charlie8575

Sounds like today. I was out collecting signatures to get on the ballot for Marlborough's City Council Ward 4 Councillor, and this little girl, maybe about 3 or 4, dressed in a unicorn costume opened the door very shyly and then smiled when I said, "hi, is Mommy or Daddy home?" She grinned and ran to get Daddy. Sometimes, I really do miss not having had children, but given how the first part of adulthood went, in a very real sense, I'm thankful I didn't, I wouldn't have wanted to subject them to the wild work/income swings I had to experience, averaging out to approximately half the poverty line. What pleased me was yesterday, actually. It took a little bit to get it together, but I had a very nice late 40th party with several friends I grew up with that I don't get to see enough, some other friends and my parents. It felt good to have everyone around. Charlie Larkin

Interesting. Charlie Larkin

Nice job. Charlie Larkin

That is a dramatic change. Amazing. I suppose grouchy old Mr. Larkin should've been listened to a little more re: computers. Plenty of other factors, to be sure, but we'll start with this. Charlie Larkin

Corrected link. http://www.tssmcc.org/

Those are impressive. Probably printed with an Objet or similar machine that uses plastic goop as the material, as opposed to filament or the sand-like stuff. I still question cost-effectiveness for larger-scale production for this as of now, but what's there is pretty good. Charlie Larkin

Unfortunately, I have yet to find one single source that does this. The Old Car Manual Project's brochure section is a good place to start. SMS Auto Fabrics, which sells reproduction upholstery, has a lot of pictures of their upholstery materials, so you can get an idea of colors and so forth. Beyond picture searches, if a club's librarian is benevolent, they might help you. Lastly, a lot of the Facebook make/model groups have helpful people, as does the AACA board. Charlie Larkin

I tried checking MCG's Internet site, but it's down for maintenance and upgrades, so I was wondering if anyone else might know or not. Does MCG (or anyone else) offer photo-etch scripts for a Corvair? If not, does anyone here do photo-etching? Charlie Larkin

Well, I'm not in Phoenix, but I did try to get some Bare-Metal today. Apparently, there is a hiccup in the supply chain somewhere. According to my shop, all the wholesalers that serve New England are out, and several people have reported that the other hobby shops in Eastern/Central Mass. are out of stock and cannot re-order from anyone. The next resort is to use some Micro-Mask foil adhesive and some inexpensive, cheap, thin, kitchen foil, and go to town! Charlie Larkin

When I used to teach high school, I discouraged using the computer when possible and practical. "But why, Mr. Larkin?" was a common question, as was a lot of whining and upset comments making me out to be a monster who would kick puppies and push baby carriages down hills with babies. And a lot of other very nasty things. I even got it from other teachers. My answer was very simple. "If we let the computer do everything, we can do nothing. So, tell me, what happens when the power goes out, the battery goes dead, or some other mishap occurs and the only thing you have to rely on is you?" Sadly, my statements usually fell (and still fall) on deaf ears. Charlie Larkin

Man, that's a lot of work, and it shows. Lookin' good. Charlie Larkin

For Testors enamels, plain old paint thinner works great for your brushes. Just dunk it, swizzle it around, dry it off, and then, for better cleaning, wash your brushes in warm, soapy water. For Duck Egg Blue, look for Model Master Duck Egg Green, it's more blue than green. Charlie Larkin

Nice job on this, Sam. Charlie Larkin

That paint is incredible. Charlie Larkin

Display this. You can't alter history and the squeaky wheels need to figure this out for their own good, as well as the good of society and all those in it. It's an authentic, well-documented, correct build. And a very nice one. Anyone who has a problem is an over-sensitive PITA. And I'm being as polite as I can about it. This is a job to be proud off. Show it off. Charlie Larkin

Man, that cleaned up nice. Charlie Larkin

Great to see you here, Ernie. For those not in the northeast, Ernie is a great guy and has some very good deals (and selection) of parts of all kinds of description. Charlie Larkin

Hi, Richie. Where are you located? I'm in Marlborough. Feel free to stop in at a MassCar meeting. We meet (usually) the third Wednesday in Stoughton at Porter & Chester Institute. If that's not near you, there's also Classic Plastic up in Lowell. They usually meet the first Saturday at the VFW on Plain St., unless it's a holiday weekend, in which case, they meet the second Saturday. Charlie Larkin

That's one way to fix the problems! Nice job with the patching. Charlie Larkin

I like the Detailer best overall. It's easy to use, quick and looks good. I will pick other colors out as needed with a toothpick or very small brush. Charlie Larkin

Glad this one turned up. Lots of neat stuff. Charlie Larkin

Bob, MassCar is meeting next Wednesday, August 19, at the Porter & Chester Institute on the Canton/Stoughton line. My route from Dartmouth St. when I lived down there, they were in Dedham, but the general route is as follows, as it's almost the same route to Randolph when I subbed there. Fight Rockdale Ave. back up to Kempton St., go left on Kempton, stop at the Hess (now Speedway) for gas if needed unless I could actually get into Cumby's at Rockdale and Dartmoth, or Paul's Service on Dartmouth, and continue to 140 and go north to Taunton. Hang right onto Rt. 24 north. Fight 24 up to Rt. 139. Now...here's where it changes. Take the exit for 139 towards Stoughton. You'll see Turnpike St. on your right, look for Randolph Savings Bank's main office. Turn Right onto Turnpike St., and follow that all the way to the corner. Drive straight into the PCI building, and bear left. Go around to the auto shop. Next to the bay door, you'll see a glass door with a stairway. Go up the stairs and we're usually up there. Periodically, if they're using the room up there, we'll meet downstairs in one of the classrooms. Meetings start about 7:00, someone's usually there by 6:00-6:30. Any questions, let me know. Charlie Larkin

Actually, I don't mind the one-piece assembly of stuff like that. Less gluing! Looks good painted, too. If the plastic tabs are a concern, snip 'em, find the centers (the snip stub will be your guide,) drill and run a brass tube through. I agree I prefer the metal axle (!) in the rear axle like that, but I've built a few models with the plastic stubs and haven't had too much trouble, either. Charlie Larkin

Did not know that about the Bosch units. Figuring their power tools are top-drawer, it would figure their dishwashers are, too. I don't know if I can talk Dad into popping the extra coin for one of those- getting him to spend the extra $75 for the nylon racks in a Whirlpool/Whirlpool-made, or Frigidaire was like pulling teeth, and it's taken me nearly three years to get him to consent to that! Where I do the dishes and most of the cooking in the house, the racks is where I put my foot down. In all honesty, if we can get 8-10 years out of one of the new units (I've been told that's VERY optimistic, but we don't usually use the heated dry, which helps extend the life of the tub,) we'll be okay. To be frank, I doubt this house will be standing another 8-10 years. My next project is getting him to go along with building a house that isn't falling apart at the seams! Even if he doesn't and I have to handle disposition of property, I'll be selling a new house on this lot. Charlie Larkin

Very nice. Where did you find the flasher? We put LEDs in my dad's car because the bulbs are a pain to change, and now they flash funky. Charlie Larkin