ZTony8

The Great Invisible Floor Monster recently ate one of the carb/manifolds from a Manx buggy I was building.I saw it drop and searched for several minutes all around my work area to no avail.So back into the box the model goes until I find a replacement carb.

If you can find decal sheets from some of the Tamiya rally car kits those suppliers are on those sheets.They're small because they're meant to go on the seat backs.

Niko-all the detail items except the seat belts already come in the kit and the routings are called out on the instruction pages.

I have the F50.It's a cheapish copy of the Revell kit-some of the parts trees compare as far as where the parts are positioned on them.I think that the body mold may have been polished because the body is smooth and VERY shiny-almost like it already has a coat of clear lacquer on it.The rest of the parts DO look like they've been clear coated.

It was last Thursday when I was walking back to work from lunch at my usual rapid pace when I made a misstep off of a curb,fell down, and broke my nose.It's healing well with an almost unnoticeable shiner on one side and some minor scabbing to go with the 5 stitches on the bridge of my nose.No,I'm not going to slow down my walking pace.Then I'd REALLY feel old!

This is good news.If the old set of decals I have for my Gene Snow version crumble on me I can get a set of the Hawaiian's and paint the body.

RMR was still finalizing his offering as of last November but he has cast some bodies.One of my club members (and fellow HHR owner )bought one of them.

Interesting.I understood it was going to be offered through RMR after talking with him at the D.A.A.M. show last November.Maybe there's gonna be dueling resin HHRs?

Ask her to show you the ropes

My current cat,Zoey,is from my daughter's ex boyfriend's house when she lived there.The ex boyfriend's idiot mother told him to find Zoey a new home or she was going to put him down.My daughter went there and got Zoey and,in tears,brought him to me saying that she'd find him a new home soon.Nearly 6 years later now Zoey still hasn't left.He's become my buddy and my shadow-constantly following me around the house,even staying in the basement with me when I'm painting models.He's happiest when he can "lap nap" on me when I'm watching TV in my recliner.

Let's see.Sold for $4.2million.Less 8% seller commission of $336,000.Now you have to figure tax on the capital gain from the profit of $4,199,999.One of my model buddies makes most of his income now from selling things and he says the tax rate on the gains is 40 percent.So old Georgie's gonna net something less than $2 million.

The description that always amused me was on the AMT anniversary edition of the '68 B body Plymouth.AMT's license agreement with Warner Brothers had run out so they couldn't use the Road Runner markings or wording.So on box it says something like "anniversary edition of a version of a kit never issued before" (I'm at work and the box isn't so I'm paraphrasing).I laugh every time I see that wording.

Hockey? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ AKA Boxing on ice.

Just as in 1958 when that version of the Corvette showed that Harley Earl had lost his touch,the 2014 version shows that Ed Welburn and his staff have lost THEIR touch.This thing is unoriginal,derivitive,and just over wrought.From the Ford grille shape to the Ferrari /Dodge headlights to the Ferrariesque sides to the Camaro tailights this thing just screams "copycat".And just like the 1958 version this thing has way too many lumps,bumps,and phony gills and vents.Is Ed Welburn 65 yet?

Hmmm.Testor's enamel.You're a brave man.Still a beautiful finish.

You're so very fortunate to have kept your bike.I had a green 1968 vintage 5 speed fastback and my buddy had a purple 1967 edition.Both are long gone. I had tons of fun on that bike.It was my "car" before I had my license.My buddy and I rode ours one day with a strong tail wind and got them up to about 30 m.p.h..At that speed those bikes had a definite stability problem!And it was torture riding them back into the wind.

Craig-Yes those are custom parts for the Mercury.And there are 2 sets on the tree. I know there's a lot reshaping to do to make it a true Bel Air(the roof and quarter window shapes would also need altering).I wanted to go with an MCW resin Delray body and add the Impala moldings from a Revell '58 Impala kit but my co-builder said that his buddy isn't worried about it being all that close.So this thing is gonna be kind of a part way correct deal.

I hope that the Testarossa isn't brought back.I got one as a Christmas gift years ago(boxed as a Testor/Pocher) from my now ex wife.It was the most disappointibg kit I've ever had.I knew I was trouble when I read the cover page of the instruction manual and it mentioned that there were "design economies" taken with the kit.Then it went downhill from there.The paint on the doors didn't match the rest of the body,most of the suspension attaching screws stripped out,and the opening panels didn't line up properly.No way was that kit worth the $200 price.

Oh yeah.These bezels are dead on-definitely '58 Bel Air.

Another modeler and I are working on a project to build a close replica of his buddy's '58 Chevy Bel Air.One of the needed changes is to go from triple to double tail lights on each side.We've been kicking ideas around and I was almost to the point of just filling the holes in the body and cutting away at the kit's taillight bezels.Yesterday I was looking at some kits in my stash.One of them was the reissued '64 Mercury Marauder.In checking out the chrome parts tree I spotted a familiar shape.Yup-right on the tree were the exact taillight bezels I need.Whooda thunk it?

This is really two separate questions.You can buy a new issue expensive kit that will still be fairly common like a Big Deuce or even a Studio 27 multi media kit.Those would be definite builds. Then there are the old,possibly never reissued, kits that can be cheap or expensive.Those I may or may not build.Good examples of each-I had an unbuilt,factory wrapped MPC Cosma Ray Vette kit.I was sorely tempted to open and look at it as I had never seen the kit contents.But I knew that if I did that I would lower the value of the kit.I kept it sealed and sold it last year.Since then,another modeler found an opened,started one and brought it to our meeting so I finally got to see the contents.I also have unbuilt AMT '61 Buick convertible and hardtop kits that I bought for about $8 each( a fortune at the time) at a toy show about 30 years ago.They're in bags and have photocopied instructions and no decals so the collector value is almost nil compared to a boxed,complete kit.I haven't found the right inspiration to build them but I have no qualms about building them when I do get the right motivation.

Good to know I wasn't the only one to be cursed by New Years.I managed to lose one of the carb/manifolds on the Manx kit I was working on.I dropped it and it just disappeared.I couldn't find it after 30 minutes of searching.I think it vaporized before hitting the floor. Ah well-once more into the breech tonight to try more model work.Maybe I won't drop or break anything this time.

I've been one of the judges at the Detroit Autorama model contest for the past few years so I'm able to speak from experience as to what criteria are used in judging.We look for build quality first and then the amount and type of modifications.If the modifications aren't done well then that model doesn't fare as well as a model with fewer (or no) modifications but better assembly quality.The things we look for in build quality are: 1) How well the model is painted.Does the gloss paint shine?Has the model been color sanded and/or polished?Is there rub through or runs or sags or thin spots?Fingerprints?Are underhood and interior details highlighted by paint? 2)How cleanly the parts are attached.Are there visible glue spots or marks in the paint from glue seepage?Are parts firmly attached or just barely hanging on? 3) Are parts attached where they should be attached?Are they lined up properly(i.e no sagging bumpers or exhaust pipes or wheels wth excess camber)?Are there major parts missing?( I don't know how many times I've seen nice appearing models downgraded by missing driveshafts-and no, these weren't entries in a Curbside class) 4)How well any modifications are done.This ranges from heavy ones like sectioning or top chopping to easier ones like added photoetched pieces or wiring or plumbing.Are the body mods done cleanly?Is the wiring/plumbing done neatly?Is it routed to the proper location?Are the photoetched pieces installed neatly and in the correct location? Futurabat-I've never seen or heard of a contest where "surreptitious" points were given for a particular company's products.Sometimes an aftermarket company will sponsor an award for best use of it's product(s) but there's nothing sinister in that. Chuck- a model can't have "too many bits added on" unless those bits were added in duplication or put in the wrong place.What matters is if they were added correctly and cleanly.It all comes down to build quality.More doesn't always mean better.

Hoarder?Nah! Some people invest in gold or gems,I invest in styrene futures. I've got a bit over 1,000 kits.That makes a few more models than that because of multiple models in one box (like the AMT Musclecar Classics or the 3 and 5 Corvette sets).I'll pick up kits when I find a good deal on ones I enjoy but not ones I don't ( I don't build show rods,for example-and no ships,planes,or tanks.Zero interest there).I have duplicates of many,but not all,kits. They're my insurance policy.I'm gonna live to build them all.So far,so good.

Adding to this-I looked at my old Garlits version and saw that the front of the frame where the front axle attaches is different on the YA version.It's narrower on the YA to accomodate the different style front axle.