Chuck Most

Another thing I've noticed, those big ol' honkin' Super Swamper TSLs may not be the best choice in snow! They tend to kind of ride up on top of the snow. I've had the best luck with somewhat skinny tires. They seem to slice through the snow like a treaded, rubber pizza cutter!

Not ALL AMT's latest reissues are decontented, you know! Case in point- the latest go-round of the venerable 'Shoebox' kit. As far as parts content goes, it's pretty much as we've known it since at least the mid '80's- stock version, plus the custom Cadillac V8, bucket seats, custom grille surround with two inserts, stock or custom taillamps, and the like. It's pretty much status quo from the last reissue, except this time it's done in white plastic, and the castings seem an awful lot cleaner than in past repops. The chrome plating is also very nice, none of that thick, glopped-on junk from the mid-to-late period of the hated RC2/Learning Curve regime! Also, AMT seems to be using a less-glossy vinyl to make it's tires, which helps the tires look quite a bit more realistic. The vinyl seems a bit softer than in the past, too. About the only key difference in content is the decal sheet- you get some somewhat crude period-style flames, and a bonus 'Street Rods' logo adhesive sticker comes with. Two Michigan plates are also included... always a plus in this humble Michiganite's book! If the '33 Willys, '55 Nomad, and '57 reissues lack of all the cool parts you remember got you down, may I suggest this latest '49 offering! I've got one, and I know I'll be obtaining several more in the coming months!

Know what would be REALLY cool? Take some X-ray photos of the finished model! That'll shut up ol' Nancy Naysayer!

I'm afraid I can't say any of the funny names, but my mom works with a lady whose boyfriend is named "Harley Bawls" (Bawls as in 'balls') Tim Allen's real name is Tim Dick. Allen is his middle name. He goes by Tim Allen because when he started out as a comedian, his agent told him people would think he made up the name Tim Dick just to be funny. --------- Osama Bin Laden was hiding out in a cave, when he found an old lamp. He picked it up and rubbed the dust off, and was astonished when a glowing plume of blue smoke erupted from the lamp. When the smoke cleared, a genie appeared. "You have freed me from my prison, and now I must grant you a wish." She said. "You disgusting dog of a woman!" Osama cried out. "Do you know who I am? I don't need your help!" The genie replied: "Master, if you do not allow me to grant you one wish, I shall once again be trapped in my prison!" Osama grumbled. "Alright. Fine. Tomorrow I wish to wake up with three American women in my bed." Annoyed, the genie replied: "Your wish is granted." With that, she and the lamp disappeared in the same mysterious glowing blue smoke cloud from which she'd appeared. The next morining, Osama woke up with Tonya Harding, Lorena Bobbitt, and Hillary Clinton. His knees were broken, his man-junk was missing, and his health insurance wouldn't cover either of his injuries. ---------- An alcoholic, a beggar, and a pervert all died in a car wreck. At the gates of Heaven, St. Peter told them: "You have all lived lives of sin and debauchery, and are not worthy to enter the gates of Heaven. However, if you pass my simple test, I will allow you to enter." In a flash, the three men and St. Peter were in a bar. The alcoholic immediately went to the bar and ordered a beer, and was instantly sent to Hell. Just then, the beggar noticed a $20 bill on the floor. Sensing his intention, the pervert grabbed the beggar's shoulder and said, "If you bend over to grab that, we're both goners!" -----------

A bit out of character for me, but here goes. It's the Model King reissue of the '70 Buford Wildcat, with Sean Svensen's killer lowrider decals, Hopppin' Hydros wheels and tires, and shaved handles.

I've got two of these kits stashed, but this is the first time I've seen anyone building it! Looking great so far!

That was the only way my '81 Lincoln Town Car (can't believe I didn't mention this one earlier) would budge. It didn't matter what tires I had, or how many sandbags I had in the trunk, if I aired the rear tires down a bit, she'd plow though all but the worst drifts. (Oddly, though, I drove my buddy's '81 LTD Crown Vic quite a few times over the winter, and it didn't seem to notice the snow!) I have to wonder about 'proper winter setup', though. (On some vehicles.) My Jeep Cherokee's 4wd crapped out about a year after I bought it, it had crummy all-terrain tires on it, and I never had any weight in the back (not even the spare), and it was a great winter car. I think it may have had more to do with low gearing and a gutless engine (2.5 Iron Duke that bled fluid from every orifice) than anything I could've done to prep it for winter. A good set of tires will help- I've had good luck with the 'Winterforce' tires. My '85 Ranger had much trouble in snow until I had a set of Winterforce tires installed. Poor little truck thought she was 4x4 after that! A local guy drives a Miata all year (true story!), and he runs Winterforce tires on the back all winter and says they're great. "With them, it's no problem. Without them, the car just wants to wiggle sideways.", sez he. I actually saw an '08/09 Challenger R/T out and about a few days ago, in some pretty hairy blizzard conditions. I wasn't too surprised at seeing a RWD muscle car out in such conditions... I was more surprised in seeing a forty thousand dollar RWD muscle car out in such conditions! Wonder what kind of tires he was runnin'? Oh, Aaron... I think they did make an F-85 kit. I think it was a Jo Han kit, so it may not be easy to track down, or cheap once you get it!

I've been told, if I ever decide to embark upon a Pocher build, to get the Bugatti with the solid, cast wheels. Assembly is about half an hour apiece, tops. Again, so I'm told...

It's about damned time somebody did one o' these, Jeff! Two '66 Effies played pretty big roles in my childhood- my dad's '66 F-250 Custom Cab Camper Special (which he drove until he wrecked it in '94), and my Grandfather's F-100 standard cab(he's still got it, though a '91 Ranger is now his primary pickup), which has the same hubcaps found in the new Revell Fairlane reissue of the T-Bolt kit! (They were used on trucks up to '66, in plated and argent silver paint... file that little tidbit away, rep-stockers!) Ed- I believe Twin I Beam actually bowed in '64, the same time the unitized cab/bed bit the dust. I've got that thick James Wagner book on Ford trucks, but I can't find it to back up my hunch. (I hate it when that happens! )

That is sweet! Kinda makes the blocked-up '77 Trans Am with lights strung all over it in MY front yard look crude and amateurish!

I have seen the '70 GTO promo (I passed one up last weekend), and it looks pretty decent, but of course- no engine. I've never seen the '70 Goat kit, but it was probably on about equal footing with the '67 or '72 kits, since it came out about the same period. You know- crude chassis plate, molded-in, plated headlamps, metal axles, and the like.

Or, since Pocher kits are held together by mechanical means, you can always take the whole dam'd thing apart again to see it!

Hulings Hobby House- Alma, Michigan (also sells MCM!) Dean's Hobby Stop- Flushing, Michigan (just TRY and walk out of there with a full pocket- I dare ya!) St. Louis Variety- St.Louis, Michigan Mountian Town Hobby's (sic)- Mt.Pleasant, Michigan (always the LAST place on my list!)

Nice work on the 'Liner Tim! Now I've got to get my stupid build finished! It's still in about the same shape as it was in the photo I posted earlier, except now the front bumper and Luberfiner are in place. And, even though the cab fit nice and square during all the test fits, it's now cocked a bit to the right, and doesn't shut straight! And I still haven't decided on kit mufflers or straight pipes. The plated fuel tanks from a Kenworth 600 didn't pan out, either, but the plated 5th wheel sure did! If I ever finish it, I'll give it it's own post. And I've GOT to finish it now... I finally got my Transtar kit!

Sadly, it's not as wild as I'd originally envisioned, if you can believe that!

Nicest SHO model I've seen in a VERY long time!

I'd go with the MKS!

No... but I'll take it anyway! That one's more like IH's take on the SuperCrew and Sport Trac! Wonder what International's answer to the Navagator and Escalade would've been like? (A station-wagon Mohs, is my guess!)

Oh yeah! That's basically all my '98 Tracer is!

Duplicolor also is quite a bit more sensitive to humidity than the Plastikote. It's not as much a problem on primer coats, but still, I don't spray Duplicolor unless A)- the humidity is low (or as low as it gets in Michigan), and - I've sprayed a non-Duplicolor primer (such as Krylon) onto the body first, to serve as a barrier against the Duplicolor. Duplicolor is known to craze parts. I've never had much luck with the Plasicote, but then again, it's been a while since I've used it. I just remember using it nine or ten years ago, and I thought it came out lumpy and thick, though in hindsight that may have had more to do with my skills (or lack therof) at the time! Maybe it's time to give Plasticote another go?

Oh... speaking of fleet vehicles... The 2009 Pontiac Vibes (Vibe is Japanese for 'death trap') we're forced to run where I work. Same thing with the Grand Am you were talking about- once the traction control kicks on, you have no idea which way the damned thing is going to wriggle. You can switch it off, and it behaves the way you'd expect a front-drive turdbox to in the snow, but it automatically switches itself back on at about 30 MPH.

Well- I actually got all this yesterday, but here goes... AMT '49 Ford reissue AMT/Ertl International Transtar MPC '28 Lincoln Monogram Ford F-350 Dually AMT/Ertl '94 Ram 2500 snapper AMT Thomas Flyer (in a nice little zip lock bag!) AMT Kenworth 600 (parts donor) Two old Monogram Snap tite Mustang built ups (my first model was one!) A small-scale (1/32) Monogram Ford EXP (like the Pulsar- not the greatest car, but a cool model.) Two bottles of Tenax Three sheets o' BMF A small sandwich bag full of spares. And, even though I've owned the above for less than 24 hours... the F-350 is butchered beyond repair, and the Ram will be there soon enough!

Okay- most of us are by now getting prepared to spend the next six or seven months of our lives shoveling snow and driving to and from work in four-foot drifts (a slight exaggeration, I assure you). On another thread, a certain Mr. Pristovnik pointed out that a Mustang is not great for winter. A few people responded to that on that thread, but how about we open up a thread discussing just this subject- what were the best and worst winter vehicles you've ever owned? Here are mine: Best: '98 Mercury Tracer '96 Oldsmobile Ciera SL '87 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera '84 Jeep Cherokee Pioneer (4 cylinder, 5-speed manual, never actually NEEDED to put it in 4-wheel drive!) '83 Olds Delta 88 '81 Ford F-250 (351/ 4-speed manual, again, never needed the 4wd, even in intermittent 3-foot drifts) '80 Olds Delta 88 '75 Chevy El Camino '67 Plymouth Fury (as seen on Mythbusters!) Worst: '95 Dodge Ram 1500 2WD (5.2/ 5-speed manual) I once had to get towed off of wet grass. True story. '94 Ford F-250 (5.8/AOD) It ain't half the winter truck my old '81 was. '87 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe (5-speed) Liked to go sideways in snow and ice- not forward! '83 Dodge Ram Van (225 slant six, 4-speed) The fact it kept popping out of gear on it's own didn't help either! '67 Chevy Impala 4-door hardtop (I'd rather not get into that...) Now, what about yours?

By all means... it's yours if you want it!

Bandit Resins does long and short tail Torqflites. I think they're Three bucks a pop, plus shipping and handling.