von Zipper

I wish we would have had 'Utes" here in the U.S.A. Especially some of the Chrysler products that were never made into an el Camino - Ranchero type vehicles here . A few years ago I wanted an Australian style Ute so I raided the parts box, it's a '36 Ford coupe with a Revell '37/'38 Ford cab. Cut the dash to be right hand drive

I was very sorry to hear that Motown great, Jimmy Ruffin passed away November 17, 2014............. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA0GcXV2njY

Jerry Garcia doing a Van Morrison song, Bright Side of the Road https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKzWsreOcfM

I think the messed up part is that this thread has gone 8 pages in less than 24 hours and a very well built model that John Teresi worked on for months, posted finished pictures a week ago= for us to enjoy Has only gone two pages ? And before any one throws monkey poo at me for not posting on his finished thread, my mind set is this-I have not been building much or posting, I kind of think it's the guys putting it on the table who have paid the price of admission to comment on other peoples builds.

Very Nice ! Always enjoy looking at your cool cars.

When I was very young I went to a school in Detroit that had a sink like that, I had never seen one before. The first day of school I went into the bathroom and started peeing in the sink (Honest-I thought it was a toilet) I wondered why the other kids were laughing , about that time a teacher grabbed me by the shoulder and dragged me to the principals office. I've worked at a few shop where people played pranks on each other . One time a prank went bad and the two guys got into a fist fight , It was not good and both of them lost their jobs that day. There was a prank I loved to play on my Dad, I would put a rubber band on the hand held hose on the kitchen sink When he would turn the water on he would get sprayed down by the handle. He fell for that gag over and over.

A few years ago there was a guy who is a member here that built a common AMT kit, He did a decent job but no where near show quality. He listed it on eBay as 'Pro Built' with a Buy it Now price of $350.00 It didn't sell. Three days later he relisted it for $275.00 It didn't sell. After about two weeks of lowering the price and relisting it he had it down to Buy it Now for $50.00 and it still did not sell. Between the price of the kit, BMF, paint , glue and after market white wall tires he would have not have made a dime for his time building it. I know that hurt his ego and a few of us got a good laugh at his attempt to "Go Pro" You can't blame a guy for trying....or can you ?

I'll buy built obsolete models off of eBay. But I tend to bid more for models that have less work done to them. I wanted an MPC '67 Pontiac Bonneville kit for years, Saw this clean old built model then got into a bidding war, paid a little more than I wound have liked but am very happy to have it. All the seam lines are there , very little glue and not a drop of paint. I figured it was the next best thing to a mint kit. Every thing came apart clean, the glass polished up like new with Novus .

I would like a kit of THE Holy Grail.

Hey,Bill No offense taken, I think you're a stand up guy for clearing that up.

I did read the entire thread before commenting, and I do have above average reading comprehension skills. Although I don't have kids nor do I know what kids are into today- I do know that kids today are not into real cars the way previous generations were. So it makes sense to me that a lot fewer kids would be interested in building models of cars. It's not just kids that have their noses planted deep in their electronic devices, The last time I went to a local bar / grill I did notice there were about a dozen people, both men and women sitting at the bar. Every one of them were sitting at the bar with some sort of device and NOT one of them was talking to each other. I wondered why some one would go out to a public place like that on a Saturday night, sit at the bar and not interact with any one around them? They could stay home and do that. So again , I don't think it's just kids obsessed with computers, texting and on-line video games. If we want to ask where model car building will be in the next 15-20 years-Who knows ? Who would have thunk it would have lasted as long as it has?

The original title of this thread is: Remember when kits were $2.00 to $5.00 ? I remember going to the first K-Mart store located in Garden City, MI ( on Ford Rd.) and getting 3 model kits for $5.00 under the flashing "Blue Light Special" I also remember going to McDonalds and getting a hamburger, fries , soda and getting change back from a dollar. I also remember my first job at age 17 when minimum wage was $3.35 an hour. But those days are gone...... People say the golden age of model car building was in the '60s or the '80s- I think the golden age of model car building is NOW ! We have more kits then ever before, better supplies and a lot more resources to find reference material/share the hobby.

Just for sake of conversation and only my opinion. I have a few models on my shelf that other people have built. 3 of them my Dad built , two others that my friend built. Both have passed away and I sure am happy to have those models and display them proudly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg-vgGuTD8A

In 1978 a friend of mine that I grew up with in the old neighborhood of Detroit bought a mint 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 75 from a local funeral home for 3 grand, It was in mint condition and only had 20 thousand miles. We thought he was crazy for buying it-Back then you could buy a really nice muscle car for that kind of cash. After awhile all the kids in the neighborhood grew to love that car, 10 kids could pile in it and the cops never gave it a second look. We always took it to the drive in movies or the beach. We even took it camping a few times. It was a nicer car than most of our parents drove at the time. I don't have any pictures of that car but did find an exact copy on line, and same dark blue color.

YES Indeed, In 1999 CMC built 750 Captain America motorcycle's to commemorate the 30th. anniversary of the movies 1969 debut. Each one of those bikes came with a letter of 'authenticity' signed by Peter Fonda endorsing them.

Ron Finch is my favorite bike builder- Besides being an artist of bike building , metalworking and painting he is a very interesting guy to talk to. I was very lucky to visit "Finch Castle" in Auburn Hills, MI a bunch of times and he would personally give you "the nickel" tour of his shop-he really had a can and would charge you a nickel ! http://www.finchscustoms.com/

This is an interesting idea, Over the years I've used Sharpie markers for doing body work and fabricating, I have notice how it dye's into the plastic. After the part is marked with a Sharpie there is no size difference or build up when I measure with dial calipers . Of course I'm not going to use a Sharpie to color the body like using a Crayon. BUT - I have had an idea of using a dye that would penetrate white or of grey colored plastic. Along time ago I made tie dyed t-shirt to sell. I didn't use the crumby stuff from the grocery store, I used a dye from an art supply called Procion . I know it's made for fabric but am seriously thinking about soaking a parts box body in a tub of the dye and see what happens ?

Does model glue count ?

Thank You for the supportive comments-All I can say about it is that life is a lot better for me now. And your comments really made me feel good-Thanks

As of today, I have 10 years clean and sober. That pleased me.

Just to add-I had to re-read my original post-I never said that body was a Johan issue.

You are correct- I think that stock car was a reissued (MPC) Model King kit-that was the reason I bought the gold promo with a broken A pillar---for the stock interior tub, stock bumpers, glass ect. It might be hard to see in the photo but the fuel filler door has been filled/smoothed. It has no side maker lights either. And a removable hood that I opened up the scoop. The stock car body also had hood pins molded in . But the bumpers , interior tub and glass fit like a glove -THAT is the body I'm planning to make a tubed 1/4 mile car out of. In that picture the primed/sanded stock car body has the stock front bumper on it from the gold promo (it has the turn signals molded in and I have drilled out the head lights to take clear lenses ) But thanks for pointing that out.

Please don't give up on your '72 Torino ! You are right that the Johan snapper kit is the same as the promos, then there was a NASCAR issue of the '72 Torino but the body and bumpers have been modified , the tail lights were blocked off on the NASCAR version. Modelhaus does make stock front and rear bumpers. If the new Revell kit is going to be a full detail kit it should work great as a donor. The platform would be the exact same for the 1972-1976 Torinos-1971 and before the Torino's were unibody -then changed to the down sized 1977 LTD II The front and rear bumpers look right to me on the Johan kits I'm looking forward to the new release of the Starsky and Hutch Torino myself, with a few '72 Torinos that are going to get the donor treatment. I will build one of the new Revell kits as a stock '74 Torino like my aunt had but never really liked the Starsky and Hutch show-or that car.....LIKE two undercover cops would drive around in a ketchup red car with a big white stripe down the sides and not get noticed ?