charlie8575

I actually rather like the color it's in. 1968-69 Specials/Skylarks have a certain class that the 1970-72 models were missing. If you want a different color, Al, I would suggest Burgundy Mist (same color as Madeira Maroon), with a black interior. There's a convertible around here in yellow with a white interior. That looks nice, too. Charlie Larkin

Beautiful job on this. Charlie Larkin

Those are decals, Jim. They're very nice decals, too. Nice job on this, Darcy. Charlie Larkin

Thank you, Francois. I can honestly say I wish I could understand French a little better, as it looks very interesting, and I've found Google Translate leaves a lot to be desired. Four years of high school (le lycee in French) Latin helps, but only takes me so far. I like that coupe that has the body very similar to the Berline de Voyage. The Kellner limo is also a very impressive machine. Just for curiosity's sake, I calculated the gas mileage on these monsters- roughly 4-6 miles per gallon! And on high-test I'll bet, too. Wow. True magnificence. Charlie Larkin

Interesting color combination- nice choice. Charlie Larkin

Excluding automotive paint, about 35 cans. I use a couple of large Sterilite boxes, about the width of a shoebox, and roughly 16" long. They each hold about 16-18 Testors/Tamiya cans. It's an easy way to contain clutter. I've ended up with a bunch of cans with missing nozzles that were freebies. I'm trying to figure out how to use them now. I'm leaning towards taking nozzles from expired cans, soaking them in lacquer thinner, and then seeing if that cleans them out enough to spray clean. Anyone else have any other ideas? Charlie Larkin

Y'know, earlier I was bemoaning being single to a friend of mine who's getting married next year. You two are changing my mind really quickly! Nice progress on this otherwise. One thought: you might want to take the cats off those pipes, a 396 will toast those almost immediately. Charlie Larkin

First, of all, Francois, your work is fantastic. I know very little about the Royales and have found the reading I've done to be rather confusing. Am I to assume that with all those variants and only six chassis built, that some of the chassis had been re-bodied at one point or another, or, as the recently-restore car was, built using leftover parts? I'd love to see all of the above in 1/24-25 scale. Those are beautiful machines and you've done them justice. Hand-painting those interiors....??? That's one thing I'd actually want a decal for! Charlie Larkin

Everyone I've seen use that Tamiya black has had nothing but good results with it. Frankly, I think that's the best-looking build of that kit I've ever seen. Charlie Larkin

All in favor of seeing the tools fixed or an all-new model released, please either toot horns or flash headlights in the affirmative. Not my style specifically, but beautifully done. Charlie Larkin

Nice. I'd like to see a better shot of the trunk- is that a dealer sticker I see? Charlie Larkin

Old or not, it's still relevant and a necessary topic. I like the BMF idea, I might try that. Thanks, Tom. Charlie Larkin

Absolutely. Absolutely on that, too. Listen to an old grouch that taught high school for almost a decade, Joe. High school can be A LOT of fun. And you'll treasure those memories for years to come. Too many people think college will be the highlight of your life. College can be fun, but there's something different about high school that makes it all that much more enjoyable. Perhaps it's the emphasis on the joy of life and the forming of lifelong friendships. Despite all the changes in education- most of which have been very bad, that's one thing that they can't take out of high school no matter how much they try. Nor should they. And if you find your principals or teachers acting in a way that crushes either the spirit, intellect or both, grab your friends and rally around. High school is also a great opportunity to learn to stand up for yourself. And others. Don't waste it. Treasure every second- good or bad, for the training for adult life that freshman through senior year will bring. Charlie Larkin

I remember when I lived in New Bedford that I'd have to do my spraying outside of my little apartment. The apartment opened directly onto the sidewalk and I'd set a table outside with my spray box and occasionally, I'd have a passer-by ask me what I was doing. I would also take pictures outside to get good pictures of the colors, which wasn't always possible indoors. I've never had anyone ask, and I usually don't have anyone else around when I take pictures outdoors. I do that purposely. I don't want anyone walking in between me and my picture, and I like my privacy. I also like the solitude so I can concentrate on my pictures. Charlie Larkin

I'm going to have to keep an eye open for that Hispano. Nice-looking car. Charlie Larkin

That curbside chassis is remarkable. I defy ANYONE to call one of those- well done, "simplified" again! Charlie Larkin

Color aside, looks good. Looks like someone laughed too hard and grape tonic came out their nose! SWMBO means what/who? Charlie Larkin

Very nice job on the conversion so far. The avatar controls are somewhere in the settings/preferences area. Charlie Larkin

Nice job, especially with those taillamps. Charlie Larkin

I wasn't thinking CNC vs. manual, Frank. Rather, I was thinking broadly as the suppliers to various factories. With the talk of consumers becoming all, or almost all self-manufacturing, I don't think that will happen anytime soon. Frankly, I don't know if it'll ever happen. Some people won't want 3-D printers, some people won't want the expense of the downloads, some people simply won't be comfortable making parts for stuff and trying to assemble it. I think the need for manufacturing as a central economic activity will always exist, and along as it does, there will always be tool and die makers, no matter whether CNC or manual. Charlie Larkin

These are both very good points that I don't think any of us have factored in. Perhaps down the road, it won't even be a factor too much, but right now, it absolutely is a consideration and one that any company contemplating a business model like what's been presented would be foolish to not at least give some passing thought to. I'd also be interested to see how liability would work with bad downloads, bad coding, etc. I could see all kinds of problems coming from this, and not one of them easy to solve at least now and some of them really having no good solutions. Either way, they'll result in very unhappy customers. Charlie Larkin

I still have a rotary-dial phone in the basement. Works great, better than the newer one. And another Looney Tunes fan, I see. I think Dave is calling it. I think we'll see the most common use for these devices for making resin masters, one-off parts and similar low-production items. The cost of plastic is such that I don't think it'll work well for large-scale production, especially at the price level of consumer vs. wholesale. I might be wrong, but tool-and-die makers have very little to worry about for a long time to come. Charlie Larkin

Hmmm... I still pay my bills with a check usually (I like the paper trail). I still send letters and cards quite a bit. I still like the phone book because I can usually get what I need quicker without having to contend with banner ads and all that stuff. And, during my periodic down-turns, I'll have a week or more without Internet access at home. I actually rather enjoy the peace and quiet and find my productivity otherwise soaring. The Internet is a mixed bag. There are a lot of good things about it, some things that are a wash and some that aren't good. I worry about the loss of true intellectual prowess and researching skills. The ability to do things well without the aid (or minimal aid) of a computer. We've become too accustomed to the easy way out. And while that's not always bad either, following the path of least resistance without any variation will result in stunting of some kind. The question is when will it become most apparent. Charlie Larkin

Very nice job on that. Charlie Larkin

For a cheap spray booth for the financially/space limited, try a banker's or 10-ream paper box. That's what I have to use for now. Once I have a job and can get moved, a good booth is on the list, but this'll do for now. Charlie Larkin