dollars or so well worth it, if it protects your much larger investment? (Hint: It doesn't take an Bachelor's Degree in accounting to answer that question!). Add into the equation the peace and quiet where wives, significant others, or even neighbors if you live in an apartment building having one common HVAC system for the entire building--all those around you will appreciate it, and model car building can proceed in peace. Total cost of my installing a spray booth here (I already had a Skil Saw, and an electric drill), over and above the cost of my spray booth (I did buy a Pace, but you can build your own booth, if that's your choice): Plywood shelf from Menard's for cutting down to fit in a window when the sash is raised--$13.00. Dryer Hose & vent--approximately $15. Hole saw for electric drill--$30. Total installation cost--approximatelyh $48. Whether one opts for a manufactured spray booth or you build your own, though--just paying attention to the best, and most appropriate components for the job can pay HUGE dividends downroad--I would NEVER bother with any sort of blower/motor that was not the safest possible here!--along with the dryer hose and vent. In the bottom line, I have a very large apartment (almost 1000 sq ft) in the upstairs of an older house, with two apartments below me--one occupied by a very pleasant but very persnickety older woman who has the reputation of complaining about anything and everything--she's yet to even notice that I am spraying lacquers on model cars RIGHT over her head, day or night!--I have yet to hear any complaints for either neighbor, and I've been shooting paint on model cars in this place for going on five years, so I must be doing something right! When I was married (long story there, covering 20 years), my then wife would have kicked up a fuss had I been painting model cars inside the house without benefit of the type of system I have today--so there are benefits--just don't go cheap for the sake of cheap, spend the money to get a system that does the job, including being a safe and effective system--for your protection, and the safety and happiness of those who share your living space. Phew, 'nuff said! Art

Your Subaru Crosstrek was built right here in my hometown, Lafayette, IN. Art

Uh, in all this conversation, I hear personal desires for a model car kit subject, but no BUSINESS CASE. The latter seriously requires, not implies, numbers. By that I mean projected numbers of such new model kit sold in say 12-24 months; along with a price point that not only covers development and tooling costs, but also production and distribution costs, and leaves behind some profit (Oh I know, that's a BAD word!) behind for the manufacturer. Anything less than that is but a pusilanimous wishing for one's personal favorite model kit subject of the day (which can change depending on which day of the week one asks!) Art

Dave's given me one each of the test shot '54 Hudsons--just itchin' to build them!

The AMT/Ertl/RC2/Round2 Tbird you mention is a '56, and a very nicely done one at that. No 1/24 or 1/25 scale '55 Thunderbird has ever been kitted. Art