charlie8575

Never even knew of this one. Nice job, Alan. Charlie Larkin

I'll say it turned out okay...it turned out great. Steve, between subject matter and execution, you're one of my favorite people to watch post stuff. Charlie Larkin

Very nice. I like that blue, too. Charlie Larkin

That's really starting to look like Marina Blue. Very nice work on that, Mike. I really can't wait to see this one on a table near us. Charlie Larkin

Strive for excellence. Never forget you're human and more often than not, you can get in your own way. Charlie Larkin

After all the time I spent teaching, I wish more parents would take the hint from that simple sentence. Charlie Larkin

MORE neat stuff. I voted for the 1/24 Super Cub. That might make a neat display piece with cars. Charlie Larkin

Seven hundred horsepower?? Wow. I hope the roads had thoroughly dried. Charlie Larkin

In the sense Dan and I were talking about...well, that results from "quick" creations, too! Seriously, nice job on this. Charlie Larkin

Nicely executed. Charlie Larkin

Start 'em young! This makes me very happy to see. Charlie Larkin

Curious- who makes the Northstar? Charlie Larkin

This will be a very nice-looking car. Charlie Larkin

I don't build rods myself, really, but I do like this. Very nice job on this, Wayne. Charlie Larkin

Mr. Mike- nice kit. Pontiac Engine Blue is good for the metallic blue areas of the interior. For the dash pad, hit it with some flat. Testors Sea Blue with a drop or two of flat white will get you real close to the carpet. Mike Sarris- very impressive results with the polishing. Charlie Larkin

Or words to that effect.... Charlie Larkin

Agreed. Go back to my proposal waaaaay back. Here's a few names we could try. Town Car- big flagship with full-frame construction (or at least Chrysler style unit/sub-frame construction,) Coyote V8 power and a strong (Prius-type) hybrid available or a diesel, all engines have stop/start to get great in-city mileage. Navigator- Anti-Escalade; ditch the '15 twin-turbo V6 and go with a diesel V8 or hybrid gas Coyote V8. Continental (MKS)- A6/E-Class/GS-ES fighter. Eco-Tec V6 and all-wheel-drive standard. Start-stop standard with disable feature to keep engine running in conditions where stop-and-go/slow/poor acceleration is a problem, like snow and ice. Zephyr(MKZ)- 3-series/C-Class/A4 fighter. V-6 with or without hybrid and start-stop. All-wheel-drive standard. Mark IX (new car)- halo car, perhaps to sell against the Infiniti G-series coupes. Mustang-derived. Choice of Eco-Tec V6 or Coyote V8. Capri- Four-seat convertible. Small V8 standard. Aviator (MKX)- mid-sized crossover to sell against the RX, Audi Q-series, Infiniti's overstuffed Pathfinder, SRX and the BMW X5. Premier (MKT)- I'm not entirely sure what it would compete against, but it seems to have found a niche with limo companies that want something a little smaller than a Navigator. Blackwood (MKC)- small, nicely appointed utility vehicle, stretched Escape platform for a little extra rear legroom, small Eco-Tec V6 and AWD standard with start/stop. Good start? Charlie Larkin

Not necessarily, Tim. What I think a lot of us here aren't happy about is this scenario coming soon to a Lincoln dealer near you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaZqQLpbjFU Every one of those cars in that ad- the GM cars and the Lincolns, all shared chassis and a lot of the greasy bits. The difference is that Lincoln in the 1980s made an honest effort to fully, completely distinguish itself from less-expensive cars in Ford's stable. I don't know if you saw my proposed ideas or not a few pages back, but you'll notice that everything I suggested says "use what's in the parts bin." Every multi-division automobile company has done this since the dawn of the industry. Ford and Chrysler shared basic engine designs (sometimes with different displacement,) and suspension parts. GM shared a lot of cowl and roof structures, as well as more than a few chassis components, but had unique sheetmetal and interiors that allowed each car to have its own personality. Lincoln has largely, sadly, reduced itself to Ford in a tuxedo, much like Mercury become a Ford in a suit. If Lincoln is to have continued viability, they really need to look at Cadillac, where GM finally realized "hey, if we want to be #1 again, we really need to start making some unique products." Personally, I'm not a big fan of the current Cadillacs- I think most of them are downright ugly. I'd much rather have the '62 Sedan deVille for sale next town over from me than anything they're making now, with the exception of a CTS wagon. I really want to see Lincoln come back with full force, but that won't happen until Ford becomes fully committed to making Lincoln a fully distinctive range again. And right now, I'm not seeing it, with a few exceptions and those exceptions, at least stylistically, aren't quite what they should be. The MKC could've been better- to justify the extra cost, the turbo V-6 standard and perhaps a 3-5 inch stretch in the wheelbase for more rear seat room would've done it with little added cost (relative to the rest of the project.) That would be a luxury cute-ute that could fully justify the extra price tag. As it is now....I don't think it does. Charlie Larkin

Yeah, what he said. Charlie Larkin

Joe, have you considered calling a tow truck, or perhaps your police department? If they're interfering with business, perhaps the other strip-mall store owners/managers can band together and file a class-action complaint with the police department. If that happens, Enterprise will be on due notice to clean up their act, or face fines and yes, the manager could be cited for contempt of police order, which is a misdemeanor in Massachusetts, probably there, too, but it's still a criminal charge, and that will not sit with the higher-ups. Charlie Larkin

Dad has to watch blood pressure (partially hereditary, and partially because of the morons he works with/for...VA, need I say more?,) and I've been swearing by Mrs. Dash in most varieties for a long time. It tastes good and has no salt. It's not "cheap," but it's not too bad, either. Occasionally, you can get big bottles of the stuff at pretty hefty discount, and it shows up from time to time at Ocean State Job Lot- Big Lots might have it, too, on occasion, at very noticeable savings, or something comparable. I use olive oil when possible/advisable/practical and canola oil otherwise. Olivio is good, too. The fat-free stuff isn't, but the regular stuff is pretty good and doesn't have too much of the nasty stuff in it. Charlie Larkin

Good news...and relief for the nurses at rehab. Nana is heading home later today. She's walking almost completely by herself- still will need a walker, but she's about 95% there. She'll have some 24-hour help for a while, anyway, and my mother and my aunt are going to take it over. I have to go to Boston on Friday for something else, so I'll be seeing her then. Charlie Larkin

So far, so good, Chuck. Charlie Larkin

That was me that mentioned the Caddy. You might have also noticed I cut-and-pasted my recommendations on P. 2 or 3 into my own comments. The more I see, the more I'm convinced I'm at least on the right track, if not completely correct. Charlie Larkin

Very nice, Mike. I'll look forward to seeing that in October at the show. Charlie Larkin