Scott H.

I voted real on this one too. There are just too many things in the picture that seem real to me. -Scott H.

Believe it or not, but I was talking to a friend of mine not too long ago and told him that if I won the lottery I would do something very similar to this. What I would do is buy an old grocery store that closed down, and divide it into sections. One section would be a well equipped hobby store, catering not only to models but R/Cs, trains, scratch building supplies, and doll crafting as well. BTW, 1/2 scale doll house items are close to 1/24th scale! A second section would be set up with cubicles similar to an office complex where people could bring in their own tools and paints (or purchase them in the store) to build their models in. They would have a locker area available to them for storage of said items, similar to a bus or train station. Wireless internet access would also be provided, but there would be NO computers provided by my company. Anyone that would be using the building / storage / internet area would have to sign a release form before they got access to it too. A third section would be devoted to an indoor R/C track with good ventilation so people could use it in good or bad weather. A fourth section would be a large meeting / gathering room for people to use for club meetings or shows that could be sectioned off to make the room smaller if necessary for club meetings. I would also start a NNL show for the area if possible. One of the main requests I will have for any one that worked in the hobby store would be that they learn about the products that are on the shelves. Even if they have no interest in the subject at hand, I have always believed that a sales person should have a working knowledge of their products. IF there were enough interest, I might provide a LOCKING glass showcase for people to be able to display their models. Only a few select people would have access to it, and would be responsible for placing the models in the case and removing them when the owner requests it. Photos of the model AND a signed display release would be required before it was placed into the case and a picture I.D. would be required for removal of the model. Well, that's my ideas on the subject... -Scott H.

Have you seen this build thread yet? Gone in 60 Seconds 1974 It might provide some inspiration to you. -Scott H.

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And not the good ones either! -Scott H.

The cab is definitely a 1967-72 Chevrolet or GMC, but the hood and grill shape are based off of the 1967-68 design. The 1969-72 Hoods were more squared off in the front and the trucks had an egg crate grill instead of the slotted ones in the earlier trucks. If they still make the 1967-68 resin trans kit, I would start with that for the customization of the front end to save time. From what I can see in the pictures, they extended the grill openings to the fender edges. I haven't looked for one in several years, so it might be a search before you find one. As for the bed, it looks like it would not be too difficult to make based off a step side bed using flat styrene stock. If you go to a home improvement store, check out their plastic no trespassing and for sale signs. If you take fine sand paper and smooth out where they painted the graphics on them and remove ALL the paint / ink from the areas to be bonded, they work out well for projects like this. Just make sure to get the thick signs, not the paper thin ones like I have seen in Wally World. Hope this helps, -Scott H.

Rob, I hear ya on the heat! Here on the coast of S.C. it gets so hot and muggy in the summer that you just can't hardly move without the A/C blasting on you! When the shed gets finalized for use, there's definitely going to be a small window unit sticking through the wall! As a good friend of mine once said: "A/C is NOT an option in this state!" Scott, That's something similar to what I was planning to do to my shed. Do you by chance have an exhaust fan in there? In each end of mine when I get back into being able to actually convert it again, I'm going to put in 2 cheap bathroom fans that I removed from my old house when I remodeled the bathrooms in it. I figure that should be good enough to clear out the paint fumes and cigarette smoke when needed. -Scott H.

Guys, I've seen pictures here and there of people's work areas and was wondering what other people have set up? Right now I'm using a tray table that I can set up and take back down when needed because I haven't made a permanent place for building again yet. As I was starting to clean out an old storage shed I rarely use any more to convert it to my dedicated hobby room, I found out it as has a bad roof and is leaking. Until I fix it, I'm stuck with my tray table... So... Whaddya got??? Inquiring minds want to know! -Scott H.

It looks like you have the process of posting photos down now, they came through perfectly. I should have gone further into your Photobucket page because I missed those! You have done a real good job with it and each time I look at the pictures I see something else in the details I missed the first time I looked at the pictures! -Scott H.

Jody, Sorry to hear of your setback. I've been out of a job since May due to a company merger and haven't been able to find anything yet. I have actually been told (off the record, of course) that if I were 20 years younger, could live on minimum wages & part time hours, and didn't need health insurance I would be working tomorrow. Maybe you can add a little income by ramping up your resin business a little and doing the eBay thing??? It's worth a shot! Keep your spirits high and don't let the job market get you down! There is something out there for you somewhere! -Scott H.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh! George, You're going to ruin the perfectly good bad reputation I have worked so hard to make!!! -Scott H.

No problem. I'm glad to help when I can and definitely agree that a CLEAN work bench is a sign of a SICK MIND!!!

Mike, Get a hold of George if he hasn't responded to your post. He used a couple of Chris' kits in Smallville if I remember right. Link to George's Smallville post on here Hope this helps, -Scott H.

Mike, Here's the link: javathehut4 Java, Are these the pictures you were wanting to post? That is a nice diorama! Well built! -Scott H.

Nice work on the dash! I'll have to try the glue trick for gauge lenses in the future. Going by the GMC Astro I have the unfortunate ability to say I had driven in my youth, paint it greasy, oily, grimy black with flaking rusty metal. Seriously, I could not tell you what color was under the grime! Every time the shop fixed a leak on it, something else would start leaking!!! Every time my '67 Mack would go into the shop for PMs, I would get stuck with that thing and would hound the mechanics mercilessly until I got my old reliable Mack back! Before I was done driving the truck, I did have a "rubber duck" hood ornament put on it but I never did manage to talk them into letting me paint it black and put a white brush guard on it... It sure wasn't for a lack of trying though!!! -Scott H.

Clay, I too suffer from the quick eating problem. I've tried to start chewing and eating slower, but just can't seem to break the habit (Kinda like smoking - I can't kick that either). My solution was to start cutting everything into smaller sizes that can't choke me easily. Glad to hear you're ok, -Scott H.

If the walls in your pictures are the ones supplied in the kit you bought, it looks like they have updated the kit. The walls my kit were cardboard and only had a printed stucco looking texture on them, not bricks like is in your pictures. I honestly hope that they did update the kit since I bought mine and started including styrene walls instead of the cardboard ones I received. It would make a much better display if they did! I like the way your diorama turned out! It's just busy enough to look like a real garage without being over done. -Scott H.

Unfortunately I had not heard of Fotki until I started looking around here, but I have used Photobucket for years. I have not had any problem out of it what so ever, but I also have all my photos and albums set to private too. Hopefully someone can answer your question better than I can, -Scott H.

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My magazine arrived yesterday and there are some very interesting articles in there! While looking through the magazine I happened across the Picture of David Morton's in progress show truck above the COMA group photo. I've known David for years and Gregg, you're absolutely correct when you said you have to see it in person to believe it! David had it here at our Charleston show and we sat there for a while talking about all the details he hand made for the truck! Not only is David a great modeler, he's also one of the friendliest people I have met in a long time and will gladly talk to you about how to do something if he knows how. I wish I had some pictures of his past builds to show you as his building skills are amazing! When that puppy is done I HIGHLY RECOMMEND shooting it for a magazine article! -Scott H.

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I bought the kit way back in '88 or '89 when I first saw it. Ed is right on the money with the size of the base. If you wish for it to be big enough to look like a decent garage, you're going to need 3 more base kits. The tools in the kit are nice and can be built well, but like Rand said if you put everything on a single base a car will not fit in there too. The K.I.S.S. principle definitely applies here. What I used to use mine for before an ex girlfriend destroyed it, among several other of my models, was as a back drop for taking pictures of my models. It worked GREAT for that!!! The biggest suggestion I have is to put a clear coating of some sort to seal the CARDBOARD walls on the kit! White glue is what I used on mine after the walls started bowing due to the humidity this state ALWAYS has. Over all, I think it's going to be a good first start for you. Not too difficult to assemble, but it has enough details to keep you interested. Hope this helps, -Scott H.

I like the diorama but there isn't enough empty beer cans in the yard! Seriously, good job on building it! -Scott H.

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How about a roll back type of rig? Just an idea, -Scott H.