SSNJim

So I picked this up today at a toy show today, and here it is in "as found" condition. Body is painted, interior looks unpainted except for detail on the dash and floor, the only things that seem to be missing are a portion of the right fender ornament, and the aerial. There are some glue spots on the front and rear windshields. It's not real obvious from these pictures, but the front bumper seems to have been repaired with silver paint. I guess the question is, preserve or restore? I'm kind of leaning toward restore, but I'm worried about getting the windows out without damaging the body. I'm not sure I would do anything at all with the interior, chassis or wheels. Preservation is a good option too; it's pretty clean for the most part.

Maybe they did, and we didn't hear it. I certainly didn't hear the original announcement. I've only heard second-hand. Maybe the hoax camp is wrong, but there is certainly a lot of doubt among those in this thread who want to believe.

I'm going with hoax, too, despite the fact that all 61 rivets are accounted for.

Based on the number of projects I have going, their status, and the number of kits/parts, I think I would just buy a junkyard and call it even.

A couple of years ago I found a factory GM AM/FM/CB in-dash radio in the junk behind an antique shop near me. I think it's the only one I've seen since the 70s.

Try searching for it with the Lindberg brand name instead of AMT. I don't think the AMT branded ones have been out very long.

One I always visit when I'm in the area is the Strasburg Train Shop. The address I have for it is 226 Gap Rd, Strasburg, PA 17579. As the name implies, it is mostly a model RR shop, but I have seen a few 1/25 plastic models there, plus lots of 1/43 and some 1/24 diecast. Some of their diecast is customized for local agencies - I have seen Strasburg PD cars in 1/24, and a 1/43 Ford Transit Van marked for a local restaurant chain called Isaac's (more on that in a bit). There is a model RR museum in the same strip mall along with one of the aforementioned Isaac's restaurants, and Strasburg RR is just down the road,. If you're into railroads at all, it is worth a visit. Strasburg is maybe a 5-10 minute drive from Lancaster. Isaac's is a restaurant chain in SE PA; they have several stores in the region. I've never been disappointed with the meals at any of them. I think they are definitely worth a stop: https://www.isaacsrestaurants.com/ . No affiliation, just a happy customer.

They used to have a series called Tamtech years ago - I had one or two of them. I know the Porsche 961 was a part of the series; that's where the static model kit came from. I don't remember what others there were. They were fun and matched the scale of model cars, but they weren't anywhere close to the 1/10 or 1/12 cars in performance....

I like the second revision a lot. I've got a couple of projects where that could be quite useful. I've been thinking of a kluge involving a guide and a #11 blade or maybe dividers, but this looks much better. Thanks!

No cold shoulder:

I'm definitely enjoying your project - you're doing great. Really looking forward to the finished product. I guess I've always been worried about getting the A-pillar/cowl interface as nice, solid and smooth as yours.

I think the drawing has the top chopped a bit more than the model. Either way, it looks great - nice work. I've done a lot of body modifications including roof chops, but never a roof swap. I'll be following along.

I had a hard time coming up with a screen name for AOL Instant Messenger way back when. One of the problems with having a very common name - most of the variations are taken. I finally came up with SSN (the ships I rode in the Navy - nuclear submarines) and Jim (my first name). Not the most creative name, but it's served me well since then.

I've always just cut the license plate out with a pair of scissors, and glued the decal (with backing paper and all) directly to the appropriate place on the car using white glue. It looks quite realistic to me. Placing the decal on plastic in the traditional way never looked right to me because the plastic is way too thick.

You're welcome. I'm still looking the kit over; I've been pretty pleased so far.

I just picked up the MPC Mount'n Goat kit, and it does have the earlier CJ-type grille in it. It seems that all you would need to do is fabricate/source the front fenders and maybe modify the hood. I'm no expert on Jeeps, but it appears that the front end is the only real change over the years. Based on earlier comments about the interior, perhaps the front end was the only change that MPC made when updating the kit. Either way, it looks like a mostly factory stock 72 Commando is possible from the kit, and that's my plan.

"Ahh, a bear in his natural habitat - a Studebaker." I'd be in for a bullet-nose Studebaker.

Those red headlights may not be street legal, but they are installed on street driven cars. I saw one at about sunset the other day. It was very disorienting seeing a pair of "brakelights" approaching at 35-40 mph. The entire headlight was red, not some ring or partial color - there was no white at all.

I was looking at the box bottom at Hobby Lobby, and the narrow tailgate is actually shown on the sprue layout on the bottom. It is directly across from the hood. When (and if) AMT fixes it, will they correct the box bottom too? I hope so.

My understanding is that there is no RG or RUSA anymore, only Revell.

It's at the top of this page - the Red Baron. The black model pictured is a highly modified Red Baron.

A Google search of the part number (bosch 0 261 200 483) shows that it is an Engine Control Unit for a Porsche 911.

The Mk I was done in 1/24 by Doyusha (kit NH-18). It is a 1973 Euro-spec lower end (no power bulge) curbside. I've heard that it was intended for slot-car use, but includes a chassis and shallow interior. https://goo.gl/images/dR7r1i

I was always told the Army had more boats than the Navy, and the Navy had more fighter planes than the Air Force. The Army does/did have a lot of ships, but it was the small craft where they out-boated the Navy.

Submariner, hence SSNJim (SSN = nuclear powered attack submarine, Jim = my name). Served from 1976-1992 on SSN594 (short and long hull), SSN637 (short and long hull) and first flight 688 submarines. Made 4 trips to the Mediterranean Sea, two to South America, and one above the Arctic Circle. Best. Job. Ever.