charlie8575

Must've been something funny in that taco.... Charlie Larkin

I'll agree with Scott's assessment of modern snappers. The new ones look great together. I grabbed a PT well...I guess offically yesterday now, and it's a really nice kit. Needs only a few little details and paint to make it really look great. Charlie Larkin

Build for YOU. Rule #1. Yeah, there are a lot of really great builders out there- don't be intimidated or scared by them. Use them for inspiration. Don't worry about all the fancy stuff either, learn to use what's in the box first, and then move on to the trick wheels, radical modifcations and slick customs. What's most important is to lay a good foundation for all your building in the future, no matter what direction it takes. Charlie Larkin

Gorgeous. Charlie Larkin

Looks good, Mitchell. Keep experimenting, and you'll get there. In that third picture, it does look like the parking lot for that building by perspective. Charlie Larkin

Great to see you here, Steve! Do post your builds. Folks, having gotten to know him a little through a Yahoo! group, you're in for a treat. Some outstanding 1950s-60s rep-stocks and mild customs. You'll enjoy them. Charlie Larkin

I've found it necessary to strip a car painted with Testors lacquer. From what I've read, most people seem to like 91% alcohol for doing this. A few still have luck with Purple Power/similar. Added wrinkle: the car was primed with Dupli-Color primer, and some of it is still exposed. I'm wondering if the Purple Pond would work around the topcoat and do the trick anyway. Thoughts? Charlie Larkin

Seriously, you should sell those. A similar product for 4 and 6 cylinder distributors would be good, too. Charlie Larkin

Nice find. I always liked those. Charlie Larkin

Oy.... Best subject: depends....what do you like? Consistent quality: I'll agree that Tamiya is probably about as good as you'll going to find from that perspective. I have two of their kits (the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Volvo 850 wagon) and the molding is about as close to flawless as I've ever seen. Variety: Revell/Monogram and AMT/MPC have a lot of variety. So does Lindberg, Heller and Airfix. Consistent realism: Everyone has their peaks and valleys. Manufacturer most likely to compete with Tamiya for overall "right": Moebius is really getting its feet under it, and Meng, based on the F-350, is going to be a real force to contend with. Revell is doing one step ahead/two steps back because while they're getting the subject matter and the "big picture" details right (usually,) they need to work on molding quality (as does Moebius to a degree,) and the little things that take a kit from "good" to "great." Charlie Larkin

Hmmm...I'm thinking the driver of that car is now simply "late," as in the "the late (insert name)." Charlie Larkin

A Fusion sort-of wagon? I wish they'd get on the ball and start selling those here. I've seen pictures of the new European Fusion (Mondeo) wagon- gorgeous car. I've told every Ford dealer I've been near- start bringing those over, and you'll probably have two sold- one to me, and one to my dad. Charlie Larkin

For some reason, it reminds me of a Citroen- probably the taillights and sail-panels. Neat car- I wouldn't mind one of those myself simply for the looks. Charlie Larkin

More to the point, WHAT is it?? It's cool! Charlie Larkin

Your son has a very good future in product design and development, and that's where you can make some real money. Do whatever you have to to encourage it. For giggles I checked Crayola's site, and there's nothing in their present product line-up that comes even close to that drafting set. I don't know if there's anything available now that is, but there might be someplace. Worst case, you can cobble something together with a visit to Staples, Office Max, or a good independent artist and drafting supply store. This might be another alternative. http://www.amazon.com/KIT-ARCH-TECHNICAL-BLUEPRINT-Drafting-Engineering/dp/B004CZ1Z8U/ref=sr_1_44?ie=UTF8&qid=1397796873&sr=8-44&keywords=drafting+kit+engineering Good luck. And keep up the good parenting. As a mostly ex-teacher (I still tutor and sub a little,) this is really the kind of stuff that kids need. Charlie Larkin

Hey, if we all ante up and buy, buy, buy, maybe Gary could be talked into doing it. Or a '42 DeSoto. Or a 1940-48 Pontiac. Charlie Larkin

If all goes well, I'll be there Friday. I might be sleeping in the car, but oh well! Even if it's on the WIP table, Rich, I'd still be interested in seeing this, as many of us would be. Charlie Larkin

First of all...more great work. Mike- when I was Ryan's age, Crayola made a very elementary drafting set. I would suggest seeing if they're still available or go hit eBay for one. That's how I started to learn geometry and design. And it had an interesting side-effect of helping me learn to build better models, although that took a while longer to all gel. This one is on eBay now. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1982-Crayola-Designer-Drafting-Kit-For-Cars-Planes-Spacecraft-Complete-In-Box-/331161216364?pt=Vintage_Antique_Toys_US&hash=item4d1abf256c I'm for the idea of parent-kid classes, as long as there's documentation of the child actually dong a reasonable amount of the work, but your points are very well taken. Charlie Larkin

A most interesting subject, Ray. And a very nicely-constructed scene. Charlie Larkin

Beautifully done. Charlie Larkin

All kinds of cool stuff added. I could spend hours there. Oh wait...I already have! Charlie Larkin

Very subtle, Jim. You feeling okay? Seriously, that looks really great. Good work on that. Charlie Larkin

Excellent work. Charlie Larkin

On every Sunday at 6:00 on MeTV. Nice start, Ron. Charlie Larkin

I'm just imagining my father letting me use an airbrush when I was eight, and all I can think is... .....bwahahahahahahaha! Yeah, right. My father (who's an experienced airplane builder) was terrified of me using spray cans. I didn't try an airbrush until I was a freshman in high school. I love airbrushes; don't love cleaning them, but I do like the results I get. Gentlemen....very nice work from both of you! Enjoy the time you spend together- the memories may outlast the models, but it's those memories that are so incredibly valuable. Charlie Larkin