Dr. Cranky

I don't have any particular era, I just build when a subject grabs my attention. Having said that, I really like 30s, 40s, and 50s cars!

And Tom, you did a heck of a nice job on a subtle and very realistic weathering. Excellent.

Of course, the other thing I would say is that you DON'T have to use your own work to get a topic of interest started. You also don't have to use any photos whatsoever, but you know, eye candy seems to be the currency exchange on this forum, as it normally is elsewhere.

Manny, it looks like you are living by EYEGORE's motto: LONG LIVE RUST! Love it, great weathering. Keep the eye candy coming, rusty or not!

Sam, you can't beat the haul you just made. The VW is going to look perfect with what you are planning. Congrats to you, buddy. Have fun.

Sure you can, Harry, just let me send you a couple of Hot Scrapple Sandwiches!

Oh, and you know that's pure gold for a writer!

Pat Covert told me this story once (the history behind the build pictured below) that he was driving around between AL and MS and he spotted this yard mule on someone's property so he knocked on the door and asked this old man for permission to photograph the car. The old timer had a blast telling him all about the vehicle and he was more than happy that Pat was taking pictures of it. Here's the result: The infamous "Camp Mule," a collaboration build between Mr. Covert and Mr. Hamilton:

Tell me about, something they think I'm the dentist answering a house call!

Eugene, welcome to the TZH Squad, buddy. Have fun with your build and remember that if you can't find a weapon that you would like to see on your build, you can always try to build it from scratch.

David, wonder no more, you can go here an knock yourself out: http://public.fotki.com/vsuarez666/ Of course, I always use other people's work not only to promote it, but also because often they are friends and I am very proud of the work they do.

LOL, I love these pictures . . . it almost looks like a friendly enough squirrel!

We all have our stories, Harry, and sometimes we have to stick to them!

Whenever I find a vehicle on someone's property, I always ask first if I can snap a photo. Sometimes meeting the person who drives the old clunker is infinitely more interested than the clunker itself!

Point taken. And I agree with you, but there's still an attracting to using them in scenes.

We know it's tough. But you know sometimes a figure is just the right element to evoke a particular time and a particular place:

Here are some that come close (I know they still look like models): Yes, you are right, but there's a point of high realism which is as far as a figure painter can take it. Yes, there are limitations.

I understand what you mean, yes, but within the realism of a diorama, some of these guys can make the figures look pretty real. Darn it, now I feel challenged!

Jason, House of Kolor makes a couple of products where if you scratch the surface it will show under the paint coat, thus giving it that brushed aluminum look. Craig Fraser knows how to do it really well, then again he does it on real cars and motorcycles. If you look around there might be a how-to somewhere . . . http://www.houseofkolor.com/index.jsp

This second link shoes the work of someone else who is really crazy about models and backdrops and photographs. Harry, remember that the 1/35th scale model builders can REALLY paint figures. I've seen some dioramas with figures in it that are just amazing, and very realistic. Like everything else, painting figures is an art form hard to master.

LOL! No, it wasn't me either, but I've been sworn to secrecy about who it was!

I found it, this one: http://www.modelcarsmag.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3221&hl=%20trip%20%20to%20%20smallville&st=0 But it's someone else. This one looks very cool too.

Oh wait, I think I remember something like that. Let me keep looking. I already struck out with the name search.

Loving it. The chassis frame is pure eye candy.

Yes, that's why if you go to his album, he's taken shots from all the different angles just to get the right shot, which is what MODEL KING ended up using.