BigGary

Well, it certainly stands out from the crowd now! Gary

Now all you need is the Mercedes, Cadillac or Acura for the ambulance chaser lawyer. Make it money green. Gary

Paid to work on models while on duty?! What a deal! We all should be so lucky. Is this going to be a Duke's car? Gary

Here I go and make a serious attempt to give a serious answer, and the funny men (in more than one sense of the word) took over the thread. Oh, well... Gary

Once you get your car stripped and primered, remember that you can go to discount stores like Ollie's, Big Lots, Wal-Mart, etc. and buy decent spray paint for about the same price as tiny little jars of model paint. I recently bought a nice metallic red spray paint at a discount store for 99 cents. Testor's Model Masters paint is near $4 for a small jar. The 99 cent paint sprayed perfectly and looks killer. Paint brushes are for details. Gary

One of the basic aspects of our economy is that when people have less money to spend, they spend it on necessities. I hate to be a bearer of bad news, but model cars and supplies are not necessities. Food, clothes, housing, gasoline, transportation, etc. are necessities. Rising unemployment means less money to spend on "extras" like models. Recent news tells us that in the U.S., the amount of money going into savings is on the rise. The uncertainty of the future in this economy has people saving their money. Nearly every business is showing slower sales than last year, and model makers and suppliers are not the exception. There are signs that the economy is slowly turning around, but the recent 31% increase in the cost of new model kits isn't going to help. Less than a year ago you could buy a new Revell car kit for less than $20 anywhere. Since last summer the price of a new Revell car kit has gone from around $17 to nearly $25. Its not entirely Revell's fault however. The combination of higher crude oil prices last summer, higher transportation costs, and a slowing economy have reduced model company revenues and increased expenses. We've already seen this among the Japanese manufacturers. It used to be that Japanese Kits were competitive with US prices, but the economy in Japan has slowed and shipping expenses have gone up. While the quality of some Japanese kits has improved greatly, it costs money to make those improvements and make the new tooling. As the US economy improves and Americans have more money to spend, the model companies will be less reluctant to bring out new kits and products. We'll have to wait and see. Gary

Outside shot of...? I think you left something off. No picture, no drawing. hmm... Gary

Fletch, did you really start off with the AMT Boyd Coddington '32 Ford? No wonder it took so much work. I took one look at thet kit kit and said, "You're kidding, right?" I never gave it another look. Gary

I didn't notice anybody addressing this so I'll throw in my 2 cents. The Cuda notchback in the picture is a '69. The giveaway is the side marker lights. The '67, which I had, didn't have side marker lights. The '68 had those little round lights that all '68 Chrysler products had. The '69 had the big rectangular lights you see in the picture and were used for several years in variations. My '67 Barracuda Notch was given to me when I got married in '72. My mother bought it new in late '67 after the '68's had already come out. I drove it for 3 years, then bought a red and white '73 Charger. Everybody seemed to want to buy that car from me. I eventually traded it in on a Nova. Gary

Its nice to see Ricky actually finished something. It is finished isn't it Ricky? I passed up a golden opportunity to buy those Scouts when thats all W-M had left. Gary

Before the popularity of VW-based buggies got started, this is what they were. Most didn't run slicks, just whatever fat tires could be found. Gary

how about he makes a Hemi '69 Charger Daytona next. I want to hear that one! Although the 100 cc flat 12 is cool. Gary

DJ, How about doing a thread on photographing models? MCM had a good article a couple months back that you could expand on for us. Thanks, Gary

Man I love this Chevy! When someone said, "Who wants creativity? You said, "Give me a tanker full!" I really dig the Big Block V-6. That takes the cake. I haven't built this kit but it has always interested me. My Aunt had one when I was a kid. I've seen several 1:1 cars fixed up and always liked them, mostly because you don't see them everywhere. Gary

Somebody tell Mazlak to put a picture of his jeep funny on here. Its a lot better thatn the bug eyed Sprite he puts with every post. Gary

I noticed a lot of the modelers who answered here are also woodworkers. I guess I'm not alone buying MCM and "WOOD" every month or so. I can tell you this much, model building tools are cheaper and only take off part of your finger instead of a bunch at a time. And I never got a plastic splinter in my finger. Gary

I don't have any scoops, but I'm guilty of buying some kits for parts. I recently bought the Revell ’68 Charger for all the extra parts. Extra Hemi, 3 sets of wheels including steelies, extra tires, etc., etc. Same is true of the ’66 Chevelle wagon from Big Lots, bought 5 of those at $5 each. A good source for BB Chevy & nice wheels. Also got a Dale Jr. NASCAR racer for parts. Not to mention the DONKS kits that are great w/o the oversize wheels. I hit the jackpot back at Thanksgiving at a yard sale. 8 kits for $10, 4 unopened cans of Testors spray paint, one kit autographed by the driver. What a deal! Keep your eyes open. They are out there. Gary

It looks like Dave is going to have some leftover '69 Vette parts when he gets through. Harry did you a favor with his copmputer drawing. I bet he'd charge a bundle if you asked him to do it, but since it was for fun, we all get to enjoy it. Thanks, Harry Gary

That garage reminds me of the one I had in '99, '01, 04, '06, and the one I'm cleaning out for the next move. A lot of junk to go through and get rid of. Watching that show on HGTV about clearing clutter helps my wife with this problem, but she gets the inspiration and I do the work. We also have many tubs of stuff that's "too good to throw away and clothes I'll get back into soon". I've insisted that the clothes be cut down to one tub. Goodwill Ind. is going to make out like a bandit! Great wife, very intelligent, pack rat syndrome. Gary

I'm glad I'm not paying your BMF bill. Those ol' Fords had a ton of bright stuff on them in 3 colors. I'm waiting to see this one finished. Gary

In the Aug/Sept issue of MCM, (you do read MCM don't you?) there is an article on a '58 Buick with tons of chrome. In it Randy Derr turned down some '65 Riviera wheels to fit the late 50's style wsw tires. That's just one of the things you can do with a lathe. I'm keeping my eyes open for a good deal on a Unimat. Gary

My old hometown, Modesto, CA, was a hotbed of street racing in the 60's. I was involved, and that's all I'm going to say. When I went to Texas in '72, my mother sent me a clipping from the Modesto Bee about 2 law enforcement officers street racing down McHenry Ave., and not out in the country either! They both had "days off without pay". I can't help but wonder if they were a couple "traitor" buddies of mine who went straight. Gary

Save that escrow money for a few more months, then see if you can buy the building for taxes or something, then you too can be a land (slum) lord and have your buddies move into the other apartments. You have keys to all the places, make hay while the sun shines. If you really get desparate, I hear you can buy a house in Detroit for $1. lol Gary

Dave, You have a PM. Call a.s.a.p.!

Let's see. Snow in Vegas, Up North freezing to death, no power, downed power lines, trees blocking the road, snow in New Orleans last week. You say its caused by global WARMING!? I don't think so-o-o! In 1975 they said we were headed for another Ice Age. I fact, someone said that recently. gary