ZTony8

I hope someone takes the challenge and buys Modelhaus so the products may continue but I suspect that the buy in price may be rather high.

When I got my computer back in the last century,I was going to put my kit inventory on it.When I realized that I'd have to inventory the stash(with far fewer kits than I have now) on paper and I'd have that paper copy,I didn't bother with a computerized list.

The Heller kits certainly have declined in design over the years.I have a Ferrari 330P4 kit from the 70s,3 versions of the McLaren M7,and a Testor boxed Porsche 917 and they're miles ahead in features and parts count from the greatly simplified WRC Peugeot,Citroen,and Mitsubishi kits from later on.

Very nicely done! I too built this version a few years ago but it didn't come out nearly as nice as this example.That multi piece blue lion can be a patience tester. I've got two or three more chances to do this version as nicely as this one(plus several kits of the other versions-safe to say it's one of my favorite rally cars).

At what places will the print version be available?

The first kit to try would be the Revell '70 Torino.I believe the instrument panels are different between the two cars and the interior trim would be different.Mechanically and structurally the real cars are the same. If you're swimming in cash,find an original MPC kit or maybe get really lucky and find a glue bomb.

Tamiya has it's own acrylic thinner-X20A.

I wonder if that Black Widow has no rear differential-just like the kit doesn't have one.

Enter the contest at the Detroit Autorama,March 6th thru 9th!You can enter as many entries as you like and there's no extra charge to enter over the Autorama admission.Entries have to be in by 6 p.m on the Saturday of the show.Upon contest entry you'll get a pass to return on Sunday to pick up your entries.That way you can see part of Autorama on one day and the rest of it on Sunday.And you can meet some local Detroit modelers at the contest booth,some with national recognition.Such a deal!

The TS-7 is similar to Ford Wimbeldon White.TS-26 is similar to GM Bright White.

I know the older Testor clear lacquer will work over their enamels.

Model Master paints aren't completely horrible but any Testor rattle can paint will spray out thicker than Tamiya paint and therefore will require more work to level it out.

You can also use the polishing cloths from a polishing kit.Depending on the depth of the scratches,try starting with the 6000 or 8000 grit cloths.You can always go coarser if the blemishes are deeper than first realized.

A couple of quick thoughts for you-Put a raised floor in it with ducts for a down draft booth and mount a fan motor in the lower area to take the fumes out through that little duct.Or drill a hole in the back wall for the fan motor and duct the fumes out the back.

Scott-If the Pocher Testarossa is anything like the Testor/Pocher version I fear you'll not be enamored of it.I have the Testor version and it was the most disappointing kit I ever had.When I read on the first page of the instruction booklet that there were "design economies" taken with the kit I knew I was in for trouble.Mismatched shades of paint on the body pieces and suspension screw mounts that stripped with the slightest force on the screws were just two of the joys I encountered.I wish you better luck.

Yes,it will work fine.It's an acrylic so it won't harm anything.One hint-if you brush it on,don't go over it with a second coat until the first coat dries.It will make an an unholy mess.

I'm partial to the styling of the '57 and '58 potato tail Eldorado Sevilles and the '71 and '72 Eldorado coupes.The last CTS-V wagons were interesting cars,too. I'd never consider a Caddy as a daily driver,it's not my type of car.My late aunt had Caddys for the last 30 or so years of her life.For her it was a status symbol. I had an opportunity to drive one of her Cadiilacs once.It was an early 80s vintage rear drive Fleetwood,just a couple years old at the time.The suspension set up was so mushy that the thing would get out of phase with the bumps and rolls of the pavement as it drove straight down the freeway.It was so loose it scared me to drive it.I mentioned my experience to my boss at the time(who had a similar vintage DeVille) and he could scarcely believe me until he had a chance to drive a Fleetwood.Then he told me he had the same experience and that his DeVille didn't drive like that.

The Jeep is out.I saw it in the hobby store this past weekend.

I wouldn't say I'm intimidated by it,it's more like often frustrated by it.I can't seem to always get the graininess out of it after burnishing it.

Magazine articles(old and recent),books,car shows,model contests,this forum,and brainstorms(does that constitute water on the brain?) all are project influences for me.

The Wildcat,along with the old tool Riviera, and the (late tool) Riviera are very different sizes.I don't have dimensions handy to check which one might be closer to correct scale.The new tool engine always looked too small to my untrained eye.

A light weekend-I bought the Glidden Pro Stock T-Bird reissue,some white Tamiya primer,some extra sharp X-acto blades,and some magnets for when I heat a Slot.it slot car chassis.

Around here (metro Detroit) you usually can't even give away a NASCAR kit.Local clubs even discourage using them as presents at the annual Christmas "Dirty Santa" gift exchanges.Anyone who tries it and is found out is openly criticized. Having said that,I was surprised last November when a vendor at the D.A.A.M. show was successful in unloading several Mongram and AMT NASCAR kits from his late brother's collection for $8 to $10 each.Most of these were Petty and/or Earnhardt kits.The others did languish and are still unsold. I have several NASCAR kits in my stash.I've never built one but with their low value I'm thinking I might build some just for the experience(after all,if I mess the thing up I have plenty more to use)and then use others for a good source of parts for other projects and for painting practice.

Tamiya solid color spray paints are wonderful to use.I did a quick spray job with TS-14 on a Lamborghini Countach(my Little Black Slambo) and it came great-no polishing needed!

When the dealership body shop my now ex wife worked at closed up,she got two good sized office desks and a good quality office chair out of the deal.I use one of the desks and the chair for my model building.