charlie8575

What a pretty combination. That your girlfriend not only tolerates, but asks you to build something for her, is indeed a rare prize! Great work so far. Charlie Larkin

Hmmm...I rather like the idea. And where modeling could very well be the cheapest form of advertising there is, a very good value argument could be made. I think about when at one point there was a spirit of cooperation,, when the car companies would actually work with the model companies, not against them. Unfortunately, MBA-types (money at all costs,) and lawyers have managed to destroy so much of the good in American business, and society in general. Charlie Larkin

I can think of a few cops I'd like to see that happen too...very cool. Charlie Larkin

Not only a nice diorama, but a very nice case, too. Charlie Larkin

That roofline was available on the big Fords from 1968-70, I think. The Torino had something similar, too. I also agree with ElDestructo, Wimbledon white with a red or blue interior would also look nice. Charlie Larkin

Very nice work. Charlie Larkin

One of Scale Equipment's woodgrain decals had something that wasn't too far off, either. I plan of buying three of the 1991-96 B-wagons. I have a 1991 Caprice now, and will be building a model of that, too. I had two Roadmasters, a 1993 in Jadestone with camel, a 1991 in white with saddle, and my Caprice is silver with a blue interior. I'd love an LT-1 powered wagon. Charlie Larkin

Sadly, I can believe this. There has been quite a bit of research that's been showing that today's youth are unable to follow anything more than very simple instructions or make a large quantity of decisions, particularly if they have to follow instructions of any more than very simplistic. In the classroom, I've seen a decreasing ability in many students' ability to follow and understand simple directions, nevermind complex ones, and very great difficulties in making choices and decisions. That said, I can also remember to being younger and I used to get intimidated by large parts counts, too. I think the idea behind a decontented issue is a good one, just simply to introduce the hobby to youth, but I do wish they'd do separate versions for the other parts. Charlie Larkin

Good work, Ben. Whether formally or informally, acquire as much knowledge as you can and apply it where possible. The world of education to an adult is far more open and flexible, and you can learn a lot more from things outside a classroom, especially for vocational purposes. Speaking as someone with a college degree, and about 60% of an M.Ed., college has started to become overrated. I encourage what is called informal learning and experiential learning (learning from just going through life.) I've found those lessons, while not always more lucrative, were more fulfilling and far more interesting. Check this out for a little more on that topic. http://www.infed.org/index.htm The writings there can get a little egg-headed, but it's still some interesting reading. And something a lot of people can take good things from. Whatever your future and your decisions, I wish you nothing less than as much happiness and success as you're capable of achieving. Charlie Larkin

Yes, that'll do very nicely.... The kits, not a big rod fan. Now, if that was a nice stocker or stock with a mild hop-up.... Charlie Larkin

Am I to interpret that cars from before the 1948 model year are now exempt from royalty collection? Is this a rolling timeline? I'm curious, because I would think this would drive a very heavy effort to develop pre-1948 models, something I personally wouldn't mind seeing. While a manufacturer certainly has a right to protect its name, designs, etc., it shouldn't always exact money. Too often, it leads to stifled creativity, fewer choices for consumers of models and higher prices. It can, with sufficient nastiness, also lead to a very hot backflash. The Union Pacific learned this when they charged so much for royalties, that models of anything with UP or any of its predecessor railroad's heraldry on it was, without exception, more money. This caused several manufacturers to stop making UP merchandise, generated over 10,000 nasty-grams to Omaha, and when UP sued Mike's Train House (Lionel's biggest competitor) over failure to pay, MTH counter-sued with something that amounted to an extortion charge. The end result was an out-of-court settlement that's blanket for the entire model railroad industry. Union Pacific no longer charges royalties, and only asks that they be allowed to approve the models before release. In addition, they'll also provide technical help when possible. I don't know why the model car manufacturers and the 1:1s can't do something similar. It would make life much easier for anyone wishing to enter or stay in the business, and for the car companies, because you know what to expect, and perhaps have it administered by a third party of some kind. Some people say it's collusion. It's only collusion if it's done in secret. If a public statement was released saying "we agree to this, and it's effective for both industries" was released, it would be open, fair, and honest. Charlie Larkin

Barf-o-Matic; I'll take ugly but non-offensive over outright tasteless any day. The sports car, though, is a nice looking machine. I guess Toyota is capable of making something good-looking. Charlie Larkin

Johnny, does the Modelhaus Roadmaster kit have the woodgrain in it? I want two of those; I had a 1991 and a 1993, and would like to build models of them both; although in better condition than when I got them. Charlie Larkin

A lot of the AMT kits from the 1960s are actually very nice, and still are, provided it's one of the tools that hasn't been botched up. The Galaxie falls into the non-botched-up category. Here are a few ideas for you. http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorlibrary/aclchip.aspx?image=1969-ford-pg01.jpg To me, those SportsRoofs looks good in a nice, dark color. I like Presidential Blue with a coordinating interior or in Palomino; if you do the blue on blue, if you feel daring, try making a white vinyl top with it to set it off a little, I think you'll like the results. If you do the gold/palomino interior, go with either a blue or white vinyl top, as the ivy gold won't look quite right. This has plenty of good interior pictures to get an idea for the right tones. http://www.oldcarbrochures.com/main.php?g2_itemId=124676 Two other color schemes most big Fords from that time frame look nice in, and were common were Candy Apple Red or Meadowlark Yellow with a black interior. Charlie Larkin

The Chevelle looks good in black; a color we don't see too often on them in scale, or as I think of it, in 1:1. Charlie Larkin

That looks great, Bruce. The white stripes are a nice finishing touch. Charlie Larkin

Very cool idea! Charlie Larkin

Okay...while on my way to my parents this afternoon, I stopped at a hobby shop and asked about the flattening compound. The answer: you have to experiment. The use of the product really is as nebulus and unclear as it looks. The 4:1 starting point sounds good and will knock down shine I think. I would think a 1:1 or 1.5:1 paint/flattening compound would be best for a normal flat finish, myself. I'd suggest doing the following: 1. Get a piece of white styrene sheet and prime it to make absolutely sure there's a good base for the paint. Leave about a half-inch between color samples. 2. Using some type of graduated measure, like a medicine cup, record your amounts like so. Sample 1: Gloss, no alteration. Sample 2: 4:1 (the color is the first number always.) Sample 3: 3:1 Sample 4: 2:1 Sample 5: 1:1 Remember, every paint color will be different, as will each bottle of paint, but this will give you an idea of what will happen and serve as a reasonable predictor. I'd also suggest doing this in a grid, headed like a chart, with space to make notes, which should be made with a Sharpie or something like that. Further, I'd also suggest doing a combination of colors- light, mid-tone, flat, and maybe even some metallics. This is a suggestion as to how to lay your chart out; I'd use a large sheet of styrene: Tamyia Flattening Compound Chart Color: Black White Tan Silver Gloss 4-to-1 3-to-1 2-to-1 1-to-1 Charlie Larkin

I've been tempted to pick one of these up and either convert into a stock Coupe DeVille or Fleetwood or make a phantom 1990-92 Brougham coupe to go along with the front-end and cladding. Charlie Larkin

As some of you may have noticed on my GTO build, I had a small problem with the redline decals. I stacked the tires to keep them in place in the box while moving, and a few days later, I brought them upstairs from the basement, started to take stuff out, and the decals all stuck to the back of the tires on top of each other. The one on top was unharmed. Can I put decal set on vinyl or should I just try putting something like Micro-Flat over them to help seal them, and hopefully prevent this from happening again? Also, to remove the old decals, I'm guessing water would be adequate? Charlie Larkin

I've been trying to figure out how to use that stuff, too. I'll be going by a couple of hobby shops tomorrow, if time permits, I'll stop in and ask. I remember when I was a kid, Pactra had flattening agent for its paints, but being quite young when you could get it, I couldn't really understand how to use it; I was surprised Testors never offered it, but it's good to know that I can use it in other acrylic lines. This actually opens up a lot of possibilities for doing interiors, as a lot of the colors aren't too far off, but are glossy. Honestly, I wish Testors would re-introduce the Pactra line, I liked their colors. Charlie Larkin

I have an idea for a project in mind; does anyone make a 1959 Ranchero in resin? I vaguely remember a promo or kit from when they were new, but I'm not in the mood to completely evacuate my life savings. Not that I have much to evacuate, but you get the idea... Charlie Larkin

Not familiar- details? I assume you're talking about the mid-70s movie that was supposed to be very, very good? Charlie Larkin

Nice Caddy and El Cam. Charlie Larkin

George does seem like a decent guy. I'm happy to see my beliefs confirmed. I didn't know they made a 1/24 Hughes/MD 500 either. Whose kit it is? Charlie Larkin