charlie8575

Well said, Rob. Charlie Larkin

Just as long as only the "sky is falling crowd" are the only ones that we lose....... California is, in this instance, I believe being rouge. They are flying in the face of all applicable federal regulations, which have been met. This isn't even nullification, but rather a lot of whining and foolishness by a group of people who have nothing better to do. Charlie Larkin

I hope those seats aren't as shiny as they look! I would suggest the following. Go outside when it's sunny and see how the interior looks. If it's still somewhat shiny, do the following: Get a bottle of Testors semi-gloss and flat clear lacquers. Use the semi-gloss on the seats, that will make it look more leather-like. Now, take a plastic bathroom cup, mix about a 2:1 of flat and semi-gloss and apply that to the side-panels and dash. That will approximate the vinyl. Brush straight flat clear on the floor. Another issue: Turn on some ambient lighting when taking pictures and don't take the pictures as close. The flash is overpowering the picture and causing the actual "shine" to mis-register. That aside, nice work. Charlie Larkin

Nice work on that so far. Where on the Cape are you? I'm up in Marlborough. If you're free on the third Wednesdays, come on up to MassCar for our meeting. We'd love to have you. www.masscar.com Charlie Larkin

At MassCar's show this March, Guy Beaudette did a beautiful drag car which used a large amount of Alclad, and the results were simply breathtaking. I asked him what he did, and to the best of my recollection, this was his recommendation. 1. Use the Testors Boyd ultra-high-gloss black. 2. If you can, turn your compressor down to around 12 psi. 3. Two VERY light coats. Unfortunately, I can't regulate my compressor, but I'm trying his other recommendations and seeing what I can pull off. Charlie Larkin

I have one of the Skip's issues downstairs that someday, I will build. The light blue/white looks nice on it, and a nice change from white or black with red. I might do mine in two-tone blue or two-tone green. I also remember seeing a '59 Sunliner at 50s Night down in New Bedford in solid Geranium, which actually looked pretty nice. I may grab a Modelhaus resin and build one like that. Charlie Larkin

Gorgeous machine. Nice work with those headlights, too. Charlie Larkin

The 250 was a rarity in the full-sized Chevy by 1970, so this is definitely an interesting build from that perspective. You're doing a very nice job with this Peter, and I'll enjoy seeing more of it. Charlie Larkin

It's capped, stored and not tipped, should be no issue. We've done this (Dad and I) since I was very little, and we've never had any issues with food contamination or other problems. Charlie

Oh...I watched 4 last night. Oh well. Charlie Larkin

Nice build. What color did you use? Charlie Larkin

Very nice work. I have one of those downstair I attempted to build when I was 13, before I figured out how to paint. I plan on revisiting it sometime in the not-too-distant future. Charlie Larkin

I vaguely remember seeing the backhoe, but I missed the tractor. Nice work on those, and a great job on the trailer. Charlie Larkin

I never even knew of the existence of one of these until I saw the in-progress post. Refreshingly different to say the least. Very nicely done. Charlie Larkin

Yes, please. Charlie Larkin

If they do some street tires, too, narrow and wide-whitewall, I'll buy multiple sets. Charlie Larkin

I believe that is a promo, and probably a fairly desirable one. Nice find. Charlie Larkin

Gee, this didn't even hit the news last night. Jon finds it all the way up in Keene and I don't see it on the Boston stations?? WMUR's news bureau must be better than I thought. What a mess. I do hope all parties involved have good insurance. Chralie Larkin

So far, so nice. I like the general direction this is heading in. Charlie Larkin

I prefer Plasti-Kote over Dupli-Color primer, it's a little less "hot" chemically than Dupli-Color, which can cause problems on some of the softer plastics. Plasti-Kote's a little tough to find (most Car-Quest stores carry it,) but it's worth seeking out. Generally, the sandable primer is very nice. It's a bit lighter in consistency, so it doesn't cover detail as much. The white sandable primer almost doesn't even need sanding. Another thing to keep in mind- Dupli-Color has reformulated its paint over the last year, and the "gray" sandable primer is now almost black- not the ideal color of primer for most applications. Plasti-Kote can also be used under any and all lacquers and enamels without any difficulty. Charlie Larkin

That looks really nice, Mike. The chrome with white and blue looks great. Charlie Larkin

S scale (American Flyer) is 1/64 scale (17/64"=1'0".) For a diorama base, plywood is a good choice, 1/4" luan or 3/8" BC sanded or CDX with some 1x1" bracing underneath (glued and/or screwed) will make a good, stable base. A narrow piece of Masonite or other hardboard could be used as a border for scenery items. Glue that the the plywood. The more plaster, etc., you use, the heavier the plywood should be. For walls (I'm assuming you're referring to a building,) foamcore is a common choice as it's easy to cut make look like what you want. Other people use the big Styrofoam sheets that you'd use as building insulation. If you get adventurous, you could try building a wall just like a real building. Sit down and draw out some sketches of framing and then frame the wall. The exterior can be thin foamcore or Evergreen styrene sheets molded to look like claps, board-and-batten, etc. Go to the diorama section. There are plenty of really good tutorials. Remember- there are no bad or childish questions. A genuine deficit should not be ridiculed, and we will help you as best we can. Charlie Larkin

Most DDs used to be 24 hours, but now most close at midnight, which is kinda crummy, and with so many gas stations closing at night now, too, it makes it very hard to get the occasional late night bump for the periodic long drive. A quick guide to ordering coffee in New England: Black (w/sugar/Sweet n' Low, whatever you like for sweetener if appropriate.) Cream/Milk, no sugar Regular (about 1/8 cup of cream, half & half or milk and one scoop of sugar.) Extra cream/sugar Oh....and next time you're in the neighbourhood, try Honeydew Donuts. Their coffee is really good, I actually like it a little better than Dunkin's. They're mostly in eastern Massachusetts and I think a couple in New Hampshire and/or Rhode Island. Interesting observations about the color differences. Do you happen to have any access to the Canadian color charts, by chance? All I can find are the AutoColor Library, which is U.S.-spec only. Charlie Larkin

I use bleach in an all-plastic jar- jar and lid, too. The reason I do this is that chlorine fumes will corrode any metal they come in contact with. The plastic won't have this problem. I've had bleach work in as short as ten minute to a couple of hours. I don't mind the lacquer undercoat, it acts as a primer, so I can paint directly on it. Charlie Larkin

A lot of people seem to like dipping parts, and the Future, being self-leveling, doesn't leave drips, etc., while totally sealing the body. Interesting concept, should occasion require, I may give it a shot. Harry- what kind of car is that? It looks great. Charlie Larkin