ZTony8

James, that's quite a haul of some cool stuff.Are the Gunze 250 GTOs the kits with the engine? I managed to score a Tamiya McLaren MP4/8 kit along with a Jordan 191 and a Honda RA272 plus some detail parts.Then I got a Fujimi RS series 246 Dino kit.

IF you want a deeper candy red use copper as your base coat.It will look like the Mazmanian Willys.

Re the topper:Is she attempting to push you over a cliff?

If you've never built that Pocher 1/8 F40 I think you'll be disappointed.If it's the same kit as Testor reboxed for sale over here it's full of compromises(says "design economies taken" on the instruction sheet).Easily stripped screw mounts and mismatched paint are just two of the faults I encountered.By far the biggest disappointment in a kit I've ever experienced.Sell it if you get the chance-let someone else fret over it's assembly.

This is a minor point and probably not changeable now but the car in the illustration is going the wrong way on the beach. The races were run with the water being on the passenger side(cars going north on the beach). I don't know if the speed trials they ran during Speedweeks back then were run the opposite way of the race.

I stopped there Saturday on the way home from the Sylvania,Ohio show(I don't get a chance to get to that area of town often-it's almost an hour from my house) .Took over 90 minutes to finally decide what I wanted to buy because there were so many tempting kits.Finally bought a couple of kits and some paint from Jon and Melissa-Friendly people willing to help you get what you need.

My haul from last Saturday-From the show in Sylvania I got a Fujimi GT40 and Lamborghini Diablo kit(which,I found out,is a screw together kit,not a gluer or a snapper),a Tamiya Porsche 956,3 Porsche 911 glue bombs,and some carbon fiber decal sheets. On the way home I stopped at the Model Cave and picked up the Revell Red Bull RB8 (the S.Vettel version which I understand is now sold out),a Heller '03 Citroen Xsara rally car,and some Alclad black base,bright silver base and some ruby red iridescent paint.

I had : 1)A 1971 Firebird Formula 455 H.O. 4 speed.Sold for $900 before my daughter was born. 2)A 1979 Malibu 305 4V factory 4 speed.Sold it to dimbulb brother in law who took out 4 speed parts to make a drag racing automatic car. Almost had: 1) A rust free '57 Chevy Bel Air post coupe from Colorado for $400.A friend was selling his house where his brother in law was storing it and it had to be moved.I had no storage space so I had to let it pass. 2)A '65 G.T O. convertible for $900.It had just had some accident repair done to it but the front end still had a strong pull.I offered less because of the unknown expenses neede to make it right but the owner wouldn't budge on the price.

You don't have forego competition.Just realize that if the judges can't properly evaluate all the details of your entry it may not place as highly as it could if all the details could be judged.If you want to take that risk it's up to you.How important is that trophy or kit awarded as your prize? Past winners are allowed in the contests around here.It's the entrant's call as to what class they enter.That would depend on how much the entrant wants another award for the model.The former Best in Show winners,for example,often end up in Display Only.We had that situation last weekend when Steve Perry brought his two former Best in Show winners,the Prock & Howell Willys and the Peters & Frank Freight Train and had them in Display Only.

There's nothing very close to Downtown Detroit.On your way in from Muskegon try stopping at the Model Cave in Ypsilanti(an excellent selection in a small place and the owner is a great guy).If you want to try driving a little further out from Downtown there's Whistle Stop on Harper Avenue in St.Clair Shores,P&D on Groesbeck in Roseville,Prop Shop Hobbies on Van Dyke in Warren(small model selection there),or Great Lakes Hobby on Van Dyke north of 19 Mile Road in Utica.

If an entrant chooses "Display only" it's their choice.This mostly occurs with past show winners anyway.We don't force anyone to have(or not have) their entry judged. If judges cannot properly evaluate the work done to an area of an entry then the entry may not place as highly as it might if all the work could be seen.Using a mirror (and/or maybe lights) doesn't always guarantee being able to accurately see the amount or quality of work on an entry.If we can't see it,we can't judge it.As long as an entrant is fine with not getting a deserved award or places lower in a class because of the inability to evaluate the entry properly,all well and good.Just don't complain later that the entry wasn't fairly judged. I had a similar situation years ago at a real car show.My station was judging some safety items.A very low miles '64 Plymouth came through.We asked him to work the wipers.He refused,stating that he didn't want to put rubber on the windshield.We couldn't tell if the wipers worked or not so we marked them "inoperative" and he lost points.

For many years now I've had multiple builds going on at once.When I was a kid I wasn't like that-I did one at a time.Then I read a column by Ben Millspaugh in Car Model magazine and he suggested building more than one at a time,his theory being that the down time of one model was filled with the active time of another model.I took that advice to heart and almost 50 years later here I am with way too many started projects.So I blame Ben Millspaugh.And I'm considering going back to only one project at a time-as soon as I finish my current backlog!

In the Metro Detroit area we have no rules about how long a model is eligible for judged awards in any contest.It's more of a "What's best in the classes in this contest today?"If a model built years ago is the best in that day's contest,so be it.We had exactly this situation in Box Stock at the Autorama model contest this past weekend.The first place winner was a Revell '68 Dart built at least 5 years ago(the entrant also entered several more builds that were 4 or more years old). For a "People's Choice" award,generally the earlier your entry goes on the table and the more popular the build subject is what garners that prize(that old "Gotcha Factor" works here). I'm personally a very slow builder-I finished four models last year(a cold build area will do that).So I rarely have a fresh build to bring to a show thereby requiring me by default to bring an old build.I'm also not anywhere near a contest winning builder so when I do happen to get an award it's always a pleasant surprise.

My point is about underside and other detailing.The '39 Chevy had none(and had no extra detail in the engine compartment either) whereas the models that took first,second and third had extra detail underneath and in the engine compartment.That more than compensated for only the lovely finish on the '39 Chevy. A judging guide would be most helpful in evaluating a model in a contest.I realize that most modelers can't/won't make one but it would go a long way in possibly alleviating a builder's nervousness about having the entry picked up and handled.If there is no prepared guide then give as much information as possible on the entry form about modifications and build methods. If anyone has ever seen one of Steve Perry's entries at a GSL or one of our contests here in Detroit his judging guides are the "gold standard".They're ring bound and fully illustrated with photos and several pages long describing in depth how and why he built what he built.I've kidded him about them being so professionally done,telling him he should enter one of his guides in the Miscellaneous class at one of our contests. A final thought-if you enter a judged contest and don't want your model picked up or moved for photography put it in a "Display Only-do not judge" category or mark it as such on the entry form. P.S.- Roger,I think you're missing the point about having your model photographed by one of the magazines.They think it's good enough to warrant wider notice by the modeling community so they want to visually record it.They're not going to ask you for any photos you might have of your model.

For at least the contest at the Detroit Autorama next year we're considering banning display bases.There's some debate as to how much the display should be part of the entered model(excepting dioramas,of course).The current feeling is that the base isn't part of the model and should be ignored for judging purposes. Picking up a truck and trailer?If they can be separated for judging,they will be separated. Underside detail and craftmanship can be the difference between models being awarded or not if the other parts of the models are equally well done.An excellent example is a '39 Chevy sedan delivery entered in the Street Rod class in last weekend's Autorama model contest here in Detroit.This entry had a beautiful fogged blue paint job(and except for an unfortunate scratch in one front fender it would have been awarded Best Paint) but there was no extra detailing done with painting or parts to the model.It was basically box stock.It didn't even place in class judging.

I've judged at several contests in the Metro Detroit area for a few years now and we routinely pick up the entries(except curbside,of course).If you enter a judged contest in any class except curbside you should expect that your entry will be handled(carefully) to be properly judged.It's part of the process.We don't intentionally harm the models while judging.Sometimes parts fall off or break,which makes us judges uncomfortable-we don't want to be blamed for damage to a model.The spectators are more of a hazard to the entries.Aside from signs indicating that spectators shoudn't touch the models about the only thing that can be done is to put up a barrier a safe distance away from the contest tables.If that distance is too great then the models can't be seen very well and the spectators are disappointed.Bottom line-If you don't want your model handled,don't enter a judged contest.That's what's good about an NNL for people who get vapors if their entries are touched.

It's supposed to be a 250 GTO.It looks as mis-shapen as the old Aurora mold(which it may be-it certainly looks like the Aurora version).If I'm recalling correctly that kit was originally supposed to be a 250 SWB Berlinetta and was changed late in the development process.That partly explains why the nose is the wrong shape.

Way to go on getting them involved in something more than an electronic box that,at most,will just beep and buzz.I hope they stick with the build. P.S.-you have an excellent writing style.

Yeah,that Sunoco livery looks cool!Or-how about the all white Jim Hall car from 1970?

I bought two or three tire sets of the wide and narrow slicks at the Hobby Lobby in Sterling Heights,Mi. with the 40% off coupons.Can hardly beat $4.80 plus tax for $12 sets of tires.Lately,though,they haven't had any more sets.I've looked all around the model area for them,thinking that they were partly hidden like the previous sets.Someone on the staff must have wised up.

There are many skills needed for the different forms of motorsport with emphasis varying according to the form.Some examples-Stock car drivers need stamina and strong neck and shoulder muscles to endure 140 degree heat in the cars wearing what is effectively thermal underwear and high G loads on banked tracks.Drag racers need quick reaction times.Formula 1 drivers need endurance(even for two hour races) because they get to sit in a cockpit that's a cross between a bathtub and a torture chamber(try sitting in your tub for two hours with your legs elevated to faucet level and you about have it)and work the controls.Rally drivers need hand/eye coordination for precise car control at high speed on varying surfaces(large gonads help,too ).

I've used old electric shaver foils and cutting combs for mesh grilles and custom grilles.These are the straight styles, not the rotary styles.The rotary style cutters might make interesting wheel centers or covers.

I have a 2008 HHR,2.4 engine,5 speed manual trans.The EPA mileage figures on the Monroney label state 20 m.p.g city,28 highway.I AVERAGE 23 to 29 m.p.g. depending on the season.The highway mileage tops out at about 30-31 m.p.g. because the litlle thing is such a brick.I used to average the same 30-31 on the highway with my 93 Cavalier 3.1 V-6 automatic wagon! The now ex wife had an '87 EXP when we married.You'd think it was built light until you tried to lift the hood.That hood must have weighed 100 pounds!

Reminds me of some aftermarket Model T hubcaps from several years ago.The script on the cap was done in the same style as the original part but instead of "Ford" it said "Fool".