Dragline

Back in 79 my older friend had a girlfriend who had a silver and burgundy one. We all gathered around it and agreed it was cool. You absolutely killed it with this one Bob. It could pass for 1:1 with a proper background. Just WOW.

My lips are sealed... I'm being a good boy even though I don't want to be. There, got that out. I feel better.

I found some used PE sheets for armor in a box of parts I bought. I used the various pieces for brackets and throttle. In fact, I used an entire sheet on my 66 Chevelle for various thin brackets and even pedals. Your imagination is the only bar to what you can make of these kinds of things. 1/35 can work in may instances as you clearly showed.

OK, I want one! First time seeing this and it's a doozy. You really did it right. Too cool for school.

I just traded off the Hot Wheels to a member here. Perhaps I erred..... Really looks fantastic Rich.

Love these kits. They always have that look that in the right setting pass for the real thing. Well done.

Awesomeness...

Superb for a kid. Not half bad for a seasoned builder even. I would be proud for certain.

I've had a fire stick for 7 years at least. Just an Internet bill for me thank you. I e coaxed others to cut the cord and have been largely successful. If I show them what is possible they almost always make the switch. Plus, there are ways to get channels if you know what you're doing 😉. As for all the old Diamond P stuff? It's a treasure trove of all I crave in every way. I could watch nitro racing all day and be glued to every round. I didn't use the name Dragline because I like fishing.

This is very close to the car Pam Babineau picked me up in when she decided it was time her and I got to know one another. I seriously wish I had a picture. You guys would know why I got in immediately. Great build!

I can currently spot AI voice-overs. There will come a time when it will probably become impossible. Inflection is one of the things they are getting correct. But others are still quite way off. I watch a lot of 40K lore videos that run long. And the use of AI is prevalent in this arena. It has a service le quality, but also a comedic one. At least to me. I have a degree or two in English, so I tend to hear and see written words with a critical bent. It's innate within me at this point. Be that as it must, I still see AI as THE burgeoning field. And if I were a younger man I would seriously be involved as a career path.

While I tease a bit about the "Terminator" type scenario, Ace brings up the most important concern. That is power centrally located and overseen by only a select few. THAT is where evil often lives. It attracts those megalomanical types. And so it should be open source and not a centrally located hub. Other than that, I wish AI the best. It will crush jobs, and create others. The issue I will have with that is the balance achieved. Will what work that is created be equal or greater than that rendered obsolete? If more jobs, Bravo. If less, BOO... As smartphones create walking Zombies I pray AI doesn't do the same. Independent thought is what got us here in this Industrialized world of wonders. Mindless people droning on about this or that have been since created with the net and the handheld device. Voices that are better seen and not heard flood the net with drivel so insignificant and thoughtless it's become a source of entertainment. And that shouldn't be. Many people who have gone nowhere and seen nothing have opinions on every topic imaginable. Mindless whelps who groupthink and fall in line are NOT what this country needs. We need young people with courage and carefully considered beliefs. I have seen far too many videos of "college" educated children who talk endlessly about things they know nothing about, and only regurgitate the latest "thinking" of others. But I hold out hope that eventually wisdom will prevail. It's either that or AI can do your thinking for you.

One thing that makes me happy is that I will be long gone when the AI decides to wipe out humanity.

Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) has been on this for quite a few years. He was right then and more so now. The future looks a little better with this kind of news.

Impressive fabrication. I think I could do it if I had someone there to hold my hand all the way. I'm one of those guys willing to fail to learn. But I would remind us all that this type of stuff was only handed down if you were there back in the early days. Most guys who knew this type of stuff guarded it jealously to keep their business going and have an edge.

Awesome! Needs a reish.

Superb! The colors, the stance, the outrageousness.... All on one car.

You never disappoint bro. That coffee color truly works with the gold. Great eye for color.

Looks fantastic!

Best use of that kit ever. Next time I see one I'll grab it.

Alan, since my Chinese and Punjabi are probably about the same as yours, and my rusty parts counter Spanish only marginally..... Well, I'd probably fit right in over there.. As for computer controlled inventory? When we went over to Corporate NAPA software my boss began to get aggravated. And at first it was tough to figure out what was bugging him. But the orders were getting a little strange once I spoke to the warehouse guy. He was knee deep in new stock far more than normal. It was the inventory software. It tried to learn our stores habits and trends in a month. Of course it really needs say 6 months at least before it could come close to accurate. We had nearly NO foot traffic. We were in an industrial area. All of our calls were from garages. Yet we were getting cases of air fresheners and all that rubbish. If I sold 10 air fresheners a year that would be considered a Bumper year. They just say there. All that BLAH_BLAH_BLAH_BLAH that Auto Zone and all the rest devote Aisles too, we sell almost none of it. We are a Hard Parts leader. We had 3 full racks of exhaust (rust belt) and anything else that can rust or fall off. But we had air fresheners for days. But it is progress right?

Priorities. I speak Portuguese, and so my Spanish is good because they are similar. They have some major differences but my ear hears what they are saying far easier than an English only speaking person. It has helped in the past, but only marginally. And at NAPA Baltimore not at all. It seems the Spanish speaking set has yet to fully engulf B'more.

The modern hat looks right at home. Very nice.

The argument that cars are getting more complicated doesn't wash. NAPA constantly trains employees. Whether it's office staff or on the counter, we all got training on the latest gadget or circuit added to new cars. We held training on A/C machines and recovery for our customers. We would feed them and reps would come in and hold classes. Counterpeople were not just asked to sit in, it was mandatory. If it ran 2 hours we were paid and fed. If it ran short, say 1/2 with Relevant info we did it on our own time and who attended was noted. When Quaker City Auto was purchased by NAPA inc everyone who worked at every store purchased was immediately out of date on training. Immediately... We started with how to reconcile your drawer, it was that comprehensive. It started like you were a first time employee, because you were. My boss had 55 years in the business at that point and even he had to go through it all. It didn't seem right, but right had nothing to do with it. It stresses us all out. It would take a man off the counter for an hour every day for everyone to go in the back and sit at that I fernal computer and train. Not easy stuff either. And ALL OF US were ASE certified. Every year we tested. Every year the rest was different. Every year it was tough. Nope, that doesn't wash.

What really drives me bonkers are the mechanics who charge up to 50% to the customer on parts. And I know of higher margins. They are making more than we do. And the customer gets hosed. More than once in my time on the counter has a customer walked in demanding to know what a garage paid for parts. He knows we cannot tell him, but they will insist. A shop making all that off parts AND giving me agita every day is/was something I don't miss. Making 15% on parts was what I was told to charge by my mentor. He insisted no more or less. We sometimes had to go get the parts. Other times they were delivered. At times I had to go wrench a part off a donor. In that case it was 25% if I had to go wrench a part off. A lot of times it was simple, others not so much. Truck laden with tools and the ride has to be paid for, I get that. Parts delivery is still free as far as I can tell. Sure, there are always hidden costs, but I was always led to believe delivery was part of business and it's in the price. Keeping a small fleet of delivery trucks and the retirees who drive em isn't free. With quality consistently declining, and online retailers cutting our throats it's a wonder there are as many parts stores as there are. Margins being what they are it's simply so tight out there. But with some stores lacking almost the basic knowledge of how cars operate, it's a wonder some stay in business. They know who they are.