Daniel Peterson

Here you be...well, actually, there you be, here be the photos. http://public.fotki.com/DanielP/scale_auto...traffic-4-2007/ I could (and should) have taken more, but I got to gabbin', and well, you know how it is.

Well thank you sir! I just want to ask his permission to use some of his fotki photos in our club newsletter...and of course grant him all the fame and fortune that would of course bring... 8)

Please e-mail me. Thanks!

Gadzooks! I treated some great friends to a quiet meal last night before attending a Silent Traffic meeting. (I started with a bowl of chicken rice florentine. It was simply outstanding!...but I digress) During the meal, the topic of these recent posts, the now famous eBay auction, and the general drama surrounding Reliable Resin came up. Since the only other topic of interest I could come up with was my cat dying that morning, I was willing to listen to anything... I expected to tune in here and see a page or two of bilious banter at best. Lo, I find 8 pages worth of every conceivable angle, opinion, accusation, defense, attack, spin doctoring and apologism from every direction. I have spoken to Don on the phone, I have seen his product, I have seen him at shows, heard the stories and I have an opinion of my own, which at this point would make an already crowded room just more crowded. What I will say, is that I have found the entertainment value in this thread and read each post from the beginning. It is absolutely riveting. The fact that it hasn't yet been locked amazes me, with Jairus being attentive but not yet compelled to pull the plug...kind of like an NHL official letting the fight go until somebody actually hits the ice. Judgment at its best. I also give the posters credit, because as close as some of them came to "the edge" with their comments, just imagine this on an unmonitored message board! Yikes! Jeez, I love this forum. And chicken rice florentine...

Very nicely done, Mr. Arter!

In spite of the Cruz referral, it's still great to have you with us! The project looks outstanding so far. Keep the progress photos coming!

Well, Mr. Bastido. Recognizing the problem is the biggest step in solving it. Normally. You have what we like to call an STD. Styrene Transformation Disease. (Some of the forum members here have Stage III symptoms. MJ Styro leaps to mind.) It's similar to HERPES, or Hobbyists Expectations Revised Prior to Execution Syndrome. In both cases, what you purchase in that blessed little kit box at the mega retailer, LHS or auction site presents you with an initial expectation of the overall result. It often starts out innocently enough, with parts strewn across a work bench. A brief scan of the instructions follows; perhaps the wheels and tires are twisted off their trees and test fitted. As the process evolves, uncontrollably random thoughts rattle in the hobbyists mind like a bunch of BBs in an otherwise empty coffee can. "Hey, the beltine moulding on the Fargo GT350 was 3/16" scale inches lower on the one I owned...and what's with the funky proportions on that tulip panel?! " This is often how some IPMS and super detail guys often ricochet afield of any chance of building something box stock. Other common misdirections come from observations like "Did the rear of the car really sit that low with a full tank of fuel?" or "Gadzooks! That upholstery pattern is all wrong for 1964 model year Option Package 113-A!! The symptoms are most evident in builds that are scheduled to take more than just a couple hours, but even the quick build projects, such as snap kits, often breed their own brand of non compus modelus. "Neat snap kit. But wouldn't one of my kid's DUB City die-cast's wheels look absolutely smokin' on this? It'll only take a minute!!" Sadly, there is no known cure. However, there is treatment that can help control the symptoms. To ease the frustration of those afflicted with these incidious conditions, some simple rationalization and wordplay is all the therapy you need. Start by asking people "How do YOU know what was actually in the box, huh?" (This usually works best with AMT kits from the late 90s and early 2Ks. Nobody ever challenges you.) Or spin it like this, "The kit IS all box stock; it's just not all from the same box." Some have it worse than others, and all are at risk. Folks like yourself are not only infected, but also a carrier. When people see what someone has done with a box of parts, they find it difficult to refrain from shaving this, filling that or adding a few of those on their own version. Not to match or exceed what you've done, but because now the Styrene Sirens call their names, tempting them to do just a little more than assemble all those parts...whispering in deafeningly soft and sultry tones "Build it like you want...you know you want to...what does a $50 per month injection molding plant laborer somewhere across the oceans know about this car, really? Go ahead, pancake that hood..." Your prognosis is not good. You will not get better. Make the best of your 4 or 5 remaining decades by just doing what you've been doing.

Wasn't sure whether to post this here or under Rants and Raves. :evil: I budgeted a reasonable amount of money and had it set aside, cleverly scheduled my business trips around this weekend (Out of town meeting later today, rushing to Virginia for a project install next week) and even preprinted my reg form, directions, shopping list and went so far as to get an oil change and replace the air filter on my car in preparation for the trip to Parsnippity! Was I goin'? Heck yeah! Well, it isn't happening now. Oh, how I yearn for the days when I was single and only moderately responsible... For those who are going, have fun, take lots of photos, and be sure to give the vendors lots of business! For those who aren't, the three of us can meet here and talk about models till everybody gets back...

Made it to the Silent Traffic meeting last night...and got out without buying more than 5 kits!! And a wheel and tire set...and a couple SATCO tires... Nifty stuff again on display, as usual! Here's the link to a few more photos. http://public.fotki.com/DanielP/scale_auto...traffic-3-2007/

######! I thought I missed a great meeting...now I know I did.

Nice traditional rod! Well done!

:shock: I was wondering about some missing posts myself. Some of what I've posted isn't where I left it. For example, I posted a response to 'Yad's wild Triumph bike photos yesterday, and noticed it wasn't there this morning. My post was nothing deletion-worthy as far as I could tell, so I wonder if it isn't something on my end. I sometimes have 6 or 8 tabs open (IE7) to speed navigation around the forum, and wonder if that has something to do with it. Maybe I'm closing a tab before a message is fully posted, or....maybe it's just Gregg and Jairus' fault! In your case, maybe you just offended the Toyota gods. :wink:

70's?! BAH! No 8-track, and no Hi-Jackers... And you call yourself a modeler...harrrrrumph. (Apologies...I'm out of town for 6 days on business in Atlanta...already punchy and it's only day 3...don't expect my posts to get any better.)

It'll almost be a sin to cover that chassis with a body. Outstanding! Now that I think about it, it would be a sin to cover that with a body. Shame on you! :wink:

That's a refreshingly unusual approach to kit box art! I love it! Perception and packaging can mean it all in retail. This one hits it outta the park! On the flip side...you know somebody will whine about the body not being clear

I'm going to second the Scale Dreams (http://www.scaledreams.com/index.htm) recommendation. They don't appear to carry Ambroid, but what they do carry, they ship toot-sweet!

Well, for starters, the three things you mention are pretty much staples of higher-detail modeling. Photo-etched (often referred to just as "p-e") parts are very thin metal (not quite as thin as aluminum foil for example) reproductions of small details like car keys, hood pins, scripts, or intricate parts like meshes and screens as you would find in grillwork, or wire wheel centers. The appeal is that using the photo-etching process allows very fine detail you could not likely achieve in resin or plastic. Because of how they are made, a realistic scale thickness is able to be achieved. Often the photo etched parts are sent to customers affixed to a "tree" just like styrene parts are, or on a black adhesive backing. Attachment is often done using an epoxy (CA, or "super" glue will have a tendency to fog the part), clear enamel paint or a very small amount of white glue. Oh, and if you have two of the same part, and need both for a project, one will always go on with no trouble, while the other will spring across the room and seek cover in your deep pile carpet. Flocking is used to replicate the look of scale carpet. It is a very fine, colored powdery stuff that can be a little sloppy to apply but looks great afterward. To apply it, most people I know will paint the surface that needs to be "carpeted" with a brush-on flat enamel of a comparable color. Before it has a chance to dry, you shake the flocking onto the freshly painted area. Turn the part upside down over a piece of paper to recover the excess flocking and what remains on the painted area is, well...carpet. Flocking is available from several sources in several different colors. It is also best to use some type of tight mesh to sift the flocking so you don't get any clumping of the flocking when you are applying it. Foil, or most often Bare Metal Foil by name, is used to replicate chrome or stainless trim on scale vehicles. WARNING! This is sometimes the most infuriating stuff to work with, but the results are simply amazing. You will probably never, ever paint chrome trim again once you've used foil. It is sold in sheets and it is literally a metal foil with an adhesive backing. You cut off a piece approximately the size of the part you need to foil, peel the foil from the backing, lay it over the part, press it down a little with your finger, go back over it with a round toothpick or cotton swap and press it into place around the form of the part you are foiling and then trim off the excess. You finish by going back and "burnishing" the foil with a cotton swab. The tricks to successful application are to use a ridiculously sharp hobby blade, and to only burnish the foil where you want to to stay permanently. I've over simplified, but you should get the idea. Any of these three things are usually accompanied by directions in their packaging, but this forum is a great place to pick up the "I've used it, and this worked for me" kinds of tips. Hope I helped.

Good info, but I think he's chasing these... or at least something of their vintage.

Welcome! You'll be amazed at what you can learn just from casual conversation around here. What a resource! And the people are grade-A first class all the way! Between this and other message boards (mostly just this one anymore) I have gone form being a kinda lousy builder, to an "above lousy" builder, soon to be a happily average builder. And it's hardly taken more than a decade! :wink: You are right about that eBay find...there's a certain "something" about it. It would be a shame to part it out into another project...but have you considered it for a restoration project?

The uncommon color combo is really, really nice! I never would have though it could look that good! That's one nice, clean build of a real classic!!

Thanks for the photos, Lyle! I had to work yesterday and couldn't make it. And I was so looking forward to trying the shorter route to Greenbelt this time!

Rumor has it there's a secluded farm in north central Pennsylvania where all old models go to die...and MJ is one of only three living hobbyists who know its location. Come to think of it, the other two haven't been seen in years. Hmmm....makes one wonder doesn't it?

Great. Another half-hearted effort, eh Bill? When are you going to finally get serious about this hobby?

Looks just about right...except for the part where it isn't on my shelf instead of yours... Correct that any time you feel like it! :wink:

Mark...I really respect your ability as a scale artisan...but I think I owe it to you as a fellow hobbyist to tell this straight up. Steering wheel's on the wrong side, dude. :shock: Other than that one oversight, it's perfect.