whale392

Some progress guys.....this is cool! I haven't made much since the start of show season here and I feel bad about it. Thanks for the pick-me-up. After the 30th of October, I will be able to dedicate more time to the build. Eric; if you want to pull a mold, I will leave it unassembled and send it to you. Remember though, I have the Cobra rear bumper cover on my real car, and so too will the model (corrected from the kit bumper). and as to the 'Why hasn't this been moved yet?' question.........Matt and I have BOTH sent messages to Gregg and/or Harry but it never seems to find its proper home.

Real cars (mostly mid-60s Mopar B-bodies and FOX Chassied Fords), motorcycles (Harley and earlier Japanese), experimenting with different paint techniques, and making most of my own stuff (be it car or aircraft related).

I don't know if any of the St.Cloud guys are still building (Bob Knowles and Harry D'Martino come to mind, as they were officers of the Club that met at Bobs place), but being St.Cloud/Kissimmee is halfway between Clermont/Tampa (and knowing how a long commute can kill enthusiasm) I might think of someone who is fairly close to that area. Orlando (depending on where at in/around) could also serve as a venue area; post up a flyer at Colonial Photo and see what happens. Of all the people in Florida, there HAS to be some who build. If you have to go Florida-wide with satellite chapters, that could be done as well. Each satellite have its own meeting time/location with one overall meeting of the chapters on a given date/time/venue. Think of it as your own state-wide model car show/contest/NNL.

D.J, Thank you for clarifying this subject. It appears that names and models do not always go together as they should, and it is a noticed thing when you attend a lot of shows that these models are at.

Definately looks different from last I saw it. Looking good Dan; so we have at least 4 Buicks for December now!

I would like to shed a little light on a few points that were touched on (as I am keeping an eye on this thread being it could very well end in a club in my old/returning backyard). Right now, I live in Dayton, Ohio and the model club (Buckeye Scale Auto Club) I belong to is located in Columbus. Big deal you say? The door-to-door mileage for me is 68 miles, one way and through some nasty traffic (I-71, 270, and I-70 can all be a pain!). Sometimes it can be quite annoying. Second; it is on the first Thursday of the month at 7:30pm. I leave work at 4:30pm. It takes me an hour and thirty minutes to get there. I can tell you that I am dragging tail at work Fridays because of being at the meeting late Thursday night, then having the trip back home to deal with. I would strongly consider a group consensus be taken and work from there. Weekdays do not really work for those with 9-5 jobs and a commute to/from the meeting. When I worked 4 10 hour days (weekends), Thursday night worked fine. Just some things to consider.

One more for Colonial Photo and Hobby, as I have spent MANY hours and dollars in that store. There is a shop located on the south side of Lake Nona I believe (I will look it up tonight and give you exact area). Also, I do not know if he is still in business, but there was a hobby shop on the west side of Kissimmee on 1-92 (just as you pass the old Osceola Square Mall on the right side going west out of town) called JR Hobbies....he used to be well stocked and fair priced.

I have always had a thing for the MKI Rabbits, and yours looks good with the Pirelli rims!

DANNO, I do believe we have an understanding, and as I came off sounding 'rough', you did to her (in my opinion and by the look of some replies). Like I said, no harm-no foul. I agree that you telling me how to work an airframe or a CF34-8C3/5 would be overstepping your professional boundries, just as I telling you how to investigate would be WAY over my head. The brothers and sisters comment was intended as a shot at freedoms that some have fought and died to protect are being taken away by those who have no understanding of what it means to sacrifice for those freedoms nor consider the implications of those 'thoughts'. My perception was one of treading on her right to an opinion, as I saw it. You and your brothers/sisters in uniform do the same thing, protect rights.......which is why I thought your comments/replies odd and harsh. I hope this clears that up. Now, as to the 'accident'; shame about a good car being whacked and lives being put in danger. A lack of/miscommunication DEFINATELY happened. Who's fault is yet to be determined and may never be rightly placed.

Well Nick, I can see an improvement in your building skills with this build. That is a very good thing and I personally believe that with more time you will get even better. At least you (unlike me!) finish one!

Very nice STi.

And thank YOU for your EXPERT opinion there DANNO. Just because you wear a badge does NOT quailify you to make arrogant statements without knowing ALL of the facts either. Does me being a professional and LICENCED (by our federal government no less) aircraft mechanic (with quite a few years experience in many forms of aviation) make me a qualified expert to judge what happened in a plane crash? NO. Just like you, until I know all the facts, my answers would be best guesses based on working knowledge. Now step back, collect yourself, and think about what you say/type before you do. While you may not have meant to come off as a pr1ck, YOUR matter-of-factness did indeed accomplish just that. No harm-no foul though, but I do think that Michelle has some right to her own speculations just the same as you do......does she not? Or has that been taken away too, just like many of the other freedoms me and my brothers/sister fought/fight to protect?

Thank you Tim for your words on the TurboCoupe. It will wear scratchbuilt coil-overs (at the show), scratchbuilt 3 Link rear suspension (also at the show), scratchbuilt Watts Link rear-end locator, and a host of other goodies. The rim centers are finally finish-modified and ready to resin cast, and the front 21" sleeves are back at the machinist to have the 'oops, we forgot' .040" machined out of the inner wheel lip area. The engine will stay a 2.3 Turbo, but will wear the Volvo B234F DOHC conversion (just like my 1:1 1984 Mustang GT Turbo). I will show pics and thread this car when I have more done to it and more to report. And thanks to you and your fellow modelers who 31 years ago did decide to have the 'primer' table at your gathering. That was one of (if not THE) deciding factor for me to go to the NNL.

Thank you for adding that Derrick, and for proving both of our points.

There is a group of 4 or so guys who build those Pro-Mods (they are out of the Cleveland area) and each show they will alternate the names of the builders involved.

Yup, have to agree Dan....good meeting with a suprising amount of plastic on the tables!

No Eric, the T-Bird is a prototype platform for a lot of pieces going into my Mustang build and I have been keeping it under radar as I don't want yet another 'unfinished' W.I.P thread going. And thanks for the compliment Eric. It means a lot from another FOX guy.

You have to admit; given the circumstances here lately (read: all the B.S drama) that the original posters comments could very well be taken in multiple ways. Do I feel that his comment on 'works in progress' that somehow never get finished or rarely updated applies to me in some way.............yup. Why? Because I build extremely slow and life does get in the way of builds. Keep a roof over my head or finish that Subaru Impreza WRX STi build I have going from a refrigerator box behind K-Mart? Roof over my head wins. Scratchbuild that Cobra intake for my 1/24th scale Mustang or rebuild the engine in my 1:1 Mustang to get to work and back? Tough choice.......NOT! Sorry Skip, but you did come off sounding like an arrogant unmentionable word whether you meant it that way or not. And some of your reply posts don't fare you much better. Come to think of it, when have I seen anything from you in progress with CONSTANT updates? See my point (as I am SURE you will take umbrage to this even though it wasn't meant that way)? 'Sarcasm' or 'real intent' font hasn't been created yet.....................so think long before you type.

Thanks for the shots. As this was my first NNL ever, I can see that there is a wide array of talent there, as well as builders from all over (Even up from Australia!). The project table is where 2 of mine were; the 1991 Mustang GT conversion I have going in the FOX CBP thread and the Thunderbird TurboCoupe you took the shot of (up on Clothspins and a set of tweezers). The T-Bird did have one side of the car with the wheels under it for mock ride height, and to the one who was curious about the 'projects with bodies supported by wheels' deal; I cannot speak for everyone but if you look close at my T-Bird pic you will see the scratchbuilt front A-Arms, front and rear coilovers, and rear axles with the LCA mounting perches and tubular LCAs. The front wheels are custom-turned 21" sleeves with some 1/32 scale wheels turned down to fit, and the rears are 23" Pegasus sleeves with the same diecast wheels machined to fit. I also have the front fenders shortened .120" to accurately portray the 1:1 nose length, as well as the rear bumper cover being shortened .080" for scale representation. The interior is drilled and fitted for the cage going in. A lot of that cannot be seen in the photos; thus the explaination. Thanks again, and good to see some of the models I really enjoyed in photos!

This is just a personal observation as I have hit the local shows here, but: 1) What I have noticed is that there are all different skill levels represented at any one contest. 2) Judging criteria is quite subjective; it all depends on the show, judges, and the judges experience level as a builder as well as a judge. 3) If you think you don't have contest-worthy material, you are probably wrong. I think the same thing, and I have found that if I finish anything that it is as good or better than some contest entries. 4) To WIN at a contest takes a very well founded and executed knowledge of the basics......or......some super gee-whiz dang-up detail job. Again, this is based on the judges own criteria/personal beliefs. I have seen super-detailed junk win while a well build cleanly built model won't. That is all I have. Now, off to build something for next season!

Looks like I got talked into bringing my TurboCoupe project to the Toledo NNL, and will have it along with my Mustang on the project table.

Glad to see you back and to know your mates health is returning. Having been in a similar situation, I can understand and am glad all is well. I do reference others to this build if they have 'Bee questions and still peruse it from time-to-time myself. Hope to see more soon, and again I am glad you are back!

Well, I can tell you that actual calculations over the course of the last 4,000 miles of my cars original 271,000 mile life have been anywhere between 16-19mpg in town and between 26-28mpg on the highway. And this is from a 1991 Mustang GT 5.0/5spd/2.73:1 geared with the above never been rebuilt miles on the odometer.

This car will be at the Toledo NNL on the project table. If any of you are going, see you there.