charlie8575

Mix n' match to get what you need. Coming along nice, Mike. Charlie Larkin

Definitely some good looking builds there. Thanks for sharing this with us. Charlie Larkin

Nicely done. I like the colors. Charlie Larkin

D-Day. Another day we must never forget, for it set the stage of the world we now have. For all the changes it brought, the one definitely good change is the firm stance that the world finally began to take on despots and scoundrels. We, as a world, owe it those who fought this battle to finish the fight they started. Charlie Larkin

I have to agree with Brad and Mitch....attention to detail is paramount in building, and building well. The chrome just doesn't work. I'm also curious- did you leave the windows out? If this is your first attempt, it's not too bad. However, you do have a way to go, which you acknowledges (the first step to improving.) For future ideas: Try Bare-Metal Foil or even making your own foil with inexpensive kitchen foil and Micro-Mask foil adhesive. It takes practice, but you'll be amazed at how much it improves things. Did you have plated parts for the bumper/grille? They appear painted or dulled. There are some platers that can plate your parts or you could try Al-Clad, which is a chrome-like paint that you airbrush over gloss black. Done well, you can't tell the difference between it and chrome plating. The stance of the model is also a bit off. Use a little more test-fitting before final assembly. If you have problems, you can try shimming the body or suspension for proper stance. On the bright side....your 1:1 is really nice. I like that. And I agree, a Handyman is a nice change from coupes and Nomads. Charlie Larkin

That is a pretty little coupe you've got there. I like this very much. Charlie Larkin

This is what I'd do. Get a can of either Dupli-Color or Plasti-Kote primer-sealer. This is a special primer used to seal substrates off from the color coats. Occasionally, on strong-colored plastics, you'll still get a little bit of bleed-through, though. When/if that happens, apply a VERY light coat of silver or very light gray paint, which will pretty much block the bleed. Then, you can, if needed, apply another light coat of primer (the white primer would be ideal at this point,) and then paint. If no bleed is evident, prime with the white primer over the sealer and paint. Charlie Larkin

I approve. And I'm not even running for office! Order will be forthcoming after I get a couple of paychecks from a couple of gigs I'm hoping to start on very soon. Charlie Larkin

That is indeed a Ninety-Eight Holiday Coupe you have. I agree with Bill; rather than hack it up, I'd try and do a credible restoration on it. Those kits, built nicely, look very good. I don't mind that it's a curbside, that much easier to build, and you concentrate more on detailing the body an interior. Get some pictures up when you have a chance. Charlie Larkin

Boy that's coming out nicely. Are you considering sending this off to have it resin-cast? If so, I'd certainly consider buying one simply for the neat factor. Charlie Larkin

Duel for the psychological suspense. The French Connection for the action. Gone in 60 Seconds (original) for the sheer WOW! factor. Charlie Larkin

We started seeing the full measure of the devestation this morning on the 6:00 AM news. I'm still having trouble fathoming the amount of destruction that happened. Entire blocks reduced to rubble and kindling. The personal property destruction. This is simply incredible. And not something I care to see happen again. Springfield, which had already been in serious trouble after nearly going bankrupt, just coming off of control by the Commonwealth, and finally starting to get itself back together after nearly fifty years of neglect and poverty growth; for it to be hit with devastation like this is something it really didn't need. In Brimfield, a small wrecking yard that did a fair amount of business in antique car parts was also leveled. There were some pictures on the news from there that the two guys that own it shot. A solid concrete building reduced to rubble in less than a minute from what was being said. The yard's inventory was thrown around the yard and even across Holland Rd. like a little kid playing rough with Matchbox cars. Absolutely unbelievable. I've seen the pictures and still can't believe it. Several campgrounds were leveled, and a small mobile home park (actually a very nice one,) in a nice little grove of trees was devestated and a lot of those beautiful conifers and maples turned into matchsticks. Every church in Monson (four or five total) had its steeple removed. The Congregational church's bell, a gigantic bronze piece, was, from what we can tell, flattened like a pancake under all the weight of the steeple. The Catholic church, a large stone structure, is in ruins. People in Monson, who couldn't even get out of their town, were asking news crews to go to Palmer (next town west and somewhat north,) to go get milk and minor items because the little IGA there was torn to shreds. I can't believe what I'm seeing. This is the report from Monson this morning from WWLP in Springfield. http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/hampden/Confusion%2C-devastation-in-Monson Charlie Larkin

People laugh at me, but I've been quite happy with my Testors Mighty-Mini. For under $100, you get a good little compressor that will spray just about anything. Charlie Larkin

This is exactly the tactic I plan to use from here on out, especially on this series of kits, which seem to have unreasonable-fiddly suspensions. As to paint removal, If I had something small enough to get into the the crevices and so forth, it would make things much easier. I'm just chalking it up as lessons learned. Charlie Larkin

While my parents and I were out this afternoon, we stopped for lunch, and overheard mention of a tornado watch for Worcester County, Ma., until 8:00 P.M. As we drove back home, the rain came hard and fast. When we got home, I turned on the TV, and saw the following: Beautiful, architecturally-rich Downtown Springfield (WMass) looks like downtown Beirut c. 1983. West Springfield and Westfield (neighboring and about eight miles west of Springfield, respectively) were nearly leveled along many of their beautiful, tree-lined streets. 100-year-old solid brick factories were reduced to rubble. The Town of Monson (about fifteen miles east of Springfield,) was nearly leveled in its entirety. Several other cities and towns, including Wilbrham, Chicopee, Brimfield, and Sturbridge, all suffered some damage of note. A few other places had downed limbs and missing shingles, minor damage like that. Most of Worcester County (more central Massachusetts) escaped any damage, except for right along U.S. Rt. 20. Four people did not live to see the end. Thankfully, not a repeat of Joplin in that respect. For those interested, the video can be seen at WBZ, Channel 4, Boston, http://boston.cbslocal.com/2011/06/01/gov-patrick-declares-state-of-emergency-after-tornadoes-touch-down/ and Springfield's WWLP, Channel 22. http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/hampden/Tornado-touches-down-in-downtown-Spfld Charlie Larkin

This is another beauty of yours, Mike. Well done. Charlie Larkin

Nicely done model. Very clean and well-executed. Charlie Larkin

Lee made some very interesting points, natural gas is probably, given current development, the best long-term solution. New sources can always be made and found. As to the human component- I believe Lee is also more right that not, especially the human sources. We can start by collecting from most seats of government! Lee, I believe is also correct in that synthetically-produced diesel will also be a good choice in the long run. Algae is near-limitless in supply, and the processes used to make petroleum-like substances are well under development (using tallow, algae, etc.,) and I think they'll be commercially-viable in the nearer, rather than distant, future. We as Americans need to get over our phobia of diesel engines. Diesel, produced from synthetic sources, burns very cleanly and is about as efficient as crude oil diesel. Charlie Larkin

Neat concept, nice execution. Charlie Larkin

Well, I did a little touch-up as I needed to after polishing through the turquoise in a couple of spots. I'll have to buff it out again, but this time with a little less-aggressive polishing compound, so I'll use some toothpaste. Along with the body paint, the front end has fought me every step of the way. The springs won't locate properly, and I can't get the lower suspension unit to stay on. The engine also seems to not want to mount in properly. I'm learning many lessons from this. Next Tri-5 I build will have the a lot of the suspension built prior to painting, so I can actually locate the parts properly, as the paint seems to cause excessive interference. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with that engine, though. Here's the touched-up body, prior to polishing out. Charlie Larkin

Wel1...it's at the end of a long weekend, close enough for a Saturday, at least in mindset. One Revell 1956 Chevy Del Ray, after doing some paint touch-up. Charlie Larkin

HOT DOG! Sorry...couldn't resist. Nice work. Charlie Larkin

I think the best long-term solution is to find a viable, economical, intelligent alternative to gasoline. To make it truly work, it needs to work in gasoline engines without destroying them like alcohol does. I think the biggest advances are going to be the man-made petroleum-type substances that I've heard people working on from time to time. I also think that better alternatives to corn-based ethanol needs to be pushed into production. I don't think the government should in any way, shape or form, force the hand of, or grant favor to, any of these efforts. Let the dust settle on its own. I do think, like Harry, we'll see major changes in the next 15-20 years. I just hope they're good changes with intelligent, sustainable engineering and chemistry. Some good reading on the matter. http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/ethanolics-anonymous/ http://www.thefreemanonline.org/headline/is-ethanol-a-good-choice-for-consumers/ http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/the-growing-abundance-of-fossil-fuels/ And from way back in 1974 when this was becoming a major issue... http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/the-energy-crisis-alternative-futures/ Take a few minutes to read these. They're all very interesting, well-written, and thoughtful. Whether you agree or not, you'll walk away thinking about it. Charlie Larkin

Glad this one got dug up! Wow, what a neat idea. It is unfortunate Chrysler never did this. I think they might have had a good seller. Charlie Larkin

This is good news. Let's hope the improvement continues. Charlie Larkin