Daniel Peterson

So...you're saying spending a Sunday with us ain't no day at the beach, eh? I'll just have to wash my car Saturday...that'll kill your precious weekend weather, buck-o!! In other words, see you there!

You better come down to see us this year! You never know where a "must have" kit might be lurking! Besides, if you don't go, I ain't goin' either! So there!

Oh, yeah...this might be one worth loading up on when it comes out. I know I'll want a couple. I guess I share Bill's thoughts on the box art. Why couldn't a multi-million dollar company see the value in turning the box art up a notch or two? As anyone who has been in a singles bar knows, packaging is everything. The average consumer often goes for what they think they see more so than what they'll have when they get home. On this Camaro kit in particular...has anyone in the aftermaket come up with a cleaner option for the headlight trim? The way it's molded in it's a bear to foil, and doesn't look nearly as clean and crisp as the real car. I know there are limitations in scale, but I wonder if somebody came up with a better way?

Out of fairness to the NNL East crew, I wouldn't let that alarm me. In the case of our contest, we like to hold off on announcing the following year's show until the contract for the hall is signed, which doesn't always happen right on the heels of the prior show. Panic not, oh gentle reader, until clearly instructed to do so.

It's a heartbreaker to have a show get cancelled. Believe you me, I have a growing appreciation for the work that goes into a show of any type, and the letdown of a cancellation has to be devastating. There's so much more that has to get done than many people see, especially on the part of the organizers. Our club has been fortunate to have the support of Fantastic Plastics in Easton, PA for the past 7 years of September Showdowns. Len has been a godsend in arranging the hall and coordinating the vendor side of the show. He handles the real hard work, and does so with a smile. Our club members handle just the contest side of things, and I'm here to tell you, it can be a lot of extra hours, a little aggravation, and the pay stinks. But fortunately, we are doing it because we love it. We (as many clubs are) do it to grow the hobby. We do it because we know what gifts come with being involved in something like scale modeling and want to share it. I can see how someone can get tired..."You guys don't have give out enough trophies" ..."You guys don't have enough classes"..."Your classes aren't divided properly"..."Why is the factory stock section do big?"..."How come you don't serve food?"..."Why do you have it on that weekend?"..."Can't it start a couple hours later?"..."Why aren't there more vendors?"..."Why are there so many vendors selling the same stuff?"..."Why do you take so long to give out the trophies?" None of those questions are hard to answer on their own, but they come at you from all sides and usually at the same time. What I try to do is listen to all of it, and ask my clubmates to consider changing things to make the show better. We've gone from a little over a dozen classes to almost twice that many. We've added a Make & Take, rearranged or tailored classes to match recent kit issues or the previous year's activity, provided door prizes, and tried to cater to all breed of scale auto enthusiast (can I say that here? LOL) including the frighteningly elusive junior hobbyist. One of the things I'm trying to do for our club's big annual event is get high profile sponsorships from corporations and organizations people recognize, and I'm not just talking about the model manufacturers. (I'm also not talking about it being easy, either.) It's a matter of trying to make a small show look and feel like a major event; some polish and professionalism wrapped around a whole lot of fun for a few hours on a Sunday. For my next trick, I'll try to get some magazine coverage, whether by an on site photog from, oh, I don't know...some Model Car magazine...or submit photos good enough for publication from our end. National exposure has eluded us for the most part, and my goal is to NOT have our show be the hobby's best kept secret. You gotta market it and make it something people run home to mark on their calendars for the next year. I for one am still in the midst of a learning curve. I haven't any idea what I'm failing to suggest to the club that we should be doing, and I can only wait to hear responses to the last show to find out what we shouldn't have done. Ya gotta hang in there, and do your level best to keep shows alive. The hobby is undergoing changes, and how well we adapt to them will determine how long we can hedge against the impending demise of the hobby that I've been hearing about for the past 10 years. Boy, I guess this would have been better under the Rants & Raves section, huh?

Just posting a gentle reminder to anyone interested in attending the Central Pennsylvania Model Car Club's annual model contest and vendor show on September 16th 2007 in Gilbertsville, PA. We have historically hosted about 350 models in a variety of classes at each of the previous seven shows. Voting is by way of spectator ballot, and trophies are awarded for each class (21 this year) as well as the "Best of Show" honors. This year's theme is any 4wd or all wheel drive vehicle driven on or off road. This means pretty much anything from a rallye car to a Monster truck. In addition to the contest, there will be a bunch of vendors selling kits and accessories as well. This is a neat way to spend a Sunday whether you enter a model for competition or just come to hang out with us. For more information, go to the CPMCC website ( http://www.freewebs.com/cpmcc/index.htm ) and check out "Special Events". I'm also happy to announce that all 22 trophy packs are committed to and the cache of door prizes is starting to shape up nicely thanks to some generous individuals, clubs, kit vendors and corporate sponsors! The list of classes is as follows: Factory Stock 1900-1949 Factory Stock 1950-1965 Factory Stock 1966-2008 Custom Street Rod Street Machine Competition – Road & Track Competition – Drag Tuners & Low Riders Curbside & Slammer Light Commercial Heavy Commercial Juniors Diorama & Miscellaneous Small Scale (Under 1:25) Big Scale (Over 1:24) Motorcycle Muscle Car 1962-1972 Resin Bodied Kits Contest Theme (Anything 4WD or AWD) If anyone needs more info, has general questions about the classes, or would like info on how to participate as a vendor or donate items for door prizes, send me a message here on the forum, or at centralpmcc@hotmail.com. I know there's a separate area for this type of post, but I was hoping not to upset anypone by drawing it further up in the list of catagories.

I pretty much have to echo everybody else's comments! Glad to have you here!

Just posting a gentle reminder to anyone interested in attending the Central Pennsylvania Model Car Club's annual model contest and vendor show on September 16th 2007 in Gilbertsville, PA. We have historically hosted about 350 models in a variety of classes at each of the previous seven shows. Voting is by way of spectator ballot, and trophies are awarded for each class (21 this year) as well as the "Best of Show" honors. This year's theme is any 4wd or all wheel drive vehicle driven on or off road. This means pretty much anything from a rallye car to a Monster truck. In addition to the contest, there will be a bunch of vendors selling kits and accessories all day. This is a neat way to spend a Sunday whether you enter a model for competition or just come to hang out with us. For more information, go to the CPMCC website ( http://www.freewebs.com/cpmcc/index.htm ) and check out "Special Events". I'm also happy to announce that all 22 trophy packs are committed to and the cache of door prizes is starting to shape up nicely thanks to some generous individuals, clubs, kit vendors and corporate sponsors! The list of classes is as follows: Factory Stock 1900-1949 Factory Stock 1950-1965 Factory Stock 1966-2008 Custom Street Rod Street Machine Competition – Road & Track Competition – Drag Tuners & Low Riders Curbside & Slammer Light Commercial Heavy Commercial Juniors Diorama & Miscellaneous Small Scale (Under 1:25) Big Scale (Over 1:24) Motorcycle Muscle Car 1962-1972 Resin Bodied Kits Contest Theme (Anything 4WD or AWD) If anyone needs more info, has general questions about the classes, or would like info on how to participate as a vendor or donate items for door prizes, send me a message here on the forum, or at centralpmcc@hotmail.com.

Owwwwch!

I lucked out and won a Replicas & Miniatures chopped T (which, by the way as with most of Norm's stuff, is nicer than some styrene I've seen!!!) at a recent club meeting and now have to decide which way to go; shaggy or shiny. I first pictured a set of steelies and wide wides...then Halibrands...then chrome reverse with pie-plate slicks...then red oxide primer...then black primer...then lime green, with a lean more toward a show rod...and now I'm seeing the wires and really diggin' the look. No matter what, I have to build something soon or I'm going to have to officially concede and join the ranks of kit collector rather than builder. Right now I'm on the cusp, sort of in building limbo...in that grey area called kit accumulator. Maybe the solution to the pinstriping is as simple as a fine point silver or gold gel pen or similar device. Just throwin' it out there. You could even split the difference between ratty and showy by weathering a little, using the primer spots you talked about and building a "survivor" hot rod. No matter what, you have a cool rod under way there and you gotta finish it! At least do it for those of us who can't get anything off the bench!

Well...I haven't had a lot of time (read that "any") to hang out here much because our club's slave driver of a vice president has been workin' me hard on our newsletter, web site and pre-show prep for the Super September Showdown, our annual contest event...oh, Randy...I didn't see you there! I guess it's not all Randy's fault...work has been nuts, the kids are great but driving me insane, and the townhouse we live in has decided to load me up with nitpicky, pain-in-the-hiney repairs. I have been aching to try the Tamiya paints, especially after seeing the results the guys in our club have gotten. I have only one local place I am aware of that carries the Tamiya stuff, and of course I found everything I was looking for there except for the primer, which apparently everybody alse was looking for -- and found -- before I got to the store... With any luck, I might get a chance to shoot some of this stuff before the cold weather prohibits it...yeah, I know...that's like 3 months away yet.

Is it too early to apologize to my kids for their Christmas gift money all getting spent on a bunch of Burkett's releases?

I know this has probably been covered before, but I don't get as much much time to cruise the forum as I'd like. I finally broke down and bought some Tamiya spray paint (TS-51 Racing Blue and TS-52 Candy Lime) and want to know if it behaves alright over the DupliColor primers I've come to know and love. And should I use a white primer for the Lime? I did get the Tamiya clear (TS-13) just to play it safe, but would the DupliColor clear be okay on these paints, or is it too hot? If I were to actually work on something and get it to the point of a color coat, I don't want to booger it up...any more than I normally would using compatible paints, that is.

I'm only human. Heck, I have needs, too. At least Lyle "Papa Razzi" Willits wasn't nearby to snag this photo op!

I picked up two at a club meeting last night at $13 each. Our resident kit vendor drove to Philly in the afternoon so he'd have them for the meeting Friday evening. (What a guy!) I opened one to look it over, and was quite pleased. The chopped body looks to be very nice, and the optional parts are going to make great parts box fodder for those among us who like customs. The box is laid out pretty intelligently. There's a cardboard brace that prevents the middle of the low, flat box from getting crushed and the parts trees aren't packed so tightly that they don't have any wiggle room. The chrome looked good, except for a stock rear bumper that fell off the tree and got roughed up a little. Everything is bagged, and although I didn't test fit anything, it looks as though it ought to go together well. I do not think there will be many disappointed buyers on this one, fellas. It looks like it was done right.

I'm sorry but not all that surprised Tom has decided to change how he does business. Things are a little complicated in the hobby if you are/were a dealer, and whether it's a matter of gittin' out while the gittin' is good in anticipation of things getting dicey, or just finding a more painless way to remain involved in the hobby, I'd think there are more than just a couple folks taking stock of things as they are. He's a good enough guy, and I wish him the best. He even stopped by to visit us a couple years ago while on one of his train hunting expeditions in the Reading, PA area, and we had a great visit. I sure hope it all works out well for him. My one regret is that I didn't support him more with purchases than I did, but I have monthly contact with 2 great dealers through the clubs I belong to, and even though his prices were pretty darn good, I'm buying most kits better from my local boys than I could anywhere else. The dollar talks when you're on a budget. Makes me feel kind of mercenary, but that's life. Now I'm curious to see how the former HHMB evolves, and for how long it stays intact. Lotsa folks rely on it for their daily hobby fix. (Although I confess, MCMF is my drug of choice...)

Cool '56! Yeah...I said 56...do the math, y'all! I like pretty much any tri-5 in yellow I guess. The back end reminds me of Project X, and the 55 front just looks good in yellow. Nicely executed! Thanks for posting it!

Nicely done! You have a very crisp building style, and it paid off on this and the last project you posted. The 69 Olds chassis is a brilliant solution to a skunky kit chassis. Makes you wonder why we figured it out but not the guys who kit the parts! Can you elaborate a bit on the negatives of the kit? Besides the chassis that is. I'm looking at your build up, and now seriously considering picking up a couple of these (along with a couple more 69 Olds kits to donate their chassis) next time I'm out foraging for kits. I see them all over and never bothered to pick one up, although I love this year Chevelle.

That sure works for me! Nice build-up!

Boy, that is starting to shape up nicely! The paint scheme is dead on sharp!

All I can say is that anybody who thinks this is a nice job, scoot over to the on the bench section and see what it really took to get to this point. Typical Geary. Outstanding!!

Good stuff...all happening while I was at work. Rats. You know, a Tom Daniels class in a model contest would be a hoot. If you don't do it for the 2008 MidAtlantic, I may just try to get the guys to go for as a theme or sub theme in the 2008 September Showdown...

Just posting a gentle reminder to anyone interested in attending the Central Pennsylvania Model Car Club's annual model contest and vendor show on September 16th 2007 in Gilbertsville, PA. We have historically hosted about 350 models in a variety of classes at each of the previous seven shows. Voting is by way of spectator ballot, and trophies are awarded for each class (21 this year) as well as the "Best of Show" honors. This year's theme is any 4wd or all wheel drive vehicle driven on or off road. This means pretty much anything from a rallye car to a Monster truck. In addition to the contest, there will be a bunch of vendors selling kits and accessories all day. This is a neat way to spend a Sunday whether you enter a model for competition or just come to hang out with us. For more information, go to the CPMCC website ( http://www.freewebs.com/cpmcc/index.htm ) and check out "Special Events". I'm also happy to announce that all 22 trophy packs are committed to and the cache of door prizes is starting to shape up nicely thanks to some generous individuals, clubs, kit vendors and corporate sponsors! The list of classes is as follows: Factory Stock 1900-1949 Factory Stock 1950-1965 Factory Stock 1966-2008 Custom Street Rod Street Machine Competition – Road & Track Competition – Drag Tuners & Low Riders Curbside & Slammer Light Commercial Heavy Commercial Juniors Diorama & Miscellaneous Small Scale (Under 1:25) Big Scale (Over 1:24) Motorcycle Muscle Car 1962-1972 Resin Bodied Kits Contest Theme (Anything 4WD or AWD) If anyone needs more info, has general questions about the classes, or would like info on how to participate as a vendor or donate items for door prizes, send me a message here on the forum, or at centralpmcc@hotmail.com.

It's a 350 chevy...will you do it for, oh...I dunno, half price now? 8)