SSNJim

I don't think it's any worse than a Porsche Panamera.... Not that it could be.

A wheelbase of 145" would actually be 147.32 mm in 1/25. Calling an inch one millimeter works fine for smaller measurements but for larger measurements the 1.5% or so difference starts to add up.

Agreed. No one is arguing there should only be one angle. I like some variation in the pictures. What I am talking about is when there are 10 pictures, and the rocker panels and splash pans are not visible in any of the pictures.

I didn't think they were still here as Opel. This car definitely had an Opel badge on it - a circle with an extended "Z" in it (I know it's a lightning bolt).

No pictures, but I was behind an Opel Astra XR today with US tags, so that's all I saw. I didn't recognize the logo or name, so I had to look it up. Does Opel still have a presence in the US?

That's exactly my point. I can deal with high shots to demonstrate or emphasize a point, but most modeling subjects are viewed from a low angle. I can't really get a feel for the subject though high angles, especially with a subject I'm not familiar with.

Two things that get me are hoods that don't fit properly, and "helicopter" photographs as if the picture was taken from a fourth floor window.

It's not just automotive. At a lot of motorcycle events such as Sturgis/Laconia, you can get pins/patches that say "I rode my bike to trailer week".

All I can say is wow. What an interesting site. Who knew there were Enigma simulators?

I generally use JB Weld for my rough bodywork on both resin and styrene, then modeling putty for finishing. It is pretty strong and seems to add some amount of rigidity.

Don't they look that way before the first run of the night?

Yep, that really needs to be built.

Testors was probably under the same (likely oversimplified) impression that I am - 934s have stand-up headlights, 935s are flat-nose. I'm not that familiar with Kremer cars, but I'm sure they had the resources to do what they liked.

That is correct - the red seat goes on the port side, green on the starboard. Oh wait, that's navigation lights on a ship.

Very true. I spent many years in VA and CT while in the Navy, and unfortunately still live in MD in the DC metropolitan area. If the snow's too bad to drive my Mustang, I won't drive the Escape either. I was trying to say that there are no driving conditions that I can think of that a FWD car has an advantage over a RWD car. "Process improvements" and "cost cutting" in manufacturing and production have ruined almost all quality products.

Concerning #4, the yellow hood is from a 1/24 Testors Custom Chevy C1500 Pickup. I just pulled the hood off mine, and it is identical. They were Quick Builders. There were a few kits from the same tool, the first being the Van Halen truck which I think was molded in red, and there may have been others. MPC did do a regular cab long bed kit in yellow before being taken over by AMT, but if it doesn't match the annuals, that's not likely to be it.

I gotta agree with Bill J's comment quoted in the above post, even though I can't think of a condition where FWD is an advantage. I have never owned a FWD car as my daily driver, and never will. I have bought many for my wife, and have driven many more FWD, so I am quite familiar with them. I currently own a 2007 Mustang, the latest in a long line of RWD cars and trucks. As far as I am concerned, Ford quit making cars (Mustang excepted) when they switched to FWD/AWD. I do think that the lack of RWD cars is fuelling the truck and truck-based SUV popularity. FWD cars are considered to be cheap and disposable. I know, some people have 1989 Honda Civics with eleventy-two bazillion miles, but they are the exception. My next car will likely be a Ranger or an F-series. No, I don't do any hauling or anything for which many buy a truck; it's just that they're RWD.

That is almost exactly what I was describing without the # internal bracing, and built of wood. It ain't rocket surgery; pretty much any available material can be used that is sturdy enough to stand up to a mild vacuum. The red part is the perfboard. Thanks for the pictures and instructions, Jon! I would support the part with modeling clay or something similar to prevent distortion or damage to the part, especially with a part of questionable quality.

I'm liking that rear bumper. I've been trying to figure out a front bumper for a similar 49-ish custom I'm working on. It's loosely based on Hot Rod & Custom Stuff's M80, a Ridler award winner from a few years ago. Maybe some thing like that will work.

Maybe I should have used the word frame to describe what is built out of the 1X4s. The end result is a box with a perfboard top, and a hole in the side for the vacuum source. The box shouldn't more than about 6x6 inches, so a decent vacuum cleaner with a clean bag and unobstructed hose should work. I wouldn't try an upright vacuum without a hose.

It's pretty easy to build a vacuformer. Grab a piece of perfboard; Radio Shack is where I found mine years ago. They used to carry plain perfboard without any metallic surfaces (at least on one side). Take some 1X4 lumber, and build a box just large enough so that the perfboard sits on it. The box should be 4" tall. Take some brads and fasten the perfboard to the top of the box. Cut a piece of Masonite or plywood to the same size as the perfboard, and fasten it to the bottom. Drill a hole in one of the sides large enough for your vacuum cleaner hose (it should be a tight fit), and tape all the joints of the box. If you can't find perfboard, try the home improvement stores. They have perforated sheet metal that may be useful, or maybe you could even use hardware cloth as a base, and cover it with window screen.

Interesting that there would be that much difference in what I would assume to be identical kits, Mine had all that except the tires and possibly wheels, There were optional wheels, one set of which I assumed to be stock.

The AMT one was a shortbed stepside. Apparently it was reissued once or twice. https://www.modelroundup.com/1972-GMC-Stepside-Pickup-Stock-or-Custom-AMT-6081-p/amt-t-409.htm You could probably mix it with the AMT Chevy fleetside longbed pickup to come up with that truck, but both kits are getting hard to find.

The one I built (red and white car on the box) had all the stock pieces in addition to the racing parts. The only things missing were the street tires; only slicks were provided. I built mine as a street version with slicks. I probably could have found some suitable street tires in my parts box, but, you know.... It was a fun kit to build.

When did Revell do a 1997 T-Bird? Or is this a conversion? I know of their 88-92 SCs, and the 2000-era two seaters. Are there others?