charlie8575

Carl, First of all, as you've already determined to do- don't give up. Sticking to it is good for you mentally and emotionally, and it might even help you in some ways combat the effects of MS. Having known people with it, I understand the frustrations and misery you're enduring right now and it's a very hard thing to not do the things you love, or do them as well. This board, I think, will provide you with the support and backing you need to get through it all. You've had some good ideas presented to you, and I fully endorse the concept of giving them a shot and seeing what works well for you. May I suggest also the idea of using the cheap, thin kitchen foil that's sold at discount stores? It's a little heavier than BMF, but still works well. Micro-Scale makes a liquid that's designed to work as an adhesive, and it works well. This might take some experimenting, but it might be a good option for you moving forward. Whatever you do, keep at it. We're all in your corner. Charlie Larkin

Some interesting ideas here. Dryer sheets as polishing cloths? I might have to try that sometime. Charlie Larkin

I've had days like that...entire years, even. Charlie Larkin

That would be nice. If the owner of the firm (or Brett Barrow) happens to read this, perhaps it can be filed under "new product idea." I, for one, would consider purchase if they were offered and done with correct colors, etc. Charlie Larkin

Really? I'll keep an eye open for that one, simply for something a little different. Charlie Larkin

Watch for a full-length mini-review (isn't that a bit contradictory?) in the April issue, but just as a preview, I ran across these at one of the local hobby shops Wednesday. Plastic Dreams is making very nice pre-cut, pre-printed 1/25 floor mats. There are several varieties available. Here's a couple of pictures. I grabbed these for the Wildcat. Charlie Larkin

I found some really nice 1/25 floor mats. I'll be putting a review in on these in the new kits section sometime in the next day or two. Charlie Larkin

Very nice. Charlie Larkin

That....is their problem! Actually, my mom has an apartment now because she can't handle the stairs in our house, so I suspect they'd just move back in with each other, like I've been trying to get them to do, one place or another. Charlie Larkin

Very nice job on this. Charlie Larkin

Nicely done. Where did you dig up the '39 Plymouth? Charlie Larkin

Same, I know no dealer who would refuse a cash deal. Some will even knock more off the price to help get the deal done. Charlie Larkin

And yet, the kits do appear to have all their badging intact if the box-art is to be believed. Has anyone actually built any of their kits? I've heard the 1/35 kits are nice, but does anyone have any direct experience? Charlie Larkin

*DROOL* Art Deco cars are among my favorites- I love 1940s cars- the shapes, the trimming, the dignified air even the most inexpensive cars had among them. That is one pretty car. I remember one of the model years had a very pretty gray/medium blue two-tone. I think I'm going to do that. Charlie Larkin

I'll trade your shop for my house. Looks like it's bigger. Charlie Larkin

I agree wholeheartedly about lacquer thinner in Testors and Humbrol enamels. Dries faster and more level, and thins out the paint better, so you can get more paint in the bottle and actually get the job done. I have an H with a medium tip, and do about 50/50-60/40, depending on how thick the paint is, or if it has known strange characteristics (for example, I always thin Testors blacks- any of them, a little more, because they take forever to dry. The lacquer thinner really gives it a kick in the pants.) Charlie Larkin

Looking good, Rich. Static electricty affecting glue? Interesting, I've never heard of, nor have I seen it before. Maybe I can use that as the reason next time something goes wrong! Charlie Larkin

Very nice. What did you use for the lighter gray on the seats? I've been trying to find something that looked right, and haven't had much luck. Your shade is very close to what's needed. Charlie Larkin

Yeah, no kidding! It's definitely the end of February, though. While most of this week may be a bit cold, it's not even close to as bad as it has been the last several weeks. Mostly high 20s-low 30s. Charlie Larkin

Gasoline will eventually wash paint off from what I've seen and been told. Here, we have crapoline, like most of the rest of the country with that awful 10% ethanol blend that's slowly destroying my engine and reducing my gas mileage proportionate the ethanol, if not more. But even when it was plain old gas, there was always that risk of your paint being messed up. As to spills- someone forgot to tell most of the pump-jockeys around here that. That's always been the case- a drop or two, I understand, but we consistently see it pouring out because these churn-and-burn dolts don't understand the concept of letting the nozzles drain completely into the tank. Charlie Larkin

Common sense overruled by cents. Jim Krmaer, a financial commentator I like, says it all. "Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered." Take three guesses which category a dealership of this nature falls into... Charlie Larkin

James- great video in Post #81. Quite illuminating. Kevin- nice work on those cars, and yes, the 727 automatic in the '71 Charger would be correct for a 1969-model (and back to around 1962-63) Chrysler product with a big-block. Greg- I like that graphic. Where did you find it? I think we all agree on one thing here: no matter how we get it, we all deserve value for our money and time invested. Some of us just get different value than others, and for different reasons. Charlie Larkin

I wonder if this might be the Highway Pioneers kit? Great little project you have here. Charlie Larkin

James and Jonathan both have very valid points, and I agree with them greatly. Yes, as pointed out by Tom and George alike, whose points I also agree with to a great degree, they are little plastic cars, although I like to think of them as more than toys. But, here's my problem. They've become expensive little plastic cars, and with engineering and computer science at the point it is now, there are no more excuses for gross negligence. Frankly, with some of the mash-ups we've had (the '90 Mustang being the perfect example,) and given the interest of "protecting branding and corporate identity" so many companies (especially car companies) have now, I'm surprised some of this stuff is even approved by the manufacturer of the 1:1. Yes, errors will happen. Any product of the mind of man, no matter how well done it is, will have errors. We are imperfect beings and created as such. But sloppiness, sloth, gross negligence, and poor quality control are not acceptable, especially at the retail prices now asked for a box of unfinished styrene with a little vinyl or other elastomeric compound. Boycotting an entire company won't do any good; it very rarely gets demands met, and sometimes even backfire (see www.fee.org/files/docLib/perspective0703.pdf, please note this is a .pdf and may download, depending on how your computer is set.) Letter campaigns seem to have little effect as well, and verbally beating up on people at shows and so forth- well, your mom did tell you to be nice to people, right? There's a reason for that. Similarly, passively accepting junk isn't going to work, either. The answer then, is to express our concerns on forums like this. It's pretty well-known the manufacturers read these forums, so continuing to call out their mistakes, politely, professionally, and reasonably, may start to get them to realize that "hey, these guys are serious." Might prices go up a little? I'm sure most manufacturers will look for any excuse possible to pad their surpluses ("profit,") but, as we have also demonstrated, there is a breaking point, and when it hits that, they'll feel the backlash, and find a way to do better for less cost to the consumer, they'll have to to stay in business, and if that means thinning the margins again, so be it. A lower margin with more units sold beats the risk of bankruptcy. Charlie Larkin