Rob Hall

There are a few electric charging stations in a parking lot near my office..I've seen Volts and Leafs (Leaves?) plugged in there... going to be interesting to see how the Focus Electric sells.. As far as Prius batteries, anecdotally I know a guy w/ an early one (2001), has 150k on it, still has the original battery..

I did something like that when I was a teenager w/ an exacto knife..was working on a Revell '59 Skyliner. Had to go to the hospital and get stitches...still have a scar on my thumb 25 years later...

I do wonder, though, if those hobbies have a similar demographic skew as car modeling has (i.e. a lot more older modelers than younger).

Yeah, I think it's like that at Hobby Depot also. One side of an aisle of model cars & trucks, both sides of another aisle are military & aviation.. my old favorite Colpar Hobbies in Aurora Colorado has both sides of one for model cars and both sides of another for military IIRC...going to try and visit it next weekend when I'm in Denver.

Good point..I don't have any insight into the relative popularity/etc of the military, aviation, etc modeling world..don't know anyone into those hobbies.

It probably would have been blocky, slab sided w/ a flat chassis. Trumpeter seems to have issues with curvature in places...

Cool..never seen one that..interesting how the headrest is only on the passenger's side.

And it's not really standardized..different cars work differently...there are some where you put the key in a slot then push a button to start..

Not sure about other brands, but on Cadillacs you push and hold in the button to shut the engine off w/ the car in park. The key can stay in your pocket or in the console all the time...I've left the key in my car several times, still getting used to the push button.

Sounds like tinfoil hat conspiracy theory stuff to me..

No different from today...take a typical '12 Ford or Chevy, '12 Hyundai or Honda...anyone can easily tell them apart if they pay attention to modern cars.

True...if there was more demand for stripped models w/ AM radios and crank windows, the companies would build them. In a daily driver that I'm going to spend an hour or more in every day I want it loaded w/ all the modern creature comforts... Another thing I find annoying like iDrive is the push-button start systems.. I don't see much value in not putting the key in the ignition.

I'd argue cars are way more differentiated styling-wise today than they were in the '20s, 30s, 40s, or early '50s.

Improved in comparison to it's predecessor..the Caliber. More efficient, better performance, better interior materials and options, etc. From what I've read, it's much more competitive in it's segment than the Caliber was.

Good post James...it's best to just ignore the grumbling of the luddites and carry on

Actually, the Dart is a 'C-segment' car, like the Caliber and Neon, and the Focus. A-segment cars are the really tiny subcompacts like the Spark or Fiat 500.

LoL...I can tell the bottom one is a Ford because of the blue oval emblem and the bumper that looks like that on the AMT Model A kits...

Well, it is a new and improved car..it probably has no parts in common w/ the Neon. And that's only about 12 years (that's a 2nd gen Neon in the pic). The Caliber replaced the Neon, the Dart replaces the Caliber, so it's the same market niche.

Neat....from the '70s, I think? Never seen or heard of those kits.

Beautiful build..somehow I missed this thread last year. What is the object on top of the passenger's side of the front seat?

I don't understand it either. It seems like some people just shut down and lose their curiousity and stay fixed at some point in time in their interest and thinking and end forever wallowing in nostalgia. My older brother is like that...seems like a depressing way to live.

Bah...I couldn't imagine living with such a negative outlook. Countless things have been invented in the last 40 years that have moved things forward. So many innovations and advancements in technology....personal computers, the World Wide Web, high speed internet, cell phones, HDTV, digital media for music and movies, etc. I really like the Charger and Challenger lights...

The new trend seems to be horizontal trapazoids, either w/ straight lines or curves..

True...I have done that from about 100 feet away. Those triangle taillights have been heavily overused...

I don't have an issue distinguishing today's cars, each brand has their own styling cues...